A/N: Sorry it took a while for me to post this, but I do have an explanation. This chapter was supposed to be the second half to Chapter One, but then I realized there was so much more that I wanted to put into it, and that it would take a little time. So once again I must say sorry it took so long but you'll definitely appreciate that I put in extra details once you've read it.
At this very moment you are reading this story's lucky chapter; it's Chapter 2 of "Two". So naturally I wanted to make this extra good (and yes, you may take that as some foreshadowing.)
It's quite a bit longer than the other chapters so far.
I hope you all enjoy it.
Rating: NC17
Two
By: Vitabella
Chapter 2: About A Girl
"I need an easy friend
I do, with an ear to lend
I do think you fit the shoe
I do keep a date with you"
Kurt Cobain
Last chapter:
"Hey, check out 6 o'clock," Carmen husked, nudging her partner in crime. Her dark eyes glazed in desire, focused on someone across the yard. She licked her lips not so unconsciously, her feet frozen in their place. This was going to be one interesting year if morsels like that were available.
Ashley didn't bat an eye. This was probably just another light-haired skank for Carmen to screw with. She didn't doubt that whoever this new girl was, she'd be identical to any given plaything of Santiago's; they'd fuck for a few weeks until Carmen would flip out on New Girl and find another one per usual. But at least she'd stick with her for a while before letting her go.
It was kind of a sad thing for Ashley to think about; even someone as careless with feelings as Carmen was more monogamous than a person like Ashley, who was too terrified to even go near another heart.
Precisely why Davies chose not to think about shit like that.
She sighed. "Carmen, you don't even know where 6 o'clock is."
Santiago didn't take her eyes off her prey. "Says the chick who isn't even looking."
Pfft.
"Fuck off, Carmen, you clit. She's probably not even---"
Wow.
Alright, Santiago had good taste. Nothing to freak out about, it's not like Davies pursued girls at school anyway. This one was smoking, but even if Sophia Bush herself had stumbled into the courtyard that moment looking for Brittany Snow, nobody would be worth merging her double lives for.
Plus, she wasn't really into brunettes.
But Carmen was. Oh, she was. So despite her almost best friend's nonchalance about the fresh meat, Carmen's eyes stayed glued to the new girl.
She couldn't help it. It was like a magnet had been implanted in her eyes, drawing her to some strange substance in this mysterious female. Such a feeling of helplessness would normally be unnerving, but somehow Carmen knew she'd soon have no problem with letting someone else take the reigns.
New Girl had an air of…something, to her, which made her breathtakingly sexy at first glance. Something stood out about her, whether it was the way she carried herself like the world wasn't spinning (her feet seemed to barely grace the ground as she strolled) or the way she grinned at things that no one else could hear.
Santiago felt she knew this girl closely already, just from the way she acted so openly, not afraid in the least of anyone seeing who she really was. (For instance, if a stranger just so happened to be staring at her from afar for several minutes.) That took courage; showing people her very being without a thought about it. Carmen couldn't help but hope she was just as bold in bed.
Santiago, strangely spiritual at times, was envisioning the new girl's aura. It was white - - the rarest aura color of all - - and radiated throughout the air like a force field of hot invisible flames, enveloping the new girl in a strong, silent cloud of life. Vitality, depth, and intelligence. Nice.
Her aura held bands of purple and gold as well. Regality. That's what made her different from the rest. It all made sense now.
New Girl held her head high, her green-tinted aviators not able to hide the intensity of her eyes. They were scanning the crowd of plastics for a face made of flesh, oblivious to dark eyes piercing through the crowd striving to look past her sunglasses.
"Ah, she's a social one…" Carmen muttered. "I can deal with that."
"What are you mumbling about, you queer?"
Ashley was getting impatient with her friend's new fascination.
"Look at her! Fresh Meat. (She gestured with her head.) She's lookin' for somebody to talk to. And her aura's white."
Ashley looked at Carmen incredulously. "Yeah, and her hair is brown. Next!"
Carmen chuckled, running her tongue along her top row of teeth deviously.
"And you're calling me a queer?"
Ashley couldn't help but flinch. Being able to joke with one another was a healthy part of their friendship, yeah, but it was so much easier when the subject matter wasn't touchy like this…
"Seriously, Davies, if I knew you were into chicks I'd have backed off from that Demi girl from last summer, 'cause I thought you had more than friendly feelings for her back then, but now that I know you're a lady-lover for sure - -"
Carmen's tone was getting less trivial, less joking each second.
