{2} No Trace in Space

Molly returned to school in what she thought was probably her cutest outfit she'd bought for a costume party. It was a navy blue schoolgirl uniform that she saw her favourite characters wear to school. She pulled on black thigh socks and looked in her full-length mirror. She admired herself. The long sleeves covered her arms and her skirt was mid thigh. Only a small gap of skin peaked between her skirt and socks. She smiled at herself and blew a kiss. Innerly, she squealed with pride.

She picked up her backpack and grabbed her phone from the kitchen. Her mom had gone into work early, which was normal. She knew the hospital would also need nurses and that's what her mom was. Molly reheated the waffles her mom had cooked for her earlier that morning and took a seat in the living room. Last night, she had the same dream of the black haired woman in the shiny room polluted with light. She wondered if anyone else had her same dreams. Her phone buzzed from the kitchen counter.

She abandoned her food to check her phone. The caller ID said, "UNKNOWN". She picked it up regardless, overcome with curiosity.

"Hey," said a small voice from the other side of the phone. Molly recognized the soft voice.

"Hey Emmett." She said cheerfully.

Emmett was Biff's little brother. Since Molly was over a lot, she'd met Emmett. He'd become like a little brother to her. He would confide in her about things that happened with him at school and at home. It was hard for him growing up with a near-sociopathic brother and his parents always.

"Can you walk me home today? I don't like Biff's new girlfriend." He asked quietly, as if he was whispering.

Molly smiled. "Of course, Emmett." She said and suddenly, over the phone, Molly heard a commotion. "Who are you talking to?" She heard Biff ask, snatching the phone.

"Hello? Who is this?" He asked.

"Hello to you too." She said blandly. Hearing his voice made her feel the same way she did when she had to talk to her dad. She hated talking to her dad. He always took some shots at her mom and said something that made her uncomfortable about his new girlfriend. She grimaced thinking about him.

"Why the hell are you talking to Molly?" She heard Biff ask Emmett.

She felt awful as she heard Emmett trying to stutter an excuse. She cleared her throat and Biff returned the phone to his ear. "What?" He asked angrily.

"He just wanted to talk to me. I'm going to walk him home today. We're going to get a snack." She said sternly. Biff scoffed. "I always drive him home."

"He wants to walk with me. Besides, I haven't seen him in weeks."

"Whatever. If he gets hurt, I'm gonna hurt you." He hissed and Molly heard the chime of him hanging up.

She smiled and went to her room to check her wallet. She packed an extra twenty dollars. She didn't have a lot of money, but what she did have she was willing to spend on Emmett. He was like the little brother she never had. She picked up her bag, scarfed down a waffle, and locked the door on her way out. Usually, Biff would drive her to school, but today she was going to walk.

The air was crisp, like the thinner mountain air on an early morning in September. It reminded her of the small vacations she took with her mom to go see her grandparents. She pulled her earbuds from her bag and plugged them into her phone. She pressed shuffle on her playlist. The first song to play was an opening of a show she liked, but she wasn't in the mood for it. She skipped the song. The next song was a love song by an artist she loved. She mumbled the lyrics as she walked away from her apartment building.

Cars passed quickly, dragging cold air with them, chilling the exposed bits of her legs. She took a deep breath. She hadn't felt this feeling in a long time; she felt freedom. She could wear whatever she wanted without any boyfriend to tell her he didn't like it or any catty best friends to tell her she'd be picked on if she didn't change. Molly was coming to realize how miserable she'd been. There were times she was content, but in those times, she was zoned out and she wasn't with Biff.

Time seemed to slow as she relished in her serenity. By the time she'd reached school, she zoned back in. Her playlist had ended and she had a message. She sighed. "Hey! I was trying to talk to you!" Someone said to her.

Molly turned to see who she'd been ignoring. She turned to see someone she did not know. She was obviously an upperclassman. Her heart beat like a drum in her chest. She nodded. "I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention. What were you saying?" She asked, voice cracking.

She had completely forgotten what it felt like to be completely smitten by a girl.

