Five Punishments of Laura

Laura doesn't know what she's doing anymore.

She's on what really feels like an endless downward spiral, dreams becoming less appealing and reality becoming more bland with each second. She wastes so much time staring at the walls and doing nothing, fuck, it's a wonder she's alert enough to bring the joint to her lips and not burn herself.

There's a girl on the floor beside her, a friend of a friend. Her name's Alissa and she's drop dead gorgeous, big eyes wide and alive. They glitter with mischief, something Laura is feeling drawn to lately. Alissa is watching Laura intently, reaching over every so often to twirl Laura's hair around her finger.

"Pass?" she asks softy, batting her long, thick lashes. Laura inhales too deep as Alissa crawls forward, her mind hazy and buzzing. She isn't feeling completely buried in heartache and pain and darkness over something — maybe nothing — for the first time in a long time. Maybe…

"Uh, yeah," Laura mumbles, staring at Alissa all too hard. Alissa seems to take notice, biting her glossy lip and giving Laura the most glittering set of bedroom eyes she has ever seen. She nearly drops the joint on the ground, exhaling in a rush, watching as Alissa takes over. "Okay."

She hopes the weed calms her down soon, chills her out. That's what it's supposed to do, right? Yeah. Right. That's it. Her breathing is shaky and oh, look, she's staring at the wall again. She would love to stare at Alissa, but every time she does her heart speeds up and she doesn't think it should. It doesn't feel as good as she thought it would.

Alissa takes a hit and pushes her chest forward just a bit, lowering her head to get her hair to fall over her face a tad. She smiles and takes another, still watching Laura, wanting Laura to watch her. Her hand finds Laura's tense thigh and she breathes, "Ease up, buttercup."

Laura laughs at that. She doesn't mean to. It just kind of bubbles up out of her throat and she can't help it. She slaps a hand over her mouth, but more giggles come, and she can't contain them forever. She leans on Alissa during her fit of laughter, her head falling in the crook of the blonde's neck. She taps the back of Alissa's hand lightly before draping her own hand over it, forcing herself to shut up and relax.

"You're beautiful," she says, another act of impulse. She almost wishes she didn't say a word, but oh, well.

Better than staring at walls.

"Yeah? Me?" Alissa taunts, pulling her hand away to drape herself over Laura's lap. Laura isn't sure what to do. Move her? Let her stay? She's caught between loving the contact, the attention, even Alissa, but also wanting her to just get out and leave her to her sudden and strong misery.

"Uh, yeah. I didn't…didn't really mean to say—"

"It's fine," hums the touchy-feels female, now playing with the bow on Laura's flats. "You're a cutie, did y'know that?"

Laura breathes slow, wants and needs to relax. She closes her eyes as Alissa takes another hit, feels her shoulders drop as she breathes out.

"I…I didn't, no."

Alissa is staring up at Laura, smiling and biting her lip and waiting for something Laura may or may not be willing to provide, not to her. That's weird. Definitely weird. She likes Alissa. She thinks. Or maybe she just likes Alissa's attention, Alissa's eyes on her. Or maybe she's just glad someone is giving her the time of day, not letting her drown. Or maybe something else. Who cares, really?

Alissa sits up some, pulling Laura's head lower, closer, and connecting their lips. Her other hand still clings to the joint. She moans lightly into the kiss, threading her fingers through Laura's hair. Who is Laura to fight this affection?

It's better than the emptiness, so much better.

Alissa finds her place on Laura's lap, deepening the kiss. Laura's hair is tangling in Alissa's ring, but no one cares, no one cares, no one cares…

Alissa leans back and drops the joint in a cup of water sitting on Laura's desk before going back to work, both of her hands finding areas to work. One rests on the back of Laura's burning neck, the other still pulling at her hair. The one tangled in Laura's orange tresses falls with slight difficulty to cup her breast, squeezing lightly and drawing a whine from the younger girl.

The door swings open before either can register it.

Standing in the doorway is Carmilla, the one that introduced Alissa to Laura, the one that side-eyed Laura's fall from grace with concern and the inability to say what she's thinking about it. At least, she had the inability. Now she can hardly stop the words from pouring.

"What the hell are you doing?" she snaps like it isn't the fourth time she's caught Laura with another girl in the past two weeks. It's not like it's any of her concern, though; Laura isn't hers to scold. But.

She walks over too fast, tears Alissa away and snarls at the scent in the air. Getting high and making out, okay, it seems ideal, but it's Laura. Laura doesn't do that. And yet, here she is, falling hard. It isn't Carmilla's concern, really, but she doesn't like watching this. And she's not going to. Not anymore.

Alissa laughs, her collar caught in Carmilla's grip. She looks up at Carmilla and grins, her lipstick smeared. Carmilla sneers, "Oh, real cute," and drops her, narrowing her eyes at Laura. Laura who, right now, looks like she could really care less. Her entire face is lazy. She's giving off a strong sense of fuck it.

It's a little disconcerting.

"You, leave," Carmilla stares at Alissa until the blonde is getting to her feet and leaving, but of course she isn't gone until she blows a kiss to a bored and somewhat confused looking Laura. The moment Alissa leaves, the brunette is rounding on Laura, growling, "What the fuck's gotten into you?" like it's her business.

"Nothing," Laura mumbles, and she kind of means it. She feels a little empty. She lowers her head, only looks up when Carmilla grabs her face and lifts her head. "What?"

"You've been such a little, what, mess? A little mess."

"And? Look, I was having a fine time with—"

"I don't care," Carmilla huffs, snatching her hand away and taking a few steps back. "Stop acting out. You didn't build up this smart ass reputation just to let it get knocked down with…" she pauses and notices the blunt in the cup on the desk and she almost laughs because that's ridiculous. "Wow. Okay, with joints and chicks. Right? You're gonna cut this out."

"Am I?" Laura asks, sitting on her knees now. "Who's gonna make me?"

And Carmilla snorts like it's obvious. "Me."