Hey, thank you so, so much for the comments! I really appreciate every single one of 'em. And for those of you who were wondering if this was going to be an on-going story, the answer is yes. So I hope you continue to read (and comment). Thanks again!
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Rock, Paper, Scissors
Two:
Spencer rummaged through her backpack, searching for the folder that held her History notes. She had a test in a couple hours that she hadn't gotten a chance to study for. How could she have, with the weekend she had? A secret smile crept its way onto her face, as she thought about the night she had with Ashley. She was halfway through her school day and probably eighty-five percent of the time had been spent thinking about Ashley. Her concentration was off. She was barely able to take proper notes in her first two classes. She couldn't get the brunette out of her head. Which was bad. Really, really bad. Why? Because the more she thought about Ashley, the more she wanted to see her. And the more she wanted to see her, the more she wanted to repeat everything they had done the other night. That could not happen. She had to stay strong; stick to the go slow plan.
Slow! Slow! Slow!
Spencer exhaled loudly. She couldn't find her folder. She must have left it in her locker. She zipped up her backpack, and was about to turn around, when a yellow flyer was thrust in her face. She reached for the flyer and looked up to see a dark-haired boy. It took her a second to realize who he was; the boy from last school year's Club Day, who ran the Gay-Straight America table.
"Hey. Spencer, right?"
Spencer nodded. "I'm sorry, I don't remember ever getting your name."
"Josh."
"Josh, hey," Spencer smiled, and held up the flyer. "What's this?"
"I'm havin' a party Friday night. You should come. It'll be fun," he said, giving her a friendly smile. "And you can bring a friend, if ya want. You know what they say, the more the merrier."
"Uh, thanks," she said with a nod, glancing down at the flyer. "I'll think about it."
"Please do. It'll be great to have you there." Josh backed away, saying, "Well, I've got to get going. I'll, uh, see you around."
Spencer gave him a small wave goodbye before turning her attention back to the flyer. Keg, live band, swimming pool. She bit her lip. Maybe she should go. She hadn't been to a party in a long, long time. It could be fun. In fact, she was already promised it would be. Spencer folded the flyer in half and tucked it into the front pocket of her backpack.
--
"Hey, you," Chelsea said happily, as Spencer joined her at the table. "What's up?"
"Not much." Spencer squinted her eyes from the sun shining behind her friend's head. "How are you doing?"
"I'm hangin' in there." Chelsea half-shrugged and gave the blonde a small smile. "I missed you yesterday."
"Oh, yeah. I, um, overslept." Spencer shyly ducked her head to hide the blush she felt coming on. She set her bag of lunch in front of her and distracted herself by pulling out its contents.
Chelsea quirked up an eyebrow. "Long night?"
"Long, long night." Spencer's blush deepened. She flicked her gaze around the courtyard, then stopped and focused on her friend. "I was with Ashley."
Dark eyes widened. "With, with?"
Spencer nodded and slowly smiled.
Chelsea leaned forward. "Spill, girl. Are you two back together?"
Spencer's face fell slightly. "Um, no."
"Oh."
"My decision, not hers," Spencer swallowed, lowering her eyes. She shifted in her seat. "I want to, but... I don't know. I just can't. Not yet."
"Hey, it's understandable," Chelsea said, lightly patting Spencer's arm. "She hurt you. Now you have your guard up; you're protecting your heart."
"How do I let my guard down? Open myself back up to her?"
"Give it some time. You'll know when you're ready."
"Yesterday, when we woke up, she looked so happy. And then I told her I wasn't ready for a relationship yet, and her face, it was..." Spencer sighed. If she closed her eyes, she could still see the pained look on Ashley's face. "She was crushed, Chels. I felt horrible."
Chelsea frowned, "Did you two talk about it? Does she understand where you're coming from?"
"We talked, decided to take things slow. I think she understands. Still, it was hard." Spencer screwed the cap off her water bottle. "And it hasn't stopped being hard since."
"What do you mean?"
"She's been on my mind. All day. I can't focus on anything." Spencer sipped her water.
Chelsea looked passed the blonde, spotting a familiar figure approaching the table. She grinned. "When's the last time you saw or spoke to her?"
"Yesterday afternoon."
"Sounds to me like you miss her."
Spencer chewed on her lip, glancing down at her food. "Yeah, I--" she stopped abruptly when a pair of hands covered her eyes. Lavender shampoo filled her nostrils. Lips softly touched the outer shell of her ear, tickling, as a raspy "guess who?" was whispered against it, sending shivers down her spine. "Ash?" she guessed, bringing her hands up to remove the ones over her eyes. She twisted around, flashing a big smile to the brunette standing over her.
Ashley gave a quick wave to Chelsea, who returned the gesture, before gazing down at Spencer with a cute crinkled nose grin. "How'd you know?"
"I can always tell when it's you."
Ashley settled down next to Spencer. "I'll have to disguise my voice next time."
"I'll still know." Spencer put her hand between them, against the brunette's leg, wrapping her fingers around the edge of the bench. She squeezed, resisting the urge to touch the other girl. "So, um, what are you doing here?"
"I'm here to kidnap you."
"Kidnap me?"
"Uh huh. Just for lunch, I know you have that big History test later today."
Spencer tilted her head. "And where will you be taking me?"
"I cannot disclose the location. It's a secret."
"A secret, huh?"
"Yes, a secret, special place."
"Oh, special too?"
"Not yet. It will be, once you're there."
Spencer blushed and quickly eyed Chelsea, who mouthed 'aw'. She turned back to Ashley, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "I think you're just trying to sweet talk me into going with you."
"I don't have to," Ashley said confidently, holding the blonde's gaze. Brown burned into blue. "Do I?"
Spencer swallowed. Slow! Slow! Slow! "I, um... we should go." She nodded once, tearing her eyes away. "Yeah."
Ashley smirked, watching the blonde quickly shove all of her stuff into her backpack. She stood and rubbed her hands down her jean clad thighs. "I'll see you later, Chelsea."
"Bye Ashley," Chelsea smiled. She reached for Spencer's arm, tugging her close enough to whisper, "Call me later."
Spencer nodded, grinning. "I will. Promise."
Ashley grabbed Spencer's bag from her, tossing it over her own shoulder, before taking the younger girl's hand. Receiving no resistance, she laced their fingers together. "Ready?"
Spencer squeezed the brunette's hand. "Ready."
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