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Bailey sighed as she sat up in bed and fumbled for her glasses. After she put them on her head she ran her hand through her long blonde hair and grimaced as she felt how grimy it was, she needed a shower. She grabbed her towel and went out into the hall and yawned with a biiiiiig stretch as the early morning sunlight filled the hallway.
She heard the bathroom door open and the girl she was coming to think of as her sister; Luz, stepped out. The Nocedas had been kind enough to take her in after her uncle kicked her out. They didn’t know her, But they were so generous to her and she was so happy to have people to help her through this difficult time.
“Good morning Bailey!” Luz greeted her with a wide smile and her usual cheery tone, Bailey blushed and glanced down nervously when she saw Luz was still in her pajamas, and she was wearing the ones that were getting maybe a bit too small for her.
“G-good morning Luz…” She replied her voice shaking a touch. Luz was so carefree, she didn’t even care about Bailey seeing her almost half naked. Bailey didn’t understand how a REAL girl could be so comfortable around her.
“You feeling okay?” Her pseudo sister asked as she leaned forward with a slight tilt of her head. Bailey gulped as she did everything she could to not stare at Luz’s chest. “Your face is all red!”
“Y-Yeah I just n-need to use the b-bathroom okaybye!” Bailey stammered before she bolted past Luz and into the bathroom slamming the door behind her. She sighed and frowned as she looked at herself in the mirror.
She hated to look at herself most of the time, with her boxy frame and lanky limbs, not to mention her square jaw. How could she ever be beautiful like Luz, or the other girls at school? She sniffled sadly as she opened up the cabinet above the sink and took out her pill bottles. She opened them and poured the pills into her hands and threw them back, swallowing quickly. She had been taking them for almost a year now, but the effects had been less than she had hoped for.
After a quick shower Bailey dried off her hair and wrapped a towel around her. She was still getting used to having to cover up her budding chest. She slowly poked her head out of the bathroom to see if Luz or Camilla were around, she hated people seeing any part of her body, even them. Thankfully she was able to get to her room without anyone seeing her, she sighed with relief before she went to her closet to pick out her clothes for the day.
She passed over the clothes that she and Luz had bought on one of their trips to the mall. Luz was wonderful and supportive, she encouraged Bailey to try all kinds of clothes, but she rarely ever wore them. Short shorts, Tight tops, skirts, blouses, they all made it so painfully obvious what she really was.
Bailey sighed again and pulled on her usual black jeans and a baggy tee that would be hidden under the hoodie she never left. It was better this way, the more of herself she hid the less offensive she'd be to people. She sighed one last time as she headed downstairs for breakfast.
“Buenos días Bailey!” Camilla Noceda, the closest thing she'd ever had to a mother, greeted her with a warm smile as she entered the kitchen. She was getting lunches ready for the three of them.
“G-good morning Mrs. Noceda…” Bailey answered as she smiled and sat down at the table. She giggled a bit at Luz (Thankfully now much more dressed) who was seated across from her, quickly gulping down a bowl of cereal.
“Wuf?” Luz asked looking up, her cheeks full of cereal, causing Bailey to laugh even more.
“N-nothing!” Bailey smiled as she grabbed the box and poured herself a bowl as well. She took small, slow bites though, She admired Luz’s free spirit very much but she could afford to be, Bailey couldn't.
“Aye Luz slow down!” Camilla lightly chastised her daughter, “Can't have you choking before school!”
“Siiiii Mama…” Luz answered, rolling her eyes after she swallowed the glob of cereal in her mouth.
“I’m going to have to work a bit late this evening.” Camilla explained as she sighed. “I hope you kids don’t mind waiting around a bit after school for me.”
“It’s fine Mama,” Luz replied, “Me and Bailey can go into town.” Bailey’s ears perked up at this, the bookstore was in town. The bookstore one of the few places she enjoyed being other than the Noceda household and she never passed up an opportunity to visit.
“Just be careful okay?” Camilla tutted as finished packing food for Luz and Bailey. Luckily the pair had just finished their breakfast, and after they put their dishes in the sink they grabbed the bags of food and headed towards the front door.
