[hr][hr][center][img]https://img.roleplayerguild.com/prod/users/019bd988-e9e4-711c-8c1c-803c6aff20a3.webp[/img][/center][hr][hr] Back at Margaret Carter, Leah sat in her dorm. Everyone was winding down from the contest, the general chaos of the aftermath, and the sudden buzz about them. Leah didn’t care much for it, being around that many people [i]and[/i] the center of attention. She had more important things to worry about. Like, for example, the mental well-being of her ex and childhood friend. She texted April. [hider=@April] [color=ffcb00]Earthbender: hey. are you busy [/color] [/hider] April was currently splayed out on her bed in New Orleans, tossing a small ball of water up and down, up and down, up and down, as she stared up at the ceiling. Her phone buzzed and she rolled over, grabbing it and squinting to see who the SuperLink message was from. [i]Leah[/i]. She still got butterflies whenever she texted. And a little bit of dread. They hadn’t really talked since… well, since the contest. And even then, they hadn’t gotten to spend any time alone. She regretted that. She missed the way things had been, before they’d gotten so complicated and messy and real. She missed her friend. [hider=@Leah][color=42A9FF]RainieDays15: nope!!! 🤩🤩🤩 whats up???? are u at shulkies place yet??? u gotta tell me if u find evidence of spidey there!!![/color][/hider] [hider=@April] [color=ffcb00]Earthbender: no just some other lawyer guy. im still at mci for a few days. Earthbender: can we holo. wanted to talk soonr but everthinf happened Earthbender: also hansd [/color] [/hider] Hands? April tilted her head, trying to decipher the meaning - and then it hit her smack in the face. [i]Hands[/i]. Leah’s hands were too big for her phone’s keyboard. She felt like such an idiot. She quickly sat up in her bed, running a quick hand through her hair to make sure it wasn’t too scruffy, and she grabbed one of her pillows to hug to her chest as they talked. And then, she opened up her phone camera, quickly ensured she had nothing in her teeth, and hit the holo call option. Leah [i]did[/i] look a bit scruffy. But she always did. The little hologram of Leah appeared on her phone in brassy orange, slightly buggy from the way cameras didn’t seem to like her. [color=ffcb00]”Hey. Been a minute, hasn’t it?”[/color] April couldn’t help but grin like a fool as Leah came into view. They used to holo more often during breaks - and text, too, back when that hadn’t been an issue. She’d missed this. [color=42A9FF]“I know, it’s fucking wild, right? I feel like we just started our junior year and it’s winter break already?? Absolutely insane.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Yeah. [i]Yeah.[/i] It feels like just a few days ago, I met Andy and tried to pick up Mjolnir. Now we’re basically real superheroes, almost. What the hell happened, right?”[/color] It really did feel like a blur with all that training to beat the Young Avengers. [color=42A9FF]“Exactly! Gods, I’d forgotten about that at the carnival - Dorian’s birthday was good but yikes… I was such a mess,”[/color] she grimaced slightly. She’d spent so much of the fall semester being unhappy, letting her misery eat her alive rather than doing anything about it until she couldn’t take it anymore and she exploded. [color=42A9FF]“And not only are we kinda superheroes, but we’re famous too? I had to private all of my accounts, the attention was too much. I don’t get how Danni and Dori and Sabine manage it all.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Well… I don’t even [i]have[/i] accounts.”[/color] She sat up, balancing her phone in her lap. [color=ffcb00]”Used to be scared to death my dad could use that to find me. And now no one’s blowing my phone up for autographs and brand deals. Not being plugged in is good, you should try it, sometime.”[/color] April raised an eyebrow. [color=42A9FF]“Do you want me to try it now by hanging up on you?”[/color] she teased. [color=ffcb00]”Would you?”[/color] She twirled her finger around in the air, and slowly moved it towards her phone, ensuring that Leah could see her approaching the [i]end call[/i] button. [color=ffcb00]”Okay, okay, point taken. You got me. I’m just saying, though… I’d go crazy having that many people pay attention to me.”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“You used to like it,”[/color] April poked. [color=ffcb00]”What, having everyone on the planet know me?”[/color] April rolled her eyes. [color=42A9FF]“Uh huh.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”...Since when? Wait, you’re joking. [i]Wait a minute.[i] Hey! What do you mean I [i]used[/i] to?!”[/color] Now she understood. [color=ffcb00]”I still like talking to you!”