Chapter Text
Why did she have to go to school? It’s not like she needed the shitty education that the American school system publicly provided, solely at the expense of the tax payers hard earned money (which she was one of). She was smarter than all these other dimwits combined. Well except for maybe the Ginger twins and Laura, of course.
She seated herself in her usual seat towards the middle of the bus. Seat 12 to be exact. It was located by an emergency exit window, which she thought one day might come in handy. You know, if the bus were to flip in an accident or if one of her classmates tried to start small talk. She’s grateful it’s not like an emergency exit seat on an airplane where you have to verbally agree to help other passengers in case of an emergency because she’s not sure she would help any of these cretins. Well, maybe just one. Okay definitely just one. One who definitely isn’t a cretin. Okay maybe a couple but no more than a handful! A very red-haired dominated handful with a honey brown-haired beauty and an oversized labrador making up the minority.
As she was about to put her headphones in and drown out the incessant asinine conversations of her prison mates a bellowing laugh echoed in the back of the bus. She turned to glance at the cause of the beautiful disturbance, even though she knew damn well who that laugh belonged to.
She saw Laura sitting in her usual seat, number 23 all the way in the back of the bus. Sharing her seat with the insufferable Elizabeth Spielsdorf, a.k.a Betty the Bestie, Captain of the cheerleading team. Uggghhh, she can’t possibly imagine what that cruel mannequin of a human being said in order to make Laura laugh like that. She probably told Laura her I.Q. As Carmilla slightly chuckles to herself at the petulant joke she just made, she’s kind of grateful for whatever that bimbo said that caused that melodic reaction. She puts her headphones in and stares out the window watching the dusk turn to dawn while blaring “Half Mast” by Empire of the Sun.
God she loved the sound of that laugh. Loves, the sound of that laugh.
She thinks back to the first time she heard it, that day in their new tree-house. (Well , technically it was an old tree-house that the previous owners of the Karnstein’s new home had built but never put to proper use.) That of course changed when her nosey neighbor Laura Hollis welcomed her to the neighborhood.
The Karnstein’s had just finished their first meal in their new home. House, really. Carmilla would never consider any place other than the quaint three bedroom abode, at the end of Mulberry lane, her home. She was halfway up the stairs to her new bedroom (hoping to get more acquainted with those four unfamiliar walls as well as reacquainted with one of her favorite books, South of the Border, West of the Sun) When there was an unexpected knock at the door.
“Carmilla sweetheart, can you get the door?”
“Will, get the door!” She shouted as she continued climbing.
“Mom told you to get it!”
“Carm, please? Your brother is helping me with the last of the dishes.”
“Fine” she sighed as she came to a halt and took her time making her way to the door; being sure to make her footsteps as heavy as possible, guaranteeing they would hear her frustration.
“Thank you sweetie!”
There was another assertive knock at the door. Only this one was audibly more impatient.
“Coming!”
Finally reaching the door Carmilla took a peek through the peephole but it was too scratched up to see through.
“Who is it?” Her mother shouted while packing away the glass dish she used to make her world famous lasagna. It’s Carmilla’s favorite.
“How should I know?” Carmilla unlocked the door, keeping the chain lock intact. Pushing her face up to the six inch space of slack the chain would allow, Carmilla saw her standing there---eagerly awaiting an introduction. She was a tinier girl with sun-kissed skin, wearing capris with a white v-neck that had a drawing of a cupcake on it, bearing a smile that shone brighter than the porch light.
“Can I help you?” She asked wearily.
“Hi, I’m Laura Hollis!”
“Hmm. I really don’t have a moment to talk about your Lord and savior Jesus Christ”
With an adorably confused expression on her face that made her nose scrunch up, hiding some of her more prominent freckles, Laura responded “Umm, huh?”
“Is there something you needed, tiny stranger danger?”
“Oh, ha. I um, just wanted to introduce myself. Like I said I’m Laura, your new neighbor! Well technically I’m not really new, I’ve lived here my whole life. You’re the one that’s the new kid on the block. Like the only other kid, besides me, on the block actually-”
She was cut off by Carmilla’s tested patience.
-”You talk a lot”
“Yeah, I, I’ve been told.”
A little off-put by the girl’s curtness.
“So whose at the door honey? It’s not another Jehovah’s Witness is it?” Her mom asked as she made her way to the front door.
