>Maybe it’s the thrill of it all…
>Maybe it’s those hands that hold you close, each contact of your lips sending shivers down your spine…
>But, by God, you don’t want this moment to end.
>She relents for just a moment, allowing you two to breathe.
>You can’t see her face, the night having long since cloaked you two in shadow outside of the main party, but you can hear her panting nearly as hard as you.
>”I love you.”
>Your eyes widen, but not before you suck in a breathe and move your head forward, locking her lips against yours.
>And so she holds you tight, your back pressed against the house’s side.
>You can all but hear the deep bass music reverberating though the walls; a nice bit of juxtaposition for the constant smacking of lips with breaks for gasps between.
>You are Minuette, and you are having the time of your life.
>Just as another break between the sloppy kissing breaks out, you can feel her hand begin to slowly trace down.
>”Tell me you love me.”
>You speak without thinking.
“I love you!”
>Her hand moves down, gently moving its way between your clothing…
>She gives you a brief kiss before pressing forward, those lithe fingers of hers forcing you to moan as she gently massages your fol—
>”What the fuck…?”
>The new voice makes you both jump, a cold flush shooting through you, of which is followed by a sinking feeling in your gut.
>You release yourself from Twinkleshine as she does the same.
>There’s a scoff from the newcomer, of whom you can only make out his outline through the darkness, before he produces a flashlight and promptly blinds you two.
>You and Twinkle shut your eyes and curse, but are able to gingerly open your eyes a few moments later, vision still blurry.
>You still can’t make out anything about the stranger besides the stocky frame.
>Glancing behind you, you hope to see a side gate which you could use, but you’re met with a brick wall and a few bundles of firewood.
>Trapped.
>Then, like an angel’s voice, there comes Twinkle’s voice.
>”I’ll take care of this, don’t worry.”
>There’s a surprising amount of confidence in her voice, and, for a moment, you feel at ease.
>Zephyr Breeze wouldn’t invite anyone weird or dangerous to his graduation party, would he?
>It’s then when Twinkle decides to speak, her voice gruff and throaty.
>”What’dya want?”
>This earns her a scoff from the stranger.
>Said stranger waits a moment before taking a few steps forward.
>You take one back without realizing it, but Twinkle grabs your hand and gives a comforting squeeze.
>There’s a moment of silence as his light flickers between you two, but this is broken by him taking another few steps forward.
>Twinkle, much to your surprise, lets go of your hand and takes a step forward, shortening the incredibly small gap between you three.
>”Seriously, what do you want?”
>The flashlight is now pointed directly at her face, to which she tries to reach out and swat at, but it’s pulled back at the last moment.
>And then he speaks, contempt dripping from each word.
>Worst part about it, though, is how you can recognize is this time around.
>”You fucking disgust me, you know that?”
>You blink at this, not only at the words, but just how much disdain is put into each and every word.
>Anonymous, flicking his flashlight your way, calls out to you.
>”Minuette, I thought better of you.”
>A low growl comes from this throat as he takes a step your way.
>”I heard the rumors, but I didn’t wanna’ believe it, didn’t wanna’ think that you were some fucking faggot like everyone said you were; I actually respected you.”
>Twinkle steps in front of him, her voice attempting to match his volume and anger.
>”Alright, get the hell out of here, Anon.”
>Coming to a stop, Anon looks down at his fellow junior.
>”Or what, you ugly fucking dyke? Gonna’ finally shoot up the school?”
>He scoffs and shakes his head.
>”Wait, nevermind, you were always too fucking retarded to do anything much right, much less use a gun.”
>You can see Twinkle’s fists now shaking.
>You take a moment to wipe your eyes, your sleeve coming back as somewhat damp.
>Finding your courage, you step forward, though your eyes never leave the pavement.
“Shiny, c-c’mon, let’s just go…”
>Placing a hand on Twinkle's shoulder, you give her a light tug.
>She responds by shrugging you off, her voice now trembling with anger.
>”Anon, I’m going to count to three.”
>”Oh, I’m sorry, did I hit a nerve, ya' ugly fuckin' dyke? Ya' gonna' cry?”
>You reach out again and shake Twinkle’s shoulder.
“Let’s go.”
>”One…”
>Anonymous scoffs again, shining the light in her eyes.
>”Oh shit, Minty, look, it’s learning to count! Must be proud of your little retard, eh? C’mon, pet her, make it feel wanted.”
>You don’t dare look up from the ground, tears now running freely down your face and onto your sweater.
>”Two…”
>Anonymous points at you.
>”Oi, where the fuck did you put the leash? Looks like it’s gonna’ bite.”
>A moment of silence follows that, though it can’t really be considered silence.
