A/N: So I decided to start a multichapter fic. It's high school AU, so if anyone seems OOC, I'm sorry and I'm trying my best to keep everyone in-character. I'm also aware Abbie was mostly in the original Law + Order and her and Alex never met, but I thought it would be fun to stick her in as Alex's friend - it's AU. I hope you enjoy!
Law + Order doesn't belong to me.
Alex Cabot took her hair out of her ponytail, stuffed her gym bag in her locker, and walked to her second period class. "Lexie!" she heard the voice of her friend Abbie behind her. She hated that nickname Lexie, but it's what everyone on the cheerleading squad called her - Lexie Cabot. Abbie was her self-proclaimed "best friend", and Alex guessed she was; they had known each other forever, and she had told most of her secrets to Abbie. So, in a way they were.
"Hi, Abbie," she had the same second period as her - psychology, and they were assigned to sit next to each other. She fished through her bag for her glasses case and donned them.
"Why do you wear those?" Abbie asked.
"Um, to see," the blonde chuckled. "I'm really nearsighted."
"Why don't you get contacts?" they entered the classroom and sat at their table. "You'd look a lot better with them."
Alex simply shrugged. The teacher projected a picture of a new seating assignment on the board and the class groaned. "Seating assignments," Abbie grumbled, "We're in high school, for gosh sakes." (Abbie was a strict conservative and never swore or took the Lord's name in vain - and gasped when anyone else did.)
The blonde located her name on the chart and saw she was assigned to sit by Olivia Benson, who currently resided in the back corner with another quiet boy. She picked up her things and joined Olivia in their new seat in the back middle. "Hi," she said, smiling.
The brunette just nodded and smiled back, shyly. Abbie was still grumbling as she moved to her new seat next to a pimply boy named Dylan.
Olivia was very quiet, but Alex often caught her gaze across the room and saw her brow furrowed, deep in thought. She sometimes raised her hand and joined in class discussions - especially the one about emotional abuse that they had a few weeks ago. When she was talking about how it can affect someone just as much as physical abuse, her voice had cracked, and Alex had felt a surge of emotion for her.
The teacher began to drone on about the project that was due on Friday, and how she was giving them today to work on it. "Do not waste this period," she told them. "You could get a lot of work done."
Alex pulled out her notes - her report was on her computer at home. She, not having much to do, doodled in her notebook and let her mind wander. Olivia's voice snapped her back to reality. "Is there a game today?" she asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Football game. Why?"
"You're wearing your cheerleading uniform."
"Yeah. It's what we do on game days. You ever come to games?"
Olivia shrugged. "Not really. I've just seen you and your friends around."
"They're...I mean...I dunno, they're not really my friends. They're just people do I stuff with. That doesn't make any sense, I guess, but..."
"No, I understand. What grade are you in?"
"Eleventh."
"Oh. I'm a senior. I've had only a few friends in high school, but," she shrugged. "It's better to have a few friends than just have...people like that. No offense."
Alex had to agree. "None taken. I just cheerlead because it's something I like to do, and it looks good on college applications."
"I bet you're great," Olivia said. Her smile was not the same shy smile she had given her a little while ago, it was very sweet and genuine and - wow. Olivia Benson had a beautiful smile. Alex didn't usually blush when people gave her compliments, no matter how much she appreciated it. But Olivia telling her that she was great with that lovely smile...she suddenly felt her cheeks burn.
They talked the rest of the period, and both found that the bell was ringing too soon. "It was nice talking to you, Alex," Olivia said. "Good luck tonight."
"Oh, thank you! You should come if you can. Bye!"
The whole day, Olivia couldn't stop thinking of Alex. Of her long, blonde hair that fell on her shoulders just so...perfectly. And her eyes, which were a lovely shade of blue. Not to mention those eyeglasses..damn. She didn't realize glasses could be so sexy. She felt bad for it, but as she had walked away, Olivia had watched Alex's skirt swaying. Fuck, she thought. I have a crush on Alex.
Alex was not the first girl Olivia had had a crush on, so it wasn't that that alarmed her. She just didn't expect to have such strong feelings for the girl she sat next to in psychology.
That night, she slipped on a coat and scarf and walked past her mom, who was sleeping on the couch. She got in her car and drove to the high school. She bought herself a ticket for the football game and a cup of hot chocolate and a pretzel. She felt kind of weird going to a game alone; she used to go to the occasional school event with her friend Casey, but she graduated last year. Most of her friends had.
