Chapter Text
Freshman year of high school, Maggie and Alex are the awkward nerds with barely any other friends and a penchant for getting into trouble. It doesn’t matter to them, it never does, because they know that as long as they have each other, they can have the whole world.
They’re sitting together one day, alone outside the cafeteria, sharing their lunch. Maggie holds a forkful of her pasta and feeds it to Alex, who’s grinning widely at her. “I love your mom’s cooking so much.” Alex moans around the pasta in her mouth. It’s truly the best thing she’s ever tasted.
“You tell me that at least three times a day, Alex.” Maggie points out. “But you’re right. It’s the best.”
A group of boys, led by the school’s resident jerk, Maxwell Lord, passes by. They snicker and one of them whisper. “Are they lesbians or something?” The whole group violently sniggers and Alex stiffens, feeling hot rage crawl up her spine. She pulls herself away from Maggie.
Alex doesn’t expect it but Maggie literally growls and she sends them a sharp glare that could kill. “Hey! Douchelord and friends! How about you mind your own damn business?”
Maggie pushes her sleeves up above her elbows and Alex panics. She’s not sure what’s going to happen next and she’s suddenly terrified. “Maggie.” She hisses as a warning.
The boys laugh and Maxwell looks at them with a smirk that Alex wants to kick off his stupid, smug face. “What? You’re going to fight us? You can barely reach my face!”
Alex’s eyes widen as Maggie gets up with a look of pure rage on her face. “Maggie.”
“Listen to your girlfriend, Sawyer. She’s smarter than you.” Maxwell laughs and Alex notices Maggie clenching her fists tight, so tight that her knuckles are turning white. Alex can’t take it. She’s not allowing a bunch of entitled rich assholes treat her best friend like that. Against her better judgment, she’s up in front of Maxwell and she decks him square in the jaw before she can even think about the consequences. He’s stunned for a moment, looking at her with utter disbelief on his face. His friends share the same look.
Alex turns to look at Maggie, feeling a bit lost herself. Maggie, though, is looking at her with bright eyes and her face is morphed in pure admiration. Alex doesn’t know how to feel about that but it’s an image that will be stuck in her mind forever.
“All of you. My office. Now.”
They all turn in the direction of the voice. It’s Principle J’onzz.
Shit.
As they’re walking to the office, their doom awaiting them, Alex whispers to Maggie. “You’re a thousand times better than all of them combined.” Maggie nods but she’s distant for the rest of the day.
They get detention for a week.
“Are you okay?” Alex asks her that night. They’re watching a movie and there’s a blanket draped over them. It’s their Friday movie night, Alex’s favourite time of the week.
“Sure.” Maggie tells her but her eyes are sad. She takes some popcorn and plops them into her mouth, sighing softly. “I don’t know.”
Alex pauses the movie and faces Maggie. Alex grabs her hand and Maggie’s eyes well up. “You can tell me anything, you know?”
It’s quiet for a long time as Maggie stares at their joint hands. Alex can see the millions of questions running through her eyes. Her heart aches for her best friend. It hurts that she doesn’t know why. It hurts that she doesn’t know how to make her feel better, Alex tells her, softly. “I want to help.”
Maggie takes a deep breath and takes her hand back. She can’t look into Alex’s eyes and oh, Alex feels so empty. She needs to be able to help. She can’t stand watching her best friend in pain. She can’t.
“I think…” Maggie pauses. “I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this.” She takes another deep breath. “I think I’m….” There’s a long pause and Maggie can’t seem to finish her sentence.
Alex worries. She prompts her, softly. “You think you’re what?”
“I think I’m gay.” Maggie’s eyes are rooted on the coffee stain on the sofa but Alex sees a single teardrop fall onto the chair. Her heart breaks when she realises Maggie’s afraid of rejection from her.
She thinks back to that time their families went camping and how Maggie had completely closed herself off after their conversation about marriage. About how Maggie had seemed so distant, so reluctant that night. She understands now but she truly wishes she’d noticed earlier. She wishes that she could have helped Maggie go through this from the start.
