I love love love this story! Thanks for the suggestions on names. The votes were:
Nikki/Nicki- 3
Nicole-
Nirvana-
Other stuff:
Hg
The winner is:
Thank you to: WarriorsRULE, perfectpanda37, omich, and for voting
I'm sorry I haven't been responding to signed reviews. I couldn't figure out how to view them until about ten minutes ago, so a big overdue thanks to perfectpanda37, omich, Auburnpaw and Chene for their reviews. Thanks! Especial gratitude to omich for suggesting Cole as Cloudtail.
Thanks for all the votes guys. I can't believe I have 8 chapters already! (Even though they're short). Just to explain the whole thing with the thorns in Chapter 6, it's a metaphor: The rose is Corbin's heart, and the thorns are his defenses to protect himself from more pain after Faye's death. Leah can't describe the thorns because they're melting away to let her into the rose. Sweet, right?
Just so you know, there's mild bad language in here concerning female dogs.
Corbin's mouth gently pressed up on hers, and Leah unconsciously leaned into him. They stayed like that for a moment, and then he drew back, his forehead resting on hers, his eyes, dark blue and mysterious, staring into her own. His arms were still hugging her tight against him and her hands were on his shoulders. Leah wondered tentatively if she loved him too.
"Leah?" He asked softly, thinking she had spaced out. Yes. She did love him.
"I.. me too," she mumbled. It wasn't good enough for her. She lifted her gaze from the asphalt. "I think I love you too." He pulled her closer, if that was even possible, and brushed his lips across her cheek, whispering.
"Good, because I'd sure be lost without you."
That practically melted Leah. If this is what it felt like to be loved, the rest of her life would be paradise. She kissed him again, very lightly, and whispered back, "You'll never need bread crumbs to get out again, Corbin, ever."
He smiled at her, and she smiled back, and they walked with their arms around each other down Willow and Sycamore until they turned onto Ravine and stopped a few blocks from her door. "Bye, Leah," he called. "Don't go running off over the night."
She could never do that now that she had Corbin. "As long as you stay put, I'm with you," she replied, pecking him on the cheek before running up to her door. Just as she stepped inside, she peeked back out and looked at him on the sidewalk, shaggy hair and oversized ears, and wondered if loving someone too much could kill. If it could, she'd be dead in days.
Leah woke up the next morning. Monday. (A/N: I hope I got the days right). Time for school. The prospect in and of itself was hideous. Why must they slave away? She had no idea. At least she could tell Sophie about Corbin. Her phone had died two days ago, so she hadn't been able to call yet. Anyways, she was too high after being with Corbin to even be comprehendible for hours later. Only Sky knew, and she'd be so giddy to learn that 'My sister finally has a love life!' that she also couldn't be understood. For two hours Skylar had drilled Leah for every tiny detail. Leah left out the whole love thing of course, but every other happening, no matter how minute, went to Sky.
"Gosh Lee, this is so exciting!" Skylar had been screaming phrases along this line for around forty five minutes. "And with Sophie dating Brian and me dating Brandon, we could triple date!" Leah had told sky about Sophie and Brian. Apparently their first date hadn't started out too well, so Brian and Sophie left the movie and Brian totally made up for it with dinner. Leah wondered how Sterling would react to hear that Corbin moved past Faye. Hopefully it wouldn't be too bad. No matter how strongly she cared for Corbin, things were getting very complicated. And to make things worse, here came the Bitch Queen herself (A/N: the Bitch Queen isn't Faye, I just worded it funny).
Nikki sauntered down the hall, her microscopic shorts giving everyone a clear view of her thongs. Her off-the-shoulder shirt was tight and outlined her torso. Her black bra was strategically hung with one strap loosely swishing against her dark shoulder, and her long, dark hair was up in one of those messy buns that are so popular now. She swayed her hips with every movement and dozens of bangles on her wrist tinkled. Long necklaces flounced over her plastic breasts. It was the Bitch Queen alright.
"Hello, Leave," Nikki said, sickly sweet. She'd called Leah 'Leave' since before time. "And look who else, it's Ground!" Nikki snickered at Skylar.
"Hello to you too, Nippy," Sky sneered back, her temper flaming. "Lovely plastic bowls you have there." Skylar was not one to back down. Luckily, Brandon whisked Skylar away before things got any worse. Skylar hated her nickname, and Leah knew that her sister was secretly jealous of Nikki's pronounced chest. Leah herself hated the Bitch Queen for more reasons than one. Since being with Corbin, one reason in particular emerged, red and angry like a blister. Nikki and Corbin's parents were fantastic friends. Leah knew for a fact that Nikki had feelings for Corbin –her Corbin- and physically, the Bitch Queen won by a landslide. Leah hid what curves she did have and went with plain and simple clothing instead of Nikki's sequined shirts and ripped jeggings. But Leah knew that Corbin definitely felt more for her than for the Bitch Queen (if he felt anything at all for her), and so she decided to have some fun.
