AN: First things first: You'll notice that I assigned Ava's birthday in January 7th 2001, and seeing as this story is in pace with the present time this means that she's currently 18 years old. I'm also depicting her as a Capricorn because I believe it makes sense, especially for the way I'm building her character in this AU. All the other birthdays mentioned in this chapter are inspired by people from my own family.

Secondly: This chapter is a bit heavier than the previous ones because it approaches tough subjects such as homophobia and mental health issues.

The interactions both girls have with some members of their families will not all be pleasant so they might be a bit harder to read. Prepare for angst!

Regardless of all of this, I still hope you enjoy the chapter. It was written with lots of love and effort :)

Musicians I listened to a lot while writing this one: 'Sleeping at Last' and 'Anson Seabra'.

WARNINGS: Mentions of homophobia and depiction of mental health issues (slight meltdown).

CHAPTER 8

It's around eight in the evening when Laurel and Sara arrive at the small restaurant located on the more lively part of the city. As they walk further into the venue, the older sister immediately spots their mother on a table at the left corner. She turns to Sara and points to the older woman with her head, waiting for her sister to notice her too.

As soon as the blonde nods both girls make their way to the table. The woman gets up and greets Laurel with a quick hug and a warm smile on her face that's returned by her daughter. She goes to do the same with her youngest but Sara simply sits across from her, giving her a short nod of recognition before casting her eyes down to her clasped hands now resting on the table. Laurel's smile turns into an apologetic one as she sits to her mother's left.

"It's so good to see you girls," The older woman admits, looking between her daughters, "I'm very glad you agreed to meet me."

"Of course mom," Laurel replies with a nod, "It's good to see you too."

Her mother smiles at the brunette's words. Her eyes fall on Sara once again, waiting for some kind of answer even if small. When she gets none, an uncomfortable silence falls between the three of them.

It only gets interrupted once a waiter approaches their table to take their orders. As soon as he has it all written it down, he lets them by themselves again.

The older woman clears her throat, trying to get her daughters' attention, "So girls, how was the first week of College?"

Laurel looks at her with a small smile, "It went good, even though I'm already swamped with tons of classes and assignments." She finishes with a sigh.

"Well I'm sure you're doing just fine, more than fine actually," her mother states with a proud smile before placing her hand on top of Laurel's, "As you always do honey."

The brunette grins at the compliment, squeezing her mother's hand, "Thanks mom."

"What about you Sara?" The older woman asks, fully facing the younger girl.

"Did you seriously invite us here to ask about College?! You could have done that over the phone you know? Save yourself the trip." Sara spats, arms crossed against her chest.

"Absolutely Sara, you know I worry about both you and Laurel."

The blonde shakes her head, "I call bullshit."

"Sara..." Her sister warns and Sara sends her a glare.

"What Laurel?! Do you really think she wanted to meet us to ask about that?"

Her sister shrugs her shoulders, "Well, why not?"

Their mother lets out a breath, "Girls, please don't start," she asks with a shake of her head before entwining both her hands and place them on top of the table, "Your sister is right Laurel. That wasn't the sole reason I wanted to see you both."

Sara scoffs at that, "What else is new?"

Laurel ignores her sister's remark and turns to the older woman, "Okay. What was the real reason then?"

The woman takes a deep breath before replying, "Well, as you both know, Steve and I have been together for a while now-"

Her younger daughter wrinkles her nose at the man's name, but doesn't say anything.

"-And we think it's time to take the next step in our relationship."

Both sisters are left speechless, looking at each other at the same time with similar wide-eyes.

After a couple of seconds in silence Laurel decides to ask, "What does that mean exactly?"

Her mother smiles at the question before explaining, "It means that we are getting married."

Sara's eyebrows quickly raise, almost reaching her hairline, "You're kidding right? You've known him for like what? A year?!"

"Two years Sara. Steve and I have been together for two years now and we are ready to make it legitimately official."

The blonde looks at her mother as if the woman has suddenly turned into a different person, a person she no longer knows. Which if she thinks about it truly, isn't really far from the truth.

She turns to her sister, trying to find some kind of support on her face but when she sees her expression she has to keep herself from snickering. Because it's probably the exact same expression Sara has right now on her own face.

Eventually Laurel finds her voice again, turning to her mother, "What do you expect us to say mom?"

"I would expect my daughters to support me honey. To be there at the wedding, by my side." Their mother admits with a hopeful voice.

