The unfortunate adventures of Sarah Richards

Chapter fifteen ~true love waits~

The entirety of Thursday after leaving my girlfriend at the train station i had worried about her. Friday too. I hated knowing i was sending her back to an abusive household. That she self harmed likely because of that. That she felt prosecuted simply because of who her heart and soul felt attraction towards. I hated having to leave her. I know now what all the cheesy quotes about missing someone were drawn from. You see, no matter how many chances to meet up you've gotten, and no matter how long you spent with that person, you'll always feel a little bit empty without them right by your side where you can see and touch them. And that, i think is true love. And true love waits. It waits for the other to be safe, to come back, to stay, and to be their own again.
I kept running over this in my head as i sat on a bench in the shade at carpenter station. The mid day sun was bearing down hard and making it difficult for me to move at all without feeling a little exhausted. I hated my body. I thought i was fat. Maybe i wasn't. But i was out of shape. And i definitely hated myself for that. But Thea loved me, right? There must be something about me that she could see but i was blind to. i surely wasn't complaining. It brought more joy to me, knowing that Thea felt the same way i did, than i think i had ever felt in my entire life.
And even more when i saw her again, coming off the train. I felt a little pang of sadness when i noticed right away that she still had her long sleeved masterman hoodie on.
"Sarah!" Thea squealed and threw her arms around me. Both of us dressed in sweats we had probably slept in stood there hugging and giggling on the platform. But hey, it was Saturday and we probably were not the weirdest get up you might see in Philadelphia. I stopped hugging her and stepped back, taking her duffle bag from her. "I can carry that." she protested. "Yeah but i'm not gonna let ya." I smirked and ran my hand along her ass gently. "Sarah!" She squeaked, "we are in public." A slightly horrified look crossed her face only to be replaced by a look of devilish mischief as we left the train station and began our journey back to my house. "I know." I countered and smirked up at her. God, she was so beautiful. "You don't have to worry about people seeing us." I murmured as i reached to hold her hand. Thea's only response was to nod slowly and blink at me with an almost painfully sad look in her eyes. I could sense that she needed to talk. There was this sort of telepathy that best friends and i guess couples had which with they could say something without actually speaking. So i turned off, taking a detour which, landed us in carpenters woods. Without a word, i led Thea down to this little area with a strange stone bench by a miniature creek. "If ever i go to carpenters woods, i always found myself here for a while so it pleased me greatly to share it with you." I told Thea and set her bag on an empty spot on the bench. "It's beautiful." She whispered, looking all around the woods in awe. "Are you alright?" I inquired gently after we had spent a few minutes in silence. Thea took a deep breath and slowly shook her head. "What happened?" I asked, hooking a finger under her chin to pull her head up so we made eye contact. "M-my father and mother have been arguing a lot lately. I think they are g-going to get a divorce. And l-last night, i uh, i heard them arguing about who would take me. Only it wasn't 'i want her!' 'No, i do!' No," Thea paused to wipe away tears that had brimmed at the edge of her eyes. "It was more, 'i don't want a lesbian daughter, she'll be a disgrace in the church!' And 'well i don't want that abomination under my roof either!'" Thea rasped, trying to whisper but being on the verge of tears. I had started crying and been unable to stop myself. "Thea, i'm so sorry! I-" she cut me off by holding a hand up. "I don't want anyone's sympathy." She said coldly. I blinked in surprise a little and stuttered in finding my words. "Is there anything i can do to help?" I asked and pulled her close against my side. "Promise, you'll find some way to get me out if they put me in an orphanage. Or that you'll come get me if i land on the streets?" Thea replied slowly and buried her delicate face in my broad shoulder. "Of course, doll." I soothed and ran my hand through her hair and long her back, planting a kiss on the top of her head. She said nothing but i heard a soft giggle. "Was that weird?" I asked. "Was what weird?" Thea countered as she lifted her head again to meet my eye with her own. "Calling you 'Doll'?" I chuckled nervously, looking down at my feet for a second. "No, to tell you the truth, it was a little hot." She smirked and pulled me close, kissing me with utmost passion before i had a chance to say anything. "Well, i'm glad you think so." I gasped softly as i pulled back. Thea giggled cheekily in response and bit her lower lip. I was about to say something romantic when my phone rang, my father was calling. "Where are you two?" He asked immediately upon my picking up the call. "Carpenter's woods. I decided to take a detour on the way back as it is looking so lovely today." I told him. "Alright, well, hurry back. Your mother is out and my latest case requires me to leave home so i need someone to watch Orwell. You and your friend wouldn't mind doing that, would you?" There wasn't any way i could have gotten out of babysitting even if i had minded. "Yeah that's fine, be home in a bit." I replied and hung up.
"What was that?" Thea asked as i rose from the bench and returned my phone to my pocket. "My dad needs us home to watch the baby while my parents are at work." I told her. "I'm a terrible parent." She smirked at me and stood up. "We'll make a good team then." I grabbed her hips, pulling her against me. "Oh my..." Thea let a silent moan escape her lips and leaned in, pressing her lips on mine. I wished it could have lasted forever. "Lets go before our fake kid kills himself." I joked and picked up her bag.
Upon arriving home i found that my dad was waiting at the door with Orwell and a newspaper in one arm and his briefcase in another. "Thanks, girls. Oh! Sarah! I think your article made it into the inquirer." He handed me the baby and practically flew out the door and down the sidewalk.