>You’re all but sobbing at this point, hiccups and all while holding your face off to the side.
>This is leagues worse than your parents reaction when you came out, but it’s also the biggest shock you’ve had in a long time.
>Sure, he hasn’t talked to anyone after that stuff happened with Singsong, but you didn’t believe Grizzly.
>You’ve had too many talks with Anon, spent too many hours talking about each other’s lives to know him as anything but a good man.
>So why…
>Why is he making you cry your eyes out?
>”Three!”
>There’s a dull ‘thump’, but this is soon followed by a smack that resonates throughout the night.
>You open your watery eyes wide to see Twinkle laying on the ground.
“Shiny!”
>You drop to her side in an instant.
>Twinkle curses out in pain, now massaging the side of her face, of which sports a sizable hand print…
>She then yelps as boot strikes her in the back.
“A-Anon, stop!”
>You look up to him with teary eyes, your arms now holding Twinkle close as she tries to curl up into a ball.
>”Equal rights, equal lefts.”
>Anonymous winds up hard for the next kick, of which avoids you entirely.
“Anon!”
>He looks down at you, briefly pausing.
>”Outta' the fucking way, Minty.”
>You don’t bulge, though your bawling has increased to the point where you can’t see anything properly now, each breath hard to draw as you're deduced to a sobbing and hiccuping mess.
“A-Anon, please, stop!”
>He then resumes his assault, each kick punctuated by a word being growled out.
>”Fucking. Degenerate. Invalid. Trans... Loving... Faggot!"
>He takes a moment to crack his neck and point down at you.
>”Gays aren’t people, Minty, you should know this!”
>There's a moment in which you blink the tears away from your eyes, only to see the form of a boot looming above your head.
>It's...
>It's coming for you.
>You panic, and all is forgotten as you curl into a fetal position.
>Your cries and calls for father go unanswered, however, except by the gut-wrenching thumps of a boot violently colliding with Twinkleshine.
>You can hear her pained cries, but can do nothing.
>You’re too terrified to move.
>You’re not sure when the kicks end, as they begin to bleed into the sound of the distant base from the party, but you flail when two hands grab you by the shoulders and lift you to your feet.
>There’s a voice, but you can’t be bothered to listen.
>Your bawling is cut short by a sudden slap to your cheek, however, and you’re forced to look into his eyes.
>Anonymous' eyes.
>You hiccup as you see nothing but concern and doubt emanating from the look he gives you, but you still flinch and move to cover your face of any incoming strikes.
>”Minty… Minty!”
>He shakes you, to which you shake your head at.
>”Minty, just listen to me.”
>You don’t stop shivering, but your mumbles to quiet down.
>He nods at this.
>”When I leave here, you’re gonna’ help your friend up, you’re gonna’ take her home, and neither you nor her are gonna’ tell anyone about what happened tonight.”
>His grip on you tightens to the point where it hurts.
>”Got it?”
>You stare at him for a moment longer before giving a slow nod, a whimper coming out of you.
>”Good.”
>He then releases his grip before patting your shoulder.
>”Didn't do this because I wanted to, Minty, but because I care about ya'."
>He lets his hand fall.
>"Twinkleshine's long since been a lost cause, but you? You're a good person at heart, Minty, and I'm not going to let you burn down there with all those fucking gays and other subhumans."
>He produces a pack of cigarettes before pulling one out and lighting it.
>"If you've ever trusted me, Minty, then I'm going to need you to trust me now, because I'm the only thing standing between you and damnation."
>Taking a long draw out of his cigarette, he walks off to one of the furniture piles.
>Grabbing an old rocking chair, he returns.
>"He forgives all, Minty, never forget that..."
>He pats your shoulder one last time before walking off, his next words carving themselves into your subconscious.
>"But only if you repent."
>You watch him leave, your legs trembling as the tears begin to swell again.
>You knees give way as soon as his form is lost in the darkness and you can no longer hear his footsteps.
>You only now realize how badly you're shaking.
>Shaking, beginning to cry anew, and crawling up into a ball, you don't even try and stop the rampant doubt in your mind.
>Your friends, family, nobody is safe from your fright-induced paranoia.
>Amidst your crying and gentle mumbling, however, you feel something lightly tapping your knee.
>Pushing back tears, you sniffle while looking down at the source.
>It's Twinkleshine's hand.
>You reach out to grasp it, but hesitation grips you.
>He's watching.
>There's nothing to prove that he is, but you know that it's true.
>You've never been more sure of anything in your life.
>You can all but feel those judgmental eyes drilling into the back of your skull, and so you pull away from Twinkleshine with a whimper.
>You curl against the wall, rocking back and forth, your paranoia questioning everything.
>Everything except one truth.
>He's watching.