f(x) = -5x+4 if x -3 OR f(x) = 2x+3 if x -3

So, f of x equals negative five x plus four if x is less than negative three OR f of x equals two x plus 3 if x is greater than negative three… and I really don't give a damn.

Gretchen dropped her pencil down on her notebook and took the opportunity to stretch.

"So class, you can see that if you just take this number and…" the professor's voice faded and turned into white noise. Doing math this early in the morning really is cruel and unusual punishment, she thought. She stifled a yawn as she picked up her pencil and attempted to refocus on the problem at hand.

But who can concentrate on algebra when you have such a more interesting subject to think about?

Before she could stop herself, her mind drifted off to somewhere else entirely; a place that had rolling hills of smooth, tanned skin, and waterfalls of golden blonde hair… with pools of churning blue-green eyes…

She felt a smile creep over her face as she thought about her beautiful roommate. But the smile quickly faded, and she sighed. Unknowingly she started to tap her pencil on the desk in a steady rhythm; it helped to calm her nerves… And thinking about Claire these days always seemed to make her nervous…

Something had been going on with Claire over the past few days… And Gretchen wasn't quite sure what it was. Sometimes the girl is there and then other times she's so distant. Maybe if I-

"Ms. Berg?"

She snapped out of it when Professor Thompson's irritating voice cut into her thoughts. She immediately stopped tapping her pencil as the entire class turned to look at her.

"Do you have the answer?" He asked expectantly, but she could tell by his tone that he knew she didn't.

Heat flooded her cheeks as she answered, "Umm… what is Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation?" The class snickered, and she let out the breath she'd been holding as they all turned back around.

"I didn't think so," he said, giving her a stern look, "Remember finals are coming up, people. Start studying!" Gretchen rolled her eyes before grabbing her books and practically bolting out of the door.

She walked briskly back to the dorms, trying to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other, but her mind kept going back to Claire. Her stomach felt like it was tying itself in knots.

What's been going on with her lately?

It was only four days ago that Gretchen dropped by the Bennet house uninvited… and then she and Claire ended up in her bedroom with locked lips and searching hands for several minutes…

Which was amazing, she thought. Never in her wildest dreams would she have imagined Claire actually returning her feelings. But she did… and they kissed…

But then we went downstairs. Gretchen's stomach dropped at the memory.

They knew they couldn't stay upstairs too long without her parents getting suspicious, so they opted to go downstairs and finish out Thanksgiving with them. Which… was undoubtedly the most uncomfortable meal ever. Claire was in a much better mood when she returned, Noah had noted and the others agreed. Both the girls just smiled in response and did their best to seem inconspicuous… But Gretchen noticed halfway through dessert that Claire wouldn't even dare look at her. It's one thing to act all innocent and stuff… Gretchen thought, her brow furrowing, but why wouldn't she look at me?

I wonder if it had anything to do with her dad, she thought, shuddering slightly. She could only imagine how Mr. Bennet would react if he found out that she and his precious daughter were more than "just roommates". He probably keeps a weapon on his person at all times… just for that very reason, she gulped.

But even if we had an awkward meal with the parents, that doesn't explain why she's acting so strangely now… days later.

She always seemed tense when Gretchen was around... And the few times she actually managed to relax, Gretchen would try to do something simple… such as holding her hand or touching her arm… and then she'd automatically tense up again. Gretchen thought about calling her out on it several times, but the fact was… she was afraid to. What if… What if Claire had changed her mind? What if she decided that Gretchen was just a little bit too out there for her? Or too skittish?

Gretchen had been stupid to leave her side before… What if she still holds that against me? She sighed; the questions bouncing around in her head gave her a headache. I need to talk to her, she thought. I probably won't like to hear what she has to say, but I can't keep fretting over this.

Deep breath in, deep breath out… I just need to find a good time.

She rolled her eyes. When is it ever a good time to ask, "What the fuck is going on with you?"

Mental checklist: books, keys, phone, purse… Am I missing something?

"Hey Claire?"

She stopped patting herself down and turned to the hesitant voice that called out to her. She recognized the letterman's jacket and the lopsided grin… He was in one of her classes. Mmm… Todd? Or was it Tad?

"Heeey… you." She grinned and kept walking, inviting him to walk with her, "What's up?"

"Well I don't know if you heard, but we're having a mixer at the Beta house tonight," he said, throwing her a smile, "And you are definitely invited… You can bring your friend, too, if you want. It's gonna be awesome." He hooked an arm around her shoulders playfully, "You think you'll be able to make it?"

"Umm… well, I'll talk to my roommate and we'll see," she gave him a small, uncomfortable smile. The weight of his arm pushing down on her shoulders made it slightly awkward to walk.

"Alright, sounds good." He flashed her his all American smile, and started to pull away, "I hope I see you tonight." His arm lingered a little too long as he pulled away. Claire finally cut a sharp corner, shrugging out from under him, "Okay, see ya!" She could still feel his eyes roaming over her as she walked away. Guys, she thought, disgusting.

