Tahlia glared at Sparkle Wheeling along the school corridors with Shane, her backpack, which had the lesbian pride flag colours on it stood out against her, which made Thalia glare at her.
Tahlia walked up behind her, tapping her on the shoulder which startled her. Sparkle went into fight or flight response, choosing to stay still, she hated when people touched her without warning.
Shane growled, turning around, trying to protect sparkle at the same time.
"Tahlia!" Shane yelled. " sparkle doesn't like it when you suddenly touch her like that! You have to give her a warning that you're gonna do something like that!"
Tahlia, of course, did not care. She then opened Sparkle's bag, which had one of her comfort character plushes in it, that her adoptive mom Charlie gave her for situations like this. Tahlia examined it, before giving a disgusted smile and throwing it to the ground, Sparkle unable to give a response because she was frozen still.
Tears came to her eyes as she watched Tahlia stamp on her plush, and wanted to scream so bad, but her vocals didn't want to work right now.
Shane walked over, pushing Tahlia off Sparkle's plush, picking it up as all the stuffing insides fell out.
He grabbed all of the stuffing, glaring threateningly at Tahlia. "Now look what you've done! Sparkle's adopted mother gave her that to make her feel safe when she's not around, and YOU broke it!" Shane yelled.
Tahlia sneered. "Only because she doesn't deserve it!" She said, attempting to get close and hurt her.
Sparkle was still shaking, tears threatening to spill.
Tahlia got too close up in her face, which she didn't like. "YOU DIRTY FREAK!" She yelled, right in sparkle's ears, which made sparkle cry even more, but this time her cries weren't silent, she cries loudly, her ears really hurting.
Shane got in front of Tahlia, pushing her away as she fell over.
"You DON'T yell or get up close to her like that! Now you've caused her to have a sensory overload panic attack! You don't care about ANYONE, do you?! What happened to the Tahlia that would protect Sparkle when we were all little? Do you remember the day Charlie came to adopt sparkle? You told her that everything was going to be alright, you told her that even though her biological mother couldn't take care of her anymore, that she still loved her, what the hell happened to THAT Tahlia?!"
Tahlia stilled for a moment, eyes widening. She remembered that day.
FLASHBACK!
Tahlia, age 7, and Shane, age 7 also, had came to visit sparkle, her best friend, on the day of her adoption. She smiles eagerly for her, pulling her into a hug. "You're gonna get adopted Sparkle! Isn't that exciting?!" She asked.
Sparkle, age 5, didn't like the idea as much as she previously did. "No, cause then we won't get to play..." she whimpered. "What if my new Mommy doesn't let me play with you guys anymore?" She asked.
Tahlia giggled. "Course your new Mommy's gonna let us play with you! Miss Susie already told you!"
"We're still gonna be best friends, aren't we?" She asked softly.
Shane nodded repeatedly, almost like his head was gonna fall off. "You know it!" He squealed, joining the hug with Tahlia.
END OF FLASHBACK!
Tahlia was now standing up, gently coming over to Sparkle.
Shane stood in the way, so Tahlia couldn't get to her. "What are you trying Tahlia?" He asked.
Tahlia looked at Shane. "Just let me try something... "She said, her voice about to break.
Shane reluctantly moved out the way. "But if you—"
"I know.." Tahlia said tearfully. "If I hurt her more, you'll kill me, I know.." she continues in a broken voice.
Tahlia bent down to Sparkle's wheelchair height, very gently placing a paw on hers.
"Sparkle, if you can hear me right now, do you remember the song we used to sing together? It was the Zara Larsson one, we said it reminded us of each other, I just wanted to sing it for you, because I think you need it..." Tahlia said softly.
Sparkle didn't look at her, which made Tahlia's heart drop, but she took a small breath and sang it anyway.
"I will never forget you... You will always be by my side...
From the day that I met you...I knew that I would love you 'til the day I die...
I will never want much more, and in my heart I will always be sure...
I will never forget you... You will always be by my side...
'Till the day I die..."
Tahlia finished the song, tears of her own streaming down her face.
Why did she do this?
Tahlia and Sparkle still could've been friends, but nope, Tahlia let her popularity get in the way of what was the most important.
Tahlia Heard crying, and it broke her heart.
Sparkle was crying because of her.
Tahlia squeezed her paw reassuringly, as she saw one of her paws trying to cover her ears, from the horrible scare she gave her.
Sparkle cried loudly, overwhelmed.
Shane walked over, behind Sparkle. "Sparkle, We're gonna take you to your special calm down spot, okay?" Shane said softly.
Tahlia got up from her crouched position, standing next to sparkle, still holding her paw.
Together, all three of them walked to the library, sitting in a corner far away from everyone else.