"I was asking if you'd sign a petition? The mayor is trying to tear down the park! I can't stand for it. There are so many beautiful animals that have made a home from all the bonsai, dogwood, and maple trees." The upperclassman said passionately.

"That is infuriating! Maye Park is one of the natural beauties of Silver Valley! I will sign your petition." Molly agreed, echoing the upperclassman's energy. She pulled a fluffy pen from her backpack.

"Spectacular!" She said and held out a clipboard. It had about nineteen other signatures. Molly looked at the first signature and signed it at the last box. "So you're Naomi Castro?"

"Yep, that's me." Naomi admitted and looked at Molly's signature. "Oh, you're Molly! How's the cheer squad? My friend Eleanor is on the team."

Molly smiled. "We're doing great, thank you. I'm hoping to make it to nationals this year."

They nodded to each other. "Later, Anderson!" Naomi called as Molly headed inside.

"Bye, Naomi!" Molly called back.

Once inside, Molly squealed to herself. "I guess I got less awkward around pretty girls." She told herself. She put her lunch bag, math textbook, science textbook, and history textbook in her locker and headed off to class with her English textbook. "Miss Anderson, please come here." Mr. McClain called.

"Yes, sir?" Molly asked.

Mr. McClain was a young English teacher. He was in his mid-twenties at the latest. He was a nice teacher and he always went slow in class. He was tall and towered over everyone, including the senior boys. He often joined the basketball team in the gym. Girls usually had crushes on him. He had light brown skin and brown hair a few shades darker. He'd told them he was Cuban. 

"Did you hear me?" "I'm sorry, Mr. McClain. I zoned out again."

"Where do you go when you zone out, Molly? You seem to really enjoy it there."

She shook her head. "I just get stuck in my head."

He sighed. "I know you're smart, Molly, so I'm going to give you an assignment. You're almost failing my class."

"What's my assignment?"

"Everytime you zone out in class, I want you to write a few paragraphs about what goes on in your head for a week. I'm interested in what you think about." Mr. McClain.

Molly nodded. "Thank you, Mr. McClain."

He nodded and patted her head. "Go ahead in, space cadette. I like your outfit by the way."

Molly smiled proudly and walked into Mr. McClain's classroom. She sat down at her desk and noticed a crumpled piece of paper in her desk. She picked it up and flattened it out. The handwriting was so familiar. She could recognize it anywhere.

It read, "Hey love, I heard you're picking up Emmett today. Good, I don't like the little brat. You'd better not be trying to get in between Biff and I. Do whatever you want with the kid. It's more time for Biff and I. Love you, but not really. -K."

Molly rolled her eyes at the note and tossed it in the trash. She sat in the middle back of the classroom, hidden from view most of the time. Sitting in the back, Molly had witnessed a million odd things. She'd seen a couple of guys passing around sharpies to sniff. She'd turned down the offer because she knew it could kill you and the smell of sharpies made her head hurt. She'd watched two people deal marijuana and even seen a guy looking at lewd anime pictures on his smart watch.

Other students shuffled in after a while. Molly stared at the chalkboard and began thinking about how she had to work this weekend. The students' shoes no longer made noise as she became captivated by the board. She was zoning out again, knowing she'd have to cancel plans again this weekend to work. She sighed. She was pretty sure she was the only sophomore working just to keep a place. She broke away and looked around. Most of her neighbors had yet to arrive, so she put a sheet of paper on her desk and explained her thoughts as if the paper were an old friend.

Molly craved her earbuds, but she couldn't be caught with her phone out in class or she'd lose it to administration.

"Yoooo," Someone called from the door and a balled-up paper landed in her lap. She uncrumpled the notebook paper and read it in a whisper to herself, "Wanna hang this weekend? Check yes or no and leave the paper in the desk (it's my desk next period). -Jerry."

Jerry was one of Biff's friends. Jerry had hit on Molly a lot and it made her uncomfortable. She knew she'd have to turn down some weekend plans, but she gladly turned this one down.

