Sophie had just finished making breakfast when the sound of frantic footsteps and violent retching informed her that her houseguest had awoken. A deep, eye-watering yawn escaped her as she turned off the stove and filled a glass with fresh water. She followed the sound, making her way towards what she hoped was her bathroom. Leaning against the doorframe, she found Haley looking over her appearance in the mirror, seemingly horrified at the person staring back at her. Admittedly, Sophie was biased. She thought Haley looked beautiful even when covered in mud, but she definitely looked like someone who had a rough night. Her hair was a tousled mess, sticking out in all directions and her makeup was smeared every which way. Her tears had left a black trail of mascara down her cheeks, and Sophie quickly squashed the image of Haley crying. She didn't want to think about the things Haley had said to her last night. Not now at least.
"Finally get it all out?" Sophie asked, finally making her presence known. Haley gasped loudly, turning in Sophie's direction.
"Sophie!" Her face had turned red from embarrassment and she swatted at Sophie's arms. "Don't do that! You scared the shit out of me!"
Sophie held up her arms in mock defense. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" She giggled. "I've been standing here forever. It's not my fault you're blind. Here, drink this."
Haley gratefully took the cool glass, downing half in one go. "You're my hero, Soph."
"There's headache medicine and a spare toothbrush behind the mirror."
"Sweet Yoba," she opened the mirror and grabbed both from the medicine cabinet within. "Forget 'hero', you're, like, a goddess." Haley immediately took two pills from the bottle and downed them with the rest of her water. She sighed in relief, as if the medication was immediately working its magic. "So, I'm embarrassed to ask," she began, removing the toothbrush from its packaging. "But how exactly did I end up here?"
Sophie's body stiffened. "You don't remember?"
"I remember dancing-" She was searching for the toothpaste, and Sophie pointed at it. "Thank you. I feel like I remember you showing up. Other than that, nada."
Sophie felt her heart sink. She knew that this would be the most likely outcome, but despite that, she had allowed the tiniest speck of hope that things would go the other way and Haley would remember what she said. What she asked. Sophie did her best to shake off the disappointment. "Em called me last night. Asked me to go get you."
Haley scrunched her eyebrows in confusion and spit out the toothpaste. "Why? It's not like this is the first time I've stayed out overnight in the city. She's never come looking for me before or," she motioned at Sophie, "sent someone." Sophie shrugged. "And how did you even know where to find me?"
"Her friend was one of the bartenders at the club and gave her a call."
Haley rolled her eyes and grumbled while she rinsed her mouth. "Great. So you're saying I have to worry about her friends ratting on me when I go out now?"
"She was just worried about you Haley." Haley dropped the toothbrush on the sink, obviously frustrated.
"Oh, so you're taking her side now?"
"I'm on whatever side keeps you safe." Sophie's temper flared, but she managed to keep her voice even. "And I love you enough to want you to make it home safe every night, so if her worrying about you is what does that then yes: I am on her side."
Haley flinched back and stared at the ground like a child who had just been scolded. Sophie took a deep breath, she felt like she had already said too much.
"Look, I have work I need to take care of. You can dig through my clothes if you wanna shower. Breakfast is on the table. I'll be outside."
Haley's eyes never left the ground.
Sophie had always found harvest time to be very relaxing. Even when she felt like she was at her lowest point, the fact that she had been able to grow this multitude of fruit and vegetables was all she needed to raise her spirits again. It reaffirmed that she had made the right decision when she dropped everything in her life to start over here.
"Can I kiss you, Sophie?"
But now all she could think about was last night. Haley's words played in her head over and over like a broken record player she couldn't fix.
"Why couldn't you have been born a boy?"
Hot tears stung her eyes and she wiped them on her sleeve. She couldn't keep doing this.
"Ugh!" She twisted the final husk of corn from its stalk and tossed it in her basket. "Get your shit together, Thorn!" she yelled to herself, slapping her cheeks. "You always knew you and Haley were never going to be more than friends. You made peace with that a long time ago. Last night doesn't change that."
She stared out over her farm, making a mental note of the chores she had left before her eyes settled on the small patch of sunflowers growing to the south. Sophie wasn't big on planting flowers, but they were Haley's favorite, so of course Sophie had planted a bundle of them.
She sighed to herself. "I really am a pathetic weirdo."
At that moment the front door opened and Sophie whirled in its direction. Haley stood there, looking down at the ground the moment Sophie made eye contact. She hadn't changed, but her hair was brushed and her face clean of all makeup. She made her way towards Sophie, fidgeting with her hands the whole time. It wasn't until she was standing next to Sophie did Haley finally look up to meet her gaze.
"I'm… sorry." Haley began to twirl her hair around her fingers, seemingly searching for the right words. "My sister just… I'm 23 and she still treats me like a kid and it just makes me so angry." She sighed, "Though I guess if I let stuff like this get me so worked up, maybe I am still a kid."
A moment of silence passed between them. "I'm sorry too." Sophie rubbed the back of her neck.
"What? Don't. You have nothing to apologize for. I was the one being a bitch."
"Well, either way, I passed out at around two and still woke up at six, so I'm a little cranky. I'm sorry I lost my temper."