“No, thank God. It’s just the neighbor.”
“Oh!” her mother replied, quickening her pace to make her new neighbor’s acquaintance.
“Sweetie open the door.”
Carmilla obliged removing the chain and opening the door fully. Upon receiving a beaming smile (that Mrs. Karnstein, and secretly Carmilla, thought was just about the cutest thing) she returned her expression with warming politeness.
“Well hello dear! I’m Karen Karnstein, and this is my daughter Carmilla.”
Carmilla’s eyes never leaving the girl, gave her a quick nod and slight smirk.
“William! Come meet our lovely neighbor” she said over her shoulder at the younger boy, who had just gotten comfortable on the couch catching up on the latest Dew Tour action. He jumped up eagerly and made his way to the door.
“And this is my youngest, William”
“You can just call me Will!” He said with a friendly smile.
“Hi, I’m Laura Hollis! I live in the house to the left of yours.”
“Oh how wonderful!” Mrs. Karnstein exclaimed.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you or anything, I just wanted to introduce myself. I wanted to come over earlier but my dad suggested I wait until you were at least done unloading the truck.”
Carmilla’s chest tightened at the mention of Laura’s dad.
“I waited a couple extra hours just for good measure.”
“Oh you’re not disturbing in the slightest. Would you like to come in? The house is still a wreck, but you’re more than welcome to come in for a drink, or a snack.”
“Oh, well thank you but I just had dinner myself. I would however like to go into your backyard, if you don’t mind?”
“Why?” Carmilla asked more rudely than she had intended to.
“I was, um, throwing my frisbee around with my friend earlier and being as uncoordinated as I am, it went flying over the fence and into your back yard” She said sheepishly.
“Oh well of course! Kids why don’t you show Laura here outback?”
“Follow me neighbor!” Will excitedly exclaimed as he began walking through the hallway into the living room, past the kitchen, and out to the yard. Laura followed closely behind while Carmilla kept her distance finally making her way out to the yard by the time Laura had already retrieved her frisbee.
“So how do you guys like your new house?”
“It’s a house.” Carmilla replied with indifference.
“Yeah, it’s a pretty cool house. I mean you have a tree-house for goodness sake!”
“What?” Will asked in surprise.
“The treehouse.” Laura replied as she pointed to the huge oak tree that stood tall and wide, just off center in their yard.
“We have a tree-house?! How did we not see that!” Will said excitedly.
“Huh” Carmilla shrugged as she began to make out the figure of the semi-decrepit wooden house, hidden by leafy branches and the night sky.
“Awe man, let’s go check it out!” Will said as he made his way to the rope ladder that was entangled by vines.
“Shall we?” Laura asked looking pointedly at Carmilla.
“After you, Cupcake”
Carmilla replied with a gesture of her hand. Laura slightly blushing from the unexpected and random nickname looked down only to realize what shirt she was wearing and gave her new neighbor a lopsided smile. Carmilla’s chest warmed from the sight and a small grin crept her face. Laura turned and made her way to the tree-house with Carmilla not so far behind.
The inside of the tree-house was riddled with vines that had made their way through the slits in the wood; as well as dust and cobwebs. Cozy, Carmilla thought.
“Obviously it needs some work, I mean it’s no TARDIS, but it’s pretty darn cool”
“Yeah it is!” Will replied looking through one of the drawers in a small desk that was pressed up against the far right corner.
“I think it’s fine the way it is” Carmilla said gently.
“Really? But it’s covered in cobwebs and the wood has started to crack.”
“It gives it character.” They share a glance for a moment and Laura can appreciate the sincerity in her voice and the fact that Carmilla can still see the beauty in the breakdown.
“We should start a club and make this our clubhouse!” Will suggested, breaking their gaze.
“That’s a great idea! What kind of club exactly?” Laura inquired.
“A NO BOYS ALLOWED club” Carmilla retorted as she threw a rather large stick she found on the floor at Will, who ducked to miss it--only to fall off the stool he was sitting on.
Laura laughed and quickly threw her hands up to cover her mouth. She didn’t mean to laugh and certainly did not want to get off on the wrong foot with her new neighbors by laughing at their embarrassment. But Carmilla began to chuckle, probably the closest she’s come to an actual laugh in a while, which made Laura throw her head back and join her in amusement. Carmilla looked at Laura, her own chuckle dying down a bit to better hear Laura’s echoing bellow. It was the one of the most genuinely beautiful sounds Carmilla had ever heard in her short fourteen year existence. Next to her dad singing, of course.
