Shelby Corcoran and April Rhodes
Instalment 2: Better to have loved.
April's breathing haltered for a minute before she came to her senses. She placed her hand on Will's shoulder and pushed him away. With a frown, she asked. "What are you doing?" She went to Will for help and support, to confide in him as a friend, and this is what he made of the situation? Good on ya, April, this is just what you needed! She scrambled off the side of the bed and in to the living room, taking a weary seat on the couch. She had no idea what to do now. Well ya can't stay here anymore, can ya! Wait, why am I blamin' myself? She was so lost and frustrated that she couldn't think straight. She grabbed her clothes, purse, and keys from beside the couch and headed out the door, not another word to Will.
Shelby awoke to a loud noise out the front. Not hesitating, she arose from the couch and darted down the front hallway to the front door. She opened it... only to find two cats fighting neck and neck on her porch. She let Lyric out, who managed to successfully chase them away before returning to Shelby's feet. The brunette scoped the front lawn and either end of the porch before hugging herself and sighing, closing the door and dragging her feet back to the sofa. You've really done it now, Coach; just because your students always came back, doesn't mean everyone would, clearly! She turned the television off; getting sick of listening to the menu song. Lyric crawled back on to Shelby's lap, moping just as much as his owner. He could always tell when one of the women were upset or stressed, and always took such care of Beth. "Looks like it's just you, Beth, and I for the night" she sighed, resting her head on the back of the sofa, defeated. She continued patting Lyric, still vowing not to go to bed... just in case.
The confused blonde was once again driving around Lima aimlessly, actually having nowhere else to go this time. April had barely ventured out of the house since meeting Shelby, since all she lived for lived in the house with her, so she hadn't exactly met many new people. She avoided their neighbourhood, being sure that she wouldn't be able to handle it, or welcome for that matter. She turned the radio on to try and drown out her own thoughts. She started paying attention when the song Where Do I Begin, by Idina Menzel, started playing. The first verse described her situation perfectly, well, the whole song really. 'Where do I belong if you're not here, cause this is way beyond my darkest fear'. That was precisely what April was feeling, but it was too late to realise that now. Everything between her and her girlfriend had blown up, and she wasn't sure if they would ever be okai. By halfway through the song April was once again in tears, pulling over near the park her and Shelby had first met. Everything at the moment was an indication of what she had lost.
Sitting on the couch, Shelby was flinching at every sound. She had not been without April in three months, and she was eagerly anticipating the return, if she returned, of the woman she loved. Finally cracking from sitting on the couch, Shelby walked upstairs and put on her warmest track pants, one of Aprils band shirts, and one of her warmest hooded jumpers. She grabbed the blanket that remained folded on the end of their bed, and marched downstairs. She opened the front door and let Lyric out, herself following. She wrapped the blanket around herself and huddled up in one of the rocking chairs on the front porch, Lyric at base. "She'll be home" she repeated to herself, gently using her body to rock the chair back and forth. An hour or so later, Shelby assumed, a car pulled up out the front. It was dark, being about 1am, and their front yard was rather large, so Shelby couldn't make out the car, or its occupants. She stayed quiet, just watching for a few moments. Minutes later, the car drove off, and Shelby sighed of both relief and sadness. Around 2am, she dozed off to sleep in the chair, until being awoken thirty minutes later by a bright light. Her eyes hesitantly fluttered open.
April sat in her car at the park for a while, just crying, and barely even thinking. She had no idea what to do. She knew that she should do the adult thing and head back to try and sort it out, but she could not bring herself to face the woman that she was sure she had disappointed. She thought so much of Shelby, and to think of seeing the pain and disappointment in her eyes, only broke April a little more. Finally calming down, she looked at the time. It was close to 2am. She sighed. What are ya' plannin' on doin' now, Rhodes? Spend the night in your car; a concept not all too unfamiliar? She turned the car back on and started driving again. She remembered a motel that she had come across on one of her adventures out of the house and headed there. She parked out the front and took a deep breath before getting out of her car. Upon stepping out, she realized that she was indeed only wearing her underwear and one of Will's shirts. "Fuck" she cursed, getting back in to the car and putting her arms on the steering wheel, her head on her arms. Well now what, huh?