Missy took a deep breath then turned around, her expression was unreadable as she said coolly, “You're still a spaz.”
Then her face and voice softened, she reached out and placed a hand gently on my arm. “But nobody deserves this.” Gesturing at the condition I was in with her head. Then she simply turned and walked off, her voice cold again, saying, “Get better soon freak.” over her shoulder.
Vicky and I looked at each other and Vic chirped, “My, she's certainly warm and fuzzy.” We both cracked up as Valla arrived behind us, bearing three breakfast burritos and coffee on a tray. I swear we're going to tun into breakfast burritos one day. But that's not a bad thing is it? They are so yummy!
“What I miss?” my girl asked cutely as we sat at the table. I started unwrapping a burrito as I spoke to her, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “That was Missy, she was almost a human being today, but Vickster isn't too convinced.”
We all shared a smile and devoured our meal. I found it surreal that we were all recovering from something or another. Then all rational thought left me as I ate when a warm hand rested on my knee, Valla faking a little Miss Sweet and Innocent look as she ate one handed.
***
My first class was spent with the teaching assistant to my professor, getting assignments and new due dates to catch up to the rest of the class. Then it was back to the VV Lair until after lunch. I was excited to get back to art class. Just as excited when Valla gave me a steamy, toe curling kiss at the door when she dropped me off there.
Mrs. Sax, I mean Jenny came motoring over quickly, wincing when she saw my face. I'm really getting tired of that, why can't I just wear my hoodie until I heal? “Mia, they really put the hurt on you, didn't they?” she half asked half stated, concern was etched on her face. I smirked, “You should see the other guy's bat, my face really did a number on it!” She didn't smile. I thought I was funny.
She dismissed our conversation and excitedly changed the topic. “Well I have news for you, do you want to talk about it now or at the end of class?”
I looked over at her as I grabbed a couple large stacks of felt sheets in various colors. I was starting to get suspicious about all the new materials popping up close to my workstation. I set a piece of cardboard in front of me and started cutting the felt into tiny, quarter inch triangles. “I can talk as I work. It's better that way, then I don't obsess so much.”
She watched my hands go as I paid more attention to her than what I was doing as she spoke. “Well that first work that you let me submit into the national collegiate competition in New York City won first place, and you have an offer on that piece from a private collector there! Forty thousand dollars if you are interested, otherwise they will ship it back here.”
I was shocked, someone thought my art was worth something? “Ummm... okay. Wow.” She smiled and nodded, “Okay, I'll get it set up for you. There were also inquiries about commissioning some works, I'll forward the info to your email.” She was beaming proudly at me.
We spoke about the details and the upcoming student gallery art auction at the end of the month. I started building little towers assembling four different colored triangles to make little square layers. Then stacking multiple layers in a predetermined pattern until each little tower glued to the cardboard till they were six inches tall.
As we spoke I continued making towers and staggering them at various, seemingly random points on the cardboard. Jenny started to get distracted and seemed more interested in what I was doing than talking. I finished our conversation by saying, “Class is almost over.” she glanced at the clock on the wall behind me, confirming my internal chronometer. “Two minutes to go.” she breathed as I said, “Done!”
She looked over my creation with a confused look on her face, it apparently didn't look like anything to her. I smiled and pointed at her feet, she nodded and sat put as I walked across the room a ways and placed the sheet with the felt towers down on her desk.
“Squat so your eyes are even with your desktop.” I instructed. A couple of the other students had moved to her side and they all squatted. A communal gasp was uttered. “On my God!” Jenny breathed. Then I turned the work on her desk to the next side, “Unbelievable” someone said as I turned it again to the third side then the fourth.
I knew what they were seeing. One side when lined up made a very pixelated illusion of my dog Noodles from when I was four. One side had the word 'Love' because I was thinking of Valla at the time, the next was the wagon I had as a young child. Last was the word 'Unfair' because again I was thinking of Valla.
