The ride home was strangely serene, with his mother smiling and asking about his day and avoiding any mention of Starlight. Like nothing had changed between them, and his mother was just picking him up for the heck of it. A part of Sunburst realized that he should fight this, he should say something, anything. They couldn’t avoid the topic and pretend that nothing was the matter. It wasn’t right, it wouldn’t solve anything.
But Sunburst would be lying if he said he would rather stand up and fight. This was his mother, and while she was wrong about Starlight, she had his best interest at heart. Of course, Sunburst was mad at her, but maybe…maybe it wasn’t the time to bring it up. Starlight would be there and if he started a fight, who was to say that it would stop in the car? It could continue inside the house, where Starlight would undoubtedly hear.
So, in the end, Sunburst said nothing. He took what he could get and listened to his mother. Though his mind was only focused on getting to his room as quickly as possible, feigning tons of homework like he usually did. Stellar Flare never questioned it, and Sunburst was grateful for it. Starlight would be waiting for him in his room, and then they could relax. Maybe then he could figure out why she was in such a good mood.
Getting out of the car when they pulled up, Sunburst ran inside and into his room. Starlight was lying on his bed, stomach down and legs crossed behind her, idly reading one of his books, sparing him only a glance before returning to her reading.
Sunburst rolled his eyes. “What if it was my mom coming up?”
The girl smirked. “Your mom walks pretty quietly, and she shuffles more than steps. You, on the other hand, sound like an elephant.”
Starlight couldn’t help the tease, grinning as the redhead gave a long-suffering sigh and tossed his bag to the floor. She waited for him to join her, trying not to move while he crawled on the bed and lay on his side, facing her.
Sunburst had soft lips, lightly pink, and Starlight had to make a physical effort to look away. Doing rash things like that wouldn’t get her anywhere, she treasured her friendship with him too much to risk it. A part of her, a tiny, small part, knew that Sunburst loved her, just like she loved him. But that assuredness was smothered by mountains of fear and doubt, as the nature of her situation hovered around her like a storm cloud threatening to pour on her at any moment. And with Sunburst’s mother added to the mix…
Starlight smiled when he raised a brow.
“An elephant, huh? So you’re calling me fat now?”
“You sound like an elephant, not weigh like one,” Starlight countered. “Besides, what would you do without me?”
Sunburst narrowed his eyes, slowly rolling onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. There was a moment of silence, comfortable and relaxed. “You’re in a good mood today.”
Starlight only shrugged and turned the page of the book. Despite the fact that their teacher had given her a sort of lifeline, Cadance had pulled her aside to talk about her home issue, she downplayed it of course and the teacher had let her go, but Sunburst didn’t need to know about that. “It was just a good day. Why is that so bad? Must you always be the reason I’m in a good mood?”
“Aha!” Sunburst reached over and flicked her arm. “I put you in a good mood? Since when?”
Starlight flinched involuntarily. His hand landed right where the cut was, and though it was perfectly bandaged now, it still hurt a lot.
And of course, Sunburst saw it.
“I’m sorry.” His smile vanished and he rolled back to his side. His hand hovered over her arm for a moment before he dragged his fingers along her sleeve. When he felt the bandage he frowned, sitting up. “Let me check on it.”
“No, Sunburst, it’s fine.” Starlight replied, her hand tugging her sleeve down.
“Then roll up your sleeve.” With all the turmoil of this morning, he had forgotten about Starlight’s wound. She was the strongest person he knew, and the fact that she flinched meant she was really hurt. “I cleaned it as best as I could, but I want to make sure…” he paused looking at her with a pointed look. “You know, you never told me how you got that wound.”
When Starlight didn’t move, only stared at him with her cerulean gaze, he let out a sound of frustration before grabbing her arm.
“Hey, wait.” Before Sunburst could process it, Starlight was on top of him, her injured arm holding down his shoulder while the rest of him was pinned down by her weight. Sunburst laid sideways on the bed, his heels dangling off the queen size mattress. Her body was warm, and her face was so close that he held his breath. But the torn look in Starlight’s eyes stopped him from getting any ideas. “I’ll show you, okay? Just don’t make a big deal out of it.”