Sara scoffs once again, shaking her head. She leans in closer to her mother across the table, eyes with a challenging fire on them.

"Do you really expect me to show you any kind of support when you can't even do the same for me?! Are you out of your mind?"

"Sara! That is no way to talk to your mother!" The older woman scolds, still keeping her voice low as to not draw any attention to them.

Laurel intervenes, placing her left hand on her mother's shoulder, "Mom, Sara is right. She has every right to be mad at you."

The brunette is met with confused eyes, "What do you mean Laurel? I did nothing wrong."

Laurel's eyebrows dip in a deep frown, "Mom, you can't be serious." She says, turning her attention at Sara for a moment and when she sees how sad her little sister looks, she feels her own heart painfully clench and something deep inside tells her to act.

"As soon as Sara came out to you as bisexual you immediately dismissed it as a phase." The brunette angrily accuses.

Their mother immediately responds, "And I still think it is a phase Laurel! You know, many of my friends experimented being with girls in College and nowadays all of them are married to a man and have several children," she says with conviction before turning to Sara, "You just haven't found the right boy yet Sara."

At those ignorant words the blonde simply can't stand being quiet anymore and angrily shouts, "Are you fucking serious right now?!"

"Language young lady! That is not the way I raised you!"

Sara clenches her jaw and fists, trying to breathe through the flaming hot rage that's trying to take ahold of her. She takes a deep breath before getting up from her seat, opening her eyes to look straight at her mother while she speaks, "You don't get to tell me how to act, not anymore. Because as far as I am concerned you are everything but my mother!"

"Sara-"

"And for your information, you were not the one who got to raise me. Dad was the one who did it all on his own, and you can be damn sure he did a great job at it! He accepts me exactly as I am."

The older woman rolls her eyes at that, "Of course!" She says while shaking her head, "Why am I not surprised that your dad goes along with this nonsense of yours? No wonder you keep insisting that what happened with that Hannah girl was acceptable. She corrupted you Sara, can't you see that?"

"Mom, enough-"

"No Laurel, that's okay," Sara cuts off her sister before continuing herself, "You still don't get it do you?" She asks, tired eyes never leaving her mom's confused ones. Her mind loses focus for a moment as she remembers the still fresh memory, the way Hannah's lips felt against hers and the shy smile she gave Sara. The blonde shakes the image off before adding, "She did nothing wrong. I was the one who initiated it all. I was the one who invited her to your home that day and I was the one who kissed her."

She pauses, gathering the way her mother's eyes shift from confusion to anger in a matter of seconds with every word coming out of Sara's mouth. The young girl smiles sadly at it, pondering on her next words, whether she should keep them to herself. She ends up saying them despite the consequences, "And if you hadn't showed up so soon, I would have gone all the way with her without a single ounce of regret."

"That's enough Sara!" The older woman yells as she gets up from her seat, "You're behaving like a brat! Saying all these things just to make me mad! Why do you always feel the need to defy me?! What do you expect to accomplish by being like this?"

"Mom, stop! I thought it would be a good idea for us to meet you as a way for you to apologize to Sara," Laurel finally speaks up as she is standing up, "I see now that I was sadly wrong. If you are not able to accept one of your daughters exactly as she is, then don't expect us to accept your relationship with Steve."

"Laurel, sweetie, you can't be serious," the older woman answers with disbelief in her tone, reaching out a hand to her daughter's arm.

Laurel shakes her mother's hand off of her before turning to face her with a glare, "You better believe it." She says with a firm voice.

After that she grabs her bag and turns to Sara, offering her left hand for the girl to take, "Come on Sara, let's get out of here."

Her sister nods and accepts the offered hand, letting herself get dragged outside the restaurant. As soon as they reach the car, Laurel shifts in the driver's seat to look at her. The blonde's body is sagged against the passenger's seat with her hands resting on her lap and her head bowed down, looking completely defeated.

Laurel reaches a hand out and places it on top of her sister's, "Sara, can you look at me please?"

It takes the younger girl a few seconds to do so but when she does she is met with concerned emerald eyes looking back at her glacier blues.

"I'm so sorry you had to hear all of that," her sister says with the most genuine regret in her voice, "If I knew mom was going to say such awful things I would never had pushed you to join us tonight."

Sara shrugs her shoulders, a frown still in place, "You had no way of knowing Laurel. Your intentions were good, that's all that matters."