Ashley froze upon making that realization.
Her breath caught in her throat abruptly; something in Carmen's voice had hit a raw nerve, shoving past Ashley's comfort zone and into dangerous territory.
Davies was genuinely horrified. She could almost feel her dual lives crashing into one another; Ashley helplessly stuck in the middle as they suffocated her in their efforts to join themselves together. This would not work. This could NOT happen.
"It's all right Ash - -"
Oh.
"I honestly think it's really cool - -"
My.
"Not that I'm all that surprised - -"
Fucking.
"Well, hey, we can go to gay clubs with each other now!"
God…
"I mean, not with each other - -"
Ashley could've sworn her heart hadn't been beating before; now it was pulsating with such a force that she felt she'd spontaneously combust if her blood was being shoved through her body any quicker.
But the poisonous sensation of her blood cells rushing out of her heart too soon lasted only for a split second, and Davies found her trademark strength again.
She shrugged in a mark of nonchalance.
"I'm just comfortable with my sexuality, Carmen. I'm allowed to say whether I think a girl is hot or not. And anyway, I said she wasn't, so don't be getting your butchy red panties up in a bunch."
Santiago wasn't buying it. If possible, the smirk on her face grew even larger. A stranger might think she had an episode of Family Guy playing in her brain from the secret smile plastered on her face. She loved these rare moments when she could be more powerful than Davies. A disbelieving look crossed Carmen's features as she slowly opened her mouth to speak.
"Yeah, hon, well you also implied that brunettes ain't your type. Which means you have a type with girls (Ashley stared at her, dumbfounded) - - Which, hate to break it to you, sweetie, but it basically means you're a big ol' homo."
Ashley's blood was running cold; the conniving look on Carmen's face scared her. As Carmen cracked the smile of a jester, Davies felt a torturous tug on her heart, screaming that someone had finally caught her. Someone had finally seen her other side.
Walls came crashing down inside her head; glass flew everywhere, flowerpots broke. Debris encircled the center of her security like a life-threatening dust storm. The vase filled with Christine Davies's ashes flew off the fireplace mantle and smashed into the already trembling ceiling fan. At that moment, Ashley's mind was not a safe place to be.
But Davies was used to working with a dangerous brain, so she shot back, like she and the rest of the school believed she would.
She plastered a disbelieving smirk on her face.
"Who are you to call somebody else gay, Carmen? You're the most famous bisexual on campus. Biased much?"
Carmen sneered. "Defensive much? Whatever, Davies. The fact that I'm bi means that out of anyone here, I've got the most effective gaydar. And considering how I've known you your entire life? Face it, Davies, you're gay."
BOOM!
The fan barreled down, the house fell over, and the earth shattered beneath Ashley's feet.
Davies lowered her voice, rasping almost silently. This wasn't a game anymore. "Just drop it, Santiago." She pleaded with her eyes as much as her statement.
Carmen paused for a moment, pondering.
"Look, Ash, I'm not just saying all this to fuck with you; you know I care about you like crazy. But don't hide yourself from everybody, alright?"
Ashley turned her face away. She wasn't up for anything emotional today. But despite that, and because Carmen knew Ashley better than anyone at that point, she continued.
"It's like this summer you became a different person half the time…And I don't give a shit what you say about it now, but you know I know what was up. Don't even pretend like you don't."
She took a deep breath, attempting to reach out to Ashley with her eyes; trying to convey how and why she felt through an expression - - and to read Ashley the only way she really could - - but Davies would not even give her a look. So she pressed on.
With a sigh, she emitted, "Look, Davies, I'm not saying go and tell the whole school you're a skirt-chaser, but just don't fuckin' lie to yourself."
Ashley's angry gaze met Carmen's finally.
"These other Barbie dolls of yours I couldn't care less about. Because they don't know you. So alright, pretend to be little miss straight girl around them but Ashley?"
Chocolate brown melted into ebony.
"Come on, Ash. Please just don't lie to me."
For a moment, Ashley was silent. What could she say? She wasn't ready for anyone to know, not even Carmen. (It was surprising her enough that an "uncaring badass" type like Santiago would dare to get all lame-shit with her anyway. Didn't Carmen care about her own reputation?)
If she was being honest with herself, Davies could easily say that she'd have no moral problem with keeping her sexuality a secret from her school or work crowd for as long as she lived. But as Ashley realized at that very moment, the world couldn't always have her back like she thought it did before. Not even because of her last name.
