"Mom? You home?"
Millie yelled across her house as she peeked through the front door. Silence. Good, her mom was still out getting groceries. Millie flicked on the light in the hallway and let Louise in behind her. They made their way towards the stairs.
"Hey, Muffy," Millie sweetly addressed her cat. Muffin leapt down from the stair banister and scurried up the steps like she had something to hide. Probably not though, she was just like that.
In Millie's room, Louise began searching for an inconspicuous place to put Bakeneko. Millie remembered the first time Louise had ever stepped foot in her room, and all the times she had been there since that day. As their friendship grew, so did Millie's image of herself. The more time she spent with Louise, the more Millie realized who she was. What she liked, what she didn't like, and how different they both could be. She even redecorated her room to suit her own tastes more. Although they weren't the same, Millie still appreciated the parts of Louise that had nothing to do with her. She realized that two people don't have to be the same to be a perfect match.
"You can just place him on the bed there," Millie instructed.
"Out in the open? Your mom won't wonder where he came from?"
"She won't come in here. Not unless I want her to."
Louise shrugged and placed her stuffed friend by Millie's pillows. She plopped herself down back-first onto the bed. "Ugh, I don't wanna go home."
Millie sat down beside her. "Work?"
"Work," Louise replied, pulling out her small, dated flip-phone. "Unless I can get Gene or Tina to cover for me."
"Well, at least you'll get some nice birthday tips," Millie suggested.
Louise finished sending her text and sighs. "I do not feel sixteen. Sixteen year olds drive cars and go to parties. They drink their parents' booze and do gross stuff like make out."
Mille looked down at Louise. Make out?
"I mean, not that I wanna do any of that dumb stuff anyway." She reached for Bakeneko and held him on her abdomen. "It just feels like there's all this pressure to grow up. Parties are boring, and alcohol tastes like piss water, I just don't get it."
"You and me both," Millie agreed. She had never thought of herself as a proper teenager either. Truth be told, she really didn't give two you-know-whats about what other teenagers were doing. And she was pretty sure neither did Louise.
"have you drank before? Alcohol I mean," Millie asked.
"Just once. I went to some senior party with Tina. She was always the one to do that kind of stuff. Not me." She chuckled, "It's funny, I'm pretty sure my parents expected me to be worse than she was."
Ah. So she isn't meeting her parents' expectations. Probably for the best, they'd surely agree.
"No, you don't go to parties," Millie smirks, "You just skip school."
"Haaa," Louise smiled. A small victory.
Louise seldom let her force field down, but when she did, it was like a gift. There they were, just the two of them. No Rudy. No siblings to distract her. Just the way millie likes it.
Though as much as she loved being a confidant for Louise, Millie couldn't let her bestie wallow in her negative thoughts. It was time to lighten the mood. Slyly, she reached for one of the pillows on top of her bed.
Louise stared up at Millie's ceiling fan, watching the blades go round and round. "Eh, I guess I should probably get go—oof!"
Millie slammed the pillow down over Louise, her bunny ears poking out from underneath. Millie giggled as Louise struggled, until she snatched the pillow off of her face. She propped herself up and whipped around to look at her assailant. "What the hell!? You trying to smother me?"
Millie grinned.
Louise grinned.
"Rah!" Louise lunged at Millie, diving pillow-first onto her face, as she pretended to smother her back.
Flailing and thinking of an escape route, Millie's fingers found their way to Louise's torso.
"Ahhhhaha—NO! uh-uh!" Louise protested, feeling the tickle of fingertips on her abdomen. She banged the pillow over Millie's head, unable to control her laughter, "No—haha—You know I —ahaha—I hate that! I swear to god, I will SLAP the shit out of you!"
Millie was thoroughly enjoying this, laughing maniacally, unaffected by her threats, "Oh yes, Please do!"
They playfully struggle and tumble to the floor as bunny ears fall from Louise's head. Hatless now, she released the pillow and grabbed both of Millie's wrists. Four hands slammed down to the carpet, landing over her blond head. The whole world stopped as Millie laid face to face with Louise. She had never been this close to Louise's face before; this close to her eyes; this close to her lips. So close, she could feel the warmth of her breath leaving her body. Her body. She fully realized now, Louise was sitting on top of her. What is this pounding in her chest? Was that her heart? Had that always been there? She had never noticed her own heartbeat before. It was beating so fast now.
A swaying movement caught the corner of Millie's eye. Her cat, Muffin, was perched beside them, staring, her tail moving to and fro, ever so smoothly. It was almost as if she knew something they didn't. From downstairs came the slam of the front door.
"Your mom's home," Louise breathed.
"Oh, right" Millie replied, as Louise rolled off of her.
They stayed quiet as the sounds of Mrs. Frock shuffling around grocery bags echoed from downstairs.
"Millie, honey, you here?"
Millie remembered that she didn't re-lock the door. "Yeah, mom! I'm upstairs!"
Millie sat up and watched Louise gather her hat. Her dark hair now messy from their tussle. She wore two extra ear piercings in the cartilage of her left ear, mimicking the ones on her hat. So Hot. Wait, what?
"I guess I better get home." Louise picked her backpack up off the floor and stepped over to Millie's window.
Millie stood, "You could probably just take the front door, you know. I don't think my mom will quiz me for having my best friend over after school."
"Yeah but," Louise lifted opens the window, allowing a breeze to flow inside, "this is way more fun."
Millie smiled to herself. Louise, Always so adventurous. She crawled out the window, one leg and then the other, all the while checking to make sure Millie's backyard trampoline was still in position. She worked herself into a comfortable crouch in which she could hold herself up, and stopped.
"Hey," She called out to Millie for her attention, though she didn't really have to. Louise always had her attention. "Thanks. For the cupcakes. And for today. It was nice."
Millie couldn't believe her ears. She smiled at the bunny-girl now hanging from her window. "Anytime."
"I'll be back for Bak!" Louise yelled as she leapt from the window sill. Millie poured over the open window, watching Louise bounce and hop down to the ground. From up high, she really did look like a little bunny.
"Let's make out."
Millie heard Louise whisper. She was pinned to the floor. Louise was straddling her, holding her down. Millie couldn't help but notice the girl's attire. What was she wearing? Her clothes had transformed into some sort of sexy bunny suit, complete with fishnets?! Millie's heartbeat was out of control.
She looked so… No, no no. Don't think that about Louise.
With one hand, Louise gripped her captive's neck and leaned in. Closer. And Closer.
Millie tossed and turned, her hand somewhere south of her belly button. Sweating and breathing heavy, she came to. Her eyes open now, she sat up. It was dark inside her room, except for the moon light pouring in through the window, still open from when Louise left. She got up and closed it.
How strange. It's not like this was the first time she'd dreamt about Louise, but her previous dreams about her were nothing like that . She had never even seen Louise dressed that scantily. Why would she imagine such a thing? Was that a dream, or a nightmare? She wasn't sure, but the way she felt… let's just say she hadn't felt that way before.
Was her therapist right? Could she be harboring some sort of latent sexual feelings for her best friend, or however her doctor said it? Millie's mind was racing as she lay her head back down on her pillow, unable to get back to sleep. This was doing absolutely nothing for her insomnia. Wide awake now, she noticed Bakeneko staring back at her.
She turned over.
Muffin was awake too, looking at millie from the floor below, her judgmental cat eyes glowing in the night. She almost thought she heard her speak.
I saw that.
"Oh be quiet," Millie whispered. She buried her head in her pillow.
Well, It doesn't matter now. None of that was real. She was certain if she could just get some rest, she'd forget all about it in the morning.