"God Sara, I should have known better." Laurel sighs, shaking her head as she slumps into her seat.

"Seriously Laur, don't beat yourself over it." The blonde assures as she squeezes her sister's hand softly.

The older girl nods and squeezes Sara's hand back before letting go to place both her hands on the steering wheel.

"Alright buckle up little sis. I'm gonna take you to have some waffles and pancakes!" She says as she turns her head to look at her sister again, offering the blonde her trademark sweet smile, "Entirely on me!"

Her heart warms when Sara returns her smile with a smaller one. It is not the usual bright smile she loves to see on her sister's face, but it is close enough.

Meanwhile at the Sharpes' Household

Ava is sitting down on the floor in front of her brother in the young boy's room. Between them is a booklet with Pokémon cards all placed in a perfect order and next to it is a new packet still waiting to be open.

"When did you get this Caleb?"

He looks to where Ava is pointing for a second and quickly returns his attention to the booklet, turning some pages until he finds the one he was looking for.

"Mom got them for me today," he explains after chancing a glance at his sister's curious eyes. He holds her gaze for a couple of seconds before looking down again, "I wanted to open it right away but mom said it would be fun opening it with you and I agreed with her."

"Aww, buddy! That's really nice of you." Ava tells him with a bright smile on her face and her heart swells when she sees the timid smile on her brother's lips.

"Well I'm here now and I can't wait to see which cards you got!" She says excitedly while she moves to sit right next to him.

"Cool! Okay so I'm missing Arcanine, Alakazam, Ponyta..." Caleb starts to quickly enumerate, furrowing his eyebrows while he goes through the list in his head.

Ava finds it incredibly adorable, unable to keep a fond expression out of her face. She doesn't realize she got lost in her thoughts until she hears her brother's voice calling her name.

"Ava! Hey Ava! Did you listen to everything I said?" He asks while waving his small hand in front of the blonde's face.

"Sorry buddy, I spaced out." She admits, a slight frown placing itself on her face.

The boy shrugs his shoulders, "That's okay! I space out too, a lot. Doctor Jane and I have been working on it."

Ava reaches her hand out and cards her fingers through her brother's beautiful auburn curls, patting him gently on his head. He looks up at her and gives her a small smile, relaxing under her touch. Ever since he was a toddler the only way he could properly relax after a break down was by being snuggled up against Ava's side while she would caress his hair and hum a soft lullaby.

The both of them would eventually fall asleep side by side in each other's arms, leaving their parents in awe at their daughter's natural ability to take care of her little brother. As if it came from deep down, like an instinct she might have been born with. It clearly had to be that, their parents were sure of it. They also took it as an opportunity to snap some pictures of their kids being so cute together, seeing as neither Ava nor Caleb were big fans of having their photo being taken.

"Doctor Jane has been helping you a lot lately hasn't she?"

Caleb gave a short nod, "Yeah! She is really cool! Sometimes she lets me draw while we talk and she has a ton of colored pencils and crayons and sharpies also!"

"I'm glad you like her buddy. She does sound very cool," the blonde says before letting her hand fall to her side, "Now, are we opening this new packet of cards or not?"

Caleb nods and picks it up, tearing it open to drop the cards onto the floor. He spreads them all, focusing all of his attention on the Pokémon's figures there depicted.

His excitement falters when he realizes that he already has all of the cards, "This sucks!" He whines, crossing his arms against his chest, "I already have all of these!"

Ava's face falls but she tries not to show it, instead pulling up a hopeful smile on her lips, "Hey, it's okay Caleb! Maybe you can trade them with some of your friends?"

The boy shakes his head violently, "No Ava, you don't get it!" He exclaims angrily as his voice raises a bit, "I need to finish this collection today!"

"And why is that Caleb?" Ava asks while making sure she keeps her voice still and gentle.

Her brother stays in silence. As he brings his knees to his chest and wraps his arms around them, he starts to rock back and forth. Ava's heart clenches painfully at seeing her little brother like that, because she knows he is suffering and she hates it. However, even if it still hurts her to witness such behaviour, it's actually nothing new for her so she knows exactly how to deal with it.

She picks up the discarded cards and the booklet and places them all on top of the room's desk. Afterwards she makes her way over to her brother again, sitting right in front of him.

