Nightshade: A SimLit | Chapter 55: Trust

It had been a few weeks since the day that Tiffany and Orion met, and they found themselves hanging out more and more often. Just as Orion suspected, he had a hard time fitting in with the other students, and she was the only one that seemed to want to be his friend. For that, he was thankful. Just like every other day lately, they walked together down the school hall. Classes were over and most of the students had already went outside, but they lingered behind them, caught up in a conversation. 

As they approached the double doors leading out of the school, Orion sighed. "So, um... I guess I... I'll see you tomorrow?" 

Tiffany frowned and came to a halt. "Actually, I wanted to ask you something..."

He stopped walking and looked over at her. "Yeah?"

"Do you want to come over to my house? Like... right now? We could do our homework together and hang out." Her frown turned to a grin. 

"M-Me? Come over? I, um..." Orion shyly averted his gaze. "I don't want to be a bother. Your parents probably wouldn't like it, right?"

Tiffany looked away at the mention of her parents. "...my dad isn't ever around and my mom hardly notices I'm there. It's fine." She failed to mention Onyx and Amelia, but she was fairly certain they'd be fine with it. They always were when she brought friends over.

"Oh," Orion quietly replied. "I didn't know that. Sorry your parents aren't there for you," he said. 'I know what that feels like...'

Tiffany was silent for a few moments before pushing the hurt to the back of her mind. "Don't worry about it. So, are you coming or not?" She stepped closer to him and forced an inviting smile.

He managed a half-smile in return as he glanced up at her. "Okay, fine. I'll hang out with you for a while." Even if the thought of it made him strangely anxious, he couldn't help feeling sympathy for her after what she said about her parents. He didn't want her to feel alone like he always had...

Tiffany smirked. "Just a while? Come on, at least give me a few hours. I don't invite people over very often unless they're my best friends or I want to... you know."

Orion frowned. He hadn't bothered to think that she didn't consider him a best friend. Maybe it only stung because she was the only friend he had. "I know... what?"

"Take them to my room so we can have some fun," Tiffany grinned. 

"Oh." Orion smiled. "Yeah, um... I guess you haven't known me long enough to consider me a best friend, and... since you're inviting me over to do homework, I guess it won't be very fun," he laughed. "But thanks. Um... maybe we can do something fun next time?"

"Oh... yeah, sure." Tiffany held back a snicker. 'His innocence is ridiculous... and maybe a little cute.'

---

The coast seemed to be clear as the two teenagers entered the house. Tiffany lead Orion toward the staircase, briskly making her way to her room with him when a sudden voice made them freeze.

"Where do you think you're going?"

'Crap, Onyx,' Tiffany thought as she slowly turned and walked to the living room archway. Orion nervously followed her.

Amelia raised an eyebrow, her arm wrapped loosely around Onyx. "Another boyfriend of yours, Tiffany?"

Orion leaned over to his Tiffany and whispered, clearly alarmed. "I-I thought you said your parents aren't around and they didn't care!"

"They aren't my parents," Tiffany quietly replied. 

"Then who are they?" Orion asked curiously.

She took a moment to respond, considering her words carefully. "They're... well, Amelia is a relative and that's her husband. They live here. I mean, I guess they're the closest thing to decent parents I have..."

"Well?" Onyx crossed his arms impatiently, although there was a playful tone to his voice. "I'm curious about that, too. Didn't you just dump that other guy--"

"He's not my boyfriend!" Tiffany cut them off before they had a chance to embarrass her. "He's new at school. We've been hanging out for a few weeks, so I thought it would be fine for me to invite him over..."

Onyx and Amelia exchanged quick glances before smiling at the two friends. 

"Of course it's fine," Amelia said, then turned her attention to Orion. "It's nice to meet you..." Her voice trailed off as she waited for him to tell her his name. 

Orion averted his gaze to the floor nervously. He had always been shy, but being around humans was nerve-racking after what Grim told him. "I-I'm Orion," he murmered, barely loud enough for her to hear.