“Si Mama!” Luz called back as she put her shoes on, then she and Bailey were out the door to catch the bus. “Love yoooouuu!”
“Love you too!” Camilla yelled back at them from the house. “Both of you!” Bailey blushed at that last bit, She was so thankful for Mrs. Noceda’s love, but she couldn’t help that she didn’t deserve it.
The school day passed much like any other. Gravesfield was an extremely “Normal” town, and their school was equally so. There weren’t many people like Luz or Bailey there. The two made do though, They had gone to school together before Bailey… Well… Became Bailey and moved in with Luz, but they had never really known each other. But since they had become something akin to siblings they had gotten a lot closer.
Luz was always unashamed of herself and wore her weirdness on her sleeve, she didn’t care what anyone thought about her. Bailey however mostly spent her days trying to blend into the background, hoping that no one would notice her. The two couldn’t be more opposite, but they always met up after the final bell to go home together. Today however, instead of boarding the bus, the pair walked together towards the center of town.
“Sooooo…” Luz hummed as she walked, “What do you wanna do?” Luz was only asking as a formality, she knew Bailey only wanted to go one place.
“I-I’d like to go to the Bookstore… If that’s okay…” Bailey answered softly causing Luz to giggle a bit.
“Yeah, of course it’s okay.” Luz answered, “You wanna get some more of your comics?” She asked with a smirk causing Bailey to blush.
“T-they’re Manga…” Bailey murmured, Luz was one of the only people she told about her obsession. She knew Luz wouldn't judge her.
The pair walked together down the street until they reached the town's small bookstore. The door dinged softly as they entered and Bailey smiled at the familiar quiet but still inviting atmosphere that filled the building. She could spend all day in a place like this, While Luz went off to look at Fantasy books, Bailey knew exactly where she wanted to go.
She liked the whole bookstore but she loved the Manga section the most, ever since she had first stumbled upon it tucked away in the back of the store. She had always felt a little embarrassed that she enjoyed these stories so much, most people seemed to think they were for nerds. Most of it was aimed at boys, but Bailey's favorite kind were the cute romance ones, especially the ones about girls falling in love with other girls.
She found out it was a whole genre called Yuri, and it quickly became her favorite She loved reading the stories about classmates falling in love, girls transported to fantasy worlds where they rescued princesses, a lot of them were also about girls in bands or playing instruments for some reason.
Bailey devoured every one, her heart swooning and face flushing at every tender emotional moment and saccharinely sweet development. She spent hours on her phone looking up new ones to try.
It may be “Cringe” how much she enjoyed them, and it wouldn't win her many friends, but Bailey was used to being alone. Deep down though, she longed so desperately for someone to share her passion with. And even more so she wished she could find love her like the kind in her Manga, But she also knew how pathetic that sounded.
Even beyond that, she knew she would never have what she longed for. No girl would love her the way that the girls in these stories did. She was a freak, ugly, a weirdo, not a real girl like them. She still hoped though, and at the very least she could live out her fantasies in manga form.
This week she was very excited, the series she had been reading had a new volume out. Bailey didn't get much money, her allowance from Camilla was pretty small but she saved as much as she could to get her books, she treasured each one she was able to buy. She had started to amass quite the collection and she was maybe just a little proud of herself.
She ran her finger along the spines of the Manga, until she finally found the one she was looking for a huge grin spread across her face. She pulled it out and quickly flipped through it, the fresh pages always smelled wonderful, It seemed to be the only copy left too, she was so lucky!!!
Bailey didn't dare read any of it until she got home though, She wanted to savor every single panel. With her primary objective complete Bailey spent a decent amount of time looking at other books, picking out two others she had been wanting to try.
Bailey smiled warmly as she held the books tightly to her chest and spun around and started walking. However, she barely had time to react as someone else quickly rounded the corner and the two of them bumped into each other causing them both to topple to the floor.