"Caleb?" She calls with a firm voice to get his attention, "Do you think you could look at me, please?" She waits in silence, giving her brother some time. When notices that the boy's body tenses even more and that he won't lift up his head to look at her any time soon, she changes her approach, "That's okay Caleb, you don't have to. Just answer me this, when were you born?"

"October 1st of 2009." He promptly replies with a shaky and muffled voice.

Ava nods, "Good. What does that make you?"

"A Libra." He stutters slightly.

"What about me?"

"January 7th of 2001. You're a Capricorn." The boy continues, slowing his body movements.

Her sister smiles at that, "Very well buddy. What about mom and dad?"

"Mom's a Sagittarius, born on December 8th of 1962," Caleb replies with an even voice this time, "And dad's an Aries, born on April 1st of 1960."

"That's right." Ava praises with the hope that that was enough to help her brother. She is proven right when the boy eventually stops moving after a couple of minutes and finally lifts up his head to look at her. His green eyes are watery, the recent storm still clearly evident in them and his face is red and puffy. Ava can tell that he is feeling ashamed just like he does every time he comes close to a meltdown.

"I'm sorry..." he mutters before burying his head on top of his knees and it feels like a dark hand with sharp claws is gripping Ava's heart to the point of excruciating pain.

She takes a deep breath bracing herself for what comes next, "Caleb? Do you think you could look at me this time, buddy?"

Her brother slowly lifts his head up again but quickly averts Ava's gaze by turning his head to the side.

"It's okay, you don't have to apologize," she assures him in a gentle voice, "But I would like to know why do you feel like you have to finish your collection today?" She asks carefully, observant to any kind of signal that might indicate that her brother is getting upset again. When she finds none she slowly releases the breath she had been holding.

"Do you think you can tell me?" She presses, trying to understand her brother better so she can help him get through whatever it is that he is feeling.

After a few beats of silence the little boy finally nods his head and speaks up, "I just..." He cuts himself off and Ava notices how much strength he is putting on his clenched fists. She fights the urge to reach out and take his hands in hers, not wanting to further upset him.

Instead she decides to change places so she can sit next to him, pressing her shoulder against Caleb's, "It's okay, just take your time," she chimes with a gentle smile but it quickly falters when she is faced with her brother's frown.

"It had to be today because I wanted to show you the whole collection as soon as it was completed."

Ava's shoulders sag at hearing the little boy's words, "I understand... But you know I won't get mad if you finish your collection and I'm not here to see it. Besides you can always show me next time you see me!" She suggests, trying to cheer him up.

Caleb shrugs his shoulders at his sister's suggestion, "It's not the same... It will never be the same."

"Well what about facetiming? I know I wouldn't be here next to you physically but at least I would get to see it." She tries once again and a small smile tugs at the corners of her lips when she notices Caleb's fists are no longer clenched and his hands are now instead simply resting on top of his knees.

"Yeah... I guess that could work."

"And that way I can see your little face and you can see mine!" Ava tells him accompanied with a bigger smile.

The boy looks at her with furrowed eyebrows, "Why would you want to see my face?"

"Because I love your adorable cheeks and cute little nose."

"You sound like mom right now..."

Ava scrunches up her nose as she asks, "I'm cooler than her though, right?"

Caleb gives her a tiny smirk, "Definitely!" He says followed by a single nod.

The blonde chuckles lightly and gently threads her fingers through his soft hair, moving it away so she can look into his bright green eyes, "You know Caleb... This is hard on me as well. It sucks not being able to see you every single day." The blonde admits in a small and sincere voice that has her brother looking at her with surprise.

"It does?" He asks still unsure of it and Ava resents the fragility she sees in his eyes, "Of course! I miss you so much buddy, even more than I miss mom and dad." She desperately tries to reassure him and relaxes a little bit when she sees his eyes sparkle, "You know you're my favourite Caleb, you've always been. Just don't tell mom and dad, they would be devastated." She says followed by a wink and a smirk, earning a small smile from her brother.

Their little moment gets interrupted when they notice someone suddenly standing by the door facing them.

"Hey there kids, what are you up to?" Their mother asks offering them a warm smile.

"Just chatting mom." Her eldest tells her returning the smile, "Caleb and I think that we should start facetiming each other while I'm at College."

"That's an excellent idea, I completely agree!" The older woman says, a bigger smile making its way to her face, "Now could you set the table for me, Ava? Your dad must be arriving from the clinic any minute now."

