Pink City

Chapter 17

"Maybe everyone out there is a liar. And maybe the whole world is stupid, and ignorant. But I'd rather be in it. I'd rather be fucking in it, than down here with you."

"Girl, Interrupted" was playing full volume on Lily's cheap flat screen, her and Britnee lying beside each other on the couch. A pillow was jammed between them in order to prevent any unnecessary touching, and strangely enough, Britnee was in tears.

"I fucking hate this movie." Britnee sniveled, grabbing a paper towel from a nearby roll and dabbing at her eyes. Lily simply stared in shock.

"You? Crying at a movie? You're like, the last person I'd imagine to do that." Lily remarked.

"Lily, do you know why giraffes have long necks?"

Lily frowned in bewilderment. "Why?"

"They evolved. They had to change to better suit their environment, or they would die off. This... sassy act I put on... I do it to better suit my environment. You can see how that has worked out..."

Lily turned off the movie, now fully engaged.

"When I was a teenager, I was a dumb little thing. I listened to everyone who would show me an ounce of affection. This led to some... harrowing events." Britnee chuckled sadly.

"You're like a blowfish." Lily interjected.

"What?"

"You're like a blowfish. You try to make yourself look more intimidating so that people don't try to hurt you, right?"

"Kind of, yeah." Britnee blushed. "Shit, I probably wasn't supposed to say that."

"I won't tell a soul." Lily swore. Britnee smiled in return.

"Thank you, Lily. That means a lot."

When Britnee left the apartment not fifteen minutes later, Lily heard a brisk rap on the door, and skipped over to answer it, vaguely wondering about its source.

Britnee must've left her phone or something on the ottoman, Lily thought to herself before flinging the door open. She was deathly wrong.

The familiar woman who was standing outside her doorway had cornflower blue eyes, blonde hair done up in faux box braids that reached down to her stomach, and a grade-A smile that Lily could recognize anywhere.

It was Daphne.

Daphne was holding a pink hydrangea bouquet at her chest nervously, carefully grasping at the iridescent cellophane which wrapped it. Her blue puppy eyes immediately lit up upon eye contact, and she tilted her head awkwardly at Lily.

"Hey, Lily..." Daphne stammered. "May I come in?"

Lily now had three options; one, to forgive Daphne, two, to berate her and kick her out, and three, to see what the hell this was all about. Obviously, she chose three.

"Daphne, why are you here?" Lily prodded, trying her best to keep her tone mature.

"I came here to... apologize. I wanted to start over. Here, I brought flowers." Daphne handed the hydrangeas over to Lily. Lily accepted them, but with apprehension. Given this gift was from Daphne, she might as well have been holding a bomb.

"Thank you..." Lily said, reaching over to put the flowers on a nearby shelf. "May I ask why you want to apologize now, after all this time?" She jeered sardonically.

"Because, Lily. I think we're meant to be." Daphne leaned farther towards Lily, presumably for a kiss, but Lily brushed her off.

"Daphne, if there's one thing that we aren't, it's that we're MEANT TO BE. You're a straight woman."

"Wow. You clearly know nothing about me." Daphne flung her braids over her shoulder defensively. "How do you know I'm straight? Is it because I don't have a lesbo, clipper-cut hairstyle like you?"

"You're right, I wouldn't know. But Aiko would."

All the blood in Daphne's body rushed to her face, and as she fanned herself off, Lily noticed that her skin was now pig-color. She tried her hardest to conceal her abhorrence.

"Aiko told you...?"

"And what about Nept- that poor SEENCH? You turned everyone against an innocent person because you wanted to cheat and get away with it. You know, they still have trauma from that stunt you pulled."

"BOYS DON'T GET TRAUMA FROM-" Daphne stopped to take a deep breath. "Lily, it was some washed-up SEENCH who was feeding on any attention he could receive. He clung to you like a puppy for a reason."

"You know what?" Lily huffed. "Go ask them, then."

"Ask them what?"

"I'll make a deal." Lily said adamantly. "If Neptune forgives you, then I will too. This decision isn't up to me, after all."

"Excuse me?" Daphne shrieked, flabbergasted. "How is that fair? Why are you leaving our relationship in the HANDS of some petty-"

"Take it or leave it." Lily smiled to herself. "Their address is 135 Pickdale Avenue."

When Daphne drove off, her face was red with her indignance and her GPS was on; Neptune's address highlighted in bold, electronic letters.