Love Me on Valentine's Day || ✔️

1.5 // understanding ursula

1 . 5 / /   u n d e r s t a n d i n g   u r s u l a

Grade Eleven // Age 16

ALEXANDRIA BLEW out a sigh as she entered the washroom, happy to be out of a chair and moving her legs. She didn't know how the administration thought that clumping together four sit-in-a-classroom-and-take-notes classes in one semester was a good idea. She was sitting in the uncomfortable black chairs all day, for clumps of seventy-five minute with a short break to move in between and an hour lunch in which she was, you guessed it, sitting. By the time she got to her last period, Alex found herself feeling claustrophobic.

Alexandria didn't really need to use the washroom, but anything was better than sitting in the classroom. She checked her hair in the morning, stared at herself, and tried to let an acceptable amount of time to pass. Just as she was about to start heading back to class, she heard a bang in one of the stalls and a sniff. She paused. Was someone in there crying?

She walked to the row of stalls, found the closed red door and legs covered in black leggings peaking underneath. The feet clad in red sneakers with mismatched socks peaking through the top. Alex knocked on the door.

"Are you okay?"

A sniffle.

"Y-yes," the voice was thick with tears. The girl cleared her throat. "Yes," she tried again, a little more confident.

"You don't sound fine," Alex said. "You sound like you've been crying. Do you want to talk about it?" She should have left it alone, went back to class, but she couldn't. Damn her urge to help people.

There was no answer, and when Alex had resigned herself to leaving, the girl stood and unlocked the door. It opened to reveal Ursula, a girl Alexandria had shared a few classes with before. Her mascara was running, her eyes bloodshot, cheeks blotched red and tear stained.

Ursula was not a typical girl. In a sea of blondes and brunettes and raven heads, Ursula's rainbow hair added a pop of colour. She wore colourful and artful clothes, with plenty of bracelets, necklaces, and rings. She had multiple piercings. She was pretty in her own way, and very nice despite what some might assume from her appearance.

"I do need someone to talk to," she said. She shuffled a bit on her feet. Alex tried to look as encouraging as possible.

"I'm here if you need that," her voice was soft and gentle. Alex's mother often teased her by saying that she would make an excellent psychologist. That she "had a way with people."

"I-I, um," she blew out a sigh and started again. "I came out to my mom this weekend," she said. She looked worried, staring intently at Alex's face, registering any twitch in her expression. Alex fought to keep the surprise off her face. She didn't know that. She doubted anyone except maybe her closest friends might have known that.

"How did that go?" Alex never knew how to respond in these situations. She wanted to showcase that she didn't care about the person's sexuality, that whoever they loved, whoever they were, was not her business and that as long as they were happy, they could do whatever they wanted to. But she also didn't want to come across as dismissive, because she knew it took a great deal of courage to come out. Especially for the first time.

"It didn't go well at all," Ursula's chin started wobbling again. "She didn't want to believe that her daughter is bisexual, that there is a chance she might not see me with a boyfriend or husband, but with a girlfriend or wife. She wouldn't talk to me the whole weekend beyond what's necessary. She couldn't even look at me," and then she dissolved back into tears.

Alex wrapped her arms around Ursula, rubbing her hand up and down her arms in comfort. She couldn't imagine not talking to her mother—she was her best friend. Alex could only imagine what Ursula was going through, and she didn't like it.

"I'm sure she'll come around," she said finally after the other girl's sobs subsided. "You're her daughter after all, and she loves you."

Ursula nodded. "I know, but it's still so hard."

Alex nodded sympathetically. "It'll be hard, but there's always light at the end of the tunnel. Or so they say," she shrugged. "Just keep going, I guess. If you ever need someone to talk to, know I'm here for you, okay?"

Ursula nodded. From that moment, Ursula always had someone to confide in, to talk to when the going got tough. Eventually Ursula's mom did accept her daughter, and embraced all of Ursula's romantic partners. Ursula's ending was happy, and she always remembers Alex with fondness, because if it wasn't for her reminder and words, the girl didn't know if she would have been able to hope for the best.

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I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Alexandria is too sweet for her own good. I would run the other way if someone started crying. Or maybe I'd laugh. I have a horrible tendency to laugh at the worst of times.

What do you think of Ursula? The next chapter is the response, what do you think it'll be?

See you next chapter,
Sage