"What about Loralie?" Issac asked after Tao just spilled his guts to him and Charlie about liking Elle and needing help.

"What about Loralie?" he questioned.

"We just all thought....you liked her, too?" Charlie gave a questionable look.

"I do, I did. If I liked her enough, I wouldn't have been able to like Elle, though. Loralie deserves someone who isn't thinking about another girl half the time and that's what i'm doing with Elle. I liked Elle second, meaning this is how it's suppose to go. I like her a lot, and I want to ask her out. Are you going to help me or not?"

Charlie and Issac would, but they knew it was going to absolutely crush Loralie.

Loralie sat on the steps of Higgs and did research on her laptop. She watched videos of youtube couples that were polyamory, explaining to her how they went about it and how they came to be. Loralie knew months ago she'd been open to it, but that hadn't gone so well. She went on a date with a couple and that was all. Tao and Elle were two people who never said anything about being open to such a thing, which is also why she watched videos on possible signs other people were questioning it.

"Hey." Elle got her attention as she pulled her ear buds out, looking up at her quickly. "I got your text."

Loralie nodded, her mouth opening like she wanted to say something but didn't. Elle crossed her arms as she sat down, shrugging her shoulders. "What did you want to talk about?"

As if the world had fallen off its axis, Loralie Flowers was quiet.

Elle saw the hesitation on her face, the fear that danced in her eyes. She wanted to get annoyed with her being quiet in a situation she planned, but it was Loralie. How could she be annoyed with her? Loralie exhaled as she looked to the trees, thinking maybe the falling leaves would motivate her. "Elle, i'm...sorry. For what I said, how I've been acting. I'm sorry that I took it out on you, it isn't your fault."

"Thank you." Elle spoke softly, giving her a small smile. She placed her hand on Loralies knee. Her skin pressed against hers. Elle placed her other hand on her shoulder, leaning in a little bit. "What's going on with you, Loralie? I don't understand why you got so upset with me out of nowhere."

The silence was back, but it seemed to be only temporary. Loralie played with her bracelet, the one Tao got her for her sixteenth birthday. She looked up, needing to face this in a mature sense rather than run away. Elle was confused by her watery eyes, the tears that swarmed in her dark gaze. Sadness, confusion, but most of all fear. "I really like you, Elle. In so many more ways than just my best friend."

It was hard to read Elle's expression. She looked relived and flustered, then again confused and panicky. She went back and forth between Loralie and Tao, now one was confessing their feelings to her. She still liked Loralie so much, but she still liked Tao. She swore to distance herself from him, get over her, but then she sprung this on her. Before she could say anything, before she could decide in that exact moment what to do, Loralie spoke again. "I think you are so beautiful, in every way possible, Elle. I love being around you, and you're one of the first people I want to see every day. I could go my entire life with you every single day and never get sick of you, I really could. I promise."

Elle wanted to gush, her eyes softened as a little smile spread on her face. She shook her head, her teary eyes matching Loralies. But, Elle was smart, and she knew Loralie better than anyone else ever could. "So, why have you been mad at me like that's such a bad thing? Are you embarrassed to like me?"

"Of course not!" Loralie didn't mean to yell at her, but it just floored her that Elle would ever think that. "Elle, there is morning to be embarrassed of. I me-I just- you are literally everything. No part of me would ever be embarrassed to be with you, let alone like you."

"So then what is it Loralie?" Now it was Elles turn to raise her voice in her direction, standing up fast. "Why do you act like it's such a bad thing?"

"Because I don't understand why I am still thinking about someone else half the time when i'm so insanely crazy about you!" Loralie stood up just as quick, staring at her. While it hurt to say, it felt almost okay to finally get out of her chest. The hurt on Elle's face had her immediately wishing she hadn't said it, but there was no going back. "I want to only like you, I want to only think about you. And I do, I swear on my life I do. I wake up and I think about you, I go to sleep and I think about you. You are constantly on my mind but-"

"But someone else is too." Elle cut her off, not even wanting to hear her say it. "And you don't want to be with me because you don't like me more than them."

