Authors Note: All 'underlined+italics' are text messages and all misspellings/incorrect grammar is intentional in these messages.

It was three days later when Taylor texted me for the first time. My days had been spent putting in countless job applications and looking up different grants to qualify for, most of which were meant for minorities I was not a part of. My efforts had brought me no yields aside from a roaring headache and quite a bit of self-doubt. Despite my best attempts at staying positive, I couldn't shake the feeling that all of it was pointless.

My phone vibrating startled me at first, I had been laying on my bed staring at the stained ceiling, lost in self-depreciating thought.

'you wanna meet later? i work till 2.' 

I stared at the glowing screen blankly for a moment before typing a quick reply.

'Sure? I don't really have anything better to do.' I'd hit send before I realized how my text might have sounded and kicked myself internally. Great... this woman is trying to help me and I'm over here sounding like an ass. 

Thankfully, if she took offense, she didn't show it. 'lol ok, see you around 230 at the Galaxy Coffee on SR200?'

I breathed a small sigh of relief. 'Sure, see you soon.'

I looked at the time on my phone, 2:30 was an hour from now and I wasn't anywhere near ready. I poked my head out the door to ask Kris for a ride, but the house was eerily quiet today. I walked the length of the singlewide, looking for any sign of the 3 Wooding siblings. 

No dice. It was, unfortunately, up to me to find a ride. Which, considering we lived out in the middle of nowhere, would be a little difficult. I briefly considered walking, but it would take me over an hour to make it to the convenience store up the road.

I plop down on the faded blue couch in the living room, the aging cushions swallowing me while the frame creaked in protest. I stared at the device in my palm for a second, before typing up a quick reply to Taylor. 

'Hey, I'm really sorry, but my ride fell through, could we maybe reschedule?'

Sighing, I look up at the lazily turning ceiling fan, the blades covered in dust and sagging slightly from years of use and the ever-present humidity of the South. 

My phone buzzed against my palm. 'No prob. you want me to come get you?'

I looked around the 80's relic of a trailer we lived in. Of course, I very much appreciated Kris and her brothers' hospitality letting me live with them, but I'd be lying if I said if I was eager to show it to a guest. Plus, Matt was more then a little paranoid about new people coming into the house. 'Oh no, I live out in the rural part of Deleon off of 57th St, I couldn't ask you to do that.'

'it's no trouble lol my aunt lives out that way so I'm out there all the time. i can come get you around 2:30ish' I resigned myself to my fate and hoped that Taylor drove better then Dylan, Kris' younger brother.

It was about 2:45 when Taylor's black Toyota sedan pulled in the yard. I ran back inside and grabbed a notebook, my laptop and a pen and shoved them in my wrinkled black backpack. I tossed the frayed strap over my shoulder, bounded out of the house and locked the door. I stepped off the ramshackle porch Matt had built when they first moved in and shut the screen door with a resounding slam. Passing through the chain-link gate and locking the stubborn padlock, I glanced up to Taylor giving me a grin.

Sliding into her torn passenger seat, I looked at her bemused expression. "Uh.. May I help you?"

The grin turned into a playful smirk. 'Nothing, Princess...you just look nice today."

I looked at her rather confused, I had donned my trademark thrift store jeans, and a black and white striped long sleeve shirt that was a little tighter on me then usual due to a few too many bowls of late-night ramen. "Thank you, I think?"

Taylor looked a little disappointed as we pulled onto the main highway and I had the feeling I may have missed something. The awkwardness caused warmth to creep up my neck and cheeks, so I changed the subject. "Nice car." I started.

She cackled. "Thanks. This beloved shitbox is Maggie. She's a 1993 Camry with 246,000 miles on her. She is a pain in my ass, but she hasn't left me stranded... much..."

I chuckled awkwardly and looked out of the window. Taylor was a very nice woman, but I couldn't help but feel like I didn't quite understand her humor. We fell into uncomfortable silence until Taylor put on a CD and we listened to angsty rock music for the rest of the drive.

The Galaxy Coffee store was a flurry of activity; Hipsters on laptops sipped drinks with names I couldn't pronounce in darkened corners, baristas shouted orders and trendy music lazily floated from the speakers in the ceiling to mix with the scent of fresh coffee and baked goods.

My anxiety bubbled in the pit of my stomach, and I glanced at Taylor, who seemed to be in her element. She was the epitome of casual in her ripped black skinny jeans and red plaid shirt, Her short cerulean hair peeking out from beneath a black beanie with 'Made in the 90's' printed on the rim. She greeted the barista working behind the counter with a smile. "Hey! Kayce! Could you get me an iced macchiato with mocha and caramel swirl?'

Kaycee stared at me for a moment, analyzing. "What about you?" I peered up at the massive menu, which might as well have been written in Latin. I had no idea what anything was, so I looked for something semi-familiar. "Uhm.... Hibiscus tea and some raw cane sugar on the side, please?"

The barista, Kayce, turned away from us and started shouting orders at the others behind the counter. She turned back to Taylor. "11.25, hon."

11.25 for a coffee and tea!! Yikes. I went to pull my wadded up cash in my back pocket before Taylor held up a hand. "My treat, Princess."

The onyx-haired barista gave a devilish smirk to Taylor. "Oooh, you have a new girlfriend already?" She looked at me. "She's cute, a little frumpy, but cute."

