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"Open up!" Luz said as she fed a crawling, squirming crustacean leg to Amity, who in her excitement bit Luz's finger and slurped down the leg. Luz recoiled in a little bit of pain, groaning "Ouch…" before giggling it off.
"I'm so sorry Luz…" Amity started before Luz wagged her finger.
"You're fine, Amity!" Luz remarked, smiling as she held her tight for a hug.
Willow watched as Luz and Amity giggled away at their own table in the Hexside lunch room. She was happy for them but yet felt a pang of envy go through her. Gus ate his sandwich without really even noticing anything off at the moment- he could hardly anticipate what was going to happen next.
Suddenly a burst of plants erupted in the lunchroom and Amity wrapped her arms around Luz protectively as the vines shot across the room before wilting as Willow huffed out hard, feeling suddenly embarrassed for how out of control her magic had become. Luz and Amity merely laughed as the vines receded back, hardly anyone knew the cause of the sudden plant outburst.
Willow covered herself with her hands, feeling so confused on how she became this out of control. She was not feeling good these past couple days- it made her sick to her stomach to watch Amity and Luz for some reason. She couldn’t figure out why- she was happy for them, really! Something just… kept feeling weird in her chest- around the heart’s bile sac- and she kept feeling more intense.
She was supposed to be the calm, collected one. Yet recently, her mood had fluctuated like crazy. One minute she could be doing fine, and then she would see them and…
She huffed out against the surface of the table, still hiding in her arms. “Willow, are you okay?” asked Gus, looking at Willow and giving her a soft poke with his hand.
Willow laughed slightly before poking her head up, giving a false smile. “I’m fine, Gus.”
“Are you sure?” asked Gus, squinting his eyes as he leaned in. “I can tell that little attack from the plant was from you, I’m keen on details like that. And your eyes are bloodshot.”
“Are they?” asked Willow, closing her eyes as she continued to talk like she was doing just fine. “I think something just got in my eyes, that’s all.”
“It’s about Luz and Amity, isn’t it?” asked Gus.
“…wha… no… hey, come on.” Willow weakly let out, using her hands limply to try and deny the connection.
“Are you jealous you don’t have a girlfriend, Willow?” asked Gus.
“Oh god, you wish it was that simple,” cackled Willow, softly and pained. “You have no idea. I just recommend you go back to using your illusions to make your food into a fortress or whatever.”
“For your information, Willow, Luz is teaching me that glyph magic she does.” Gus said. “I don’t use my illusion magic just for show and play either, you know.”
“I’m just cranky, Gus. Stop talking to me.” Glumly said Willow. She hid her face in her hood, no longer feeling hungry as she watched from the corner of her eye Amity and Luz doing another cute thing, together. She couldn’t even bother to look properly- it disgusted her on a level she knew wasn’t right- but she couldn’t just stop the feelings from coming out, bubbling out like a bog. She looked away and down at her meal, feeling so bad.
She made it to the end of the day without another outburst, although it helped that Luz didn’t exactly share a ton of classes with her at the moment. Honestly, she wasn’t really sure how she was doing in school… she had a completely different magic system to use, so how exactly could she apply anything she was learning here to that? It didn’t really make sense to Willow- and even making it stranger, she had made it a point to be part of every coven track possible, so where was she even making up the time to do all this work on top of teaching Eda and once upon a time, Lilith, all this magic?
She shook her head. She probably wouldn’t get good answers anyway- it was Luz she was talking about. Luz probably did this insane workload with no problem, unaware that a fledging witch was never meant to take on such a massive challenge.
She slammed her fist into her locker, grunting as she pulled away to look at her own distorted reflection. “Ouch…” groaned the locker, opening up while flopping out it’s tongue.
Clover, her bee-like Palisman, perched itself onto her shoulder as Willow grabbed her books out of her locker. It attempted to nuzzle her neck sweetly, but the affection almost seemed to bother her- as if she wanted it from something- or someone else. It backed away when it realized Willow wasn’t in a good mood.