Loralie was quiet, she couldn't look Elle in the eye then. She just stared down at her orange converse, wishing the bell would ring. That fear in her eyes leaked, streaming down her face. Elle looked at the trees, watching the leaves fall just as her heart did. "Well, I guess I have my answer then."

Loralie looked up at her, desperation in her eyes. Elle held herself together better, putting on a tough front but it was clear that Loralie hurt her. Loralie....someone no one thought would ever hurt Elle Argent. "I'm not gonna be a second choice, Loralie. I want to be with you, but I can't knowing you're thinking of someone else half the time."

Then, Loralies wish came true. The bell rung. As students began to flood from Higgs, Loralie stared as Elle with desperation while Elle only matched her stare with hurt. The Argent girl left her, she walked away. It had been one of the hardest things, but she couldn't face knowing she wasn't always on Loralies mind. Never mind, Loralie wasn't the one that was always on Elle's mind either. Neither realized it was the same boy they thought of, that delt with the same thing they currently were.

"Hey, Issac!" James was thankfully a good distraction for the table, all sensing a very tense vibe between Loralie and Elle. Issac turned to greet him, Nick leaning in close to Loralie to try and get some answered out of her. "I-I was just thinking...did you want to come to the end-of-exams party tonight?"

"Oh, um, yeah." Issac grinned, his cheeks flushing just slightly.

"And all your friends should come, too, obviously." James looked around at the round table, his smile spreading ear to ear. Harry's party was something Loralie definitely was looking forward to, ready to test the theory if alcohol truly did cloud your brain.

Nick began to talk to Charlie, Tara and Elle soon after, Issac and Darcy once more. Loralie sat there, listening to all their conversation at once as it all rung in her head.

"I could come out at the party to some of the rugby guys-"

"Did you decide what the prom flyer was gonna look like?"

"How did you and James meet?"

"Does anyone know where Tao is?"

It all swarmed so much, so fast, driving her absolutely mad. Her head pounded, her brain focused on what happened with Elle while jumping back and forth to the conversations that were happening around her. It was going back and forth way too fast, confusing her even more than she had. Loralie squeezed her eyes shut at first, the pounded headache getting the best of her. As her eyes closed, everyone just got louder. Especially Elle, except it wasn't what she was saying then that was so loud. It was what she said on the steps of Higgs, ringing in Elle's ears.

The entire table froze their conversation when Loralies chair screeched loudly on the floor, standing up quickly and yanking her bag with her. Everyone paused, gaping at the scene that just played before them. Loralie wasn't the mad type, everyone knew something was wrong. Before anyone could act, Mr.Farouk yelled out to silence them all.

Loralie clutched her heart as she took deep breaths, pushing out of the school doors to get a gasp of fresh air. It was like she couldn't entirely breath, like all the panic and pain was spinning like a mirrorball around her heart. Her vision spun a moment, her heart pounding so bad it was seconds away from knocking her off her axis.

"Lori?"

The sound of Taos voice did something for her. It gave her some clarity, it steadied her vision and slowed down her heart. The endless sound left as she looked up, the world silent aside from the one word he said. Her eyes looked up, staring at him from a few feet away. He stood with a bouquet of flowers, his hair entirely different, in an attire Loralie would have tripped over her own feet for. He frowned his eyebrows. "Loralie, what's the matter? You look like you're gonna be sick."

She dropped her bag and jogged toward him, not having to go far. She tossed her arms around his neck, the impact harsh but needy. Tao had to hunch down some in order to put his arms around her waist, the flowers behind her back as he held her tightly. Loralie shut her eyes and inhaled deeply, the majority of her face hidden in his neck. Tao rubbed her back, confusion across his face but gave her a moment. He could feel her racing heart pounding against his chest. "What happened to you?"