Once upon a time she would have been floored by a smile like that, but this time was different. Although she definitely didn't think of herself as a lesbian, ever since Gretchen had entered into her life she hadn't really looked at guys the same way.

Gretchen.

The thought of her roommate made her heart flutter. Her focus blurred as she pictured that long, wavy brown hair, and those beautiful hazel eyes. Slowing to a stop in front of her dorm room, she wondered what it would feel like to lay curled up in those arms. She shook the thought away as she hurriedly unlocked her door and stepped inside.

What is that smell?

Sniffing herself she realized that the musky cologne jock strap was wearing had clung to her shirt. Bleh, she thought, and immediately reached to pull the shirt off… but the task wasn't as easy as she thought.

Oh, come on.

She'd forgotten the shirt was getting a little too tight on her and now it was stuck… half on, half off. She started stretching in all kinds of weird positions to pull it off, but the sound of the door opening and closing again had her freezing in her steps.

"Umm…" came the slightly amused sounding comment from her roommate. Gretchen let out a small grunt of a chuckle but quickly slapped a hand over her mouth as she tried to hold off a fit of giggles, "…Need some help?"

Claire's cheeks turned red, but she grumbled a soft, "Yes…"

Gretchen burst into laughter. The sight was too hilarious; she couldn't help it. Claire growled at her, "Oh, come on, Gretch," she bounced around, "Help me!"

Gretchen cracked up again before dropping her books on her desk and stepping forward. "Alright, alright!," she reached up to grab the fabric of her shirt, still giggling, as Claire squirmed, "Hold still!" Claire froze and Gretchen somehow managed to pull the torture device off of her. Claire took a deep breath and leaned back against her desk; all the jumping around had made her dizzy. Gretchen stood close by, tossing the shirt away. Still chuckling softly to herself, she made the mistake of dropping her gaze…

She couldn't help but notice the soft muscles of Claire's abdomen… and all the curves that came with it… even the ridiculously cute polka dotted bra. She smirked, but her expression grew serious as her breaths quickened, becoming more shallow. She gulped softly, feeling a warmth spread through her. Claire blushed when she realized she was still standing there half naked, and Gretchen noticed the obvious change of coloration in her face.

They both muttered apologies as Gretchen quickly turned around and Claire grabbed for another shirt. Gretchen cleared her throat hoping to dislodge the sudden intense awkwardness that spread over the room. "So, Professor Thompson was being an ass again today."

"Oh yeah?" She said as she pulled her clean smelling shirt on, "You can turn around."

Gretchen peaked to make sure the coast was clear before plopping down onto her bed, facing her roommate. "Yeah, he called me out in class… for daydreaming… again."

Claire chuckled, "What, isn't that like… the fourth time this semester?"

Gretchen gave her a sad smile, "Yeah, that sounds about right."

She laughed again, turning to put the dirty shirt in her laundry basket, "What were you daydreaming about this time?"

Gretchen narrowed her eyes, chewing on her lip before deciding on an appropriate response… to test the waters. She spoke softly, "Do you really have to ask, Claire?"

Claire froze at the question and felt her breath catch in her throat. Instead of just throwing the shirt in the basket, she decided to fold it first. With her back still to Gretchen, "Well hey, I was meaning to ask you… This frat guy invited us to a mixer tonight." She finished folding the shirt and threw it in the basket. Turning around she went to her desk to start pulling books out of her bag. "You think you might be up for it? We haven't really gone out in a while."

Gretchen watched as she pulled one book out in particular and started flipping through the pages… Nice save, she thought dryly. She was somewhat tempted to ask the girl what she was looking for so fervently in her History book, but decided against it. We definitely need to talk… but not now.

She sighed, "Sure… why not?

[sometime later that night]

Gretchen eyed the Beta house warily as they walked up. "They aren't being very subtle, are they?" she asked referring to the low bass vibrations they could feel emanating from the house. The curtains were also wide open and it was clear the place was packed.

Claire's eyes widened, "I guess some universities let this kinda thing slide." She started towards the door, "Let's go in." Gretchen sighed but followed her lead.

Once inside Gretchen was attacked by a slender blonde wearing a very low cut top and an extremely short skirt. "Hey!!!" she stumbled into Gretchen's side, spilling some beer onto her sleeve. "Thompson issuch a jackass, izzn't he?" The girl slurred.

Gretchen relaxed the evil look she'd been giving the girl as she recognized her. "Yeah, he is," she squinted at the sloppy drunk. "It's Melanie, isn't it?" She offered a smile.

Melanie smiled up at her, "Yep." She grabbed onto Gretchen's arm, "You're tall." She giggled to herself.

Claire watched the exchange disgusted. She rolled her eyes before leaning up to Gretchen's ear, "You want something to drink?"

Gretchen glanced over at her and nodded, but suddenly whipped back around and shot her arms out to steady the drunken girl as she stumbled. She glanced back at Claire with a not-so-amused look. "Something strong preferably," she said and gave her a small smile.

