“Jackie? Is that really you?” Marleigh’s voice was like singing angels to her long lost lover, the smile was as she looked at her long lost beloved. It was magical as the small girl looked at the massive girl she once called her best friend in the whole world.

“Yeah, it’s really her. Thought you two should be reunited the proper way. Happy Festivus, Marleigh.” Alyssa plucked Jackie off her hand and held her out for Marleigh to accept her. But, she hesitated on taking her back. “Something wrong?”

“No, not at all. Just didn’t expect her to come back.” Jackie could sense the unease in the air given off by both parties. Last time they’d even seen each other was when she was almost swallowed. Dark times still filled the air between them. Reluctantly, Marleigh accepted Jackie back into the home they both called ‘theirs’ at one point. Marleigh just sighed deeply as she shut the door behind her, looking down at the small girl as she headed over to the counter.

“Marleigh? What’s wrong? I’m back, it means we can be together again. Right?” Jackie was soon set on the counter as Marleigh just closed her eyes and sighed more. Not out of joy. But what seemed like frustration. “Marleigh, I’m sorry for leaving you. I forgive you for that night. Really.” Jackie soon noticed the trouble Marleigh had on her face, like something was wrong, disastrously wrong. “Marleigh?”

“Look, Jackie. If you came by a few months ago, I would’ve been beyond excited to have you back in my life and we could go back to the way things were but as it stands right now…” As Jackie heard the words coming out of Marleigh’s mouth, she was even more heartbroken then before. But her turmoil was only starting as Jackie heard a door open from behind Marleigh.

“Mar, you coming back to bed?” Another voice called out to the pair as they were still trying to figure out what was going to happen with them. Jackie looked at the feminine figure who began to come out of Marleigh’s room. It was another human girl, not Carissa that was certain. As she came into the light, Jackie saw more of her features which included her black as the night hair and then her soft looking face. She was perfect and her mere looks made Jackie feel insignificant. “Who are you talking to?” The new human girl then looked down at the small girl as she hung onto Marleigh’s shoulder which just shattered Jackie’s remaining hope of reuniting with her.

“Oh her? She’s just an old friend that stopped by to talk about something on her mind.” Marleigh smiled through her teeth as she kissed the mystery girl on the forehead. “I’ll be back to bed soon, Kali. Just need to talk to her about something. Ok?”

“Fine with me Mar. Just don’t be late to the party. Bye little one, hope you two have a good talk. I guess?” Kali, the mystery girl, then turned around and headed back into the room where she would await her lover.

“You two...are together? You’re dating her?” Jackie’s mind was racing as she tried to not have a complete panic attack from seeing the girl who promised she’d be with her forever with another woman. “Mar, I know we’ve been separated for a bit but I told you it was just a break. We can be together again. We can pick up where we left off. Right?” Jackie's denial was starting to get to her as she began to panic as the weight of everything she’d done just tonight was all for nothing.

“Jackie, I’m really sorry but I don’t think that’ll be the case.” Marleigh tried her best to comfort the small girl as she was still her friend but Jackie still began to tear up. “We’ve been dating for a few months now and I’m as happy as ever.” Marleigh paused as she saw Jackie beginning to get on her hands and knees to start begging her to take her back. “Jackie, please don’t make this any harder than it has to be. I’ll let you stay the night but...after tomorrow morning...we’ll talk about it. Ok? But what was once us, isn’t anymore. I don’t know if there can be an us anymore. I’m sorry, Jackie.” Marleigh spoke softly as she walked away from Jackie, leaving her on the counter to collect what she’d just been told.

“Marleigh?” Jackie called out as the sweetest girl she’d ever known turned her back on her as she headed back into her bedroom. “Please, don't go. Come back.” Jackie whispered as Marleigh shut the bedroom door, leaving her alone in the dark kitchen.

All and all, she’d been replaced by the beautiful Kali. It wasn’t even fair for the small girl. Everything about Jackie screamed insignificant in comparison to Marleigh’s new girl. It shattered her heart to think the trials she went through just tonight to see Marleigh again was for zip. All for nothing. She wanted to cry, scream and break something out of pure anger but nothing came out. Not a single drop, peep, a fist didn’t even form. Jackie just sat still, quiet as a mouse avoiding detection. World shattering came close to the level at which she was currently experiencing. There was no going back to the way things once were. The two of them? They were gone, all destroyed from an action that the both of them deeply regretted. In the many months following their break up, Jackie had doubts in the way she left. She thought about going to Marleigh to apologize but never went through with it. And as it turns out, perhaps she should’ve. Maybe then Jackie would still be welcome here.

Hours flew by as Jackie just sat on the counter, waiting for Marleigh to come out the door and claim it was all one big joke. That Kali and her weren’t a thing and that it was just an elaborate ruse to mess with her. But around three in the morning, the small commotion that originated from Marleigh’s room was silenced as she assumed the two girls were finally asleep. She leaned her head back to stare at the one bit of light from the kitchen. Perhaps if she stared long enough, the light would burn her eyes enough to blind her. Making her feel something again. Fortunately, this self attempt at blinding herself was interrupted as she heard a door opening up. Sitting up, Jackie got excited to see Marleigh again, even if she would just ignore her. But, it wasn’t Marleigh and it sure wasn’t the new girl. It was the other person who lived here, a person Jackie used to fear being around but now, would call her a friend. Her best friend in fact.

