Birthmarks and Bruises

Silent Distress

Andrea eventually thought better of the situation, dragging her feet back towards the one person she considered a good person to confide in. Felix was nice and all- super friendly, but Maxine just seemed... interesting. Maybe a little broken. One of those softies who wore an intimidating shell in hope they don't get discovered. That was her guess, anyway.

She's only this way because she's afraid of getting hurt, right?

The teen in question was perched atop one of the grassy mounds, a waterproof jacket splayed out beneath her as some kind of protection from the mud. She shuffled sideways a little, clearing a gap as she noticed Andrea behind her.
"I'm coming over with you. Marcus is being a prick again." She huffed. Maxine made a small hiccuping noise that could've been portrayed as a laugh.
"It's ok. I don't like him that much either." She replied, still watching the pink pigment of the sky grow ever more powerful as the night sky plunged into dawn.

Everything looks so pretty.

Andrea turned, surprised. "Really? I figured you two were kinda neutral."
"Oh, I suppose we are. No one knows what I think though. No one knows about who I like and dislike."
"Everyone knows you dislike Felix." Maxine stiffened slightly.
"Yeah. He's just... there's something about him, I suppose." She grumbled, evidently trying to brush of the subject as fast as she could. Andrea noticed, but let her. She watched her companion squirm a little, screwing her eyes screw shut for a few moments.

She almost appeared nervous.

"Andrea, can I confide in you for something quite serious?" She questioned. Andrea hummed in confirmation, switching her focus from the drowned swampy marsh of grass below them to Maxine's grave expression. She stuttered a little, surprised and mildly frustrated at her own hesitation.
Andrea smiled sadly in a mutual understanding. She shuffled across so that she could see the other's expression. "Hey." Andrea held an unwavering hand out firmly, trying her best to look confident and sincere. "You can trust me. Whatever you need to tell me, I won't tell anyone else. I promise."
Maxine hesitated, glancing down at her hand.
"You want me to shake on it?" She asked, raising a dark eyebrow. Andrea nodded, wiggling her fingers a little in invitation. Maxine allowed herself a brief smile, clasping their hands together for a brief moment and shaking sharply.
"It's between you and me, yes?"
"Yeah. Promise. If anyone asks we were talking about Felix' stamp collection."
"How intriguing."
They both laughed for a second before Maxine checked herself.

Hey, you shouldn't be afraid to smile. You have a nice smile.

The older girl swallowed as she felt her mouth dry up a little.
"I think I'm going insane." She paused, gaping as if what she had to say was just on the tip of her tongue- but she was afraid to say how she was feeling in case it was wrong. It tore on Andrea's heart a little to see how difficult it was for Maxine to express how she felt. "All my emotions- they don't really work properly anymore. I'm slipping in and out of it. I've lost control of my own body and I've- well, I have a desire to do terrible things." She continued, her tone uncharacteristically weak. "It's like my brain wants to try anything and everything to help me cope. I shoved my true colours down too far and now I'm just- I don't know. Spewing them back up."
"Maxine-"
"It's okay. I don't need reassurance. Ive accepted what's happening to me. Just don't let me hurt you, okay? I couldn't bear that."
The taller girl wouldn't meet her eyes. Andrea knew she was right, and that's what pained her the most. A cloud of mist formed before Maxine's lips as she sighed heavily, the vapour vanishing back into the autumn air within seconds.
"Well, just remember that um-" Andrea shifted uncomfortably, trying to find the right words which wouldn't embarrass them both. "I still think you're a good person, deep down, no matter what happens. At least we're both in this mess, right? So, if something happens to one of us, the other will follow." She gently slid her hand across, intertwining both their fingers. Maxine made no comment, as if she were waiting for her emotional state to drain again before she moved. Shards of deceivingly warm-looking golden tinted sunlight hit them as the sun set between the houses, reflecting onto Maxine's watering irises. And in a split second, they no longer looked just grey. It was as if honey pooled deep into the depths of dark hazel in one, and the other- earthy green undertones glinting back up at the ivy twining between each building she stared aimlessly at.

She's so pretty.

"You have heterochromia?" Andrea breathed. Maxine shielded her eyes with her palm, and they were grey again. They lazily connected with hers as she responded.
"No. It's just the lighting."
The last few warm rays faded away, and everything looked monotone again.
"I'm not special."