Flashback:
“Come on now, Jessica, keep up.”
Anna couldn’t help the smile on her lips as she followed the girl through the bustle of the carnival. God Carnivals…usually, Anna would hate them. What was there to like after all? Rides that looked like they were about to break before you even stepped onto them? Maybe the greasy food? Disgusting. Or even, dare she say, the idiotic games all rigged for everyone to lose?
But there was something about this… something about being with Valerie Wood that made it… tolerable. Maybe… just maybe more than tolerable. Anna followed; smiling as the girl pulled her into a photo booth. “Alright, crazy faces,” Anna heard Val scream; and before Anna could react - the girl had already placed the money into the box and started doing something outrageous while Anna remained… slightly stiff. She heard a laugh from the girl beside her followed by a what the hell was that?. “Well, you bloody caught me off guard,” Anna smiled, mimicking something Jess would say. Though… the more she was with the girl… the more it felt like something she herself would say. “Fine; let’s do it again,” Anna muttered, placing her own coins into it and this time truly getting into the do something crazy; though she couldn’t help herself at the end as her lips met Valerie’s for the last photo… and perhaps… it took quite a bit longer than a normal photo should have for the two to emerge.
End of Flashback:
Here sitting before her was the same girl she had always been. Maybe a little more broken… a little more hurt. Anna could see that in her eyes. But she was the same. But she was right… the person who wasn’t the same was… Anna. Valerie was right… because at the end of the day, the person Valerie fell in love with wasn’t a real person. It was a persona. Val had never known the true Anna… not until the end when she was being her real self…like at the amusement park. A place where Anna had truly started falling for the girl and slipping in her disguise. Her eyes shut for a moment, relishing in the memory of the past before fluttering open at her last words. “I get it,” Anna whispered after a few moments. “But even though you didn’t know the real me…in a way… I did get to know the real you Val. And I don’t ever want you to think you’re not good enough because you always were… I just wasn’t,” Anna sighed. “And that’s all I can say. I get you not forgiving me… I get you needing time. The good thing is that we have it,” Anna continued; standing up. “But for now… I am sorry. And I do hope that anyone who ends up with you realizes how good they have it… because I figured that out too late and then I lost it,” with that; Anna shot Val one last smile before walking back towards the door.
“In any case, Valerie, there is a whole party waiting for you. Go spend it with people more deserving of your time,” Anna smiled; truly meaning the words before opening the door and disappearing into the oblivion of people. There was a weight off her shoulders. As sad as she felt at what had happened; she was glad she at least got to apologize. Though it was… a strange feeling. Just like it had been with Jessica. Going towards the bar; Anna looked at the bartender. She had never done this before but… god she needed to do something. “I’m sorry… do you have anything… I don’t know… cheesy or of the food variety?” Anna asked; though she heard someone beside her state “I’ll take one of those two thanks,” at her comment causing her to look over at the raven-haired girl. She looked familiar though Anna couldn’t place her finger on it. “Guess I’m not the only one starving after that long-winded graduation then?” Anna asked the girl with a soft smile.
@CerealKiller - Her lost love and her future love