A/N: Hi there! I wrote this oneshot for tumblr and thought I'd post it here for any of y'all who aren't there.. who might be interested in reading it. I feel like within the teen AU 'verse, at least when I write within it, Jane is usually portrayed as the cool kid while Maura is the dweeb hopelessly pining after her. So I wanted to reverse that.

Hi, Jane - history was fun with you. Thanks for all the work you did on the Roosevelt project. Have a great summer! - Maura Isles

She had obsessively read it over and over. Sure there were a dozen other signatures in the yearbook her mother had insisted on buying for her, but Maura's was the only one she'd cared about.

It had been near agony just getting close enough to ask her to do it. There she'd been, sitting in the area those Popular Rich Snobs had tacitly declared their own - the lawn by the parking lot - surrounded by the likes of Garrett Fairfield, Rory Graham, and Emily Thompson. All somehow impeccably dressed, all talking about their luxurious cars, all discussing their last family visits to the Cape or Martha's Vineyard or somebody's cousin's vacation home in Paris. Plenty of popular kids were more than nice, even to a scrappy kid like Jane, but this group was another breed altogether.

Feeling particularly raggedy in torn jeans, roughed-up sneakers, and a t-shirt she'd had since 7th grade, Jane had approached Maura and stammeringly asked for her signature. Maura took the yearbook and gave Jane her own, although Jane couldn't help assuming that Maura only gave it to her out of politeness. She was surprised to see it looked like nobody else had signed Maura's book yet - maybe she'd only just picked it up.

Hey Maura, you're so awesome. It's crazy how smart you are, wow. Thanks for all your help in history, I hope I can help you out sometime senior year! (Argh, she wanted to write so much more - an epic poem, a novel, but what else could she say?) You are one of the only people at this school who I don't think I've ever heard a bad word about. I think that says a lot. Not that you need my validation, but I think you're pretty cool. I hope you have an AMAZING summer! I know you're probably gonna go travel someplace awesome, but in case you're around and ever want to hang out or something - Jane left her phone number in a blaze of quick courage.

And then heard nothing.

School was no longer in session, and Jane missed getting to see her. It felt strange (almost creepy) to miss someone so much who she'd barely interacted with.

Maura Isles had moved into the district at the start of 9th grade, and the first time Jane saw her - they'd passed in the hallway, briefly exchanging glances, literally sending Jane crashing into a row of lockers as Maura turned the corner - had been the first time Jane considered the notion she might not be entirely straight. They hadn't shared any classes together, but had many other encounters Jane found memorable:

-that time they stood in line next to each other at the cafeteria and Maura had raised her eyebrows at Jane's tray loaded up with pizza, fries, and cookies
-that time Jane had been standing outside after school, waiting to get picked up, and seen Maura getting into a Mercedes-Benz
-the first day of sophomore year when Jane's heart pumped so fast she thought she would die when Maura walked into her English class; only to never reappear (after asking around, Jane learned Maura had had to switch to a different class because it met during the one period when advanced French was offered)
-that one time Jane had allowed herself to be dragged to the mall, and Maura was leaving just as Jane and her mother were walking inside. ("Do you know that girl?" Angela had asked, as Jane twisted around to watch her leave.)

And then finally, American history brought them together junior year. Maura always sat in the front of the class, and while Jane preferred the back, but she quickly moved up when she realized the teacher frequently paired or grouped up students based on who they were sitting next to. Their topics of conversation expanded (commenting on the weather; Maura asking for the time; lending Jane a pen, and other thrilling topics).

It was surprisingly difficult to get a read on Maura. Unlike most of the people she seemed to spend time with, she was very dedicated to her studies. In fact she was so serious about it, that her overall demeanor was much more serious than Jane had anticipated. It was during this year that she paid a little more attention to Maura's clique when she passed them after school or at lunch - she noticed Maura rarely talked.

The first time Jane saw her laugh was when she, Jane, cracked a joke at their history teacher's expense while they'd been working together. What a beautiful smile she'd had. Jane would've given almost anything to see more of it.

She hadn't decided for sure whether she wanted to go to the 4th of July being hosted by some bigshot from the swim team, but Frost had begged her to come along as his guest. He sure was a nice kid. Mostly the reason she tagged along was that Frost told her he was pretty sure Maura would go.

Fortunately for him (because Jane surely would've picked a fight if he'd been wrong) - Maura was indeed there. And once they locked eyes across a room filled with loud, cheering, grinding teenagers, Jane flashed her best smile. It crashed to the floor when Maura responded with what could likely best be described as a scowl. Without another look, she made her way to the pool outside.

"Daaaamn," said Frost, handing Jane a Sprite. "What'd you do to piss her off?"

"What? Nothing! I haven't even seen her since school got out!"