“Oh, Maggie. Come here” She scoops her best friend into a hug. “I love you, okay? I love you no matter your sexuality. You’re still the Maggie I’ve always known. This doesn’t change a thing between us. You’ll always be my best friend.”
Maggie sniffles and she pulls herself out of the hug after a moment. “Thank you.”
It dawns on Alex that maybe what Maxwell and his lackeys said about them had more impact than she thought on Maggie. She doesn’t know anything about coming out but she can only imagine how painful it must be to hear such comments when you don’t even feel comfortable in your own skin yet. She’s suddenly glad that she punched him in the face for that. Detention be damned.
“Anytime.” Alex assures her. Then she grins. “So… any girl you want to talk about?”
Maggie smiles at her with dimples and her heart is full again. She leans her head on Alex’s shoulder. “Nope. Let’s just get back to the movie.”
Next week, Alex chooses the movie. She spent hours into the night after Maggie came out researching different movies to watch with her best friend. In hopes that maybe Maggie would feel better and see that she’s not alone. She does this because she’s sure that if she were in Maggie’s position, she’d want the same thing.
She chooses But I’m A Cheerleader because it has a happy ending and it doesn’t look too cringey.
As a rule, they don’t watch rom-coms. It’s boring and most of the time they just get distracted. The romance is always draggy and it usually ends in them switching channels or falling asleep. So when Alex tells her what the movie is about, Maggie snorts. “We’re not watching a rom-com, Alex.”
“Come on, Maggie. It’s not like the usual ones. Maybe you’ll like it. It can’t be that boring.” Alex tries to convince her but Maggie is still skeptical. “Just try it. Please?” Alex gives Maggie her best puppy eyes. Even though they don’t come as close as Maggie’s perfectly adorable ones, it does its job.
Maggie gives in and they settle on the couch, starting the movie. The movie starts off with terribly intimate close-ups of the cheerleader’s long smooth legs and Alex panics for a second. She looks around the house despite knowing for sure that her parents are out and won’t be home for at least another three hours. It continues to show close-ups that make Alex feel unnecessarily called out, which doesn’t make any sense at all. It’s nothing she hasn’t seen before.
The scene eventually morphs into the cheerleaders practicing and Alex feels herself relax a little. When Megan tries kissing her boyfriend, both Alex and Maggie laugh the ridiculosity of it.
“You’re right.” Maggie tells her. “This was a good idea.”
The credits eventually roll and Alex realises she’s been unable to tear her eyes away from the screen the entire time. Both her and Maggie look at each other at the same time and there’s a light in Maggie’s eyes that wasn’t there before. She has this small satisfied smile on her face that has Alex knowing she made the right decision to show Maggie this movie.
Maggie laughs. “I should start a home for queer kids with a girlfriend when I’m older.”
“I’ll help you both paint the house rainbow.”
The light in Maggie’s eyes suddenly die out and her face falls. “I’ll have to tell my parents soon.”
“Do you want to tell them yet?” Alex looks at Maggie in concern. “You know you can take all the time you need.”
“I think I do.”
Alex holds Maggie’s hand. “You don’t have to tell them if you’re not ready.”
“God, Alex, what if they don’t accept me? What if they send me to one of those camps. They’re way worse in real life. What if they kick-”
“Maggie, stop.” Alex squeezes her hand. “Your parents love you to death and they will always love you. Even if they don’t accept you straight away, they will come around. And whatever happens, you have me, okay?”
“Promise?” Maggie’s voice is small.
“Promise. I’ll be here for you forever.”
“Thank you.” Maggie tells her when Alex drapes the blankets on their bodies later that night. She has a feeling Maggie isn’t just talking about the blankets.
**
Dad takes them out one winter to the lake about an hour's drive away. Maggie is practically bursting with excitement in the backseat, eager to try out ice-skating for the first time in her life. Alex watches her fondly, telling her all about her own experiences in ice-skating when she was little.
