Shameless, Reckless Love (GirlxGirl)

Part 1: Chapter 2

Next night.

Lib and Eden sit on the floor watching a film on a portable DVD player, laughing. Fabian then opens the door.

"Hey, where'd you guys get that?" he asks the girls.

"Some guy at school let me borrow it." Lib answers still laughing at the screen.

"Borrow." Fabian chuckles. "You guys gotta get to bed." Fabian tells them, and Cora tries squeezing pass Fabian. Fabian first grabs her shirt to pull her back for a kiss on her head. "Handle the monsters under your bed?" Fabian asks Cora.

"Yup." Cora answers and goes to her bed. Lib shuts off the movie, and climbs toward the bunk bed above Cora. Eden then takes her long pants off, and jumps in her bed.

"Night, my beautiful girls!" Fabian says and shuts the door.

"That guy in the movie was incredibly hot, right?" Lib whispers to Eden, not caring if Cora wasn't asleep yet.

"Yeah, he was a looker." Eden whispers back.

"Damn." Lib chuckles, messing with the lever on her lighter. Suddenly, Cora starts lightly snoring.

"Does it really do that when girls are around?" Eden asks.

"Do what?" Lib asks back.

"You know... the bulge in that guy's pants when that girl was around." Eden answers awkwardly. Lib laughs.

"I'm insulted that you'd come to me with a question like that." Lib says, still laughing. "Really does make me sound like some ho."

"Like hell I'd go to someone like Fabian for an answer." Eden says.

"Guys only do it when they're aroused. Like, you gotta touch them and stuff." Lib finally answers.

"Oh." Eden says, sinking into her pillow more.

"You got a guy friend at school or something?" Lib asks.

"Nah. I was just curious." Eden answers.

"I really did hook up with a college guy." Lib claims.

"Chicken shit." Eden says back.

"Really. He was gorgeous. But with too many mommy issues." Lib laughs. "You still a virgin?"

"Not exactly." Eden answers, putting her face in the pillow.

"Goddamn." Lib almost yells, and quickly covers her mouth, laughing.

"What? You've apparently done it with many guys." Eden defends herself.

"Sorry, it's just weird to think of my little sister losing her virginity. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know." Eden truthfully answers.

"You know we can tell each other anything, right?" Lib asks.

"Yes." Eden answers and Lib turns herself over, falling asleep.

An hour goes by, and Eden can't seem to fall asleep still. Her mind races as she thinks of her secret, her sister, the movie even. Eden then quietly gets out of bed, and leaves the room to go to the bathroom. There, she turns the light on and walks over to the sink. She leans on the surface, looking up at her reflection in the mirror. When Eden sees herself, she reflects on her life. She always wonders why her life is a forever-brewing shit storm. When anything happens, she constantly wishes she hadn't expected it. She wants something to happen where she can say, "I never saw this coming."

While still staring at the mirror, Eden looks at her body. How would things be if I didn't have secrets? Eden thinks to herself. What is gay? Why is gay? Would things work out better if I was a guy who liked girls, rather than a girl who liked girls?

With that last thought, Eden curiously tries to find the other first aid kit. Once she spots it, she finds the gauze inside. Without thinking much through, Eden removes her shirt and wraps her chest with the bandage. When she looks at herself with a much more flatter chest, she can't seem to feel satisfied. She then eyes the toilet roll in the corner. Taking it, she begins to rip the majority of it off the roll. She takes another long glance at the mirror, and then slips the paper down her underwear. She adjusts it so that it looks realistic. When she looks down she can't help but to think everything is hilarious in that moment. But the joke is short lived once the bathroom door opens. Eden moves her hand away from her underwear wicked fast as Lib gasps loudly, still looking exhausted. Eden is speechless.

"I wasn't supposed to see that, was I?" Lib asks awkwardly, and slowly walks back toward the bedroom.

"Fuckin' hell!" Eden whispers. She takes the paper out her underwear, tears the bandages off her chest, and puts her shirt on. She speed walks out the bathroom, but stops herself once she sees Lib leaning on the wall. Lib doesn't make eye contact. Eden paces the hall, and then finally looks back at Lib. "Why didn't you fucking knock?" Lib doesn't reply back. "Why do you never fucking knock?" Eden says with tears in her eyes.

"Why are you so angry with me?" Lib asks, trying to keep her voice at a whisper.

"Because...! Fuck!" Eden stammers, crying. "I just really need this to be a secret right now."

"Excuse me, take a good look at who you're talking to." Lib says back, insulted. "You know me better than that. Why the hell would I tell anyone your secrets?"

"I don't know!" Eden panics.

"Well I wouldn't tell!" Lib answers for her. "I won't say a word." Eden inhales and exhales heavily, trying to pull herself together. Lib exhales as well. "So what, you're a transgender?" she asks.

"Gay. For sure." Eden answers.

"Yeah, I know you're fucking sure." Lib says, chuckling and still shocked about what she saw. "Okay." Lib says. Eden goes back into the room and climbs in bed. Lib goes in after and lays in her own. "I need you to know that none of it matters." Lib says, though Eden has her back turned. "I don't care about any of it, as long as you're still Eden." Lib finishes and goes back to sleep.

Eden secretly smiles, and suddenly tastes a joyful tear.