Waking up the morning after Serendipiday felt a bit different for Samantha. She felt rather nice for a change. She got showered and dressed for the day and headed down to the main kitchen area to get herself a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast. She hung around there, hoping to catch Violet. Eventually, Violet made her way down into the kitchen later than Samantha would have thought, looking bleary-eyed even from behind her glasses.
"Ah, Vi, how are you?" Samantha asked with a hint of anxiousness at reading Violet's expression.
"Coffee," Violet replied.
"I- what?" Samantha blinked.
"Coffee first," Violet answered, and poured herself a cup from a pot that was available. She mechanically dabbed a little cream and sugar into it, then sipped from it. Immediately, she looked more awake, and sniffed at the coffee with serenity. "Ah, better."
"There's no way that could have affected you that quickly," Samantha accused.
"It's psychosomatic," Violet claimed, leaning back on a counter. "So, what was your question?"
"Just wondering how you're feeling," Samantha said.
Violet nodded. "Pretty good, thanks for asking. And you?"
"Yeah, I'm okay," Samantha nodded.
"So, you took Terra to Serendipiday of your own volition, huh?" Violet sipped more coffee. "I can't say I expected that."
"I- what!?" Samantha's eyes widened. "How do you know that already? I thought you were holed up in your room all day!"
"Well, I did have to eat," Violet said calmly. "And it was all the buzz around home. 'Sam went to Serendipiday with a fox'. Lots of bunnies were in gossip mode."
"Ugh, great," Samantha rolled her fiery brown eyes. "I was hoping to not have to get comeuppance for this for at least a day."
"In this family? Yeah, that's a nice thought," Violet chuckled. She looked off into the distance, wrapping her free hand around her midsection while she held her coffee out in an aloof way. "Didn't expect for you to be kissing her already, though."
"Kh! Kissing!?" Samantha sputtered, seeing a few Hopps heads turn to look at her and giggle. She felt her breath quicken. "I wasn't kissing her!"
"That's not what I heard," Violet said. "Some of the younger kits on the hill saw you with Terra, watching the fireworks."
"That was just-" Samantha shook her head, waving her hands back and forth. "That was just like a tiny nose-to-nose thing!"
"Mm, cute," Violet half-smiled, flinching in amusement.
"Rgh!" Samantha ran her hands through her ears. "I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea...!"
"Isn't that basically the point of gossip?" Violet chuckled. "But no, anyway, I think that's great. It's really nice."
"Sure, ah, I'll- I'll catch you later, Vi," Samantha mumbled, waving at her absently. She walked forward, heading toward the main hall, seeing more and more bunnies looking at her. How had everyone heard already? Why did people care so much? It was just a fox!
Just a fox...?
Samantha exited the compound and walked to one of the vehicles in their parking area. Taking the keys out of her pocket, she started the car and, thinking for a few moments, drove off into town.
Samantha entered the bookstore and quickly saw Terra behind the counter. Again, the kit fox was deeply engrossed in some sort of graphic novel. The colors on this particular one were a bit more floral and pastel than the last time. Samantha took a breath and walked up to the counter.
"Terra?"
"Bwagh!" Terra started in surprise and involuntarily tossed the graphic book up a few inches. She fumbled for it, caught it, and quickly put it behind the counter out of sight. "Samantha! Uh, hi!"
"Hey," Samantha raised an eyebrow. "What were- what were you reading?"
"Nothing! No, that was nothing, haha..." Terra grinned with transparent nervousness and ran a paw over her head fur. "How are you?"
"Pretty okay," Samantha nodded. Her stomach started to feel uncomfortable. "Listen, um... about last night..."
"Uh huh...?" Terra nodded eagerly.
Samantha held a hand out. "I uh- I don't want you to read too much into it, okay?"
"Oh, okay...?" Terra tilted her head to the left a few degrees.
"I mean, you're a nice fox and all, like I said, right?" Samantha let loose a terse, uncomfortable laugh. "Yeah, like I said. You're great. So uh..."
Terra didn't say anything in response. Samantha saw her swallow and blink twice.
"Anyway, I'll see you at the next book meet, right?" Samantha asked with enthusiasm.
"Yeah, sure!" Terra said, matching the tone.
"Okay, so... see you then," Samantha waved and moved deeper into the store. Curious, she looked at the graphic novel section and tried to find the cover that matched what she thought she remembered Terra reading. Picking a suspect one off the shelf, she flipped through it. It appeared to be an inter-species romance graphic novel between a female cougar and a deer doe. Samantha felt a strange mix of worry and amusement.
"Oh," Samantha laughed lightly.
