Hello, Goodbye [Elle Greenaway x female oc]

♡︎Chapter Nine♡︎

Ivy stood in the middle of the hallway, alone. Inside, she felt kind of bad for what she had said, but her expression remained hard as a stone. She collected herself and walked back into the bullpen. Derek was the first one to notice her presence, and he walked over to her, a question in his eyes. "Not that it's any of my business, but what the hell was that about?" he asked quietly. Ivy dropped her head and looked down at the floor. "Elle is... kind of upset with me," she admitted.
"Kind of? She would have to be really upset with you to hit on me, because I stopped trying with her about a year ago," Derek told her. "Fine, ok, she's really upset with me because I rejected her, but I actually do like her, I just panicked and didn't know what to say, and-," Ivy babbled. Derek took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Hey. Calm down. I mean, clearly she likes you because she took the effort to try and make you jealous, right?" he said. Ivy nodded slowly. "I suppose that could be true."
"And Elle's had eyes for you since you first walked in the door. Y'know, she bet me 20 dollars that I couldn't get your number, because she was so sure you were gay. She likes you a lot, Ivy, and I don't think she's going to hold a grudge for long," Derek assured her. Ivy smiled up at him, a little tear in the corner of her eye. "That is so nice, Derek, thank you," she said. "Can I give you a hug?" Derek laughed lightly. "Sure," he relented. Ivy wrapped both her arms around his torso in a bear hug. After a few seconds, Derek pulled away from her embrace. "You go get her, tiger. I hope everything works out."
She nodded gratefully. "Thanks. Me too."

♡︎♡︎♡︎

Ivy slowly pushed open the door to the bathroom. She could hear Elle sniffling from inside the biggest stall, but then the door creaked, alerting Elle to her presence, and the noises stopped. Ivy could hear Elle pulling her feet up onto the toilet seat. "Elle?" Ivy said cautiously. She didn't reply. Ivy quietly walked up to the stall Elle was in and gave a little knock on the door. Still no answer. "Elle, I-," she started. "I'm so sorry." Once again, no response from Elle. Ivy pressed her forehead up to the stall door. The metal was cool against her skin. "I didn't mean any of those things I said, you know. The truth is... the truth is I do like you. A lot. And seeing you with Derek, well, it made me really jealous. But that doesn't excuse what I said. Can you forgive me?" she finished. There was silence for a few beats, and then Elle said: "I think I can." Ivy's heart leapt with joy at those words. "Can I come in?" she asked. "Sure. But I'm not unlocking the door," Elle replied. Ivy sighed. "Fine," she said determinedly. She got down on her hands and knees, and wriggled on her stomach under the stall door. She looked up at Elle. "Hi," she said nervously.

Elle's expression was a mix of shock and joy. "Hi," she responded. Ivy bounced up off the floor and brushed off her clothes. "Kind of dirty down there," she said chipperly. "That's what she said," Elle joked quietly. Ivy smiled and shook head, laughing a little. They stood in silence until Elle spoke up. "I'm sorry I flirted with Derek. I was just angry, and I wanted to test your reaction. If you reacted angrily, then I would know you liked me. If you didn't, I would have known that what you said was true."
"That was clever," Ivy admitted. Elle shrugged. "I shouldn't have done it."
"Maybe not. But we're good now, right? For real this time?" she asked. Elle grinned. "Yeah for real." Ivy breathed out a sigh of relief.

"And for the record, there is a reason I reacted the way I did," Elle began. "Most girls probably wouldn't bat an eye at being called a whore. I hate that word, but unfortunately, it's used to describe women all the time. But since I'm bisexual, as you know, the word carries a little extra sting for me. See, because I like more than one gender, some people from my past relationships have used that word to describe me, afraid that I'll cheat on them, for some reason I'll never know. I've never cheated on anyone. I hate that stereotype. It's unfair and untrue. I shouldn't be called a whore because I've been in relationships with more than one gender. Not saying you lesbians have it easy certainly, but the fact that some of my partners haven't trusted me because of my sexuality makes me feel badly. So that's why the word hurts me so much. Past stigmas, I guess," she finished finally. Ivy breathed out a heavy sigh. "Wow, I had no idea. And now I feel a hundred times worse," she joked. Elle stood up from the toilet seat, and sat down near where Ivy was seated. "No, no, I didn't say that to make you feel worse, I just wanted you to know the impact a certain word can have on people," she informed her. "Ok, I get it. I'll be more thoughtful about using that word in the future," Ivy replied. Elle leaned into her, resting her head on her shoulder, and they sat that way on the bathroom floor for a couple minutes. "Hey Ivy?" Elle said.
"Hm?" she replied.
"Would it be alright if I... would it be ok if I kissed you?" she asked nervously.
"What? Oh my god, yeah of course," Ivy said, surprised. Elle looked up at her and kissed her firmly on the lips. Ivy placed a hand on Elle's back and pulled her closer. After a few seconds Elle pulled away. "Wow, I've been wanting to do that for a long time," she breathed.
"I'm so glad you finally did," Ivy murmured.
"You realize we have actual work to do today," Elle commented. Ivy waved a hand lazily. "It can wait."

a/n: hey friends! i just wanted to put elle's little monologue in this chapter to maybe shed some light on a harmful stereotype that seems to follow bisexual people around. i'm a lesbian, so i don't have to experience what my bisexual friends do, but i just wanted to maybe help some people realize the damage this stereotype can cause. here's the facts: bisexuals are not any more likely to cheat on you. asking bisexuals if they want a threesome just based on their sexuality is gross. bisexual people shouldn't be labeled whores or sluts or anything like that just because they like more than one gender. bisexual people, you are loved and valid, and i hope everyone has an amazing day :) stay safe my lovelies ♡︎♥︎♡︎♥︎♡︎