Ava readily gets up and takes the chance to stretch her arms and legs, "Sure thing mom!" She replies before making her way out of the room and downstairs, leaving her mother and brother behind.

Her mother thanks her and turns to her son, taking a few steps closer to him, "I thought I heard some noise coming from upstairs. Is everything okay sweetie?"

Caleb quickly lifts his head up and nods at the woman's question before asking, "Can I watch some cartoons before dad shows up?"

His mother purses her lips for a couple of seconds before her face breaks into a gentle smile, "Alright honey!" She says as she tilts her head to the hallway and turns on her heels to leave the bedroom along with her pleased son.

As they reach downstairs the boy walks into the living room and plops down on the spacious couch, grabbing the remote control to turn on the TV.

His mother on the other hand goes into the kitchen and offers a smile to her daughter as the girl finishes setting up the table, "Thanks for helping sweetie."

Ava shrugs her shoulders and smiles back at her, "No problem mom..." she says before taking a peek outside the kitchen to check if her brother is still on the couch. When she confirms that he is still paying close attention to the cartoons she lowers her voice while turning to face her mother again, "So Caleb told me about how his new doctor has been helping him out."

"Ah yes, Doctor Jane. She has been a blessing and a true support to him."

The blonde nods at that, "That's good to know mom but... Do you feel like he has been making any progresses?"

Her mother sighs at the question, leaning her back against the kitchen counter, "Ava, sweetheart, you know how it goes with Asperger's. It's a very slow and difficult process, but your dad and I are here for him. You don't have to worry about that anymore, all you have to do now is focus on College."

Ava frowns at the older woman's words, "Just because I'm away doesn't mean I stopped being his sister and care about him. I still want to know how he is doing-"

"Ava, please, that was not what I meant," her mother explains with a deep sigh, "Is this about what happened upstairs?" She asks and at her daughter's puzzled look the woman actually has to stop herself from rolling her eyes, "Honey come on I'm your mother. Do you really think I didn't notice how your brother looked upset? Besides I heard him slightly shouting at you."

Now it's Ava's time to sigh while she looks down at the floor, "He almost had a full meltdown because he didn't get the Pokémon cards that he needs to finish the collection and when I asked him why did he have to complete it tonight he told me it was because he wanted to show me the collection as soon as it was completed. So basically, I'm to blame for the state he was in."

Her mother's heart hurts at such words coming from her daughter's mouth and she instantly moves forward to hold her in her arms, "Oh sweetie... It is not your fault, you must know that. You can't blame yourself for moving on with your life Ava. You are working on your future and building your independence, which are both things you are totally allowed to do."

Ava returns the hug, sighing into her mother's comforting embrace, "I know mom... And I'm trying very hard to tell myself that. But I can't help the guilt that settles deep in me whenever I see how Caleb is missing me."

The older woman leans back to cup her daughter's face between her warm hands, "Honey, please remember this. Your dad and I are the ones responsible for him, not you. And I know, I realise now more than ever, that this dire need you have of taking care of Caleb is partially our fault because we've always relied too much on you to look out for him when we should have instead let you live your life freely without such a heavy burden on your shoulders."

Ava doesn't say anything in return, opting to let her mother's words sink in. After a couple of minutes she nods and mutters in the woman's ear as she hugs her one final time, "Thanks mom, I think I really needed to hear that."

They separate when they hear the front door open and close, indicating that the blonde's father is home. Both of them hear the man greet his younger son before he appears at the kitchen's entrance, "Ah! There's my beautiful daughter!" He greets with a huge smile as he walks closer to give her a side hug while planting a quick kiss on top of her head.

"Hey dad! How was your day?" Ava asks him with genuine interest at which he lets out a deep breath, "Stressful! I was swamped with patients as usual. You'll get to see what I mean when you start your first internship at the clinic." The man lets her know as she steps closer to his wife to greet her with a small peck on the lips.

"Dad I just started my first week of College..." she replies with a roll of her eyes that's betrayed by the smirk on her lips.

"I know, I know. As always, I am thinking ahead of time so let's leave this particular conversation for later," he says before turning to his wife again, "It smells really good honey. I'm just going to go upstairs quickly to change into something more comfortable so we can have dinner."

Ten minutes after and the four of them are sitting at the table each digging into their plates.

Ava hums softly at the first bite of her mother's food, breaking the silence that had settled between them all, "Mom this is amazing! I've missed your food so much." The girl says digging in more.