When they arrive, Maggie and Alex hold hands and practically skip to the lake with Dad trailing behind them, holding their gear. The surface of the lake is fully frozen and it shines almost as bright as Maggie’s eyes in the reflection of the sunlight. There’s already a couple of people there, gliding across the ice gracefully. Well some of them, Alex thinks as she spots a guy fall flat on his face. Maggie snorts at him beside Alex.
They sit on the bench and tie up their skates. Alex steps onto the ice first and slides in a circle, a gleeful laugh falling out of her mouth. It’s been so long since she felt this. The freedom of the sliding across the ice, the wind blowing across the face. She missed it.
She catches Maggie smiling at her widely. She notices how tiny and adorable Maggie looks then. She’s basically a burrito in her large winter coat, the furry hood barely making her face visible. Alex has a sudden urge to hug her, bury her face in Maggie’s neck and never let go.
She slides back to Maggie and holds out a gloved hand that Maggie takes. Maggie wobbles as soon as she steps foot on the ice. She slides one foot out and nearly does a full on split on the ice but Alex catches her and helps her regain her balance.
“Woah. Careful there.” She says with a little chuckle.
“This is harder than it looks.”
Alex hums. “Let me help you.” Still holding Maggie’s left hand, she maneuvers around to grab a hold of Maggie’s right hand while facing her. Alex looks into Maggie’s eyes and smiles reassuringly. “I slide one foot back and you slide your foot in front okay?”
They manage to skate around the ice for a while like that, Maggie slowly gaining her confidence. Alex gives her pointers every now and then.
“How do you know this so well?” Maggie asks as she slides a foot forward.
Alex tries to quicken their pace. “I’ve been practicing since I was four.”
“You should be a figure skater.”
Alex laughs at her, shaking her head. “Absolutely not.” She lets go of Maggie’s hands, and her eyes widen in panic for a second. Maggie takes one, two, three slides before she slips again. Alex catches her as always.
Maggie groans. “This is so hard.”
“It’s not, Maggie.” Alex insists. She takes only Maggie’s right hand. “You just need practice.”
They try a few more times, each ending with Maggie falling into Alex’s arms but neither of them really mind because they’re having too much fun.
Jeremiah watches them from the sides. His daughter and the girl who’s become like a second child to him. They’re holding hands, gazing so deeply into each other’s eyes that he thinks they might get lost in them. They’re oblivious to the world around them. Jeremiah knows at this moment that nothing, absolutely nothing will ever break the bond between them, regardless of how their relationship molds and changes in the future.
**
Maggie is at Alex’s door with tear streaked eyes one cold Saturday morning. She collapses into Alex’s arms as soon as the door is opened and Alex hugs her tight, worry and concern filling her heart. They go to Alex’s room and she lets Maggie cry into her chest for a bit, tracing patterns on her back and telling Maggie that she’ll be okay.
Rubbing her eyes, Maggie eventually pulls back and sniffles. “Sorry about that.”
Alex shakes her head. “What happened, Maggie?”
“I told my parents.” Maggie pulls on a loose thread on Alex’s covers and Alex’s heart drops. “My mom’s fine. But my dad’s not talking to me.”
“Oh, Maggie. Come here.” Alex pulls her into another hug, gripping her tight as if she’s trying to show Maggie just how strong her support for her is. She can’t even begin to phantom what Maggie must be going through.
Maggie snuggles into Alex. “He won’t even look me in the eye, Alex. And even Mama can’t get through to him.”
“I’m so sorry.” She grips her tighter and doesn’t let go until Maggie feels ready.
They avoid Mr Sawyer like the plague for the next two weeks, spending most of their time at Alex’s house and only being at Maggie’s when her dad isn’t at home. Mr Sawyer is generally a good guy, always kind to Alex, but right now, Alex wants to deck him in the face for causing Maggie pain. She doesn’t voice this thought to Maggie though.