Sunburst wanted to say that he couldn’t make any promises, but the way she looked at him kept him quiet. Slowly she slid off, rolling up the left sleeve and showing off a few gauze pads that held traces of blood. It wasn’t the bandages he used last night to heal her, and now in the bright daylight of his room, he could see how truly bad it was. He gasped and tried to sit up, but Starlight pushed him down again.
“See? That’s making a big deal out of it.” Starlight said. “I just fell, cut myself on a branch on my way to see you. It’s not that deep, it just looks bad. The blood is from this morning.”
“Did you see the nurse?” Sunburst frowned. “Why didn’t you? That doesn’t look like a professional bandaged it.”
“Because it’s not that bad,” Starlight countered. “Mrs. Mi Amore saw and took me to her office so I could patch it properly.”
The way she was looking at him was sincere enough, but her statement didn’t make any sense to him. Sunburst paused. “Why didn’t she take you to see the nurse?”
Starlight rolled her eyes. “Why must you ask a million questions? Seriously Sunburst, I’m fine.”
He wasn’t convinced, not one bit, but when Starlight flopped down beside him, far too close for simple friends, Sunburst lost his train of thought. He reached up, running his fingers through her hair, combing the strands gently in the soft patterns she liked so much.
Starlight buried her face in his shoulder. “Really, right now?”
But she moved closer, so yeah, he did.
The closer Starlight got to graduation, the faster the days went by. A part of her was glad—the day she could escape this shithole town was short on hand. Then again, she’d have to leave Sunburst, and that eventuality was both difficult to imagine and the source of her heartache. It plagued her mind when winter began to fade, as the cold nights turned lukewarm. The monotony of her life continued. High school was still high school. Her foster father was still her foster father.
The pet shelter was different.
Every time she went, something always changed. The work she did was menial, but the animals were always excited to see her, and they always had a trick up their furry sleeves. More often than not Starlight was caught in a tug of war with them, where the puppies would bite her jeans and try to drag her away, while the kittens climbed her like a tree and meowed insistently for her attention.
“Hey Starlight, how’s it going?”
And then there was Twilight.
She’d met her a couple of times when Flash was getting picked up on yet another switched day. The girl was pretty and exceedingly smart, even smarter than Sunburst, stating facts and knowledge with the precision of an encyclopedia. If no one interrupted her she could go on for hours, but Flash didn’t seem to mind, watching her with an enamored look on his face whenever she went off on a tangent.
“Hey, how's it going?” Starlight said, turning around to wave at the girl with long hair and dark purple eyes. She always dressed formally, with her long-pleated skirt, blue blouse, and black mary janes, she looked like the perfect model student.
“Oh, fine, just came to drop off Flash,” Twilight replied, walking up to her before tucking her hands behind her back. “And to ask if you would like to go to the movies with us tonight? Sunburst is invited of course.”
Twilight gave her a knowing wink and Starlight rolled her eyes. Twilight's insistence on playing matchmaker was quickly getting on her nerves. “Sorry, I can’t, I’m trying to save as much money as I can right now.”
“For what?” Twilight looked interested, even if Starlight’s response was less than desired.
It wasn’t like she didn’t like her, but she never felt comfortable talking about herself to people she just met. But Twilight’s stare was intense, and there was something about her that inspired some modicum of trust, so Starlight found herself speaking before she knew it. “I’m turning eighteen soon, and I want to get my own place when I do.”
“Really?” Twilight looked almost awed. “Where?”
Somewhere far from here. Starlight shrugged. There was so much to figure out, and so little time to do so.
“So, you think she’s not telling you something?”
Sunburst sighed, scrubbing the inside of the dog cage with more ferocity than necessary. “Yeah, but…I don’t know. She tells me everything, or at least I think she does.”
“Huh.” Flash was cleaning another cage, spraying some more chemicals with a spray bottle before passing a cloth over the metal. “Well, everyone’s got secrets, but it doesn’t mean that she doesn’t trust you.”