“Wake up loser” Carmilla heard over her headphones. She opened her eyes just in time to dodge a spitball, that missed her face by mere inches and stuck itself to the emergency window.
“Fuck off douchebag” she spat out with a middle finger at Alec “the phallic” Spiesldorf, Betty’s equally devolved twin brother.
“What’s that? You want to fuck me off?”
“That doesn’t even make sense you inbred.”
“You don’t make sense, lezbo!”
“Hey why don’t you shut up Alec. No one wants to hear your homophobic ignorance at 6:47 in the fucking morning” chimed Danny Lawrence, co-captain of the Silas High women’s basketball team.
“Awe how cute, the BI-onic woman is sticking up for her girlfriend”
“Dude NOT cool!” piped up Brody “Kibbles n’ Bits” Kirsch.
“Chill out Kirsch, it’s just a joke.”
“Not funny bro and if you keep this shit up I’ll tell coach. You know he has no tolerance for that kind of stupidity.”
“Okay bro, chill out. My bad or whatever.”
Danny shoots a thankful look at Kirsch who is seated diagonally across from her and his eyes match her gaze. He gives her an almost apologetic smile that makes her turn her head and slightly cringe. She knows he feels sorry for her. The last thing she wants is for anyone to take pity on her. She is seated behind Carmilla and as they both stare out the window their eyes lock in the glass’s reflection. Carmilla shoots her an exaggerated eye roll and Danny just smiles. Thank you, she thinks to herself.
Laura of course privy to the entire argument, remains silent at the back of the bus consumed with guilt for not defending her bes--- well, former best friend. Instead Betty just laughs off the situation and her brother’s antics with a nudge to Laura’s shoulder. Laura returns her laugh with a contrived half-smile that contorts her face in the most unnatural way. When did she become like this? When did she become the kind of person that turned her back on her best friend and swallow her morals? What? All for the sake of “popularity”? Whenever it was, she has never wanted a TARDIS more desperately than in this exact moment. Actually, she can think of a time she’s wanted one far more desperately. And at that thought, she too puts in her headphones and begins to listen to Plumb, counterproductively trying to keep her eyes from that all too familiar sting.
---
Carmilla makes her way to her locker after the fourth period bell. It’s lunch time and thank whatever deity that does or does not exist because she is fucking starving. And for some idiotic reason she was scheduled Home Ec. after lunch. Like why? That helps no one. She’s starving by lunch time because she’s not allowed to eat in any of her other classes and then the one class she is allowed to stuff her face with delicious classroom cooked meals (at least when she has Perry as her partner anyway) she can’t because she’s stuffed from lunch!
“Hey Carmilla!”
“Hey LaF.”
“Sorry Per and I didn’t interject in Tweedledumb’s “I Don’t Have a Dream” Speech. We honestly had no idea any of that went on.”
“Yeah I know. You two were so enveloped in each other’s grossness, what with sharing your Ed Sheeran playlist and exchanging disgusting displays of affection and all.”
“We were just holding hands!”
“Like I said” she replied with a smirk.
“You’re one to tal--!” Realizing the definitely painful memories they might have just forced Carmilla to recall they immediately shut up.
“Well, not anymore.”
“Sorry dude, I can be an idiot sometimes.”
“Sometimes? It’s almost as if you enjoy the taste of your foot.” She snarks at her friend.
“Whatever. So you want a ride home from practice today?”
“Is your mom not working today?”
“No she gets off early so she can come pick us up.”
“Oh, okay. Then yeah. I guess I can try to tolerate you for a little bit longer today.”
“Hey it’s better than taking the Extra Curricular bus home.”
“Very true.” She states matter of factly, recalling the neanderthals (a fraternal pair of primitive dimwits in particular) that take it home.
“Cool, I’ll go grab us a booth. See you in the cafeteria.”
“Yeah.”
Just as she is almost done digging out her Calculus book from the incredibly disorganized abyss that is her locker, the locker to the left of hers creaks open. Dammit. She tries her best (not really) to avoid this interaction at any cost (again, that’s a lie) on a regular day basis, even though it’s secretly her most favorite part of the day (that’s the sad fucking truth). Although today’s interaction takes an unexpected turn. There actually is an interaction.
