She lay in the grass as a light wind blew. The sky was dark and freckled with stars that blinked in and out. The moon illuminated the Moon Dew buds as they bloomed for the night. She loved coming out here, lying in this grass, and looking up at where she wished to be. Elena Vies loved her life, no doubt about that. She had a dad who was kind and loving. Her older brother was off at college now but had a girlfriend who treated Elena like a little sister.

Elena stayed there under the stars until she heard her father calling for her. She wished to stay out there under the stars but knew her father wouldn’t be too happy if she wasn’t home soon. Elena let out a long, deep sigh before standing up and running back up to the small house. It was the first night of summer vacation, so Elena and her father were at their grandparents' cabin at the lake.

“Elena? Is that you pickle? I can’t believe you actually came back in when I called.”

Her father called her by that cursed nickname from where he was down the hall.

“Yeah, dad. I just got back from some alone time.”

“Okay. It’s quite late, and we have a fun day ahead of us tomorrow. Get some sleep.”

“Will do. Goodnight.”

“‘Night, Elena.”

She went into the bathroom to wash her face and change. She stopped in front of the mirror and took in her caramel skin, raven-black hair, and blue eyes that seemed out of place considering her Cuban heritage. Elena’s father, Berto, had raised her on his own since her had mother died when she was three. Twelve years of just the two of them, eventually adding the dogs in the mix.

She admired her father after all the hardships they’d been through and always tried her best to help him when needed. Elena and Berto told each other almost everything. School, jobs, friends, and family were the main topics. Drama with friends, crazy events at school or work, and complaining about their Cuban family and how stuck up some of the tias were at family gatherings. One thing Elena never told her father about, or anyone for that matter, was the fact that she was gay. Elena liked girls, that was that. Her best friend knew, but that’s because he was gay himself and was her most trusted friend.

Elena shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and got ready for sleep. Climbing into her warm bed and under the thick blankets, she plugged in her phone and lay for a moment before her eyes drifted closed and she fell into a peaceful slumber.

Elena woke up to the smell of bacon and syrup. She threw her covers off and rolled out of bed. Stepping into her slippers, Elena made her way down the hall and to the kitchen where her father was flipping pancakes and stirring syrup on the stove.

“Morning, Papi.”

“Ah! Morning mija! Ready for some pancakes and bacon?”

She nodded and sat at the table while Berto placed food on a plate for her. He handed her some syrup in a gravy bowl and smiled.

“I didn’t know what else to put it in. Heh.”

Elena smiled and laughed a bit. The laugh turned into a yawn and she stretched out her tired muscles before eating. Birdy and Blink sat on the edge of the carpeted floor in the front room and watched Elena and Berto eat while drool pooled at their feet. Elena laughed some more and threw them each some bacon. They happily ate it and left the two alone for the time being.

After breakfast, Elena went back to her room and got dressed. Red flannel, black shirt, white ripped jeans, checkered vans, and a messy bun. It was summer, but that didn’t mean Elena was going to stop wearing jeans and flannels. It was her signature outfit, the colors, and styles of each clothing piece changing. She called out to her father as she went out the front door that she was biking into town to meet Isaac for the day.

“Just be back by curfew! Eleven pm!”

“Aiy, Papi! I know!”

She heard her father chuckle before the door shut completely. If you were going to town by car, it would take about five minutes to get there, but Elena was taking her new bike so it would take about ten minutes.

Today was a beautiful day, with a light breeze, a few clouds spotting the sky, and a bright summer sun warming her face. Birds were chirping, dogs were barking, Elena was smiling. She loved coming out here in the summers after her mom passed. It was a way for her and her dad to take a break from everything and relax. The vacation really helped, and Elena got to see Isaac each summer since he lived by the lake.

Elena finally arrived at ‘The Stoppe’, the only cafe in town. She parked her bike, locked it up, and made her way inside to the usual table. A waitress came and took her order; a large iced caramel frappe with whipped cream, and a blueberry muffin. Elena gratefully accepted the food when the lady had returned and got to work on the huge drink in front of her.