Tahlia sat on the seat next to her, rubbing her back, shushing her. "It's okay Sparkle... it's okay, there's no more loud noises..." Tahlia soothed
"Yakko's broken!" Sparkle screamed.
Tahlia winced, Remembering how cruel she was breaking her comfort toy like that.
Tahlia hugged Sparkle, rubbing her back. "Shh, I know... I know Sparkle...We're gonna make him better..." She soothed.
Shane looks at Tahlia with daggers in his eyes, Tahlia gulped and nodded. "I-I-I mean, i'm gonna make him better.." Tahlia soothed.
Tahlia quickly left, taking the broken toy in her hands, guilt written all over her.
She quickly made it to Bonnie, who was startled to see her.
Tahl—?"
"Help, please!" Tahlia pleaded, Showing Bonnie the toy that she broke.
Bonnie gasped. "Tahlia! Did you break Sparkle's toy?!" Bonnie accused.
Tahlia nodded.
Bonnie looked at her disappointedly. "I wish I could fix it, Tahlia... But you destroyed it that much, that it's unfixable." Bonnie sighed.
Tahlia looked like she was about to cry, but she nodded and walked away. What was she gonna do now?
After school, Tahlia walked sparkle home, doing it because she needed to apologise to Sparkle's adopted mother, for upsetting her today, and breaking her comfort toy.
When they got to her house, Charlie was already waiting, surprised to see Tahlia.
"Tahlia? I haven't seen you in a long time! What brings you here?"
Tahlia smiled guiltily.
Charlie then noticed her adopted child was crying, she looked at Tahlia with her arms crossed. "Did you upset my daughter today? "She asked.
"Y-Yes, Charlie, I did..." Tahlia confesses, showing the broken toy too.
Charlie gasped, taking the broken toy from her. "Did you break my daughters toy?" Charlie asked her.
Tahlia nodded, literally about to cry. "I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry... I tried to have someone try and fix it but they told me it wasn't fixable... I'm so sorry..."
Charlie looked at Tahlia angrily. "How dare you, my daughter needs the toy to help her, it was very expensive, and I don't know where the hell I'm supposed to get another one, so unless you can magic one, I don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do!" Charlie shouted.
Tahlia looked down shamefully. "I'm sorry...I can try and buy her a new one. "She tried.
Charlie didn't care as she was too busy consoling her daughter.
2 months later.
Sparkle wheeled down the corridor at school with Shane, not really her happy self anymore. Ever since Tahlia had broken her toy, Sparkle wasn't herself.
Tahlia had also been kicked out of the popular kids once they heard about what she did.
Now Tahlia got picked on like she did to the other students, her self-esteem plummeting.
Oh the irony.
Sparkle and Shane avoided her like the plague which hurt her a lot. Tahlia couldn't blame them though, she would avoid them if they did exactly what she did to them. But, she had a gift for her, it was another Yakko plush, it was over $300, no wonder Charlie said it was so expensive, but Tahlia hoped it was enough, Tahlia may never get her friends back, but at least she would be able to apologise.
At lunchtime, Tahlia found them both chilling in the quiet room, both of them eating their lunch, with Sparkle watching Animaniacs and giggling.
Tahlia nervously cleared her throat getting their attention, Shane looked up, giving her a unamused look.
Sparkle looked up too, her happy expression turned to absolute terror at the sight of Tahlia.
The red furd chipmunk quickly spoke. "Sparkle, it's okay, I'm not here to hurt you! I promise! Actually, I have something for you..." she said, putting down her backpack to open it, revealing the character plush's head as she made him dance out of her backpack.
Sparkle smiled wide, watching Tahlia dance him over, as she made the plush kiss Sparkle's nose. "Yakko! You're better!" Sparkle exclaims, taking the plush out of Tahlia's hands, hugging him tight.
Tahlia smiled sweetly, wishing she had the heart to stay, but she didn't. So, she left quickly after, leaving one last note for her once childhood friend, to tell her that she was truly sorry.
It was now bedtime for Sparkle, she looked at the note again she found in her locker, she hadn't had time to read it earlier, but you would read it now.
She opened the note with care, her eyes widened at how long that it was, but she'll read it anyway.
Dear my best childhood friend:
Wow...Um... where do I start with this...?
Sorry just isn't enough of a word for me to say to you. I don't know what I can say to be honest, I have been such an asshole to you. I have no words, no words that can possibly describe the behaviour shown towards you, but what I do know is that it wasn't right.
After causing your sensory overload panic attack a couple months ago, I knew something had to change... I had to change... but, to be honest, I don't know how... I know, pathetic right? But I hope to..