Regardless, she smiled warmly. "You're a shy one, huh? Don't be. I won't bite," she grinned.

Orion glanced up at her, his eyes widening a little at her particularly sharp canines. He was intrigued, but said nothing. There was something different about this so-called human. He could feel it... 

"So, if you're new to Tiffany's school, you must have moved from somewhere else?" Onyx finally broke his silence, thinking the same thing about Orion. He couldn't help prying. There was something strange about the boy, though he didn't seem threatening. "Where are you from?"

Orion froze up. "Oh... I-I'm... from um..." 

Tiffany frowned. 'He seems so anxious. Is it that hard to answer a simple question?'

"A-A... small town," Orion continued. "You, um, you probably haven't heard of it..."

Onyx didn't question him any further on the subject and simply nodded. "Ah. Well... I guess you'll be going upstairs now?"

Tiffany nodded, eyeing Orion suspiciously. "Yeah, we were going to do our homework together. I'll see you in a while!" She smiled and turned to head upstairs, Orion following her anxiously.

"Have fun!" Amelia called after them, grinning.

Onyx shook his head. "But not too much fun," he muttered.

-----

Tiffany walked into her room and over to her bed, flopping down onto it dramatically as she patted the free space beside of her with her hand. Orion approached and sat on the edge gently, looking at her over his shoulder. For several moments, there was silence between them, and he finally found the words he was searching for.

"So, um," Orion began quietly, forcing himself to smile. "About the homework..."

"We aren't doing the homework." Tiffany's voice was unusually harsh. 

"We aren't? But you said--"

She interrupted him before he could continue. "I've taken interest in something else."

Orion felt the nervousness pooling in his stomach. "S-Something else?"

"You." Tiffany demanded. "I want to know more about you."

Orion looked away, staring down at the floor as he struggled for a response. "W-Why?"

"You were acting really strange when Onyx asked you that question. And you didn't give him a direct answer," Tiffany cocked an eyebrow. "Are you hiding something? I mean, you've always seemed kind of weird but I figured--"

"You think I'm weird?" He felt his eyes brimming with tears. "I-I thought... I thought we were friends..."

Tiffany frowned. "No, I just meant... you're different. I didn't say it was bad. Now answer my question."

Orion chewed at his bottom lip nervously. Grim told him not to trust anyone. But he could trust her, right? She was the only person he could depend on. If he wasn't honest with her, he could lose his only friend... "Y-You're right."

"What?" She sat up with a curious expression on her face. "Tell me, then. What are you hiding? Is it bad? Are you--"

"I-I can't." His voice trembled. "I can't trust anyone with this..."

"You can trust me."

The sound of silence was unbearably loud to him as he sat there, still staring blankly at the floor. Could he trust her? Slowly, he stood from the bed and turned to face her. "...Come here."

Tiffany nodded and got up, cautiously approaching him until their faces were inches apart. "Whatever it is, I won't tell anyone."

Orion nodded hesitantly and closed his eyes, and a pink glow engulfed him, transforming everything it covered...

Tiffany's eyes widened as it disappeared, just as quickly as it came. He looked no different, really, once you got past the purple skin and... "W-Who... what... what are you?" 

Orion frowned and his gaze fell shamefully to the floor. "A-Are you afraid?"

Her expression softened. "...No."

As he looked up, soft, pink eyes met her blue ones, and the tension began to fade. "You... you aren't?"

Tiffany shook her head. "No. You're not very scary either way." She flashed him a grin.

"I'm an alien," he finally explained. "You really promise you won't tell anyone?"

Her face turned serious. "I promise. No one."

Orion finally relaxed. "Does this mean you still want to be my friend?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Tiffany shrugged. "You're the same person. I don't mind that you're an alien."

Before she could finish, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face into her shoulder. She froze, surprised by the sudden hug.

"T-Thank you," Orion said, his voice soft and quiet. "That means everything to me..."

Hesitantly, she wrapped her arms around him and returned the hug. A lust for something more ignited in her heart, and she smirked as he pulled her closer. Perhaps she didn't want to be his friend after all...