Sherry Smith was an odd girl. While intelligent, she was shy, often keeping to herself and having only a few close friends. One of these close friends was Sabrina Spellman. Befriending Sabrina was Sherry's first mistake.
Sabrina Spellman was an extroverted child, with her short, blonde hair and her sunny disposition, she was often the subject of conversation and the image of the perfect child. That was, until you actually got to know her.
You see, Sabrina Spellman was quite the opinionated, young girl in a period in time where both children and women were preferred to be gazed upon and used as trophies, but not heard. In her reflections, Sherry supposed that much of Sabrina's stubbornness, fearlessness and, perhaps, naïvety had leaked into Sherry's very pores, invaded her thoughts and integrated itself into her own personality.
This, she supposed, was how she found herself in the middle of the woods at ten o'clock at night.
"It's fucking freezing," said Sherry, annoyed and cold as tiny rocks grinned into the pavement beneath the high-heeled shoes she had borrowed from Sabrina.
"Oh, stop whining," retorted Sabrina, "It's like sixty degrees."
"It's like sixty degrees," mimed Sherry, mockingly, "No it fucking isn't!" she continued, "And anyway, you can't talk, you're wearing a bloody coat! Some of us don't have that luxury!"
"You don't have to come back to my place. You could always go home for your coat."
She hated when Sabrina did that. Mocked her. One would've though that, with Sabrina having two quite obviously English guardians, that she wouldn't be so- so- so rude.
"You know why I can't go home. Anyways, we're almost half way there, there's no point in going to my house now, even if I could. You were the one who kept me out two hours past my curfew, don't act like you didn't."
Ah yes, the crux of the matter. You see, Sherry's parents were highly religious. Her father was a priest, her mother a housewife (because god forbid a woman ever have a job that could allow her to usurp a man). The perfect Catholic, nuclear family.
Gross.
Of course, with the religion, her parents had this system of "punishing" what they called microsinning. Microsinning was, in short, anything that went against their wishes. In this case, that was staying out past curfew. The punishment? Not getting to come in until the next evening after school.
Other microsins include:
•Dress above knee length.
•Dating anyone (this one never seemed to apply to her six older brothers, though nothing negative ever did).
•Consuming any media that "went against the word of God". This included Disney movies as, obviously, kissing before marriage was the worst sin imaginable.
•Wearing any makeup. Including lipgloss and face moisturiser.
•Getting yourself vaccinated, as, of course, this interferes with "God's plan".
These, among others, each had their own special punishment. Ranging from spanking (she was sixteen for fucks sake) to, as can be seen, being locked out of the house overnight.
"I didn't force you to do anything. You came along willingly."
"What can I say? The sweet taste of rebellion was just too tempting to refuse," she continued, "Oh my gosh. I would never say that. That's a you sentence. You're a terrible influence on me. First the clothes, now you invade my speech? Despicable!"
The "clothes" being the bubble-gum pink skirt and tank top set that she had "borrowed" from Sabrina for the occasion. The occasion being the party Sabrina had just dragged her to. The party being the gathering with college boys, alcohol and marijuana.
"I'm not invading your-" Sabrina stopped abruptly, looking ahead.
Bright yellow lights blinked at them, blinding. White light danced in her vision for a moment as her hand came up to shield her face before a loud, booming voice called at them from the distance.
"Sorry, girls, we're filling the pot holes, tonight," one of the men dressed in luminescent yellow yelled across the road.
"You could always join us." an older man leered at them.
"No, thanks!" Sabrina called back before turning on her heal and walking straight into the forest beside them, leaving Sherry gaping in her wake.
Sherry, much too uncomfortable to stay with the construction men, ran after Sabrina, into the forest. "What are you doing?!" She whispered harshly.
"This is the only other way to get back to my place. Besides, do you really wanna try getting past those guys?" Sabrina said calmly, as if Sherry were the crazy one for questioning her.
"Well, no but-"
"Then let's go."
