her sister's girl | hizzie & hosie

2

The colours of the lake seemed brighter, the weight of the air increasing by the second. Hope's heart pounded in her head as her eyes rapidly scanned over the email, letter by letter, word by word, until she reached the only phrase that really mattered. 'We are delighted to inform you..'

Hope's face moulded into a wider grin than she had felt before, the stretch of her mouth working as an uncontrollable force of nature. Happiness poured through her veins as she thought about the future, the life that she would lead. Josie in hand, walking along the campus paths, sharing the same shitty dorm room. It felt like an eternal high, one that was bound to crash in a steaming heap. And like clockwork, upon a single look up, there sat a single tear in the eye of the siphon.

'Josie?' Hope whispered, almost afraid to burst the happy bubble that she had constructed.

Josie looked up, tearfully forced smile directed at their girlfriend. She frantically wiped the tears from her eyes as they noticed the final glimmer of joy remaining in Hope's eyes.

'You got in.' Josie's voice cracked at almost every word.

Hope stayed silent. The silence was enough.

The couple slowly trudged back up to the school, the weight of a thousand words hovering between them. And yet, it wasn't until they were right outside the school that Hope finally plucked up the courage to speak. Mere metres away from the doors, Hope came to an abrupt halt and placed a strong hand around Josie's arm.

'What does this mean.' She said slowly. Her eyes tracked the siphon's every movement. The way she anxiously fiddled with her necklace, the talisman that signified the start of them. The silver shone in the light, so delicate and intricate, fragile and breakable.

'I- I don't know.' Josie's voice cracked as they spoke. Tears rolled down her face like party streamers as she whispered the only words Hope dreaded. 'I don't- I don't know if i can do it.'

'Jo you cant be serious-'

'Yeah well Hope, it's an issue. You know it and I know it.'

Hope lifted Josie's hand into her own and wrapped her fingers around tight, pouring her vulnerability into every word she said. 'I won't let this get in the way of us. People do it. People have done it, we can do it. I know it. Please Jo, don't leave me. Don't let me go, please.'

'Hope I-'

'Josie. Remember the day i gave you this?' Hope gently brought her hand to the silver locket around Josie's neck. 'Make quiet things heard. Are you really so ready to give up on that?'

Feelings darted across Josie's face in a flash of emotions, love, sadness, grief, hope, anger. Hope couldn't tell a single thing she felt, or at least she didn't until they finally began to speak.

'I love you. I wanna make this work, I do. I really really do. But i don't know if it can.' A mournful tone carried through her voice, intertwining with the words like thread.

'Ok how about this. We'll try for a semester, we owe each other at least that. Once it's over, if either of us wants to end it, we can. No obligation to stay, none at all, free to go. But we have to give it a semester. We owe it to ourselves.' Hope's hopeful eyes rested on Josie's, scanning her face for any indication at all that she would try.

'I don't know- I mean-'

'Please.' Even Hope shocked herself with the weight she held behind that word.

'Ok. Ok, yes.' Josie sighed. Instantly, Hope's demeanour did a 180. A bright smile lit up her face, accentuating the crystalline highlights in her eyes. Or at least, that's what Lizzie could see from her upstairs watchpoint. Her forehead pressed against the window, staring down at the tearful couple. The cold glass forced a pressure against her head, a pounding following soon enough. She could make out enough of the conversation to know that both of them had not gotten in. Nor neither of them. And she knew she shouldn't, but she held out a hope for who was to go. Soon enough, she was interrupted by the sudden entrance of MG.

'So?' He asked as he strode through the door.

'I got in.' She smiled softly, although eyes still firmly fixated on the outside couple.

'Holy shit Lizzie that's incredible! Congratulations! Why aren't you jumping up and down right now? Isn't that what you wanted?' MG remarked excitedly, based on her static, tranquil exterior.

'It just doesn't feel real. Not yet, anyways.' She commented, finally turning her blonde head to face the boy in front of her. A dreamlike look coated her face, soft and calm.

'Anyways, I'm so SO happy for you.' MG perched himself on the corner of the blonde's bed. 'But, to be honest, I've been wanting to talk to you about something.'

'Sure, what is it?' Lizzie asked curiously.

'This is hard to say. Like really hard to say so i'm sorry if i take a sec.'

'You arent... breaking up with me? Are you?' She asked awkwardly.

I love you.' he said softly. Those 3 words, the ones that mattered, snapped Lizzie out of her daze. Love? MG? Those things didn't seem to click properly. But he was someone that Lizzie was almost sure she could grow to love, so Lizzie almost didn't feel guilty when she responded with: 'I love you too.'. It was the best solution. No one was hurt, and she barely even lied anyway, because it would happen someday. And she felt something... just not that. Something would be enough for now.

And it was easy enough to lean in when he did. She wanted to kiss him, she wanted to.