Oran Warner
September, 2023
“Lavender, I’m sorry, I jus-”
“You just what, huh?” Lavender seethed, Hozier playing faintly through the headphones clenched in her fist. “You just couldn’t keep your nose out of my business? I mean shit, Oran.”
“Lavender please, I-”
“I really shouldn’t be surprised, I guess, after your stupid ass looked through my sketch book at the beginning of the semester, but shit. I actually trusted you there for a second.”
Words and logic had abandoned Oran, replaced by shame and fear. It felt as if a rock was lodged in his throat and was growing bigger by the second. His stammering rasped with the threat of unshed tears. Finally, he managed to choke out two words: “Y-you did?”
Lavender’s chuckle was filled with betrayal, malice. “How stupid am I? How stupid am I to actually, genuinely believe I had finally befriended someone who didn’t only care about themself?”
Oran stepped back with each of her threatening strides forward, but there wasn’t enough space in the world for him to escape Lavender’s wrath.
Lavender Andreas
September 2022
She was livid. More than that, Lavender was hurt. Sad. Betrayed.
She hadn’t been this upset for a long time.
She hadn’t been this upset since that stupid, perfect spring day so many years ago.
~*~
Lavender shook herself, ridding her mind of the memory of the drawing her father had hung up in his office, and ran. Her heart hammered in her chest, the wind roared in her ears, her shoes barely touched the concrete as she thundered around the corner.
Her cyclone of speed and sound didn’t stop as she raced down the sidewalk and up the driveway. It didn’t stop as she raced around the side of her house and yanked the side gate open.
It didn’t stop until she pulled the handle of the sliding glass door, and it didn’t budge.
“Shit,” she muttered, her breath heavy. “Shit.”
She furiously wiped away her tears, trying to get ahold of herself as she raised her fist to the door and knocked.
For a long moment, nothing happened. Her empty kitchen was still empty.
Then, her brother walked through the doorway on the far side of the room. He stared down at his phone, airpods in, walking slow enough to make four meters feel like a mile before he reached the door. He barely glanced up as he grabbed the handle, sliding the door open.
“Thanks.” Her voice was much raspier than she intended, and she winced. She tried to push past him, but it was too late. Her brother had noticed.
“Lav? What’s up?”
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
“What’s wrong?” She stopped, feeling her brother’s hand on her shoulder.
“Jax, please leave it.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“No, I said leave it.”
“I will, if you tell me what happened.”
“For fuck’s sake,” she turned on her heel and shoved him. Hard. “I told you to leave it alone!”
~*~
“Lavender, please, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean t-”
She stepped forward and shoved him. Hard. “You just couldn’t leave it alone!”
Oran cried out, falling backward. As his back collided with the art-covered wall, he reached out, grasping Lavender’s arm. She pitched forward with a yelp and tried to steady herself, but it was too late.
Oran held her arm tightly as they fell through the wall – into the map – together.
