The Rise of Lydia Rowe ↠ Jasper Hale (ON HOLD)

[2.12] reconciliation

LYDIA STRONGLY DISLIKED CONFRONTATION. No, that was putting it too nicely—she hated confrontation, especially the one-on-one variety. But it had been almost a month, and Lydia missed her best friend. 

Gwen had been avoiding Lydia since her "death." It was obvious—she made up excuses whenever Lydia asked to hang out, answered with only a few words whenever Lydia tried to talk to her. She managed to avoid Lydia in the hallways and disappeared during lunch. Lydia couldn't say she blamed the girl, not after she witnessed Lydia's death and consequent rebirth, but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt.

Finally, after days of trying and failing, she managed to catch up to her best friend in the parking lot after school. "Gwen, can we please talk?"

Gwen stopped, her back still to Lydia. "About what?" she asked quietly as Lydia drew closer. Lydia knew she was whispering, but, according to Adam and her own experience, her hearing was far more advanced than before. All of her senses were, in fact.

"Maybe we can start with why you've been avoiding me?" Lydia suggested, her voice more sad than accusatory. She wasn't angry with Gwen—she doubted she even could be. There was a quality about the blonde that seemed to make hating her impossible, though that may have just been Lydia. 

She missed her best friend, even when they were in the same room.

Gwen turned around slowly. "I'm not—" Gwen started to protest, but she finally met Lydia's eyes, and her argument faltered on her tongue.

"Is this about what happened to me?" Lydia asked softly.

Gwen opened her mouth, seeming to search for the right words to convey how she felt. She looked around at the mostly empty parking lot, seeming to gauge how likely they were to be overheard. Despite the lack of people within earshot, Gwen still lowered her voice as she said, "You died, Lydia. I watched you die."

"I know," Lydia murmured. "And I'm sorry—"

"You died, and you're sorry?" Gwen asked, her tone exasperated but not entirely shocked. "I'm not—I'm not mad at you for dying, Lydia. I'm not mad at all, I just... It scared me. A lot." She blinked quickly for a second, which Lydia knew meant she was on the verge of tears. It made her heart hurt. "I lost you, Lydia. And then you came back and I... I didn't know how to handle it. I still don't."

Lydia let out a soft breath. "Gwen, I had no idea this was going to happen," she said quietly. "If I had known—"

"You would have kept me in the dark," Gwen murmured. Before Lydia could protest, Gwen shook her head. "It's what I would have done, probably. But I... I guess I'm glad, in a way. That I was there. That I... I know." She met Lydia's eyes, her blue eyes glassy with tears. "You're my best friend, Lydia. And this whole month, all I've been able to think about is what you must be going through. I mean, from the looks of it, you'll be eighteen forever, like your uncle, and that... that's terrifying. Right?"

Lydia nodded softly. "Yeah," she whispered.

Gwen let out a long, quiet exhale. "I'm sorry I got so weird," she said softly. "I'm sorry for avoiding you, I just... needed time to think. About everything."

"And?" Lydia asked. "Do you still need time?"

Gwen looked up at Lydia with her sad eyes. She shook her head, closing the distance between them and throwing her arms around Lydia's waist, hugging her tightly. Lydia hadn't realized there were tears in her own eyes until they were falling down her cheeks, landing on Gwen's shoulder. "I'm here," Gwen murmured against Lydia's shoulder. "And I'm not going anywhere. Not again."

"Promise?" Lydia whispered. 

"Cross my heart," Gwen murmured. 

✦✧✦✧✦✧✦✧