The next day's lunch was abuzz with conversation. Kaia, who spent a relatively quiet night being anally fucked by her brother, wanted to know about everyone else's Thursday night. She got to the table first and a few seconds later, Bess sat.
"Bess! Tell me about last night!"
"Well, the others should be showing up in a minute...I should wait."
Kaia nodded respectfully, trying not to be impatient. She then smiled as she saw Marcia approach with Lily, the two chatting happily. Then suddenly Katy was next to her.
"Hi, babe!" Katy was all smiles, and kissed Kaia. The African girl hugged her, "
Coro
! I want to know everything!" Marcia and Lily sat as well. Lily was absolutely beaming.
Kaia couldn't help but ask. "Lily! What's going on?"
Lily looked at Marcia. "We should wait until Dara gets here. I want to say, but..."
Kaia sighed melodramatically. "Someone tell me something! I am dying!"
Carrie then arrived. "What'd I miss? What'd I miss?"
"Nothing! No one will tell me anything!"
"Hey guys." Lily registered Dara's voice and turned to say hi to her Protector.
She froze, her mouth dropping open. The other girls at the table looked up, and there was silence.
Dara was there, holding her tray of food. She looked radically different. There was no more trace of a goth look, with her makeup now primarily lighter shades and tinges of color. Her hair was tied back with colorful ribbons, and she wore a LIGHT BLUE dress that looked more like something Lily would wear.
Dara looked at everyone, then to Lily. "What?"
"Dara? Is it you?"
"Y...yeah...I figured I'd maybe tweak the look a bit..."
"I LOVE it! You are so beautiful, Dara!" The rest of the table chimed in very positively as well.
Dara blushed and sat. Across from her, Carrie sat. Her eyes were wide and moist.
Bess looked at her after being distracted by Dara's appearance. "C-Carrie? Are you okay?"
Carrie slowly nodded. "I know this girl. I haven't seen this girl in 9 years. I loved this girl. This girl...was...my best friend."
Dara looked at the cheerleader and sighed.
"Carrie. I just wanted to say...I'm sorry."
Carrie didn't move. A single tear rolled down her cheek.
"You wanted to help me. I knew you wanted to help me. You were only 9, just like me, and you wanted to make me feel better SO BAD. But I was mad. I was mad, and pissed, and didn't want anybody's help. So I decided to HATE you. And I said so many nasty, hateful things to you, Carrie. I think about what I said now, to my BEST FRIEND, and I can't believe you'd even want to be in the same room with me. I was garbage, and I knew it. For all that time, I knew I was utter garbage."
Tears were freely flowing from both girls now, as well as from Bess, Lily, and Marcia. Kaia was also affected but held it together the best. The rest of the cafeteria bustled as normal, unaware of what was happening at this table.
"I know I'll never forgive myself for the way I treated you. I just ask that maybe you could forgive me. Forgive a stupid idiot that didn't realize that she had someone who really cared about her, and just assumed that she could just go it alone."
Carrie's voice was just above a whisper. "Why now?"
Dara looked at Lily, then to Marcia. "I recently was adopted into a wonderful family and acquired three sisters. There's something very humbling to go from an only child that feels like no one cares to having sisters that love you and are deeply invested in you."
She looked back to Carrie. "But I can now see there's a hole in my heart. I thought it was from the accident, but it's you Carrie. I miss my best friend.
"I know it might be too late. I've pushed you away for almost a decade. Who has time for that shit? I wouldn't blame you at all for punching me in the fucking face, standing up, and leaving for what I've done. I just want you to know that I'm sorry. For everything."
The table was like a black hole for sound. There was none there, and any that came from the outside got sucked in and eliminated. All the spectators at the table stopped breathing, and they watched the two girls at the center. Finally, Carrie spoke.
"I don't need to tell you how much you hurt me, Dara. From what you've said, you know. But I'm going to tell you anyway. You fucked me up. Do you know what it's like to be utterly rejected like that? To have all that love to give and being hated for it? To be verbally ripped apart, just because you care? I had to rebuild my trust for years because of what you did."
Dara dipped her head and wept. Lily and Marcia held her hands but didn't say anything.
"But through all that? I still loved you. I still love you now."
Dara's head snapped up. "What?"
"It's true. I never stopped loving you, never stopped caring about you. I'd see you every day, all in black. I'd wait for you to say something. To do something. To do anything that would take me back to when we were kids and we were just...friends. But it never happened.
"Until now." She smiled, and that smile rocked Dara to her core.
"Of course I forgive you. You're my best friend."
Dara shot up and ran around the table to Carrie and hugged her incredibly tight. "I love you, Carrie", she whispered.
"I love you too, Dara."