Her mother chuckles lightly at her daughter's confession, "I'm glad you're enjoying it, but is the food at the cafeteria that bad?" She asks with a hint of worry in her voice.

The blonde quickly shakes her head, "Not at all, but you know that when it comes to cooking no one comes close to you."

Her father laughs at that, "Your daughter makes a good point Cindy," he says, making his wife laugh along.

After a few more minutes in silence the man speaks again, "So, tell us honey, how was you first week of College?"

Ava swallows the bite of food she had taken before answering, "It was good, nothing too eventful," she tells them, remembering the events in her head before adding, "I met some friends of Sara, my roommate."

"Really? That's great sweetie!" Her mother reacts with a surprised smile, "You're getting along well with her I see."

The blonde nods her head at that, "Definitely! She is really nice and caring. And her friends Zari and Amaya are very nice people too, they even invited me to their house one night."

Her father looks at her curiously, "Oh, they don't live at the dorm?"

"Nope. They live together in an apartment close to campus. They decided that they would rent a place only to themselves once College started so they could be at ease as a couple." Ava explains and it's only when she sees the frown the man has on his face that she realizes what she has just told him.

"They are a couple you say? As in a gay couple?"

She swallows the lump that quickly settled in her throat, feeling her anxiety starting to take a hold of her. She stays in silence and averts her eyes from her father's gaze before replying, "Yeah... I mean, I don't know if they're both lesbians but they are together so..."

The man hums and silence falls once again between them, and Ava resorts to pushing her food around the plate due to her appetite being suddenly gone. She curses herself for having told such sensible information to her family, she should have known better by now.

Her mother's voice, however, has a slight soothing effect on her anxiety, "I'm sure they are lovely people Ava, I'm glad you are already meeting new people and possibly making friends."

Ava lifts up her head to look at the older woman, giving her a thankful smile, "Yeah mom, me too."

"Rachel has two moms instead of a mom and dad," Caleb, who had been quiet until then, states nonchalantly.

Ava's head whips in her brother's direction, "Rachel?! Your new friend Rachel?"

The boy looks at his sister weirdly, "Yes... Rachel from my class who is now my friend Rachel."

"I didn't know that, Caleb," their mother chimes in with a surprised look on her face, "So far I've only met Jules and she was very nice. I guess that means I've yet to meet her partner."

"Poor kid." Louis Sharpe chimes in shaking is head before taking a bite of his meal. When it seemed like the conversation was improving it quickly turned into a bitter one once again.

"What do you mean darling?" Cindy asks her husband and he is met with a frown as he turns his head at her, "Well you told me she jumped from one place to another until she ended up at our son's school right? My guess is that it was probably due to being bullied for having two moms. I don't get how a pair of full grown adults would subject a kid to such suffering."

Ava, who had been trying to keep herself together, suddenly feels a rage bubbling inside of her and can't help how sharp her words directed at her father come out, "Are you saying that it's her moms' fault?! The only ones guilty are the shitty kids who mocked her for simply having two parents who happen to be both a woman!"

"Ava, watch your language please." The older man warns, not even bothering to answer his daughter's question.

The blonde scoffs turning to her mother who is now sporting an apologetic expression, "Mom, can I be excused?" She asks and the older woman nods, an apologetic look on her face, "Yes honey, but please place your plate and silverware on the sink before you go."

Ava does as she is told and in less than two minutes she is out of the kitchen table and making her way upstairs. As soon as she enters her bedroom she closes the door behind her, clenching her jaw to prevent her from screaming in anger. She doesn't fully understand why her father's homophobic words affected her so much - maybe it's because she really enjoyed her time with Zari and Amaya and because they were so nice to her - but the truth is her heart is currently in pain and there's a burn in her chest she can't quite place. She was starting to let herself sank in the feeling of her crippling anxiety when she hears her phone ping, signalling a new text message. She walks over to her desk and picks it up, the burning in her chest less intense when she sees the name displayed on the screen. With a small smile she unlocks the device and opens the chat.

Sara: Hey Ava, what's up?

Ava: Hi Sara, just finished dinner. You?

