#emowithoddsocks

To anyone who didn’t know Rosé and Denali very well they seemed to be a very odd pair. Where it was true that aesthetically they were complete opposites, their personalities merged together perfectly. They completely adored one another and were pretty sure that no force on earth could keep them apart.

Rosé had the classic ‘bad girl’ reputation. She carried a pure punk rock energy with her at all times. It was rare to see her without her beat up leather jacket on or bright pink hair expertly pushed over to one side of her head, exposing the shaven sides.

Denali on the other hand looked like she’d fallen straight out of a pastel cottage core lesbian fantasy. Her powder blues and soft lilacs stood out from the crowd of monochrome surrounding her. Everyday a different flower crown would rest among her dark hair, usually one that her girlfriend had ‘borrowed ‘ for her the previous day.

The couple would spend almost every hour of the day together, when they could. Denali’s bedroom becoming their safe haven away from school and Rosé’s complicated home life. On the rare occasions they were apart Rosé would leave Denali with one of her hoodies and take one of her girlfriend’s flower crowns, a promise that she’d always return to her.

However, as perfect as their relationship was, others didn’t like that Denali was even associating with someone like Rosé. Countless nasty lies and rumours spread around the school like wildfire, accusing Rosé of having a negative influence on Denali.

Clearly Rosé could handle the comments about herself but Denali sometimes struggled to ignore the harsh words thrown at her. She’d never admit this to Rosé of course, her girlfriend would gladly beat the hell out of anyone who upset her but Denali wanted to avoid such extreme actions.

One day things got really bad for Denali. She’d been tripped, pushed into the lockers and had one of her favourite flower crowns destroyed in front of her. Denali had been left alone crying over a pile of pink rose petals before running out of the school back home.

Knowing that Rosé had decided to skip today Denali texted her to come over as soon as she could.

By the time Rosé arrived her heart almost broke at the sight of her girlfriend sobbing into her pillow. Immediately anger began to bubble up inside of her but she forced herself to push it aside.

“Baby?” She stroked a hand over Denali’s arm. “What’s wrong baby?” No response came. “Okay you don’t have to tell me anything yet but can I help in any way?”

Denali nodded as she rolled over. Her eyes were red and puffy, with tear marks running down her face.

Rosé instantly gathered up the younger girl into her arms.

“I got you baby girl.” Rosé led down so Denali could rest on top of her while she calmed down a little more. “Breath baby, that’s it. So good for me.” Rosé whispered.

Denali clung to Rosé’s jacket, pressing her face into the comforting scent of leather and perfume she’d become addicted too while dating Rosé. The feeling of Rosé’s fingers running through her hair helped her come back down to earth. She was grounded by every touch and word provided by her girlfriend.

“Rosie?” She signed.

“Nali.” Rosé smiled and continued to let hair glide through her fingers. “What happened baby?”

“They tripped me in the hallway, then when I got up they pushed me back against the lockers. One of them grabbed my crown and stamped on it until I broke while they all yelled at me.”

“Bastards! Who was it? I’ll make sure they’ll never bother you again.” Rosé’s eyes were lit with the fire of rage, it scared Denali.

“No Rosie please don’t go after them. It’s not worth it.” Denali wrapped her arms around the older girl’s neck and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I don’t want you to get in trouble again, I know you’re tough but I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you Rosie. I love you so much and no one else’s opinions about us matter to me, only you do.”

Rosé’s face softened up at her girlfriend’s words, how did she ever deserve the honour to be loved by someone like Denali? She didn’t know the answer why but Rosé vowed that one day she’d get them both out of the small minded town they lived in and start a life of their own, together forever.

“I love you more than anything baby girl. I’m sorry I wasn’t there today to protect you.” Rosé pulled Denail in for a soft kiss on her lips. “Since you’re home now do you wanna do anything this afternoon?”

“Can we just stay here? We could take a bath and snuggle watching movies, only if you want to stay though.”

“I’d stay with you here forever if it made you happy.” - A couple hours later, Denali sat on her bed waiting for Rosè to finish drying her hair in the bathroom. An idea popped into her head as soon as she noticed her girlfriend’s jacket left unattended. Rosé was almost as protective of her jacket than she was Denali herself.