She really hopes he’ll come around. Maggie is hurting too much.
**
Summer eventually rolls around and Maggie leaves for two months to visit her extended family in Nevada.
Alex is dying of boredom. She’s invited to Lucy’s house a couple of times with M’gann but it’s just not nearly as fun without Maggie by her side to laugh at all the silly jokes. Plus, she feels like a third wheeler with the two other girls. She misses Maggie more than anything.
E-mails sent back and forth just aren’t enough.
***
The door creaks open and she’s greeted by an awfully silent home as she walks into her house. There’s no TV playing in the background and there’s no sound of her parents’ voice. Alex cautiously walks into the kitchen, a little worried. She passes by the living room and Dad’s not there watching TV and Mom’s not using her laptop on the couch like usual.
She finds them at the counter in the kitchen and they barely acknowledge her presence. Dad’s got his phone out in front of him but he’s just staring at his own reflection. Mom is looking out the window and there’s a tissue in her hand.
“What happened?” Her voice is quiet but louder than ever in the silent room.
She sits next to Dad at the counter fiddling with her hands and Mom sits across from them a few seconds later. Dad sighs, takes a deep breath. “Do you remember that colleague I told you about a few times? Mr Zor-El?”
Alex nods. “You said he’s a friend of yours.”
“Both him and his wife Alura passed away last night. Their house burned down.”
Alex takes a sharp intake of breath and it’s silent again as Dad takes another deep breath and Mom’s eyes fill with tears. Alex’s heart drops. She feels helpless. She doesn’t exactly know what to do in this situation. She hugs Dad from the side and grabs Mom’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”
Eventually, Mom looks up. “They have a daughter, Kara. She’s alone now. Her only living family is a cousin who can’t afford to look after her.” Mom’s eyes have a faraway look in them and Alex aches to make her parents feel better. “We were thinking of taking her in. Letting her be apart of this family. I knew her mother quite well and this is the least we could do for her.”
Her response is immediate. She doesn’t even hesitate. She just nods. “Do it.” There’s a little girl out there who’s just lost her family and Alex knows how bad the foster system can be. She’s going to help Kara as much as she can. Even if she barely knows her.
Her parents make the calls and sign all the papers needed to legally adopt Kara. Alex is over the moon at the thought of having a little sister. She’s always daydreamed about a younger sibling to look after and teach. It doesn’t matter that Kara is only a little over a year younger than her. She’s going to teach her all she knows.
She wonders what Maggie will think when she learns about Kara. Alex will have to write to her later. Maggie once told her she’d make a great big sister and she really hopes it’s true.
**
M’gann M’orzz is Alex’s close friend and the greatest advicer she knows.
Alex rushes to her house the next morning, hoping for some advice from her friend. M’gann was also adopted as a child when she lost her family to a plane crash at the age of six. Alex knows that if there’s anyone who can help Kara, it’s M’gann.
“When I was first adopted, Alex, I was so so sad.” M’gann tells her. “Kara’s going to feel the same way but she’s going to need time and space to adjust. You’re going to have to be there for her too. When I first got here, my adoptive mother was my rock and she held me every night when I cried and told me that things would be okay in the end. You’re going to need to be Kara’s rock.”
**
When Kara first arrives, she is stricken with grief. Alex can’t blame her. She just lost her parents. Her entire family and home. She’s lost everything.
Even though they’re almost the same height, Alex can’t help but notice how small Kara looks with her head down and her body closed off. Alex feels a need deep inside of her to make sure this little girl is always happy.
The first night, Kara barely talks and she sobs quietly in her sleep. They’ve added an extra bed in her room for Kara. Alex slips off her bed and walks to Kara. She sits down next to her and rubs her back, telling her that things will end up okay. Kara doesn’t really respond but Alex feels like she’s grateful. Alex stays with her the whole night and neither of them sleep until the sun rises and the birds start to sing.
As Kara slowly starts opening up, Alex feels the weight on her shoulders start to lift. They’re both having breakfast one day and Alex is telling Kara all about Maggie.