[/color] A wild grin went on her face, and April started cackling. She loved Leah. But she loved teasing her playfully even more. [color=42A9FF]“Suuure you do, that’s why I haven’t had a holo call from you in aaaages.”[/color] She stuck out her tongue. [color=ffcb00]”Yeah, well…”[/color] Her face felt warm. [color=ffcb00]”Everything happened. And we’ve been busy and we had the Contest and… And you had CAGE and they didn’t let you have your phone. And then- Yeah.”[/color] There just wasn’t much time for them to sit down and talk, lately. [color=ffcb00]”You didn’t call me either.”[/color] The smile vanished from April’s face, as the mood suddenly shifted. A blur of images flashed through her head - of that night at the pool, when she’d considered ending it all - the ambulance ride to CAGE - crashing out in front of Dr. Whitehall - breaking up with her girlfriends. The shame sat heavy in her chest. She opened her mouth for a second, wanting to excuse herself from this, to say that she hadn’t thought Leah would want her to call, but it would have been a lie. The truth was harder to face. She looked down at her hands. [color=42A9FF]“I thought you’d be upset with me,”[/color] April admitted. [color=42A9FF]“Or maybe I was just upset with myself. And the longer it got to be… the worse I felt about not reaching out.”[/color] Oh. [color=ffcb00]”I… Thought you were upset with [i]me.”[/i][/color] [color=42A9FF]“... What? Why… why would I be upset with you?”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Because you were in a bad place, and we were [i]dating[/i] and I still had no idea. I didn’t know you were in that much pain, and you’re my best friend. I thought I was the problem.”[/color] April blinked, and swallowed. Somehow, this conversation was always the hardest one - even harder than admitting to Dr. Whitehall that she needed help. Telling people why she had hidden it all from them, it hurt. She hated it. She hated confronting the ramifications of her choice - and hated herself even more for knowing how much worse it would have been if she had died. That night, she thought everyone would have been better off without her around. But all she had really done was make things worse. [color=42A9FF]“No, no, no - you weren’t the problem. No one was but… well, me,”[/color] she paused, and took a deep breath, trying to steady herself. [color=42A9FF]“I - I thought everyone would be better off without me. I hated myself so much that I thought everyone else did too… I think I still hate myself, sometimes.”[/color] Leah could’ve been fine with April telling her that she was just so emotionally inept that it hurt being around her. But what she actually said was worse. [color=ffcb00]”I’d never hate you, April. Ever, okay?”[/color] And she meant that. [color=ffcb00]”You can say a lot of dumb things, do something really stupid, and it wouldn’t be enough to make me hate you.”[/color] She blinked again. Took another deep breath. Shifted so she was sitting on the palms of her hands. Anything she could do to try to keep herself from shattering, from falling to pieces in front of her ex-girlfriend - in front of her friend. [color=42A9FF]“I - I… I was a fucking terrible girlfriend to you. I’m not - I’m not as compassionate as Sabine, or as comfortable with my body, or as attentive. And I’m not - I’m not even a good friend to you now, you said it yourself, I didn’t call you,”[/color] she shut her eyes tightly. [color=42A9FF]“I kissed Sabine twice after the breakup and I don’t even know why. I’m a [i]mess[/i]. If you don’t hate me, then you should. You have every right to. I’m… I’m a monster, Leah. I’m a fuck up. The literal crazy ex-girlfriend.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Hey, no!”[/color] She leaned forward, and the hologram of her flickered. [color=ffcb00]”That- No, April. [i]No![/i] You’re not…”[/color] God, she couldn’t even articulate how that made her feel. She noticed she was stammering a lot, lately. [color=ffcb00]”Damnit, April fucking Kingston fucking Gray. You are not, never have been, and never will [i]be[/i] a fuckup!”[/color] She shouted. [color=ffcb00]”You’re the nicest person I’ve ever met, I don’t remember a time when I [i]didn’t[/i] have crazy, dumb, messy, [i]complicated[/i] feelings about you, okay? You’re- If you were here, right in front of me, I’d hold onto you and not let you go for [i]hours![/i] I would’ve flown off back into the desert by now if it weren’t for you.”[/color] Her chest and face felt hot. Her hands were jittery. [color=ffcb00]”I still love you, and I always did.”[/color] April’s entire body shook, and she couldn’t stop the tears from falling. She wished that Leah was here - that she wasn’t on the other side of the country right now. She wanted to curl up into her and be the little spoon, just like they used to. Hearing that Leah wanted to hold her, that she was the nicest person she knew, that she still loved her… It hurt. It hurt so much. [color=42A9FF]”Really? A-after… after everything, you still love me?”