Without interruption, Molly's days flew by like they had in freshman year. She spent every day excited for the party Leah had invited her too. She'd told her mom she had a school project Saturday night after work and of course, she nodded. Ms. Anderson trusted her daughter. Friday morning, Leah propped her knee on Molly's desk.
"I heard you're cheering tonight. Are the afterparties as crazy as they sound?" She asked.
"There's always a keg if that's what you're asking. I don't drink though."
"Do you smoke?" "Only once and it was editables because Biff told me they were just cookies."
Leah made a face. "That is something only a football player would do. Isn't that illegal?"
Molly nodded. "Very illegal. They'd just let him off with a warning though. Y'know...him being white and rich and all." Leah nods knowingly. "They'd probably tell you not to trust boys and not even believe you."
"Ah yes, victim blaming. The most annoying of excuses." Molly says, receiving a nod of agreement from Leah.
"Well, I think I might go to the game. See ya there, Carrot Top?"
"Of course. Just don't judge my cheering too much." Molly promised.
Leah laughed and sat at her seat. Molly stared at her adoringly as she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She plucked it from her jean pocket and looked at the notification.
It was a message from Ms. Anderson, telling her she'd be home late. Molly sighed disappointedly, but sent back an "OK" in reply.
She pulled her zone-out journal that she'd decided to call her "Space Log". She'd written about working, sapphic desires, wondering where the human's energy goes when you die since energy cannot be created or destroyed, and wondering why her favourite artists were never played at parties she went to. It was a few pages long. You turned to stare out into the hallway from the window. She felt another poke, but this time it was sharp. She winced and turned to the pricker, glaring.
It turned out to be a boy holding a note to hand to her. She takes it calmly, trying not to scowl at him for poking her. She unfolded the note and read, "You, me, and Leah at the party Saturday? -Samuel". Molly turned to look at him with disgust. He winked and Molly flipped him off. She scribbled, "Look at this douchebag." She told the boy in front of her to send it to Leah. He did and when it got to Leah, she turned back to Molly and frowned. She mouthed, "Ew."
Molly nodded in agreement. The girls turned back to Mr. McClain before he noticed them. Molly watched Leah crush the paper into her backpack. "Molly?"
"Yes sir?" "Come correct this, will you?"
Molly nodded and walked up to the board. First period passed quickly as it had the days prior. She shoved her books into her backpack and went to head out of class before Mr. McClain called her.
"Molly? Might I see the assignment you've been working on? I'll send you with a note if you're late." He asked.
Molly nodded and slid the pages onto his desk. He read her handwriting. Molly had rather cursive-like handwriting, like if someone tried to write cursive and normal at the same time. He glanced over everything and stopped at the second thing she'd written about Leah and Naomi. He raised an eyebrow, but did not question her. Molly looked down at her feet, a bit embarrassed. Maybe she'd been too confident writing that.
He smiled and handed back the paper. "I want at least another page. You can hand it in on Monday. I'll see you at the football game. And Molly?"
Molly had already almost left when she turned around. "Yes, Mr. McClain?"
"Be careful with those boys please. You know how they are and I don't want to lose my job for fighting students." He chuckled.
Molly nodded and headed to her locker. She exchanged books again and headed off into class. When she arrived however, the boy she sat beside was scrubbing her desk with disinfectant wipes. She peered over his shoulder at the writing on her desk. It was mostly cleaned, but she could still read a faint "whore" and "double slut" and then she saw it. The drawing of a lit cigarette.
"Alright, Justin, you can stop." She told him and he looked up. "I'm sorry, Molly. You weren't supposed to see it."
She lifted herself to sit on her desk. "Who did this?" She asked loudly. Mrs. Gwen hadn't appeared yet, so she asked again louder. "Who vandalized my desk?"
Karly snickered and a group of girls pulled at their collars nervously. Some students looked at each other as if she'd spoken a different language. She and Karly met eyes.