Just then, a girl walked into the cafe in blue jean shorts and an orange, thick-strapped tank top. The girl had light brown-blonde hair to the middle of her back, much shorter than Elena’s own. She seemed to be quite a few inches taller and had olive skin, which was light compared to Elena’s dark tan. The girl ordered and walked this way. Once she was closer, Elena could see bright green eyes look at her, and a smile flash across the girl’s face before she sat down at the table behind Elena. Elena thought she was absolutely gorgeous, but gave the girl a small smile in reply and looked down as a blush crept into her cheeks.

She felt weird sitting there by herself and wished Isaac would just hurry up. Finally, Elena decided to shoot a text to Isaac asking how much longer he’d be. He replied saying he wasn’t even in town right now. Elena would have to wait another hour for him.

“Ay, Dios Mio! That chico will be the death of me!”

Elena cursed Isaac quietly but not quiet enough, apparently, because the girl behind Elena giggled. She desperately hoped the girl was laughing at something else and got up to throw her muffin wrapper away. When she returned to her seat, the girl got up and it took Elena a moment to look up from her phone and see her standing next to the table.

“Hi. Can I help you?”

“Oh, no. I was just wondering if this seat was taken across from you?”

“My friend won’t be here for another hour or so. You can sit there... if you want.”

“Thanks!”

The girl sat and smiled at Elena. ‘Damn, that smile is gonna be the death of me.’ Elena thought as she smiled back slightly.

“My name is Piper. Nice to meet you.”

She stuck her hand out across the table. Elena shook it and introduced herself in return.

“I’m Elena. It’s nice to meet you as well. Are you from around here?”

“Yeah. I live right by the Vies Inn. The lady that owns it is awfully nice. Are you from here as well?”

“No. I come here in the summer to my abuelitas cabin by the lake. She owns the Vies Inn.”

Piper’s jaw dropped a bit at that and Elena couldn’t help but laugh.

“Your grandma is an amazing person. She bakes me pies around the holiday season.”

“Abuelita Mimi is great. My father and I come out here each June through mid-August to stay at her lake cabin. I get to see her and my friend Isaac.”

“Is Isaac the blonde haired, brown eyed hippie kid that tries to speak really bad Spanish all the time?”

“Yep. That would be my Isaac. He’s a nut, but he’s great fun. That’s who I’m waiting for, actually.”

“Oh. That’s great. I’ve had classes with the guy since I moved here in sixth grade. I’m sixteen now, gonna be a Junior this year, and I’m pretty sure that at this point, Isaac is deliberately getting our classes matched up.”

The two girls laughed and Elena looked at Piper’s green eyes that sparkled with happiness. She had fallen for this girl in under five minutes. Great.

They talked until Isaac finally arrived forty minutes later. Piper gave Elena her number and said she had to get going. Elena was a bit sad to have her go but bid her farewell. Once Piper had left, Isaac got punched in the shoulder and winced.

“Ow! What was that for, Elena!”

“That’s for leaving me waiting for an hour and a half.”

Then Elena handed him a muffin and his favorite drink that she had ordered a bit ago.

“What’s this for?”

“For leaving me waiting for an hour and a half.”

She laughed at his expression and sat back down at the table.

“I don’t get it. Are you mad or not?”

“I am, but I’m also kind of not. I met Piper and God is she pretty.”

“Piper? Piper Singh? Oh boy.”

“What? What’s wrong with Piper?”

“Nothing. Just that she’s straight, and you ain’t.”

“I don’t care about that. We’re just friends.”

“That’s what everyone says, my friend.”

Elena glared at Isaac and they continued talking about other things for a couple of hours. At five o’clock Isaac got a call from his mom to head home. The two friends said their goodbyes and Elena went over to the Vies Inn. She stayed and helped her abuelita out for the rest of the day.

Three weeks had passed since Elena and Piper met and the two were already very close. They went to the cafe with Isaac all the time, just sitting there and talking for hours on end. Berto let Piper stay the night quite a few times at the cabin. Birdy and Blink sure didn’t mind it. They ran and played with the girls in the hot afternoon sun or swam with them in the lake.