“Sometimes we play pool at her house. Her dad has a pool table. And Maggie, Maggie is such a terrible pool player.” Alex smiles fondly. “I even try to let her win all the time and she can’t keep up!”
Kara smiles widely at her, something she’s only done a handful of times since arriving, and Alex’s main goal in life right now is to elicit as many smiles as she can from Kara. It’s a heartwarming smile that radiates throught the room and Alex is sure that Kara’s smile can cure anything.
“Maggie sounds like a really cool person. I can’t wait to meet her.”
“Me too.” Alex says. “And I can’t wait for her to come back in two weeks.”
“You guys sound really close. You must really love her.” Kara has this soft look in her eyes, like she really appreciates what they have.
Alex nods. “Yeah. We’ve been a team for half our lives.”
**
They go for ice-cream one afternoon when their parents are still working. Kara’s barely left the house since she arrived and she looks radiant under the bright sun. She’s much happier now though she still has a certain dimness around her.
“I love ice-cream so much.” She moans as she licks hers, a giddy smile on her face. “It’s been so long since I had it.”
Alex laughs. “I can definitely tell you love it.”
Kara finishes the ice-cream too fast and she pouts at her empty hands. Alex thinks she looks like a puppy with that pout. She wonders how Kara’s genuine kindness and light comes so naturally to her. She doesn’t want to see that light ever diminished again. It’s too pure.
She hands Kara her ice-cream, it’s only half eaten and she’s not in the mood to finish it anyway. Kara’s eyes widen and she squeals out a thank you. She devours that in record time.
Mom’s going to have to make entire feasts just to satisfy this girl’s stomach.
**
The house phone rings at exactly 9 pm and Alex grabs hold of it in barely a second. She’d been sitting on the sofa beside it for the past half hour, trying to read her book but not really being able to pay any attention to the words on the page.
“Hey.” She whispers.
“Alex!” Oh gosh, she’s missed that voice so much. “How are you doing?”
“I’m good.” Alex tells her. “How are you? Is everything okay there? I know you’ve been stuck with your dad for so long and-”
“Alex, chill. I’m fine. And let’s not talk about my dad, please.” Maggie sighs and Alex wants to hug her. But she can’t exactly hug Maggie through a phone.
“Okay. How was your day?”
“It was alright. I guess. I spent a lot of time with my cousins. And my Abuelita thought me how to bake.”
“Does that mean you’re baking me cakes now? I have a couple of favourites you can try.”
Maggie laughs and Alex revels in the sound she’s missed so much in the past three weeks. “We’ll see. How was your day?”
“I took Kara out for ice-cream today. She eats so much, Maggie.”
“Oh, Kara! How’s she? What’s she like?”
“I can’t wait for you to meet her, Maggie. She’s so nice and kind and happy all the time. You’ll love her.”
“I’m sure I will.” Alex can tell Maggie is smiling on the other side. She pictures her dimples. “I can’t wait to meet her.”
They talk more, well past Alex’s bedtime, but that night Alex sleeps better than she has in ages.
**
Kara is invited the next time Alex goes to Lucy’s house and she immediately hits it off with M’gann and Lucy.
“Alex!” Lucy grins at her while she watches Kara and M’gann laugh at a joke. “Your new sister is fun. Why aren’t you as fun as her?”
Alex punches her shoulder and laughs with her. “Fun isn’t in my genes apparently.”
Later, Alex watches M’gann and Kara sitting close to each other and speaking in whispers to each other with sad smiles on their face. When they get home, Kara is visibly lighter than before and she’s isn’t as sad anymore.
Alex is thankful for M’gann. She knows her friend told Kara what she needed to hear.
**
The day Maggie returns home, Alex is at her front door ready to give her the world’s biggest hug. She does as soon as Maggie opens the door and they laugh into it.
“I missed you.” Alex says. “Don’t leave for so long ever again.”
“I missed you too, nerd.” They pull apart and Maggie gasps. “Alex, what the hell?”