She giggled as she picked it up and slipped it over her pyjama shirt. Due to her slightly smaller frame the sleeves fell over Denali’s hands.

“Nali?”

“What you think?.” Denali did a twirl in Rosé’s jacket. “Could I pull off the punk look?”

“No but I’m slightly aroused at this moment.” Rosé stared at her girlfriend blankly, not realising she was saying her internal monologue out loud.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Is big scary Rosè blushing?” Denali teased and walked over to her girlfriend. “It’s okay Rosie baby, I always knew you were big softy.”

“You tell anyone and you’ll get no kisses for a week.” Rosè pulled Denali closer by the jacket’s lapels, connecting their lips. “You look so hot right now baby girl.”

This time it was Denali’s turn to turn pink in the face.

“I love it when you call me that. I love you.” She rested her head on Rosé’s shoulder.

“I love you too. Now can I have my jacket back?”

“I can see what's happening.” Courtney commented from where she sat watching from the bar.

“What?” Willam looked up from her phone.

“And they don't have a clue.”

Willam looked around confused

“Who.”

“They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line.” Courtney took a sip of her drink.

“Our trio's down to two.”

“Oh.” Willam finally caught on to what the other girl was rambling about.

Across the room sat Alaska and Sharon hand in hand, whispering sweet words to each other.

“The sweet caress of twilight.”

“Actually it’s only 4 in the afternoon.” Willam started to get concerned.

“There's magic everywhere.”

“Ok what the hell is in that drink?”

“And with all this romantic atmosphere.” Courtney grabbed Willam’s hand tightly.

“Disaster's in the air.”

-

How long had it been since they had seen each other? Alaska couldn’t remember.

It was strange how fast they had fallen back into place, as if they had never been apart.

Holding Sharon’s hand in hers brought back memories of the past. Rainy days spent cuddling in bed, tracing lazy patterns on bare skin as they explored each other’s body. Walking home together in the early hours of the morning from wherever they had been performing that particular night and kissing under the stars.

Everything felt like a dream now. Times before the fights were seemingly perfect compared to the brewing nightmares that would follow.

The day Alaska left was the day both of them woke up.

The past was the past. No power or force in the world could ever change or take back the words that had been said and the bottles smashed.

Sharon found herself trying to remember every detail of Alaska’s face as if this moment wasn’t real and she would disappear again.

Never had she felt so strongly about someone. Alaska was truly her soulmate, why else would have fate brought them together once again?

Instead of worrying about the future both decided to relish in the moments that they were now making together.

“I’m sorry.” Alaska’s breath was warm against Sharon’s ear as she whispered.

Placing a kiss to the side of Alaska’s head she replied.

“I am too.”

And that was all they needed.

-

Back at the bar Courtney’s drunken rambling continued.

“And if she falls in love tonight, It can be assumed.” She took a final shot. “Her carefree days with us are history.”

Willam held onto her shoulders so that she wouldn’t fall as she left the bar stool. Courtney wrapped her arms around Willam and began to sob into the blondes shoulder.

“In short, our pal is doomed.”

Scarlet is confused, she has been for quite a while now. She doesn’t understand how all her friends can easily talk about whatever boy or girl took their fancy that week. She just doesn’t get it.

Even just thinking about her crush has her whole face as bright red as her hair, how could she ever say the girls name out loud? When questioned by her friends about having a potential crush she simply shook her head and lied. A horrible attempt to avoid admitting that her crush was the school’s resident oddball, Yvie freaking Oddly.