Elena showed Piper the Moon Dew buds as they bloomed at night. Piper would sit among them and smile at their beauty. Elena would sit a couple of feet away and smile at a different beauty. One thought had been running through Elena’s head the past couple days and she tried to push it down as far as possible, but it kept resurfacing. Her mind wanted to tell Piper how she felt, see if they could be anything more than friends. Elena knew it would be a bad idea since she didn’t live at the lake and it would be a ten-month wait until she and her father returned to the lake next summer. Yet, her mind fought over these thoughts every time Piper was around.

“Piper, I wanna show you something else before we have to go inside.”

Elena stood up and stuck out a hand for Piper to grab. She hoisted her friend up and led her around the lake to a patch of trees on the outskirts of the forest. There was a tree here, marked by the initials or Elena’s parents when they were her age. A tree house had been built in it and was Elena’s safe place when she had rough days or missed her mom too much.

They found the tree and Elena started up the wooden pegs drilled into the trunk. Once up, she turned, looked down through the now-open hatch at Piper and smiled.

“Come on up. It’s quite cozy if I do say so myself.”

Piper scoffed lightly and flashed that familiar, lovely smile. She clambered up and Elena shut the hatch after her. They ducked through the seven-year-old-Elena sized doorway and had to stay crouched with the short roof.

“I forget I’m not a small little girl sometimes. Maybe Papi and I can renovate next summer.”

The two girls sat down on beanbags and Elena opened the window doors so they could see the stars. She turned on the playlist they had made together and let it play in the background.

“This is a nice place, Elena. I like it.”

“I’m glad you do. Oh! I almost forgot!”

Elena stood up, forgetting her surroundings, and hit her head on the roof before opened a hatch in the roof and pulling a rope ladder down. Rubbing her head where she hit it, she smiled down at Piper.

“We added this last summer, Isaac, and I. He had taken a woodshop class during his Sophomore year and after getting the supplies, we spent all of last June building this. Come on and look.”

They climbed once more and when Piper got up through the shaft, her jaw dropped in amazement. There was a clearing in the leaves that allowed a perfect view of the starry night sky.

“Elena! This is beautiful! Oh my God…”

“I know.”

Elena laid back, one arm behind her head, the other on her stomach, while her knees were up. Piper copied the position and the girls let the music play as stars blinked into and out of existence before them.

“I’ve always wanted to be up there. With the stars and silence.”

“Like, an astronaut?”

“No. I just wanna be there. Away from my problems and pain. Still alive, but free. Papi said that Mami wanted the same things. To escape and be with the stars in all their mystery.”

“That sounds like it would be nice, but lonely, too. Wouldn't you want someone to be there with you?”

“Yeah. But I don’t know who. No one shares the same wishes as me.”

“I do.”

Elena sat up and looked at Piper, who had a peaceful look in her eyes. She could see emotion in her emerald eyes, but couldn’t place her finger on what it was. Piper sat up and looked into Elena’s eyes.

“If we could, I’d stay with you in the stars, down on Earth, wherever. As long as I’m with you, I couldn’t care less.”

Elena’s breath caught in her throat as Piper spoke softly.

“Th...That would be nice, wouldn’t it? You and I among the stars with no worries or cares.”

“Kind of like now.”

Piper scooted closer to Elena and moved her hand to brush dark hair away from Elena’s eyes. Elena could feel her cheek turn red under the warmth of Piper’s hand.

“Piper..?”

Piper leaned closer and their lips were mere inches apart when Berto called up from the ground.

“Elena! Piper! If you’re up there, we’re gonna be late for dinner! Vamos chicas!”

As he said Elena’s name, the girls startled apart and their faces grew equally red. The tension was still thick in the air as they made their way down the tree. No eye contact was made or words spoken between the two friends as they drove to meet Elena’s abuelita at The Stoppe.

Elena glanced at Piper as they walked into the cafe and saw her staring at the ground. As they all passed the restrooms, Piper muttered an excuse and went in. Elena frowned a bit at her abrupt absence but joined her father and grandmother at a booth. After ordering drinks, Berto asked Elena to go check on Piper. She obeyed and made her way inside to her friend.

After checking four stalls, all vacant and open, Elena came to that last one, which was locked. She knocked lightly on the door and heard sniffling from the other side.