"-Ah-I-er-" I attempted to stammer out a reply but my face was on fire. 

"Easy, Kace. This one is just a friend. I'm trying to help her get some college financial shit figured out." She gave Kaycee a hard look, but the other girl just shrugged. "Sure, Taylor. They never stay friends with you." Kayce walked towards the back and disappeared behind a shelf of various coffee filters. 

It was another worker that handed us our order and Taylor shot a concerned look towards where Kayce had gone, but recovered quickly, leading me over to a secluded table in a faraway corner. She pulled out a chair for me before sitting on her own.

I sat down and pulled my laptop from my bag, Taylor regarded the beat up backpack with a raised eyebrow and a snicker. "Uh... what happened to your bag, you walk through a hurricane with it?"

I let out an annoyed sigh while booting up my laptop. "It's just old."

"You need another." She stated while leaning forward, cradling her chin in her hand and peering at my laptop background of me and Kris curiously. "Is that your sister?'

"Best friend, actually. I live with her and her brothers" I pulled up my browser and showed her a few of the scholarships and grants I had googled.

"Well, you're not an athlete, that's for sure, or a minority, so we can sort those ones out." She scrolled through a state scholarship website, before clicking on a link. "Oh, look, this one is essay based, you have to write and essay about your favorite memory based around... Ghoul Energy drinks... Sponsored by Ghoul Energy drinks. Well, I guess they know the target audience." She chuckled. 

I scrunched up my nose. "Those are flavored like what I imagine jet fuel tastes like."

Taylor cackled again. "Your not wrong, Princess. But, it is $5,000 towards your college tuition."

I shot her a disgruntled look. "Luna. My name is Luna."

"Riiight. Luna. I like princess better." She flashed that winning smile again.

 I crossed my arms and steeled myself to ask her what had been on my mind during the whole exchange. "Well, I like Luna better. Why didn't you tell me you're a lesbian?"

She looked shocked, but then giggled. "Pft- because you never asked? I had a feeling you were sheltered, but I figured you'd get the hint from the flannel,  blue hair and short nails. I'm a walking stereotype. Plus, I didn't think I had to announce my sexuality to someone I just met. It's 2014, not 1950."

I stared at her blankly for a few seconds, batting down my initial annoyance. "What do your nails have to do with anything?"

Yet again, she roared with laughter. "God, you were REALLY sheltered. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it, church girl. Let's just focus on getting you some cash or your schooling. I have a feeling college is gonna teach you a lot more then just your degree path."

The feeling of not getting the joke washed over me again and I decided to throw myself into the scholarships. As the silence grew, Taylor pulled up various grants, full of writing contests and essay prompts. I wrote each and every one down. I described the prompts, the word counts and the deadlines for each of them down. 

Before we knew it, it was dark out. Taylor stood up from the table and stretched. "Well, Luna, we better get you home before curfew."

"I don't have a.." I started, but Taylor waved a hand at me.

"I know, it was a joke." 

"Well, it wasn't very funny, I didn't laugh." I rolled my eyes with a tentative smile. I packed up my laptop and put it in my bag for a well-deserved rest. I shut my notebook and placed it in its usual spot in my worn backpack, before attempting to sling it over my shoulder. Before I could, Taylor snatched my bag from me and ushered me out of the coffee shop. From my peripheral, I could see Kayce shooting a sad look at the two of us before turning back to the drive thru. We stepped out into the cool night air and walked towards Taylors car. She fumbled with her keys for a few minutes before unlocking the car and climbing in. She popped open the passenger door for me from inside. "Sorry, sometimes the passenger door sticks a little."

Our drive home was as equally uneventful as the drive there, with the same cd playing. Taylor occasionally sung along, but this drive passed much quicker then the first. Plus, I discovered Taylor had a pleasant singing voice. 

We pulled into the drive of the Wooding household, and I could see Matt on the porch watching us, puffing on a cigarette. Jumping out of the car so he would know it was me, I poked my head back into the faded Camry. "Thank you so much for today. I really needed the help and I think we made a lot of progress."

Taylor shot me a cocky smile. "Anytime, Princess. Let's do this again sometime, kay? That is, if you're not afraid to hang out with the big bad lesbian."

I gave her a glare, which softened to a smile. "Hmm, I'll think about it." Shutting the car door, she chuckled before looking over her shoulder to back out of the driveway.

I waved to her as I opened the gate. Matt looked at me disapprovingly from the porch as I came up the steps. "Hey, Luna, tell me before you bring some random person to my house."

I kept my voice calm, but I couldn't help but sound a bit defensive.

"Sorry, Taylor offered to help me apply for some scholarships and stuff to pay for my college. I was gonna ask one of y'all for a ride, but all of you were gone. She offered to pick me up and I can't really afford to say no right now." 

"It's fine." He gave me a hard stare before running a hand through his short tawny brown hair and letting out a long sigh. "Just... be careful, please. Kris has been worried sick. You never answered her when she called you on her break. She's back to work now but you should at least text her."

"I will, thanks, Matt." I slinked through the door before he started another fight I couldn't win, shuffling through the living room where Dylan was playing a video game on the tv and turning down the hall to my room. Once in the safety of my sanctuary, I sat down on my bed and pulled out my cell, shooting a quick apology text to Kris before flopping back on my bed with a smile, feeling accomplished.

I was asleep before I even realized I'd closed my eyes. For once, my dreams didn't taunt me.