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For the fourth time in the past thirty minutes Gail changed her clothes. She hadn't thought to ask what was the appropriate attire for a biology lecture but she was pretty sure that her first choice of what she wore the previous day wasn't a good one. Getting tired of her own indecisiveness she finally settled on just a plain black shirt, jeans, her leather jacket and boots. It was casual enough that she wouldn't have to feel overdressed and nice enough that it would only really look out of place at something formal. And Gail really doubted that this was a formal event considering the fact that it was being held in the moldy old science building.
As she headed out of the dorm Gail ran into a couple of people from her other classes who complimented her "new look". She just forced a grin and nodded to some while just ignoring others as she nervously ran her fingers through her hair. One thing Gail absolutely loved about college versus high school was that she didn't feel a single ounce of pressure to have friends. Sure there were people she enjoyed talking to in her classes but their lives and schedules were all so different for the most part that she didn't feel like she had to keep talking to them. Technically this lecture was the first social thing she went to that didn't involve alcohol.
Gail reached the old science building and headed into the main hallway. It was completely empty except for a now familiar body leaning against the wall across from the door to Stein's lecture hall. Illuminated in the dim hallway by her phone, Holly was completely distracted and Gail took the opportunity to look her over. She had just been drunkenly joking when she called Holly a hipster when they were in the bathroom she was actually pretty sure of it now. Wearing a skater dress, leggings, an oversized sweater, and boots Holly looked like she stepped out of an American Apparel catalogue. As Gail got closer she realized that Holly was listening to music and it wasn't until she was maybe a foot away that Holly noticed her.
"You actually came," said Holly with a very warm smile as she pulled her earbuds out.
"I said I would," said Gail. "Why? Was not showing up an option? I can just leave?"
Gail moved to turn around and leave but Holly grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward her. Gail wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the way her heart skipped when she was ended up bumping right into the other woman.
"Come on, you're already here. You might as well learn something," said Holly. She loosened her grip but kept her hand on Gail's arm as she pulled them both through the door to the lecture hall.
"Holly, I don't even know what a diatom is."
"Diatoms, Ms. Peck," started Dr. Stein, "are a microalgae found in nearly every habitat where water is found."
Gail smiled weakly at the realization that Dr. Stein had heard her just as they walked through the door. Holly was of course smiling that same ridiculous lopsided grin that almost always seemed plastered to her face. Without another word Holly pulled Gail up the stairs to the row just behind everyone else. Gail was fairly certain her class was bigger than the number of people currently at the lecture but she didn't say anything in case Dr. Stein somehow heard her again.
"Diatoms can be incredibly useful in very specific forensic cases," said Holly suddenly but quietly. Gail turned and watched Holly speak while she pulled a small notebook and pen out of her jacket pocket. "If you find a body in freshwater, diatoms can be used to tell if it was post-mortem or ante-mortem drowning. They can also tie people to freshwater crime scenes."
"Is that what this is about?"
"Well, um...no," said Holly sheepishly. "It's just about diatoms."
"That's kind of disappointing," said Gail as she turned away from Holly and tried to get comfortable. "The forensics stuff sounded cooler."
Out of the corner of her eyes, Gail could see Holly was looking at her and she seemed like she was about to say something when Dr. Stein turned off the lights and started his introduction. Holly being the nerd Gail knew she was she kept quiet and after a moment finally turned her attention to the projection up on the wall. For the most part Gail paid attention to the lecture and she actually did learn a lot about diatoms, even if the majority of it was just useless information to her future career as a cop. However, Gail kept periodically getting distracted by really insignificant things. Like the way Holly's arm would sometimes end up pressed against hers when the other woman shifted her weight in her seat. Or the way Holly would cross her legs and her dress would ride up her thighs.
It was the movement. It distracted Gail. Holly just moved too much. Nothing else.
Gail was dragged out of her thoughts when her brain registered that Dr. Stein was talking about art. Then just as quickly as Gail had gotten bored she was interested again. Dr. Stein was showing slides of microscopic art made with the glass shelled diatoms. She was starting to understand why the title was "The Beauty of Diatoms".