"I think you should go ask her what's up."

"Oh, right."

"C'mon, don't be a chicken."

Frost took her by the arm and all but dragged her outside. It was Jane's turn to scowl when she saw Maura had joined her regular circle back on the patio - Garrett was chugging down a beer bottle to general applause. When he finished, he set it down on the floor and gave it a spin.

"Really?" Jane muttered. "Spin the bottle? What're you guys, twelve?"

"Please, if you joined in, it'd be more action than you ever got in–what, your whole life?" Rory sneered.

Frost glanced at her and, to save her the embarrassment of blushing too much, said, "Hey, we're not hating on throwbacks here. Mind if we join?"

Jane could feel Maura's eyes on her, but when she looked her way, the blonde averted her gaze still looking cool as could be.

"Hey, the more the merrier!" Garrett said, waving for them to sit down. "Whatsa matter, Rory, worried that Frost here'll beat you at your own game?"

"What? No…"

The girl Garrett had just kissed spun the bottle next, and each turn thrust Jane into a deeper pit of anxiety. She hated the idea of this game, but she couldn't just get up and leave now. The cat-calling was too much. Seeing all the tongue was too much. She didn't know what she'd do if the bottle pointed to her - what if she had to kiss one of these creeps? Rory, or Garrett, or even Emily?!

It was Garrett's turn again, and he let out a victory whoop when the bottle pointed at Maura. Uncalled for, unjustified jealousy coursed through Jane as she saw Maura obligingly lean over for a kiss. It was difficult to even feel a little satisfied that she cut Garrett off much more quickly than he'd clearly have liked; he had gotten more handsy than the rules should've allowed, in Jane's opinion.

She was so busy imagining the various ways she'd like to wipe the smug grin right off Garrett's face that it took her a moment to notice Maura's spin had landed on her. Jane had also failed to notice the small throng that had congregated to watch the game, but she did hear the uproar of a response.

It was over almost before it had started - Jane felt like she could've blinked and missed it. Clearly not interested in putting on a show, Maura had leaned over and given her a peck on the lips so soft it had barely been felt. Jane had gotten longer kisses on the cheek from relatives she'd just as soon never see again. She tried not to let her disappointment show too much, and Frost had to elbow her to remind her to spin the bottle.

It landed on Maura.

"Twice in a row!" Garrett hollered. "What's the rule for that?!"

"They both have to take something off!" Rory said, fumbling to get his phone from his pocket.

"Excuse me? No," Maura said flatly. "That was not part of the established rules and I refuse t–"

"There's an alternative," Emily piped up. "Seven minutes in heaven, remember?"

"Aw, but then we don't get to see!" Garrett crowed. "That's the whole point of the game, isn't it?"

"Technically I think the point of the game is titillation," Maura said.

"Yeah, for the on-lookers."

"For the participants as well."

"Do you even know what Seven Minutes in Heaven is?" Rory asked. "Bet they didn't have it at that fancy boarding school of yours. Try to imagine having to spend seven minutes shut up in a closet with this beanpole–"

"You'll have to use the toolshed, there's no closets outside, man," said the host, jabbing his thumb behind him.

Maura abruptly stood up and walked over to the toolshed. Again Frost found himself responsible for getting Jane to move - he practically pushed her to her feet, and she stumblingly walked in Maura's direction. Moments later, the blonde had disappeared inside the toolshed, and Jane stopped for a moment to take in some extra breaths (damn, do I need a breathmint?!) before going inside. It was totally dark.

"Maura?"

A bright glare appeared, courtesy of the flashlight app on Maura's phone. She placed it on the nearest surface she could find, and once Jane had blinked and her sight adjusted, she saw Maura standing there with her arms folded.

"Are you…upset with me about something?" Jane asked.

For a moment, it looked like Maura wasn't going to dignify the question with a response. But then - "You didn't text me back."

"What?"

"I texted you a week after school got out, and you didn't reply. I thought maybe you were busy, but then I tried again and still got no response. A third time, and nothing! What did you give me your number for if you weren't even going to answer?!"

Jane was glad for the darkness; it hid the blush overtaking her face. "Oh."

"Is that all you have to say? 'Oh'? You're not even going to bother giving me an excuse?"

"I…um, I don't have texting," Jane mumbled. "I actually don't even have a smartphone. I mean, I know you can text without them, but I can't. I mean, I don't. I–I don't have it. My brother and I share the phone, actually, so we can split the bill - usually it's just for someone to call and get a ride. Stuff like that. We keep it cheap as possible."

"Oh," Maura said after a long pause, feeling suddenly quite guilty. "If you really wanted me to call, why didn't you give me a landline? Or specify?"

"I dunno, I guess I thought if you texted me and I didn't answer, you'd think to call."