“Check this out!” Gus said as he slapped together two glyphs in the distance. Willow perked her head over to look at what Gus was doing- watching as a pack of students were suddenly covered in mist which began to quickly fill the hallway.
“Pretty impressive trick for an illusionist.” Mattholomule said, his words being earnest in a way they hadn’t been before.
“Well, that wasn’t illusion magic, it’s just glyphs I learned from Luz…” Gus said.
Willow felt her knees buck down and she sat on the floor- the mist overcoming her as she heard Luz’s name. The name made her feel weak- as if being reminded she was no longer the center of Luz’s attention anymore was so bad that it compelled- no, made her need to sit down to deal with the burden it put on her.
It was a incredibly selfish way to think and part of her knew it wasn’t exactly what those feelings were- but the deeper examination of them was actually worse.
She was in love with Luz and Amity. And now she had neither of them. She pulled out a pair of Memory Tweezers and closed her eyes as she yanked something out of her head.
“Amity?” asked Alador, from a memory displaced from Amity into Willow. Willow watched as an observer before, but… she liked to revisit this memory for one reason. It was selfish and dumb, but it calmed her down.
A door opened in the eye of her memory- the shadowy figures illuminated by white light- a vision of Amity’s parents Odalia and Alador Blight. A young Amity stood small against the loomed shadows, not even appearing human. “What is Willow doing here? She wasn’t on the guest list for a reason.” Odalia said with a hushed, scraping tone.
“But she’s… she’s my best friend!” cried out a young Amity.
For some reason- and it was a stupid one, she was aware- this made her feel good. That Amity showed her this memory to remind her that she always cared deep down- that it was never completely her fault that they drifted apart and that she felt her confidence diminish into embers. It was hollow in the moment but as she held out the picture of the memory Amity gave her so long ago it felt- even though it had been at most, months- she still felt like she had a piece of someone she loved.
She looked it over again, watching the event play out again and again- before putting it back inside her head. She shakily got up, but through the thick mist, she didn’t even realize she was about to hit right into Boscha.
“What are you doing on the floor?” asked Boscha, genuinely curious for maybe the first time in her life, although it still rolled off her tongue like a dagger of sarcasm. She helped Willow catch her balance, Willow planting both feet on the floor. She separated away from her, although she caught sight of the Memory Tweezers as the mist separated. “…you weren’t burning your mind again, right?”
“No… no… nothing like that.” Willow replied.
“Ah, good, then. You really ought to be careful- they say some guy from centuries ago kept plucking memories unaware of the effect it’d have on his brain, and he vanished from madness. This was before Belos, mind you.” Boscha said.
“Why are you talking to me?” asked Willow, genuinely baffled.
“Well, admittedly after that outburst during lunch, you kind of captivated me enough for my attention for once,” she said in a earnest way. “Although, I hope you don’t plan on wasting it.”
“I don’t need you, Boscha.” Willow replied coldly.
“I don’t need you either, Willow, I think I made that clear with how I… reacted to you, in some small way.” Boscha.
“Then why are we talking? You haven’t exactly explained yourself well…” Willow replied, looking up to Boscha as she pushed her palms against the lockers to stand up.
“I can tell you’re not over Amity and Luz getting together.” Boscha said, pushing her head closer to Willow’s with the biggest trash slug egg eating grin.
Willow hissed. “Didn’t Amity tell you to leave me alone?”
Boscha looked a bit taken aback- her smile instantly fading from her mouth. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Leave Luz and Willow alone, Boscha.” Amity said, approaching Boscha against the wall of their school. Boscha had to hold a stern look- she knew she had been acting way out of line lately, throwing her own frustrations at Willow. But she hadn’t realized how close Amity was getting to the human- the round-eared girl who never did well in class- and didn’t realize that Amity was about to end whatever tenuous ties left that they had.
Amity spoke in a very controlled, stern voice as she looked at Boscha. Boscha could tell for her mannerisms and the like that Amity had been thinking about this for a long time. Her hands were clenched, pink fire ever so slightly burst from her hands- they were done, whether Boscha liked it or not.