"I thought you hated art," whispered Gail after she leaned closer to Holly.
Holly turned to look at Gail and smiled while shaking her head.
When the lecture finally ended, sadly with more less-than-entertaining science talk, Gail waited until they had said goodnight to the doctor and were back out in the hallway to confront Holly with her lies again.
"I thought you hated art," repeated Gail.
"I don't like modern art and that's not modern art," said Holly as she leaned against the wall where they met earlier. "The earliest pieces were made in the 1800s during the Romanticism and Realism movements and any current art made with diatoms is considered Contemporary."
"So, when you said you were a future doctor did you mean one of those fake doctors who have a degree in something like Art History?"
Holly's smile slowly grew as Gail spoke. When Gail was done, Holly laughed and shook her head. As Holly went back to looking at Gail she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth which was something Gail tried to ignore.
"Are you hungry?" asked Holly finally.
"What?"
It was so completely off topic.
"Are you hungry?" repeated Holly. "I haven't eaten dinner yet so I was going to head out and go eat somewhere. Do you want to join me? My treat. Since you showed up to the lecture and all."
"Well if you're paying…" Gail could always eat if someone else was paying. "Though I don't see how the two of us could possibly fit on the custom two speed I'm sure you own."
"Well, I'd say we could take your car but freshmen aren't allowed to keep vehicles on campus," said Holly.
Gail shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket and rolled her eyes. Though she was sure Holly already saw the smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Holly headed off down the hallway the opposite way that Gail had entered the building and Gail tailed her while mentally berating herself. It seemed that Holly was more than capable of keeping up with Gail's smartass remarks. Normally people would already be done with Gail's comments and they would just write her off as a bitch. But, so far, not Holly.
"What exactly is your major?" asked Gail as she caught up with the stride of Holly's long, tone, legs.
"Biology."
"So, no Art History then?"
"Nope."
"Why do you know so much about art 'movements' then?"
"Well my aunt happens to be one of those fake doctors who have a degree in something like Art History," said Holly, copying the way Gail had said it a few moments before. "And I've spent a lot of summers at her house reading books and going to lectures."
Gail just nodded and quietly followed Holly out to the parking lot. They walked up to a fairly new SUV and Gail looked from Holly to the vehicle with her eyebrows raised. Gail hadn't actually been expecting a bike but she also wasn't expecting a car made in the past decade. Holly noticed and she smiled as she pulled keys out of her jacket pocket and hit the button to unlock it.
"Sorry, my two-speed is in the shop," said Holly with a wink. "I hope this doesn't ruin your perception of me. You're still more than welcome to come over and listen to some indie folk music on vinyl if you want."
"Ha ha," said Gail dryly. For once Gail actually couldn't think of a smartass retort. She just straight out got called out in her teasing.
They made their way to a small diner a bit away from campus and headed inside. It was empty since it was just out of a reasonable walking distance for lazy college students. Gail appreciated it; she hated crowded places. An older woman with a very warm smile greeted them and let them seat themselves while she grabbed them some menus. After they got situated in a booth in the corner the server made her way over with some water and the menus and introduced herself as Mary.
"Just let me know whenever you ladies are ready, okay?"
"Yes ma'am. Thank you very much," said Holly.
Gail merely nodded.
"So, what made you choose criminal justice?" asked Holly without looking up from the menu.
Gail thought about her answer while she watched Holly push her glasses back up her nose as she tried to decide what to order. To be honest or not to be honest. That was Gail's current conundrum.
"My mom," said Gail finally.
Holly looked up at her and tilted her head to the side.
"Pretty much everyone in my family is a cop. I really didn't have much of a choice," said Gail as she avoided Holly's eyes and busied herself with her own menu. "A criminal justice degree just made sense."
"Do you want to be a police officer?"
Gail glanced up for a second then shrugged. The way Holly stared at Gail when she was giving her all of her attention made Gail feel like her skin was on fire. And she honestly figured being on fire would at least make her more worthy of the attention.