I walked back over to my workstation with the piece and slid it on the upper shelf above the bench. Jenny still hadn't said anything else, she just stared at me as I hobbled toward the door on my crutch, happy that with a single idea I was able to make four works. That was fun!
I leaned against the wall in the corridor to wait. I caught the scent of vanilla moments before the soft hands covered my eyes. I smiled from ear to ear as I turned around directly into a hug from Valla. “Hey! You're supposed to guess who!” She laughed.
I acted nonchalant, “I'm just in the habit of hugging anyone who does that to me.” I teased as I released our hug. She pulled me back into her possessively. “Better not be anyone else stealing hugs from you.” she whispered in my ear, nipping at my earlobe.
We giggled at each other and made our way to my psychology class where she bid me farewell. Just ninety minutes till I get to see her again! Five thousand four hundred seconds. I started counting in my head. This was going to be a long class.
Eventually I made it through the day and Vicky met me at class to take my books instead of Valla. I looked at her with curiosity as she took my books and we started walking. “Where's Valla?” I glanced over at the super-peppy blonde.
She shrugged, “She texted me to see if I could get ya back to the Lair. Something about her English Lit professor needing to talk to her.” We were half way through the quad when she stopped walking.
She stood there staring straight ahead, her perpetual smile was gone, not looking at me and asked in a husky voice, “It's bad isn't it?” My breath caught, I knew she was referring to Valla's condition. I had been trying so hard to be strong, but I broke down right there on the spot.
Small strong arms were suddenly around me, pulling me into a hug and I sobbed into Vicky's shoulder. I let myself cry, it felt good to release it. I'll never let myself break like this in front of my Valla, she needs me to be strong.
I choked back the tears and took a cleansing breath as Vicky stroked my hair with one hand. I whispered, “Thank you Victoria.” to her as we pulled apart from the hug.
She looked into my eyes to comfort me. “Hey, everyone needs a good cry sometimes. Let's get you back to the Lair to wait for your girl.” Her smile brightened her face again as we continued our journey, and as always it was contagious as I found myself smiling too. I was feeling much better after that emotional purge.
***
We were sitting on Valla's bed playing slapjack when she walked in with a grin plastered on her face. She stole a line from Vicky as she skipped up to us, “One for you!” she kissed Vic on the top of her head. “And one for you!” she put me in such a passionate lip lock that it literally stole my breath away. I was gasping somewhere on cloud nine as she slid herself behind me and circled my waist with her warm arms, her marvelous scent enveloping me as she peered over my shoulder.
I turned my head and gave her a quick peck on the lips as coherent thought returned. I bit my lower lip in desire as I spoke, “So what did the prof want?”
She shrugged indifference but her smile gave her away. “She just wanted to submit some of my poems about you for some Boston publication, or some other nonsense like that.”
As I perked up with a giant smile leaning back into her to show my excitement over the announcement, Vicky stood on the bed and started jumping around yelling excitedly. “Oh my gawd! How friggin' awesome is that!?”
&nb
sp; I was almost giggling as I said, “Baby! That's wonderful!” Then I remembered, “Oh, that reminds me, I almost forgot that Mrs. Sax told me that while I was out of commission I won that silly collegiate art competition. Some crazy person made a forty thousand dollar offer on the piece.”
This was apparently a mistake on my part as I now had two girls jumping on the bed squealing. As we settled and the girls sat back down, Vicky spoke grabbing one of each of our hands. “You two are like, super amazing and talented! Not to mention like the cutest couple... ever!”
I was blushing badly at this point as Valla said, “Damn straight!”
We all sat around and gossiped for an hour or so, until the topic of the future came up. I clammed up and Vic noticed, then offered, “Well, ummm... why don't you two talk while I go out to get us some Chinese takeout. I should be gone what? An hour? Two?” She jumped off the bed and started toward the door but was stopped by Valla grabbing her hand.
