More annoyed than the situation probably called for, Georgie slunk away from Adam. Finally. She still liked Adam, of course, not in the dating way, but in the way that he was her best friend. It could be said that he wasn't great to talk to when he was drinking but it could also be said that anyone who was that level of drunk wasn't going to be great conversation unless everyone involved was on that level and Georgie just wasn't that drunk.

Yet.

Georgie just wasn't that drunk yet.

What was the point of going to her graduation party if she wasn't going to get decently smashed? There wasn't one. Even Lou and Peter were expecting it from her, she thought. They hadn't said the words (of course they wouldn't) but they weren't stupid parents and Lou had made a big fuss out of the fact that Georgie could call them without fear of getting in trouble because calling was better than getting into a car with a drunk friend. Georgie had informed them, repeatedly, that she was likely just going to end up staying with Jade, but she had still heard the speech at least twice as much as she needed to. She was slightly grateful, though; she could tell that they were restraining themselves from giving her a bigger lecture.

Georgie approached the drink table and re-filled her red cup from the keg. She had been late arriving. She'd been helping Amy with a horse and had thought she'd had more time to shower than she had. It had only been Jade's drunken call that brought her attention to the fact that the party was already well on its way. Armed with her beer, Georgie set off to find her best friend. She knew Jade was here somewhere, the problem was that the graduation party always ended up being massive. Alumni from previous years showed, underclassmen always made appearances too. The graduation party was always one of the bigger ones of the year and there were a lot of people in black leather jackets for her to wade through.

Georgie cursed in her head. Jade just couldn't call her and whine that she wasn't here and then not answer her phone when Georgie finally arrived! Georgie tilted her cup against her lips, taking the largest swallow that she could manage. She knew she was more disappointed than she should be. She wanted Jade right next to her because that was always where she wanted Jade. If she knew she was lovesick then it wasn't as big of a problem than it should be.

Georgie caught sight of one of the girls she'd rather not talk to right now and ducked into the woods surrounding the field the party was set up in. She hoped she wouldn't be noticed; she hoped there wouldn't be anyone drunk in the woods, trying to pee; she hoped Jade would call her back. Georgie heard a noise in the woods behind her and she whipped around, hoping it wasn't some guy with his pants around his ankles. The last thing she needed was urine on her new boots.

She was lucky: it wasn't a man.

She was lucky: it was Jade.

She was unlucky: it was Jade making out with someone.

Someone she recognized with recently cropped honey blonde hair, chipped nails that were tangled in Jade's hair, the way that Georgie's had always imagined being. Georgie could have been standing at a party years ago, looking up to watch Olivia kiss Adam, except the weight of this one was slightly more crushing. Adam had just been a boy she liked; Jade was her best friend. Jade knew every little bit of how she felt about Olivia – whatever good there had been and all the bad that Georgie had ranted about at least twice to Jade about. And Jade had the nerve to kiss Olivia?

Georgie looked down at the half-empty beer in her hand and just tossed it. She dropped the cup to the ground and turned, not even stopping to watch their expressions. She only heard Olivia's shriek of terror and even that wasn't enough to make her feel satisfied. Jade kissed Olivia.

Jade kissed Olivia.

Jade.

Kissed.

Olivia.

The words just didn't sit right in her brain. Jade wasn't supposed to kiss Olivia. Georgie wasn't stupid. She knew that if she never said a word about her feelings then Jade probably wouldn't end up kissing her and so she was going to have to suck it up and know Jade was kissing other people. She had done it before. Jade liked to make out with people, especially when she was drunk, but Jade wasn't supposed to kiss Olivia. That was just straight up a betrayal. They were supposed to be friends. Whatever else Georgie felt, Jade was supposed to be her best friend.

"Georgie! Georgie, wait!"

Even though her instinct was to spin around and face Jade, Georgie made herself put one foot in front of the other and go back to the drink table. She managed to have a new beer in hand by the time Jade caught up to her.

"Georgie, what the hell?"

"You don't get to ask me that! I get to ask you that! What the hell, Jade?"

