The Devil Child

Chapter Thirty-Nine

"I lost that stupid sketchbook. I'm just frustrated, and when I'm frustrated..." Polly felt too embarrassed to finish the sentence. She felt weak and useless. She felt like a young child throwing a tantrum in the supermarket; completely unnecessary and very annoying.

"You cry," Kenzie finished the sentence for her, grabbing the blonde's hands in her own. "That isn't a bad thing, Polly. Crying isn't a weakness, either. You can let it all out."

And so Polly did. She sobbed until her shoulders shook and her chest ached. She cried into Kenzie's neck, gripping the back of the dress she wore. But even that wasn't close enough, and Polly felt the urge to be closer to the girl in red. There, on the floor, where both girls sat, Polly wrapped her legs around Kenzie's waste in a koala bear hug. She squeezed Kenzie tightly, her tears soaking Kenzie's neck and the neckline of her dress.

"I just, that sketchbook, it meant everything to me. I've had it for so long, and through so much, and it's my outlet."

Kenzie gripped Polly just as tightly. She cared for her best friend, and seeing the girl cry was not pleasing to Kenzie. She was struggling to let go of the mask she wore currently. The everything-is-okay mask. The straight faced, confident mask she wore to put others at ease. Because if one person is strong, others can pull from their strength.

On the inside, Kenzie wanted to cry as well. She wanted to cry the moment her father picked her up. She wanted to cry in the basement, tied to the chair. She wanted to cry as her father was hauled to jail. She wanted to cry when she learned her relationship to Wes and Elliott. She wanted to cry when she found out the man she loved was an assassin, and was going to kill her.

But Kenzie was strong, and she hid that weakness behind the mask. She pulled herself together and held onto Polly, who needed her strength more than anything. Despite the tears pooling in her own eyes, Kenzie knew she had to hold it together for the girl in her arms.

Or, that had been the plan.

Polly leaned back, her eyes red and her cheeks stained with tears. Her brain felt muddled, but her heart was pounding hard in her chest. There she sat, in Kenzie's lap, with her legs tight around the purple haired girl's waist.

Without thinking, Polly leaned in. She had never kissed anyone willingly before, and she didn't think her kisses with Doctor Higgins counted. She felt nervous and worried, but she leaned in anyway, pressing her lips against Kenzie's.

For a moment, she didn't let her mind think. Despite the fact that Polly knew nothing of Kenzie's preferences when it came to dating, the girl kissed Kenzie with everything she had. There was something about almost losing the purple haired girl that made Polly anxious. Anxious to have the girl know about her feelings. Anxious to see if Kenzie possibly felt the same.

Kenzie pulled back, staring into Polly's eyes, her mouth wide open with shock. Polly tensed in the other girl's lap, suddenly aware of her actions. She began to pull away, her head ducked against her chest, her mouth issuing as many sorrys as she could.

Kenzie placed her hands on either side of Polly's face. "You like girls?"

Polly's face was on fire, red hot and embarrassing. This was one secret she had promised herself not to tell. She was used to people hating her because of it. She was used to people leaving her because of it.

"Yeah, I do. And I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I didn't mean to kiss you like that. I just, I really like you Kenzie. I'm sorry."

"You don't like Minny?" Kenzie's grip on Polly's cheeks grew hard. The purple haired girl could hardly breathe, could hardly think. "I can't believe you don't like Minny, I thought you liked him?"