She looked up at the little blonde and spoke so quietly that it was almost inaudible. “No stay.” Then she continued a little louder, “You have a right to know too. You two are my only friends. My best friends.” She kissed my neck gently, sending a shiver through me. “And you... more.”
Valla let her hand drop as Vicky just nodded then whipped out her phone, her eyes watering as she dialed the number for the Chinese restaurant from memory (duh). “All you had to do was say 'just order in'.” forcing her customary smile back onto her face and speaking into her phone. “Hi! Yeah, I'm going to need the family combo number twelve delivered to UW Dorm C, room 211. Yup this is her. Okay. Yeah just on the card. Thanks.” and she hung up and joined us back on the bed.
Not much was said while we waited for the food, we all silently understood we would wait until after we ate to talk. I reflected on how scarily in synch the three of us were.
So we played cards, but Vicky kept pushing the card box crooked on the nightstand, causing me to keep reaching over to straighten it out. “Slap Jack!” she squealed as I finally realized she was just creating diversions.
No wonder I've never won when I played her. “Hey! Wait a minute you little blonde cheat!” I said as I nudged the box back and forth perfectly into place.
A hot breath on my neck caused goosebumps down my flesh as Valla whispered in a husky, hungry voice, “No, that's okay. It's so hot.” ending with a nip on my neck. I'm not too proud to admit that I might have squeaked.
After the food arrived we sat on the floor eating straight from the cartons. I glanced at the two girls smiling as they watched me meticulously arrange each bite in the carton with my chopsticks before I shoveled them into my mouth. Noodles are the bane of my existence, they are so... random. “Hey, you're making me self conscious here!” I complained. They both cracked up as I shook my head at them, then grabbed my water bottle to wash the food down.
Vicky cleaned up our mess and Valla turned off the overhead light. The only light in the room came from the little lamp on the nightstand. We dressed in our night clothes and all sat cross legged on Valla's bed. She looked at Valla and I, “Now. About the future.”
***
The three of us spoke until two in the morning about our secrets, our hopes and dreams and goals in life. Where we wanted to end up, how we envisioned things. We cried over Valla, we laughed with each other, we contemplated heavy subjects that people our age shouldn't be burdened with. We bared our souls to each other. I marveled over how my entire life I have never felt so close to two people and never believed I could ever experience love, especially from someone as amazing as my Valhalla. Now there are two people on the planet that know her true name.
Valla told us of the checklist of four things she had vowed to accomplish before her affliction took her from this world. She made the list when she was very young and being told that a normal life for her was not possible. Even back then, she had refused to be defined by her disease. But the first one on the list she told herself she would accomplish no matter what, for her father's memory. The final three were just what she defined as the yardstick for a successful life.
1. Graduate College
2. Find Love
3. Get Married
4. Have a Child
“I can scratch number two off the list now.” She whispered as she pulled me into her, me laying my head in the crook of her neck. I whispered back, “I can help with the list.” Valla's eyes widened at that and Vic smiled at us.
Vicky's list was similar but instead of a child she wanted a successful professional career. For how perky and bubbly she was, underneath it all she was just as insecure and scared as the rest of us.
1. Graduate College
2. Find Love
3. Get Married
4. Successful Career
I could only think of two things I wanted. I know I was being selfish, but really they were the only two things that would not leave the broken loop of my obsessive compulsive thinking. Neither girl judged me.
1. Graduate College
2. Spend Every Available Minute With Valla
Vicky smiled softly when she heard mine. I looked down, chancing quick glances between them. “That's how I want to define myself. This thing I found with her was an impossibility in my life. She IS my miracle.”
After a few minutes of silence, we were all showing signs of exhaustion. Wordlessly Valla and I cuddled into each other, my back to her front, her arm draped across my waist. Vicky looked over at her bed, then back at us with a sad look. I raised my arm, inviting her, and she slid in front of me, my arm draping over her waist.
I whispered to the two sadly, “Tomorrow I lose the crutch and I go back to my dorm. I'm going to feel so isolated.”
