Heidi’s words made Tracey feel better but she began to cry harder. The sound changed suddenly to hint at relief as much as anything else. “Oh Heidi…” She just cried and held her tight for a long time. “I-I…I’m not ashamed of you. You know that right? S-Sara said you might think that because…we are a secret…I’m sorry if I ever made you felt like that…”
Slowly, Tracey’s sobbing slowed and she pulled back to look at Heidi. Her cheeks were all puffy and her eyes were red as Heidi brushed her tears away. She swallowed hard, trying to control herself.
“It was nothing serious. She pushed me, I pushed her, she grabbed me, I slapped her. It all…got out of control so fast, but…” Tracey looked at Heidi hoping she would understand. “I just couldn’t let her talk about you like that…so I slapped her.”
“Then I threatened her with my wand but…I couldn’t hex her. She even dared me to. I wasn’t going to, I just couldn’t…then she said if I did that she’d tell Daphne about you and I and…Daphne is a terrible gossip…the whole school would know within hours.”
“I expected her to do it today anyways, but she didn’t,” Tracey told her. From her facial expression, it was clear that the mere thought of it terrified Heidi. “I’m a little afraid that she might know about Katie and Meg…” She knew that the other two girls didn’t really keep it a secret, but that didn’t mean it was a source of constant gossip. Daphne could change all that…
Tracey’s heart was hammering as she looked at Heidi. “I’m just…so afraid. I don’t know how to think and how to feel anymore. I really…think I am…falling for you, Heidi,” she admitted softly, terrified by what it could mean.