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Zoey stared down at the plush rabbit in her hands, hesitation clear on her face as she considered putting it in her bag. She had made this rabbit herself, working on it for a week after school. She was always interested in making her own things, taking up sewing and even crocheting; she was a regular at WizWill too, always picking up sheets of fabric and yarn, even with the regret of going broke afterwards.
Just because she was a creative didn’t mean she was good at it per say. The stuffed rabbit was made from scraps of green fabric ranging a whole variety of different patterns and textures. The stitching was functional and secure, but the light green thread used was poking through the seams. The ears weren’t the same length, the left one obviously bigger than the right. The button eyes didn’t even match! One was green and another orange, and not even the same size either. This poor rabbit bordered on looking like some abstract art piece and a crafty dementia patient’s newest project.
What made Zoey’s hesitation worse was that this was supposed to be a gift for Maya. She knew the other girl was struggling with juggling honor’s classes; and while not knowing if she even liked gifts in the first place, thought that this rabbit would cheer her up. She always had a fascination with rabbits, and Zoey couldn’t help but notice how much Maya resembled one. The little bow in the back of her braids, her resting pout, the way her nose twitched, it all was just writing on the wall.
That doesn’t mean she’ll like this . A rabbit fanatic wouldn’t even touch it! Zoey could imagine her face as soon as she was handed the doll, strained and fake happy; and then the minute Zoey left, she’d probably dump that ragdoll into the trash, and forget about it — out of sight, out of mind. Hell, Zoey would want to forget about it too!
Her hands gripped the rabbit’s sides tightly and her jaw clenched even tighter. Ah, who cares at this point? Zoey stuffed the rabbit into her backpack. She put a whole two week’s worth of work into this hunk of cloth and stuffing. If Maya loved it, then it was worth it. If not, Zoey could go digging through the Leibowitz-Jenkins’ dumpster to salvage it for herself.
“Geez, is Miss Brady’s honors class that bad?” Zoey looked down at Maya’s desk, which was caked over with articles and loose-leaf paper.
“Mhm.. All of this I had to teach myself!” Maya began stuffing the papers into some binder she had been carrying from the start of the year.
“Ah..” The sound of paper fluttering and crickets chirping were the only noise present as the two girls began relaxing for the night. Maya was still tense as she flopped down on her bed. She scooted closer to Zoey, sulking a little and then resting her head on Zoey’s thigh.
“She should not be teaching history, let alone honors history. ‘Oh, it’s just helping you prep for college’— how about you prep for the a new job after I talk to the principal about your ass.” Zoey stifled back a snicker as Maya continued to grumble. She always loved it when the other girl ranted like this, especially when being this close to her. It was a nice surprise from the usually reclusive girl. The way she looked up at Zoey was so sweet, with her little pout, twitchy nose, and braided bunny ears—
“Oh! That reminds me!” Zoey stood up, rushing to her backpack. Maya let out a grunt as her head dropped to the bedding; she then sat up, seeing Zoey rummage in her bag. “I have something for you!” She finally continued. She then picked something that Maya couldn’t see from it, and threw what seemed like a green blur to her. Maya let out a yelp, catching the thing in her hands.
She paused, staying silent as she analyzed it, and saw what it really was. Zoey’s face contorted from excitement to blank nervousness as she saw the other girl stare at the doll; she began tugging on its limbs and rubbing her finger on the various fabrics and fur. Seconds stretched on, seeming more like minutes now. Zoey twiddled her thumbs, sheepishly smiling.
”So… You like it?” Zoey’s face dropped once she heard small sniffles from the other girl. Maya looked up at Zoey with wide, watery eyes, and a wobbling bottom lip. The taller girl’s arms hovered over Maya as she tried to console her.
”Oh, gosh, I-I understand if you hate it. I know it looks—“ Her nervous chatter ceased once Maya clung onto the other girl, her sniffles escalating to full out tearful babbling.
“Are you kidding? I love it!” Maya wept into Zoey’s shirt. “It’s so cute!”
”B-But you’re crying..”
“I know…” Maya pulled back, wiping her eyes with one hand and the rabbit’s nub of a hand in the other. “I-It’s just that nobody’s been there for me lately. Not Penny, Not Dijonay, and definitely not LaCienegea. But you’ve been there, with this,” Maya held up the rabbit, smiling down at its floppy movements, “and I’m grateful for that. I needed this.”
Zoey’s thin lips curled into a smile, and she wrapped her arms around the shorter girl. She kept her eyes on the other girl, swelling with gratitude and adoration. The taller girl pressed a kiss onto Maya’s forehead, much to the other’s protests.
”Stopppp! you’re gonna make me cry more!”
”I’m not even saying anything?”
”You're saying shit with your stupid eyes!!” Maya pounded a fist onto Zoey’s chest, her voice laced with potent affection. That wasn’t something Zoey was going to complain about.
Zoey gave a small yawn as she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. It was about 5:30 AM, on the weekend. There was no need for her to be up this early, but that’s what happens when you work about every job you can in town. At least it wasn’t 4 AM this time, that’s gotta be progress towards a healthier sleep schedule.
She slugged back into her room, dreading the amount of tossing in turning she was about to do, especially since Maya was sleeping over. But before she got back into bed, Zoey couldn’t help but notice how peaceful the other girl looked in her bed; all tucked up underneath the thick, yellow comforter, making small noises under her breath, and holding onto the bunny doll.
Zoey stood above Maya, then lowering herself to grab the doll. Maya tightened her unconscious grip on the rabbit, grunting a little under her breath like some petulant child who didn’t wanna get up.
Zoey didn’t even know Maya used this doll to fall asleep, let alone hold with that boa constrictor grip — that much love. It’s been a few months since she’d given Maya that doll, and she expected the other girl to put it somewhere in her closet — or what Zoey irrationally feared the most — throw it in the trash.
But she wasn’t going to complain if Maya loved her doll. She was glad to be there for someone, and finally for her efforts to be appreciated.