Unspoken Words

Chapter 5: The Pendant

Today was Amity's 15th birthday.

The day itself didn't feel particularly special to her. It never had, given that the only thing her parents did to celebrate it was gifting her with something she'd asked for weeks prior in her mother's frivolous preparations for the party. She had faint recollections of the twins taking her out to play when they were children, but those times of carefree fun had long passed. Amity had grown apart from her siblings after breaking off her friendship with Willow, and it was only recently that she was rebuilding a rapport with Edric and Emira.

In more recent years her birthday typically involved waking up and going through the mountain of gifts the guests had brought for her the night prior, making different piles in her room for what she'd actually use, and what the twins would probably steal. After gift sorting, Amity would work on homework, read a book from her family's enormous library, or write in her diary, taking breaks in between to eat at mealtimes.

Today was no different.

When Amity went downstairs for breakfast, the family chef let her know that her parents were out on important business, and wouldn't be back until later that evening. Amity was instantly relieved that she wouldn't have to face her parents right away. After what had transpired last night, she was dreading the looming conversation they would have with them regarding her relationship with Luz.

Amity wasn't an idiot. She was well aware her father intervened at the party only to save face in front of all of the guests. Her declaration of love for Luz had worked, albeit temporarily. She would be facing the repercussions soon enough. And while the thought of that terrified her, Amity didn't regret her actions one bit. She would do it all over again, just to regain Luz's trust in her.

Luz.

Amity pushed away her unfinished breakfast and rested her head on the dining table with a soft thud. She thought their argument had gone poorly, but their stilted interactions after the dance and her confession were just as, if not more painful.

Luz was clearly unprepared to hear Amity confess that she was in love with her, in front of an entire room of strangers, and her family to boot.

Amity found her reaction unsettling, but once the initial adrenaline from the entire incident had faded, it made sense.

Luz had only found out that they were dating- and by extension that Amity had feelings for her- less than a week ago. Amity didn't even know when Luz began to see her romantically. They had never talked about their feelings for each other. Everything just sort of... happened.

Maybe that had been a mistake.

Maybe Amity should have been more clear about her intentions from the get go, at the Grom tree picnic date a month ago, and this entire mess could have been avoided.

But it was far too late to think about the 'what ifs'. This was her reality, and she was living it.

Amity sulked and rose to her feet, gathering her dishes on the table to return them to the kitchen sink.

At least I have today to prepare for the inevitable conversation I'm going to have with Luz when I see her at school tomorrow.

A small comfort, but one she was grateful for nonetheless.

Amity resolved to spend the rest of the day wallowing in misery and self-pity. It was her birthday after all, she should get to decide how to spend it.

Amity was so consumed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed how odd it was that she had seen no sign of the twins. Usually they 'gifted' her with a birthday prank. Last year Edric and Emira changed the color of her hair dye to hot pink, which Amity had found just as amusing as their mother did.