If Only For Tonight {GirlxGirl}

Goddess

I rode with my head bumping against the car window's cool glass. Rain pelted the Nissan as my older sister steered us through the raging storm to Costco. Why? Because we ran out of diapers, tampons, pads, and toilet paper. How? My autistic brother had teepeed our kitchen and dining room with everything.

"Why are you so depressed? Don't you like it here?" asked the 18 year old sitting by me.

"No," I answered in a dead voice.

"Why not?"

"Why should I?"

"Come on, Sarah," she sighed in an exasperated tone. We reached the parking lot of the looming superstore, and she turned to look at me as we waited for pedestrians to cross.

"You have no idea how hard it'll be for me to fit in at this school. It was bad enough at the other one." I answered while keeping my eyes away from hers.

"Why? Just because you're gay and I'm straight?" she threw her hands up angrily.

"No shit," I snapped.

"Listen to me Sarah; nobody at this school is going to treat you the way those people treated you at Lincoln," I frowned when she mentioned the high school we used to attend. She pulled into a parking spot that was unreasonably far from the entrance of Costco. "If they do, me and Tony can always take care of them for you," she added cheerily. The thought made me smile. My nice, beautiful sister beating someone up with my autistic older brother? They wouldn't stand a chance.

***

Ashley lazily trailed after her mother as she pushed a shopping cart full of barbecue supplies. As they passed a section, a Harry Potter book set caught her eye.

"Mom, may I please get this?" she asked politely, hoping to earn brownie points.

"No," her mom answered without looking up from her cell phone.

"But you didn't even look," Ashley whined.

"You haven't been very deserving of anything lately," she responded, her eyes still glued to the screen. The annoyed girl grunted, then placed the package in the cart anyways. She wouldn't even notice it, she thought to herself. As they waited in line for the checkout, Ashley noticed two girls walk in. One had straight, dark brown hair pulled into a sloppy ponytail and the other had hair that was bleached white cut in an emo/scene style. Both were soaking wet. The younger looking one who had the bleached hair rode a cart like a scooter; she held the handle and pushed with one foot while keeping the other on the bottom of the cart. The older girl chased after her, smiling and laughing. At least someone in this world has fun with their life she mentally sighed.

"What's this?" her mother asked from beside her. Allison jolted and looked guiltily over at her. "I said you couldn't get it-go put it back," she spat while thrusting the package into her hands. Allison silently took the package and sulkily dragged herself towards the electronics section.

As she was placing the books back in their place, she recognized familiarly white hair. It was the girl from before, who had been riding the cart. She was looking at video games, her eyebrows pulled into a frown as she chewed her lip in concentration. Ashley shook her head, then turned and walked back with her eyes glued to her slowly dragging feet. When she arrived by her mother's side, she stood awkwardly beside her as her mother talked to the woman behind her, who happened to be the girl with the white-haired girl she had seen at the electronics section.

"Honey, guess what? This young lady is going to your school this year! Isn't that nice?" her Mom smiled brightly while nudging her with an elbow. Ashley smiled politely and said, "Nice to meet you," she held out her hand, and the girl shook it. "I'm Ashley."

"Nice to meet you too, I'm Taylor." replied the older girl with a gentle smile.

"So, I was thinking that Taylor and her sister could come over for the party tomorrow," her mother butted in.

"Yeah, that'd be great if you could. It's a party for all the high schoolers, so they can meet new people and hang out with their friends and such." Ashley added routinely. She had gone through the process of asking people to the party since her mother had decided to throw a party.

"Well, I'll have to talk to my sister first," Taylor answered sheepishly.

"Talk to me about what?" the white-haired girl appeared out of nowhere with a stack of video games held under one arm.

"A party," Taylor answered as Ashley's mother gaped at the bleached hair matched with ripped black skinny jeans and scuffed shoes.

"Yes, would you like to come?" Ashley muttered shyly. The girl turned towards her, and she received a good look of what the mysterious white-haired girl really looked like.

Up close she was a marble statue of perfection. Her full, strawberry-pink lips were pulled into a slight smile, and her wide grey eyes glinted mischievously down at Ashley from behind her snowy bangs. Water droplets sparkled against the delicate curve of her porcelain neck like a necklace adorning a goddess.

"Sure, it doesn't sound too bad. Where is it?" Her voice brought Ashley's eyes back to her grinning face.

"Tomorrow, at my house. Um, if I could get your number, I could text you the address," she offered boldly.

"Okay," the girl smiled. "May I see your phone?" Ashley quickly searched her pockets, but couldn't find it.

"Oh sorry, I think I left it back at my house," she apologetically told her.

"That's fine,” the girl shrugged. "Would it be okay if I wrote it on your arm?"

"Yeah, sure," Ashley agreed and held her arm out in front of her. The girl stepped close and gently took Ashley's hand, pulling their bodies close together. A feeling of warmth spread from Ashley's hand, all the way up her arm and into her chest as the taller girl wrote seven digits on the inside of Ashley's forearm.

"By the way, my name's Sarah," she told her as she backed away and let go of Ashley's hand. The feeling of warmth slowly faded and Ashley replied, "I'm Ashley."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ashley," Sarah smiled wickedly. Ashley blushed, then turned to help her mother place their groceries onto the conveyor belt.

"I'll text you later tonight," Ashley said in farewell. Sarah smiled and waved goodbye. Once they were out of hearing range, Ashley's mother turned to her. "Did you see that girl? Oh my god, I can't believe you invited that Satanist."

"Mother, you shouldn't judge someone by their looks," Ashley sighed. Her mom acted as if she hadn't heard her speak, and they ran through the rain together.

***

"You like her, don't you?" Taylor whispered loudly in Sarah's ear once Ashley and her mother stepped through the entrance.

"She's cute," Sarah answered defensively.

"Told you this town isn't so bad," she chuckled.

"No, it might not be that bad," Sarah muttered to herself.