Flash’s advice wasn’t what he was looking for, but having someone he could talk to about his Starlight problem was refreshing. Flash wasn’t one of his closest friends, but ironically, he was the only one he could turn to when Starlight was concerned. His other friends tolerated Starlight, but they were obviously uncomfortable with her presence, if they saw him with her, they were quick to turn away and avoid him altogether until Starlight left. His family wasn’t any better. His sister was away more often than not, his grandfather had an old fashion way of seeing things, and his mother had made it pretty clear how she felt about the whole situation.
It was depressing, but Sunburst was thankful to have at least one friendly ear in this town that could understand him. Or at least try to.
“I know, she must have her reasons,” Sunburst said, “but I can’t help but worry about her.”
“Just give her time,” Flash shrugged as he moved on to the next cage. “The more you push someone the worse it can be, and a girl like Starlight is probably used to moving at her own pace, she doesn’t seem to like authority that much. Have you tried asking her about it?”
Sunburst took a moment to scrub a particularly tough stain before eventually giving up. “Yeah, but maybe…not as directly as I should, I never get answers anyway or…”
“Or…?
“She changes the subject, or I do, but something always gets in the way.” Sunburst groaned, shaking his head. “She’s a lot chipper these days, so the subject hasn’t come up lately but…Sometimes I think I’m missing something and Starlight is purposely letting it stay that way.”
“As you said, she probably has her reasons,” Flash pointed out. “But if she’s hiding something on purpose…well, unless you learn how to read minds, there’s nothing you can do. If you ask me, I think you’re doing as much as you can giving the situation.”
Sunburst nodded and got back to work. Even if the world around them was as chaotic as ever, things between him and Starlight remained the same—calm, supportive and riveting, for him at least. His mother still refused to let Sunburst drive or go out, forcing Starlight to take the bus to and from the shelter. He was thankful he never told his mother that she was volunteering here, she would probably force him to leave this place as well if she knew.
“Hey, I know it’s none of my business,” Flash spoke up suddenly, his eyes focused on his task, trying to sound nonchalant. “But I was wondering…what do you think of Starlight?”
Sunburst frowned, turning to face his friend. “What?”
“You know, do you like her?”
“Those are two different questions,” but Sunburst understood the meaning. A warmth started from his stomach and spread across his body, burning his cheeks softly. “But…yeah.”
Flash nodded; eyes still focused on his task. “So, how come you haven’t made a move on her?”
There were so many factors, some more complicated than others that required lengthy explanations that Sunburst didn’t feel like giving, but he went for the most obvious one, and probably his biggest obstacle. “My mom. She doesn’t let me see her and she thinks we are just friends; she would send me to another country if she knew how serious I am about Starlight.”
“Wait, you’re not allowed to see her?” Flash stopped what he was doing, eyeing the boy beside him carefully. “But you said that you see each other every day after school. How do you keep it from your mom?”
Sunburst sighed, he didn’t want to talk about it at first, but when Flash insisted, he caved. “My house it’s a one-floor building, she can jump through my window. My mom doesn’t know about it.”
“Wow.”
“Wow?”
Flash shrugged. “I wish Twilight could do that; but she’s not very athletic and my house has two floors, we have to wait until nobody’s home before we can make out.”
“Twilight, you’re still here?” The old woman said the moment she walked into the room; her gaze gentle as always. “If you’re going to be here, might as well pick up a broom.”
“Right,” Twilight smiled at Starlight and shrugged. “I’ll see you around, okay? We should hang out sometime, you know, just us girls.”
Fluttershy rolled her eyes. “Go, before I make you do it.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Twilight wave them both goodbye and grinned at Starlight. “And remember: better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.”
The moment she was out the door, Starlight turned wide eyes to Fluttershy. “I swear, I have no idea what she’s talking about.”
“I bet you don’t,” the woman responded, her lips curved with a slight smile. “I’ve come to talk to you, about your time here.”
The girl waited, her body thrumming with nervous energy. Normally, when adults wanted to talk to her, it was never a good thing. Cadance had been the exception so far, who kept an eye on her and made sure that the time she had left in school was a peaceful one when she was around. She wasn’t sure if Fluttershy would prove to be another exception or not.
