(guys pleaseeeee leave comments i really need themmm<3)
The car ride to Scarlett's house was quiet—uncomfortable quiet. She gripped the steering wheel like she was holding onto dear life, and her expression was unreadable. I fidgeted with my dress the whole way. Scarlett didn't look at me, or even look in my way. When we got to her house, she opened the door for me and we walked inside.
The front door clicked shut behind us, and the stillness of Scarlett's house swallowed me whole. I stood awkwardly near the entrance, my coat still on, waiting for her to say something. She finally turned to me, her expression unreadable, but the tightness in her jaw said everything.
"Sit," she said, her voice low but firm.
I sat on the edge of the couch, my hands clasped tightly in my lap. She paced in front of me, her arms crossed, clearly trying to gather her thoughts.
Finally, she stopped and looked at me. "What were you thinking, Sarah?"
"I..." I hesitated, swallowing hard. "I wasn't thinking. I just—"
"Exactly," she interrupted her voice sharper now. "You weren't thinking. Do you have any idea how stupid that was? How reckless?"
"I wasn't thinking," I said defensively, though my voice faltered. "I was just—"
"With your ex," she snapped, her eyes narrowing. "In a club. Drinking. Sarah, what if something had happened? Do you even realize—" She stopped herself, taking a deep breath as if trying to rein in her frustration.
The guilt that had been simmering inside me all night bubbled over. "I'm sorry," I said, my voice breaking. "I wasn't trying to upset you. I just... I didn't know how to deal with today, okay?"
Scarlett's expression softened slightly, but the tension didn't fully leave her. "I get that today was hard for you, Sarah. I do. But this?" She gestured vaguely, probably meaning the club, my ex, the whole mess. "This isn't how you cope."
"I know," I murmured, tears stinging my eyes. "I just... I felt like I was drowning, and I didn't know what else to do. And when Ivy—"
"Ivy," Scarlett repeated, her tone clipped. "Your ex. Why her, Sarah? Of all people?"
I looked down at my hands, ashamed. "She reached out. I guess... I don't know. She felt familiar, like something I could fall back on when everything felt too much."
Scarlett sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Sarah, Ivy is not a safe option. She's part of your past, not your present. You don't need her when things get hard. I'm your girlfriend for god's sake."
The room fell into an uneasy silence until Scarlett spoke again, her tone quieter now but still firm. "Do you know how I found out you were there?"
I looked up at her, confused. "No...?"
"Brittany called me," she said, her eyes locking onto mine.
My stomach dropped. "What?"
"She said she spoke to you," Scarlett continued. "She knew you went to the club with Ivy. And she called me because she knew I'd come to get you before anything worse happened."
I felt like the floor had been pulled out from under me. "Brittany called you?"
"Yes," Scarlett said, her voice heavy. "She said it outright, and she told me that she's spoken to you about it, Sarah. She knows about us. And now she's worried about you—and about what this means for both of us."
My head spun as her words sank in. Brittany's words from this morning, and after the game, made me squirm in my seat.
"You should've told me she called," I said, my voice rising slightly.
Scarlett raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? And when, Sarah? When I was dragging you out of that club, or when I was driving you home while you sulked in silence?"
Her sarcasm stung, but I couldn't let it go. "I wasn't sulking. I just—"
"You just what?" she pressed, her frustration flaring again. "You didn't think this through, Sarah. You didn't think about how this could affect you, or me, or us."
"I know I messed up!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "You don't have to keep throwing it in my face."
Scarlett stopped, her expression softening just a fraction. "I'm not throwing it in your face, Sarah. I'm trying to make you see how serious this is."
"I see it," I whispered, tears spilling over now. "I see it, Scarlett. And I hate myself for it. But you don't understand what today felt like for me. Brittany's words, our situation—I just don't know what to do with it."
Scarlett's face softened completely, and she sat down beside me on the couch. "Sarah," she said gently, taking my hand. "I can't tell you what to do. No one can. But I can be here for you while you figure it out. You don't have to do it alone."
I looked at her, my vision blurred with tears. "I don't know how to do that."
"You start by trusting me," she said, her thumb brushing over my knuckles. "By talking to me instead of running to someone like Ivy or drowning it out with bad decisions."
I nodded, sniffling. "I'm sorry. For everything."
"I know you are," she said, pulling me into a hug. "And I'm not mad at you, Sarah. I'm scared. For you, for us. This isn't easy for either of us, but we have to be smarter about it."
I buried my face in her shoulder, letting her warmth steady me. "I'll do better. I promise."
We stayed like that for a while, the tension easing as we held each other. Scarlett eventually pulled back, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
"Let's get some rest," she said softly. "We'll figure everything else out tomorrow."
I nodded, too exhausted to argue. As we settled into bed later, her arms wrapped around me, I felt the weight of the day finally begin to lift.
Scarlett was right—this wasn't easy. But as long as we had each other, I was willing to try.