“Hey” Laura says weakly and uncharacteristically.
Carmilla, completely shocked by this turn of events, says nothing. She just freezes and stares at the girl she once could not go a single day without talking to.
“I, uh, I wanted to apologize for what happened this morning on the way to school.” She says with a guilt-ridden face. Still the most exquisite face Carmilla has ever had the pleasure to lay her eyes upon.
“Look, cu---Laura, it’s not your fault. No worries.” Carmilla assured her doubtfully.
“But I didn’t...stick up for you.” Laura says meekly glancing down towards her feet.
“I can take care of myself, sweetheart---” She tried to stop herself from using the once welcomed nickname, but only after she carelessly lets it slip. Her eyes widen slightly and she takes her eyes away from Laura’s. She desperately looks away, searching for anything to rest her gaze on. Anything but those Honeysuckle eyes and constellations of freckles.
Trying to distract from what Laura knows that she is really doing, Carmilla makes a cut and quips, “Besides why would you? It’s not like we’re friends.”
Seeing the flicker of hurt in Laura’s celestial eyes, a hurt that she is obviously terrible at trying to hide, Carmilla immediately regrets what she said. She wishes she could physically pull the words back into her mouth and swallow them down, never to regurgitate them again. Laura remains frozen, eyes never leaving Carmilla’s dark and gorgeously brooding eyes. Internally pleading for mercy under her pained gaze, Carmilla is about to open her mouth in apology when she is knocked off balance by a clumsy giant pup. She is pushed into Laura who, for a tiny girl has surprising strength, and steadies Carmilla in her arms.
“Sorry hotties, lost my footing. Catch you dudes in AP Lit!”
Kirsch walks away without so much as an acknowledgment of his existence because the two girls are so wrapped up in their own worlds. Once a singular world. Carmilla’s hands are clutching onto Laura’s shoulders and her face entangled in Laura’s hair. Hair that still smells like strawberries and evergreens. Laura’s hands are firmly grasping Carmilla’s waist, not releasing her steadying hold. She feels just as warm and soft as she remembers. Carmilla reluctantly begins to pull away steadying herself and regaining her footing. Her arms remaining on Laura’s shoulders and Laura’s hands still cradling Carmilla’s hips. The world around them seems to slow as they reacquaint themselves with each other’s eyes.
Her eyes look tired. I don’t remember them being tired, Carmilla thinks. Is everything okay? Oh don’t start this you idiot. You’re not friends anymore. You were once, best friends that is. Maybe even more towards the end. You were closer than you ever thought you could be to someone in your entire life. You had no intention of letting anyone in like that. Well, Laura kind of forced herself in, but you didn’t stop her. And she broke your heart, just like he did. Don’t do this to yourself! You spent the last year and a half trying to suppress the memories you know you will always treasure. Memories you know that she won’t . Remember what she said. Those painful words like tiny cigarettes burned into your brain leaving scars on the memories you shared. Stop this. REGURGITATE.
Laura looks at Carmilla with the most apologetic and wistful gaze, that breaks Carmilla’s heart just a little bit more, and before empathy takes over she regurgitates those words she had previously swallowed.
“We were never really friends. Not for a moment, right?”
Those tiny cigarettes. Lit with pain and put out with intention.
And at that Laura’s mouth is left slightly agape, as she hangs onto the memory of those spiteful words she spat at Carmilla’s face that dreadful night over a year ago. Carmilla stuffs her books in her bag and slams her locker shut, avoiding any further contact. She walks past Laura with purpose on her way to join her actual friends. Before she turns the corner she pauses for a moment and looks back to Laura. She remains frozen with her head staring at her feet and clutching her binder tighter to her chest.
Fuck. Fuck. FUCK! Why did you say that. Just go over there and apologize. Tell her you didn’t mean it and that you never could.
Just as Carmilla is about to pivot her feet in the direction back to her locker Betty skips over nudging Laura on the shoulder quite forcefully.
“Hey Laur-whore! Did you do the AP Lit homework?”
Managing to snap out of her most recent state of self-loathing, Laura manages to flash a contrived smile at the girl and begins to speak in a voice that isn’t hers.
“Toats Betts. Why? Wanna copy it?”
“You know it!”