Boscha continued to stare out in silence as Amity continued. “If I ever see you making fun of my friends-“ she said, putting a real deep emphasis on the last word before continuing. “it’ll be the last time you ever do that.”
Boscha knew more or less what she meant by the threat- her family was a very powerful set of witches who excised power through wealth as opposed to direct talent, which was much the same way with her family.
Amity walked away without saying anything further. She knew Boscha had been listening and that many of their talks had ended like this before. Boscha felt herself slide down the wall in her own unrequited feelings, holding her head with her fingers as she felt tears stream down from her three eyes.
She quickly got up so she could cry somewhere else- somewhere unseen, hidden away from other students who would surely snap to the chance to embarrass her further than she already had been. She made her way to the closed detention hall, hiding behind a pillar as she sobbed.
She had ruined anything she had with Amity and there was no way she’d get it back. She could lash out in anger again but what would it matter? Sure, it got Amity’s attention but now it would direct other attention and she didn’t need that. She was sitting in a mess of her own feelings, feeling tormented by herself and how she acted and yet could do nothing of the sort to change how things were and how things were going to go.
“-I didn’t come here to bother you. Look. I just wanted to say that if you were thinking of lashing out like that further…” Boscha said, holding back tears from the memory she was holding back in her mind.
“That, what, I should involve you in it somehow?” asked a huffy Willow. “She abandoned you and your clique for a reason, one of the few good changes around here since Luz arrived.”
“No, can you just let me finish a sentence and thought, Willow?” asked a annoyed Boscha.
Willow hissed as she receded back against the wall before looking at Boscha again, nodding her head. “Fine, I will hear you out.”
Boscha actually didn’t remember what she was going to propose originally so she had to be careful with her words. “Your magic is tied to your emotions, right?” Boscha said.
“Your point?” asked Willow.
Boscha felt a flurry of complicated emotions weave over her, twisting inside her. “I think it is in your best interest and Amity’s if those emotional impulses were controlled. Amity doesn’t exactly like those who lash out, even if she doesn’t realize that they are and… well, I lost her, it could happen to you too.”
“Why are you acting like that kind of stupid advice is in my best interest, Boscha?” Willow asked, wrapping a vine around her neck unconsciously, her eyes glowing green. “Haven’t you always been against me? When I was floundering at school, you made fun of me and called me awful names and when I was finally starting to get it together, you declared war on me personally? You’re a two-bit bully with nothing else going on, aren’t you?” Boscha began to gag as she choked before Willow slipped the vine off from her neck, frustrated that once again her emotional impulses were getting the best of her. “I gotta go.” Willow said, pained in her voice before running off, ashamed of herself and her anger.
Boscha sat on her knees as she watched her run away. She debated as to whether to go after her before deciding that it was probably in everyone’s self interest to prevent Willow from completely self-destructing.
Blades of grass poked out from the schoolground tile. Willow had gone this way, towards… the photo development lab?
She found Willow with a set of photographs that were being developed- her memories of Amity… but also Luz. Memories of the party, memories of the time Luz was posing as an Abomination, memories of the Grudgby match… anything to do with the two of them had been developed and placed on the wooden pins to hold them in place across the white string. Boscha stepped down from the small stair well into the room. Willow glanced at her, angrily before resigning in defeat.
“What’cha doing… ‘Low…” asked Boscha very cautiously.
“I’m going to do what I need to do in order to forget about them and to stop having these awful, crushing feelings.” Willow replied, holding up a scalpel.
“This is really self-destructive, Willow…” Boscha said, coming closer. Willow held a photograph of Luz emerging out of the Abomination pot in her fingers, shakily as she started to sob.
“I know, but what other recourse do I have left?” asked Willow. “I want the non-stop hurt I feel every day to go away already.”
“Right, but you know that it’s a whole chain reaction that destroys your mind, right? You can’t just…” Boscha said before making scissor-like motions with her fingers.