Scarlet was fully aware of the classic cliche she was living but she couldn’t help it. Yvie was the most beautiful person she’d ever had the pleasure of laying eyes on. Unfortunately Scarlet was also the cliche of being a very useless lesbian. - Scarlet was lost. Very lost. With her phone out of power, she cursed herself for not waiting for Brooke to leave the party so they could have at least got lost together. But no, Scarlet decided to just start walking down the unfamiliar streets until she found a recognizable landmark. After a long 20 minutes of blindly walking around, the light of a convenience store blared harshly in the distance, like a neon signed oasis under the midnight sky. Something definitely felt off as Scarlet got closer, the only other people around were a group of clearly drunk men who’s distasteful comments she chose to ignore, stepping into the store as quickly as she could. The inside seemed completely deserted, not counting the bored looking cashier playing a game on their phone behind the counter. Scarlet began to absent-mindedly roam the empty aisles until her legs hit a solid force and gave out from under her.

“Hey!” An annoyed voice called out. “Watch where you’re walking!”

“Sorry.” Scarlet sat up from where she now lay on the dirty tile floor and looked back to properly apologise to the person she had fallen over. Instead she just froze.

Sat there, ever so casually, in the middle of the magazine aisle was none other than the girl she couldn’t get out of her mind.

“Wait a minute, Scarlet?” Yvie looked at her in confusion. “What the hell are you doing around here at midnight?”

“Could ask you the same question Yvie, do you make a habit of sitting in inconvenient places?”

Yvie laughed. “Touche. I just come here to read random magazines, it’s quiet. Seriously though, you’re not alone are you? This side of town isn’t the safest place at night.”

“I’m a big girl, I can take care of myself.” Scarlet crossed her arms over her chest smugly.

“I don’t doubt it Red but those guys outside seemed to have an opinion about your pretty little face.” Yvie stood up and brushed a lock of Scarlet’s hair behind her ear. “At least tell me how you even found this place.” The blush slowly crept up Scarlet’s face at how close Yvie had gotten. She’d called her face cute, could it be that Yvie felt the same? Finally Scarlet’s expression cracked to reveal a small amount of sadness in her voice. “I’m lost. I was at a party but I hate parties so I left.” She signed. “My phone is dead and even if I could call her, my sister is probably asleep by now.” Yvie’s eyes seemed to soften at the redheads’ words. Under the crappy lighting of the store she could now see how Scarlet’s makeup had begun to smudge and the dark circles forming under her eyes. Eventually she came up with a possible solution, one that involved spending more time with the shorter girl. “Wanna crash at mine? I’ll worry too much if you’re gonna be back walking around in the dark all night.” Scarlet’s face lit up. Yvie found it utterly adorable at how soft the smile she gave was. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“Never.” She held onto Scarlet’s hand and began to walk them out into the car park. “Now how do you feel about motorbikes?” - As terrifying as the ride back to Yvie’s house was for Scarlet she had to admit the excuse to be close to the other girl was like a dream. She felt like a princess riding off into the sunset with her knight in shining armour. Once they pulled up outside Yvie’s home, Scarlet’s hand found it’s way back to Yvie’s as the taller girl led her up the stairs. Yvie’s room looked exactly how Scarlet had imagined it to be. Walls covered in a variety of photos, art and fairy lights. Even the unmade bed shoved in the corner looked so warm and inviting, as if it was ready for the pair to snuggle up under its covers.

“Wait, I’ll grab you something to sleep in.” Yvie rummaged around her room for a moment before returning with a shirt and pair of shorts in hand. “These should fit, the bathroom is just behind you.” She smiled as Scarlet took the clothes. “Just come lay down when you’re done.”

Scarlet nodded before closing the bathroom door and sighing. How was she gonna get through a night of sleeping next to her crush without spurting out her feelings the first chance she got? “Get a grip.” She whispered to herself as she took off the itchy dress she had been wearing for hours and slipped on the soft shirt Yvie had leant her. The relief of wiping away the messy makeup from her face did little to calm her anxieties down as she walked back to Yvie’s bedroom and awkwardly lay down next to the taller girl.

“Hey” Yvie looked at her with tired eyes. Scarlet swore that this girl would be the death of her.