Uggghhh. She immediately forgets any plan of going over there and begins to walk towards the cafeteria. She spots the Weasleys and joins them in the corner booth, taking a seat next to her co-captain Big Red.
“Did you get stuck in the blackhole that is your locker?” Danny asked jokingly.
“Actually if you get sucked into a blackhole you can’t escape it. The gravity is the strongest in the known universe so once you enter you can’t get out.” LaF says so matter-of-factly.
“Nerd.” Carmilla retorts as Danny giggles and Perry (hiding a small smile) rubs her partner’s back in comfort.
“Whatever Daria” LaF says throwing a piece of bread at Carmilla. The gang laugh and go back to eating their mysterious cafeteria food and chit chatting as per usual (with Carmilla being the least talkative. But she was a really good listener, so she made up for her lack of socializing in that regard.)
“See you later! And don’t forget to bring your ten dollars for new spanks to practice. I need the mulah ASAP!” Betty yells as she trots down the hallway with Laura’s homeowrk in hand.
“Sure thing!”
The hallway is now empty as it’s currently Lunch A and 5th Period has technically already started. Laura, still reeling from the previous interaction she had with Carm, uh, Carmilla, she’s not in the mood for Bio at the moment. She grabs her purse from her locker and makes her way to the bathroom, skipping her lesson on ATP.
---
AP Lit was uneventful as per usual. They were discussing Pride and Prejudice, a book Carmilla has read many times before so her interest was rather lacking. Thank God that class was over quickly enough. She had managed to spend the entirety of the class day dreaming. Of her tree-house, to be exact.
---
As much as she hated to admit it, she loved practice. The initial thought of her being a part of a team used to make her gag. Now it kind of makes her heart swell. Even though she is Co-Captain with Danny, an honor bestowed on her by their coach against her will. That was another reason she loved practice, because of their coach. Coach Mark Hollis.
The sound of a whistle is blown.
“Alright team, huddle up.”
They make their way over to Coach Hollis. Danny is standing in front of him with her arm resting on LaF’s left shoulder. SJ and Natalie have taken occupancy on the floor, slightly tired after their warm up laps. Perry is refilling the water cooler and folding the clean towels. Carmilla is standing right next to Coach Hollis, as she always did.
“The quarterfinals are a week from Friday. As you know we’re playing Olympic Heights, currently the number one ranked school in our district. In several districts for that matter. And although you kids have been playing great and showing some real initiative out there we’re going to need to push a bit harder. So that being said we’re going to have two-a-days starting tomorrow morning.”
“What?! Coach you can’t be serious?” Natalie whined from the floor.
“I know it’s not ideal but I really want you kids to push yourselves and despite how well you guys play it still won’t be enough to beat those Jaguars.”
“So the plan is to wear us down and make us exhausted for the game by having us run two-a-days?” SJ mockingly asked through short breaths.
“Shut up, Weezing.” Carmilla snarked.
“Carm” Coach Hollis said cautiously as he placed a hand on her shoulder. A parental-like touch she never shied away from. Also a nickname she secretly more than welcomed. Only when it came to the Hollis clan, that is.
“So how early are we talking here coach?” Danny asked indifferently.
“Okay now you guys are really gonna hate me, 5 a.m.”
“OMG! Coach you CAN’T! You absolutely CAN’T!” Natalie and SJ both whined now standing in frustration.
“It’s not fair!!” Natalie added, again.
“Shut it Jessie and James!” Danny exclaimed.
“These Pokemon reference are great, by the way.” LaF chimed in, appreciative of the nostalgia.
“Okay enough! Not only do I not know what the heck you’re talking about but you kids are actually starting to give me a headache. Now I don’t know about you guys but I want to win. I haven’t spent my life coaching kids in the hopes to have an ‘okay’ season only to end in defeat. We’ve had a great season so far and I want that to continue.”
“Sounds fair to me!” Danny added with her captain-like mentality.
“Uh, coach?” Carmilla said, wearily.
“Yes Carm?”
“Not that I don’t love taking multiple showers a day, and spending more time than necessary in this hell-hole of a prison with less than pleasant company (as she gestured towards the Sisterhood-of-the-traveling-cant’s) but what about my route?”
“Oh shoot, I forgot.” Looking pensive and scrunching up his face in an all to familiar way that Carmilla can’t help but smile at.
“Oh! I’ll get Laura to help you.”