“Piper? Are you okay?”

When she spoke, she heard Piper catch her breath before letting it out shakily.

“Uh. Yeah. I’m fine, Elena. You should go back out there with your family. I’ll be out soon.”

She considered doing just that, but instead, checked under the door to see where Piper was. She was on the floor in the corner, so Elena went into the stall one over and climbed over the wall into Piper’s stall. She almost fell but caught herself with her hands on a vent in the wall and her feet on the handicap person bar. She went over to Piper and sat down in front of her.

“You do know this floor is most likely very unsanitary?”

Piper laughed a little at that and sniffled some more before looking up at Elena, still not completely meeting her eyes. She wiped her faces with her sleeve and laughed some more.

“Why were you crying? Is it something I did? Or something else?”

“It’s stupid. I don’t...don’t wanna talk about it. Not now. Not with you.”

Elena felt a bit hurt at the last part, but nodded and motioned for Piper to get up. She cleaned herself up before they both went to the booth.

“All good?” Berto asked.

Piper smiled, “All good.”

Dinner was light-hearted and happy with everyone joking and enjoying the cafe dinner menu. Abuelita Vies talked about new renovations on the Inn. Berto talked about fishing at the lake this weekend. Piper and Elena talked about the Moon Dew buds and how amazing they were at night. Despite already being dark when they arrived at The Stoppe, it seems to be even darker when they left around nine. The stars seemed just as bright, and the moon was steadily rising in the night sky.

“Piper,” Berto started once they were in the car, “would you like to stay over again tonight? I have to go to the town over for some errands early in the morning and will be gone most the afternoon. The house would be free to you girls.”

“Oh, no, Mr. Vies. I’m fine with just heading home.”

“Are you sure? I got popcorn and movies for you guys.”

“Um, sure. You know what, I’ll come. It can’t hurt, right?”

Piper said that last question in Elena’s direction, but she stayed silent as her father smiled.

“Perfect! I know Elena enjoys your company.”

That night, Elena tried to get the pull out bed to come out of the couch but found a broken bar that stopped it. Piper usually slept on it while Elena took the large couch.

“Well, I can just sleep on the couch and you take your own bed.”

“Or the other way around?”

The night had still been awkward since the tree and Elena had tried texting Isaac to tell him and get some advice. He hadn’t answered or returned her few calls. It was unusual, but Elena brushed it off.

Berto came into the front room with popcorn and sodas.

“You both can sleep in Elena’s bed. I know for a fact it’s big enough. Her and Isaac fit in it, and Isaac is a giant.”

“Not funny, Papi. That could work though. If it’s okay with Piper…”

“That’s….fine with me.”

Piper seemed timid to Elena but she didn't try asking her about it. They all settled in and watched two movies before Elena’s father snored loudly, making the girls laugh as they covered him up and went to the bedroom. Elena left Piper in the room to change and took herself to the bathroom to get ready.

She stood in front of the mirror, just as she had every night, but felt different this time. Her blue eyes were still bright, her raven black hair still sleek and tied up in a messy bun that had grown messier throughout the day. Her caramel skin was clean and clear. If she looked beyond all that, she could see stress, worry, and exhaustion creasing her brow and weighing her shoulders down. Elena was stressed about the night's events and her feelings for Piper which seemed to be returned in some way. She was worried things between them were wrong now after the treehouse. She was exhausted by herself and every thought running around her head all the time.

Elena finished getting dressed and brushed her teeth before knocking on her door to make sure Piper was done. After confirming yes, Elena entered and shut the door behind her. She went to the closet and pulled out a couple of extra pillows and blankets. Setting them down on the bed next to Piper, who was on her phone trying to avoid Elena’s gaze, she turned to the TV on her dresser and turned on a late night show. Piper had made a small barrier of blankets between the girls once Elena had sat down. Elena didn’t mind it because her and Isaac used to do it. They laid down and with the TV quietly going in the background, they drifted restlessly off to sleep.

In the morning, Elena woke up and felt a weight on her chest. She looked down and saw Piper’s head resting there.

“Well, this is great.”