Jade glanced around at the people surrounding them and she grabbed Georgie's arm. Georgie felt her heart skip a beat and her skin simmer under Jade's heated palm. She let Jade guide her away, back to where a lot of people had parked. Jade cornered her against the side of her car.

"You threw beer on me!"

"Yeah," Georgie said, unapologetic. "Your hair looks sticky."

Jade wasn't fazed by her tone; Jade never was. It was one of the reasons why Georgie liked her. "I thought you were fine when I told you I liked girls!"

And then sometimes Jade was really stupid and Georgie wondered how she put up with Jade at all.

"It's not about you liking girls!" As if that wouldn't be completely hypocritical of her.

Georgie had to look away from Jade's eyes. Sometimes – not always, but sometimes – they would get dark and intense and Georgie would forget how to breathe. It was one of those times and it would be way easier to stay mad if she wasn't looking Jade in the eye. Because she was! She was mad.

"How could you kiss Olivia?" Georgie spat. No matter how much time she and Olivia had to spend together, no matter how many times she had been advised by her well-intentioned family to take the high road, she and Olivia had never had anything but a rivalry. It had been friendlier than not at times, but she and Olivia wouldn't ever really be counted as good friends. She repeated with disbelief, "Olivia!?"

"She … I …" Jade stuttered and Georgie was a little satisfied that Jade knew she'd screwed up. "She wanted to kiss me! She's kind of hot, Georgie."

Kind of hot? Georgie couldn't help but make a face. It was true. She wasn't blind. It didn't mean Jade should be saying it.

"What's the big deal?"

"She kissed Adam!"

"You kissed Adam!"

"When I liked him, remember? It's the same thing!"

"Uh, not really. You were really into Adam at the time and Olivia was being manipulative! I was there, I know. Unless you're really into me and Olivia knows it and I don't."

Georgie floundered. She crossed one arm over her chest and pulled another face. She stared down at her red cup.

"Whatever, Jade," she said. It wasn't as scathing as she would have liked but what else was there to say to that? Nothing that wouldn't give her away. She turned on her heel and went to storm away but Jade grabbed her again and Georgie was a sucker for her. She planted her feet in the dirt and refused to turn around.

"There's no reason for you to be this mad at me."

"It's Olivia. There are a million other people here and you picked Olivia."

"Olivia picked me! Don't be so stubborn."

"Olivia!" Georgie cried, loud enough that she actually saw Olivia's head pick up from the crowd, looking for whoever called her name. Cursing again, Georgie turned and grabbed Jade, yanking her down against the trucks, hoping Olivia wouldn't come investigate.

Jade laughed at her and leant fully sat down on the ground. Georgie sighed and took the seat next to her, holding her cup out to Jade. Jade took a sip from it, leaving the faintest trace of a lip print on the edge. Georgie wondered if it would be obvious if she took a drink from the same spot Jade's mouth had just touched.

"I would have rather not kissed Olivia," Jade said quietly. "I like kissing people and she wanted kiss me. It was about who she was."

"You should have thought about who she was. Anyone else and I would have dumped beer on your head."

"I think Olivia got the worst of it," Jade said. "Not to say you're forgiven for throwing beer at me, kid!"

Kid. Jade still thought of her as a kid. Georgie tried not to sigh audibly and lifted the beer cup to her lips, chugging it a little too quickly. Anything to get a buzz. Anything to feel something else other than the feeling of Jade kissing Olivia and never kissing her.

"You deserved it," Georgie insisted.

"She's not even that good of a kisser," Jade whispered.

Admittedly, it did make Georgie smile, just a little.

"She opens her mouth too much. It's like kissing a fish." Jade imitated it, opening her lips too wide and mouthing at the air.

That did make Georgie laugh.

"It's called sucking face, Jade."

"Yeah, by people in their sixties. You're not actually supposed to suck someone's face! Kissing's for lips. Come on, let me finish that."

Georgie slid the cup into Jade's hands. "I don't know. Sounds kind of hot. Maybe I'll go kiss her."

"I'll dump the rest of the keg on you if you threw this big of a fit just to turn around and go make out with her."