Sara: Just lazing around in bed :)

Ava: Okay :)

Ava waits for a reply for a few seconds. When she gets none, she sits at her desk chair and places the phone next to her. Waiting for her laptop to turn on, she gets up and takes her camera from the bag she packed at the dorm and places it on top of the desk. Once the laptop is turned on she connects the camera to it and opens the most recent folder, the one who contains some photos she took during the car ride to College as well as the photos she took with Sara the first night they met. She starts going through the pictures, smiling at the shorter blonde's funny faces in some of them. Her anxiety starts to disappear slowly as it is replaced by a pleasant warmth inside her chest.

A couple minutes more and her phone pings again.

Sara: Is this a bad time for you?

Ava: Not at all... Do you need to talk?

Sara: ... I don't know, I don't wanna bother you.

Ava: Sara it's okay, really. I don't mind at all.

Sara: Okay... Can I call you then?

Ava: Of course :)

Sara does it after a couple of beats and Ava quickly picks it up.

"Hello, again." The taller blonde greets, earning her a light chuckle from Sara.

"Hey Aves..." her friend greets back before an awkward silence settles between them. Ava decides to give Sara some time and after a pause she eventually continues, "So how was returning home?"

"It was... Okay I guess." Ava provides with a shrug of her shoulders, "I get to hang out with my brother and eat my mom's wonderful cooking so that's good."

"I sense a 'but' coming up..."

The taller blonde sighs at Sara's comment, "Yeah, it's just... Dinner was going really well, I was telling them about you, Zari and Amaya, and they were happy to know that I'm making friends. But as soon as I told them that Zari and Amaya are a couple my father's whole demeanour changed; and not for the better."

"Shit... I'm sorry about that."

"And it actually got worse."

"How come?"

"Well my brother recently made a new friend and apparently the girl has two moms and my dad's immediate reaction was taking pity on the kid and blaming her moms for being bullied at school."

"What the hell?! How can he say that? It's the others kids fault for being mean, not the moms'!"

"That's exactly what I told my dad! But he completely ignored me and instead chose to focus on the fact that I let out a curse word at the table." Ava tells Sara while rolling her eyes.

She hears the other blonde scoff at the end of the line, "Geez Ava, I know he's your dad but he has got some nerve..."

"I know... I couldn't listen to it anymore so I simply asked to be excused from the table and left."

"Yeah I would have done the same thing, except the 'asking to be excused' bit. I would have just gotten up and walked away."

Ava smirks at imagining the scene, "Yeah I can totally see that happening. I wish I had the guts to do it sometimes."

"Maybe you do have it in you, you just haven't tried it yet."

"Hm... Maybe."

They stay in silence after that, to the point of Ava briefly wondering if Sara had hung up the phone on her. Her doubts are put to a rest when the blonde speaks again.

"So remember how I told you I was having dinner with my mom tonight?"

"I do. How did that go?" Ava asks and when she hears her friend sigh at the question she wishes she could be by her side.

"It was a shit-show. Turns out she's gonna marry her boyfriend and she just wanted Laurel and I to know and to be present at the wedding. I, obviously, immediately said no."

"Damn Sara, that sucks... I don't even know what to say."

"That's okay Aves, you don't have to say anything."

"I imagine she didn't take it very well when you said 'no'?"

Sara lets out a bitter chuckle, "That would be correct. And she didn't even have the decency of apologizing to me. She still insists that I did what I did to provoke her."

"Geez, what did you? Robbed a bank or something?" Ava asks in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"She caught me making out with another girl when I went to spend last summer at her house."

The tall blonde's eyes go wide at the revelation, "Oh. I didn't- are you gay?"

She blushes at hearing her roommate's light laughter on the other side of the line, "I'm bisexual actually, so I go both ways. But I do have a preference for girls."

Ava's blush just gets deeper at Sara's honesty, "I see..." she replies, cursing inside at how raspy her voice became in those last few minutes.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Ava repeats confused and gets a small chuckle in return.

"What do you like Aves? Or better yet, who do you like?" Sara asks tentatively.

The taller blonde thinks about the question for a while. If she is being completely honest, she was never really fond of anyone to the point of wanting to date them and do other things. But she always assumed she was straight, after all, that is the rule. And if there is one thing she is good at is following the rules.

"I like... Boys, I guess?" She half-answers half-questions.

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Sara's voice has an amused tilt to it and Ava feels herself get nervous. She groans before answering again.

"I just never really liked anyone before. I know how to appreciate beauty in others and sometimes I'm attracted to certain people, but never enough to want something more..." She admits followed by a small sigh as she runs her free hand through her blonde hair, "Does that make sense?"

