Carrie

Will you still…

Senior Year; April 201-

Chris Hargensen, Tina Blake

Tina Blake stood by the chain-link fence separating Ewen High's football field from the parking lot. It was a gorgeous early spring afternoon, and it just felt good to be outside and alive. The sun was shining, and a gentle breeze carried the scent of cherry blossoms and mulch. It had been an ordeal to stay indoors. She didn't have any choice in the matter, though. Tina had to stay after and make up an exam she had missed when she was sick. It was an annoyance she had become accustomed to, and although she was much healthier than she had been when she was younger, she still had her off days. Not too far away, a squad of junior varsity cheerleaders was running through its routine. The thought that they seemed to be getting the hang had just crossed Tina's mind when one of the older girls coaching them started yelling at them.

"You call that effort!" Vicky Hanscome, a petite redhead, ranted. "The drama club could do a better job than you!"

Typical Vick, Tina chuckled as she watched her friend harangue the younger girls. I hope she doesn't scare them off.

Like many girls her age, Tina would never publically admit liking school, but the truth of the matter was that she really did enjoy it. Her grades were usually good, and she didn't really have to exert herself in order to get satisfactory results. She also valued the fact that she got to see her friends on a regular basis. College was just over the horizon, and Tina wanted to spend as much time with those she cared about – those she loved – as possible. It didn't hurt matters that she was relatively popular, and belonged to fairly large clique. She just felt complete when she was with her friends, and life in general was good.

"Okay, that's better! Pivot to your left!" Vicky continued. "NO! Your other left! Jess, can you give me a hand here?"

Although she was perfectly content to hang out and watch the free show, Tina was waiting for her ride to show up. She wasn't particularly worried, and although punctuality was one of her strong points, she knew that her friends operated on their own schedule. Always late but worth the wait, she thought with a smile. Besides, a little extra time in the fresh air and sunshine would probably be good for me.

"No! Not like that!" It sounded as if Vicky had reached the end of her rope. "You'll hurt yourself doing that. I don't wanna have to drive you to the emergency room!"

"I don't think they'd want that either, Vick!" She shouted. The redhead turned and glowered at her, but there wasn't any actual anger in her glare. Tina was so engrossed in Vicky's antics that she didn't hear someone approach her.

"They don't look like they have a dea… OW!" Tina's unnoticed visitor poked her in her sides, right below her ribs. "What the hell?"

It was fairly common knowledge at Ewen High that Tina had heart problems, and although she wasn't so fragile that a mild shock would cause her to drop dead, most people understood that it wasn't a good idea to startle her. She wheeled around to confront whoever had jabbed her in her flank, but whatever hostile words she had in mind died unspoken on her tongue.

"Hey, Teeny!" Christine Hargensen grinned and enveloped her in a tight hug. She had on a pale green blouse and a pair of jeans that were left just enough to the imagination. "Sorry I'm late! Scared you, didn't I?"

"Chris…," Tina growled with mock-belligerence as she returned the hug. Her friend smelled of Fructis shampoo and foundation powder. "That hurt."

"Sorry, T," Chris said as she held up her hands. Her long, almond-shaped nails were done in a pretty opalescent polish. She had come to collect Tina right after her appointment. "Do you like them?"

Tina nodded and said: "I do. Thanks for coming back out."

"No worries!" the icy-eyed brunette said as they walked to her car. Chris had invited Tina and the others over for dinner and a movie. When Tina explained that she had to stay late, Chris insisted on picking her up. "I was already out, so I figured what the hell."

It wasn't exactly going to be a thrilling Friday night, but Tina was looking forward to it all the same. She loved her friends and loved spending time with them. Chris spent most of the ride back to her house describing what she had in mind. Tina was more than happy to let her carry the weight of the conversation, and would periodically nod. The two girls had been friends since they were little, and were as close as close can be. Every now and then, the sunlight would strike Chris in such a way as to make her look angelic. Tina couldn't quite put her finger on it, but the afternoon glow seemed to imbue her with an otherworldly warmth and beauty that she had never previously ascribed to her friend. Sure, she had always thought that Chris was pretty – even gorgeous – but now it was as if she was seeing her for the first time. It seemed to Tina that the girl she had known ever since she was little had undergone a metamorphosis. Her heart began to beat just a little faster as it dawned on her: she loved her.

So this is what it's like to have your breath taken away? A jumbled mess of emotions welled up inside of her. She did like boys, at least part of the time, but Chris… Oh, I don't know! I just feel right when I'm with Chris. She makes me feel safe. I think I really do love her.

"So, it looks like it might just be us tonight. Heather might stop by later and the twins are going away for the weekend. Oh, and Sue's going out with Tommy," Chris chattered uninterrupted as she made a right turn without signaling. Tina, only half paying attention to her words, simply continued to nod. "I guess he actually grew a backbone and decided to take the initiative. It isn't fair that he always left it up to her plan things…"

Tommy Ross was an all-around good guy, and Tina was thrilled when he and Sue Snell started going out together. He was a true gentleman, and treated Sue with the respect and kindness she deserved. The best part of it was that Sue was genuinely happy to be with him, and as far as Tina was concerned, was more than enough. Everyone seemed to like Tommy; even the school's misfit, Carrie White, had a crush on him. Tina had seen her staring at him often enough to know that she liked him, and couldn't quite make up her mind whether it was funny or creepy.

"Tommy's nice," Tina said absentmindedly as Chris made another less than legal turn.

"Yep, he is," Chris agreed. "And if he breaks her heart, I'll kill him."

