The crowd cheered animatedly as the football team lined up in order, the band ready to march through for halftime. Luz sunk into the seats as the people around them eyed her curiously. Over the noise and clatter, she raised her voice, "Do you think we should leave now?"
"Nah." Responded Gus as he leant against Willow's shoulder. He had always been a very sweet guy to his friends. "We already paid."
"Alright." She sighed.
Off in the corner of the bleachers, Amity scoffed. "Look at her with that big goofy smile, laughing with her friends."
"Ams, sweetie, if you don't shut up about Luz, I will make sure you're the next social reject."
She felt her ears turn pink as her face heated. "Boscha! You know that's not why—ugh! Whatever!"
Briar and Boscha shared a look before they returned their attention to one of the football player's, who's muscles were well defined under his clothes. They giggled uncontrollably as he took off his shirt in order to cool off for the next five minutes. Amity rolled her eyes.
She didn't know why, didn't even want to figure it out but ever since the start of high school, fanning over boys had taken..a backseat. She hadn't realized that she didn't miss it either until now. She could've gone blissfully unaware if it hadn't been for her giggling friends.
She supposed he was handsome. That much she knew but it just..there was no feeling of desire or want, or even, need. She felt like she was watching some actor on a movie screen, unreachable and far, far away.
..................
The alarms blared as the red lights flashed all around the bleachers. The school speakers hadn't been operating well and they had failed to notice the hurricane coming their way. Amity ran against the wind as she tried to find her friends but failed miserably. Right now wasn't the time. She needed to get somewhere safe, she reasoned, anywhere that closes.
She eyed the warehouse at the end of the bleachers and made a run for it as her classmates dispersed in various directions, she tried to open the doors but they seemed to be stuck. She was about to give up when they suddenly flung open, a tanned hand dragging her in quickly and slamming the door shut again.
Her eyes widened. It took skill to fight against the pressure of the wind. She felt herself stop breathing as she found herself illuminating Luz Noceda's face with her phone light.
"Amity?"
"Luz."
They stared at each other for a few minutes before the Latina slid down onto the ground with a thud, her black colored flannel coming off the shoulder and revealing her white crop top. The baggy jeans and sneakers she wore suited her overall look.
"Why do I always end up in the worst places?" She sneered.
"Huh. Am I really that bad?"
Amity stayed silent but continued to glare. "Did you catch what time it would pass?"
"No. My phone is with Gus." She replied, shrugging.
"Ah, your little boyfriend?"
Luz raised an eyebrow. "You know," she pretended to get lint off her shirt, "people can be gay too."
Amity felt her whole body stop as a sinister exhilaration took hold of her. No. No. Not right now.
"Are you alright? You look pale."
She scoffed. "That's because I am."
"No..you look like you want to vomit. I would know."
Yet again, she felt that stunned silence take over her brain again. She exhaled lightly. Why was her stomach churning? "I..that's..not very normal."
"My life rarely is."
Against her better judgement, she found herself joining the girl on the shed's floor. "Are you sick often?"
"Pretty much," replied the seventeen-year-old, "I have a.. problem with getting anxious a lot."
She watched as she dragged her knees into herself. "Why?"
Luz raised a pierced eyebrow. She laughed bitterly. "Why? Because of people like your friends, like you."
Amity's stomach twisted yet again. "I, uhm, I don't like it, you know."
"Like what?"
"All of it. Especially the falseness." She sighed as she ran a hand through her perfectly curled hair. "Everything you see is definitely not what you get, I just..I can't fail. If I do.."
"..people will be disappointed in you?" She finished, something like understanding flashing across her face.
"Exactly. Like I said the other day, I barely even see my parents." She didn't know why she was saying all of this but she doubted the social outcast would be blabbering.
"So the one time you do..you can't disappoint."
"Yes, exactly." She nodded. "I'm..uhm, glad you don't think I'm a total monster like your friend."
They hadn't talked about the bathroom incident. Luz smiled slightly. "Huh, you're not that bad when you're not trading insults."
"You too."
"Touché," she shook her head, a smile in place, "I don't usually insult people."
"Just me?"
"Just you."
Amity couldn't help but snort at the revelation. Luz's smile seemed to fade. "I can't seem to escape it."
"Escape?"
"The demons." She whispered. "How do you do it?"
Amity leaned back against the wall. "I don't."
"Oh."
"Yeah, it gets pretty bad." She admitted.
"For me too."
A beat.
"I think I should check if the hurricane-"
"Yep." Voiced Luz, turning to face the other way.
"It's over now." She declared. She felt her shoulders slump with weight once more. Luz sighed as she frowned.
The ravenette stood up, dusting off her jeans. "It was nice while it lasted."
"Yeah," she agreed whilst bobbing on the balls of her feet. "It was."
Both girls gave each other one more small smile before opening the doors and running toward their friends, never glancing back.
YOU ARE READING
Blissful (Lumity)
Short StoryIn a world where Amity Blight is the daughter of two successful millionaires, she is forced to seek comfort in a place she never thought she would end up in. With her parents constantly away and an insufferable mother, she is forced to rely on her t...