"Look upon me and ask yourself, how much does she care that I think she's a whore? And then let me answer, I don't. You're a coward and you're pathetic and the only reason you're saying that is because I won't let you sleep with me." She said and hopped off her desk.
Karly rolled her eyes. "Oh please. If you actually didn't care, you wouldn't be showing your ass."
"Oh, I'm sorry, Karly. Would you like to kiss it or are you too busy with your head up your own?"
There was a small audible "ooh" across the room. "Are you starting a fight with me, Anderson?"
"I don't know, Karly. Do you want to hit me?" She asked, watching Mrs. Gwen approach from the window.
Karly stood and approached Molly, and just as she lifted her hand to slap her, Mrs. Gwen opened the door with a creak. "Miss Fish, were you about to hit Molly?"
Karly scowled at Molly and Molly smirked back. "To the office with you two." Mrs. Gwen said and shoved the two out the door.
They walked to the office in silence. Karly desperately wanted to claw Molly's face, but she'd already be in trouble for vandalism and threatening to hit her. She felt an overwhelming feeling in her gut. It felt a little like guilt...and maybe a little regret?
She'd been approached by Samuel and he'd told her about Molly and Leah rejecting his advances. She'd laughed because she knew Molly was a virgin and she'd sworn she'd never be a part of a threesome if a man invited her, but she wanted to get back at Molly anyway.
She gritted her teeth at the feeling. Molly sighed as they walked. She really hoped she wouldn't be in trouble. She didn't want to miss the game. Once on the stairs, Karly pushed Molly to the wall. She knew there weren't cameras in the stairwell. "Don't go starting shit, Anderson. Not everyone will hold back on you." She hissed.
Molly's heart was nearly beating out of her chest. "Whatever. Since when do you care?" She pushed Karly off, but Karly gripped her shirt tighter. She could feel her fingernails through the fabric. "Shut up."
"And I hope you realize that I don't want Biff anymore than I want the STDs he carries." Molly bit back, trying to remove Karly's nails from the sheer material of her shirt before it tore it. "He has STDs?" She whispered, almost as if she might cry.
Molly nodded and managed to escape Karly's grasp. "And I bet he didn't tell you. They won't kill you. It's chlamydia and herpes." She whispered back.
"Molly, I've slept with him." She said, grabbing Molly's shoulders.
She rolled her green eyes. "We know."
"No, like...without protection."
"What do you want me to do? Call the cops and go to the doctor."
"What would the cops do?"
"It's illegal to infect someone knowingly, Karly. Don't you focus in civics or health?"
"Well no? Those are the classes I get on my phone in." She admitted.
Molly shook her head and continued walking towards the principal's office. "Molly, I'm sorry." "What?" Molly turned back, eyes wide. She'd never once heard Karly apologize to anyone. She wasn't even sure she'd heard her right.
"I said I'm sorry. For everything."
"And that is?"
"Everything: the lying, the cheating, and being a bitch and stuff."
Molly sighed. "I guess I forgive you. Now, can we just go to the office? I need to know if I can cheer tonight."
"I told Samuel that you didn't want to sleep with him."
"I told him that too. No one wants to sleep with him. Last time I checked, he was still dating Hailey."
Karly nodded and they continued down the stairs. Molly didn't actually forgive Karly. She just wanted her to stop talking, which was probably mean, but she had much more to apologize for.
Molly had invited Karly over a few times and each time she left, something was missing.
First it was a bracelet, then her mom's earrings, and after that, a tiara Molly had gotten when she was younger at a pageant.
Not only that, Karly had stolen money from her too. When she wasn't looking, ten or twenty dollars would disappear from her wallet. Sometimes Molly saw it happen, but she wouldn't speak up for fear of losing her friend.
Now Molly just didn't care. She was free from the toxic ball and chain Karly and Biff had given her. They walked into the office and sat down. "Hello, ladies. I heard you were fighting."
"We weren't fighting, sir. It was just a little spat." Molly said dismissively. "She never actually hit me."