"Sorry about Sky," Leah said sweetly. "She doesn't mean it. She's just had a bad day is all. I love your hair." Leah gagged inwardly. She sounded retarded.
Nikki looked suspiciously at Leah. "Okay."
"Yeah, ever since, you know… it happened she's been off kilter," Leah lied. She made a sympathetic face at Sky's receding shoulders.
"Mm hmm, I know," the Bitch Queen agreed. Leah laughed to herself. There was no 'it'. Nikki thought something important had occurred and she hadn't been notified, and she was trying to get information.
Just then, Sophie skipped up. "Leah, I-"
"Wait a sec, Soph, I'm telling Nikki about what happened."
"Oh, that?" Sophie played along. This was why Leah liked Sophie so much. She was plain awesome. "Yeah, Brandon and Sterling told me about it a few days ago…"
The Bitch Queen flushed. Leah knew she was boiling because the imaginary event hadn't reached her ears for days, and now that she knew it was Leah who had told her.
Tanya, who'd been hanging around the corner unnoticed, walked past and said, "Oh, that? Could you believe it? I was all, 'omg!' when I heard." She frolicked down the hall humming. Leah liked Tanya, but it was Skylar who really knew the girl. They'd gone to camp together and Tanya was Brandon's sister.
Just as Nikki was about to attempt digging up information on the fake event, the bell rang. Lucky for Leah, who now needed to come up with something juicy that Sky had done. Ug. She hated the Bitch Queen.
Finally, the end of the torture. And hopefully the beginning of my own personal paradise, Leah thought. Sure enough, Corbin materialized in front of her on Sycamore and steered her around to the Park. No one really knew the Park's official name, and it had been scratched out of the sign decades ago.
Corbin sat on the edge of the slide. It's lip, thought Leah. His lips… Snap out of it! Leah scolded herself for being so girly. Although she was certain he wouldn't mind a kiss… she stretched back to test her theory. Sure enough, he didn't mind in the least.
She drew back and laid down on the slide, heaving, her chest rising and falling rapidly. She was in fact trying to get Corbin to notice her curves, her encounter with the Bitch Queen having made her rather self conscious of her small chest. She needn't have worried though, because Corbin had been aware of her curves since Leah had attained them. Her comically gulping breaths captured his attention and he asked
"You okay?" Concern wove itself into his features.
"Fine," Leah replied, slowing down on the panting. "Better than fine. Good. Great."
He looked at her for a moment, leaning down as if to kiss her but then pulling away sharply. This is not good, Leah thought. This is not good at all. Why had he stopped? Was something wrong? Or was it… Leah swallowed. It couldn't be. Corbin said he loved her, not Nikki. So the Bitch Queen wasn't a problem.
"What is it?" she asked carefully.
Corbin glanced at the sky, the ground, at his shoes, even quickly lacing across her chest. Anywhere but her face. "I… it's just…" Seeing her expression, he amended quickly, "No, never, it's not you Leah, never. But do you remember how our families were so against Sky and me attending the same camp?"
Leah nodded. Two weeks of fighting and misery.
"That's because of a feud. A while back, between your father's family and my great uncle's ancestors. And Leah…" he stared into her eyes, and he was holding her down, making her stare back. She knew what he would say. Would he break it gently? Harshly? No, would he break her gently. Because she was sure he was about to break up with her. Even though we weren't officially dating, she thought. But an exclamation of undying love counts for something, right?
"We're gonna have to, well, sneak around to meet, Lee," he said breathlessly. They were lying side by side on the slide now, her head positioned neatly on his arm. An unexpected, but still pleasant, development, she thought. They lay like that for hours, until the sky was a shade away from Corbin's dark blue eyes.
And so began the countless stolen moments and phone calls and kisses that was really only the start of something else.
I don't want Leah and Corbin having kids, so the 'it' is like when everybody thinks Squirrelflight had kits and she didn't. I'd prefer to keep things at the current rating, and if I go there, well… it won't be pretty. I know Nightcloud had nothing to do with all that in the books, but whatever. Leafpool needed some completion. Please help with story ideas, because I'm kind of running out.
P.S. if you see this [] anywhere, I should've filled that in with Nikki. There may not be any, but if you do catch one let me know and I'll change it. Love, Fudgybunny