Piper started to stir and Elena stopped talking. She grabbed her phone off the bedside table and tried Isaac again. She opened up her messages and saw twenty texts from a random number. Elena read through the first few which introduced the guy who was texting. Jonathan was a friend of Isaac’s...been trying to get ahold of Elena all night...Isaac is nowhere to be found...they found him…Elena shot up in the bed startling Piper awake.

“Elena? What’s wrong?”

“Isaac. He’s….he’s…”

Tears were forming in her eyes. Her breathing was speeding up. She rushed around the room looking for clothes and shoes. Piper looked worried as she got up and got dressed as well. Before she could head out the bedroom door, Piper grabbed Elena’s arm and spun her around to face her.

“Elena! What’s got you so worked up about Isaac?”

“He’s in the hospital because he was hit by a damn car. It’s why he hasn’t answered his phone. Ay Dios Mio! I’m so stupid!”

“No, you’re not. You couldn’t have known. Let’s go see him.”

Elena nodded as more tears fell. Piper pulled her in for a tight hug and let the tears fall on her shoulder. After a few minutes, they pulled away and Elena smiled at Piper as she wiped her face. Piper smiled back and they exited the front door to find a pickup sitting idle in the driveway. A guy about their age leaned out the driver side window.

“I’m Jonathan. Get in.”

Piper and Elena loaded up in the cab of the truck and then Jonathan took off down the road towards the hospital. Trees and buildings blurred by outside the window. Elena let tears fall one more and Piper put her arm around her friend and pulled her closer. Elena’s head rested on Piper’s shoulder and she relaxed just a little.

They pulled into the parking lot and the three of them rushed inside to the front desk where a lady directed them to Isaac’s room, and then up seven floors in an elevator. Elena quietly entered Isaac’s room and stepped out of the way for some nurses who nodded slightly at their group. Elena sat down in a chair next to the bed.

“Isaac? Hey, man, it’s Elena. I’m here.”

His eyes opened slowly and he groaned as his head turned to Elena.

“Hey. Fancy seeing you here.”

His voice was weak, but he still managed to stay light about the situation.

“I don’t want to take too much time away from your resting, so I just wanna ask one thing. How’d this happen?”

“I was...riding my bike...saw a car coming...it swerved off the road...bright lights, pain, darkness. Then I woke...up here.”

Elena could tell he was straining to talk, so she kissed his hand and moved for Jonathan.

“Hey.”

Elena heard Isaac weakly welcome Jonathan before she walked out, Piper in tow.

“Elena? Are you okay?”

Elena had sat in a chair, head in her hands.

“No. I’m really not. The chart at the end of his bed said he had a surgery scheduled this evening for removing shrapnel from the headlights. What if something goes wrong? What if I lose my best friend?”

Piper crouched down in front of Elena and grabbed her hands. Tears were once more running rivers down her cheeks and falling onto her legs.

“These doctors and surgeons are amazing. They’ll get the pieces out safely. It’s their job.”

“I know this. I know he’ll be okay, but I’m still worried about him.”

“You have every right to be. Now, let’s go get Jonathan and some food. Isaac can rest for now. Okay?”

Piper stood up and pulled Elena with her. They went back into the room where Jonathan was sitting in a chair on his phone. Isaac seemed to be sleeping as peacefully as he could. Suddenly, the heart monitor next to the bed started beeping faster. Isaac started shaking slightly, twitching before it turned into violent convulsions that shook the bed and medical equipment.

Jonathan and Piper ran into the hall yelling for nurses to help. Elena stood there, watching everything unfold in slow motion. Isaac’s movements. Nurses rushing passed her. Piper and Jonathan grabbing her arms and leading her out of the room as more nurses rushed in and tried to stabilize her friend. Elena sat numbly in a chair as Isaac was wheeled out of his room on a bed with tons of nurses around his still body. Jonathan stopped a doctor and was told Isaac’s surgery was happening now instead of tonight. If it didn’t, he’d die.

Those words brought Elena back into the moment. Sounds came crashing back into her ears. People were going by at a normal pace. She could still hear her heart beating and her heavy breathing, but it was now muffled by her surroundings. She felt Piper’s hand on hers and looked over to see Piper’s green eyes filled with worry and concern. She was looking at Elena with those emotions. Piper was concerned for Elena and worried as to how her friend would respond in this moment.

