The It Girl [COMPLETED]

Chapter 47 - "We were both at fault."

Courtney pulled into the driveway and shut off her car. Grabbing the drinks tray and the pastry bag, she climbed out and into the early morning chill. It was the earliness of those who cared about their fitness and gave up sleep to achieve it. Courtney didn't fall into that category this morning, no there were things other than fitness worth getting up early for.

Rounding the house, Courtney slid open the back glass door and quickly inputted the alarm passcode. She slipped off her shoes, leaving her in socks plus an ankle brace. She made her way through the first floor to the stairs, knowing she would look like the strangest cat burglar.

First, she wasn't a cat, obviously. Second, she highly doubted cat burglars carried around Starbucks when breaking and entering.

On the second floor, she moved quietly, not wanting to disturb the house. At her destination, she cracked open the door and poked her head in. Laying on her bed, half-sleepily scrolling through her phone was Lynn.

At seeing Courtney's head sticking through the narrow opening, she lowered her phone. Courtney took this as an invitation to fit the rest of her body through the opening and entered the room, closing the door behind her.

When Lynn scooted over on her mattress, Courtney accepted the second invitation. She set the coffee and pastries on the nightstand and climbed onto the bed next to Lynn. For a second, Courtney lay there staring up at Lynn's ceiling while Lynn said nothing, closing her eyes and tucking her hands under her head.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Courtney said.

"You sure about that?" Lynn asked sleepily.

"No. This one is my fault."

Instead of responding, Lynn shifted her head, looking at Courtney.

"I talked to my mom last night after you talked to me."

"Not The Strange One?"

"No, my father is great-"

"And odd."

"-but my mom is better for certain things."

"What did she say then?"

Courtney thought about how her mother held her as she cried, reassuring her but not trying to make it all better right away. Though Courtney disliked crying, in the safety of her mother's arms it felt relieving.

Eventually, she'd been wrung dry and left with a slight headache. Only then did her mother ask what was going on. What had been a simple explanation shifted to a talk in the kitchen with tea and whatever Heather had baked lately, Courtney didn't even remember what.

"I rely too heavily on business tactics," Courtney said. "She said they taught me to think logically to handle difficult situations but those tactics should never replace letting myself feel or be honest about how I feel."

When Courtney focused on Lynn, she found her friend staring at her with a look that was both kind as well as the embodiment of the word 'duh'.

"Okay, no need to be sassy to me," Courtney said.

Lynn grinned as she snuggled into her pillow, like a smug cat. Which was fine, Courtney had been a cat burglar earlier, they could both be cats.

"And that's why I didn't do anything wrong?" Lynn asked with her eyes closed.

"Part of it. When it came to cheer I didn't want to voice my troubles because you'd also run for captain. I felt like if I complained then it would seem like I didn't deserve to have the position."

"You're a little bit of a dumb blonde, aren't you?"

"Excuse me, I'm baring my soul right now. Can you please not give me attitude?"