"Yes," said Gail.
"But you wonder whether or not it's based on your mother's desire or your own," said Holly matter of factly. It was as if she could read Gail's mind and with furrowed brows, Gail looked up at Holly and actually held her gaze.
"Sorry," said Holly suddenly. She shook her head and smiled at Gail apologetically. "My mom's a psychiatrist and sometimes it's just...I kind of end up sounding like one. I'm told that it can be infuriating."
If she were in this situation with any other person Gail would have gotten up and left. She hated being psychoanalyzed. But there was something about Holly that kept Gail's feet planted on the floor. Maybe it was the way she sounded like she actually cared. Maybe it was the way she seemed really embarrassed when she realized what she said. Gail wasn't sure but she did know what it was like to live in the shadow of her parents' career for so long that sometimes it felt like it bled into her own personality.
"Psychiatrist huh? Hairdressing just wasn't cutting it?" Gail tried to play it off like she wasn't just cut to the core by what Holly said and figured a bad pun was the way to go. She wasn't really sure why she cared about comforting Holly but she did. "Must have been fun growing up."
Holly scrunched her face up.
"I don't know if fun's how I'd describe it," said Holly. "I mean, she doesn't analyze everyone she meets. That would be insane. But as her children, my sister and I basically got what amounted to never ending therapy growing up."
Holly pulled a face and changed her tone to what Gail amounted to an imitation of her mother.
"Holly, are you acting out because you feel like your father and I aren't giving you enough individual attention?" Holly let out a small laugh. "I just wanted to know what it was like to be drunk, mom. No need for a couch session. We ended up going to Disney World."
"You got drunk so your mom took you to Disney World?"
"Basically," said Holly with a shrug. "She said we needed the time away to bond as a family."
"I got caught drinking when I was 16," said Gail. "My mom threw me in a cell with an alcoholic who smelled like vomit."
Holly gave Gail a very small warm smile. Gail swallowed and looked down at the rolled silverware she'd started unconsciously fidgeting with.
"Well, next time we go on the annual Stewart Family Adventure you're more than welcome to come bond with my family. We wear matching sweatshirts," said Holly.
"I think I'd rather be in jail with Julius again."
Holly let out one of the most genuine laughs Gail had ever heard in relation to something she said and she couldn't help but smile. She quickly ran her fingers through her hair nervously as a way to try to hide her face but when she looked up and saw that lopsided and knowing grin it told Gail that Holly had caught her. However, Holly didn't say a word about it. She just glanced up at Gail's hand still in the short mess on top of her head and smiled.
"It really did come out nice."
Gail was fairly certain she was actually on fire.
"So, what? Is everyone in your family some kind of doctor?" Gail would be lying if she said she wasn't a little more than intimidated. Sure, Gail's whole entire family were police and her godfather was the chief of police but a whole family of doctors? The idea made her very nervous.
"My dad works at a post office," said Holly.
Gail furrowed her brow.
"Seriously?"
"Yep. Over thirty years." Holly turned and flagged down Mary from over at the counter.
"A mailman who married a psychiatrist?" Gail was skeptical. "Is she a public service psychiatrist?"
"More like $200 an hour."
"Wow." Gail nodded in approval. Though that just honestly made it more intimidating. Gail was thankful that Holly didn't seem offended by her confusion. However, she was most thankful for Mary's arrival which changed the subject to food. Food was always a safe topic for Gail.
They spent the rest of the night talking about their classes instead of family. Gail really enjoyed how much Holly seemed to dislike people just as much as she did and they laughed at each other's stories of stupid classmates. Though Holly laughed much louder than her. At some point Gail realized she'd been smiling again for a while without noticing but instead of shaking it off like she normally would she just let herself enjoy it. In that small diner off campus, for the first time in what felt like a very long time, Gail had legitimate fun with another person. And that nagging voice in the back of her head that kept Gail at arm's length away from everyone she met was drowned out by the infectious joy of the woman sitting across from her who made her feel like her skin was aflame.