Bailey winced as she hit the floor, the books in her arms and her glasses went flying. She heard a soft voice cry out but she couldn't see anything. She fumbled around until she found her glasses and put them back on.
“I'm so sor…” Bailey started to say until she saw who she had just knocked over. Her face turned bright red as she began to panic. SHE JUST CRASHED INTO AMITY BLIGHT! The prettiest, most popular, top of their grade AMITY BLIGHT! ohshitohGodohshitohgod!
“OH MY GOD I'M SO SORRY!!!” Bailey cried out, her voice squeaking as she tried desperately to keep it from going deeper. She scrambled to her feet and held her hand out to help the pink haired girl to her feet. But she didn't take it… Amity was looking at the books on the floor.
“Is this… the new volume of Adachi and Shimamura?” Amity asked as she picked it up, Bailey just blinked dumbfounded.
“U-uh… yeah…” Bailey answered a little confused, How did Amity know what about that series? “It's the… it's the last one…”
“Oh…” Amity replied, disappointment clear in her voice as she stood up all on her own. “Well, here you go.” She finished as she held the book out to Bailey.
“Um… you can have it if you uh… if you really want it…” Bailey said, still holding her hand out awkwardly.
“No, No…” Amity sighed, “There's plenty of others I haven't read yet.” Bailey finally realized she was still offering her arm and blushed as she used it to take the book back. What was she saying? There was no way AMITY actually interested in MANGA, especially this kind of manga.
“Y-you like… these kinds of stories?” Bailey asked a bit dumbfounded. She was also surprised (and a little greatful) that Amity didn't seem to recognize her. This past year of being invisible had really paid off.
“Uh… yeah I um…” Amity mumbled, “I just… think they're really cute okay?” Her face turned bright red. This was absolutely blowing Bailey's mind.
“Which one is your favorite?” Bailey questioned, She was genuinely curious now. Plus the fact that she and Amity had been having what could almost be considered a conversation for this long was really surreal to her, so why not keep it going?
“Why do you want to know?” Amity asked a little bitterness creeping into her voice, clearly growing a little tired of talking to this weird girl in the back of the bookstore.
“Well I just, If… If you like that one… Have you read Assorted Entanglements?” Bailey asked sheepishly.
“No I actually haven't, It's been on my list though.” Amity answered crossing her arms. “Why? Do you work here or something?”
“N-No! No!” Bailey quickly spat out her voice starting to shake. “I-I just… I don't meet many people who like these kinds of stories… and I’ve read A LOT of them so maybe I could… help you… pick out one?” Once again, Bailey couldn't believe the words that came out of her mouth. Her? Helping Amity pick out Manga?! But if she lived in a world where the coolest girl in school read Yuri just like her, anything was possible.
“Hmmm…. Who are you again? Do you go to our School?” Amity asked as she leaned towards Bailey; “You do look familiar…”
“B-BAILEY! My name is Bailey!” She squeaked as she bolted backwards, hoping beyond hope that Amity wouldn't recognize her past self through the changes she'd undergone over the past year. “Yeah I do go to the school here I just… keep to myself hahaha!”
“Alright… Bailey.” Amity smirked, “Let's see what you've got.” Bailey gulped as she turned back towards the Manga section, Amity following close behind her.
“Okay…” Bailey mused, looking the books over. “Have you read… Bloom into You?”
“OF COURSE I've read Bloom into You!” Amity scoffed as she rolled her eyes. “Come on Bailey I thought you said you were good at this!” Bailey was so stupid! OF COURSE she had read that one, it was #1 on literally every single ”Best Yuri of All Time” list!!!
“O-oh yeah right, of course hahaha!!!” Bailey laughed nervously as she fiddled with her glasses. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage, she could feel drops of sweat starting to form on her brow. She had to pull this around, if she didn't impress Amity she'd probably tell the whole school that she read weird lesbo books or something!!! It didn't matter that she knew Amity read them too, they would never believe a nobody like her.
“What about… Whisper Me a Love Song?” Bailey asked, that was a relatively newer one, She might not have heard of it yet.
