Linda looked down at her youngest daughter's hair as she braided it, the pink bunny hat set aside. She was doing a French braid for Louise, starting at the top of Louise's head so that the scars and stitches were concealed. "Ow. Mom, do I really have to go to this?" Louise whined. "Yes! I want you to go and have a fun time. My senior prom, oh, man. I don't- I'm not even going to bother telling you. It was…ugh," the mother grunted. Louise's hair was long enough that it went past her shoulders but ended at the top of her chest. "You know, nobody's even gonna see your hair if you wear that hat-" "Don't even –ow!- bother, Mom. It's coming with me. Just like all the other times. I didn't even go to prom the last three years, why do I gotta go now? Shit, that hurt!"
"Oh, quit yer whinin'. You're a big girl, one snag ain't gonna kill ya! This is what my mom used to do to our hair when we went out somewhere fancy, me n' Gayle. And that's exactly why, Louise! Tina went to all her proms, and Gene went to all'a his! He even went with Logan for two'a them! Gene and Tina liked it, so I imagine you will too!" Linda worked the hair on the young woman's head carefully around the wounds. Louise cringed. "Just because they liked it, Mom, doesn't mean I'm going to, too!""I really hope you don't get any more random scarring back here," the mother said quietly. "The last thing I need to another medical bill." Louise said nothing, flinching every so often.
"Louise, stop lookin' at your phone! I can't braid if your head is tilted," Linda said, aggravated. "Hey, Mom?" Louise put her phone down. "You know how Alexis is taking me to prom?" "Yeah, whaddabout it? Is she wearing a tux, or- I mean, what's the story here?" Linda was halfway through braiding. "Uh, no, I think she's wearing a dress. But that's not the issue here. I think I want to go to prom with someone who's not going," Louise said, looking at her phone. "Then why don't you ask him?" Linda replied. "Becau- wait, how did you know it was a he?" Louise started to turn her head then remembered her hair was being done.
"Honey, I'm your mother. I'm not blind. I know these things. Logan wasn't so hard to figure out either. I'd mention you while he was workin', and he'd reply just fine, but you could tell he was tryin' to hide the fact he was blushing. Alright, I'm all done with your hair. Who's doing your make-up? Tina?" Linda stepped away from Louise and looked at her handiwork. "Yeah, she said she was. I think." Louise got up. "Where's your dress?" Linda looked around the room from where she was standing while her daughter retrieved the dress with straps. It was a dull lime, almost jade, color, similar to the dress she had worn nonstop in her youth. The dress had a hot pink belt and a long, flowy end that met right under her knees, light pink lace on the fringe. To top it off, there was a small pink piece shaped like a bunny head attached to where the left strap met the front of the dress.
Louise's mother smiled and clasped her hands together. "Oh, it's so cuuuute!" Louise smiled a bit, slipping her hat back on. "Okay, go get Tina to do your makeup. Me and your father are gonna go get ready so we can take a bunch of pictures!" Linda escaped out the door before Louise shut it, changing into her dress. The dark brunette quickly applied concealer to her left shoulder after putting on the dress. Ten minutes later, Louise stepped out of her room barefoot. Her fingernails and toenails had been painted pink as Linda had insisted. Knocking on Tina's door, Louise let herself in, being greeted by her sister as well as Tammy. "Tammy? What are you doi-" The ears on Louise's hat twitched as she saw some make-up supplies the blonde was holding. "Oh. Oh, no. Tammy, you're doing my make-up?"
"Relax, Lou. I've improved A LOT since middle school," Tammy smiled. "I sort of asked her to do the make-up because I'm not good with colors when it comes to doing make-up," Tina confessed. "I guess I have no choice, then," sighed Louise. The girl in the green dress carefully sat down on the bed while Tammy looked her over. "I'm thinkin' pink," she said before getting the make-up.
"Courtney, I think your parents abandoned you or some shit," Alexis said, lying on the other girl's bed. "It's been, like, a week since they left. I like how you're not even concerned," she said sarcastically.
"Alexis, aren't you gonna get ready for prom? I thought you were taking Louise," Courtney said as she hurried around the room. The redhead on the bed jumped up. "Crap," Alexis said, the black tips of her hair swinging around. Alexis had been slacking off on dying it lately, and since her dress was red, she thought the black would look nice in her hair with all the red. She wasn't even sure if she'd ever dye it again.
The two girls went their separate ways: Alexis found shelter in the bathroom to get ready, while Courtney remained in her room. An hour or so passed, and Alexis was on the couch, arms crossed, in her short red dress. It was basically a cocktail dress, the only dress the woman owned. Her red stilettos tapped in annoyance. "Courtney, hurry the fuck up!" Alexis yelled. Another 5 minutes went by before the Latina heard a door open. Looking up at the source, Alexis felt her heart skip a beat.
Courtney had seemed to have been completely transformed; her dress was a black strapless ball gown adorned with purple flowers at the very top with a good handful scattered on her ribcage and down to the skirt, less and less flowers showing as they rested below her waist to the hem. "Do I look okay?" Courtney asked, worried, her lips and eyelids painted in black. Alexis got up. "No," she said, dragging Courtney to the bathroom. "You need to stop hiding your face with that godawful makeup, and I swear to God, if I see those dumb hipster glasses anywhere near your face ever again, I'm going to crack them in half," Alexis grumbled as she wiped the natural blonde's face clean.