Alex scrunches her face. “What?”
“You’re taller than me!”
She eyes Maggie up and down. Maggie is right, she is taller. She actually has to look down on her now. She laughs. “Shorty.”
“Fight me.”
“Please, you know you’d lose within seconds.”
Maggie huffs, faking a frown. “I hate you.” Alex gives her a smug smile and Maggie drops her frown in exchange for her smile. “So, when can I meet your new sister.”
“You say it like she’s a puppy.” Alex replies then grabs Maggie’s hand. “Also, now.”
Kara and Maggie get along like a house on fire and Alex could not be happier. She has to admit, she’d been a little nervous about them meeting. What if they hated each other? She couldn’t pick sides. She knows for a fact that they’re going to be the two most important people in her life.
She’s absolutely relieved that they enjoy each other’s company.
“I can’t wait to tell you all the embarrassing stories I have on Alex, Kara.”
“Maggie! Don’t you dare.”
“Do you know about the chip she has on her tooth?” Maggie starts and Kara looks absolutely elated as she nods at Maggie. She hates this story and okay, maybe it wasn’t a good idea to introduce them to each other. “But do you know how she got it?”
Kara shakes her head and Alex interrupts. “I don’t think she needs to hear this story.”
It’s like talking to a wall, the two just ignore her. She crosses her arms and Maggie smirks. “Right so we were out at the park one day at Alex just falls onto the pavement. There was no bump or ridge or anything. She just straight up trips on air and falls on her face. It was hilarious.”
Kara looks concerned for a minute. “That must have hurt.”
“Thank you for caring.” She glares at Maggie. “Unlike some people.”
“Oh! And that time she…” Oh, this was going to be a long day.
**
“A family moved into the house next door, today.” Maggie says. They’re both at the park watching Charlie, who’s grown so much in the past four years, run around.
“Have you met them yet?”
“No. They have a daughter our age though.” Maggie adds, somewhat hesitantly. “She seems friendly.”
“Is she cute?” Alex is only joking but Maggie is suddenly uncharacteristically silent. “Maggie?”
“I don’t know.” Maggie says, pulling a piece of grass from the ground. “She smiled at me before I left. It made my ears burn.”
Alex pokes her side. “Ooooh, you have a crush.”
Maggie swats her hand but she’s laughing. “Shut up. I don’t even know her name!”
“Oh, but you will.” Alex insists. “I’m gonna be your wingman now.”
“Oh no. Please don’t even try.”
“I’m your best friend. It’s practically my job.”
Her name turns out to be Emily and she’s so pretty and nice that Alex just knows Maggie deserves someone like her. Yet, she can’t place the uncomfortable feelings in her stomach when she watches her Maggie smile so widely at someone who isn’t her. She pins it down as jealously. She’s not used to sharing Maggie with someone else.
She welcomes Emily with open arms though. Because she makes Maggie happy and that puts her in Alex’s good books. Besides, the girl’s too sweet to be resentful towards.
**
Tuesday nights are declared as sister nights by Kara and they both spend them watching shitty movies and talking about their lives. It’s pretty much the only time Alex spends without Maggie.
She loves those nights though, and even if Kara does make her watch boring rom-coms, she looks forward to it every week.
**
Maggie starts spending more and more time alone with Emily and Alex is fine with it.
Completely, totally, utterly fine.
She’s not jealous. Not at all.
It’s just that maybe she’s a tiny little bit afraid of Emily stealing Maggie away from her. But she doesn’t have anything to worry about right? It’s not like Maggie skips out on any of the planned hangouts.
It will all be okay.
Even Kara says as much.
**
One night, Kara and Alex are huddled together on the roof, a large, soft blanket covering their shoulders. The sky is clear of any clouds and the stars shine brightly over them. Alex’s mind drifts to nights spent with Maggie under the stars.
Maggie, who made plans with Emily, skipping their weekend sleepovers for the first time in her life.