“I have heard of that one,” Amity mused. Fuck.“I haven't read it yet though, so you're getting better…” Amity said as she reached over Bailey's shoulder to grab a copy of the shelf. Bailey froze as Amity's arm gently brushed against her shoulder.
“D-Did you ever read… Citrus?” Bailey asked as she blushed, a little embarrassed that she knew about that one.
“Eeeeeh… That one was… weird…” Amity answered frowning, “They’re like… Sisters, Definitely not for me.” Bailey cursed herself in her head, She knew she shouldn't have mentioned that one, people always thought it was weird!!! Alright, one last try…
“How about Goodbye, My Rose Garden?” Bailey asked as she pulled volume one off the shelf.
“Oh? I haven't heard of that, what's it one about?” Amity inquired as she perked up.
“So It's set in Victorian England,” Bailey started explaining softly, “It's about a maid name Hanako who works for a young noble woman named Alice and one day Alice asks her to KILL her.” Her voice slowly picked up in volume and pace as she got to the juicy parts, she was so excited to get to share this with someone else.
“Oh!” Amity’s eyes went wide. Her curiosity was clearly piqued, but Bailey barely noticed, she was in full info dump mode.
“Yeah and so Hanako tries to figure out why her mistress would ask her to do this right? So as she does she and Alice grow closer and OF COURSE you know where that heads, it is a romance after all.” Amity started to smile as she listened, Bailey's enthusiasm was infectious.
“It’s a really sweet story about like the time it's set in as well as finding a reason to live and forbidden love, I think you might really like it…” Bailey finally trailed off as she looked up, at Amity who was giggling. A look of horror washed over Bailey, her beating heart froze solid as she realized she had been too much. Too weird, oh God it was all over.
“That sounds wonderful!!!” Amity laughed, “You're pretty cool Bailey, I’ll definitely try that one.” She smiled at the Blonde haired girl. Bailey felt her face go from white to red in almost an instant, she finally took a deep gasp of breath in, talking to girls was so nerve-wracking!!!
Bailey's hands shook as she held out the book and Amity gracefully snatched it from her hands. The two girls stood there for an awkward moment before Amity finally spoke up.
“I'd love to tell you what I think about it after I'm done.” She said, “Can I… Give you my number?” THIS WAS NOT HAPPENING. Bailey’s poor heart couldn't take much more of this!!! She was barely able to find the words to respond, she just stood there… Gawking like an idiot.
“Y-YES!” Bailey finally squeaked. “Yes please!” Causing the pink haired girl to giggle again. She could feel the sweat pooling in her shirt, she had never been more nervous in her entire life.
“Well follow me then.” Amity motioned with a smile as she started walking towards the front of the store. The two of them reached the checkout desk the two paid for their books, and Amity asked the woman at the desk if she could borrow a Pen.
“Let me see your receipt.” Amity commanded, but not harshly. Bailey gingerly handed it over and Amity quickly scribbled a phone number on the piece of paper.
“Message me later tonight so I have yours too, I'll let you know when I'm done." Bailey simply nodded, dumbfounded, A girl had just given her her number. A real GIRL actually wanted to talk to her about Manga!?!
“Well, See you around I guess…” Amity said plainly with a small smile as she headed towards the door back outside, she was just about to open it when…
“W-wait!” Bailey cried out, trying to keep her voice down, “You never answered my question!”
“What question was that?” The pink haired girl asked as she turned to look at her, one hand still on the door.
“W-what’s your favorite manga?” Bailey asked again, her entire face burning a bright crimson.
“Kase-san.” Amity answered with a warm smile as she walked out of the bookstore, the soft bell chiming behind her.
OF COURSE it was Kane-San!!! Bailey groaned, she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of it!!! She smiled to herself as she looked down at the receipt paper in her hand, with Amity's number on it…
“Hey Bailey Mom says it's time to go…” Luz said as she strolled up behind the blonde haired girl, “YO WAS THAT AMITY?!” She cried out as she looked up from her phone and saw the girl walking away outside. Bailey hurriedly shushed her, they were in a Bookstore after all.