He sighed. "If this happens again, I won't be as lenient. Head back to class."
They nodded to him thankfully. "Good day, Mr. Jensen." Molly said as she walked out.
He hummed thankfully. Karly and Molly walked back to class. "Thanks."
"Whatever. Don't forget to check in with a doctor. Why don't you ask Biff?"
Karly sighed and they walked back to class in silence. Molly curled her hair around her fingers with every few steps. She stared down at her feet. She grimaced. She could only think about how Karly had shoved her against the wall and forced her to look up at her. She pulled her lock of orange hair angrily.
"You're going to pull your hair out, Molly." Karly said.
Molly let go of her hair and watched the hall. She saw Biff inside his classroom, staring out the window. He winked as he saw them and Molly gagged. "Why did I ever like him?" She asked herself aloud.
"Money?" Karly suggested.
Molly knew exactly why she'd dated him. She wanted someone to date and he offered to date her. She felt a bit pathetic thinking about it. "As if that mole rat would give me money." She hissed. Karly snorted.
"Why are you?" "Dating him?" "Yeah."
"I guess because he makes me feel wanted."
"There are a million more healthier things to make you feel wanted. Hell, charity work would actually be better." Molly said. Realistically, she couldn't say too much out of spite for herself. She'd dated the jerk for nearly five months. They'd started dating at the end of her freshman year. At first he was friendly and polite. He would pick her up at her apartment, call her mom "Ms. Natalie", and have her home before nine. Eventually, he began to break the rules. He'd slide his hands too high up her shirt, take her to parties in an attempt to get drunk, and bring her home way after nine. Molly drank soda at parties and shoved his hands away and made excuses for him. She balled up her fists with anger.
"You alright, Molly?"
"I should have left him way before this." She said grimly and let her fingers wiggle by her sides to relax. She imagined cheering after school and sitting with Leah at the afterparty. They were playing Larion High tonight and Larion's team was about as good as finding half a worm in the apple you'd been eating. Karly shrugged.
"I guess. You didn't seem unhappy."
"I was happy because I was always in my head. The second I get out of my head, I meet a girl I'd been crushing on before Biff and she actually likes me."
"Are you talking about Leah Johnson?" Karly asked and Molly nodded.
"Huh," She said. "Didn't peg her as a homo."
"Karly! You can't say that! And yes, she's bisexual." "Sorry. So she's like you?"
Molly nodded for a second time. She craved the earbuds in her backpack and Conen Grey's album, "Kid Crow". Karly missed when Molly would lean on her with that expression. She knew that expression. That was the expression she made when she longed for something. She made that face when she talked about her dad. She remembered the last time Molly had talked to her dad. She'd talked with small words or hums. He'd speak and she'd say "Huh" or "Okay" or "Hm". When he finally hung up, she sighed and broke down. Her sighs turned to shaky sobs. She'd leaned against her and Karly had wrapped her arms around her. "What'd he say this time?" "I hate him..." She'd said and buried her face into her shirt.
Time seemed to slow as they walked down the hallway. Karly looked at Molly and the small frown on her face. She wondered how she always got everyone to like her, including her. She wondered if Molly loved them back or even if she loved herself. Molly felt eyes on her and glanced at Karly out of the corner of her eyes and watched her quickly look away. She shook her head. "Molly-" "Do you want to kiss me right now, Karly?" "I- uh, no?" "It's okay if you want to." Molly said and shrugged.
Karly looked around and pulled her into the bathroom. Molly stared up at Karly with confusion. Again, she found herself against the cold stone wall. Karly leaned in, grasping Molly's shoulders and Molly put her hand up to stop her. "I asked if you wanted to kiss me. I never said I wanted to kiss you." She said quietly. "You seriously have to stop that."
"Stop what?"
"Stop cheating. Right now, you're trying to cheat on Biff with me. And stop pushing me against walls. They're cold and it hurts my back." She explained. Karly harshly grasped Molly's chin, still pressing her to the wall with her legs. "You are such a tease, Anderson."