Alex touched up her mascara in the locker room. She had to go out onto the field in five minutes. "Hey, Lexie," a girl named Victoria approached her. Alex simply mumbled her greeting. "You've been so quiet. During practice you barely talked at all. What's on your mind?"
How do you say, I can't stop thinking of the hot girl who sits next to me in pysch? She thought. "Nothing really. I have a lot of homework."
"That's it?" Victoria asked.
No, what's it is that I can't stop thinking of Olivia Benson's smile and her lips and her brown eyes. "Pretty much."
"Hey, who do you sit next to in psych now?" Abbie asked, tying her hair up.
"Olivia."
"Benson?" asked a girl named Daphne. Alex nodded. "Isn't she weird?"
"No. She's nice. Just quiet. I like her." the blonde girl said, her cheeks burning again. She quickly tied her hair up in a bow and swiped pink lipstick on her lips. "I have to get out there."
"Is she okay?" she heard a girl ask behind her.
"I don't know. Alex can be weird sometimes," she heard Abbie reply. Alex rolled her eyes and walked out onto the field. She saw a few of her friends in the stands and waved, and in the middle of the stands she saw Olivia Benson. She noticed her, too, and smiled. God, that smile.
The game soon began, and Olivia, not terribly fond of sports, watched with disinterest for the most part. Whenever her gaze drifted to the cheerleaders, Alex's eyes were always on her, but as soon as they made eye contact, Alex would look away, seeming embarrassed. Olivia briefly wondered if she liked her just as much as she...no. A cheerleader? Get it together, Olivia, you know it's not going to happen, she thought to herself.
At halftime, she watched the cheerleaders do their dance routine and when the game was over - they won, everyone celebrated. Olivia joined the sea of people on the field, locating Alex. "Hi," she said.
"Hi. I'm so happy you came," the younger girl now had rosy cheeks. It was November and the weather was cold, especially this late at night. "I feel like my fingers are gonna fall off, I'm so cold. So, did you have a good time?"
"I did. You guys did a great job," Olivia said.
"Thank you," just as Olivia was about to ask if she wanted a ride home, a boy, one of the players, approached them.
"Hey, Alexandra," he said.
"Hi, Jeremy..." she replied, not making eye contact with him.
"Are you coming to the afterparty?" she just shook her head. "C'mon, Lexie, you have to. Everyone else is going." a shrug. "Jesus Christ, what's up your ass? We can ditch the afterparty and go out somewhere..." another shake of the head. Olivia protectively wrapped her arms around the cheerleader. "What, do you have a date or something?"
Alex, in a sudden burst of confidence, looked and Olivia and said, "Yes, I do."
The older girl was taken aback for a moment, then masked her surprise and nodded. "She does."
"Well, who? Oh, God, don't tell me..." before he could finish his sentence, Alex kissed Olivia, who willingly reciprocated. The boy wretched. "Ew, dykes. I'm gonna be sick." he strided off as they broke their kiss.
"God, what an ass," Alex said.
"Alex, I, ah...?" the brunette stammered.
"I, um...I'm really sorry Olivia."
"No, don't be sorry...I was just a little surprised."
"I shouldn't have done that, though."
"No, really." Olivia took her cold hands in hers. "I mean, that wasn't so bad. And if that's what we needed to do to get that dude to back off, I didn't really mind." her cheeks were now rosy, too, and her hair was blowing in the wind. Alex wanted to kiss her again, and she realized how easily she could, but she didn't, she held back.
"Still..."
"There's no 'still'. Everything's fine." Now can we do that again? A lot more? Olivia thought, and almost said out loud. She smiled at her. "Pretty clever, actually."
"Thanks, Olivia. It was nice seeing you." she gave her tight embrace, for thanks, and they both wished it lasted longer. But Alex had to return to her world of cheerleaders and Olivia had to get home and pray her mom wouldn't be awake, and if she was awake, that she would be too drunk to do much.
"Bye, 'Lex."
Lex. She repeated the name in her head as she walked back into the locker room, feeling slightly giddy. When she got into the room full of girls, however, she was met with awkward silence. "Lexie," Abbie asked. "Why did we see you kissing Olivia Benson?"
Shit, Alex thought.
A/N: Thanks for reading!
-Lulamae
