Umbrella (girl x girl)

The Struggle

One nice thing about the rain: it made the grass grow.

With the exception of the oceanic parking lot, the Town Hall was completely surrounded by a wide, green lawn. The soil was squishy with moisture, and it gave off a soothing scent of water mixed with earth. Each individual blade of grass was dotted with a pearl-like droplet of water, giving the open lawn an ethereal sort of shimmer in the darkness of the night.

The music emanating from the wooden building now had a slower beat to it. There was less laughter ringing out, and the muffled voices had hushed slightly. The constant squeaking and creaking of floorboards had stopped as well. It seemed as though things were finally cooling down somewhat.

Tawny held her umbrella up over Willow's head as the two walked side by side. They had been out for a little while, and the rain was finally starting to ease somewhat. It was no longer a heavy downpour, but rather just a gentle drizzle. Only enough to cause a light pitter-patter on the nylon fabric.

"It just seems so lonely out here compared to the city." Willow was in the middle of speaking, "There's fewer people, fewer places, fewer mindsets. Sawyer's the closest thing I have to a friend. And I like it here, but I just feel like nobody understands me..."

She glanced up at Tawny.

"Do you ever feel like that?"

"Every single day," Tawny replied simply.

"Oh right." Willow looked away. "Sorry, I forgot,"

But Tawny just shrugged.

"It's fine. I can't control the way other people see me. But I can control how their views affect the way I see myself," She explained, "I've long since stopped worrying what the people in this town think of me. Especially because it's not like I can change who I am,"

"I don't see anything wrong with you."

Tawny looked, spoke, and acted like a completely normal person. She was a little on the tall side, and her black clothing made her seem a little intimidating sometimes, but there was nothing about her that seemed unpleasant or dangerous. Still, Sawyer's reaction had been so severe the last time they encountered each other, there had to be something strange under the surface.

"Nobody can see what's wrong with me, but that doesn't stop them from pretending." Tawny spun the umbrella around on its handle a couple times, "You're new to town. Your view on life is different. But give it some time and you'll start to see the way everyone else does,"

"What makes you say that?"

Just then, the Town Hall's doors burst open and Sawyer came staggering out laughing hysterically. Their cheeks were flushed red with the crowded warmth of the building, and their hair had been ruffled somewhat during the night's activities. Both Tawny and Willow froze in place.

"I'll be right back in, y'all," They called to someone inside the Hall, "Just lemme check up on the girl-child to make sure she hasn't gotten lost out here!"

An incomprehensible voice from within said something in reply and Sawyer laughed again. Then, waving off whatever unseen person they were talking to, they spun around.

But once they saw the person standing next to Willow, they couldn't laugh anymore.

"Come on, Willow, we need to go home." Sawyer marched directly towards the truck.

"What?" Willow asked, "But you just told your friends-"

"Get in the truck. Now,"

Their voice had once again lost all trace of its typical warmth. At first, Willow didn't obey. She remained beneath the warm shelter of the umbrella, silently debating what to do. Eventually, she could only turn to look at Tawny.