Loralie waited a moment before her eyes opened, reality sitting in as sanity welcomed her back to its painful world. The flowers. He had a huge thing of flowers. She pulled away, but his arms stayed locked around her. Tao looked down, Loralie could feel the petals on her back. "Flowers."

"That does happen to be your lass name?" hs chuckled slightly.

"You have flowers." she stepped out of his hold, able to fully look at the bouquet in his hands. "Why do you have flowers?"

There was hesitation on his face, like he could hide this from her forever. He stood a bit straighter, trying to not appear so bothered by having to tell her. "Well...i'm here for Elle. To...ask her out."

There it was again, all of it coming right back.

Like it did Elle, Loralies silence terrified Tao. She was never quiet, she always had plenty to say. He tried not to get embarrassed, shuffling on his feet. "Do you-do you not think she'd like the-"

"Please don't." Loralie cut him off, her face looked as if she didn't ever know she was gonna say that. Tao stared at her, Loralie met his eye with guilt and sadness. "Please don't ask out Elle."

Tao reacted differently. His sadness was followed soon after anger, and Loralie made him so angry right then. She had no right, she had no right to now decide she didn't want to see him with anyone else. He took a step away from her, the clear anger rested across his face. "No. No, you have no right to do this, Loralie. You don't get to stand infront of me and ask me not to."

"I know, i'm sorry." she got louder as she clutched her forehead, he took multiple steps away from her as he paced slightly. She ruined it all, she did. But, Loralie knew she had. She gripped her hair and stood there in guilt. "Tao-"

"You messed up my entire plan! This was settled, it was perfect in my mind. I like Elle. I don't-" but, he couldn't even say it. He couldn't say he didn't like Loralie, he truly couldn't. Hs could pretend he didn't, he could "choose" Elle. But, Loralie had been his long game. He never thought of anyone else since they first met, no one until Elle made it clear she had feelings for him.

"I know." she shook her head. Loralie wished she could have just not said anything, but she couldn't. She just couldn't.

"No, you don't know!" he'd yelled at her a few times, like when she had treated him and Elle badly after they just wanted to comfort her after the cinema trip with Ben Hope. Still, she absolutely hated it every time. She never wanted Tao to ever be mad at her, and that's all he was. "You don't get to pretend like you know because you don't. You don't get to never say anything until I have finally found someone else. All you did was lead me on for years and i'm over it, Loralie!"

"I wasn't leading you on, Tao. I want to be with you!" she yelled back at him, the wind picked up some. "I do! I want to so badly!"

"Then why didn't you say anything!" he gave her an insane look, loosing a couple flowers from the bouquet from his waving them around in the process of yelling at her.

"God, because of her! Can't you see that?" there was a crazy look in Loralies eye, like she wanted to rip all her hair off. "I couldn't say I like you because I like her too. I can't be with one of you without thinking about the other! I can't do it!"

"So you decide now, that things are about to fall into place, to tell me?" he hadn't even fully processed what she said, he'd just been so mad about the huge change she just made. "You wait until I chose her to tell me?"

That one hit harder.

Tao regretting saying it, the anger slightly wearing off when he realized the effect that comment had. The look in her eye, the way she was holding her breath. His eyes softened up in guilt, in fear. The look she had with Elle, Tao had it now. Loralie swallowed once, remembering she indeed did have to breath. "I-"

The doors opened up, getting their attention. Everyone was still in the middle of laughing about their conversations, Loralie walked away quickly before Elle could see her there. Before she could question if she tried to ruin even more of the relationship she was building with Tao. But, like Cinderella, she left her backpack behind to remind them both that no matter how much they tried to shake her off...she'd still been all over them both.

•

kylie speaks

the paris trip is going
to tie so much together
man i'm so excited. i
LOVE writing the difference
dynamics between loralies
feelings for elle versus her
feelings for tao. her feelings
for elle are more recent, they
are still in that new and honeymoonish feeling. things are softer, easier with them. then, her and tao have such a
long history of feelings that
weren't said. it's just so much
fun to show, i truly feel like it's
a phenomenal mix