Apple had just finished retouching her final lock of bouncy curls before heading out when she heard Raven's very audible grunts of annoyance coming from the darker half of the dorm. Startled, Apple glanced over at her normally composed roommate to find a shadowy, ruffled form hunched over the desk. Papers spilled over the desk's edge and textbooks riddled the surface. Sometimes Apple wondered how Raven even got any work done with such a mess.
"Raven, what's wrong?" Apple crooned.
"I have a major Spells and Hexes paper due tomorrow morning and my MirrorPad is acting strange! I think it may be broken and I don't have time to take it to get fixed." Raven groaned, stressfully running her hands through her dark tresses.
"Oh, Raven. You can just borrow my MirrorPad. It's really no problem." Apple pulled the sleek, sky-blue device from her bedside drawer and handed it to her roommate. "I'll be over at Briar's dorm for most of the night, so you can put it back whenever you're finished."
Raven's eyes lit up. "You're the best, Apple! I promise I won't forget to return it."
Raven bounced out of her seat to give Apple a quick, appreciative hug. Apple returned the squeeze, although she was admittedly flustered by the affection. She put on her best smile when Raven pulled back, hoping her makeup concealed the dainty pink color that rose to her cheeks unwarranted, not that Raven paid much attention. The dark-haired girl fervently indulged in her work moments later, only ever pausing to say a rather distracted goodbye before Apple left.
Raven unlocked Apple's MirrorPad just as she heard Apple close the door behind her. She decided to set the computer aside to allow it time to start up. Meanwhile, she attempted to organize her hopelessly messy notes.
"Alright," Raven muttered to herself. "I'll have to rewrite this part, but first I should focus on this… Maybe I should rework this segment here? I think I need to research this potion a little more online..."
Raven pulled the MirrorPad in front of her and opened the MirrorNet browser. She was just about to search for information on the potion she needed to know when something in the corner of the browser caught her attention. There was a small folder amongst the large list of Apple's bookmarks. While most of the folders promised beauty tips and ways to stay positive, the one that caught Raven's attention was the one titled "Birthday Presents."
Raven knew her own birthday wasn't too far off from now and the thought that the folder was full of potential gifts for her upcoming birthday was exciting… and tempting. Peeking couldn't hurt, she thought mischievously. She felt a bit guilty, but the feeling was passable to the amount of sheer curiosity she felt. She had no idea that the folder held something much more dear to Apple's heart.
Raven opened the folder with anticipation, but was quickly met with confusion. The only link in the folder would direct her to a single, familiar page. Apple's blog. That's hardly a secret, she thought. The entire school knew about Apple's blog. In fact, it was incredibly popular amongst students and faculty alike. Still, Raven investigated further. She clicked the link and came to a site that curiously was Apple's blog yet wasn't. It looked similar, definitely, but there were subtle differences.
Raven flicked through the blog, scrolling past countless entries written in a very familiar vernacular. She could practically hear Apple reading the words in that syrupy voice of hers. Raven smiled to herself as she skimmed pages of Apple's loving thoughts about all of her friends, including a few, generous posts about Raven that complimented her on her beauty and charm. She thought it was awfully strange that Apple would keep what appeared to be a separate blog for this rather than let everyone know how well she thought of them. Surely Apple's kindness would be well-received.
It wasn't until Raven came across an entry that confessed rather, er, private thoughts about not wanting to marry Daring that Raven started to feel embarrassed. It finally occurred to her that this wasn't just any ordinary, public blog. No, not at all. This was Apple's online diary! She must have been hiding it under the folder's inconspicuous title. The thought, however, occurred to her a moment too late because Raven had seen something unexpected, something she was sure she definitely wasn't supposed to see.
Raven's violet eyes fell on the opening words "The way I feel about Raven goes against everything my destiny stands for."
Raven thrust her desk chair back as if too afraid to even be near the physical diary. It wasn't long before she was on her feet, frantically pacing behind the desk and occasionally glancing at the MirrorPad before looking away in guilt.
"No. Absolutely not. There's no way Apple wrote what I think she wrote… There has to be a reasonable explanation." Raven forced her feet to stop pacing so that she could calm herself. She took a few, deep breaths. "Maybe she meant our friendship. There's no reason she had to be talking about... Yeah. Yeah, that might be all there is to it." Raven understood the words coming from her mouth, but whether her head agreed with them was another matter.
It took a good minute before Raven could convince herself to sit down and another minute before she was able to read the rest of the entry. She had to do it, of course. She had to be sure, or else the uncertainty would drive her mad. She took another deep breath for good measure before continuing to read. The further she ventured down the page, the wider her eyes became and the faster her heart raced. At one point, she caught herself covering her plum-colored lips in shock without realizing she was doing it.