It’s not like Alex can blame her. She knows Maggie is really into Emily. Sometimes they hang out together and Emily looks at Maggie like she hung the stars in the sky.
Their crushes on each other are clearly mutual and Alex only wants for Maggie to be happy. So she lets her go because Maggie told her that she’s going to confess her feelings to Emily and Alex can only hope for the best.
Except, she doesn’t know if the best is Emily rejecting her so she can have Maggie all to herself again or if it’s Emily liking her back and Maggie pursuing a happy relationship. Either way, she’ll have to live with it.
She knows Kara can sense her disappointment. She knows because Kara looked at her with sad, apologetic eyes when she told her sister Maggie was not coming tonight. She knows in the way Kara hugged her a little tighter than usual before telling her that they’re going to have an amazing night alone. Just the two of them.
“I have an idea.” Kara whispers. She grins at her and stands up, pulling Alex up with her. Alex eyes her with confusion. “Let’s go for a walk.”
Alex’s eyes widen. “Kara, it’s 3 am and if Mom and Dad found out, they’d kill us.”
“They won’t find out.” Kara is already climbing back into their room. “Come on, Alex, it’ll be fun.”
She relents because she knows Kara is the type of person whose mind cannot be changed when it’s made. But also because she wants to be there to protect Kara.
She tries to ignore the other voice gnawing at her head, though. The voice that tells her maybe she’s doing this because she’s pissed at Maggie for not being here to prevent this from happening. She knows Kara is really only doing this to help Alex feel better about Maggie.
There’s a chilly breeze blowing her hair back and Alex shivers, wishing she had the hindsight to bring her jacket with her, but they’d rushed out the back door as silently as possibly to avoid any suspicion from their parents.
Kara is grinning next to her, her cheeks red from the cold breeze and the streets are empty, not a single soul in sight. It’s quiet, not the eerie kind but the rather the peaceful kind. As they pass by the houses in silence, Alex wonders about the families inside. All probably sound asleep at this hour.
She thinks about Maggie, a long walk away. She wonders what she’s doing. If Emily happily accepted Maggie’s feelings or if she rejected her, leaving Maggie to most likely go home and sulk.
She doubts Emily would reject Maggie though. She knows for a fact that Emily likes Maggie a lot.
Then her mind takes a different route, maybe Maggie had her first kiss last night. Oh gosh, her mind reels at the mental image and her cheeks grow hot. She pushes the thought away. It’s really not something she wants to think about.
Maggie kissing someone is a picture she never wants in her mind again. It feels… invasive. Yes, that must be it.
She lets out a long sigh and Kara looks at her. She’s only known her sister for about a month but it already feels like they’ve known each other their whole lives. “Wanna talk about it?”
Alex nods. “It’s just... I’m not used to Maggie spending so much time with someone else, you know? I mean it used to be only the two of us.”
“You’re afraid she’ll leave you for Emily?” Kara rubs her back soothingly when Alex nods. “It’s okay to feel that way, Alex. And trust me, Maggie loves you and she’ll always be your friend. You won’t lose her.”
“Thanks, Kara.” Alex tries a smile.
Kara squeezes her shoulder. “And you’ll never lose me.”
Alex has never felt more grateful for her sister. It hasn’t been long since they first met, but she knows Kara will always be a constant in her life.
She can only hope that Maggie is too.
Opening the doors to their house as quietly as possible proves to be of no use. As soon as they enter they see Mom and Dad, arms crossed and stern looks on their faces.
Alex’s stomach drop and she turns to see the look of horror on Kara’s face.
“And just where have the two of you been?” Dad’s voice rings through the house. “We’ve been worried sick.”
“Sorry, mom, dad.” Alex tries. “We just went for a walk.” She fiddles with her fingers.
“At 3 am.” Mom points out. “Alexandra, you should have known better.”
Alex opens her mouth to reply but Kara cuts her off. “Please don’t blame her, Eliza. It was never Alex’s fault. I was the one who forced her to come with me.”