“Jonathan,” Elena’s voice came out as a croak. “I’d like to go home now, please.”

“Uh, sure thing. Come on.”

Elena let go of Piper and followed Jonathan. Piper followed, but at a distance now. They loaded back up and silently drove back to the cabin. Once there, Elena mumbled thanks and went inside. Jonathan stopped Piper as she got out.

“I may not know you guys too well, but look after her. For Isaac. She’s got bad thoughts running in her head right now. I know because I’ve been there before, and almost went there today. I have faith he’ll be okay, but Elena needs someone to help her have faith. I’ll come back the second we get any word.”

“Thank you, Jonathan. We really appreciate the ride and being there with us. Drive safe, see you later.”

He nodded and Piper shut the truck door before going inside. She looked for Elena but had no luck finding her in the cabin. Piper went down to the lake, nothing. The Moon Dew field, empty. She decided to try the treehouse and had better luck finding Elena in the low-roofed structure.

“Piper, you can head home now, if you want. There’s no point in you being here at the moment.”

Piper was a bit hurt at those words but brushed it off as Elena being upset.

“I’m not leaving you. You know this, Elena. I’m here for you.”

“I can’t have you here though. That’s what I’m saying.”

Elena couldn’t believe what was coming out of her mouth. Her head was rested on her raised knees that were being hugged close to her by her arms. She was crying and wouldn’t look up to face Piper, who had sat across from her.

“Why can’t I be here? There’s nothing wrong with it, is there?”

“Because with the state of mind I’m in, I could end up saying something that could hurt you. And I don’t wanna hurt you because…”

“Because what, Elena?”

She raised her head to look Piper in the eye. She tried to stop the next words that came out of her mouth but failed.

“...because I love you! Okay? Is that what you want me to say?”

“You..you do? Elena...I..”

“No... I’ve been torn since last night up on the platform. Dios, you almost kissed me! Then you shut down and wouldn't talk to me. I thought the feelings had finally been returned, even if you didn’t know I liked you. But then I thought it was just a spur of the moment thing because I’m estupida like that. Then you turned around today and treated me like you had before last night.”

“I treated you like that because I realized my mistake! I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you in the tree because I felt embarrassed when your dad called for us. I thought you didn’t like me that way and I felt horrible about it. And you are not stupid. I sent confusing signals and I’m sorry.”

“I don’t care how sorry you are. You made me feel like I wasn’t good enough for you to actually try anything with. Like we were only supposed to be friends. Right now, however, I need you to go.”

“Elena. Please. I’m here to make sure you’re okay. That you’re safe.”

“What the hell am I gonna do, kill myself? Like anyone would care, let alone you.”

Piper flinched at Elena’s tone. Tears began to well in her eyes and she hurried out of the tree. She walked briskly to her bike and rode off towards town. Elena let her head fall back hard against the wooden wall as her body was racked with sobs. She messed up big time, but there was no fixing it right now.

Piper stormed off towards her bike and raced off down the road back to town. Tears streamed down her face and were blown away by the wind. She was torn. Heartbroken. Hurt. Elena just pushed her away because Piper had been too afraid to show her feelings. That night on the platform had felt magical and heavenly. She had seized the moment, but it’d been the wrong moment in the end. The town came into view as more thoughts swirled through her head, and tears flowed freely. She raced to her house by the Inn, up the stairs, and into her bedroom. Locking the door, she slid against the wall and hugged herself as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Of course I would care if she did that! Why the hell would she think otherwise? She said she loved me… I love her, but it’s too late for that now. More thoughts and tears stayed with Piper late into the night. She got a call from Jonathan at two o’clock in the morning while she was lying in bed, still crying every now and again.

“Hello? What’s the news with Isaac?”

“The surgery was a success even with a rushed start. Every shrapnel piece is out, he’s stitched up, and resting back in the same room. It’s actually been about six hours since the surgery, but they wanted him to rest enough for us to see him.”

“Okay, great. Um, I’m close to the hospital now, I’ll head there. Call Elena and tell her.”