“Hey”

“This is okay right? I’ll happily go sleep on the couch if sharing makes you uncomfortable.” Yvie shifted so that the covers could be pulled over the pair. “It’s fine honestly. I share a room at home so sleeping alone sometimes makes me anxious.” Scarlet explained. “Well sweet dreams Red.” Yvie whispered. A beat of silence fell between them. “Yvie?” “Yeah?” Scarlet kissed her cheek and quickly rolled back onto her side of the bed. Her heart thumped inside her chest from the sudden burst of confidence. “Thank you.” “I know you like me Scar.” Scarlet’s eyes shot open. “You’re not as subtle as you think.” She could feel Yvie get closer as she stiffened up. “Don’t be so tense, I like you too.”

“I’m fully aware of the rules but right now she needs someone?” Jackie was losing it. The van ride back to the hotel had been a mix of non stop arguments, shade and crying. Tensions so high Jackie could have cut it with one of Gigi’s false nails.

Jan hadn’t said a word since they had left the studio, she had even opted to sit alone rather than at her usual place next to Jackie.

Something was definitely wrong and Jackie wouldn’t stop until she knew for certain that Jan was okay.

So here she now stood in the hotel hallway arguing with a PA.

“Jackie I can’t let you-“

“Please! I can’t leave her like that, just for tonight.” She didn’t want to scream at the poor PA but she was getting desperate.

The PA sighed, turning his walkie talkie to mute.

“Fine but if anyone else finds out about this there’s gonna be serious consequences.”

Jackie was at Jan’s door before the sentence had even finished, waiting for the other queen to answer her urgent knocks. After receiving no answer Jackie tried the door handle, surprised to find that it was unlocked.

Jan lay in the dark, curtains pulled shut in order to block out any remaining light. She had her back to the door and could have been easily mistaken as asleep if not for the sound of sobs leaving her mouth.

Jackie perched herself at the end of the bed, her heart breaking at the pain she saw in Jan’s face.

“Jan honey?” She took one of the crying queens hands and held on gently, “What’s wrong?”

“I-I just can’t…I can’t.” More tears flooded out of Jan’s eyes.

Jackie pulled her up into a hug, Jan instantly buried her face into The older queens shoulder.

“It’s okay, we don’t have to talk right now.”

Jan nodded against her. She felt as if every ounce of energy she had started the day with had been drained.

“You wanna lay back down honey?” Again Jan nodded and shuffled back under the covers. Jackie began to stroke the blondes hair, smiling as she became noticeably more relaxed.

For the first time since leaving the Werk room Jan felt like she could breath more clearly, all thanks to Jackie. She pressed her head up slightly into the older queens touch.

“Jackie would you?… never mind.” She hesitated, not wanting to scare Jackie away.

“What is it?” Jackie stroked over her cheek.

“Would you come lay down with me? I just don’t wanna be alone.”

“Of course I will honey.” Jackie moved to the other side of the bed so she could slip in next to Jan, who held up the covers as much as she could. She turned her body towards Jackie and smiled when she held out her arms. Jan insanity snuggled into her chest, bringing a hand to rest on Jackie’s face.

“Trying to clock my beard?” Jackie chuckled.

“You’re amazing.” Jan placed a light kiss on her jaw before closing her eyes.

Taken aback by the younger queen’s action Jackie stiffened, she knew that Jan was affectionate with everyone but she’d never seen the other kiss anyone before. Not sure what to do Jackie pressed her lips to Jan’s forehead and held onto her tighter.

The pair stayed in this position all night, drifting in and out of sleep. They talked about life before the show and how quickly everything would change after airing.

Only when the invasive knock from the PA came to sneak Jackie back to her room, did the two disconnect from each others embrace.

“I wish you could stay.” Jan hugged Jackie from behind as the brunette pulled her shoes back on.

“Me too honey, but we’ll be back in the Werk room in no time.”

“Can I at least give a proper thank you for last night?”

Jackie turned in Jan’s arms and was met by her lips touching Jan’s.

Finally all their dreams had come true. Both stood at the very top of the competition but left with the agony of not yet knowing which one of them took the crown.

Everything was still a secret, only a select few knew of the journey they had been on and for now they were still invisible in that world.

Tonight’s gig was small, just another messy club in the middle of a rundown town. The fact it was a week night didn’t help the situation as less than 10 people were currently stood around the bar.

