Rewards for courage

Lilly turned away at the word "friend" a rare smile fluttered on her lips and her heart raced as she recalled the face she had just seen over and over in her mind. Along with all the joy, she also felt some guilt at forgetting about Linda. When she is alone with Steph, Lilly felt like they were in their own little world, and they could forget about everyone else, but she knew that Steph isn't like that.

"S-Steph…" Lilly began but then went quiet. "Is this really, alright?" She thought to herself. "If this goes wrong, she'll find out how I feel about her and then…" Lilly's breathing quickened. She massaged her forehead and placed a hand on her chest to calm herself down.

"What is it, Lilly?"

Lilly turned round, causing her long black skirt to spiral out. "The day you manage to sit in the ledge with me, I'll treat you to ice cream at my house." Lilly had never offered to treat anyone before, let alone invite them to her house, but she hid her anxiety with her usual cool air.

"Really? You'll really let me come to your house?" Steph asked, forgetting herself and jumping up and down with her skirt flapping dangerously high up her thighs. When she came back to her senses and realized where she was, she fell onto Lilly and grabbed onto her tightly.

"I-I think that's enough fun for today, let's go home." Lilly said, trying hard to stay calm as Steph pressed her face against her chest. At this distance, it is impossible that Steph couldn't hear-

"L-Lilly, your heart is beating really fast, just like mine." Steph said. "Are you scared too?"

"Something like that."

A few minutes later, the pair of them are descending the stairs toward the school gate. Steph is skipping, accelerated by the danger she had exposed herself too.

"Don't go down so fast. It's dangerous." Lilly shouted as she began to get left behind. Lilly wondered why this girl didn't have a similar fear for stairs as she did for heights – they have similar risks, don't they?

The pair had only got through the gates when a black limo rolled up, stopped in front of them. Lilly entered the limo, but didn't shut the door. "You have your part-time job now, right? Are you sure you don't want a ride?"

"It would look weird if I came to work in a limo."

"I guess so." Lilly nodded. "Well, take care, Steph, I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, the dark haired girl closed the door. Steph watched as the car as it drove away and around a corner. Lilly also watched her friend go out of sight, but she kept Steph in her heart and smiled, imagining the prospects that lay head.