BLUE (Frankiana Version)

Two

"C'mon," Diana laughed softly, watching Franki hop around the room on one foot, attempting to get her shoes on. The smaller girl giggled and fell back on the bed, finally tugging on the second shoe.

"Where are we going?" Franki asked, tilting her head to the side. She stared questioningly at her shoelaces before looking up at Diana.

"The mall," Diana informed her, bending down and knotting Franki's shoelaces. "You need new shoes. And clothes."

"I do?" Franki furrowed her eyebrows, looking down at her shoes. They seemed perfectly fine to her.

"You've practically worn holes into these shoes," Diana laughed, standing up and motioning for Franki to follow her. "Plus, you need a coat. Even though it's January, cold weather doesn't look like it's gonna end anytime soon."

"Oh," Franki nodded once and studied Diana's face. "You are mad at me."

Now it was Diana's turn to be confused. "Mad?" she raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think I'm mad at you?"

"I was bad," Franki shook her head and followed Diana across the parking lot. Once they reached the car, the smaller girl sighed softly and buckled herself into the passenger seat.

"Are you talking about last night?" Diana asked as they pulled out of the parking lot. Franki nodded hesitantly.

"I ruined it," Franki crinkled her nose. "Why am I like this?"

"Because you're you," Diana shrugged and reached over to lace their fingers together. She wasn't going to deny that Franki was different. The girl already knew that. Diana just wanted to make sure that Franki didn't owe anyone an apology for the way she was.

"And I am stupid," Franki muttered, shaking her head and looking down.

"Punky..." Diana sighed. "You're not stupid." This conversation had become a recurring one lately.

"But I do not..." Franki groaned and pulled her hand out of Diana's. "I do not want to talk right now," she mumbled, shaking her head and pressing her forehead against the window.

Sighing, Diana retracted her hand back to the steering wheel. She wasn't sure anything she said would make Franki believe her.

The rest of the car ride was practically silent. Franki didn't understand the tension between them. Was Diana mad at her? The girl had been annoyed with her the night before.

Franki squeezed her eyes shut. Everyone must be annoyed with her. They didn't understand. She took a deep breath, like she's been taught to do when she was feeling anxious.

"We're here," Diana said softly, pulling into an open parking spot. Franki lifted her head and studied the large building in front of them. She suddenly felt increasingly nervous.

The minute she got out of the car, she scurried over to Diana's side and held onto her forearm. The last thing she wanted was to be separated from the other girl. Diana was her security, her safety. Without her, everything was ten times scarier.

Diana looked over at Franki, biting her lip as she led the smaller girl into the mall. "I'm not going anywhere, Punky," she laughed softly. Franki looked up at her and Diana could see the nervousness in her features.

"C'mon, it's less crowded in here," Diana pulled them both into the first clothing store she could find. Franki relaxed slightly, following behind Diana when she began to search through the racks of clothes.

"For you," Franki giggled, pulling a pair of cat ears off of one of the displays and holding them out for Diana to see.

Diana crinkled her nose and shook her head, taking the cat ears and putting them back where Franki found them. "We're not shopping for me, anyway. We're trying to find clothes for you."