“You probably noticed, but you’ve long surpassed your one hundred hours here,” Fluttershy explained. Her face lightened with her smile. “You’ve finished your community service, and I’ve signed all the papers to prove so, of course, you have to submit them yourself.” She shrugged. “But you do good work here, Starlight, and I appreciate all you have done here. Would you consider staying here for a while longer?”
Starlight blinked, tilting her head with confusion. “Well, yes, of course,” she replied, “but I thought I was doing that already?”
Fluttershy turned around, surveying the pet shelter with the eyes that had seen it change through the years—more years than Starlight had been alive. “Yes, you are.” She ran a weathered hand on an old wooden countertop. “I’ve always loved animals, even when I was a little girl. Back then I would find strays and take care of them. My parents never let me keep them though, so I would hide them in the backyard—in the garden shed. I gave them food, water, and a place to sleep, when my parents were at work, I’d let them out to play in the yard. Most of them belonged to someone, they were just lost.”
Starlight followed her around the room, Fluttershy moved with a familiarity only gained from years of walking the same path. Though she didn’t understand what she was getting at, Starlight listened intently, if only because she owned the woman that much, it was thanks to her that she was able to keep her head above water and make this far.
“You were too, you know,” Fluttershy continued, her green eyes still not looking at her. “Lost, in a way. I saw it in you the moment you walked in, just like I see it in the animals that live here, but as with everything, we eventually find our way.” She smiled. “I hope I haven’t offended you, but you do look better these days when compared to when you first came here. You’ve upheld your responsibilities, even went above and beyond them, and I want to reward your hard work.”
She pulled a small yellow envelope from her pocket and handed it to her. Starlight took it and opened it, her eyes widening when she saw the money inside.
“That’s for the extra hours you’ve worked here.” Fluttershy continued. “And there’s more if you decide to stay here and I hope…I hope that soon you won’t be searching anymore, that you follow through with whatever path you’re on and settle down somewhere, somewhere that makes you happy. You’re on your way, I can see that, but you’re not quite there yet, hopefully, this will make things easier.”
Starlight’s throat felt tight, her eyes darting between the envelope clutch in her shaky hands and Fluttershy’s wrinkly face. The money wasn’t much, but it was more than Starlight expected; more than she ever hoped for. She swallowed with some difficulty and spoke. “Are…Are you sure about this?” It was such a stupid question, if only because chances like these rarely came along. Asking the woman to second guess herself was just asking for it.
But Fluttershy smiled and nodded. “We can discuss the finer details later, but it’s not important right now.”
The girl took a shaky breath, blinking her eyes rapidly so as not to cry. She rarely allowed herself to cry, not even when her foster father was violent with her, she let herself shed a tear—crying was a weakness, something she couldn’t afford. She swallowed and reeled in her emotions, managing to give the old woman a shaky smile. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” Fluttershy murmured kindly. The old woman gestured with her head towards the hall, where Sunburst and Flash were working. “You should tell him the good news.” She didn’t have to specify which boy she was talking about.
“Okay,” Starlight said, unable to decide if she should laugh or cry, still trying to process that this wasn’t a dream. Her mind was racing, the idea that she could definitely afford her own place with the new money coming in. That things will be easier now, she could breathe better, and Sunburst…
She left the room, Fluttershy giggling gently behind her. She found the part of the building where Sunburst was and stood by the doorway, he didn’t see her at first, too busy trying to clean a thousand things at once, but Flash did and he opened his mouth to greet her but stopped when he saw the expression on her face.
“I’m going to the bathroom, be right back,” he said, nodding at her as he walked by. “Hey Starlight.”
Starlight took a deep breath. “Hi.”
The redhead turned to face her so fast she feared he got whiplash, his big blue eyes calm behind his glasses. He grinned. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost, what happened?”
It wasn’t ghosts, but a miracle she had just witnessed, the envelope in her hand proof that it wasn’t a dream. She licked her lips, staring into his eyes and finding her place in them. She knew without a doubt that this would work. Things had to get better from here, right? And with Sunburst there, encouraging her every step of the way, smiling and offering his hand anytime she tripped, she could surely do it.
Starlight told him the news.