Midgar High School

Elena was running.

It was the butt crack of the morning to her, no light, but she wasn’t settled into her sheets. Any other time she would have pounded someone’s face in, well not really, but a certain brother or two would wake up with gum in their shoes.

But this was Shera.

She didn’t take the car because she didn’t want to wake up her parents. Sure, they would have let her go in this situation... but they worked so hard in the day, and sleep was important to them. Besides, they might not believe she had a girlfriend.

Did she just call Shera her girlfriend?

Maybe it was sort of true, in a way. She was a girl. She was her friend. And she was running Shiva knew how many blocks to fetch her from whatever hell of a home she was in. Because something was definitely wrong. Because she cared. And as guilty as it made her feel... she might have even hung up on Reno, her almost brother, at this hour. Hell, even Tseng, unless someone was raping him or something.

Which was a possibility for either. Why did she hang out with so many pretty boys?

She was almost there. She could feel the pavement hardening under her feet... she was getting tired. Why did she have to run like that? She could have walked like a normal person. Sure, it would have taken longer, but hadn’t she just become friends with Shera less than a week ago?

Of course, Zack did the same thing to her... made her desperate and worried and she would probably run to his place too. And she knew him even less. But... Zack was just nice and cute and wonderful. It was ok to like him. Shera liked him too, and she was alright with that.

She was more worried about Zack lending her Shera once in a while. Therein lay the problem.

The house was clinical... bare. They didn’t upkeep the yard at all, in fact, there was no yard. Just concrete. Like a runway. Who the heck raised children here? No wonder Shera was so... Shera. Only bold when the teacher looked at her raised hand. Only speaking because she had raised her hand.

Gods... she’d been stupid not to notice it before.

“No car?”

She whipped around, and saw a tiny figure by the garage. She looked so small next to it... so small...

“Shera? You ready to go?” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. She wanted to hug her and kiss her and tell her that she was safe now. Normally she was a tad bit afraid of touching Shera, who just seemed far less touchable than Zack. Wait.. kiss her? Maybe girls did that. Yes, friendly like. They could share Zack... friends did that. It was sort of weird, but they were weirdoes anyway. Not like they were getting married... so it was legal.

Oh burn it all to hells.

As soon as Shera had walked up she was hugging her, mouth running a billion questions that weren’t answered because who could understand babble like that? She broke away to check Shera out, because she feared bruises... but her parents were just controlling, not abusive? But that was a type of abuse, wasn’t it?

But that’s when Shera kissed her. Lightly on the cheek. Friendly-like. Yes, friendly-like.

“Thank you so much. Did you walk all the way over here? Do your parents know?” It took willpower to register what she was saying... but she did. Yes. No.

“Um ya... and no, they don’t know yet, but they’ll be cool, I didn’t want to wake them...” She was still half wrapped around Shera and feeling a little out of sorts. But she started walking, shifting so she just had one arm wrapped around her.

Oh hells... sleeping arrangements were going to be strange now.

Now that she wasn’t running, the walk was quiet. Calm. She took in Shera’s neighborhood... nice. These people bought cars... and probably their children too. It made her want to spit on their lawns. She wasn’t dirt poor or anything, but the middle class in Midgar always got screwed over. Probably because all the politicians lived here.

So when they slowly made it into her neighborhood, she relaxed.

“You live out this way?” Shera said, a half whisper. She nodded, guiding her through the streets that weren’t quite square in order to fit all the factory houses. There used to be mostly slums in Midgar... but lately it seemed like the middle class was booming... or replacing them.

But Elena really didn’t care about politics.

“Ya. Almost there, and you can get some sleep, huh?” Shera nodded, tiredly leaning her head on her shoulder. Yes, sleep, they both needed it. The adrenaline alone was enough to make her want to crash right there in the middle of the road. But Shera needed a warm bed and maybe some tea.

If her parents weren’t going to do right by her... by gods she would.

Through the window. Terribly cliché, but it worked. They were safe in Elena’s room... who by virtue of being the only girl had won the right to her own space over the years. Shera immediately plopped onto the bed, backpack slung onto the floor. Elena went to grab a sleeping bag from her closet.

“You’re going to sleep on the floor? In your own room?” Shera asked, nearly startling the other girl, who thought she was already asleep.

“You’re the guest. And you’ve had a hard night.” Elena could feel Shera’s teasing grin.

There were enough upheavals going on all over the place... she didn’t want to think about them. And she didn’t want to have to deal with the fact that she didn’t want to get in that bed with her like she so easily teased. But she did anyway.

And cuddling up next to her as she drifted back to sleep... she realized that it didn’t burn when she touched her. It felt like... home. It felt... natural.

“Goodnight Shera.”

“mmmph.”