[/color] she sobbed. [color=42A9FF]”I - I never stopped loving you. Even. Even when I was in CAGE and I - I broke up with you - I - I still loved you. That’s… that’s why I had to stop. Because I - because I wasn’t good for you.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Who cares? We don’t have to be girlfriends. That’s okay, you know that, right? I’m- This is gonna sound a bit weird, so you can laugh if you want, but sometimes I feel like I [i]love[/i] all my friends. Not always the way I want to date and kiss them, but…”[/color] She shrugged. [color=ffcb00]”Maybe we’re both just people who aren’t always perfect, you think?”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“Why would - why would I laugh at that?”[/color] April sniffled, before nodding. She did understand that. She really understood that. If she were to be honest with herself, it was part of why she had jumped into a relationship with Leah before she’d been ready. She loved her friend. She’d thought that love would be romantic, too. [color=42A9FF]“Y-yeah. Maybe. We’re just both a little fucked.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Yeah…”[/color] She almost laughed. [color=ffcb00]”I don’t know, there’s something wrong with my head and the way I handle that stuff. She Hulk thinks I’m autistic but I really wouldn’t know. Whitehall would, and when I can, I’ll ask her.”[/color] April couldn’t help but giggle slightly. [color=42A9FF]“I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your head. I love your head.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”I do. I think there is, I [i]feel[/i] like there is. And it turns out that pretending there isn’t doesn’t do me a lot of favors.”[/color] Leah fidgeted with her hair. [color=ffcb00]”I’m pretty sure I’m not going to CAGE, unless that’s where Whitehall does her thing now. But- But I should go back and talk to her. Like when Arcade happened.”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“Pretending is how I got into this mess,”[/color] April admitted. [color=42A9FF]“CAGE isn’t… it’s not that bad. I didn’t - I didn’t like that they neutralize your powers, I hated feeling like I was trapped in a cage, no pun intended. I really thought it was the kind of place where they’d take mutants to be experimented on and tortured. But… they helped me a lot. I’m sure Dr. Whitehall can help you too, if you give her a chance.”[/color] Leah winced. [color=ffcb00]”I’ll let her try. But, uh, the powers thing is freaky, yeah. I may or may not have thought she was secretly a terrorist or something.”[/color] She said something to that effect when April broke up with them in CAGE. [color=ffcb00]”Places like that always rubbed me the wrong way. Didn’t they take away your phone, too?”[/color] April nodded. [color=42A9FF]“Yeah, I mean… I think they wanted me to focus on getting better, so… no phone. But, um, it doesn’t have to be Dr. Whitehall, you know. You can find a different therapist. I used to see one when I was younger who I really liked - my dads are getting me set up with them again.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Nah. Whitehall. I already told her a bunch of stuff already. She’s nowhere near as bad as I made her out to be.”[/color] Leah stood up, and carried her phone over to her desk. [color=ffcb00]”How’s things over there after the Contest?”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“Mm, not too bad! It’s been good to be with the dads - I think it kinda stressed them out that I went back to school after CAGE, so being around now I hope is helpful. It’s kinda weird though… We spent so much time working and training for the contest and now it’s like… what do I fill my free time with? If I’m not obsessing over it, do I just… vibe?”[/color] April bit her lip, trying to reason out how to communicate this without sounding ungrateful - or incredibly privileged. [color=42A9FF]“It’s kinda like we reached the top of the mountain on a hike, and I don’t know what hike we’re supposed to do next. Is that silly?”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”I don’t know, maybe. The Contest was pretty dumb, but look at it this way. You won, and now you’ve got the [i]time[/i] to sit around and wonder what’s next. You can afford to not worry about what happens tomorrow, or next week. That’s not a bad thing.”