Applying light grey eye-shadow, black eyeliner, and light pink lipstick to Courtney's face, the redhead stepped back a bit. "Now you look okay," she said quietly. Courtney looked in the mirror and blushed at what she saw. She did indeed look okay, more than, even. The shorter girl smiled and wrapped her arms around Alexis, resting her head on the taller woman's chest, causing the receiver of the hug to blush before wrapping her arms around her.
"C'mon, prissy, lemme put your corsage on and we'll go pick up Louise," Alexis mumbled, smiling. Courtney looked up at her and gave a firm nod.
Scott sat next to Logan, the two of them with game controllers in hand. "Goddammit, no, stand on the button and I'll give you the cube, okay?" Logan said, eyes glued to the `white and blue robot on the split screen. The dusty blonde next to him kept staring at his controller every few seconds, confused. "I don't get these controls, I'm not really a video game kind of guy," Scott said. "Scott, this is, like, the easiest game in the world. The single player mode is just a big virtual puzzle that involves portals, cubes, and a crazy bitch robot. And the two player mode is the same thing except there isn't really a story. Or a mute chick. I don't even think she ever talks." "Does she have a name?" "Yeah, but I forgot what it is. Shelly or something."
Gene walked up behind the couch, watching the TV as he tied a tie around his collar. Scott stopped playing and turned his head, taking in the sight of his boyfriend in a tux. "You look pretty good," he smiled. Gene smiled back, blushing. "Thanks. I haven't DJ'd at a prom before, but the prom is pretty much the same thing every year except with a different theme. Also, it's a pretty big banquet hall. So it's not like I don't know what I'm getting into. You gonna be okay here with Logan?" "Yeah," Scott said while focusing on the game again. The Belcher son picked up a large trunk containing all the supplies he'd need for being the prom's DJ. "I'm gonna head out, you guys. I'll probably be back around, like, 1:30 at the latest," Gene said, heading for the door.
Scott tossed his controller to Logan and jumped over the couch, getting the fellow blonde lose his focus. "Bye, Gene," Logan called out. Gene kissed Scott goodbye. "Be safe," Scott said, holding the door for him. "You sure you don't want me to help you take this down to the car?" "I'm sure. Now go play vidya with Logan. I'll see you later tonight," Gene said as he made his way to the stairs. "Bye!" Scott said loudly, waving.
A curly red head stood near the door to the banquet hall, sighing. She was not getting paid enough to stand here. Gene, holding his equipment, entered through the doors as the lady turned to him. "Hello," she said dryly, "and welcome to the Huxley High School Prom: All Dogs Go To Heaven Under The Sea In Hawaii." The musician stared at the woman. "…There must have been some issues on the prom committee this year. Anyway, uh, I guess I'm the DJ for the prom tonight? I'm Gene Belcher." "The answer to a question I never asked," replied the woman, her words laced in sarcasm, giving Gene a blank stare. "Yeaaah, I'm just gonna go now," the gay man said quietly before taking his leave and walking across the empty dance floor.
About 10 minutes before the actual prom was going to start, Louise, Courtney, and Alexis came in. The woman at the door looked at Alexis then gestured toward the tables not too far away from the dance floor. "Hello, and welcome to-" the ginger started to say. "Fuck off," Alexis said as she grabbed Louise's hand and quickly dragged her to a table way in the back of the room. "Don't mind if I do," said the auburn-haired woman, walking away from her post. Courtney watched her go before looking around and spotting Gene far away, across the room.
"Gene!" she squealed, practically sprinting to the table Gene had set up his equipment on. "Fuck," the DJ said quietly then spoke up. "Uh, hey, Courtney!" The raven and violet haired 19 year-old smiled sweetly at Gene, causing him to shift uncomfortably, not from nervousness but from annoyance. "How's Scott?" she asked. "He's good. How's, uh, your…" he trailed off, realizing he had no idea if she was even dating someone. Courtney frowned. "Gene, can you play a song for me later? I wanna request something," she asked, peering at his laptop. "Yeah, sure, what is it?" Gene said while using his computer. Courtney stayed quiet for a moment, before turning her head and looking at Alexis, who was in the back of the banquet hall.
"Alexis, what songs did she sign?" Courtney asked quietly, still clinging to the redhead. "Her favorite was Dices," Alexis said, staring at the wall. "Dices? I don't kno-" "It's the Spanish version of Who Says," the tattooed woman replied softly, on the verge of breaking down again. "The song actually has an entirely different meaning in the Spanish version; dices means 'you say'. It's someone singing about how someone she really cares about is putting them down while they keep staying strong…" Alexis turned onto her side so that she was facing Courtney. "Heh, kinda like you and me, don'tcha think?" she whispered,blushing. "Well, except for the fact you don't really care about me…" Courtney laughed "You're wrong, Alexis, because I do care" and snuggled up to her, falling asleep in Alexis's arms.
