Hope where there is none (Lesbian)

Some things never change

Once they entered the room everything was silent. Both uncomfortable with how uneasy it was between them. It had never been this way before. There was an awkwardness between them that had never existed in the years they had been practically sisters. Neither really knew how to approach the other.

"Why is this so weird Mags? We've talked throughout this entire year, so why is this all so awkward?" Ash asked, turning around and facing Maggie.

"I don't know," Maggie said. "Your different. I'm different. Maybe it just takes time Ash. We need to find our rythm again I guess."

"Have I changed that much Mags? Do you not like who I am now?" Ashley asked with hurt in her eyes.

"I don't really know yet Ash, I don't really know you anymore. What I do know is that I Love you, always have and always will. Nothing about you could change enough for that to change." said Maggie

"That's all that matters I guess. We'll always have the years when it was just me and you against the world. Now it may be more than just us, but no one could replace who you are to me. No one... We'll be fine Mags. We are the same Ash and Mags we've always been, just slightly upgraded" laughed Ash.

"Just so you know there was nothing wrong with how you were before, you were perfect. This world just couldn't appreciate who you really were. Although I've got to say, if I was a lesbian I'd be all over you. Jesus Ash you seriously got hot, its a bit unnerving." Maggie said while laughing.

Ashley laughed and shook her head. Leave it to Maggie to really ease the tension with her ridiculous sense of humor. Ashley looked around her room and felt like it was someone else's life.

She walked to the wall that held all of the pictures with her and Maggie throughout their lives. It almost looked like a timeline. She lifted her hand and brushed her finger tips over the face of a happy fifteen year old Ashley Riley. Another life is what it felt like. It gave her the courage to ask what she had been afraid to all night.

"How is she?" She finally asked.

It took a moment for Maggie to figure out the words she needed to express.

"She is struggling , she puts on her fake smiles but I haven't seen a genuine smile on her face since you left. Chris pushes himself on her constantly, and she is getting tired of telling him no. When she found out you left, I've never seen her look so lost. You guys never hung out, never really talked, but it was like she must have took comfort in just seeing you, because now she just exists. There's no light in her eyes. Because she is constantly saying no to Chris his friends make it their mission to harass her. Her friends don't really help, but her friends Chloe and Aubrey have stuck by her. I've done what you asked and have hung out with her a bit. Every time they start to harass her I find Miss Greene or Carter and they put a stop to it as much as they can. Her sister lives in town and she stays with her as much as possible. Although her younger sister Jasmine is much like her father, and watches what she does a lot. She's more of his mole than she is her sister." She finished

Ashley had been staring into space as Maggie had talked, but now she turned to face her with an expression on her face that Maggie only saw on her face once before. Determination.

"Well looks like I have some work to do, first we have the meeting tomorrow so we should get some sleep. Need some clothes? I've got some old ones that may fit you." said Ash

"Sure. How freaking unfair is it that your now taller than me. Damn you were like an inch shorter than me when you left and now your a freaking skyscraper! What did you eat! wheaties for a freaking year! And look at your body, your like a freaking body builder and that's with a jacket on!" She exclaimed

Ashley burst into laughter, clutching her side at her best friends antics. She looked up into Maggies eyes with a mischevious glint in them. Maggie knew that look and it meant Ash was about to shock her.

Ash stood up straight smiling at her and started to take her jacket off. She was wearing greene army shirt she got at a surplus store. She took off her ripped jeans and was standing in her shirt and fitted boxer briefs. Maggie was wide eyed and opened her mouth to speak, but before she could Ash took off her shirt standing in front of her in a sports bra and briefs.

Maggie lost her breath. This body was nothing like the girl she had always known. No nothing about her was the same. Her arms were cords of muscles even without flexing, even her calves were fitted. Her stomach had a six pack that was almost fully formed, and across her ribs was a tattoo with Demi lovato lyrics in heiroglyphs to the song sky scraper. She turned around so Maggie could see more and when she did she could hear Maggie whisper the words "Oh my God." On ash's back was a flag surrounded by flames so it looked like it was burning. The flag was a rainbow, and the flames were accented in red, white and blue. What really got her were the words on her back in in the center of the rainbow flag. "LOVE THY NEIGHBOR FOR ONLY GOD CAN JUDGE ME"  was in bold italic.

"Well, can't wait to see how people react to that in the locker room" said Maggie in awe.

Ash turned to look at her best friend with a look that could only be described as "really."

"Are there anymore?" Maggie finally asked.

Ashley was silent for a moment, unsure if she should show her best friend. nodding her head when she realized she could never really hide anything from her. She held out her wrists for her to read. Maggie stared at  the two words on her left wrist, then the three on her right.  Ash put them together so Maggie would see that they went together.

"She is what words miss? What does it mean?" she asked

Ash looked at the words with a faraway look in her eye as she answered her. "It was a a five hour plane ride to California and a six hour car ride to the cabin grandpa lived. At the airport I found this book on watt pad that was called "beautiful when you don't try". If you really want to know read the book. It was a story that had some meaning to me, but the main character got them on her wrists for the girl she fell in love with in high school. The reasoning behind why she did it is so beautiful I couldn't even butcher it in my attempt to explain. When I finished it I knew that I never really wanted to forget it and the feelings it gave me. So the week after we settled in I asked grandpa if he would allow me to get it. He refused at first but I asked him to deny me after reading the story. Once he did, he gave me permission and told me he would have done the same for my grandmother." she said softly.

Maggie brushed her fingers at the writing on her wrists and said, "I'll make sure I read it."

Ash smiled and said, "It's worth the read."

Maggie smiled and said, "Well how about you get some clothes on and I'll get chnged so we can snuggle like old times. I have missed my cuddle buddy."

Ash nodded and proceeded to put her pajama's on. They slid into the sides they always slept on and laid in the dark for a few moment with Maggie's head on Ash's shoulders as Ash held her.

The silence was broken when the words Ash had been repressing to say came blurting out of her. "looks like my body isn't the only one thats changed Mags. Seriously when did you get so smokin?"

Maggie snorted out a laugh as she smacked Ash's stomach. "I've always been this hot, you perv."

Ash laughed as she said, "Somethings never change."

"Thank god," Maggie whispered.

With that they drifted into the most peaceful sleep they've had in a year.