[/color] She nodded. [color=42A9FF]“I do have some ideas about what might be next… but they’re a secret! If I do it, you’ll find out when we’re back from break,”[/color] April said enthusiastically, a grin on her face. It wasn’t anything as grand or world renowned as the contest, but it was something important, and something she really wanted to do. [color=ffcb00]”That sounds like you’re going to announce you’re a supervillain, or something,”[/color] Leah commented. [color=ffcb00]”You’re not secretly a bloodbender from that old TV show with the flying thing, are you?”[/color] April shook her head. [color=42A9FF]“Nah, I’d be too worried about accidentally exploding people like a water balloon.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”That’s not a [i]no.”[/i][/color] Was Leah joking? She was probably joking. Besides, April just couldn’t bloodbend, right? Right? [color=ffcb00]”What about before then? She Hulk probably wants to do something for Christmas, and I have no idea what that actually involves.”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“Oh, yeah! My family does a bit of a big thing at Christmas. Pa enchants the house and everything to have snow and stuff, Danni makes a fuss about getting the perfect pic so we usually go to some fun location for it, and then they invite over a lot of the extended family and friends over for a huge meal. The presents are also pretty killer - Santa gives amazing gifts, he’s a mutant, which is wild, right? I hadn’t really believed in Santa when I was adopted - but he’s real! So he should bring you something!”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”He’s- What. You mean he’s not actually Odin just on eight reindeer instead of one horse?”[/color] Leah had been reading about Norse myth a lot lately, given her whole [i]situation.[/i] And she came across a few things that suggested they were the same person. Now it was April’s turn to be confused. Her parents had told her that Santa was an omega level mutant. And here was Leah, saying that Santa was… Odin? [color=42A9FF]“I have never heard this before in my life and I need you to explain immediately, because that’s absolutely bonkers if true… If [i]Odin[/i] delivered me my PS-14… Do I need to pray to him to say thank you? Am I a bad person because I haven’t been thanking Odin?!”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Eight reindeer, horse with eight legs. Old guy who flies over the world in December, when people leave things for him and get something back?”[/color] It wasn’t confirmed. And it wasn’t like anyone could just ask him. [color=ffcb00]”The Wild Hunt is a thing. And he’s never alone, and elves are real…”[/color] Leah shrugged. April was quiet for a moment, sitting back in her bed as she processed this information. Maybe it wasn’t actually the craziest thing she’d ever heard. Tons of mythological beings were proven to be real, Odin [i]was[/i] real. And while she trusted her parents when they told her that Santa was a mutant… her jaw dropped and she gasped. If both things were true, then… [color=42A9FF]“Is Odin a mutant? Is he even Asgardian at all?!”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Actually…”[/color] She pulled the chair out and sat down in it. The poor thing whined against the weight of a giant who used to be smaller. [color=ffcb00]”Depending on who you ask, he [i]made[/i] Asgard. He might be a mutant and just a really old human, instead of an Aesir. I dunno. He lives in Asgard, close enough, I think?”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“... Okay, crazy idea, but hear me out. We do a stakeout at our separate homes and try to get proof that Odin is Santa. If we both do it, we have double the chances to catch him. Photographs are weird on you though so… we can use you as our test subject, see what conditions you show up under, and then apply those to Odin/Santa.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”You want to kidnap a god of war and knowledge?”[/color] It didn’t pick up on the glitchy hologram, but Leah was cracking up. [color=ffcb00]”I dunno, he’d see that coming.”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“Not kidnap, just get proof that Odin is Santa!”[/color] April reiterated. [color=42A9FF]“I’m not going to kidnap Santa and ruin Christmas for everyone - besides, we’re too young to play out the plot of a bad Hallmark movie. And if he sees it coming… hmm… Maybe we just need some sort of protection from his sight? I could see if we have anything around the house that would work, Pa’s got loads of random stuff.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Heimdall sees almost everything in the universe. He knows we’re talking about this right now.”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“What if Heimdall wants this to happen?”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”What makes you think he does?”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“What makes you think he doesn’t?”