To Be Okay
Luz’s POV
Amity had been exhausted by the time they got to Luz’s house. She was practically falling asleep on Luz’s shoulder and she had to be careful the girl didn’t fall off the back of the bike.
It was about 2:30 in the morning when Luz finally got Amity into the bed in her room. She’d started to snore before Luz had even finished tucking the blankets around her. They didn’t keep the heat on too high in the house for cost reasons so it was important that Amity was warm enough. Luz was sure Eda would be okay with her using the blankets she’d taken from the shop as long as she washed everything before returning them.
Luz stayed sitting next to the bed for a moment after she was done tucking Amity in. She was looking a lot better now than when Luz had found her. She was no longer shivering and her face looked peaceful, if still a little flushed from the wind on the bike ride. Her lips were open slightly in her sleep and she gently pulled the blankets more tightly around herself like she was trying to turn into an Amity burrito. She looked really pretty, Luz thought to herself.
Distantly, Luz remembered Amity saying that she liked her. Amity had known her as both Lazura and as Luz, as the best and worst presentations of herself, and she’d liked her anyway. More memories surfaced in her mind, of the joy in Amity’s voice when she got the Black Willow Staff, of Amity’s smile when Luz had laughed at the bad joke her brother had shared… Of Luz’s stomach feeling queasy at the dance, not because she was sick but because she was nervous and excited and… had liked Witchling too.
Had liked Amity too.
A wisp of hair was floating around in front of Amity’s mouth as she breathed. Using the slightest touch she could, Luz reached out and tucked it around the side of her face.
It was then that Luz heard the garage door grind open. She glanced at the clock, her mom was home a little earlier than usual. Luz gave Amity one last look to make sure she was situated before rising to her feet and heading to the kitchen. She'd made some mac and cheese with chicken and broccoli at Eda’s and had brought the rest home with her, it wasn’t her most inspired work but it would fill a belly. Luz hadn’t really thought about what she’d say to her mom about all of this, but she didn’t think that her reaction would be anything too bad, especially after Luz explained the situation.
Luz’s mom walked through the door just as Luz was starting to pile the mac and cheese onto two plates, making sure to save a little bit in the tupperware in case Amity woke up hungry later.
“Hi mija, how was your day?” Luz leaned down to allow her mother to kiss her forehead before placing the plates down on the kitchen table.
“It was good, Mama,” Luz said smiling. “Although…” she fidgeted with her fork a little causing her mother to raise her eyebrow in slight concern. “There’s something I need to tell you about.”
Amity’s POV
Amity fidgeted as she sat at the Nocedas’ kitchen table. The morning sun shined down at the kitchen table through the blinds on the window. She had just finished very nervously reciting the events of the previous day to Luz’s mom who maintained an interested yet calm and reassuring expression. Despite that though, Amity had felt a familiar sense of dread at the idea of a confrontation with any authority figure, much less one that she couldn’t be sure wouldn’t immediately call her parents and be done with her, but Luz’s warm hand pressed against her back had been enough to encourage her to keep talking.
“That’s a lot to take in, Amity.” Luz’s mom said, turning her coffee mug around in her hand. It was ten in the morning on a Monday which had initially freaked Amity out at the thought of missing school until Luz had woken up from her sleeping bag on the floor and calmed Amity down.
“Yeah,” Amity said hoarsely. “I- I just don’t know what to do.” She swallowed to keep her breathing from turning erratic again. “I can’t go home,” the words struck her like a knife to the chest. She can’t go home. She has no money, no computer, not even proper clothes, and she can’t go anywhere to get them.
“Hey, Mija,” Luz’s mom leaned forward in her chair causing Amity to startle to attention. She didn’t know what mija meant but it sounded reassuring. “This is a lot, and I know that it seems like too much right now.” The older woman reached out and placed a hand over where Amity’s was on the table. It felt warm. “But you are going to get through this.” She turned towards Luz, “We are going to get through this together. Luz told me that you’re a good friend of hers and we both want to help you.”
Luz nodded and smiled at Amity. The morning sun was shining through the window and made Luz’s face light up. “We’re here for you, okay? You’re safe here.” The taller girl leaned over and wrapped an arm around Amity’s shoulder who let herself be pulled into Luz’s side. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d seen Luz smile. She really missed it.
Luz’s mom sipped her coffee while turning toward the window and Amity didn’t miss the subtle smile she was attempting to hide behind the rim of the coffee mug.
After a few moments Mrs. Noceda cleared her throat and the two girls went back to sitting up straight. “Amity, you’re welcome to stay here of course. As a nurse I’m a mandated reporter but your health and safety come first and from what I understand, home is no longer safe for you.” Amity nodded but the woman wasn’t done. “I do want to ask if there is anyone you can call? Any family you can contact that can help in any way who you can trust not to go to your parents?”
Amity rubbed the back of her neck, her brother and sister would be in class by now but going by their usual social media activity, she could assume they’d have their phones back on around noon. As she contemplated whether or not contacting her siblings might be worth it the phone in the kitchen began to ring and Luz’s mom excused herself to go and pick it up.
While her mom was distracted Luz reached over and wrapped her hand around Amity’s. Amity looked at her and could practically see the gears turning behind the smile. “What’s wrong?” Amity whispered.
Luz just shook her head and squeezed Amity’s hand. “Nothing that we can’t fix.”
