| Whitney |Humming along to the Zelda soundtrack playing in her left Bluetooth earbud, Whitney finished counting down Pencil Me In’s last register and recorded the numbers with efficient accuracy. She figured it might be a busy night with all the summer specials they had going on, but instead it was unusually quiet. Not that Whitney was complaining; The lack of customers gave her plenty of time to finish the tasks on her to-do list before clocking out and not worrying about the art store for the next two weeks.Oh! Which reminded her. “Hey Jenny, do you need any help pulling the old tags off?” Whitney shouted clear across the isles on her way to the manager’s office with the newly filled out revenue reports. She tucked a strand of black curly hair behind her right ear as she continued walking in search of Pencil Me In’s latest scheduled employee, stocker Jennifer Vaughn.“Naw I’m about done. Thanks thou

| Hollis |After spending just over an hour re-packing Whitney's three suitcases plus her carry on, the girls were finally heading back to Hollis' with two heaping plates of mashed potatoes, corn, and chicken. As Whitney prepared to lock the door, her lover leaned against the side of the house with a drowsy smile. "You got everything West Coast?" "Yep! Thanks to you, baby." Whitney's thick black bun bounced slightly as she jangled the door, then stooped to grab her newly organized Michael Kors bag. Hollis had already loaded the rest, and their dinner had been stashed underneath the back seat safely."Don't discredit yourself; I watched your cute little butt hustling in there. Oh, can you drive? I'm so fucking tired." The blonde yawned as she stretched in place. That much was true, but it was more of an emotional and mental exhaustion. Hollis had completely forgotten about sending Whitney that text, and refused to bring the mood down by telling

Fourteen years Prior, Auburn Maine| Hollis |“You sure you’re gonna be alright if I go to the tailgate party, Holl?” Sixteen year old Dalton asked tentatively, tossing his little sister the football he’d won at some stupid arcade in town last year. “The guys wouldn’t mind if you wanted to come, you know.” Hollis caught it and fingered the white stitching with what was supposed to be a reassuring smile.“I’m meeting up with Kendra for dinner, otherwise you know I’d be there. She’s not about that scene.” The blonde shrugged, tightening the strings of her plain off-white hoodie and hopping off Dalton’s bed to hand him the ball back. Her apprehensive grey eyes shone with something her brother couldn’t read, and he only hesitated for a second before embracing her fiercely.“If it gets bad again, stay over at her place.”He

| Whitney |"Hey Californiiiaaaa!" Jake sang teasingly, grinning broadly as Whitney skipped over to give him a side hug. His silver snakebites glinted in the afternoon sun when he turned toward the petite woman slowly approaching them with a shy grin of her own. "This is Nora. We met at group about a month ago. Nora, Whitney. She's Hollis' girl." "What's up, what's up?" Whitney chirped, extending her hand toward Nora with a toothy smile. The smaller woman took it graciously, bouncing on her heels slightly as she did so. With her luminous strawberry blonde hair and peppy spirit, she radiated hella good vibes. The soft yellow romper she was rocking might have looked out of place on anyone else, but it fit her tiny body nicely. The white Keds she wore were really all that mattered, since hiking required decent footwear. "Hi! It's nice to meet you. Gosh, you're so pretty!" Her green eyes glittered like jewels as they broke their handshake. She di

Two days later| Hollis |“Have you decided if you’re going yet?” Whitney questioned as she watched her girlfriend set out a pair of comfortable clothing for tomorrow morning’s flight to New York City. She was referring to Dalton’s hearing, naturally. The blonde had asked her older brother for some time to think about it after finding she couldn’t answer him right away.Nothing changed between then and now.“Nope.” Hollis grunted as she placed a pair of blue jeans and a plain white tee shirt on top of her black dresser. “I’m still trying to figure out why he asked; Dalton knows how I am...I’m liable to get myself arrested for freaking out.” Her grey eyes flashed with fury and she let out a scoff. “I didn’t even want to know his name at first, remember?”The memory was very vivid for Whitney. As supportive as Hollis was, she c