"Can you download something for me?" she asked. "Ugh, fine," Gene groaned. "What is it?" Courtney blushed before leaning over and whispering in Gene's ear. She stepped back. "But play it near the end of prom, okay?"
More than halfway through the prom, Louise realized she was actually having fun. Alexis didn't dance at all, she just stayed at their table that they had been assigned with Rudy, Jenny, and the Pesto twins. The twins would dance only with each other, which Alexis found humorous. Jenny and her blue mermaid dress stayed mostly on the dance floor, meaning Rudy was dragged along.
"Here's a song by a group of gay guys," Gene said into his headset to the prom-goers, before scrolling through his music player of choice and making a selection. "You're insecure, don't know what for. You're turning heads when you walk through the door…" Louise gagged at the song while she got drinks for herself and Courtney from the small bar built into the room. Of course, there was no alcohol, only soda and water. Bringing drinks back to the table, Louise bumped into Rudy, who was standing at the table. "Oh, hey, Rudy!" Louise smiled, looking right at him. "Hey, Louise. I'd stay and chat but if I don't go back to Jenny she'll kick my ass," the redhead said. "Right now I'm lookin' at you and I can't believe, you don't know you're beautiful!" The girl in the pink bunny ears scowled. "Why are you still with that bitch? All she does is boss you around and probably other things that I'd rather not know about," she protested. Rudy frowned for a second, looking down, as if in thought. "I just might-" "RUDY! GET OVER HERE, YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Rudy winced at his girlfriend's very loud request, then continued. "-do that. Thanks, Louise. I mean, I had thought about it, but now that you mention it, she really is a bitch. I guess I'll just have to break up with her after prom," he sighed. "RUDY!" "Alright, well, later, Louise!" Rudy said quickly before running to his future ex-girlfriend.
"That poor boy, stuck with her of all people," Louise said, setting the drinks down. Alexis said nothing, drinking the wine glass full of ice water. "I wonder why he keeps staying, though," Courtney observed, taking a sip of her soda. "Fear," said Alexis, "Courtney, why are you sitting so friggin' close to me?" Courtney blushed and moved away, not realizing how close she was to the lesbian. "S-Sorry. Hey, Alexis, why aren't you dancing?" she asked. "I only dance if by dance you mean fight," Alexis said simply.
Courtney frowned a bit before taking a large sip of her drink. Looking out the window, the woman noticed it was raining heavily. "Oh, it started to rain," she said to Louise. "Aw, man, are you friggin' serious? I am NOT getting this dress wet. I had to save up like 3 months' worth of my paycheck for this thing," Louise got up to look outside the window and sighed, staring at the garden of the facility, which was adorned with fancy benches, beautiful trees and flowers, and a water fountain. "Crap, and the prom is ending soon, too…"
Alexis looked at the table, bored. Prom sucks… she thought to herself. Alexis was about to get up and leave the room when she heard a melody of a guitar followed by words that she thought she'd never hear sung again. "Nada que temer, nada que cambiar… hey![Nothing to fear, nothing to change]" The red headed woman stared at the ceiling, listening to it, trying not to tear up and failing. Courtney tapped Alexis on the shoulder, who turned and looked at the smaller woman. "Did you…?" Alexis started to ask before Courtney got up and stood next to her, starting to quickly move her hands in a smooth but flowing pace, signing the words along in match to the song.
Por ti me olvidé [I forgot for you]
De quien yo era en realidad [who I really was.]
Contigo me quedé como un diamante sin brillar [With you, I was like a diamond with no shine.]
No quiero ser así [I don't wanna be that way;]
Espejo de tu vanidad [your vanity mirror.]
Prefiero ser de mí [I'd rather…be]
Sin nada que temer, nada que cambiar [with nothing to fear, nothing to change.]
Between the "na na na"'s and "Yo me siento así, bella y auténtica, [I feel this way, pretty and authentic.]" Alexis was confused but didn't want Courtney to stop signing the lyrics. Her heart was racing as she watched the signing girl.
No seré por ti [I will not be for you]
Una flor de metal [a metal flower.]
No, no!
Dices, que soy imperfecta [You say, that I'm imperfect,]
Que tú eres mi dueño [that you're my owner,]
Que ando de inmadura todo el tiempo [that I'm always…immature.]
Dices, que hablo cosas tontas [You say, that I speak dumb things,]
Que no te merezco [that I don't deserve you.]
¿Quien te crees que eres? [Who do you think you are?]
¿Dime quien? [Tell me who?]
Te pido por favor que no me quieras controlar [I ask you please that [I] don't want [you] to control me.]
Entrégame tu amor sin condiciones nada más [Give me your love without conditions, nothing more.]
Permíteme vivir soñando esta realidad [Let me live dreaming this reality.]
No es que soy así [It's not that I'm this way,]
Distinta y sin igual [different and unique.]
At this point Alexis was crying, trying to block out images of her sister while Courtney kept at it during the bridge and chorus. It didn't work. The only reason her sister would sign this song was because it reminded her of her strained and harsh relationship with their father. As the song went on, Alexis began to feel as if the words were meant for her, from Courtney.
