Rose was the first one to break the hug
"Jane, we need to go, we're starting to get worried stares. I know it's not what you want to hear right now, but we need to stay strong."
Jane tried to wipe her tears out of habit, yet only managed to flatten them and spread them across her face with her oily skin. Letting out a barely contained cry of frustration through gritted teeth, she motioned Rose to start walking, while she held her friend by the arm.
Jane kept having this almost irrational feeling of jealousy over her friend's change. All that was preventing her from ripping into her supposed friend was the rationalisation that her friend was helping her throughout all this. Yet an ever rising feeling of anger at how Rose got out relatively scot free compared to herself made it increasingly difficult to keep it in check.
"Rose, are you actually fucking with me" Jane shouted as soon as they arrived in one of the toilets. The bell rang to signal the students to go to their respective classes, so the bathroom would be empty.
"What do you mean Jane, I've been on your side this whole time!"
"Really!? Being gay is the worst thing you could have come up with for yourself? Look at me, I'm a freak!"
"Wait so you wanted me to become some kind of weirdo is that it?" Rose exclaimed equal parts perplexed and indignant. "I purposefully chose to focus on the first thing that came to mind, so that you could get your shoes without worrying about me! I thought you called my bluff and went with it!"
"So are you saying that you're actually a genius and that this wasn't all just a fluke?" Jane snapped back, barely stopping to think about what she was saying "That you manipulated not only that asshole but me as well?"
"I'm sorry you see that way Jane, but I'm actually studying to work in the field of psychology. This whole cheerleader thing is just a front do I don't get bullied for being a "need". "
"in what world do you think that is even OK!? Cheerleading is a passion for me! It has been ripped away by that son of a bitch! And now not only are you going to keep living a normal life, you also get to have a shot at being the top cheerleader, all to stroke that ego!? I--"
Rose slapped Jane, interrupting her thought process, followed by a tight embrace that gave Jane enough pause for Rose to speak "This is definitely not a normal reaction from you, Jane. That boiling rage inside you must have been implanted in you by Billy. Whatever happens, I'll be by your side, even if you fight tooth and nail to keep me away. Jane, I've always loved you as a friend, and while I'm getting an unwanted sexual response to go with it now I'm pleading you. Please ignore this rage, this hatred. Billy is doing this on purpose to drive us apart. Please, Jane, I could have just left as soon as I saw what we are up against but I didn't. I can't leave you like this. I can't leave Violet like that..."
Jane's eyes widened. In her all consuming rage she never even considered that it might have not been her own reaction. She relaxed her muscles, and moved back a bit so her eyes were level with Rose's.
"I don't want to hate you, Rose" she said in a shaky voice, with tears in her eyes. With that, she pulled Rose into a deep kiss, which Rose reciprocated
"Rose eventually broke the kiss slowly, looking at her friend with slight suspicion. "OK you've never told me you were into girls"
"And you've never told me you were a psychology nerd" they both giggled "Besides, I don't want you to struggle with these new feelings on your own. This rage inside me is making act on instinct; I don't think I'd ever been able to ever reveal this about myself if not for that."
"Wow Jane, that's... It means the world to me that you'd help me even in your situations I... I have no"
Whatever last words Rose was about to say got drowned out by another passionate kiss by Jane. One thing was for sure, she'd never felt such strong emotions for someone when she had been strictly straight. A part of her wanted to hate this but her preconceptions about sexuality were quickly melting away, being replaced with a strong desire to just be with Jane and help her in whatever way she could.