"I don't like talking on the phone," Maura admitted. "I much prefer texting - it gives me a chance to practice what I want to say before I say it. I don't like talking much in general, actually."

"Why not?"

"It's been implied to me before that I have nothing interesting to say."

A long silence followed, during which Maura feared Jane was coming to the same conclusion. But all she ultimately said was, "What?"

"The way that I talk and the things I talk about seem to have a tendency to put people off."

"How can that be? You're in with the most elite group at the school!"

"Because of how I look, not because of how I talk."

Jane considered that for a moment. Even if she wasn't familiar with all the latest names and brands in fashion, she had been able to tell the moment she first saw Maura that the girl dressed in nothing but the best. Her makeup and her hair were always flawless; she constantly looked like she'd just come out of a shampoo commercial. Combine all that with the Benz and no doubt her address, and it was no wonder that clique had snapped her right up.

"I've…never had a particularly easy time of making friends," she said stiffly. "When Emily and Garrett reached out to me, I thought it would be nicer to be accepted as part of a group than as nothing at all."

"Nothing? You're smart, right? Don't you like–I dunno, academics and stuff?"

"The academics at this school are fairly competitive. It's not generally an atmosphere conducive to companionship."

Jane didn't really know what to say to that. Another long pause filled the air between them before she finally asked, "What'd you text me?"

"I…I asked if you'd like to spend some time together this summer. You're the first person I've met in Boston who really seemed interested in me as a person. Not as some fashionable commodity. I don't think it's likely we have anything in common, but I thought that might make for some interesting conversation."

"Nothing in common, huh, hot-shot? What's your favorite subject?"

"Biology."

"Mm. Yeah, no. What's your favorite band?"

"The Boston Pops."

"Ugh. Um…favorite movie?"

"Ivan's Childhood."

"What's that?"

"It's a Soviet Russian art film from the 1960s."

"Damn. Wow, okay. Favorite sport?"

Jane's eyes had adjusted to the dark enough to see Maura making something of a face before finally asking, "Does fencing count?"

"Whoa, fencing?! You're a badass!"

"Ha! Never heard that one before."

"Man, though. You're right. I dunno how much we do have in common."

"Isn't there a saying–opposites attract?"

"Uh…I guess so?"

Maura took a few steps closer, and Jane took one back, knocking into the door of the shed. "My turn to ask one now. If we don't have this in common, I'll need to vastly revise my approach to you as a person."

"Um…okay?"

"Are you at all attracted to girls?"

"What?"

"You heard me."

"I'm…" Jane had never said the words out loud before to anyone except Frost. Part of her was wary of divulging anything to Maura because of who she could potentially spill it to, but she was overwhelmed with a feeling that she should be honest and Maura could be trusted. "I'm not entirely sure how much I am," she whispered. "But damn. I'm really attracted to you."

"What was that?"

"I said I'm attracted to you," Jane repeated a little louder.

Maura smiled. "The feeling is mutual."

"What? No way. How? You look like a–I mean, and I look like–I'm a–I'm…"

"Have you ever been kissed?"

"You just kissed me outside."

"That didn't count," Maura said with a dismissive air. "You think I was going to give a show to those perverts out there? Not counting that, have you been kissed before?" Jane's prolonged silence was enough of an answer. "Would you like to kiss me now?"

"Uh…" Jane's heart hammered as Maura reached for her hands, placing them at her waist. "Uh–yes? Yes, please?"

"Oh, you're adorable," Maura chuckled, before taking Jane's face in her hands and leaning closer.

She left a long kiss on Jane's cheek, then one at the corner of Jane's mouth, and she grinned to herself as she felt Jane shudder against her. Maura ran her thumb along Jane's lips and then kissed them. She wished she could record and save forever the sound that had escaped Jane just then. Jane seemed activated: her hands shifted lower, pulling Maura into her, and Maura broke off the kiss with a small gasp.

"You're not as shy as you seem," she laughed.

"And you're not as bad with words."

"How much more… of our seven… minutes… are left?" Maura asked between kisses.

"Damned if I know. I didn't set a timer or anything," Jane said hoarsely. "You, uh… you wanna get out of here?"

"No," Maura said quickly. "No, I'd really like to stay with you."

Jane grinned. "That's not what I meant. I meant, do you wanna ditch this party and go someplace?"

Maura smiled back. "Oh. Yes, I really would. What'll we tell everyone, though?"

Jane picked up Maura's phone off the ledge it'd been placed on, and shone the light at the back of the shed. As she'd hoped, there was another door. She cracked it open, and saw that it led out of the yard. "C'mon," she muttered, taking Maura's hand. "Let's blow."

Misunderstanding as she followed Jane outside, Maura asked, "Isn't that going a bit fast–?"