“Carissa? Is that you?” Jackie looked up as Carissa came into the light and completely ignored the tiny girl as she headed to the fridge for a quick, midnight snack. “Carissa? It’s me, Jackie.”

This caught Carissa’s attention as she turned around and saw the small girl curled up in a ball out of shame. “Jackie? Is that really you?” Carissa soon poked and prodded Jackie’s side to make sure she was real. The gentle giant smiled a bit as the two locked eyes. “It is you. I guess you met Kali.”

“Yeah, Marleigh said I could spend the night but in the morning we’d talk about it I guess.” Jackie stood up as she hugged Carissa’s finger, she missed them both so much and to feel at least one of their touch was enough to keep her from losing her mind. “Carissa, what happened? I don’t understand why Marleigh would replace me with her. I said I’d wait for her, why didn’t she do the same?”

“Jackie, what you have to understand is that Marleigh moved on and when she first started talking to Kali, I thought of you. I tried to tell her that this isn’t what you meant but she just said you left her. I know what she did to you and she still regrets it.” Carissa looked at the small girl and wanted to hug her and take all her pain away. Jackie was once this happy, proud and inspiring girl but now, she was more than just broken. “But you can’t deny she’s happy with her.” Carissa just felt bad for the small girl as she just hung her head in shame. “Jackie, you know Marleigh. When she says she’s in love with someone, she means it. I’m sorry Jackie. If it makes you feel any better, you don’t have to spend the rest of the night alone in the kitchen. I know I’m not Marleigh but I’ll try my best to make you feel better. Ok?”

“Yeah, that’ll be nice. Thank you Carissa. It means so much that I still have some friends that care about me here.” Carissa lowered her hand as the small girl thoroughly embraced the hand that seemed so gentle with her. 

“Are you doing ok, Jackie? I know this isn’t the outcome you expected coming back here.” Carissa spoke quietly as she stepped into her room which was right across from Marleigh’s. It was the same layout as hers with the same bed, nightstands. Everything. Except for the desk in the corner of the doom where a monitor and tower sat with some cables connecting to the monitor dangling free. It looked familiar to the small girl yet so alien.

“It’s definitely not what I expected to come back to. Marleigh moved on with that girl Kali. I’m basically ignored by her. She doesn’t love me anymore. Oh my gosh, my friends are gonna kill me for coming back here.” Carissa set Jackie down on her dresser as the giant sat down on the bed and looked at her.

“Jackie, it’s gonna be ok. You can stay with me for as long as you need to. It’ll be tough but I know you’ll get over it. Maybe you and Marleigh can be friends again. I know what you want but as it stands...she’s happy with Kali. I’m sorry Jackie.”

Jackie sighed, defeated and broken. “It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I overreacted, dumped Marleigh for what? Just to have her go to someone else and for me to be miserable? This wasn’t how it was supposed to be Carissa. The things I did just tonight to get here was for nothing. If I knew Marleigh was taken, I would’ve just stayed at the club.”

“Jackie, just take a breather and get some rest. Please, you look exhausted. It’s not healthy.” Carissa looked at the small girl and just wanted to hug her until she felt better. “Whatever you need, I’ll be here. Ok?”

“Thank you, Carissa.”

As Marleigh and Kali headed for bed, one of them was more willing to go to sleep than the other as Kali hugged and kissed Marleigh senselessly. “Come on Marleigh, just one game and then we can go to sleep. Please?”

“As much as I love to play with you, Miss Kali, I have some important things to do tomorrow.” Marleigh smiled as Kali gave her one last kiss on the lips as they cuddled together with Kali being the big spoon, fully embracing her lover in her arms. “Love you Kali.”

“Ah, I love you too, Mar.” Marleigh was just about to pass out in her lover's arms as Kali asked the question Marleigh had been dreading all night. “Hey, who was that micro you were talking to earlier? You said she was your friend?”

Marleigh sighed heavily as she didn’t want to lie to Kali about this situation she found herself in. “Kali, you know I love you right? You’re the sweetest girl I’ve ever met.  But before I met you, her and I….dated. She broke up with me and that’s the first time I’ve seen her since.”

Kali was silent for a few seconds as she took it in. “Did she...why’d she stop by then?” Kali asked as she sat up, looking down at Marleigh. 

“I don’t know. It was a nasty breakup and we haven’t seen each other in a while. I really don’t wanna talk about it Kali, ok?” Marleigh had dreaded this day since they first got together. She’d always figured Jackie would come back eventually but she always pushed it down a later date. Conflicted as she started dating Kali as a means of getting over Jackie and it worked. Marleigh cared about Kali and vice versa but the second she came back, the feelings came back to haunt her. “It’s complicated. I’ll handle it tomorrow Kali, you won’t have to worry about a thing. I promise.” Marleigh turned around and tried to put on a smile while looking at Kali which was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. Marleigh put her hand on Kali’s cheek to soothe her down. “Everything is fine, alright? Now, let’s go to bed. It's getting really late.”