Claire gave her a half hearted smile back as she watched her lead the girl to the nearby couch. Feeling a little irritated, Claire turned and pushed her way through the sea of sweaty bodies to fight her way into the kitchen. Once there, she was met by a horde of frat guys… She recognized one in particular as he made his way over to her.

"Claire!" Todd/Tad yelled, "You came!" He rushed over to her and picked her up in a bear hug.

"Whoa there, tiger," she pushed against him, and he set her back down. Drink much? she thought, smelling the liquor on his breath. "Just because I'm small doesn't mean you can man-handle me." She said, straightening out her top. He just laughed.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" he asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Uhh…" she looked over at their arsenal of alcohol, "I'll just get a beer."

He trotted eagerly over to one of the coolers and returned with a brown bottle. "Here, let me get this for ya," he said as he popped the lid. He handed it to her.

She gave him a small smile, "Thanks." Looking around nervously, she glanced back in the direction she came hoping to see Gretchen, but the dancers were blocking her view. She turned back to find Todd/Tad staring at her expectantly. She raised her eyebrows, "Um…," not knowing what to say, she decided to make a break for it, "Okay, I'll see you later."

She turned back to the sea of dancers, but he grabbed her arm and turned her around. "Hey… what, I don't get a dance?"

"Oh uh… yeah, I… don't really dance," she said, "but maybe later?" Hoping that would suffice.

He looked disappointed, but he replied, "Okay, I'll hold you to that."

She gave him a tight smile. "Oookay," she said, knowing in an hour he wouldn't even remember the conversation. She turned around again and headed back to the foyer.

She didn't see Gretchen, though. Looking at the couch, there was no sign of her or Skanky McSlut. She walked into the den area, and saw Gretchen leaned against a wall while the Melanie girl flirted shamelessly with her. Her temper flared up. Why is Gretchen talking to her? She strode over, pushing the drink into Gretchen's hand while glaring at the other blonde, before storming off again.

"Claire, where are you going?" Gretchen called after her. Claire ignored her. She pulled the door open and strode back outside, into the cool air. She just needed a breather. Leaning against the outside wall of the house, she took a deep breath trying to calm herself. After a moment she groaned and shook her head. Maybe I overreacted…

Hearing the door creak open again, she turned to see who was coming out. Gretchen eyes found her and she did not look happy. "What was that about?" she demanded.

Claire squeezed her eyes shut, feeling embarrassed and still a little resentful. "Nothing, can we just go?" She stepped away from the wall and headed towards the street.

"But we just got here?" Gretchen responded, following her.

"Yeah, and now I wanna go," Claire snapped unexpectedly, "Okay?"

Claire's mood swing made Gretchen's blood boil but she kept quiet the rest of the way back to their dorms; not wanting to lose it on her best friend. Once they reached their hallway, Gretchen felt cooled off enough to respond sensibly. I guess now is as good a time as ever to have this talk. She sighed, speaking calmly, "It was your idea to go to that party, you know?"

However, Claire evidently hadn't cooled down yet. "Well, that was before you decided to flirt with another girl right in front of me," she muttered.

"What?!" Gretchen exclaimed. "Claire, it wasn't even like that," she tried to explain, "She may have been flirting with me, but really she was so intoxicated she probably would've flirted with a fucking tree." She continued, "And I was just talking to her… There's a difference."

Claire just dropped her head, avoiding Gretchen's gaze, as she started digging through her purse looking for her keys. She frowned, feeling angry at herself. I don't know why I brought that up… I don't know why I-

"I mean… it's not like it matters anyway," she heard Gretchen mumble. Her head jerked up and she glared up at her.

"It's not like what matters?" Claire shot back at her vehemently.

Gretchen met her gaze dead on. "If Melanie and I were flirting," she said, challenging her.

Claire was enraged. She turned to completely face her friend, "Of course it matters!" What was she talking about? Her mind raced as she tried to get out the words she needed, "I… we…"

"What, Claire?" Gretchen interrupted, getting angry again, "We what?" She gestured her hand between the two of them, "What is this? You know, last Thursday I thought I knew… but then after we left the security of your room you've been a completely different person." She said exasperated. "I try… I try to hold your hand or touch you… or even just talk to you about what happened, and you run away! …How am I supposed to take that?"

Claire was flabbergasted. She opened and closed her mouth several times trying to force something out, but the words never came. Before she got a chance, a man was standing at her side.

"Claire." She jerked at the sound, but relaxed when she saw Renee standing there. "I need to get the two of you out of here. It is very dangerous. Go inside and pack your bags… quickly."

Gretchen groaned and rolled her eyes. Of course, she thought.

Claire shot Gretchen a look that clearly stated 'Not now' before going to unlock the door. "What's going on, Renee?"

"We do not have time now. I will tell you on the way to the safe hou-" he was cut off by a thudding sound. Claire turned around just in time to see Renee fall to the ground.

"Renee!" She fell by his side, shaking him.

Gretchen gasped and felt her heart race. What the…? "What just happened?!" she asked, feeling terror trickle down her spine. But that was the last feeling she had before everything went black.