“I’m well aware.” Willow pointedly remarked. “Maybe I could get it removed through some kind of service or look into witches willing to do that or…”
“Willow…”
Willow stumped down onto the floor with the photograph. “I’m in love with both of them- no matter what happened it would have pained me. If I had succeeded in dating one of them, I would have felt the guilt of knowing the other was unhappy and probably in a similar state that I am right now. I couldn’t stop it- but I knew it was happening…”
“How long have you known?” asked Boscha, also sitting on the floor.
“There’s not a coherent timeline of feelings, Boscha.” Willow said, looking to the three eyed girl.
“Right, but like…” Boscha started, restlessly clasping her fingers together. “I knew when I was 12 what those feelings were- for Amity.”
“About the same time, I guess. I dunno. I didn’t realize I was in love with her for a long time because I was young, didn’t have the capability for that. But when Luz showed up, I think that’s when it really clicked into place for me that those were the feelings I had for Amity too and…” she started to get choked up again, putting the photograph on the table above her as she wiped her eyes away with her plant track attire sleeves, her glasses moving to the top of her forehead. “When Luz put in the time to have us get along again, it just made me realize that I was very lucky to have her- but when Amity put herself on the line, I also realized she was doing that for me and that everything she was doing wasn’t for herself until recently. I saw my old friend- I guess crush now- in her again. I also realized by then she had feelings for Luz and I just brushed it aside for the time being but then I realized she had never been that happy- even around me.”
“What were you going to do?” asked Boscha, looking at her before immediately looking back down at the floor.
“What?” asked Willow.
“What were you going to do about having two crushes?” asked Boscha.
“…I don’t know. I guess I felt one would subside over time while the other grew stronger, but they never really did and…” Willow said, before looking down as well.
“Is it possible to love two people at the same time?” pondered Boscha quietly.
“I don’t know. It’s gotta be, but who knows.” Willow pondered in kind before just resting her body back onto the floor.
“M-maybe you could ask them…” Boscha replied before trailing off and shaking her head.
Willow shot up from the ground and held her knees close to her chest. “I mean, I’m decently confident in myself now… but even I couldn’t do that. Not now anyway. Luz is searching for a way back home, Amity’s got her own problems… why complicate their lives ever more…”
“I think they do love you, unlike me.” Boscha replied solemnly. “Might be worth a shot.”
“Not now, besides, I’m not fully convinced you really are suddenly having a change of heart about this.” Willow retorted and just rolled her eyes before Boscha grabbed the Memory Tweezers.
“Here.” She said as she yanked a photograph from her ear, the two watching it slowly develop in front of them. A picture of a young Boscha in front of a door had visualized fully. Willow gave a little shock as she realized when this had to be.
Boscha cast a circle over the picture.
A young Boscha had perched herself against the door inside of the Blight Family home- she was wondering when Amity would come back out to celebrate the rest of her birthday. It was dark but noise was coming from inside. She watched as Skara excitedly held her gift while sitting on the couch- although ever the curious little girl, she was overhearing a conversation she was never meant to hear.
“Amity?” asked Alador- Boscha could faintly hear the sterness in his voice. Whatever this was, it was not good.
“What is Willow doing here? She wasn’t on the guest list for a reason.” Odalia said with a scraped tone in a hushed dulcet.
“But she’s… she’s my best friend!” cried out a young Amity. Boscha recoiled a little bit- that girl with the glasses was Amity’s best friend? She had hardly known the young Blight for long, but “Willow” was not from a famous family whatsoever.
“Nonsense, Blights only associate with the strongest of witchlings. You can choose a new friend from one of the suitable companions we invited.” Alador replied, the young Boscha realizing she was considered one of the strongest witchlings on the isle and smiled proudly. Already she was feeling so confident in herself.
“But they're mean! Just because you work with their parents doesn't mean I have to like them!” Amity pouted, with Boscha recoiling back even further. She had suddenly realized she was not meant to hear this- and that she was already being regarded as mean. How? She was a bit of a “rough player” as her mom had said, but… mean?
“Good children don't squabble, dear. Sever your ties with Willow, and if you don't...” Odalia replied, a chilling click in her voice. Boscha needed to stop listening in, but she couldn’t- she was frozen in sort of a panicked, realized terror.
