Polly was stress crying. That's what she called it when she became so frustrated that she couldn't hold back the onslaught of tears that forced their way from her closed eyes. It had everything to do with the loss of her sketchbook.

Polly was frustrated with herself for caring so much, because after all, the sketchbook was easily replaceable. It was a flimsy book that held few sketches, but it was the meaning behind it. She hid behind that sketchbook, like it was her shield. It was the reason she was sent to Doctor Higgins' camp. It was her creative outlet.

But Polly figured she should have been more worried about Kenzie's kidnapping, even though the purple haired girl was safe now. She figured that her energy and attention should have been on her friend. But it wasn't. And she didn't know why she felt that way, why she felt so selfish.

She was sure she had placed the sketchbook in her backpack, but it was gone. Not on her desk, not in her locker, and certainly not in her backpack.

Polly was coming apart at the seams, because even more important than that, her uncle found no traces of fingerprints on the note. It meant that despite the fact that it was an important clue into who was following her, there was nothing it could do to help. Other than what they already knew. And her uncle could find no traces of the handwriting anywhere.

So, she was right back where she started. With an expensive compact and a threatening note and no suspects. Despite what Doctor Higgins had done previously to her, Polly felt as though he hadn't written the letter, and while she knew the compact came from him, it seemed the compact stopped there. A dead-end.

Someone out there still wanted her.

And with the knowledge of her parents, that they had no idea she was out of the camp, she knew it couldn't be them writing letters to her. Whoever this person was, she had no idea who they could be, or why they were so interested in finding her.

Her uncle knocked on her bedroom door. "Are you alright, Polly?"

No, she thought to herself, I'm not alright. But she didn't know how to voice this, because her crying over a missing sketchbook and a note with no leads sounded pathetic to her. She felt like she wasn't strong enough, as if these two trivial things shouldn't make her cry.

Dramatic, she thought, you're being dramatic.

She took a deep breath. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Her voice shook, and she was sure her uncle would open the bedroom door, but he didn't. He took her answer and ran with it, leaving her behind in the empty bedroom. She was happy he had left, relieved he hadn't noticed the change in her voice. She didn't expect him to; he was a busy man. Afterall, people didn't tend to care about her, and she was used to this feeling of abandonment. She was used to crying alone.

"Well, your friend is here," her uncle's voice sounded muffled through the door, and Polly was momentarily shocked that he was still there, at her door. He hadn't left, but he also didn't know something was wrong.

The door opened, and there in the doorway stood Kenzie. She was wearing a cherry red dress that matched her lipstick and heels. She looked determined and unfazed about the situation she had recently been in. She looked lethal.

Kenzie shut the door behind her, the gleam in her eyes completely masking the worry she felt for her friend. She stepped forward, hands on her hips. "Why are you crying?"

Polly pawed at her cheeks, trying to make the tears stop. She felt hideous sitting there on the floor, crying about nothing important. A sketchbook was not important. Not in the grand scheme of things.

"I lost that stupid sketchbook. I'm just frustrated, and when I'm frustrated..." Polly felt too embarrassed to finish the sentence. She felt weak and useless. She felt like a young child throwing a tantrum in the supermarket; completely unnecessary and very annoying.

"You cry," Kenzie finished the sentence for her, grabbing the blonde's hands in her own. "That isn't a bad thing, Polly. Crying isn't a weakness, either. You can let it all out."

And so Polly did. She sobbed until her shoulders shook and her chest ached. She cried into Kenzie's neck, gripping the back of the dress she wore. But even that wasn't close enough, and Polly felt the urge to be closer to the girl in red. There, on the floor, where both girls sat, Polly wrapped her legs around Kenzie's waste in a koala bear hug. She squeezed Kenzie tightly, her tears soaking Kenzie's neck and the neckline of her dress.

"I just, that sketchbook, it meant everything to me. I've had it for so long, and through so much, and it's my outlet."

Kenzie gripped Polly just as tightly. She cared for her best friend, and seeing the girl cry was not pleasing to Kenzie. She was struggling to let go of the mask she wore currently. The everything-is-okay mask. The straight faced, confident mask she wore to put others at ease. Because if one person is strong, others can pull from their strength.

On the inside, Kenzie wanted to cry as well. She wanted to cry the moment her father picked her up. She wanted to cry in the basement, tied to the chair. She wanted to cry as her father was hauled to jail. She wanted to cry when she learned her relationship to Wes and Elliott. She wanted to cry when she found out the man she loved was an assassin, and was going to kill her.

But Kenzie was strong, and she hid that weakness behind the mask. She pulled herself together and held onto Polly, who needed her strength more than anything. Despite the tears pooling in her own eyes, Kenzie knew she had to hold it together for the girl in her arms.

Or, that had been the plan.

Polly leaned back, her eyes red and her cheeks stained with tears. Her brain felt muddled, but her heart was pounding hard in her chest. There she sat, in Kenzie's lap, with her legs tight around the purple haired girl's waist.

Without thinking, Polly leaned in. She had never kissed anyone willingly before, and she didn't think her kisses with Doctor Higgins counted. She felt nervous and worried, but she leaned in anyway, pressing her lips against Kenzie's.