[/color] Leah stared down at the little hologram. [color=ffcb00]”...I’m pretty sure they’ve got more important things to do. Like waiting for a ship made of nails to come flying across the universe or for the sun to go out. The stuff that Ragnarok happens after.”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“Maybe that’s what we’ll do next,”[/color] April said, almost wistfully. [color=42A9FF]“Ending the apocalypse sounds fun. Or preventing it might be a little bit better. Help more people than just kicking the shit out of other kids does, y’know?”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Sure. But it’s not gonna happen any time soon. There’s supposed to be a five year winter before it… I’ve been reading a lot of stuff lately.”[/color] April nodded, shifting her position entirely - so that way she was laying on her stomach, holding her phone out in front of her, and her face was propped up on a pillow. [color=42A9FF]“Mostly stuff about Asgard?”[/color] she asked, curious. [color=42A9FF]“Anything exciting so far that you’ve found?”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”They had a war with the Vanir, there’s at least three different interpretations of [i]everything,[/i] and apparently there isn’t a lot about me in there.”[/color] It was mostly Thor’s fanservice and the occasional embellished retelling of the “real” myths. [color=ffcb00]”There’s some magic stuff in there, too. But… Yeah, it’s all mostly just Asgard. Which is fine for now, but I’ve been trying to learn stuff about things other than Asgard.”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“Oh? Like what? Maybe we could do a book club or something - it’d be a fun way to do stuff when we’re not at school, could call and talk about what we’ve read?”[/color] April suggested. She hadn’t really read books that weren’t for school in a while. She liked to think of herself as the kind of person who could get really into them, instead of just doomscrolling on social media in her free time… so maybe this would be a good place to start. And doing anything with Leah would be fun. [color=ffcb00]”That’d be nice. I’m trying to find stuff about Jotunheim. That’s apparently where I’m from, instead of Earth. It's not going great so far.”[/color] It would be great to do stuff with April again. The thought made her smile. [color=42A9FF]“That’s the one Loki’s from, right?”[/color] April hadn’t taken any Asgardian study courses. She knew that they had some offered at Margaret Carter though - they even had a former Valkyrie on staff. [color=42A9FF]“You could try taking, like, Asgardian studies maybe? They might cover giants and stuff? I need to fulfill some GenEds, I could message my counselor and switch into it with you?”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”You know, that sounds like a good idea, actually. I’ll look at it. The library here [i]really[/i] doesn’t have a lot for Jotunheim, but I guess a Valkyrie would know more, right?”[/color] April nodded. [color=42A9FF]“They might even know some giants that you could talk to - or even bring in some as guest speakers. That’d be pretty cool - I don’t know where on campus they’d do it, because they are kinda gigantic, no pun intended… Or maybe there’s other giant kids here on Earth that we just haven’t met yet?”[/color] Were there? She never thought of that. Other giants who’d been taken from there for reasons that, like her, weren’t clear? Or maybe they just came here for some reason or another and actually remembered being there? [color=ffcb00]”Maybe there are. I’m not sure where they’d be, though. Never met anyone like that here or over in any other country I’ve been to.”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“Hmm. What if we try looking through SuperLink? Oh! We could ask Sabine maybe, if she’ll post on her socials that she’s looking for giants, maybe some other kids will come forward and you all could be, like, pen pals or something. Maybe you even have siblings!”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”SuperLink? Oh good [i]lord.[/i] I’ve, uh, never messed with that before. I got asked about that a lot when we won the Contest. Do people seriously use it that much?”[/color] April nodded. [color=42A9FF]“Yeah - it’s how most people that are, like, street level and all get started. There’s even a jobs board on it for things that are suspicious going down in your areas, it uses the same map location tech as GrindHer, believe it or not,”[/color] she added, giggling a bit. They had the same parent company. [color=42A9FF]“But you probably don’t need to use it - you’ve got connections now, Leah. You’re famous, your mom is one of the most popular Avengers… if you want to go help people, I think people are going to bring their problems to you. You won’t need to go hunting for it.”