Vicky mumbled quietly, half asleep. “No, you stay here with us. We can all use your room for a place to get away and be alone whenever we need.” Valla grunted in agreement. I felt a tear roll down my cheek as we all drifted to sleep.
Chapter 11 – Art Final
The weeks flew past, what remained of the semester was going past in a blur. Thanksgiving struck like lightning. Valla and had I planned on having turkey TV dinners in the VV Lair since we both had no family. However, our arms were almost pulled out of or sockets when we were dragged to Vicky's parents, along with Molly who was now becoming a regular in the Lair or over at my dorm room with Vicky.
After detouring around the remnants of yesterday's annual iFORk Children's Festival, we made our way to the Davenport's house. Victoria's parents lived in a friggin' mansion. It was kind of amazing that her parent's didn't even bat an eye finding out that she was dating a girl and that Valla and I were a couple. They doted on us like we were family, Mrs. Davenport thanked me no less that ten times that night for saving Vicky from the attack, and telling me to call her Maira. I could see where the hyperactivity in Vic came from.
The meal was awesome. Probably the best home cooked meal I can ever remember. The atmosphere there just felt like family to me. I told the girls later that I had amended my checklist to include 'family'. They just nodded in approval and I was rewarded with hugs.
The following weeks were punctuated in smiles, laughs and togetherness. Our tight bond was growing at an exponential rate.
Then the end of the semester and Christmas break was approaching at breakneck speeds, just two days of finals to go. I had received the forty thousand dollars from New York and an additional seventy-two thousand dollars from the sale of four pieces from the student gallery auctions the prior week. Vicky helped me set up a savings and investment portfolio for the funds and for future earnings. Segregating a percentage for a tax deferred retirement fund. Wow is all I can say.
By that time, Valla had her poems published in multiple monthly publications, gaining her sizable commissions of her own. Vicky worked her wizardry there too, and reorganized my girl's inheritance too. Valla was in contact with a publisher that wanted to create a book of her works. I couldn't have been more proud of my girl.
Each of us were sneaking
off with Vic's car from time to time, purchasing Christmas gifts or supplies for creating some. I made a mental note to myself that eventually I'd need to get a car of my own. Public transit sucked and I felt bad borrowing Vicky's all the time.
Unknown to the girls, the past three weeks Mrs. Sax and I would sneak off campus for a little over an hour during class for a special project I was commissioned for by the city. My 'final' in her class.
I had only had one episode the past four weeks, I think it freaked Molly out a bit as Vicky and I just continued our game of slapjack through it. She would only meet Vicky over at my dorm room for a week.
The trial for the three that had attacked Vicky and I resulted in just two years of probation for the two that joined Max, while he got twelve months in jail and two years probation since he had used a weapon. It seemed pretty lenient to me, but at least they were paying for the crime in some manner.
Things are going well. I thought to myself as I sat, losing yet another game of slap jack to Vicky and Molly on the floor of the Lair. I was busy straightening out the card box to the edge of the throw rug that Molly had “accidentally” bumped... again. When Valla walked in, I looked up and smiled. “Slap Jack!” Molly screamed.
Everyone but me laughed. “Cheaters.” I pouted and hissed under my breath. Vic merely shot her infectious smile at me. “Yet you play every time Mia.” I tried to stop my own smile from appearing, I failed.
Valla sat behind me with her hands on my stomach, her thumbs rubbing random circles on what little exposed skin was showing. Now that casts were off and we were all healed fully this was torture, I was scared that my arousal was obvious to everyone. She kissed me behind my ear and received the whimper from me that she wanted before she spoke.
“So, I just finished my last final! I'm free! Vickster was done yesterday, that leaves you my love.” She nuzzled me. I gasped raggedly and said, “I just have to turn in my art final tomorrow and I am all yours for holiday break baby.” I looked back at her with a smile, then over to Vicky who was busy aggressively marking her territory on Molly's neck. “I need you two to be there with me when I turn it in if that is okay.”
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