She circled "no", wrote, "Sorry! I'm working ://", and crumpled the paper in her hands. She placed it gingerly in the desk.

"Damn, Anderson," A classmate, Warren, chuckled. "Already rejecting advances?"

She nodded. "Jerry Newton this time. I'm working this weekend and he's creepy."

"You're working again?! What are your hours this weekend?" He asked.

A frown made its way to her face. "I've got to work from seven to five Saturday and I'm working all six hours Sunday."

"Yikes, I'm sorry, Anderson."

"It's not your fault. At least I get to cheer Friday." She said cheerfully.

Warren smiled at her excitement. "I think I might go to the game." He offered.

"You should! The games are fun and the afterparty if we win is wild!" She encouraged innocently. She didn't notice the sly look behind his smile. She hadn't even been single for a day and already she was being hit on. "I'll consider it."

"Good morning, class! Actually, where is my class?" Mr. McClain asked, seeing how many students were absent.

A girl at the front of class raised her hand and said, "Not to be a snitch or anything, but they're probably home with headaches."

Mr. McClain nods his head understandingly. He could remember parties from his highschool and college years, waking up with a headache in someone else's bed. "Thank you, Miss Leah."

Molly looked at the back of Leah's body. Leah was a taller, skinnier girl. She'd tried cheerleading freshman year and Molly was smitten by her until she started dating Jason from the track. When Molly found out her crush was straight, she'd forget about her in a day or two. Leah had cut her hair over the summer, so now she had short brown dreadlocks. They looked good on her.

Molly rested her chin in her hands as she imagined running her fingers through them before the image of the upperclassmen from that morning appeared in her head, smiling like she had so prettily. She buried her face in her hands, the classroom making no noise as she zoned in and out of fantasy and reality until she felt a finger poking into her side. She turned towards it to see Warren and he gestured toward Mr. McClain. "Gone again, Ginger?" He asked.

Molly nods and returns to her sheet, being completely honest about her sapphic fantasy about her classmates. "Who cares if I like girls?" She thinks to herself. She answers herself, whispering, "No one."

"Huh?" Warren asks, snatching the paper from the desk. "What's this? A diary?"

Molly tried to snatch it back, but by then, he'd read it. He gave it back and winked. "I see you, Anderson. Nice." He said, almost trying to be seductive.

Innerly, she cringed at him. She hated that. She absolutely loathed when guys made her feel so uncomfortable about liking girls and boys. Biff had suggested they have a threesome once and she'd wanted to huff and say, "Fat chance. I won't even sleep with you by yourself." She felt a little bad for Karly, but she knew Karly was straight so she wouldn't have to endure that. She turned forward and for once, actually paid attention to the lesson and interacted with her classmates.

After class, as Molly packed, Leah approached her. "Heard a little something from Warren."

"He's a liar too." She said bitterly.

Leah shrugged. "I know. I was wondering if you wanted to come to a party with me Saturday. It's at eight, so it's after your hours. I could pick you up." She offered.

Molly's grimace turned to a smile. "That does sound fun. Do you want to exchange numbers?"

The two exchanged numbers and before leaving, Leah leaned down and whispered, "I don't think I'd mind you running your fingers through my dreads either." She strutted out of class, Molly watching her with her mouth gaping open. Warren was dead next time she saw him. She stuffed her paper into her bag and left to go to her locker and grab her science textbook. She pulled it out and replaced it with her English textbook. She headed off to science and stopped in her tracks. Science was the only class she had with Karly.

She took a deep breath and straightened her back before confidently walking into science. She sat at her desk and began chatting up the student beside her.

"Y-you're actually talking to me?" he asked.

"Why not?" She asked and glanced over at his desk to see a drawing of the girl in front of him. "That's a cute drawing!"

The boy blushed and thanked her. Molly felt a little better, not always in space. She'd forgotten about all the good things that she'd loved before she stopped liking the outside, like music, morning walks, and talking with people about anything other than cheering and gossip. She smiled and laughed as the shy boy tried to crack a joke. She felt at peace.