The bunny made her way back out of the store, stopping to wave goodbye to Terra. Though Terra was no longer looking at the graphic novel, she looked distracted, maybe even a little glum. She perked up when she saw Sam waving and returned the wave. Samantha headed home.
Later that day, Samantha headed to the gym, feeling the desire to work out. She was surprised to see Violet blocking the entrance, her arms folded tightly across her chest. Violet looked more irritated than Samantha had ever seen the gray-and-white bunny before.
"Vi? What's up?" Samantha wondered.
"Coming here to break some sandbags after you're finished breaking hearts?" Violet asked darkly, judgement plastered all over her face.
"Uh, are you feeling okay, Violet?" Samantha blinked. "Are you sure you took your meds?"
"Yes, I'm sure!" Violet yelled. She poked Samantha in the chest with her forefinger. "Just what's your deal, huh?"
"What are you talking about!?" Samantha held her hands out wide.
"Terra called me after her shift; she was in tears!" Violet tilted her head, looking at her sister angrily. "She told me that you came to the bookstore and said that last night didn't mean anything to you!"
"Wha- I uh!?" Samantha shrugged helplessly. "I just told her not to read too much into it, that's all!"
"Yeah, okay," Violet nodded bitterly. "So you just gave her one of the nicest, most meaningful nights of fun she ever had, then slapped her paw away from it, telling her it was nothing."
"Vi!" Samantha held out her hands again. "It was just Serendipiday...!"
"Yeah, to you, maybe," Violet narrowed her eyes. She scoffed loudly and turned around, slicing an arm in the air front of herself. "I'm losing my patience with you, Samantha. Your recovery or whatever can take as long as you want it to, but I'm drawing the line at you hurting others along the way."
"Wh-what do you mean!?" Samantha was feeling desperate and confused. "I haven't hurt anyone- a fox hurt me!"
"You hurt Terra," Violet turned her head to sneer at her. "Just a few words, and you hurt her. She's not like you, Judy, or even me. She's delicate. You can't just-"
"Listen, Violet!" Samantha's brow fell and she summoned some anger of her own, frustration bubbling up in her chest. "I never asked for Terra, okay!? I never asked to be helplessly attracted to foxes! Why should I be? Why do I have to be attracted to a mammal who's hurt me!? I don't want to be- why can't I just find some stupid bunny buck attractive? Why should I have to carry this curse?"
"Terra hasn't done a thing to you," Violet said in a low, dark voice. "You should treat her with more care."
"Terra was all your idea!" Samantha stabbed a finger through the air at Violet. "She was all your meddling! You admitted that to me yourself yesterday! I didn't ask for you to try to set me up with some-"
"Do you honestly think I'm a simpleton, Samantha!?" Violet wasn't backing down, her teeth flashing in irritation. "Before I tried pushing you two together, I learned more about her as a person and how you two might compliment each other. You- you work well together! That's why the gossip is spreading so quickly!" Violet held her arms toward Sam, palm up.
"So that's what this is, then?" Samantha narrowed her eyes. "I'm still being used as a pawn by you in this little social game you've organized."
Violets pupils shrank and a look of nearly wild anger passed over her mouth, leaving her mouth a grimace. "Here's an idea, Samantha! Try thinking about someone other than yourself for once!"
Samantha actually took a step back at that. She blinked. "Excuse me...?"
"Yes, you're hurt, and I know that," Violet clenched her fists. "But there's a fox out there who needs someone too, and so far no one has stepped up to the plate!"
"She told me there's never been a bad thing that has happened to her in her life!" Samantha protested, sweeping her hand out in front of her. "How could she possibly relate-"
"She's had nothing bad happen before. Until now," Violet narrowed one eye. "Until a bunny she admired seemed to offer the idea that someone had finally accepted her and then just as quickly yanked that idea away and left her lonesome again. Until someone dared her to dream that she might be special to someone, and then made her wake up and go back to her monotonous existence again."
Samantha didn't know what to say. "I uh... I'm sorry, I didn't know this meant so much to her."
"Puh! Don't apologize to me!" Violet placed her hands on her chest, bending over a little. "Apologize to Terra! Though I can't say if she might want to talk to you at this point."
"I didn't know she'd take it so hard... I barely said anything to her at the bookstore," Samantha said weakly.
"Then start saying more things," Violet declared. "Preferably about how you're sorry for leading her on if you don't intend to try to make something work between you two."
"I..." Samantha's thoughts were spinning. She didn't know what to do.
"Don't play with her heart," Violet said firmly. "Break things off, break her heart if you have to, but don't toy with her." Violet briskly turned to walk away. She looked over her shoulder. "I thought it'd help... I imagine you two looked nice together." She shrugged and walked away.