☼☼☼
The morning sunlight spilled through Scarlett's curtains, painting soft patterns on the walls. It was almost too peaceful for the storm swirling inside me. Scarlett lay next to me, her arm draped over my waist as she slept soundly. She looked so calm, her face relaxed in a way I didn't see often, and for a moment, I hesitated to disturb her.
But I knew we couldn't keep pushing everything aside. Last night's argument still lingered in the air, and the weight of what Brittany had said to me—both Friday morning and after the game—was crushing me.
I shifted slightly, and Scarlett stirred, her arm tightening around me for a second before her eyes fluttered open.
"Morning," she murmured, her voice raspy from sleep.
"Morning," I replied softly, my stomach twisting.
She looked at me, her brows furrowing as she read my expression. "You didn't sleep well, did you?"
I shook my head. "I... I need to talk to you about something."
Scarlett sat up, leaning against the headboard, her concern evident. "What's going on?"
I sat up too, pulling my knees to my chest. My heart was pounding, and my hands fidgeted with the hem of her sweatshirt. "It's about Brittany. What she said to me on Friday."
Scarlett's expression hardened slightly, though not at me. "What did she say?"
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to look at her. "She confronted me. Friday morning, before school started. She pulled me into her office and... she said she knows. About us."
Scarlett didn't say anything, but her jaw tightened, and I rushed to explain.
"She told me, and she didn't dance around it. She told me she was worried about me. About how much time I spend with you, about how it might look to other people. She said she was trying to protect me, but it felt more like a warning."
Scarlett exhaled sharply, running a hand through her hair. "I knew she suspected something, I mean she told me when she called me, but I didn't think she'd confront you about it."
"She did," I whispered. "And after the game, she said something else."
Scarlett's eyes locked onto mine, and I felt the tears welling up again.
"She told me I'm playing with fire," I said, my voice breaking. "That if people find out about us, it won't just ruin me—it'll ruin you. She said she was trying to protect both of us, but Scarlett, it didn't feel like that. It felt like she was trying to scare me out of this."
Scarlett's expression darkened, but her voice was calm when she spoke. "She had no right to do that. To put all of this on you."
"She said she cares about me," I said, my voice small. "That she sees me like a daughter. But it felt... I don't know. Like she was disappointed in me. Like I'm making this huge mistake by being with you."
Scarlett reached for my hand, her grip firm but comforting. "Sarah, listen to me. You're not making a mistake. What we have—this isn't wrong. It's complicated, yes, and not something everyone will understand, but it's not wrong."
"I don't know how to handle this," I admitted, tears spilling over. "I feel like I'm being torn in two. I care about you, Scarlett. I do. But Brittany—she's like a second mom to me. And now I feel like I'm letting her down just by being with you."
Scarlett's thumb brushed over my knuckles as she held my hand. "You're not letting anyone down, Sarah. You're allowed to be with who you want to be with. Brittany cares about you, and I'm sure she thinks she's doing the right thing, but this is your life. Not hers."
We sat there in silence for a moment, the weight of everything settling between us. Finally, Scarlett spoke again.
"We need to be more careful," she said, her voice steady. "Brittany isn't wrong about the risks. If people find out, it could cause problems—for both of us. But that doesn't mean we have to let fear control us."
I nodded, wiping at my cheeks. "I know. I just... I don't want to lose you."
"You're not going to lose me," Scarlett said firmly. "But we need to figure out how to navigate this. Together."
I looked at her, my heart aching with the love and fear tangled inside me. "How do we do that?"
Scarlett squeezed my hand. "We take it one step at a time. We keep things quiet and stay careful about where we go and who we're with. And we talk to each other. If something feels off, if you're feeling overwhelmed, you have to tell me. No more bottling things up, okay?"
"Okay," I whispered.
"And Sarah," she added, her voice softening, "if Brittany brings this up again, you don't have to handle it alone. You can tell me, and we'll figure out how to address it together."
Her words were like a balm to my frayed nerves. For the first time in days, I felt a glimmer of hope.
"I'm sorry," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "For everything. For the club, for not telling you sooner about Brittany. I was scared, and I didn't know how to handle it."
Scarlett pulled me into her arms, holding me tightly. "You don't have to apologize, Sarah. I know this isn't easy for you. But we'll get through it. Together."
I buried my face in her shoulder, letting her warmth and strength anchor me. "I care about you so much," I murmured.
"I care about you too," she said, her voice steady and sure.
We spent the rest of the day talking, hashing out how we could keep our relationship safe while still being honest with each other. Scarlett suggested small changes—being more mindful of how we acted around others, and keeping our interactions at school strictly professional—and I agreed.
It wasn't perfect, and the fear of being found out still lingered, but knowing Scarlett was by my side made it easier to face.
By the time evening rolled around, I felt lighter than I had in days. As we curled up on the couch together, watching some cheesy rom-com Scarlett had picked out, I realized that no matter what came our way, as long as we had each other, we'd be okay.