Dices que soy una niña [You say that I'm a child,]
Que me tienen consentida [that they have me pampered.]
Dices que soy diferente [You say that I'm different.]
Ciertamente, ciertamente [Certainly, certainly!]
Soy lo que me gusta ser [I am what I like to be.]
No me intentes detener [Don't try to stop me.]
Mírame bien [Look at me right!]
No estoy hecha de papel [I'm not made of paper!]
Yeah!
(Dices) [You say,]
Dices, que soy imperfecta [you say, that I'm imperfect,]
Que tú eres mi dueño [that you're my owner,]
Que ando de inmadura todo el tiempo [that I'm always…immature.]
Dices, que hablo cosas tontas [You say, that I speak dumb things,]
Que no te merezco [that I don't deserve you.]
¿Quien te crees que eres? [Who do you think you are?]
¿Dime quien? [Tell me who?]
Que soy imperfecta [ [you say] that I'm imperfect,]
Que tú eres mi dueño [that you're my owner,]
Que ando de inmadura todo el tiempo [that I'm always…immature.]
Dices, que hablo cosas tontas [You say, that I speak dumb things,]
Que no te merezco [that I don't deserve you.]
¿Quien te crees que eres? [Who do you think you are?]
¿Dime quien? [Tell me who?]
The song finished and a new crappy pop song already playing to move the party along, Courtney blushed and sat down next to Alexis. The crying woman put her arms around Courtney, whispering, "Muchas gracias. Realmente significas mucho para mí. Te cuido mucho." Courtney blushed and smiled, whispering back, "A mi también." Alexis didn't let go, holding her close. Louise just stared at them, confused. "Why are you guys speaking taco?" Well, at least she's happy…but I hope she doesn't hurt Courtney, oh my fucking god, I would CRUSH her…
Logan slammed his game controller onto the floor before groaning in frustration. "I keep dying," he whined, looking at the TV. "IS IT BECAUSE I'M BLACK?!" he yelled, glaring at the small icon of the young African American woman whose life bar was crossed out in a sloppy blood red X. Scott laughed a little. "Dude, everybody knows Rochelle is the worst," he said in between giggles. "Yeah, I know, but I kind of feel bad for her. I mean nobody ever plays her, and then when they have a bot playing her she's always in the way. God, I just want to tell her 'NOBODY LIKES YOU' and then Zoey can replace her. Zoey is hot, man," Logan rambled. "Yeah, uh, she's really rockin' that pink zip up sweatshirt, Logan. I totally understand why you think she's hot. In fact, I think I might have a crush on her too!" Scott mocked the fellow blonde. "Really? But I thought you were- wait. Oh, shut up! How do you know so much about this game, anyway?"
"You don't want to know."
"Yes, I do."
"No, you really don't."
"Just tell me, Scott!"
"Ugh, fine. I was looking at Ellis and Nick por-"
A quiet knock on the door stopped Scott from continuing his erotic tale. Logan got up and headed for the door. "Crap, if this is Jerry, I'm gonna drop kick him. He's been asking for-" The blonde looked through the peephole, surprised to see Tina on the other side. He opened the door. "Tina? What are you doing here?"
The oldest Belcher sibling looked down at the hardwood floor under her feet that coated the hallway floor. "I need to talk to you about something. About Louise. And Alexis," she said, desperately gazing at Logan, her face painted in worry. "Uh, sure? Come in," he replied, holding the door open for her. Tina walked through the doorway and onto the carpet, her balled hands clasped together, one hand on the other. Scott saw her from the corner of his eye, pausing the game. "Tina, what's wrong?" he asked, frowning.
Tina quickly turned around to Logan, who was now standing a few feet away after closing the door. "Louise told me not to tell you, but I can't hold it in any longer!" she said rather loudly. Logan lifted his hands. "Whoa, whoa, slow dow-" "AlexisisabusingLouiseandhasbeensincetheystarteddat ing! InoticedAlexishasn'tbeenaroundasmuchthisweeksoI'mw orriedthatshe'sgoingtodosomethingtohertonightatpro m!" Tina blurted out, her words scrambling together. Logan felt his heart stop for a few seconds. "Fuck, I fucking knew it! Scott, stay here with Tina; I'm gonna go get Louise!" The platinum blonde snatched his jacket off the standalone coat hanger and rushed out the door and down the stairs, pulling out his car keys.
"Wait, so, Alexis beats up Louise?" Scott spoke up, staring at the sister. Tina quickly sat next to Scott on the couch, holding her head, shaking. "Yes," she mumbled. "I came home one night a week or two ago and found Louise in my room, looking for make-up to cover up the bruises. I made her sit down and I had to clean out all the cuts and give her my make-up that I barely use…Alexis sounds like such a psycho, she looks like a psycho! I'm so worried, what if she hurts Louise again? Or worse…" Tina started to break down and cry. Scott hugged her tightly, sighing, worried about the whole situation at hand.
Logan looked around the parking lot for the car before realizing Gene had taken it. "Oh Goddammit!" He began to looking around, trying to remember where the banquet hall was. Sprinting down the sidewalk, Logan hoped it wasn't too late.
