The Childhood Friend

Candy buzzed about her small one bedroom apartment dusting while rocking out to the heavy industrial beats that were very much at odds with the look of her simple pastel sundress. While her musical tastes might have been dominated by her best friend she always considered all that black far too gloomy. Of course Laura had always been a touch gloomy and the color did fit her name and all but it was almost the first weekend of the month and that meant she would be over to visit and Candy would cheer her friend up over tea like she always had since refusing to let the introverted girl wallow in her loneliness back when they had met so long ago.

Living room done she twirled into her kitchen eyes sparkling as she looked on all the bright finger painted artwork taped up over fridge and cabinet. She treasured every piece her kids gifted to her and displayed them as long as possible before they joined the rest that filed box after box in her closet. She'd only been teaching Kindergarten for a few years now but already the clutter was threatening to overflow her small amount of storage space, but that was a problem for future her. Present her didn't have a care.

Done wiping down the kitchen she ducked down the hall into the units small bath and gave her reflection a dazzling smile, brushed back her unruly mop of golden blonde curls and took a long look into her own crystal blue eyes. "This is the week. This time you are going to tell her and not chicken out." Then she laughed a bit sadly and started cleaning the bathroom while she muttered "This time for sure."

When the whole apartment looked perfect Candy swept into her bedroom and decided to clean it up as well, like she did every month even though Laura would never see it. No matter how much she'd like her to. She fell back onto her bed amidst her many pillows and grabbed up the largest of her plushy friends, a pristine white unicorn with rainbow mane and tail.

"Well hello there miss sprinkles. Why yes I missed you too." She hugged the stuffed unicorn to her plush bosom "Busy day tomorrow, but it's all going to work out just fine. I can feel it!" And as if to spite her words the room faded to black.

.

When she saw the blonde figure in the pale blue dress pad barefoot up the path clutching a stuffed unicorn half as big as she was Laura felt a pit open in her stomach. She'd managed to drag poor Candy into yet another mess like so many times before. How was she going to get her out of it this time?

"Laura!" the blonde cried "Hey, hello everyone. I'm not dreaming right? This doesn't feel like a dream, far too dark. Tracy! Oh and Stacy, you're both here too? Ms. Escarra! Oh wow. And Anna, oh that's got to be awkward. Sorry. MISTY! Is that you!? O M G! How have you been doing? No Way! Carla Wright!? I was just listening to Train Wreck! Or at least I think I was... No sorry, don't know you. Oooooh you're tall." Candy buzzed about the circle stopping in front of Shar. Before the host could get a word in though she bent over and picked up the shirt Stacy had dropped "What's this? Hey this is the shirt I bought you for your 16th birthday! What's it doing here?" She said to Laura.

"Well you're just a ray of sunshine." Shar's comment drew Candy's gaze back to her."

"Thank you!"

"I hate sunshine."

"Oh..."

"It's fine, there's one in every group. Go sit down in the chair next to Laura there." Candy skipped over to the last empty chair passing Laura her shirt on the way and sat smiling. "Good, now an introduction for the audience since just about everyone here already knows you."

"My name is Carmen Henderson, I am 26 years old and teach Kindergarten at Jefferson Elementary. I am a lesbian, am five foot six and wear a D cup bra. I've known Laura since as long as I can remember, we grew up next door to each other. Ooooh that tickled."

"What? You're not into girls!" Laura exclaimed "I've known you for forever and you've never even checked out another girl that I've seen, certainly never dated one."

Candy just sat there, now blushing and trying to hide behind her unicorn.

"Well this is awkward but now that everyone is here let me distract you with the rules of this season."

"Season?" Candy squeaked out.

Shar sighed and pinched her nose "Just try to pay attention."