Behind the Lilac Bushes

      "So prom is coming up, you gonna ask Cathy or what?" Maggie inquired nudging Anne as she gestured to a nearby poster. Anne scoffed loudly at the sign. 

     "Maggie you know I can't," Anne whispered sadly and her friend rolled her eyes at Anne's denial. 

   "The girl kissed you, why are you still doubting her feelings for you?" The slightly taller girl demanded and Anne sighed heavily. 

   "She was drunk,  apparently you've forgotten that bit of information, again," Anne grumbled stuffing her hands in her pockets as she glared at the aforementioned prom flyer as if it was the root of all her problems. 

   "Oh please, alcohol is just an excuse to act on urges we're usually too sober to even think about trying. " Maggie reasoned bumping Anne's hip with her own. 

   "You're impossible! Look Cathy wasn't just like buzzed, she was wasted. I couldn't even get coherent answers from her.  I don't think the kiss meant anything to her!" Anne whispered softly and Maggie gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

   "You'll never know if you don't try." 

Anne did know if she tried and failed she just may lose Cathy forever. "Come on A, it's your senior prom! You're seventeen live a little!" Maggie reasoned trying to get Anne to perk up.

     Anne smiled wistfully as she came into the house and saw her fifteen-year-old sister pouting in front of the telly,  tears streaming down her cheeks as she clutched a bright red teddy bear to her chest. 

   "Hey, Kitty what's going on?" She whispered kindly but she already had a basic idea as to why her sister was so upset; Cathy and Aragon were both understandably upset about the same thing as Kitty. Suddenly Kat was on her feet and in Anne's face. 

   "You know exactly what's going on! Anna's putting herself in danger and I may never see her again! I hate her! She's so stupid!" With that Kitty stormed off leaving Anne alone in her living room, listening as her sister's door slammed shut with a rage Anne could barely comprehend before a knock sounded on the front door. Carefully Anne swung it open, she was hardly surprised to find Anna on the other side, wearing a sheepish smile. 

   "I take it you heard Kat's little tantrum?" She questioned softly so said sister couldn't hear. Anna sighed but nodded as Anne sidestepped to allow her into the house, but Anna shook her head. 

  "Look, Anne, I'm not going to beat around the bush here. I'm going away for fifteen months, I may not even come back, mining is dangerous, I know that. But I need you to promise you to tell Cathy how you feel." Anne opened her mouth to adamantly protest but Anna held up her hand and continued hurriedly. "Look, Anne, I know you're scared of being rejected or something but you'll never know how Cathy feels or more importantly if she feels the same way if you never try," Anna whispered uncharacteristically somber as she stuffed her hands in her pockets and looked away trying not to cry.

   "Why are you mining? I mean it's not the 1800s for bloody sake Anna!" Anne whispered trying to joke, but her voice broke on the girl's name. Anna had become her older sister too, just as much as Cathy's and it pained the teen to think of something happening to the woman. Anna just flashed her a sad grin.

   "You sound like my mama, Anne. Just think about what I said yeah?" 

  "Okay," Anne whispered because who was she to deny her. 

   "Look tell Kit-Kat I'm sorry, and that I love her, but they're offering me a scholarship full ride and all I have to do is mine for a couple of months," Anna whispered determination shining in her dark brown eyes. Anne quickly brought her into a hug,  burying her face against Anna's shoulder.

   "Stay safe." She mumbled tearfully. 

   Anne sighed heavily as she walked around the kitchen making a late dinner for her mum, thankfully her cooking skills had improved heavily since the birthday cake incident.  But two people had already told her to go for it with Cathy, now Anne just really wanted to talk to her mum about this whole mess, and decide what to do. 

    Her mum was working late at the hospital and wasn't due home till three in the morning, in fact, she told both Anne and Kat to be in bed before she got home because they had school. But this was important,  Anne couldn't wait another day, so here she was making spaghetti and meatballs for her mum at two forty-something in the morning like a crazy person. 

  Eventually, the smell woke Kat and she helped make garlic bread to go along with Anne's impromptu dinner after midnight bribe, in order to keep herself awake. Anne served her sister some of the meal, Kat ate it slowly, clearly half-asleep. Anne was too anxious to be sleepy or to eat, so she paced. She paced anxiously around the kitchen, cleaning as she went. 

  She was so focused that she didn't realize her mum had come home from work until she was standing in front of her, arms crossed, her face a mask of concern and irritation. 

   "Anne, what is going on here?" She demanded and Anne smiled widely at her mum, a bit forceful, but it was ...she glanced at the clock four in the morning, so she wasn't completely coherent. 

   "We made you dinner!" She exclaimed brightly as she gestured to her sister who was half asleep, as her head lolled forward, spaghetti dripping from her mouth.  

  "I can see that, but you both have school tomorrow!" Her mum admonished before wetting a paper towel and working to clean her youngest daughter's face, which made Kat whine and turn her head. 

   "Well, Kitty fell asleep at eight-thirty so she just woke up a few hours ago." Anne defended her little sister hoping it would ease her mother's anger. 

   "You've been up this whole time?!" Her mum raged as she helped the fifteen-year-old to her bed, Anne remained silently rooted to the spot as she waited for her mum to come back. 

