Work Text:
Willow Park is seven years old when she is told she can't go to her best friend's birthday party.
She was preparing when it happened.
She picked out her favorite yellow dress. It had flowers all over and a frilly collar, and she couldn't wait to wear it. Dad helped her shine her shoes and get ready to go, even though the party wouldn't be until a couple of hours.
Willow couldn't contain her excitement. It was a birthday party after all, and it was Amity's party! Why wouldn't she be excited?
She couldn't wait for her to open her present. Willow was sure that she would love what she had gotten her.
That's when the crow started cawing.
Willow didn't think much about it. She was more busy admiring her outfit and happily talking to her Dad about everything she and Amity would do at the party.
"What do you mean?"
They suddenly hear Papa speak. Willow saw how suddenly Dad wasn't paying attention to her but to the conversation going down in the kitchen. And how uncertain Papa sounded.
"Odalia, you cannot be serious," Papa said, and Willow looked to Dad for an explanation. "Do you even hear yourself, this-"
"What do you mean she doesn't want to be friends anymore? They were fine just yesterday."
"But... No..."
"She is only seven, there is still plenty of time for her magic to come in and you know that."
"Odalia wait. I- can't we just talk about this like grown-ups?" Papa said. "There is no reason for any of this."
"I..." silence while something was said on the other end.
"Alright," he sighed. "If there is no reasoning with you then I won't waste my breath... Tell Amity that we wish her a happy birthday."
They could hear Papa sigh heavily. She and Dad shared a look.
"Come on, let's go and talk with your Papa, okay?"
Willow took her Dad's hand and they walked into the kitchen. She wasn't prepared to hear what he had to say.
She cried all night and her fathers' did everything to console her, all in vain.
Willow would only see Amity at school after that. And she wouldn't even look at her.
She behaved as if she didn't even know who Willow was and that hurt worse than being un-invited to her birthday party. Instead, she hangs out with Boscha - a very mean girl - and Skara who Willow doesn't know that well, as well as all of Boscha's friends.
Willow didn't know what she did to lose her friendship like that.
Thankfully, Boscha didn't waste a single breath to tell her. And to remind her every day she spent in school after that day.
She tried drawing a spell circle like she saw everybody do - like Amity did when she first realized she could cast a spell. Like her fathers do day in and day out. Like the teachers as they demonstrated their lectures.
Nothing.
And there would be nothing for a long time.
Willow's magic comes in later than it should have. Her Papa said that she was just a late bloomer and that there was nothing wrong with that, - everybody grew at their own pace.
But it didn't matter. She was already Half-a-witch Willow, and that moniker stuck to her like tar.
It also didn't help that she was placed into the abomination track as by her fathers' wishes. She only struggled.
And then there was Amity Blight - no longer Amity, childhood best friend, but Amity the gold star student of the abomination track, and all other classes for the matter. She carried herself as if they hadn't been friends to begin with. All their history, those long afternoons spent playing and getting into mischief - as if it never happened.
And maybe Willow could have taken it. She could take their former friendship and chuck it into the bin like Amity did.
It would have been easy to brush off the cold shoulder.
But she couldn't stand the mean words, the jabs, the underhanded compliments, and the dismissive comments.
Those she could do without.
Her initial sadness boiled over into anger and she only barely managed to keep the lid on.
When she was little Willow couldn't even imagine that she and Amity would one day be separated, or that she would bully her like that - or that she would one day wish for her best friend to just go away and never talk to her ever.
How did they end up here? Heck if Willow knew.
What she knew was that losing Amity like that hurt - it hurt in an unimaginable, abstract way that didn't seem real. It was so long ago, it shouldn't keep bothering her. But it did. It still did.
And Amity seemed to make sure that she never forgot that their bond was well and truly severed.
Maybe this will forever be a painful thorn in her side.