"One last request for the night before we have to say goodbye," Gene spoke into his headpiece, finding a song and pressing enter, causing it to begin to play. Louise watched some people already starting to leave. The employees of the facility weren't allowed to let the prom attendees go just yet, causing a small but growing crowd in the lobby.
She's to die for, a little murder on the dance floor calls her name,
A little further to his heart she holds the flame
She is still so unsure, she always leaves him wanting more
You let me down, I can't let this go now (time to turn it round again)
Alexis's eyes narrowed, her more violent instincts kicking in. I need to get this plan in motion before Courtney can stop me. Getting up out of her chair and roughly grabbing Louise's wrist, she hissed, "We're leaving." Louise looked around frantically for Courtney, but she was nowhere to be found. "But, what about-"
She is dressed to kill
And he is to die for
She knows he would kill just to hold her on the dance floor
So do we dare to take this dance
Well I'm willing to take the chance
And tonight could be the night baby
Just take my hand, I swear we'll make it right
Logan rushed up to the banquet hall, feeling like he was going to pass out. He tugged at the doors. Locked. But I hear music, so how…? The blonde was about to look for another way in when the doors swung open, causing him to back up and almost fall. Making his way through the ocean of dressed up teens, Logan looked around then spotted Louise being dragged by Alexis across the lobby.
And he's to die for
A little heartache in the shape of a girl
His little heart shaped box just waiting to be filled
'Cause she knows what she came for, she always leaves him wanting more
You let me down, I can't let this go now (time to turn it round again)
"Louise!" Logan yelled, plowing through people who were going in a completely different direction. "Louise!" he yelled once more, causing the girl to lift her head, and recognizing Logan coming towards her, halfway through the students leaving the building. "Logan!" she screamed, looking scared. "Oh Jesus fucking Christ, not this fuckface again!" Alexis jeered, trying to get out the doors but with the amount of people pushing past her she was forced to wait a few moments.
But she's too caught up in moves
The moonlight plays so soft on her skin
And she's singing, he's sinking- it's the sweetest sin
Oh the state that she has got him in
But she, she's too
Caught up in moves to even notice you
Well she's singing, she's swinging her hips
He keeps saying and praying
That one day he will know her lips
"Hey, Joey, can you watch my stuff?" Gene asked to his fellow bandmate, who agreed in response. Along the way to the bathroom, Courtney grabbed Gene by his wrist and started to panic. "Gene, I can't find Alexis or Louise anywhere and I'm worried she hurt Louise!" she yelled. "I saw Logan just now in the lobby, come on!" Gene didn't even have time to respond as he was whisked away to the lobby.
She is dressed to kill
And he is to die for
She knows he would kill just to hold her on the dance floor
So do we dare to take this dance
Well I'm willing to take the chance
And tonight could be the night baby
Just take my hand, I swear we'll make it right
"Louise, I need to tell you something!" Logan called out as he made his way to her, reaching his hand out. Gene and Courtney weren't too far behind Logan, who had no idea they were behind him in the first place. "What is it?" Louise shouted, trying to fight her way out of Alexis's grip, but it was no use.
I swear we'll make it right
"Oh for shit's sake!" Alexis screamed, shoving people aside, a few falling on the floor and getting trampled by tacky shined shoes and high heels. "Alexis was the one who knifed me, not some hobo!" The redhead's ears perked up while the owner ripped off a girl's heavy necklace with very large and what seemed to be stone pearls, just barely missing Logan when she threw it. "Just leave me alone!" Alexis screamed. "Wait, Louise, I have one more thing I gotta tell you!"
I swear we'll make it
Logan blushed as Louise was looking into his eyes even from a few feet away. He followed the girl, who was being dragged away. Before he knew it he heard his own voice let out words he never thought he'd say to the girl he had wanted for so long.
"Louise, I'm in love with you!" he shouted over the chatter of the crowd, his face still red.
"You fucking idiot!" Louise laughed, causing Logan to feel his heart drop. Rejection? But why would she-
"You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that, Logan!" she gave a signature grin, her cheeks flaring up. Logan felt his heart skip a beat as he smiled back then felt his body being pulled back.
"Logan! Why are you here? Forget it, don't answer that; where the hell is my sister?" Gene screamed, showing signs that he was about to have a meltdown. "And that crazy lesbian bitch?"
"You idiot, I'm trying to get-" Logan stopped talking once he looked back in Louise's direction, but she was long gone. "Shit, she got away! See, Gene?! I was going to-"
"Stop fighting!" screamed Courtney, who grabbed both of the men by the arm and exited the building as soon as possible. "Fuck, her car is gone," Courtney cursed. "Well, where do you think she went?" Gene asked. Logan was about to speak up until his mind flashed back to weeks earlier.
"I know where she went. C'mon, get in the car," Logan said as he pulled out his phone, looking for directions. "If my sister is dead, I swear to god I will pummel you into the fucking ground!" Gene growled, causing Courtney to cover his mouth with her hand. "Shut up, let's go," she said in aggravation.