I remember the day your mom adopted you, you were so nervous, fearing that me and Shane would no longer be able to play with you, and I promised you we would. But, as you know, I broke that promise to you...
I let popularity infester me and take over my soul. That's not an excuse for the way I treated you, or the other people I hurt, but that was part of the reason.
I remember when I first bullied you. Hearing you cry, pleading me to stop... saying the nickname you gave me, 'Tahlly' it still makes me laugh even all these years later. But hearing you scream my nickname you gave me at the time didn't make me care, but now, remembering it so clearly, so vividly, made me cry. I remember the bruises I left you with, the scar over your eye I scratched, and the hand marks I left, made me cry, and all the bullying after that.
The day you came out as lesbian to the whole school in our pride assembly, I laughed at you, calling you unforgivable homophobic names, makes me want to fucking vomit. How I allowed myself to call you those names I have honestly no idea... My stomach hurts just thinking about it. Instead of celebrating and excepting you for who you were, I bullied you, I ruined your confidence, I made you depressed, and even suicidal... God... Why the hell I drove you to thinking of committing suicide I'll never know... But, I'm glad you're alive... Honestly, I'm glad you're alive... I'm glad my words didn't drive you to that...
Wish I could say that to all the other people that have committed suicide because of me...
The day your biological mother passed away, and I said the horrible thing I did, was, and is unforgivable..
Saying that your mother 'should've died years ago' was downright disgusting. She didn't want to leave you, I know she didn't, and she already had enough guilt about putting you up for adoption when you were 2 1/2, so having to leave you permanently this time, must've been awful... I honestly can't imagine the pain she must've felt having to come to that decision must've killed her, and I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help you through it when I knew you needed me.
Everything that I did back then and now, was so wrong... So so wrong...
I hope, somewhere, in that big big big heart of yours, you can find it within yourself to forgive me... But, that would be too much to ask of you, especially with how I treated you... But I hope, deep down, in the deepest place of your heart you can.
But, I've rambled on enough... You probably didn't even get past the first sentence anyway, and if you did? Thank you, thank you for reading as far as you did.
Thank you, for everything.
Love, Tahlia Pintana.
PS, if you ever wanna talk to me, here's my number. Call me any time, I'm here for you! :D
Sparkle put the paper down, sobbing.
Tahlia wrote all that... For her... Wow...
She grabbed her phone, that was charging on her nightstand, going to the contacts and putting the number on the bottom of the note in it, and immediately calling her.
Surprisingly, Tahlia answered straight away, it didn't even ring once before she answered.
"Hello?"
...
"Tahlia..." her voice broke.
"Sparkle? What's wrong?" Tahlia whispered.
"I-I g-g-got your note..." her voice cracked a sob.
...
"Want me to come over...?" She whispered.
"This late?"
She heard Tahlia laugh. "Yeah, it's Saturday tomorrow anyway."
Sparkle laughed softly. "Yeah, please..." She whispered.
...
"I'll be right over."
"Okay.."
15 minutes later.
Tahlia knocked on the window, opening it quickly and climbing inside proceeding to close it again, to keep the cool air outside.
As soon as sparkle saw her, she broke down into sobbing again.
Tahlia came over to her quickly, gently moving her over a bit so she could Squidge next to her and comfort her.
"Tahlia!" Sparkle sobbed.
Tahlia hugged her gently. "Shhh, hey hey hey hey," she soothed, using her thumbs to wipe away the tears. "It's okay...
I'm never going to hurt you again, and that's a promise I can honestly keep..." She reassured her.
She rubbed her back, Shushing her. "No more tears, your beautiful face shouldn't be covered with them.." Tahlia murmured softly, lying her down, getting her settled.
Five minutes later, sparkle had fallen asleep.
Tahlia platonically kissed her forehead, she needed it.
"Goodnight Sparkle..." Tahlia whispered, wrapping her arms around her and falling asleep.
Looks like Tahlia had a friend after all...
A/N:
Wow... I haven't written an emotional fanfiction like this in a goddamn while, one that made me cry as much as this one I should add.
Tahlia is a character I wanted to explore for a while. I love her complexity, she's a downright asshole lmao!
I've wanted to do the 'childhood friends' trope/AU for so long now, you have absolutely no idea! I figured this would be the perfect time to do that!
But every character, whether they be a complete asshole or not, has a redeemable quality to them. Even the ones we do that don't deserve it.
The relationship between these two is something I've always wanted to explore, a type of relationship that you hold so dear to your heart, that can suddenly change in a finger snap. A type of friendship where you thought you could really trust them, For them to go and totally forget you exist.
But I hope you guys enjoyed!
Shane, Bonnie and Tahlia © Chi Chi Does Stuff!