For a moment, she didn't let her mind think. Despite the fact that Polly knew nothing of Kenzie's preferences when it came to dating, the girl kissed Kenzie with everything she had. There was something about almost losing the purple haired girl that made Polly anxious. Anxious to have the girl know about her feelings. Anxious to see if Kenzie possibly felt the same.

Kenzie pulled back, staring into Polly's eyes, her mouth wide open with shock. Polly tensed in the other girl's lap, suddenly aware of her actions. She began to pull away, her head ducked against her chest, her mouth issuing as many sorrys as she could.

Kenzie placed her hands on either side of Polly's face. "You like girls?"

Polly's face was on fire, red hot and embarrassing. This was one secret she had promised herself not to tell. She was used to people hating her because of it. She was used to people leaving her because of it.

"Yeah, I do. And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I didn't mean to kiss you like that. I just, I really like you Kenzie. I'm sorry."

"You don't like Minny?" Kenzie's grip on Polly's cheeks grew hard. The purple haired girl could hardly breathe, could hardly think. "I can't believe you don't like Minny, I thought you liked him?"

Polly didn't break eye contact. "No, not like this I don't."

And then Kenzie was kissing her, hard and rushed, sloppy and verging on rough. She kissed Polly with all she had, and her heart was beating so hard in her chest that it hurt. But, she was nervous, and unbelieving that she was finally kissing Polly, and it wasn't in a dream. She was kissing Polly, and Polly was kissing her back.

Polly gripped the back of Kenzie's dress tightly. Her legs tightened against the girl as well, getting as close as she could. She could feel Kenzie breathing. She could feel Kenzie's body against her own, and the feeling was marvelous. It was unlike anything Polly could ever believe, because she had always dreamed of kissing a girl. And this, the feeling she felt, was so much better than anything she had ever dreamt up. This was real, and the dress in her fists were real, and the feeling of Kenzie's lips against her own was real. Her nose brushing Kenzie's cheeks was real. Her tongue in Kenzie's mouth was real. Kenzie's fingers pulling at her hair was real. The pounding of her heart was real.

She pulled back from Kenzie, breathing hard. "You like me?"

Kenzie's mouth went to Polly's neck. "I thought you liked Minny all this time."

Polly's head tilted back to give Kenzie better access to her neck, and a moan left her lips at the feeling. She felt like she was floating, and all thoughts of her sketchpad were gone. She was preoccupied with the girl beneath her, kissing her neck.

"But, all those boys at school, they like you," Polly's words were jumbled and she had to think hard to get them out of her mouth. Her brain felt like it was detached from the rest of her body. Kenzie. Beneath me. Kissing me.

"And I never liked them back." Kenzie couldn't believe it either. She couldn't believe she had Polly in her lap, moaning. She couldn't believe how hard her heart was beating in her chest. And most of all, the mask on her face was gone. The smile on her lips was real. The excitement in her eyes was real. The beating of her heart was real.

Kenzie couldn't believe she was mask free, sitting on Polly's floor, being the real her. She felt no pressure to put the mask back on, not when the girl of her dreams was squirming in her lap, gripping her dress tightly.

Polly leaned away from Kenzie. "So, you like me?"

Kenzie grinned, feeling free. Feeling liberated. "Yes, Polly. Shit, I've liked you since you moved her."

Polly let out a laugh, and then felt the tears again, this time not about her sketchpad. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just, I didn't imagine you would like girls. I just have gone through so much, and everyone I know hates me because of it. Okay, not everyone, but a lot of people. I didn't want to lose you too."

Kenzie kissed Polly on the lips three more times before leaning back, her face serious. "Polly, I need to confess something."

The blonde tensed at those words. "Alright."

Kenzie looked down at Polly's legs wrapped around her waist, and then she looked back to her. "I wish my dad wasn't arrested. Or, better yet, I wish he had just loved me. Why didn't he love me?"

Polly wrapped her arms around Kenzie. "I'm sure he did, Kenzie. Just in his own way."

Kenzie shook her head. "No, no he didn't. He was going to kill me Polly. He hated me so much, but I loved him. I always loved him. I only wanted him to love me back."

Polly felt the tears on her shoulder. She felt Kenzie's body as she cried, and Polly hated how sad Kenzie was because of her father. Because of the situation she was in due to a parent who just didn't care about their child. Polly's parents didn't care about her. Kenzie's father didn't care about her. And both girls were broken because of it.

"Maybe you should talk to him. Maybe that would help."

Kenzie didn't respond, but Polly understood why. She understood how hard it was for Kenzie to accept her father's lack of love. And she understood why the girl wouldn't want to jump into her father's arms after he tried to kill her.

But Polly realized that maybe running from her parents was not the right thing to do. And maybe she too needed to talk to her parents about what they did to her all those years ago. Maybe she too needed closure, just like Kenzie. 

* * *

Hey guys!

So, they finally kissed!! Only took them thirty-nine chapters haha

How is everyone? I hope you are all swell (:

Writing is hard, but I promise to keep updating.

I love you all. XOXO

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