Did she mention that befriending Sabrina Spellman was her first mistake?
Sherry and walked for what seemed like hours (but, she supposed it was likely minutes in reality).
Just a hundred feet in, Sherry found herself clinging to Sabrina's arm as the trees rustled overhead and shadows leaped out at her from the darkness, wanting to swallow her whole.
While shivers ran down Sherry's spine and her heart raced and her hands grew cold and clammy, Sabrina seemed calm. Content, even, to linger in the darkness. In fact, she almost seemed to glow where the moonlight broke threw the foliage above them.
Sherry must've been imagining it.
After what seemed a lifetime, relief flooded her as they broke into a clearing, Sabrina's house just up ahead. Her friend's home had never appeared so welcoming as it did in that moment.
"Well, thank fuck," muttered Sherry under her breath coarsely.
She almost jumped out her skin when Sabrina let out a laugh at her quip. Sherry obviously hadn't been as quiet as she was intending.
Oops.
Sherry almost ran to the door of the old house, much to Sabrina's apparent amusement, "hurry up! It's cold," breathed Sherry, the bitter night's air seemed to bite at her throat in the way only an October night's could.
"Alright, alright!" laughed Sabrina. They opened to door to the house, warm air greeting them almost immediately - toasty.
They walked into the living room, seeing Sabrina's aunt Zelda lounged regally on one of the green, velvet sofa-chairs, a cigarette in her mouth, the cigarette ring held daintily in between her index and middle finger. Zelda took the cigarette from her mouth, a great, grey cloud flowing from her as she puffed out a breath of air and went to speak, "back so soon, girls?"
Sherry had to make a conscious effort not to wrinkle her nose as the scent of smoke wafted towards her. Her father smoked often and she was reminded all too much of him. Sherry came here to get away from her parents (as well as the fact that she wouldn't even be allowed inside at this point). She did find it odd, however, that Zelda addressed her too. It was the first time Zelda had done so, but considering the amount of times Sherry had had to sleep over at the Spellman household from getting home any later than ten minutes before curfew, she supposed it was only a matter of time before Zelda began to recognise her presence.
"Yeah, Peter Baxter ralphed so we had to motor out of there, fast," Sabrina replied easily, as she took her coat off and set it on one of the hooks.
That was something Sherry didn't get about the Spellman family: how easily the children spoke to the adults. If Sherry had ever addressed her mother without being spoken to first - or even without addressing the woman as "Mother" directly - she'd likely be spanked. Again, she was sixteen.
She was torn out of her thoughts by Sabrina tugging her up the staircase.
"We're going to bed, see you tomorrow, aunties! Good night," breathed Sabrina, hurrying Sherry up the stairs. Sherry very nearly tripped over her own feet more than once!
When the reached Sabrina's room, Sherry was already out of breath while Sabrina chattered away.
"You can borrow one of my nightdresses and-" Sabrina trailed off as she flicked through a stack of books on the floor, "where is it?"
"Where's what?"
"The book!"
"What book?" now Sherry was getting confused.
"The Dickens one, remember? Great expectations? You wanted to borrow it?"
Sherry didn't remember, "oh, yeah! That one."
"Ambrose must have it, can you go get it while I get the clothes out?"
"It's really no bother-" Sherry had met Ambrose a few times in passing and she knew where his room was. She hadn't however, ever been even near it. It seemed a bit invasive, honestly, to go into the room of a boy she didn't even know.
"Seriously, it's fine. Ambrose won't mind, just go."
Sherry thought on it for a moment. Her parents would hate it. Good.
"Okay, I'll be right back."
"Rad."
Sherry walked up to the winding, ominous staircase to Ambrose's room gingerly. Eventually, the looming door to the older boy- no, man's room stood before her, beckoning as much as it shunned her. All at once screaming both "Sinner! Sinner!" and "Do come in. Fall with us, you'll love it here."
She gulped once, her irrational fear threatening to overtake her need to rebel against her parents. She took a deep breath in. One, Two... Three!