Ripping off Louise's blindfold, Alexis looked down at her girlfriend, who was tied to the chair, ankles tied to the legs. "Hello, Louise," the lesbian sneered while taking the rag out of Louise's mouth that had been used to silence the infuriated girl in the pink bunny hat. "Fuck you!" Louise screamed, spitting at Alexis. "Why are you so fucking crazy?" "Hang on, dear. I need to ask you something. Cute dress, by the way," Alexis walked to the wall covered in photographs of her various human playthings. She picked up a printed-on piece of paper and strolled back to Louise. "Are…are you going to-?" "No, I'm not that kind of psycho. Of course, you're of age so it wouldn't really be molestation, would it? Whatever, I'm not interested in your body. If I want to see naked girls I can just go take a walk to where all the teeny-boppers hang out. This one girl, oh my god, the shorts she had on weren't even shorts, they looked like denim underwear. And she was, like, 13. Fucking ridiculous. Anyway…"
"I think I might go for this look. What do you think?" Alexis asked, lifting the paper in front of Louise, her other hand on her hip. "Think I can pull it off, sugarlips?" On the paper was a photo of a red-haired woman with fangs and teal eyes. She was dressed in some sort of black and red outfit that included a corset of sorts. Adorning her arms were two long arm blades that attached at the wrist, one for each arm.
"You want to look like a slut? Well, good news! You already do!" Louise yelled. Alexis grunted before tossing the picture to the ground. "But you're my girlfriend, you have to say I'm pretty! Also, I see you've never played BloodRayne, then," she said under her breath. "We aren't dating anymore, Alexis!Blood what?" "Shut up, it doesn't even matter to me what your opinion is since in less than half an hour you're going to cease to exist," Alexis smiled. Louise's eyes widened, her forehead starting to sweat. "What?"
Alexis picked up a knife that had been on the dented and dirty coffee table in front of the couch. "You heard me. I've never done a kill before, though, so I'm excited," Alexis said before licking the knife's blade, nicking her tongue a bit. "How the fuck are you not in jail?" Louise cried, feeling her eyes well up with tears. I can't believe I fucking fell for this. I actually sort of really liked her before I found out she was insane. "Most of the abuse pictures on that wall is from before I was 18. All the girls did was put restraining orders on me. Too bad you didn't do that, it might have saved your life, sweetheart. Such a shame too, you're adorable. Now, I have a burning question, Louise."
The girl in the hat lowered her head and shut her eyes, feeling the tears roll down her cheeks. "Wh-what?" her voice croaked as she tried not to cry any harder. "Well, I wanna know," Alexis said as she walked up to the crying girl, "why you don't take off your hat." The redhead reached forward to take it off by the ears, but before she could, Louise backed her head away and bit Alexis's arm. "Oh, you little shit!" Alexis screamed before slapping Louise across the face. "Now sit still. I'm going to see what your little secret under that hat is," Alexis grinned devilishly, grabbing the ears of the hat.
But before Alexis could lift up the hat, her apartment door made several thud noises before it broke open; Gene and Logan had knocked it down by force while Courtney stood behind them. "What the fuck?! How the fuck did they know where we were?" Louise lifted her head, her eyes brightening as she screamed Logan's name.
"Does it really matter, Alexis? Why the fuck are you doing this to her?" Logan yelled. The younger woman screeched, tears in her eyes. She lifted up her knife, lunging at the blonde. Gene quickly got out of the way, falling onto the floor near the wall of photos. Logan dodged it just in time; the sleeve of his shirt, however, did not, and as a result was cut into.
Looking up at the wall, Gene felt his eyes go wide in terror. "Uh, Courtney, look at this…" Said girl hurried over to help her former crush up from the floor, but felt her stomach squirm looking at the photos of various beaten and tied up women.
Grabbing Alexis's wrist with the knife in it, Logan struggled as he pushed it away from him. The woman was incredibly strong and quite frankly it scared Logan. "Alexis, what the fuck is your problem with Louise? It's like every time," he knocked the knife, "I show up, you magnify the batshit insane level to 110%!"
Alexis backed up, weaponless. "You really want to know?" She looked at her knife on the floor and picked it up, pointing it at Logan. "It's your entire fucking fault, Logan Barry Bush! You are the reason I went batshit insane!" Alexis screamed, tears flowing down her face. Helping up Gene, Courtney watched, frozen where she stood. Logan looked at her confused, still backed up against the wall. "What the hell are you talking about? I don't even know you!"
"That's where you're wrong, Logan! Allie Alvarez, 5th grade. You were in 7th. I had just shown up at Wagstaff after transferring in from my old school because of my poor grades. I was on the playground, just minding my own fucking business, when you fucking showed up and took a shit on my life!"
Logan's eyes narrowed, peering at the half Hispanic half German. A young girl's face appeared in place of Alexis's as he thought back to his junior high days.
A blonde dribbled a basketball on the black pavement, his friends surrounding him for the game. Passing it to another boy, the blonde's eye caught on a little girl watching them play. He didn't recognize this kid. Ever since his mother had become more agitated and fed up with his father for reasons he didn't know, the boy had found he developed a mean streak to build up over his confusion and pain over his parents feuding. This meant the start of a long schoolyard bullying phase that would continue on until junior year of high school.