"Sophie, stop. You're fine. And if that's you losing your temper I'd hate to see you when you're really mad." She took Sophie's hands in hers, Sophie's breath caught in her throat. "Also, I just want you to know that you're my best friend and I love you too. I'm grateful to have such a good friend like you looking out for me."
The words stung Sophie's heart, but she managed a half smile in response.
"I guess I should get out of your hair now. I have to get ready so I can meet Alex at the fair." She began walking south, towards Cindersap Forest. "I'll see you there?"
"Yeah," Sophie waved. "I'll see you later."
Haley did not see Sophie later. In fact, Haley had not really seen Sophie in quite a while. She didn't think much of it at first when she never turned up at the fair. She had told Haley that she had a lot of work to be done. Besides, who wants to lose that stupid, rigged display contest to Pierre three years in a row? Haley hadn't blamed her. But when Spirit's Eve rolled around and there was still no sight of her, Haley began to take it personally.
"I think Sophie's been avoiding me." She was standing with Alex next to the refreshments table.
"What? No way." He scarfed down the remainder of his cake slice in one bite. "She wouldn't do that. She worships the ground you walk on."
"Stop saying weird stuff. No she doesn't." Haley blushed.
Alex shot her an incredulous look, but didn't push any further. "Okay, why do you think she's avoiding you?" He shoved a crab cake in his mouth.
"Because she is! She's been kinda weird since she picked me up that one night in Zuzu and every time I see her in town she makes some excuse about being really busy and having to get ready for winter."
"Well," he chewed and swallowed his food, "she does always have a lot to do before winter. You know that."
"I know that! But still she…" Haley glanced towards the western entrance of town, hoping to spot her. Nothing. "She always made time for me still." She fidgeted with her fingers. "I think I did something that night."
"What night?"
"The night she picked me up, dummy!"
"Oh, when you were pissed out of your mind drunk and passed out at her place?"
Haley chose not to comment on his colorful phrasing. "It all started then. I must have done or said something to upset her."
"Well, you do get really handsy when you're that drunk. Maybe you put the moves on her."
Haley's entire face turned red and she became flustered. "Wha- no I- I wouldn't- Not with Sophie!" She grabbed a pumpkin ale off a nearby tray, downing the amber liquid. It wasn't her favorite, but she suddenly felt like she needed the alcohol. "Even at my drunkest, I never-" Jodi and Kent walked past them and she lowered her voice. "I've never woken up in another woman's bed."
"You woke up in her bed." Alex said, matter-of-factly.
Haley glared daggers through him. "You know what I mean, asshole."
"Well, babe, I don't know. If you didn't throw yourself at her, maybe you said something and she figures it isn't something you'd normally say and you'd be embarrassed if you knew you said it. Or, I don't know, did you ever thank her for going all that way to get you and taking care of you that night?"
Haley deflated at the realization, suddenly embarrassed. "No…"
"This whole time you say she's making excuses, have you actually gone to her farm to try and see her there?"
"N-no…"
Alex didn't say anything else for a bit, taking a long swig from his own mug.
"You're so used to being chased, you've forgotten how to put in the effort when you actually want something."
The words hit Haley like a punch to the gut. "I… I don't-"
" Want Sophie." She finished the thought in her head, unable to say the words out loud.
"Hey!"
"You're here!"
The sound of Sam and Abigail's cheering voices pulled Haley out of her thoughts. They were standing in the middle of the path leading west, Sebastian standing off to the side shaking his head at the other two's antics. Her heart began to beat faster when she realized Sophie was walking towards them.
"Took you long enough!" Sam wrapped his arm around her neck, gripping her in a headlock and messing up her hair.
Abigail pulled Sophie free from his grip and kissed her on the cheek before wrapping her own arms around her neck. "It feels like we haven't seen you in forever!"
Haley balled her hands into fists at her side. A kind of anger she had never felt before was crashing over her like waves and she didn't understand why. Alex nudged her with his elbow.
"See, she hasn't seen anyone. She wasn't ignoring you."
Haley finally remembered to breathe. "Y-yeah." She cleared her throat. "You were right."
She had always known that Sophie was attracted to women. It's not as if this was something Sophie kept secret. But the entire time she had known her, Sophie had never been in a relationship. Haley had never thought about what it would be like to actually watch her kiss someone. Or how it would make her feel.
" Why should it matter how I feel? "
She continued to watch the group as they entered the maze together; Sam leading with enthusiasm, Sebastian following behind with his hands in his pockets, cool as a cucumber, and Abigail, arms linked in Sophie's, proclaiming her hatred for spiders.
"You're not going to go after her?"
Haley shook her head. "I'll… catch her when she comes out. I hate mazes."
She said that, but after a few moments of nervously picking at the hors d'oeuvres she became incredibly antsy. It felt like ages since she watched them enter and they had yet to come out. How long could it possibly take to make it through a maze? Were they getting lost or… Images of Abigail and Sophie danced across her mind. The two of them lingering behind the group and sharing intimate moments in one of the many darkened dead ends that the maze provided. The same feeling of anger from before flared in her chest and she couldn't take it anymore.
"You know, maybe I should go in there. There's no way it takes 30 minutes to get through some stupid maze."
"But they've only been gone for like, five minutes." Alex had glanced at his watch, but Haley was already gone. Confidently marching towards the maze's entrance, she heard him call out to her, "Good luck, babe!"