[/color] Why did that make Leah nervous? Lots of people showing up to her metaphorical doorstep for things they used to go to Captain America or Iron Man for, needing her help? She was supposed to be a hero, but people were [i]complicated.[/i] [color=ffcb00]”I thought it was just something people used to post weird hot takes about superheroes. Or post pictures of them they took when no one was looking. I didn’t know people got work from it.”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“I mean, they do that too,”[/color] April agreed. [color=42A9FF]“If you want, when we’re back at school, I can help you set up your profile on it? Mine needs a lot of work - it’s super outdated. I think it still says my superhero name is [i]Princess Cascade[/i] - from before I shortened it down. We can take new photos - see what settings look nice for one of you - and put stuff in your bio, like what your interests are and everything. And I’ll show you how to lock it down so you don’t get any creeps or randos involved.”[/color] [color=ffcb00][i]”Please.[/i] I’ve got no idea how to work that stuff. I pretty much swore it off thinking my dad could find me more easily that way. You think there are fake celebrity accounts pretending to be us?”[/color] April blew out a bit of air, vibrating her lips as she did so. [color=42A9FF]“One hundred fucking percent there are,”[/color] she confirmed. [color=42A9FF]“In fact, lemme look right now…”[/color] She then switched to a new tab in her phone, pulling up SuperLink, and she typed in Leah’s name. [color=42A9FF]“There are… two accounts pretending to be you, and at least eight that are dedicated fan accounts. Your fans are calling themselves the Earth Kingdom. Kinda lit, not gonna lie, I like it. Very Avatar.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Earth Kingdom… Okay, now I’m curious. What are they posting?”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“Hmm. Good question. Let’s see!”[/color] April clicked on one of the first fan accounts. [color=42A9FF]“Ooo, love this. This one posted what looks like a Filterella board all about your biceps - just a bunch of different blurry photos and screenshots from the contest. Ooo and they also made a video compilation of your best attacks - followed by one that seems to be just your facial expressions as you react to the stuff happening.”[/color] She then clicked out and went to the next account. [color=42A9FF]“This one seems to be all thirst traps - and fanfic about you? Like, I dunno how much you know fanfic tropes, but there’s one common trope where the reader is sold to someone famous to, like… honestly it’s super unclear. But they’re posting [i]I was sold to Jotunn[/i] fanfics.”[/color] It wasn’t easy to tell through the bugged-out hologram, but there were several emotions rapidly swapping places on her face. [color=ffcb00]”What… I- What the fuck does- April. [i]April.[/i] What the fuck. [i]Thirst traps?[/i] I’m fucking seventeen,”[/color] She groaned, indignant. [color=ffcb00][i]”Joder, jódeme, Internet fue un error.”[/i][/color] April hit follow on the thirst trap account on her fake SuperLink. [color=42A9FF]“You look good in them,”[/color] she offered with a shrug. [color=42A9FF]“Oo, this one seems to be doing [i]Just Girly Things[/i] but it’s [i]Just Jotunn Things[/i] - so like there’s an aesthetic photo of someone balancing on top of some rocks and it has that text on it. There’s another one that’s photoshopped you into the Rosie the Riveter pose. Honestly, it’s really well done, too. Might save that.”[/color] Leah sputtered. April was being unusually thirsty about her right now. [color=ffcb00]”I’m beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, all this celebrity stuff was a bad idea. Maybe I would’ve been better off living underground, away from the terrors of civilization.”[/color] [color=42A9FF]“But then you wouldn’t get to hang out with me,”[/color] April countered, sticking out her tongue at Leah. [color=42A9FF]“I think you’d miss me.”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Yeah… Yeah, I would. I’d be a different person without you, you know that? I [i]do[/i] miss you. And- I’m glad you’re still here. After everything. I’m glad we both are.”[/color] April beamed at Leah. [color=42A9FF]“I feel the same way about you,”[/color] she admitted. [color=42A9FF]“I love you, Leah. Always have. And I always will.”[/color] There was a pause. Leah looked out the window, not really sure what to say next. [color=ffcb00]”…I should call Whitehall. Wanna talk again tomorrow?”[/color] April nodded. [color=42A9FF]“Yeah! Definitely. I’ll be around, so give me a call whenever, okay?”[/color] [color=ffcb00]”Will do. Bye for now.”[/color] She hung up, stared down at her phone, and sighed. [color=ffcb00]”…Why are so many of my friends so damn hot?”[/color]