Raven couldn't pull away, even after finishing the revealing diary entry. She found herself scrolling further down the page to entries dated one week, three weeks, two months ago! How long had Apple felt this way without giving Raven the slightest clue? Perhaps more importantly, why couldn't Raven tear herself away from Apple's lovesick words? The phrase "I want her to kiss me more than I've ever wanted any jewel or gold" seemed to be captured in her mind forever. She couldn't stop rereading it.
At last, Raven reached the diary's oldest entry and couldn't read any more. She leaned back. She sat at her desk for a few minutes, completely motionless. Her head was reeling, both with Apple's sweet words that made her stomach flutter and the realization that she would have to face Apple eventually. She dreaded the thought. What would she do? What would she say? How could she possibly explain herself? Should she pretend she never read Apple's diary or tell the truth? What was the right thing to do in a situation like this? She almost wished she had never let her curiosity get the best of her.
Raven threw her head back and stared blankly at the ceiling. "Oh, Raven, you've royally messed things up this time."
It was nearly midnight when Apple finally returned to the dorm. She was radiant as ever, though exhausted from an evening with Briar, as evidence by her half-lidded eyes and polite yawns. She was removing her high heels by her wardrobe when she caught sight of Raven sitting on the edge of her own bed.
"Oh! You're still up," Apple said. She smiled warmly at her quiet roommate, oblivious to the fact that something was clearly wrong. "I'm drained! Briar had us running all around the school, going places, meeting people." Apple waved her hand flippantly. "All I want to do is get into bed and sleep for ages."
"Apple, there's something I have to tell you."
Apple paused, instantly set on edge by Raven's dark tone. She had just finished untying the ribbon from her hair and was now clenching the red silk anxiously. "Raven, are you okay? Did something happen?" Apple rushed across the room and sat beside her friend on the lace, wine-colored comforter. She placed a supportive hand over Raven's, ready to assuage her worries no matter what.
Raven gathered the smallest amount of courage possible to look Apple in her clear, blue eyes. She felt so guilty that those eyes were filled with such concern and those hands were made to be so comforting for her. She was sure both were about to turn bitter and cold towards her.
"I read your online diary!" Raven blurted. "It was a total accident. I didn't realize what it was when I clicked on it." She shook her head vigorously, imploring Apple to understand just how sorry she was. "I thought it was a link to a birthday gift you were getting me. I didn't even realize what I was reading until... I read what you said about me."
Apple jerked her hand away from Raven's and turned forward. Raven knew she had hurt the girl who trusted her most, but just how much she had hurt her she wasn't sure. It was nearly punishment enough for Raven to see the look on Apple's face and feel the strain of her silence.
Apple covered her face with her hands and lightly shook her head. "I've never been more embarrassed in my entire life," she muttered, her voice barely audible. "I can't... I don't know what to say..."
Raven stared, amazed. Embarrassed? She was embarrassed? She didn't... hate me? Raven couldn't help herself, however inappropriate it was. She let out a quick, sharp laugh, feeling the tension leave her shoulders.
"Raven, this is hardly humorous. I bore my heart to those pages. I—"
Before Apple could utter another word, Raven cupped her chin and pulled her into a kiss. At first, Apple was shocked beyond belief. Her entire body was rigid and her lips were unyielding. After a few seconds, however, she started to ease into it and return the kiss. Then, abruptly, she put her hand to Raven's chest and lightly pushed her a few inches away.
"What are you doing?" Apple asked, her voice soft.
Raven met Apple's lovelorn eyes. "Oh, Apple, I thought you would hate me for reading your diary. I thought you would never speak to me again and I didn't want to lose you, especially not right after I discovered you felt the same way."
Apple blinked a few times, unbelieving. And then she smiled. Her sunshiny radiance broke through and Raven thought her entire body seemed to glow. Apple felt coy as a burning blush ran across her face, but evidently Raven found it nothing less than charming. She gently guided Apple down onto the comforter, giving the other the opportunity to wrap her arms around Raven's pale neck to ease herself down. Raven leaned down and allowed her lips to hover above Apple's for a few heartbeats as she enjoyed the moment. Truly, Apple thought the waiting was agony, though it was also bliss. Then their lips met and all else seemed to melt away.
Soft touches and tender kisses followed, Apple loving every burst of chills that swept over her fair skin at Raven's touch. A good deal of time later, neither girl was really sure how long they had been that way. Apple herself had lost track of time after the first dozen kisses. Yet even then a funny thought occurred to her that caused her to lay back and look up into Raven's heavy eyes.
"Your Spells and Hexes paper?" Apple asked, breathing heavy.
"It can wait," Raven promised, leaning into another, sweeter kiss.