"I only seem to get called a tease when I tell someone no." Molly said and pushed Karly away from her. Karly stumbled, but caught herself against a sink. "You would kiss Leah, wouldn't you?"
"Leah didn't lead me on with a fake friendship for years only to help my boyfriend cheat on me and call me a slut." Molly spat and left Karly in the bathroom. Karly seethed and ran out into the hallway. "You're not even the cute!" She shouted after her ex-friend.
Molly made a "W" with her thumbs and pointer fingers as she walked. In what seemed like no time, she'd arrived back at class. She sat down and zoned out again. What if she had let Karly kiss her hypothetically? Well she probably would've felt disgusted with herself and embarrassed that it had even happened. "Molly Anderson!"
She sat up straight and looked at Mrs. Gwen. "Yes ma'am?"
"Where is Miss Fish? She was supposed to walk back with you." "She had to use the bathroom."
Mrs. Gwen nodded and continued her lesson. Sure, Molly lied, but the cameras would clearly show them that Karly had pulled her into the bathroom. It wouldn't show them what else had happened and Molly was quite alright with that. She could live without anyone knowing that she'd been pushed against a wall twice in one day by the girl who'd stolen her toxic boyfriend and money and vandalized her desk.
As the class continued, Molly fantasized about the afterparty. Would she mind if Leah pushed her against a wall and tried to kiss her? She didn't think she'd mind unless she could alcohol on her breath. Molly had one firm rule with herself and it was not to kiss drunk people because they're not thinking straight. She pulled her sheets of paper and scribbled her thoughts and her promise to herself and everyone else.
She went off on a tangent and once she was done, she grinned. She had her extra paper. Molly didn't think about Karly for the rest of the day until last period. She was in the gymnasium in the school's gym shorts, made blue and white nylon fabric, and her cheerleading top, hitting the volleyball across the net with the other girls when she saw them out the window.
Biff had Karly by the shirt, yelling at her and Karly was tearing up, yelling back.
"Guys, stop! Look!" She said and the other girls looked out the window. "Coach Kennedy!" One girl called and the tall man looked out the window before marching outside to tear the football player from his girlfriend. The girls followed him to the door to listen in.
"Why did you try to kiss her?!" He bellowed
"The same reason you did, asshole!" Karly screamed back at him.
Just as Biff lifted his hand to slap her and Karly braced for the hit, Couch Kennedy reached them and pushed the boy to the ground. "Didn't your parents teach you never to hit a woman, young man?" He asked and Biff wiped the dirt from his lettering jacket. He stood, embarrassed, as he looked at the cowering girl standing behind the gym teacher. "I'm going back to class." He muttered and walked back across campus. Coach Kennedy turned to Karly, shaking and weeping into her hands.
"Take a seat." He said and gestured towards the gymnasium when he saw all of his peeping students. When they saw him look their way, they rushed back onto the court and continued their game.
"Did you hear that, Stacy? Karly tried to kiss a girl." A girl whispered behind her.
Molly turned to glare at her. "And what's so wrong with that?"
"Well, I- uh- nothing?" "Damn right." Molly said and winked. She turned as she watched the girl's face flush. She was rather confident in herself until she wasn't standing anymore. She was knocked onto her butt with an impact to the face. She rubbed her cheek as she was met with a memory.
"Artemis, we're like polar opposites." She heard herself say.
"How so, Aphrodite?"
"I love everyone and you love no one."
"That's not all true, Aph. I do adore the occasional girl." Artemis corrected chuckling.
"Molly?" She heard a voice call, far away and then close like an echo. "Are you okay?"
Molly opened her eyes and nodded at the speaker. "Just fine. Can I have a cup of water?"
Stacy rushed into the hallway to get a cup of water and Molly held her knees to her chest. She was Aphrodite, goddess of love, beauty, and sexuality.