“You aren’t with her?”

“Uh, no. We got into a fight and I left.”

“Okay. I’ll get ahold of her. See you soon.”

“See ya.”

Elena got off the phone with Jonathan and finally got down from the tree. She had missed lunch, her father coming home, and dinner. She hadn’t left the tree even once. Feeling too numb and horrible to move or do anything. Elena knew Piper would be at the hospital but didn't care. She had to see Isaac.

Telling her father she had just been with Piper all day and stopped by to catch him up on Isaac, Elena grabbed a jacket and waited for Jonathan. He arrived soon thereafter and they got to the hospital, back in Isaac’s room, very quickly. Piper was sitting in a chair in the corner of the room watching Isaac when the other two walked in. The girls avoided each other’s eyes while Jonathan rushed to Isaac’s bedside chair and grabbed his hand.

“Hey man. We’re back, Elena and Piper and me. How are you doing?”

“I don’t have metal stabbing my insides anymore, so that’s a plus.”

“That’s great, and I see your humor hasn’t faded.”

“Yeah. Oh! Hola chica Elena.”

Elena rolled her eyes and laughed at Isaac’s Spanish. He emphasized the ‘h’ in hola, and used a softer ‘i’ in chica. So he basically said ‘hole-ah’ and ‘chicka’. Elena moved closer to Isaac and he had her lean a bit closer.

“What’s up with Piper?”

He said it quiet enough that Elena wasn’t sure if Piper heard or not.

“I was a dick to her and now we aren’t exactly talking at the moment.”

“Try talking to her after you’re through with me. You guys are close and don’t need to ignore each other like this. It’s weird not seeing you two side by side and smiling. Fix things, Elena.”

“And here I thought you were the one in need of help, not me.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know I’m amazing.”

“Just get better quick. I’ve gotta start teaching you correct Spanish.”

Isaac winked at Elena and she stepped back to let the other two talk to him. Piper went first and Elena slipped out the door and went to the vending machines. After getting a juice and some crackers she walked around the halls, sticking close to Isaac’s room so she didn’t get lost. Elena heard footsteps behind her after she passed Isaac’s room the second time and turned around only to come face to face with Piper. Face to face meaning their faces were mere inches apart, despite Piper’s slight height advantage.

The tension was once again thick in the air around them. Neither one broke eye contact until a door shut behind them and they collectively let out breaths they didn’t know were being held in. Elena started down the hall to the elevator and beckoned for Piper to follow. They slowly rode down to the front entrance and made their way to where Piper’s bike was chained.

“Piper…I’m sorry for everything I said in the treehouse. I wasn’t in my right mind and I let my emotions speak for me.”

“It’s fine, Elena. I know you didn’t mean any of it.”

“That’s the thing; I did mean some of it.”

The tension returned, heavier than it had ever been. Piper unchained her bike and they walked down the sidewalk in silence.

“Where are we going? I wasn’t done talking, ya know?”

“I know. We’re going to the Moon Dew fields. I feel calmer there and it’s more...private.”

Elena didn’t say anything more as they began the long walk back to the cabin.

The Moon Dew fields were especially bright tonight. The moon itself was nowhere to be seen, but the stars were bright. Piper sat down in the usual spot and Elena sat across from her.

“Piper, I…”

“I love you, Elena. I’m in love with you. I have been since the third time we went to the cafe. You spilled coffee over yourself and got so flustered. I thought it was adorable.”

Elena’s jaw dropped just a tad at Piper’s words. She couldn’t form coherent words, just quite noises of disbelief and joy.

Piper laughed at her reaction and Elena caved in at the sound. She closed the distance between them and before Piper could register what was happening, Elena’s lips crashed onto hers. Putting her hands around the back of Elena’s neck, Piper pulled their bodies closer together and kissed back with all the desire she’d been holding in during the past weeks.

Elena pulled away and the girls caught their breaths. Blushing and smiling, they sat together in the Moon Dew fields looking up at the night sky.

“Piper?”

“Yes, Elena?”

“I love you too. And I finally feel like I’ve found the peace and happiness my mom wanted to find up there, between the stars.