“This is ridiculous!”

“Come on Nick, it’s better than nothing.”

“It is nothing Gigi, that’s the problem.”

Despite the disputes that had unraveled in the heat of competition the pair of queens had become quite close after filming had ended. It wasn’t unusual for them to be booked together or even seen out with each other when in the same city.

Nicky grabbed two shots from the bar and handed one to the other queen.

“Might as well.”

Their glasses clinked together and the shots were downed in one.

That’s the last thing either of them remember…. - “Fuck my head.”

Light streamed in from the open blinds directly into Gigi’s eyes. She rubbed the sleep out of them, stretching slightly. But then it hit her like a ton of bricks, she wasn’t alone.

A groan came from behind and the arm wrapped snugly around her waist tightened.

“The hell.” The other person spoke, “wait. Gigi?”

Gigi shot her head around to see Nicky lead behind her. Their eyes locked in panic as they both assessed the situation.

“Nothing happened right?” Nicky looked down to find both of them fully clothed. She let out a sigh of relief.

“I think we were just cuddle buddies for the night.” Gigi laughed. She placed her head back onto the pillow, squinting as she tried to see how early it was by the sun shining into the room.

Nicky began to scroll through her phone, her eyes slowly widening in panic.

“Oh merde!” She threw the phone into Gig’s face. “How drunk were we last night?”

There, casually placed among the comments of fans, was a slightly blurry selfie featuring the two of them in a more than affectionate embrace. Both of their eyes were screwed shut as they messily pressed their lips together. Gigi’s arms had wrapped themselves around Nicky’s neck, in what looked like a method of pulling her closer. The photo quickly disappeared and was replaced with an in coming call from Crystal. “Have you got something to tell me Nicollet Angele Marie Doll?”

“Good Morning to you too Crystal Elizabeth, how are you this fine morning?” Nicky giggled as Crystal lost it.

“Screw good morning! Why is there a photo floating around of you and Gigi fucking Goode sucking face?”

“We don’t remember what exactly happened, we were really drunk.” Nicky tried to explain.

“We? You mean Gigi’s still with you?”

Fuck. Welp there was no point in trying to cover this up. “Hey Crystal!” Gigi yelled enthusiastically through the phone before instantly regretting her choice of tone from her screaming headache.

“We’re not together. We just got super drunk and spent a night spooning.”

“You spooned? Oh my god! You’re practically married! I call maid of honor at you bitches wedding.”

The simultaneous facepalm Nicky and Gigi performed sent them all into a fit of laughter.

“I’ve got to go but remember to use protection guys. I’m too young to be an aunt.”

Only when the call shit off did Gigi realise how much closer she had got to Nicky. Her makeup smudged face came closer.

“You know i can’t recall if you’re a good kisser or not.” She whispered, their hands joining under the covers.

“Je suis d'accord.” And just like that the forgotten activities and feelings from the previous night came rushing back into their minds. Nicky’s lips were soft and felt great against Gigi’s, causing the younger to smile as the kiss broke.

“Wow.” “Wow indeed.” Nicky smirked. She moved so that Gigi could rest against her side and begin to run her fingers through her short hair. “I think it’s time I order us a hangover breakfast.”

“Thanks for today.” Nicky turned to Gigi and smiled.

The other girl didn’t respond, her eyes still fixed on the pastel sky as it slowly faded into darkness. Nicky just took the time to watch how Gigi’s eyes remained lit up even in the dimming light. She adored the soft shape of her lips and tried to stop herself thinking about how nice they must feel to kiss. She found herself placing her hand gently over Gigi’s, shuffling closer to her. This time Gigi did react. In one swift motion she pulled Nicky towards her so that their lips came crashing together. Their hands became instantly intertwined as they both melted against one another.

Nicky broke the kiss and rested her head on Gigi’s shoulder. A few small tears began to fall from her eyes as the joy rushed over her.

“I love you.” Her whisper was so quiet she wasn’t even sure she had even said it out loud. It was only when she felt Gigi bring her face to hers once again that she knew her confession had been heard.

