Somewhere Only We Know

Pride

Elizabeth was tired. 

If one asked her friends in which emotional state she was most of the time, they would just say that she was constantly tired, which was true. 

Elizabeth lazily sat down beside her friends, burying her head in her arms and letting out a muffled cry of despair.

One of her friends patted her on the head with a few reassuring words, but Elizabeth didn't hear any of it because she was too busy rubbing her eyes in frustration and swearing under her breath. 

"Jaiden is hot. I can't believe you're in a fling with him." The tall Anais commented to Stacy, who simply giggled in response. 

A fling.  If only Elizabeth could afford a fling. She couldn't even afford a relationship. She hadn't even actually dated. She was-

"I know, right?" 

The girl who had reassured Elizabeth earlier shook her head in warning. "Just don't let Maya get close to him." 

Elizabeth was lost. She raised her head and whipped the hair out of her face with a puff of air from the corner of her mouth. "Who?" 

They ignored her, or, as Elizabeth preferred to put it, they didn't hear her. 

But at least Stacy responded to her with a sour smile, and that reaction piqued her interest. "Maya steals people's boyfriends and girlfriends. She's so confident and shit that people instantly want to get with her."

Elizabeth's eye twitched, and she leaned against Anais' shoulder with a raised eyebrow. "Huh? Girlfriends?" 

"She's bisexual. And she's over there."

Elizabeth followed the direction Stacy was staring at and came to stare at what she would consider one of the prettiest girls she had seen by far. 

Maya was fit and beautiful, with curly hair cascading down to her shoulders and framing her smooth and clean face. She had a style that did match stereotypical bisexual fashion, and her eyeliner was so perfectly done that Elizabeth nervously swallowed. 

She was gorgeous. But Elizabeth couldn't stare any longer. She couldn't.

"A bisexual person is just someone who doesn't want to admit that they're fucking gay." Someone said.

She tore her eyes away from Maya, thinking about how that girl was surrounded by guys and girls, friends, and whoever she wanted to date. It made Elizabeth feel happy for her with a slight bitter taste in her mouth, making her want to slam a fist against the table with a sourness she simply wanted to avoid at all costs. 

She settled on leaning against Anais and fidgeting with her rings in boredom.

Stargirl Interlude started playing on the speakers Anais had brought. The wind was not strong enough, and the sun was burning Elizabeth to a crisp. They had taken a table outside, hoping to avoid the crowds gathering at the cafeteria, which was the only place where there was fresh air flow.
Sadly, the shade had moved, and they now found themselves slowly frying in the sun. 

Elizabeth was confused and exhausted.

She ate her sandwich in silence, and her friends found it weird since she often pitched in ideas for English class when they were bored (even if she secretly liked English) or joked around about their annoying classmates. 

But that day, or that week in particular, Elizabeth couldn't find anything worth being glad for. It was soon going to be summer. The holidays.  The best time for youth And Elizabeth had no will to cheer up for the matter. 

Except that at least she had an excuse.

An incredibly valid one, and even if people would insist that it would be smarter to move past it and focus on the glass half full, Elizabeth would much rather spend her time wallowing in self-pity, remorse, and self-loathing.