-----
It took a couple of minutes for the table to compose itself. Carrie and Dara chatted happily during that time, then Dara went back and sat between Lily and Marcia, across from her best friend. Bess sat very close to Carrie, a fact that Dara pointed out.
"Hey girl, just because I'm wearing a brighter dress and lighter makeup doesn't mean I won't fuck you up if you do anything to hurt my best friend."
Bess swallowed and had a slight look of fear. "I...I...would never..."
Dara shook her head and smiled. "I couldn't help it. Bess, I'm kidding. I know you'll be good to Carrie. Besides, she'll fuck you up herself...she doesn't need me." Carrie smiled at that.
Then Carrie turned to Bess. "Now...tell me about your date!"
Kaia nodded vigorously. "Yes! Tell us!"
Bess looked around at all the eyes focused on her and giggled. "Okay...so...it was...really...good."
Katy rolled her eyes.
Carrie scoffed. "That's it? Just 'good'?"
Katy, sitting on the other side of Bess, prodded her. "Come on, Bess. Give them just a little more than that!"
Bess blushed then blurted, "Okay, it was freaking amazing!"
The table erupted. Bess looked back at Katy, who grinned back at her.
Carrie said, "Details!"
"Well, we had dinner, and then..."
"We don't care about dinner! Bess, did you guys...do it?"
A very small nod.
The table erupted again, even greater than the last time.
Carrie moved closer. "Soooo...you liked it?"
"I really...really...really...REALLY liked it."
Katy then said, "That's one 'really' for each time they did it!"
Bess suddenly became stern. "Katy Jenkins! Aren't you trying to be a good girl?"
Katy's eyes went wide. "Yes! I'm a good girl!"
"What you just said is not what good girls say. Right?"
"I'm sorry! I won't do that again! I promise I'll be a very good girl!"
The table went silent again and this time everyone focused on Katy. She sat back, very demure and respectful.
Both Marcia and Kaia said, "What was that?" to Bess.
Bess shook her head. "I'll tell you later."
Carrie waved her hands. "Let's not bury the lede. How many times??"
Bess blushed hard. "...four..."
"Dear god...he must have been a machine!"
"It certainly felt like it", said Bess with a giggle.
Kaia continued to stare at Katy. Katy looked back and smiled sweetly. Kaia leaned in and said, "Whatever this is, I'm going to find it out."
"As long as you know that I am a good girl. A very good girl!"
Kaia narrowed her eyes and nodded.
-----
The girls all shared stories about the previous evening. The rest of the table was fully pulled in by Akane's punishment, especially the wax.
"Our father sent me a link to part of the video he recorded of the event. I can show you some of the wax part," Dara said. Lily nuzzled her when she said 'our father'.
She clicked on her phone, tapped a couple of buttons, then handed it over to Bess. "I would turn the volume down. Akane's screams are very loud."
Bess looked at Dara and nodded, dragging the volume down to 10%. Even there, the whole table could hear the first scream. Carrie, Kaia, Katy, and Bess all watched wide-eyed as Lily poured hot wax in an intricate pattern over her sister's body.
That specific clip ended soon after, but not before the four viewers watched Akane get all three characters inscribed onto her skin. Bess shakily handed the phone back to Dara. "Wow...Dara, that was..."
Dara nodded. "It was needed. And Akane was very appreciative."
Bess shook her head, wondering how Akane could be appreciative of what had been done to her.
Carrie spoke up again. "Bess! When are we going out?"
"Oh! Uhh...when are you free?"
"Well, my parents are going out of town today, and Leroy's got a family thing this weekend, so how about tonight?"
"Yeah! That works for me!"
Katy said, "I totally don't want to steamroll your date night...I was originally going to suggest another girls' night, but how about getting together tomorrow to hang out?"
Carrie said, "That sounds great! My house is free the whole weekend." She looked around the table. "Anyone who wants to come over...let me know!"
The table exploded in conversation again. Carrie smiled, then looked over at Bess and blushed a little when she saw that Bess was already looking at her.
"Is that okay? That I invited everyone over to my house tomorrow?"
"Why would you need me to say it's okay?"
Carrie pushed up against Bess. "Because you'll probably be there tomorrow morning as well as me, silly."
"Oh. OH." Bess blushed hard.
-----
Bess and Carrie pulled up to the redhead's house and Bess shifted her car into park. Dinner was delicious...Leroy's recommendation was spot-on, and Carrie was super excited when Bess told her where she was taking her.
Both girls had dressed very casually for dinner, jeans and t-shirts for both. As Carrie was fumbling with her house keys, she was hit by a feeling. She smiled, and said (without turning), "Are you looking at my butt?"
She heard, "Ummm...ahh..."