She rapped on the door once, twice, three times. Hearing a muffled "Come in!" from who she could only assume was Ambrose, she opened the door and stepped inside the room cautiously.
Well, there certainly was Ambrose.
And five other young adults of varying ages.
All half naked and entangled together.
Staring at Sherry.
"Umm-" Sherry practically squeaked, frozen still.
"Oh, aren't mortals just so precious?" a dark-skinned beauty laughed, obviously amused at Sherry's expense.
Ambrose didn't acknowledge the quip with anything more than a grin, which, of course, Sherry was most grateful for, "Sherry, dear, what do you need?"
Sherry felt her face grow warm as she finally found her voice, "Uh, yes- um- Sabrina's- um- book, please?" she stumbled over her words, still not quite to terms with the picture in front of her.
"The desk, dear," said Ambrose as he dipped his head to kiss under the ear of one of the boys next to him.
"Oh, yes, the desk," she struggled for words as she side stepped to the messy, oak desk, picking up the book labelled "Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens" clutching it to her chest.
"Is that all, dear?" questioned Ambrose teasingly.
"Oh, yes!" Sherry said, almost tripping as she practically ran back to the door, "I'll be leaving now! Sorry for- uh- interrupting you"
"You could always join us," a young Asian girl grinned, licking a stripe up the underside of Ambrose's jaw.
Sherry almost fell at the sight.
"Uh- no, thank you!" Sherry squeaked out, her face getting even hotter (and, she imagined, even redder) as she scuttled out the door, shutting it quickly behind her as mirthful laughter erupted from the half-naked people who had surrounded Ambrose.
She sat at the top of the staircase for a solid minute to cool down from what she had just witnessed, book still clutched to her chest. After she had gotten her thoughts in order - and her face at least slightly less hot - she ran down the stairs, back to Sabrina's room. "I got the book!" she said as she entered Sabrina's room.
"Grea- what's got you so frazzled?" asked Sabrina as she took in Sherry's form.
"Oh, nothing-"
Sabrina snorted, "It's obviously not nothing." she said as she took the book from Sherry's outstretched hand and absentmindedly set it on her desk, "what's up?"
"Well, I guess it's not nothing," said Sherry, falling backwards onto Sabrina's bed, "it's just-"
"Just what?" asked Sabrina as she fell onto the bed next to Sherry.
"Well, uh," started Sherry, looking at Sabrina. Suddenly, Sherry sat up, still looking down at Sabrina, "I went into Ambrose's room and there were like five other people and-"
"And?" questioned Sabrina, propping herself up on her elbows.
"And they were all half-naked!" exclaimed Sherry, "and they were kissing each other too!"
At this, Sabrina also sat up, raising an eyebrow, "you mean they were having sex?" she laughed.
"That's sex?! I thought sex was between two people! A man and a woman! In love!" said Sherry. At least, that was always how the few books with sex scenes she has managed to sneak into her house had said. They viewed sex as something of passion. And, her parents had always said that the only way for it to be sex is to be between a man and a woman. Anything else was considered... unnatural.
"Who told you that? You parents? I thought we agreed that you shouldn't listen to their BS," said Sabrina, almost annoyed.
"Well, yeah but-"
"No buts," Sabrina stopped her, "Sex is something people do because they enjoy it, or because they love each other. It means different things to different people. Two men can have sex, so can two women. Your gender doesn't change who you should be allowed to love.
There was a silence for a few long seconds before Sherry nodded. She kinda got it, "I get it."
"Good, now get changed, let's go to bed!"
Hours later she lay awake, restless. She couldn't stop thinking of them. She couldn't tell how she felt about it. Did she feel disgust? Envy?
Desire?
She wasn't sure but she did know one thing. Somehow, above all other things, problems, issues, call them what you will, Sherry couldn't stop imagining herself as one of them.
As being together-
-with-
-them.
She wasn't even sure she minded.