She looks at her sister in surprise, not really expecting Kara to take all the blame. It doesn’t work though. Mom only glares harder at her and Alex tries not to squirm under her scrutiny. “That doesn’t matter Kara, Alex should have known better.”
“Alex, you’re a big sister now.” Dad says. “You have to know better. It’s your duty now.”
“We’re sorry.” Alex says. “It won’t happen again.”
Her parents nod stiffly, still angry at them. “Good. But you’re both still grounded.”
“I’m sorry.” Kara tells her when they retreat back to their room. “I shouldn’t have pushed you.”
“Don’t worry about it, Kara. It’s not your fault.” She doesn’t know if she really believes the words coming out of her mouth. She can’t shake the fact that she was who received most of the scolding when it was Kara’s dumb idea in the first place.
**
The book she’s holding in her hand can’t seem to capture her attention. Her mind keeps drifting off to the previous night, going out with Kara, getting in trouble. And of course, Maggie. It’s mid-afternoon and she still hasn’t heard from her. Normally, Maggie’s at her house by morning, a wide grin on her face and some new idea of what to try that day on the tip of her tongue.
But she’s not here today and Kara’s sulking on her bed, trying not to apologize for the thousandth time for last night.
She wonders what Maggie is doing but the answer is pretty obvious if Maggie is not by her side by now. She’s with Emily. They’re probably having fun, doing whatever girlfriends do together. Are they girlfriends? Probably. Emily would be a fool to not go out with Maggie.
Alex knows Emily isn’t a fool. In fact, she’s pretty smart. They may not have started school yet, but she knows that Emily is a straight A’s person too. Just like Alex. That’s the one thing they have in common.
“You know Maggie will come around right?” It’s Kara, she’s watching Alex with wide concerned eyes. “She loves you.”
Her lips spread into a small smile but she doesn’t look at Kara. “Yeah.”
“Emily is fresh and new for her. She’s just having fun for awhile. She’ll come back.”
“I hope.”
**
It turns out, Kara is right. Maggie bounds into their room, like she lives in the place - which she pretty much does - a few hours later. She’s got a huge grin on her face, larger than normal and dimples bright enough for the entire world to look at. Seeing Maggie so happy, Alex knows she can’t fuck up her relationship because she’s just a little bit jealous. She pushes aside all her resentment.
Kara excuses herself from the room and Alex is eternally grateful for her sister’s understanding.
“I heard you got grounded. What a rebel.” Maggie flops on Alex’s bed and when she looks at her she sees stars dancing in Maggie’s eyes. She can just tell Maggie can’t wait to talk about her night.
“Yeah, Kara and I sneaked out.” Alex says, then she lays down next to Maggie, placing her book aside. “Do you want to tell me about your night?”
Maggie’s eyes light up. “I kissed her last night, Alex. It was so nice. She smelled like vanilla and she was so beautiful and kind.” Maggie is practically swooning. “I held her hand and she played with my hair and we watched a movie. It was perfect.”
“That sounds very nice.” Alex forces the words out her mouth. She has to be happy for Maggie. Her jealousy doesn’t even make any sense. She should be jumping with joy for her best friend, not trying her hardest to not scowl.
Alex hugs Maggie, hides her face in her shoulder and squeezes her tightly. “I’m happy for you, Maggie. You deserve this.”
“Thank you.” Maggie says. She removes herself from the hug and frowns. “I just don’t know what I’m gonna do about my dad, you know? He just ignores this huge part of me and I’m not sure how to handle that.”
“You don’t have to tell him yet, Maggie.” She rubs Maggie’s shoulder. “I can’t promise you that he’ll come around but he still loves you more than anything.”
Maggie gives her a small smile. “Thanks, Al. You’re the best.”
“I know.” Alex grins but feels selfish for being grateful that they are no longer talking about Emily. “Now, I haven’t seen you in like a day so we’re spending the rest of the weekend together watching space documentaries.”
“Sure thing, you nerd.”