For a very pleasant few minutes, the two of them sat next to each other, simply happy to be in each other’s presence again. They’d been separated for so long, first by Amity’s cowardice then by Luz’s seclusion. Amity wasn’t too sure what Luz thought of her at that moment, she could just be doing something nice for someone in need, Lazura had certainly always offered a hand when Amity had needed help. On the other hand though, the crush she’d had, the one that had spawned with Lazura then grown with Luz had never gone away or diminished in the slightest. She’d been pretty sure Luz had reciprocated those feelings at least at one point, but she’d never been positive. Here though, with her hand in Luz’s she couldn’t help but hope that there was a little more to this than Luz simply helping a friend.
Amity leaned closer to Luz, letting her head rest against the taller girl’s shoulder. Everything had been happening so quickly, but she finally had a chance to catch her breath. Selfishly, she wished that this moment could last forever, away from her parent’s wrath and safe in Luz’s arms, but every good moment comes to an end.
“Luz?” Mrs. Noceda called from the corner of the kitchen. The phone was pressed against her chest in a way meant to muffle the noise for the person on the other line.
Amity separated herself from Luz, allowing her to stand up and head toward the phone. Luz gave her hand a final reassuring squeeze before walking away. Mrs. Noceda leaned in closer to her daughter and Amity didn't mean to eavesdrop but the rest of the world was too quiet not to hear.
“It’s Vice Principal Clawthorn,” Mrs. Noceda said quietly, probably more so to prevent the phone from picking it up than Amity. Luz knit her eyebrows in a questioning manner. “She says that some individuals came forward about the incident at the winter formal and they’d like to talk to you about it.”
Hesitantly Luz took the phone from her mother’s hand and held it to her ear. Mrs. Noceda sat back down at her spot at the kitchen table while Luz listened to the muffled voice over the phone.
“Is everything alright?” Amity whispered to Luz’s mom.
“I believe so,” she took another sip of her coffee. “She didn’t sound upset, but that woman has a way of delivering any kind of news with no expression whatsoever.” She swirled the liquid in her mug, “it’s a little unsettling.”
“Um, yeah, just… give me one minute.” Luz muttered into the phone before glancing back at the other two people in the kitchen. She then took the phone and walked around the corner of the kitchen to her room and closed the door. Amity was a little surprised the cord had that much give.
She and Mrs. Noceda stared intently at the closed door for several minutes. It was clear that they both wanted to hear what Luz was saying but neither wanted to invade her privacy.
At long last, the bedroom door opened and Luz exited, returning the phone to the wall before turning to face the two individuals who sat at attention. “Boscha’s been expelled.”
Mrs. Noceda blinked, “What?”
“She uh…” Luz scratched the back of her neck. “She was also the person who… you know, at the formal.”
Amity glanced at Mrs. Noceda who looked like she’d just had several suspicions confirmed.
Luz continued. “Apparently some others came forward,” she glanced very quickly at Amity before returning her gaze to a spot on the floor. “They contacted a few of Boscha’s associates and Skara came forward with some messages as proof for that and some other incidents.” Luz let out a breath, “So yeah, Boscha’s expelled. I’m still suspended through the end of the week but… yeah.”
Luz looked shocked, like she couldn’t comprehend this was happening. Amity imagined a very similar expression on her own face. Sure Boscha had been in trouble before, but she was the star of the soccer team, pretty much the only team the school had that they could be proud of, whatever she did usually got brushed under the rug. But then again, she’d never gone this far before… and she’d never had Amity’s word against her either. Amity might not have her parent’s status backing her up anymore, but the other kids didn’t know that… at least not yet.
Mrs. Noceda stood from the table and hugged her daughter who accepted graciously. Amity felt awkward, not only because it felt like she was invading a personal moment, but also because she wasn't used to seeing a parent being that affectionate. However, before she could turn away to give them some privacy, Amity noticed something slightly off in Luz’s expression.
“Luz, what’s wrong?” Amity asked.
Luz’s mouth twisted into a frown, Amity had always been able to see the gears turning in Luz’s head and they felt so apparent here. “I’m just worried, she has nothing left to lose now. What if she comes after me again, what if-”
“She won’t,” Amity felt the words fall out of her mouth, but she also knew that they were true. “Luz, that fight with Boscha last week, that was the first time you fought back, wasn’t it?”
Glancing down at her mother, Luz hesitated before nodding.
Amity stood to place what she hoped to be a reassuring hand on Luz’s shoulder, a small smile was on her face as Luz looked at her with eyebrows raised. “Luz, I’m not sure if you realized this, but you won that fight. Boscha’s not weak by any means, if you fight back she sees it as a challenge, but she also doesn’t pick fights she can’t win. Luz, her trump card was outing me to my parents because she knew that there wasn’t anything else she could do to you. She lost because you beat her, and she knows that if she tried again, she’d lose again.” As Amity spoke, she could see Luz’s eyes going wider and wider as realization slowly dawned on her. It was beautiful to see.
Finally, as the last words left Amity’s mouth, Luz reached over and wrapped Amity in a bone crushing hug. Amity happily reciprocated. She remembered the hitched breaths that used to come every time she touched Luz, from the peanut butter incident to when she’d wrapped her arms around her on the back of her bike. They’d come so far since those days, and though she wasn’t sure if they were completely past them, in that moment she didn’t care as Luz whispered a “Thank you” into the top of her head. What exactly she was thanking her for, Amity wasn’t sure, but she knew that everything from that point forward was going to be okay.