"Hey, Maggie!" A blonde and thin girl, with hazel eyes opened the backdoor after the ringbell played loudly and Maggie entered.
"Hi!" Those pair of dimples and wavy black long-hair grabbed the other in a big hug. " I missed you on school today! What happened?"
"Oh, nothing… I was tired by last night. We came home way past midnight, then my mom told me to stay home."
"Well, you didn't miss a lot. Mrs. Serena just explained about Cold War."
"Great, without ice guns for me." The both laughed. They went to the basement, where they used to spent the whole time together. "So… what are we gonna do today?"
"Eliza, don't play with me. You promised that we would…" Maggie smirked.
"Just kidding! Just kidding! Easy, baby!" Eliza laughed out loud. "Here, light this, while I put this VHS on. OMG, I can't believe I'm doing this. You know, I love you so much, that's why I'm doing this. And because I'm idiot. This is the worst movie ever!"
"No! You won't talk like this with "Ghost"! It's pure art!" The shorter one rolled her eyes while she lit a pot cigarette for them.
"Okay, but you already watched this one about a hundred times. Come on!"
"Liz, you've promised me!" Maggie begged.
"Don't make this face. It's on." Eliza returned to the old couch where Maggie was sat, and sat besides her. "Give me this." She picked up the cigarette and smoke.
The film began and Maggie grabbed a pillow and looked up to the TV. She knew every second of that film, but she still loved to watch. Eliza and Maggie were friends since the kindergarten, and now the were 14 years-old. They were always there for each other, every single moment of their lives. Secrets, problems, laughs, everything were shared in that basement. But since few months ago, Maggie started to pay attention in Eliza with different eyes. Heart eyes to be more specific. Eliza were blonde, big hazel eyes, big and bright smile, tall, skinny but not that much, and always sweet. Of course, Maggie never told anything about it neither for Eliza nor anyone. She knew that she would be seen as a freak, girls didn't like girls, girls like boys only. Even if Maggie, deep in her heart, knew that she didn't like boys, but girls. One girl, Eliza Wilkee, her best friend. Since November she was feeling like this and each day the feeling got bigger and always met each other after school on Eliza's basement to study or just enjoy the free time, and Maggie was always counting the seconds to met her after school.
"Hey? What's wrong?" Eliza nudged Maggie. The brunette was staring at her for a long time. "Do I have a new pimple this big for you not to pay attention to your silly movie?" She laughed, making Maggie laugh too.
"No. Sorry, I was just thinking."
"Oh, now I understand this burnt smell."
"Haha. Very funny. Were you saying something?"
"Yes! And it seems that you didn't hear a thing. Can I lay down my head on your lap?"
"Sure." Maggie threw the pillow to her side and Eliza laid the head on her lap, starting to pay attention at the movie. The shorter girl forgot about the movie and focused on that beautiful face and delicious floral perfume that exuded from Eliza. Involuntarily, Maggie started to cuddle on Eliza's hair and soon Eliza were sleeping.
The clock showed 6pm already when Maggie stopped herself to staring and cuddling Eliza. She, sadly, needed to go home.
"Liz? Sorry… I didn't mean to wake you up but…"
"Oh, no… Sorry, Maggie! I am really sorry." Eliza worried about sleeping on her friend's lap for so long. "Why don't you woke me up? I left you alone and incapable of moving… Sorry."
"No! You don't need to be sorry. Well, you missed the movie but.. The guy dies in the end." They both smiled.
"I need to go… My mom asked me to buy some groceries to her, and I think it's gonna rain."
"Oh, okay…" Eliza and Maggie went upstairs to the backdoors again. They usually didn't like the front door and it were way easier to Maggie, once her house was situated two blocks down Eliza's house. "Once again, I'm sorry, Mag. I told you I was tired." Eliza smiled.
"No problem, really. See you tomorrow?"
"Sure! Hey, tomorrow is Valentine's day! We'll be released early from school and there'll be the Valetine's prom!" Eliza celebrated.
"Yes." Maggie doesn't seemed as happy as Eliza.
"We could came here and play Space Invaders again. I've been practicing and I'm sure that now, finally, I can beat you."
"Okay, it seems good." Maggie forced a smile and hugged Eliza tight. "Good night, Liz. See you."
"Bye, Mag. See you!"
Maggie grabbed her bike and went to the nearest market. She really needed to buy some groceries that her mom asked to prepare a big Valentine's dinner to her father, but she also bought something extra. On Valentine's day, every store starts to sell love cards and chocolates. Maggie picked one with lilies on the front and went home before the storm that was about to fall down.
"Mom! I put the groceries on the kitchen's table!"Maggie yelled when she came home and made her way to her bedroom. She closed the door and took out the card from her pocket. Long minutes were needed until she decides that she would do that. She needed to. What if Eliza felt the same way for her? She needed to try and… if everything worked, they could keep it as a secret 'til they were adults.
"Eliza, since a few months I've been thinking of you… a lot. I realized that I am so in love with you and your lovely smile, your delicate smell, the sound of your laugh and your presence by my side. It would mean the world to me if you go to the Valentine's prom with me… What do you say? Can I have this dance with you? If yes, meet me at the stadium.
Be my valentine.
With love, Maggie"
After multiples attempts, Maggie finally wrote with her best letter on the card and hided it on her bag. On the next day, she would put the card on Eliza's locker and just wait.
The next day came and Maggie couldn't be more nervous. She had her breakfast in a few minutes and left home. Went to the school, being one of the firsts to arrive and made her way 'til Eliza's locker, the one at the opposite side of yours, and trough the slits, she put the card. Maggie knew that Eliza never went to her locker before the classes, so, she went to the Science class and waited. Eliza arrived, they both were acting normal to each other, except by Maggie's anxiety.