“I love you too Nicky.” Gigi’s faces beamed with happiness as she kissed the other girls cheek and stood, holding out her hand. Nicky took her hand rose from her seat.

“One last ride on the Ferris wheel?”

News of the night’s upcoming events sent the students of Shiz into a state of madness as everyone rushed to find themselves an outfit and date for the evening . Yvie didn’t understand the need for such effort, finding the whole party nothing more than an excuse for the wealthy students to show off their parents’ money. Instead of adding herself to the growing madness Yvie began the short walk to return to her dorm room, only to be stopped by one of Scarlet’s followers.

“Oi Oddly.” Raj’ah spat from across the hallway, “Do everyone a favour and don’t bother showing up tonight, no one wants you there.”

“Wasn’t even considering going anyway.” Yvie yelled back, angrily stomping back to the dorm, glad to find Scarlet was nowhere to be found. She breathed heavily. Truth be told Professor West’s words haunted her in a way which sent her mind spiraling into overdrive. She continued to read quietly, scanning the pages for any more information about magic, why did she of all people possessed it and how it could be used for the good of Oz.  Yvie’s research continued until the unwanted interruption of the door slamming open.

“Yvie! Yvie! Yvie!” The intruder bellowed, pouncing herself onto Yvie’s bed and knocking off a few pillows in the process.

“Hello Nessa.” Yvie deadpanned, her eyes didn’t even leave the book page.

“Did you hear?” Vanessa asked excitedly, continuing the conversation before Yvie even had a chance to reply. “Everyone’s going to the Oz Dust Ballroom tonight! Have you seen Scarlet? Do you know what she’s wearing? I bet she’ll look stunning, I mean she always does but tonight is all about full glam mode.” Vanessa’s enthusiasm exhausted Yvie to the point where she reckoned only seeing the Wizard themself in the flesh  would be enough to shut her up.

“I have no interest in the party Vanessa.” Yvie marked her page before slamming the book shut. “Nor do I care about what little miss perfect is doing tonight. Raj’ah, her little admirer made herself very clear that i was not to go anywhere near the place.”

Vanessa huffed in annoyance at Yvie’s words.

“Well I care, I’ve already bagged myself a date as well.” She smiled and twirled a finger absentmindedly around her finger. “Miss Brooke Lynn sure is fine.” Nessa gave a dreamy smile, only reminding Yvie of how alone she felt at Shiz. At home she and Nessa did everything together, just because they had too. Here Yvie had up to now only been able to make enemies.

“Well have fun and be careful, I don’t think father could take a repeat of last year.”

“Sweet Oz Yvie, lighten up a little.” Vanessa complained, a scowl forming on her face “No wonder everyone hates you Yvie, why can’t you be more like Scarlet?” Her sister’s words stung, anger quickly began to bubble up inside causing Yvie to drop the book from her hands as they shook and clenched.

“You’ve really got to stop anger getting the best of you.”

All her strength became dedicated to pushing down the power which had begun to build up inside of her. Yvie was determined to control her emotions as well as her powers.

“Go away Nessa.” Her voice shook.

“Father was right about you.”

“GO AWAY.” A jolt of power shot through Yvie’s body and released, sending Vanessa falling to the ground Yvie panicked as Nessa rose from the floor clearly in pain from the unexpected encounter. “Ness i’m so sorry.”

Vanessa didn’t look back at her, walking to the doorway and stopping only to let Scarlet in.

“I wish you’d never become my sister.” Nessa half whispered under her breath but loud enough for both Yvie and Scarlet to hear it.

“What happened?” Scarlet perched herself on the edge of her bed, removing the straps of her black heels so she could change for the party. Her hair fell into perfect brown curls as the pins were removed from her updo.

“It doesn’t matter.” Yvie picked up the book she had dropped from the floor and straightened out the bed covers to their original neatness. “I’ll be out your way in a minute.”

Scarlet’s face softened slightly at her roommate’s response. She’d only heard around half of whatever had previously happened with Yvie and Vanessa, including the sudden use of the latter’s powers but could see that Yvie was holding something back.