Georgie really wouldn't. She couldn't picture kissing Olivia under any circumstance.

"And what about 'fish lips' sounds like a turn on?"

"It just does!" Georgie said.

"It sucks. Here, I'll show you!"

Georgie knew what she was about to do and she didn't even try to stop it. She let Jade take her face between her hands and pull her tight. Jade kissed her, open mouthed and ridiculous, and it was absolutely the worst kiss that Georgie had ever had. But Jade's lips had touched hers and Georgie just couldn't let that be the only kiss that they ever had. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Jade's waist, tilting her head, intent on kissing Jade back. Jade didn't pull away like Georgie half-feared she might, and then Jade really kissed her. Really kissed her in such a way that made Georgie feel like she was on fire in the best way possible. Her hands tangled in Jade's long hair and then she felt Jade's rough hands going up Georgie's back. The dull tapping sound of the plastic cup hitting the ground resounded in Georgie's ears and it was the only thing that she really heard, even with the noise of the party that should be in the background.

"You know, maybe I kissed Olivia to make you jealous," Jade said.

"I swear, Jade, if you –"

"Are joking! Totally joking!" Jade said. "Jeez, you need another drink."

Georgie couldn't take her eyes from Jade's face. "Maybe it's not another drink that I need."

She wanted Jade to kiss her again. She wanted it to be more than Jade liking to make out with people when she got drunk.

"Kissing and beer. But definitely more beer."

Jade jumped to her feet and went to walk off. Georgie could have torn her hair out.

"Jade!" she said, pushing herself from the ground. "Tomorrow –"

"Hangover date at Maggie's, as always. I'm coming right back. I won't get lost."

But Georgie wasn't worried about her habit of wandering off at parties, either.

"Jade, be my girlfriend!" It was all or nothing now. Georgie wasn't going to be a friend that Jade got to make out with. She could be platonic friends or she could be girlfriends but she wasn't going to be the in between.

Jade turned around and she sauntered back to Georgie, moving in such a way that Georgie felt like she had to be acting like a tease on purpose.

"You want to be my girlfriend?" A strange look crossed Jude's face. "You actually like me like that?"

Georgie nodded. "But I'm okay with being friends."

She was still friends with Adam. She was still friends with Wyatt. She didn't have an ex that she hadn't figured out how to be at least friendly with. She knew Jade was the opposite but that was also because Jade liked to date people that she could fight with. She liked it; she said the fact that they would fight with her meant that they cared.

"Oh, no!" Jade said, her voice way stronger than either of them expected. "I've been in love with you since you hid that stupid lamb on me and I'm not letting you take that back!"

Almost shyly now, Georgie managed, "So you want to be my girlfriend?"

Jade kissed her again, pushing her flat back against the truck. Georgie felt covered by Jade's lean body, glad for the heat of the summer night that left them in tank tops, that left Georgie with the ability to feel Jade's bare arms wrap around her.

"Yeah, kid, I want to be your girlfriend!"

Georgie didn't think she'd ever stop smiling.

"Also, girlfriends get girlfriends beer, so off you go."

Georgie shook her head but she'd go. Of course, she'd go. But it would mean that Jade would owe her when they were far drunker and they wouldn't want to move to get their drinks.

"Don't kiss Olivia while I'm gone."

"Wouldn't think of it," Jade said innocently, the intense look in her eye again. "Don't kill Olivia while you're gone."

"Wouldn't actually do it," Georgie finally decided.

She turned her back on Jade, walking off toward the crowd. She heard Jade scuffling around behind her, and then Jade jogged up next to her. One of Jade's hands slid into Georgie's back pocket, keeping her close. Georgie glanced up at Jade, asking without saying the words.

Jade just shrugged. "I'd rather be next to you."

Next to me, Georgie hummed to herself happily. Jade was next to her.

And she didn't really give a damn who Olivia was kissing because, tonight, the only person Jade would be kissing, was her.

Well, I've had this scene stuck in my mind for a while. It didn't turn out exactly how I thought it would (Does it ever?) but I'm glad I finally got it out. Hope you enjoy!

~TLL~