"Are you okay? Or is this all because you're gonna lose so bad today?" Eliza laughed.
"Ha-ha. You'll never defeat me. You're terrible at this game!"
"Hey, please show me some respect! I am the one who owns the game!"
"Mrs. Wilkee and Mrs. Sawyer, is everything okay? Do you wanna shared the joke with the class?" Mr. Smith called her attention.
"No, sir. We're sorry." Eliza asked and be quiet as Maggie.
After the bell rang, Maggie invented an excuse and ran from Eliza, going direct to the stadium.
"I need to go to… the bathroom! See you!"
"Han…. Okay. See you."
Maggie past the whole afternoon in front of the stadium, seeing couples entering and coming out the ball room, wainting for Eliza but she never appeared. When her watch showed 5:30pm, Maggie knew that things with Eliza had not worked out and went back home. She barely put her feet in her house and your parents were already there, yelling at her.
"ARE YOU FUCKING CRAZY, MAGGIE?"
"Wh-what? Wh-what did I do?" Maggie didn't understood a thing. "I swear, I did nothing. If the heater was turned on, it was Charlie's fault."
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?" Her father showed the card with lilies, totally crumpled and dirty.
"Oh, my God…" Her eyes automatically filled with tears and her voice was gone.
"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, MAGGIE? DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS CAUSES TO US? TO ELIZA'S PARENTS? ARE YOU CRAZY? HOW COULD YOU SAY ANYTHING LIKE THIS? ELIZA IS CRYING THE WHOLE DAY BECAUSE OF YOU. SHE OPENED HER LOCKER, SAW THIS, AND WENT HOME CRYING, IN SHOCK. HER PARENTS WERE TOTALLY ASHAMED. AND SO ARE WE. YOU'RE DISGUSTING, MAGGIE. YOU'RE DISGUSTING! THEY CALLED TO US CRYING AND PROBABLY HATING US BECAUSE OF YOU!"
"I did not raised you to be gay! I did not!" Her mom spoke, staring at her with anger in her eyes. Maggie couldn't do anything but stand there, frozen, with tears scrolling down her cheeks.
"And you are not allowed to cry! We're the ones who had the lives destroyed! I can't believe you're this monster. You're disgusting! I will not have a butch here. I refuse this. Your… sickness will infect us all, and you can screw your life, but not your brother's."
"Da-dad… I-am…"
"Shut the fuck up! I don't want to hear your voice! Never more!" He turned around and grab a handbag. "Get the hell out of here, right now!" Her father throw the bag at Maggie's feet while her mom opened the door.
"Wh-what? Da-d. M-om. I… I don't know… I don't know where to go. Please… I am so sorry. I will never to this again. I'm sorry. I am so sorry, really. Please, let me stay here, please!" She begged. Maggie barely could speak, thanks to her crying.
"We can't trust in your gay word. GET OUT, MAGGIE. NOW!"
"M-om. Please, don't…" Maggie looked to her mom, who was holding the door opened.
"No! You listened to us. Go away! I can't accept a gay freak like you. I can't believe you did this to us."
The father pushed the girl out and slammed the door so loud that the windows trembled. Maggie had her handbag in her arms, staring at the front door, crying so bad. These horrible things that her parents have said… She couldn't believe. She had screwed up everything. Everything with Eliza, with Eliza's parents, with her parents and brother, and with her entire life. What a girl with 14 years-old could do without a house, without money, without everything? Not to have Eliza was already bad enough, but now, she had nothing, literally.
Maggie was lost.
"GO AWAY OR I'LL CALL THE COPS!" Her father yelled from insides, making Maggie shiver and finally, she started to walk away her old house. She didn't know where to go, she didn't have anywhere to go. Maggie had ten dollars only on her pocket and some pay-phone's coins.
"Grandma? Hi… it's me… Maggie."– She tried to call her grandmother when she stopped at some gas station, but the old woman switched off before Maggie ends the sentence. They already knew what happened. The last hope she had gone away too. Eliza would never help her now. Neither her parents, nor her grandparents. She had no one left as close as them to help her. After a long time thinking, Maggie opened her agenda in the last pages and found a number that she never called before, but it could be her last hope at all.
"Auntie Grace? Hi… It's Maggie… Yeah, Maggie, your niece. I really need your help. My parents disowned me. They took me away from home and I have nowhere to go." Maggie restarted to cry. Fortunately, her aunt had a great heart and didn't care about the whole story, just picked her car and went to the gas station where Maggie was.
Forty five minutes after the call, auntie Grace found Maggie sat on the sidewalk with a handbag and her school bag, crying like a baby.
"Oh, my Godness… Maggie, what happened? The last time I saw you, you were 5 y-o, but you seemed happier." The aunt took her bags and helped Maggie to stand up, making their way to the old car parked on the street.
"Auntie, I… I am so sorry. I am so sorry to call you like this, but… but I really don't have anywhere to go, I need help."
"Take a deep breathe, sweetheart. I didn't understand you. Start all over, slow." Auntie Grace was fat and tall, with big blue eyes and red cheeks. She always wore floral dresses and her hair was very short and red as fire.
"I made a mistake, auntie. And I am so sorry, I need your help. I don't have anywhere to stay."
"You can live with me as long as you want to, Maggie. But what did you do?"
"I… I told a girl that I love her."
"Oh… Bad thing. Bad thing, sweetie. But, come on, you'll forget this whole thing. You'll be alright. Let's go home."