“You don’t need to leave, after all this is your room as well.” Scarlet slipped off her day dress, making Yvie immediately look away in fear that her roommate would notice the slight blush dusting her cheeks. “I actually have something for you.”

A hat box was retrieved from the top of Scarlet’s closet and placed in front of Yvie.

“Well are you going to open it?” Scarlet asked, still only in her undergarments. Yvie carefully lifted the lid to reveal a pointy black hat that had been twisted out of shape, supposedly from being sat in the box for so long.

“Oh no it’s ruined.”

Yvie brought the hat over to her roommates mirror and placed it on her head, instantly liking how one side covered her right blank eye.

“I like it.” She turned to show Scarlet. “Thank you.”

“I knew it would suit you, Black is definitely not my colour.” She laughed pulling on a deep red dress with a sweetheart neckline, small crystals scattered across the skirt. “I thought you could wear it at the dance tonight.”

“But i’m not going.” Yvie sat on her bed and fiddled with a loose thread on the worn skirt of her dress.

“Nonsense, I Scarlet Envy officially invite you.”

“But Raj’ah said-” Yvie was cut off by her roommate.

“Let me deal with Raj’ah, at least consider it.” Scarlet smiled in the mirror, knowing Yvie would be able to see.

-

At exactly eight o’clock the party begun, students flooding into the Oz dust ballroom ready to let loose for the night.

A thousand lights sprinkled across the room, illuminating the many dancing couples that littered the ballroom dance floor. A sweet melody drifted from the band playing from a small stage at one end of the large room.

“Isn’t it just wonderful Raj’ah.” Scarlet spun around, the skirt of her dress fanning out around her hips.

“It’s perfect Scarlet, just like you.” Raj’ah complimented “May have this dance?”

Scarlet nodded and took the girl’s hand, leading her over to the center of the dance floor where they began to lazily waltz alongside the others. Nearby she caught a glimpse of Brooke and Vanessa together, completely infatuated with one another as they swayed long to the music. She’d may not always show it but Scarlet craved that type of love. Having loads of friends was great and all but really she wanted that one special person who would always be there to hold onto her forever. Scarlet was fully aware of the rumours going around about how Raj’ah felt about her. According to the grapevine Raj’ah was planning on confessing such feeling’s that very night. However Scarlet was still unsure about how she felt. Something else clouded her mind, a certain white haired roommate of her’s.

She thought back to the conversation with Yvie a few hours earlier. In fact it had been the first understanding of why Yvie acted how she did. Years of being treated like a monster and a mistake left her no choice but to build up emotional walls, convincing herself she was the insults being thrown at her.

Scarlet suddenly felt lost in the sea of colourful outfits she found herself in. The feeling of Raj’ah’s hand in hers started to feel extremely uncomfortable as her skin became clammy from the room’s heat.

“Are you okay?” Raj’ah asked, leading her dance partner over to the refreshment table.

“Just a little hot, nothing to worry about.” She forced a smile.

-

Yvie had argued with herself for over 3 hours on weather or not Scarlet’s invitation had been legitimate or not. But here she was, stood at the ballroom’s main entrance, ready to face whatever was thrown her way.

The odd girl’s arrival caused many of the dancing students to stop and stare as she entered the ballroom, twisted hat sat proudly on her head.

“What’s she doing here.” Raj’ah complained.

“I invited her.” Scarlet watched as Yvie stood awkwardly to the side clearly feeling out of place in the crowd. “Come on let’s sit on the balcony for a little while, i need some air.” She pulled Raj’ah away to avoid conflict.

Once outside Scarlet took deep breaths, happy to be out of the suffocating heat inside.

“Why did you invite Oddly?” Raj’ah looked at Scarlet annoyed.

“Because i wanted to, i am able to make my own decisions.” Scarlet crossed her arms, “ I don’t understand why you’re getting mad, it’s suppose to be a party.”

“I just don’t like the way she looks at you.” Raj’ah let go of the brunette’s hand. “She looks like she has some kind of creepy crush on you, like such a freak could have feelings like that.”

“I don’t appreciate your tone right now.”