"I guess so. I mean, you're still young. You have time to figure it all out Aves. Don't feel bad for not being sure. Most people don't realize it but sexuality is actually a pretty complicated thing. It's not all black and white as many people like to believe and preach that it is."

Ava stays in silence for a while, absorbing and reflecting on Sara's words.

"Thanks Sara. That's... That's actually very wise."

"And also helpful, I hope?"

"Yes, that too. Thanks," a smile tugs at the corners of Ava's lips before a question pops in her head. She ponders on whether she should ask it or not, but her curiosity gets the best of her.

"Hey Sara?"

"Yes?"

"When did... When did you find out you liked girls too?"

Sara lets out a breath of air before replying, "I think deep down I always knew it... I just didn't know what it was, exactly. It wasn't until my third year of high school that I fully realized what those feelings were."

"I see. So then you told your family about it?"

"I told Laurel and dad, but I didn't tell my mom. She only found out because she literally caught me in the act and you already know how that story goes."

Ava grimaces, imagining what it would feel like to be caught by her parents while she was with someone. The thought alone leaves her stomach churning and sends an unpleasant shiver down her spine. She shakes the feeling away and continues, "What do your dad and sister think about it?"

"Oh they're cool with it, as long as I respect the same house rules as Laurel. Which means 'the door to your bedroom stays open at all times'!" She says with a deep mocking voice - probably imitating her father - Ava figures as she laughs at her.

"I'm glad you at least have their support."

"Me too Aves. And thanks for listening to me rambling about my problems."

Ava shrugs her shoulders and smiles, "It's no problem Sara, you can always count on me. Besides, you listened to me too so I guess we're even."

Sara laughs at that, "I guess we are," she says followed by a yawn, "Sorry... I think the stress from tonight is taking its toll on me. I think it's best if I just go to bed, if you don't mind?"

"Of course not! Go, sleep. I'll probably do the same in a while, I was just looking through the photos we took together. Remember those?"

"How could I forget? We looked so good! I'm still waiting for you to give me a printed one."

"Yes, yes! I'll get right to it this weekend but first I want to work on them with Lightroom."

"I have no idea what that is but if it makes me look prettier then go right ahead!"

"Pfft! As if you needed a photo editor to look good."

"Ava Sharpe, was that a compliment to my person?"

Ava smirks as she imagines Sara's smug smile and challenging bright eyes, "Maybe."

"I'm gonna take that as a yes. You know you're not so bad yourself." Sara tells her and she immediately feels her cheeks burn at the flirtatious tone in the blonde's voice. She lets out a nervous snort before firing back, "Shut up."

"I'm just telling it how it is Aves. But enough chatting, I really need to sleep."

"Okay Sara, have a good night."

"You too Aves."

As soon as Sara hangs up, Ava lets out a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding. Her eyes move from her phone to the laptop screen in front of her. There's an opened photo of the both of them where Sara has her arm wrapped with Ava's and the latter can't help but smile fondly at the bright and easy smile her friend is sporting. Her gaze roams around the shorter blonde's face, and she catches herself trying to taking it all in. The millions of tiny freckles that cover her entire skin, the way her beautiful blue eyes look so much like the arctic ocean that Ava doesn't even care if she would freeze by taking a dive in them. Or the way Sara's plump lips look so rosy and inviting, how soft they must feel to the touch. She suddenly has an urge to reach out her hand and places her fingers on top of the laptop screen, right where her friend's mouth is. She traces the girl's lips shape with her thumb, wondering what it would be like to touch the real ones. Her heart starts to beat faster and something new and pleasant settles inside her stomach.

Ava's mind wanders off to what happened earlier in the day, when she was still at the dorm with Sara. How she was comforting her friend and then next thing she knows they were mere inches away and she couldn't help but drop her gaze to the smaller blonde's lips. What would have happened if they hadn't been interrupted by Sara's phone? Would they have kissed? And if so, what would that mean?

Ava shakes the thoughts away as she feels a headache coming her way. She runs both hands through her hair before rubbing her face to muffle the sigh that escapes her mouth.

She decides to turn off her laptop and call it a night. As soon as she is changed into her pyjamas she gets under the covers, turning off the small lamp on her bedside table and after five minutes she eventually starts to fall asleep.

AN: And this is it. I hope you enjoyed it. If you need to talk or have something to point out feel free to leave a comment or reach me at my socials:

Twitter: AlexaCondesso
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