“What?” Carmilla asked; with an expression of shock replacing her small smile.
“Yeah, I’m sure Laura won’t mind. She’s done it before.”
“Yeah, but that was back when, back, before now.”
Sensing her apprehension Coach Hollis sends the rest of the team to get started with their suicides, so he can have a minute alone with Carmilla. A warm up that everyone except Danny dreaded doing. She loved pushing herself.
“What’s the matter Carm?”
“It’s just, it’s kind of awkward.”
“With Laura? You know I still have no idea why you two stopped hanging out. You guys were inseparable.”
She told me we were never really friends to begin with and she never wants to see my “stupid face” again?
“Yeah, I don’t know either.” She thinks it’s easier to lie him.
“Well I don’t want you to lose your job and as co-captain it’s not really an option for you to miss practice, so I’m afraid we really don’t have a choice.”
“Okay” Carmilla agrees, bowing her head slightly.
As she is about to join the others in finishing up suicides, the cheerleading team strolls through the double doors, pom poms in tow. They have to share the gymnasium but the cheerleaders always started late because Betty really didn’t give a shit.
“Perfect timing.” Coach Hollis tugs on Carmilla’s shoulder pulling her back.
“Hey Laura! Could you come over here for a moment, sweetheart?”
Laura looking over at her dad and Carmilla gives them a confused look and makes her way over to the duo. She’s wearing her Billie Piper shirt that Carmilla would always borrow at their sleepovers and a pair of black sophies that Carmilla noticed fit her oh so well.
“What’s up dad?”
“Hey I need you to do me a favor” He says as he pats Carmilla on the shoulder.
“Um, okay, what is it?”
“We’re going to start doing two-a-days--”
“Jeez, that sucks.” She said without thinking.
“Don’t start! Anyway, Carm here has her paper route before school, as you know.”
Noticing how he still calls her Carm warms her heart and makes her stomach do a little flip.
“And?”
“And if she had someone to help her get her papers delivered she could finish her route quicker and make it in time for practice. That’s where you come in.”
“Are, are you serious?” she asks in shock and terror. Carmilla is trying to decide which one she sees more in her face.
“You’ve done it before!”
“Yeah but, but, that was-”
“-before, and not now, I know. But whatever differences you girls seem to have you need to work it out because I really need you here Laur.”Almost pleading with his daughter. She thinks for a moment. Looking from her father’s desperate eyes to her former best friend’s worried expression. She can’t let him down. She can’t let her down.
“Okay, I’ll do it.” She says her eyes meeting Carmilla’s hopeful ones and then quickly moving to her dad’s thankful gaze.
“Oh that’s great sweetie, thank you” He pulls her in for a hug and plants a kiss on top of her head.
She walks back over to her squad where Betty greets her with confusion.
“What was that all about?”
“Oh my dad just wanted my help.”
“Help with what?”
“He needed someone to help Carmilla with her morning paper route so she’ll have enough time to make it to practice.”
“Eww you can’t be serious? You actually have to spend time with that freaky loser?” She says loud enough so that Carmilla can hear but Coach Hollis didn’t catch because he was watching Danny carefully. Making sure she wasn’t over doing it.
“Yeah, tell me about” Laura said with the most contrived and nauseating chuckle she could muster at her new best friend’s comment.
Ouch.
The girls have already finished their drills by the time Coach Hollis and Carmilla make their way over to the group.
“You know to be honest Carm, I miss having you around the house. I miss seeing Laura with you.”
“Well now she has Betty.”
“It’s different. I don’t care much for that girl, she’s too, too-”
“-much of a bitch?”
Suppressing a laugh, “Carm I’m a coach and teacher at this school so calling a student that would be completely unprofessional not to mention unethical-”
“-but you totally agree, she’s a raging bitch”
“You got that right.”
Their laughs echo freely in the gymnasium and fill up the space. Everyone in the gym glances over at the two, now in the middle of the court, and then returning to their exercises. Except for Laura. She spares a moment, taking in the sight of the once two most important people in her life exchanging a beautiful moment that she only wishes she could be a part of. She notices the sunlight hitting the girl’s chiseled face illuminating her best features. Her eyes linger on the expanse of the girl’s neck as she throws her head back in genuine melodic laughter.
God she loved the sound of that laugh. Loves, the sound of that laugh.