“Don’t tell me you feel the same way, go then, go goin her freak squad.” Raj’ah screamed and ran back into the ballroom.

“That didn’t sound good.” Scarlet jumped at Yvie’s voice behind her. “Wait you’re crying? Here.” The white haired girl held out a handkerchief out to Scarlet who took it to dab away her tears she didn’t even realise were falling from her eyes.

“I haven’t been the kindest to you Yvie and I apologise. I try so hard to be good in front of everyone but I’ve only ever treated you how the others do. It’s as if they expect it from me.” Scarlet turned away from Yvie to lean on the balcony’s ledge and look out into the night sky. “I’m so sorry Yvie, my actions can surely not be forgiven.”

“I do forgive you Scarlet.” Yvie placed her hand over Scarlet’s. “You’re the only one who’s ever truly apologize for anything.”

“Yvie,can we be friends?”

“Where’d you get this idea exactly?” Jan huffed out as she climbed the hill next to Jackie. When the older girl had finally asked Jan out on a date, she imagined they’d go to dinner or get a coffee like normal people, not go for a hike up a hill in the middle of nowhere. “Where’s your sense of adventure?” Jackie laughed and reached for Jan’s hand when she began to lag behind. “And it was Crystal who told me about this place.” “Of course it was.” The blonde squeezed her dates hand. “Remind me to have a word with our dear friend Miss Methyd.” “We’re almost there, come on.” Jackie dragged Jan all the way to the top of the hill. “It’s beautiful.” “It is.” Jan blushed when she realised that Jackie wasn’t looking at how the sun reflected ever so perfectly off the large lake which stood before them, she was looking at her. Jan melted when she saw how the sunlight made Jackie’s eyes shine in a honey-like glow. The taller girl came closer to Jan, dropping her backpack from her shoulders. “You’re so,” she paused to move a few stray hairs that had fallen over Jan’s face, ”so beautiful.” “Jackie.” The smile that had been plastered on Jan’s face dropped. “I think you just dropped your bag in a cow pat.” She erupted into laughter. - Twenty minutes later the pair sat at the banks of the lake snacking on the cake Jackie had made in a 3am panic that morning. “So what finally made you wanna ask me out?” Jackie just about choked on her cake at Jan’s question. “I-I umm… I was getting tired of seeing you have your heart broken by idiots who could never fully appreciate how amazing you are.” She giggled nervously “So you got drunk, probably with Nicky and she made you text me?” Jan licked the frosting from her fingers, keeping direct eye contact with Jackie. “Yeah.” The older girl sighed. “But I have generally liked you for a while now.” She looked down at the ground and began to mess around with the dropped cake crumbs, not expecting to be tacked into a hug. Jan landed half on top of her and curled into her side. “Watch the clouds with me.” She nuzzled her cheek to Jackie’s, placing a light kiss on her jaw. There weren’t many clouds too watch, the pale blue sky almost clear from any blemishes. The clouds they did see where light and fluffy, no clear shapes could be identified but soon became a second thought. The details on who first initiated their first kiss was blurry. Jan had looked at Jackie, Jackie had looked at Jan. As if the universe was telling them that this was the exactly right moment for their lips to finally collide. Jan’s fingers quickly became tangled up in dark curls that cascaded down Jackie’s back. The older girl using it as an excuse to pull the blonde even closer, forgetting that at some point they would need to breath. “That was.” Jackie leant back against the ground breathing heavily.” “Amazing.” Jan flopped down on Jackie’s chest. - “Mommy! Hurry up!” A little girl called down the hill as she ran, pigtails bouncing as she jumped with excitement. “Yeah mommy hurry up.” Jan teased her wife. She’d never imagined that all those years ago she would be where she was today. She and Jackie had dated a total of 2 years, 6 months and 5 days before Jackie had brought her up this same hill and proposed under the stars. Their wedding had been attended by all their closers friends. Crystal and Nicky being the maids of honour and Gigi the jokingly labelled flower girl. Finally after a couple of years of settling in to their shared home (and getting a cat) they decided to adopt.