"What- How... I don't... How did you know it was me?" Meg asked quietly, staring up at Claudette with wide eyes while she was frozen to the spot.
Claudette just smiled a little and sat down next to her, fiddling with her fingers, "The other day, when I followed you back. You know... when we..."
Meg nodded and listened.
"Well, I didn't just... run into the clearing. I was snooping. I know it's an invasion of privacy, but i wanted to know what you were doing out here by yourself. When I saw that phone, I know that it was you." Caludette put her hand against her forhead and leaned her head back, a nervous smile on her face, "You even type how you speak. I couldn't believe I hadn't put it together before."
The red-head looked at her with a confused expression, "But Claudette, if you knew I was HiddenWhisper, then you knew how I feel about NightDream. Why did you kiss me?"
Claudette looked at her then, her eyes shining a little from the beginnings of tears, "Because i've always wanted to."
Meg felt her heart twinge in her chest. She felt so guilty for how she was making Claudette feel, but there was nothing she could do about it. She loved NightDream. Indulging in the smaller girls feelings would only get her more hurt.
Claudette wasn't finished, "I wasn't thinking. I sent you a few texts to see if you would get them. I had no make the messages serious so you couldn't ignore them. Because I just wanted answers. Because if you really were HiddenWhisper, it meant that you had feelings for... him... and I thought... I thought that if I could just suck it up and finally kiss you that maybe I could have you before he could." Tears started streaming down her face, and she started breathing heavily, "That was so wrong of me Meg, I'm so sorry!"
Claudette all but fell into Meg's lap, wrapping her arms around her and sobbing hard into her shirt. Meg stared down at her with wide eyes. She started tearing up too but held it together by a thread. She wanted to be strong for her. Claudette deserved this.
They sat there for a while. Meg didn't really know how long it was, but eventually Meg's phone went off. The notification drew Claudette from her emotional state. She leaned up and wiped her eyes, avoiding eye contact with Meg while doing do. Meg ignored the message and reached out, pulling Claudette into a hug, holding on tightly. Claudette slowly but surely returned the hug, burying her face in Meg's neck.
Meg started slowly, because the best friend she's ever had deserved to know the truth, "Claudette, I want to be honest with you, okay? Just... listen without jumping to any conclusions until i'm done, okay?" Claudette nodded solemnly.
"Okay," Meg began, "It's not like I never felt that way about you, too. But, when I started talking to NightDream, it changed everything. I care about you, Claudette. I really do. But..." Meg looked away, fiddling with her shoelaces, "I'm in love with NightDream."
Claudette chuckled nervously, "I know you are. That's why I'm so sorry for doing what I did. I really messed things up, didn't I?"
Meg shook her head, smiling at her, "Never."
They both exchanged another hug and Meg gave Claudette a small kiss on the cheek, and the two girls laid down next to each other. Claudette drifted off to sleep quietly, but Meg fished her phone out of her pocket and finally checked the messages that NightDream had left her.
ND: Hey HW! What's going on?
ND: Are you there?
ND: Did I do something wrong?
ND: What happened? Are you okay?
ND: Please talk to me.
ND: HiddenWhisper. Please.
These messages spanned over several days. Meg felt really bad for leaving him hanging like this with no explanation. She typed a quick message in response.
HW: Hey, NightDream... I'm sorry for disappearing like that. Things came up, and I needed some time to be alone. I'm sorry for ditching you like that. I'll be here tomorrow and we can talk about it. Goodnight.
The top of the screen caught Meg's eye. The signal that the phone was receiving was now only three bars. That couldn't be good. Would the reception just slowly fade away all together? If so, Meg didn't want to waste any more time. They'd talk about everything tomorrow.
She turned her phone off and put it back into her pocket, drifting off to sleep as well by Claudette's side. A small smile creep onto her face as the world faded. They were finally at peace with how they felt, and they were now on the road to recovering their friendship and turning it into something truly beautiful.