"Dude, did you know corn was this itchy?" Kate complained, scratching her neck as she blazed her own path through the corn maze, Natasha following a few steps behind.
Having allowed Kate her fun, Natasha sighed, piping up, "we're supposed to follow the paths, Kate. You know, the ones that were cut out specifically for the maze."
"Is that how these things work?"
"Have you never been to a corn maze? Or any maze?" Natasha asked, tugging Kate by the upper arm to the nearest dirt path in sight.
"Now that I think of it, no."
Hands in her denim jacket pockets, Natasha kicked at a fallen shuck of corn. "Why are we even trying, Bishop? We know they'll win."
"Maybe the prize isn't making it out of here first," Kate posited, "but it's the friends we make along the way."
"You're cornier than the corn."
Kate nudged the other girl playfully, eliciting a small smile. "How long have we been in here, anyway?"
Natasha glanced down at her watch, then up at the bright cerulean sky as if she wished she were somewhere else. "Way too long. Like, fifteen minutes."
"There's no way they haven't made it out."
"Let's pick up the pace, Bishop."
"Why?" Kate asked, strides lengthening to keep up with the redhead's pace. "You got somewhere else to be?"
"Was hoping to pick up a shift later, honestly."
"But... we were gonna go to the pumpkin patch."
Natasha shrugged. "The pumpkins will still be there. Even if I'm not."
"I don't think Wanda will see it that way."
"Well... Wanda understands. She sees that I'm working my ass off."
"Yeah, she does." Biting her lip, Kate searched for a subtle way to introduce the topic of Natasha's schooling and Wanda's concern, but upon remembering whom she spoke with, Kate realized subtlety was unnecessary. "Hey, Nat?"
"Yeah?"
"Wanda's worried about you, man."
Natasha almost laughed. "Worried? Why?"
"This new job of yours."
"What?" Natasha paused her walk, coming to a stop at a fork in the path. "I'm doing it for her."
"She's really worried about you dropping out of school."
"Well, I mean..." she sighed, rubbing the back of her neck. "I was probably going to."
Kate frowned. "Dude, what? We're so close to the end. Senior year."
"Yeah, but what's the point?" Natasha turned to continue the trek, and after a moment of hesitation, chose left. "I've got a good gig with steady cash. Why put all that on pause for a piece of paper in a couple months?"
"Like Yelena tells me, you gotta think big picture. Sure, you're making good money now. But if you graduate, maybe you'll have the option of more money in the future."
"Not for a while, though."
"Yeah, not for a while. We're all in sucky entry level jobs right now. But if you're already pulling a decent mechanic gig now, imagine what you could do with a degree."
"Maybe you're right." The redhead went silent for a little, following Kate's lead as the two zagged through endless stalks. "I just wanted to make her proud."
"Wanda?"
"Yeah. I've got nothing, Bishop. Neither does she, really. No help from our parents, no real home. I think... I think I just got spooked about being left on our own in a few months. I want to provide the life she deserves."
Kate smiled, feeling the same way about Yelena. "I get that. But remember, our ladies are capable too. Honestly, they'll probably be making more than us in a decade."
Chuckling, Natasha replied, "yeah, they definitely will. We can't even make it out of a corn maze."
"Anyway, don't stress too much about it. Believe me, I know graduation is terrifying, but it'll all work out in end."
"You believe that, Bishop?"
"Got to."
Across the way at the homely country farm, Yelena and Wanda moseyed about, a candied apple in each girl's hands. They had crushed the maze several minutes prior, and now busied themselves browsing the delightful little vendor booths scattered around the fairgrounds. After having exhausted every commercial outlet and having bought far too much kettle corn, Yelena groaned, casting Wanda an expectant look.
"I know," Wanda said, rolling her eyes. "We should've gone with them."
"She can quantize particles and shit, but a corn maze..." Yelena chuckled despite her girlfriend. "That's really the tough stuff."
"You know, in a way, I wish I could be more like that. Sounds kind of fun to get lost in a maze. Just stop and... I don't know, shuck the corn."
"Hm." The blonde linked her arm through Wanda's, leading the pair over to a picnic bench with perfect view of the maze exit. "Stop and shuck the corn?"
"Yeah. We're already seniors, Lena, can you believe that? I bet that in a year, we won't have time for any stuff like this."
"Maybe not."
"You're okay with that?"
Yelena shrugged. "I don't know. Things just feel... different to me now. A lot of my life has changed in the past year, and most of it's been good."
"A little change can be good, huh?"
"Mhm." Yelena fiddled with the hem of her shirt, Kate's oversized flannel, running her fingers over the black and green fabric. "Kate is rubbing off on me, I think. Trying to go with the flow."
"I never knew I needed a friend like Katie until I had one."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. She told me she'd talk to Natasha about school and stuff. That's probably what's taking them so long, now that I think about it."
Yelena hummed, eyes set on the ever-empty exit. "This about that mechanic gig?"
"Mhm. Natty was too cagey with me. But Kate has a way of making people feel comfortable."
"Yeah, she's pretty okay," Yelena grinned. "Maybe Nat will somehow talk Kate out of her delinquent phase. I swear she hasn't been to class in two weeks."
"I wouldn't worry too much about that," Wanda dismissed. "We talked about that the other day."
"What'd she say?"
"Not much. I think she just genuinely needs a break. If this lasts past homecoming, then maybe get a little worried. But for now, just help her unwind. God knows she could use that."
"That won't be hard. We've got like, seven parties in the next three weeks, not to mention rush. Kate will probably be aching for some simple calculus after that."
"They should put you on sorority Mount Rushmore, honestly."
"That's the least I deserve."
As the two women laughed together, enjoying their cider, candied apples, and kettle corn, their revelry only heightened when Kate and Natasha finally exited the maze... out of the entrance. Upon realizing this, Natasha threw her hands up in exasperation, surely cursing some corn deity. Kate just laughed, tears pooling as she reunited with Yelena.
"I don't know how you got out of that," Kate said through her fits of laughter, throwing a casual arm across Yelena's shoulders. "All the corn looked the same, babe, it was impossible."
With an adoring smile, Yelena kissed Kate's cheek, handing over a candied apple that she had saved for her. "I'm proud either way. You did good, my love."
Natasha sidled up to her girlfriend as well, dutifully handing over her jacket when she spotted Wanda with her arms crossed across her chest.
"Now," Natasha started, taking Wanda's hand. "Who's ready to pick some pumpkins?"