Stopping the game, the tall boy walked over to the little girl. She had black hair, brown eyes, and the face of an innocent harmless child who was just trying to ignore the past and make a new life for herself as she left her birth family behind. Her clothes were nothing fancy; obviously things bought from the Goodwill. "Hey, kid, stop staring at me. It's creepy. Go play dolls or something," the blonde sneered. The little girl looked at him sadly, not saying anything. "Why don't you talk, huh?" the boy asked, shoving the girl back lightly, making her fall backwards onto the ground. The blonde laughed and walked away.
It didn't stop there. The girl kept coming back every recess, just watching him. Around the third time she had shown up, he finally asked for her name. "Alejandra- I mean, Allie Alvarez," the girl said quietly. "Yeah? Well, that's a really crappy name. Mine's Logan. Logan Barry Bush," Logan spoke up. "Logan Barry Bush?" she asked softly. "They didn't think it through. Whatever, this isn't about my name, this is about you coming around and bugging me every day. Do you have a crush on me or something?"
Allie frowned, almost looking disgusted. "No. I want to be a mommy with another girl. That seems fun." Logan stared, not quite understanding that the little girl was basically saying she wanted to marry a girl. "Uh, alright…anyway, bug off, you freak me out. And you're pretty ugly, too," Logan laughed. Allie looked down sadly as Logan walked away.
The following months consisted mostly of Logan doing poorly in school while bullying Allie at the same time. On numerous occasions, the blonde had gone so far as to not just verbally harass her, but physically as well. Pushing her down the slide and sending her right into the dirt, stealing her things, making her trip on cement, pouring a bucket of toilet water from the boys' room onto her, and worse. She didn't stop him from doing any of these things, or try to fight back. He didn't understand.
The first day of 8th grade, Logan waited and waited during recess the next three days for Allie so he could bully her, but she was gone. And that was the last time he ever saw Allie Alvarez.
Or so he thought.
"Oh…oh my fucking god. Alejandra Alvarez?" Logan's eyes enlarged as the memories came flooding back to him. "I thought you moved away or some shit!"
Alexis become even more enraged, on the brink of harming someone without thinking. "No, you dumbass, I went to a different school because of you! Because you endlessly tortured me! You're asking me what my fucking problem is; the real question is what the fuck YOUR problem is! I had to change my name because otherwise my psychotic father might be looking for me and track me down and kill me, just like he killed my mom and my sister! I'm not even a fucking real redhead! And these eyes? Contacts." Alexis ripped a contact out of her eye: one eye blue, the other as brown as chocolate. "You don't know how friggin' lucky you are, Logan! I came back to this town just so I could start a new life for myself. I was trying to change myself; I had thought I didn't want to hurt other women anymore, but no. The moment I saw your smug little face at Louise's dad's burger joint, I knew I wasn't done yet. And once I learned you two had a connection, I just knew I had to ruin your life, just like you ruined mine, you shitstain! You of all people don't deserve love, even if that means committing murder! I won't mind much when I get to prison, since I'm sure it'll be a lot better than my life right now! You can come and visit me every day, Logan, and cuss me out because I killed the only girl that gave a shit about you. You can piss on my grave, but the joke's on you! I'll see you in hell! Maybe even sooner than you think, maybe I should just-" She lifted the knife to hover in front of her chest, and before the knife could make impact, she had been tackled to the ground by Courtney.
"Don't even fucking think about it, Alexis! That's not what your sister or mom would want! What makes you think they'd be proud of the way you're acting right now?" the purple haired woman screamed, grabbing the knife away and whipping it behind her. The tip of the blade became lodged into the wall next to Logan, wobbling a bit. "Will you people stop trying to kill me with this fucking knife?!" Logan said, ripping the knife out of the wall and running to Louise, who was trembling as this all unfolded. "I never said I thought that, you emo hipster wannabe!" Alexis yelled right back, pushing Courtney off and standing up with more tears in her eyes.
"I'm gonna get you outta here, Louise," the blonde said softly to her. Louise was so shaken that she went unconscious, going limp in the chair. Gene ran over after getting up and shook her by the shoulders. "Louise! Louise?!" "She'll be okay, Gene, relax!" Logan shouted as he quickly cut the ropes binding Louise to the chair. Alexis began to turn to walk over to the boys to stop them until she felt a pair of arms wrapped around her stomach and a quiet voice beginning to sing.
"Who says you're not perfect? Who says you're not worth it? Who says you're the only one that's hurting?" Courtney sang quietly, causing Alexis to flip through flashbacks of various points in her life, mostly including her sister and being bullied. She began to cry harder. Courtney gently hugged her from the front, cooing to her. Alexis looked down at Courtney, blushing and smiling, wiping away tears and hugging her back. "Courtney, you're the only one who hasn't given up on me...Why?" Alexis whispered. Courtney blushed and looked away, muttering, "Because I think I might be in l-"
Alexis went flying across the floor, going out like a light. Courtney turned and glared at Logan, who put his fist down, smiling sheepishly. "What the hell was that for?!" Courtney asked, running to the unconscious lesbian and propping her up a bit, holding her. "Well, I figured there was no way we could get out of here unless she died or passed out. And I'm not ready to go to jail, so I punched her," Logan explained, picking up Louise bridal style. "Anyway, We're gonna take Louise to our place until she wakes up again," he said. Hearing sirens, Gene's ears perked up then he grabbed Logan by the arm. "Dude, we gotta go! They're gonna think we beat them or some shit!" "Gotta run, bye!" Logan said, him and Gene sprinting out the door with Louise in their possession.