“Then we will.” Alador said, with a booming impression mixed in with his chords as he said it. He meant it. Boscha could hear Amity gasp inside and pulled herself away from the door, looking at Skara.
“What’s going on in there?” asked Skara, with a childlike innocence.
“They’re removing the lame no magic witch from the party,” Boscha said, feeling it come out from her throat almost involuntarily. “Good.” she added.
“Huh… well, okay!” Skara said, holding up her gift. “I hope Amity likes my gift!” she beamed, smiling genuinely, while Boscha knew there was zero way that Amity would ever like her given she was the reason her “best friend” left.
But Boscha still wanted to be friends. Maybe she could lighten it up a bit around her.
Willow blinked after viewing that, Boscha looking at her with tears in her eyes. “I always knew and I’m sorry I acted like a complete… garbage witch because of that. It took me a long time to finally understand the meaning of what I heard, but when I did… I thought poorly of it. I was determined to have her like me, but the truth was that she never would.”
“I’m sorry for choking you with a vine.” Willow said, holding her shoulder.
“It’s fine, I probably deserve if from all the stuff I pulled on you too.” sniffed Boscha as she wiped her tears with her potions track sleeves.
“No, seriously, it’s not fine, I could have probably killed you by snapping your neck with that vine.” Willow reminded her, taking a very serious tone with her voice.
“Seriously, it’s fine, it’s okay.” Boscha said, still trying to pull herself back together. It had been a long time since she had been vulnerable with anyone besides Amity- and that itself had felt like a long time given how the presence of the human seemed to change how time progressed.
“…alright,” Willow added quietly before looking to Boscha. “…I dunno what to do still, about these confusing feelings.”
“Well… maybe you’ll meet someone else, I dunno,” Boscha replied. She stood up, holding her Penstagram scroll that was in her pocket before shaking her head and looking back at Willow. “I think… I think I realized maybe I need to make some actual, real friends. I have been… so alone since that Grudgby game and I know that maybe I don’t deserve a friendship with you but… I do want to change- if not for Amity, then myself. This is… like, miserable.”
“…yeah, okay.” Willow accepted after giving it some thought. She held her hand out and Boscha helped her up- Willow being pulled way too close and quickly separating while blushing.
“I’ll add you under my real Penstagram account… maybe we can keep in touch.” teplied Boscha said, looking to Willow.
“I guess I’d like that, I don’t really use it much…” Willow reluctantly accepted.
“Oh trust me, you’ll be using it more often,” Boscha said as she typed away at her Penstagram scroll. “…I mean, if you want to!”
Willow smiled. Maybe Boscha was changing after all.
Suddenly, the doors swung open as Amity and Luz entered the photo lab, walking in on Willow and Boscha standing together. Amity seemed to almost roll up her fist as if she was about to clock Boscha in the face. “Hey, I thought I told you…!” Amity said, walking fast.
“It’s okay Amity, she was just helping me not make a poor decision,” Willow replied, looking to Boscha.
“Dang, you got a lot of photos of me and Amity…” Luz said, rifling through the table’s contents unannounced. Willow felt her eyes widen as she snatched the photos.
“Uhhh… well, you know, wanted to celebrate you two getting together!” Willow said, cooking up the worst excuse Boscha had ever heard. Luz bought it hook, line, and sinker!
“Oooh! Spoilers! Well, me and my girlfriend better get out of your way then!” Luz said, sinking her arm and elbow into Amity’s like a chain link. “That’s so exciting… we really do have the best friend in the whole world…”
Amity pointed her fingers at her eyes and then back to Boscha as she walked with Luz, giving her a kiss on the cheek as they left the room. Willow looked to Boscha and Boscha looked to Willow.
“That human…” Boscha started.
“Dumber than a sack of bricks sometimes. If Amity saw that…” Willow said, before suddenly becoming paranoid that Amity would leap onto the table, before wiping her brow. “You know, let’s just… go…”
“Right there with you, Park.” Boscha said, clutching her photograph and sinking it into her pocket.