  "Anne this was very sweet of you, but you have school darling." Her mum stated with a shake of her head as she tilted her head in confusion as Anne held out the plate for her, practically radiating nervous energy. "Is everything alright lambchop?" She questioned hesitantly because if Anne was back with Henry or something she was going to lose it. She was too tired to deal with that. Anne shook her head then cringed and nodded before letting out a sigh of confusion. 

   "Umm well, I…" Anne clutched her necklace in her hands as she anxiously licked her lips and struggled with finding the words to express what she wanted to say to her mum. Quickly Jane set the plate of food on the counter and wrapped her daughter in her arms trying to give her comfort. 

   "You can tell me anything lambchop." She whispered as she stroked her hair and held her close. For a moment there was only silence, Anne was silently crying into her mum's scrub top and Jane was thinking the worst of the situation.  Eventually, Anne mumbled against her mum's shoulder.

   "I like Cathy mum," Anne muttered somewhat clearer than before causing Jane to pull back and look into her daughter's teary green eyes. 

   "Oh my darling girl, is that all?" She questioned smiling sincerely as she brushed a couple of hairs behind Anne's ear. Anne nodded tearfully and Jane chuckled goodnaturedly before she pulled her close. "Oh my little lambchop, you worried yourself sick over this?" She whispered fondly before meeting Anne's eyes sternly. "Anne Boleyn Seymour, look at me. No matter what, I will always love you, alright, nothing will ever cause me to stop loving you." She whispered firmly but not unkindly as she looked Anne in the eyes determination shining in her bright blue. Anne smiled slightly, some of her spunk returning as her mum's words settled her anxiety. 

  "Not even if I became a hooker?" She teased and her mum smiled cupping her eldest's cheek.

  "Nope, I'm afraid you're stuck with me." She whispered kissing Anne's forehead.

  Anne was nervous, her body was jittery and her hands were profusely sweating. She'd hadn't sat under this lilac bush in a very long time, it seemed like her and Cathy had forgotten their special place for the last few years.  Imagine Cathy's surprise when Anne texted her saying to meet her behind the lilac bushes. 

   "Hey Annie, is something wrong?" Was how Cathy greeted her as she clambered through her side of the bushes and sat against the fence with a wry smile. At Cathy's innocent question it seemed as if Anne's mind had short-circuited like her brain physically could not form words for her mouth to say in response to the question.  

  "Ummm...w-w-well I was just… um, pro...I have always li… okay so...I wanted to te…" Anne groaned burying her face in her hands. "Forget it, I'm just going home." She growled, more to herself, as she started to scoot out of her safe place. 

  "Whoa there Anne, you can't just say nevermind after getting me all curious, come on I won't judge," Cathy promised kindly as she latched onto the chain link fence, smiling sweetly and Anne suddenly felt like bursting into tears again. 

  "You'll probably think I'm super gross...or stupid...I hope this won't affect our friendship…" Anne looked up into Cathy's warm brown eyes and took a shaky breath trying to compose herself. 

  "Anne no matter what you say, we will always be friends...best friends," Cathy promised sincerely and Anne sniffed biting her lip as she looked down at her hands that were resting in her lap. 

  "I like you Cathy…" she whispered softly as she clenched her hands into the material of her skirt. 

   "What? That's not a secret Anne we're best friends of course you-" Anne adamantly shook her head looking up once more.

  "No, I mean like I like you...like a lot. Like I'm attracted to you…like I have feelings for you. " Anne exclaimed resolutely and Cathy gaped at her, mouth opening and closing because to say Cathy was shocked would be an understatement. 

   Anne's shoulders slumped and slowly she began backing up.

    "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything," she whispered dejectedly before she turned standing up to go back to her house. 

  "WAIT, I...Gay...I mean… ah wait!" Cathy rolled from under her side of the bush and stumbled around to where Anne stood looking bemused. Cathy tripped into Anne, who grabbed her arms, as she gasped for breath.

   "Cathy breathe," Anne instructed calmly as she rubbed her back trying to slow her friend's rapid heartbeat.  

  "Anne, I just...you...am I dreaming?" Cathy whispered in a small voice and Anne shook her head sadly, unable to decipher where Cathy was taking this conversation. "Anne I...I've like, loved you since middle school," Cathy whispered softly as tears began gently spilling from her eyes in happy disbelief. 

   "You like me back then?" Anne questioned a smile growing on her face and Cathy beamed through her happy tears.

   "Of course I do!" She exclaimed before Anne ducked down connecting their lips gently before quickly pulling away. Cathy's face was bright red as she stared dreamily at Anne. "W-what was t-t-t‐that?" 

   "I wanted to kiss you sober," Anne whispered knowingly as she winked before Cathy grabbed a fistful of Anne's sweater and tugged her back down connecting their lips more passionately, or she intended to do that but her mama called her name and Cathy ended up head butting Anne and they both fell into the grass in a tangled painful heap. After a groan of pain Anne just giggled, pulling Cathy close to her chest as she buried her face in Cathy's thick curls.

   "So, girlfriend...what are your thoughts on prom?"