Somebody heard the screaming and called the cops… Courtney thought, looking down at Alexis. Although unconscious, Alexis looked somewhat pretty in a state like this. Not that she wasn't pretty to begin with, but… The other woman smiled, pushing some of the dyed hair on Alexis's head out of her face.
"Why do you wear those dumb glasses? They cover up your face. It's not like you're ugly or something."
"Courtney, just dye your hair back to blonde. You look ridiculous with this hair."
"Stop trying to being something you're not, holy shit."
Courtney frowned a bit, still looking at Alexis. Maybe she's right. She was right all along…
Leaning down, the younger woman kissed Alexis on the mouth before sitting back up and holding her, waiting for the police. Courtney took another look at the woman in her arms, speaking up as if she really was conscious once more.
"You're not going to be alone anymore, Alexis. I promise."
Louise stirred slightly. Why does my head hurt? And where…? She opened her eyes, only to see the ceiling of a familiar apartment. "What the fuck…?" Louise murmured, putting a hand on her head. Sitting up in the dark room, she looked around and was able to make out some bacitracin and various first aid supplies sitting on what she assumed was a coffee table. It was too dark to tell where she was or what her surroundings were. "L-Logan..?" Louise called out, scared that she somehow was in yet another apartment of a psycho.
The door to Logan's room opened, the blonde slipping out of said room and shutting the door. "Louise, you're awake?" Logan walked over and turned on the kitchen light. "What the hell happened?" Louise asked, looking at her left arm and seeing that the make-up had been wiped off. "D-Did you do this? Did you see-" "Relax. I understand. I know that she abused you. Tina showed up while you were at prom and told me about it," Logan said, sitting on the couch next to her. "Ugh, I knew I couldn't trust her," the girl sighed.
"Actually, I'm kind of glad she told me. I had been thinking for a while that maybe Alexis abused you but I wasn't really sure. And with Alexis finding out that I-" He stopped, blushing. Louise looked at him, confused, before blushing as well. Love me? She wanted to whisper, but felt it was a bad idea. Logan took a deep breath before continuing, his head faced forward but his eyes flickering back to the dolled up girl in the bunny hat. "That we were friends, she probably would have hurt you even more if I found out that she really was abusing you. I, um…the night you asked me out, Alexis was behind you, and I knew if I had said yes, that'd be the end of you and me. Literally. And I really don't want to think about dying before I had the chance to ask you." He placed his hand on Louise's, his palm pressed up against hers as he laced their fingers. "A-Ask me? Ask me what?" Louise looked at him, trying to keep a straight face and failing miserably, her cheeks bright red.
"Louise, will you go out with me?" Logan asked quietly, smiling a bit. He blushed when Louise's face seemed to brighten entirely, the biggest smile he had ever seen on her face. "I don't know, Logan. I don't associate with Canadians…" Louise joked. "Oh, please, I'm only, like, 47% Canadian." "Even worse!" Louise cackled, tackling Logan on the couch. The two laughed for a moment, on top of each other, until they went silent and Louise quickly got off of him. "S-Sor-"
In the middle of her apology, Logan had grabbed Louise by the shoulders and kissed her. Blushing, Louise began to kiss back. Moments later, the two had parted and were looking into each other's eyes. "So is that a yes? I like your hair, by the way," Logan smirked. The bunny hat on Louise's head was lifted by Logan. "Logan!" Louise snatched her hat back. "Louise, Gene and Scott are passed out on Gene's bed," Logan protested, gesturing to the open door of Gene's room. The musician's bed was, indeed, taken by his boyfriend and himself snuggling. "Oh, gross, get a room. A better one I mean," the dark brunette said as she saw them from the couch.
Logan rolled his eyes and shifted himself so he was lying on the couch. Of course, he brought Louise along with, placing her on top of him. Louise rested her head on the man's chest, shutting her eyes. The blonde looked at her hair, the braid covering most of the scarring. "Louise, I know you don't like what's back here, but even if you had moldy scabs on the back of your head, I'd still think you're gorgeous," he whispered while untying her hair and loosening it so her hair was down. "You know there's probably medication or creams for this stuff, right? I mean, I don't know, but probably." "I'm not putting random chemicals in-" Louise began to protest but stopped herself when she felt his hands toying with her hair. "Logan?"
"Hm?" Logan lifted an eyebrow, looking down at the girl he had wanted to hold for so long. Louise smiled, looking back then moving up and kissing him softly. "I love you, Logan," she said quietly. It feels weird to say that but somehow it feels right…
"I love you, too, Louise," Logan kissed the back of her head. "Now let's sleep, I'm exhausted from being a superhero and saving the damsel in distress," he laughed. Louise punched him in the arm before shutting her eyes once more and falling asleep.