Chris turned just enough towards Tina for her to see that she was smiling – and only joking about harming Sue's boyfriend. Chris was loyal and very protective of her friends, and Tina knew that although murder was off of the table, she wouldn't take kindly to someone hurting Sue. The brunette made a hard left turn and brought the Volvo to a stop in a neat, well maintained driveway.

Chris turned to Tina and asked: "You aren't disappointed that it's just the two of us, are you?"

"Of course not!" Tina replied. For a fleeting second, she could have sworn she had seen worry etched in Chris's pale blue eyes. "I'm really happy to be here with you."

"I'm glad," Chris smiled warmly. "What do you want for dinner?"

The dinner debate didn't take very long, and the two girls settled on a pizza. Although Tina was less than happy with her friend's choice in movies, she was having a good time. She hoped quietly to herself that Chris didn't notice her shutting her eyes during the particularly gruesome parts of the film. At one point, Tina risked glancing at the screen – and was promptly rewarded with a horrific image of a character meeting his maker at the hands of a killer clown. I shouldn't have looked! I know I shouldn't have looked! It's always worse on HD TVs! I should have insisted on watching Hugo or something!

"Oh, that's gross!" Tina whimpered and cringed. "I'm gonna have nightmares now!"

Tina felt Chris's hand brush against hers, and without thinking, she clutched it. To her surprise, her friend didn't pull her hand back. Happiness and embarrassment clashed within her and she was about to apologize when Chris gave her a reassuring squeeze. Tina's heart began to beat just a little bit faster. Please, please no sweaty palms!

"Why do I always let you talk me into watching these slasher films?" She grumbled half heartedly. Chris smiled at her, and adjusted her hand just enough so that their fingers were entwined. Tina felt her color rise, and was grateful that Chris wouldn't be able to tell in the guttering light cast off by the television. It wasn't the first time she and Chris had held hands, but something just felt different this time. It was as if all of the muddled emotions that Tina had had suddenly made sense.

"I think you kind of like them," Chris said as she rewarded Tina with one of her trademark smirks. "I think you actually like being…"

Chris wasn't able to finish her thought. Tina, acting on impulse rather than conscious thought, had leaned over and kissed her firmly on the lips. It was halting and tentative, and almost as soon as she had done it, Tina pushed herself backwards. The brunette stared at her with almost unnaturally wide eyes, still holding her hand.

"Tina…"

"I'm sorry!" Horror swept over her as she let go of her friend and stood. Tears burned her eyes and she felt sick to her stomach. The notion that she had just betrayed her best friend flashed through her mind – as did the idea that the girl she had known and loved almost her entire life would cut her off. That thought above all others was the most painful for her.

That was wrong! I forced myself on her! What have I done? Oh….

"I'm so sorry! I-I shouldn't have! I-I was wr-wr-wr…"

"Tina stop!" Chris grabbed her arm before she could dash out of the den. She roughly pulled Tina into a clumsy hug. "It's okay, Teen. It's okay!"

Tina tried to speak – to apologize – but was shushed. Chris held her tightly and hummed to her. After a moment or two, she said: "It's okay. It's fine. I'm not angry."

"I should have asked," Tina whispered between sniffles. "It was wrong of me to-to just…"

Chris took Tina's face in her hands and kissed her. It was a tender, lingering kiss and Tina felt all of the tension drain from her body. Tina closed her eyes and allowed Chris, her Chris to pull her close. She shuddered as she felt her friend open her mouth slightly and for a fleeting moment she could have sworn that their hearts were beating in unison. It only lasted a couple of seconds, but it was as if the world had moved and time had stopped. When she opened her eyes again, her friend was smiling at her.

"Chris…"

"You're my best friend, Tina. Nothing is going to change that," Chris said as she took Tina's hands in her own. "I love you. It might not be the same kind of love that feel for me, but do love you. I always have, you know that."

"Thank you, Chris," Tina felt relief wash over her. She wasn't entirely convinced that things were okay, but there was no changing what had happened. At least Chris didn't slap her, or throw her out. That, in of itself, was comforting.

"Your secret's safe," Chris said softly. "Sue and Vicky and the others love you, too. They'd accept you for who you are, no matter what."

Tina didn't know how to respond, so she simply nodded.

"I did learn something important, though," Chris smiled. It was honest and caring with just a hint of naughtiness. "Teeny kisses are even better than Teeny hugs."

"Best friends?" Tina asked, her voice still thick with emotion. Chris leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips and again on her forehead.

"Forever." A beat. "You know, I'm pretty sure D…"

The doorbell rang, cutting Chris off mid-sentence. The brunette got up from the couch and left the room. She returned a moment or two later, with Heather in tow.

"Hey!" Heather said cheerfully as she plunked herself down on the couch next to Tina. "What did I miss?"

NOTES: This was kind of an experimental one-shot based on a deleted scene from the remake that I started a while back. It isn't part of Awakening, but I figured I clean it up and post it. I've never written anything like this before, and I'm not sure if it works – and I'm probably not going to write others. Live and learn.

In any case, I've cleaned it up a bit and posted it as a break from Awakening.

In November, someone had asked me to do a "slash" fic for Carrie. I've read a couple of slashes, but have never written one before – and I've never come across one for Carrie. Given Carrie's upbringing and beliefs, I didn't really think that she'd go for it, and apart from the gym teacher in the De Palma film, I didn't even see any subtext to work with. Things changed a bit with the remake and the Tina/Chris deleted scene on the Blu Ray. I won't go into too many details, but Chris and Tina seemed really, really close – much to Billy's appreciation.

I got the idea for the title from Lana Del Rey's "Young and Beautiful"

Again, thanks for reading. Suggestions are welcome ~ Trish.