Umbrella (girl x girl)

The Umbrella

They first encountered each other at Reg's Depot. Willow was hiding beneath the umbrella under Sawyer's instruction, but she had still been able to see the mysterious woman whom the entire town was silently turned against.

Then they had met on the night of the dance. Willow was heartbroken, but Tawny had provided comfort. They had walked together beneath the drizzle of the rain, both feeling lighter than the air itself.

Willow went to return the umbrella, but they walked together instead.

Amidst these simple encounters, a dozen smaller memories swirled together. The brush of Tawny's hand as she passed Willow the handle of the umbrella. The soft glances between them, as each considered everything about the other. The words of deep compassion, only ever said in casual passing. The endless abundance of warmth amidst the chilly greyness of the world. And how the world itself disappeared whenever the two were together.

None of these trivial memories were anything special. But those fleeting moments were worth more than anything even God almighty could create.

Night had fallen. For a long time, Willow sat at Sawyer's small kitchen table, a pencil twirling itself between her fingers. An empty letter to her mother lay in front of her, waiting to be filled. But Willow didn't appear to have any intention of filling it in. Her entire focus was on the umbrella, folded and leaning against the wall by the door.

Finally, after staring at it for an eternity and a half, Willow finally snapped. She stood up, marched over to the wall, grabbed the umbrella, and headed straight towards the front door.

"Where are you going?" Sawyer's voice cut through the air like a knife.

She turned around. They were leaning in the doorframe, arms crossed and expression cold. Willow didn't say anything in response.

"You're going to see her again?"

"Who?" Willow asked innocently.

"I saw you two, Willow," They said coldly, "I thought I told you to stay away from that woman,"

"Why should I? She listens to me. She understands me." Her voice was clear and honest, "Why don't you like her?"

"It's not me, it's everyone in town," Sawyer protested, "She's not like you and I,"

"She's just like you and I. If anything, she's more like me than you are!"

"No! No she's not! She's just using your ignorance! You're new to this place, you don't know anything about her so she's taking advantage of you!"

Though their words were somewhat harsh, Sawyer didn't actually look angry at all. Their eyebrows were knit and their hands were balled up into fists, but when they spoke, it was with genuine worry and concern, not rage.

"Alright, then. Tell me what I don't know," Willow said simply, "Give me one good reason for me to never speak to her again,"

"She's a lesbian, Willow!"

"..."

Silence.

"So?" Willow snapped, "You're just going to judge her based on the gender of the people she loves??"

"It's not me, it's the town," Sawyer protested, "If I don't treat her like the rest of them do, everyone'll look down on me as well,"

Willow let out an enraged sigh.

"How many other people are out there like you, then? How many people only dislike her because they think everyone dislikes her for real, huh? Answer me something, Sawyer, does the fact that she's a lesbian change anything about the way you see her deep down?"