Explaining Loneliness

Havermouth, Present Time

Aislen heard Bianca’s voice and then Cameron’s from outside the locker room, and so she wasn’t surprised when the door opened and Talen and Cameron entered. She heard their footsteps, the whisper of their new jeans, as they crossed the room.

She flushed the toilet and leaned back against the cubicle wall, tears and snot streaming down her face, and grabbed a handful of toilet tissue to wipe herself clean. Over the top of the cubicle door, she could see Talen’s head.

“Little demon,” he knocked on the door.

“The last five years of my life have been a lie,” she whispered.

“How so?” Cameron lay on his belly on the floor and peered under the door at her. “What’s going on, Aislen?” He stretched out a hand. She reached out and took it, his calloused grip on her reassuring. She gave his hand a squeeze and rose to her feet.

Talen was leaning against the frame, filling the door, when she opened it, and reached out to cup her cheek, his thumb stroking away a stubborn tea