Samantha stood there, dumbfounded, and then quickly brought up her contacts on her phone. There was one convenient thing about Terra; her number was above all of the rest of the Hopps. There it was: Terra Brownfurred. Samantha hesitated. Should she call her? Should she text? Texting was impersonal, but she didn't want to hear Terra if she was really broken up. Wait no, that was selfish. The thought of Terra being upset over something Samantha might have done to her quickly started to gnaw at the bunny in a way that surprised and alarmed her. She should make it right between them.
Stop thinking of only your comfort, Samantha admonished herself, nodding, then pressing the button.
Every ring was like a bolt of anxiety into her stomach, but finally, she picked up.
"H'lo? Sam?" Terra's voice sounded somewhere between confused and despondent.
"Hi! Terra, hi..." Samantha's voice launched into almost frenzied, anxious cheerfulness, but she quickly reined it in to adopt a more natural tone. "Uhm... so hi. How are you?"
"I'm okay," Terra said vaguely.
"I... Violet talked to me," Samantha said.
"Oh..." Terra replied. She heard a cough, and a sniffle.
"Terra, I'm sorry," Samantha said genuinely. "I didn't know Serendipiday would mean that much to you. I can understand if you don't want to see me again or do the book club thing..."
"Huh?" Terra asked. "Why wouldn't I...?"
"Just cause... I'm kind of a wreck...?" Samantha groaned. "First you had me blow up at you last night and then you had me being inconsiderate to you today... I'm just really sorry."
"I uh..." Terra sounded a bit lost. "...Are you trying to get rid of me?"
"What?" Samantha unexpectedly felt another bolt of panic. "What, no no no!"
"I kinda- I like you, Sam..." Terra admitted quietly. "You're so strong... I want someone like you in my life. I just-... you know."
"I was only saying that I- I hoped me being so... y'know, weird and broken... doesn't- doesn't put you off," Samantha said dejectedly. "Don't you think you deserve someone better than that?"
"I don't know what I deserve," Terra said blankly. "I... I only know what I want."
Samantha felt her heart flutter. "Me...?"
"I uh..." Terra's voice faltered. "I can still see you again, right...?"
"Let's meet up tomorrow!" Samantha burst out suddenly. "Yeah, you wanna come over here? Maybe for dinner? I can apologize in person and it'll be great! Everything will be fine!"
"Tomorrow?" Terra seemed to think. "I dunno, I was just over there."
"Oh..." Samantha winced. Had she blown it?
She heard a tiny giggle, then a sniffle. "I was just kidding. I'd love to come over."
"Great, great!" Samantha said, relief flushing through her. She let out an exhausted sigh. "In the future, please tell me if I hurt your feelings, okay? I didn't- I didn't intend to."
"It's okay, hehe, I know I'm kind of fragile, delicate... I've heard them all," Terra sniffled again. "Thanks for... giving me a try, I guess? I dunno, are we kind of a thing now?"
"I... well, if you went by the Hopps family gossip, we are," Samantha rolled her eyes.
"Well, how do you feel about that...?" Terra wondered.
"...Just that I really want to see that cute face of yours tomorrow?" Samantha asked tentatively.
"I can deal with that..." Terra sounded happier. "That means I'll get to see your pretty bunny face."
"Pretty?" Samantha blinked in confusion. She heard a giggle, then the kit fox hung up. Samantha sat down hard on the ground, sighing in relief, though she still felt nervous. Turning her head, she saw Violet reappear and slowly move to join her, sitting next to her.
"Hi," Violet said simply. "Guess I'll be washing this skirt soon."
"Were you eavesdropping?" Samantha was a bit too drained to be angry.
"I heard you say 'Terra' right before I was out of earshot," Violet admitted. "Figured I might as well."
"You're ridiculous," Samantha pushed Violet lightly. Violet let herself rock from the force. "...Thanks."
"For what?" Violet mumbled.
"For being there," Samantha sighed, wiggling her feet a little. "For trying to keep me on the right track. And I'm sorry I didn't think more about Terra. I was nervous... what everyone would say, would I be a hypocrite? I'm just a little- maybe a lot... confused."
"Let me be honest," Violet sighed. "People are complicated. Terra seems nice but... I can't tell you if she's really the 'right track' for you. I... I just have a good feeling about her. I know that's not much conciliation."
"Well, like I said before, Violet," Samantha smiled. "Sometimes it's not about logic."
Violet nodded diagonally, and Samantha put an arm around her shoulder. Violet scooted closer and returned the gesture.
"I'm still not a huggy person," Violet noted.
"No, you're not," Samantha chuckled.