Or her ample chest, or the way her nose crinkled when she smiled genuinely; nor the way her voice rasped when she was being honest for once. No matter how gorgeous she was on the outside, the world would not fall to its knees at her manipulations when it came to her little secret.
So finally, Davies caved. Holding her stubborn gaze with Carmen like a professional truth-twister, she rasped quietly,
"I'm not gonna give you a yes or no."
Santiago's eyes smiled, though she knew better than to give her mouth such a privilege at that moment.
"I know."
Ashley sunk back onto the tree, feeling nakedly defeated. Her deep brown eyes drooped, focusing on the way the grass faltered when the wind blew.
"Could we just drop it now, dickhead?"
She cracked a smile. Calling Carmen names that had anything to do with male genitalia always cheered her up for some reason. It might've been how it always shut her up.
"Your lover caught you staring earlier, by the way."
Carmen perked up immediately, snapping her head up once again at the mysterious, dark-haired dame her eyes had been neglecting for the last few minutes. New Girl was approaching, and getting closer by the second.
Upon contact with jade daggers - - eyes so intensely olive they were painful to focus on - - Carmen felt as if her own orbs were the enemies of green thunder. She was unsure of whether to flee from the intensity by turning away, or shoot an equally flirtatious gaze back. Settling on the latter, she began to work her own black magic.
Or, attempted to.
It was a little hard when the beauty was so…close.
For a split second, all Carmen knew was the shock of powerful green eyes electrocuting her own, and the enticing scent of vanilla and apples, begging her to melt into the arms of a stranger. Pleading into her eyes, "Fuck! I want you, now" in the most tantalizing, fulfilling eyesex Carmen had ever participated in. The mental masturbation was in full force on both sides of eyes, quickly bringing Santiago to her imaginary mind-blowing climax - -
And then she was gone.
Mouth agape, she turned her attention to a smirking Ashley. Carmen couldn't even muster a glare; she was too caught up in the not-so-distant memory of green flooding her vision. With a dazed look, she smiled to herself. That was…
"Not bad for a new girl." Ashley mused, grinning.
Santiago was thinking more on the lines of "amazing", but that would do.
"No, but seriously, I have to give her credit on that. You can tell she's not even from Los Angeles," Davies continued, genuinely amused. "Maybe San Fran? Manhattan? Shit, I don't know. But she's definitely dealt with girls before." (Ashley was noticeably relieved; talking about Carmen's gayness, or whatever, was so much easier than discussing her own.)
Carmen looked sheepish for a moment. "Ash, what just happened?"
Davies patted her mock-sympathetically on the shoulder.
"Well, it seems like Santiago's pretty sprung to me"
A joker's grin found its way to Ashley's face, nose crinkle and all, and she tried desperately to not erupt in laughter. Oh, this was a cute moment in little Carmen's life. She was falling in love!
Jesus Christ, what the fuck was she thinking…
"I'm not even kidding." Carmen admitted. "I have literally…no idea what just went on a second ago."
Ashley rolled her eyes. "Alright, well, in all seriousness, Fresh-Meat walked right by you and looked at you for like half a second, which pretty much turned you into a big lesbian puddle."
"…Where is she now?"
"Uh, getting her schedule, why?"
Carmen's face twisted into a perverted grin, and it barely took a second to register with Ashley.
She rolled her eyes again, slapping her almost-best friend on the ass.
"Well, go get her, Cinder-Ellen!"
Ashley watched Carmen flounce away with the most sickening smile on her face. Oh, love…and what it does to those who don't expect it.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Rushing inside the school, Carmen scanned the premises for her prey. Apparently the gym - - where Santiago stood - - was where juniors received their new schedules. Considering that she was a junior as well and would be needing her schedule anyway, this was the perfect excuse for a conversation.
Upon noticing her target standing impatiently at a table, Carmen forced her face to calm down. She couldn't just walk up there, goofy-grinned and awkward, and woo a stranger; ("Hey there! Intercourse, anyone?") Not even Santiago was that smooth.
So for once, Carmen allowed herself to be vulnerable. She let fate take control of her body as she allowed her stubborn mind to rest. Strolling up to the table marked with the initial of her last name, her actions with the new girl were to go entirely unplanned (although she hoped to God that they involved something along the lines of eyesex.)
"Alexandra Ethan."
Or, you know, real sex.
New Girl's voice was soft and light; not quite what Carmen had expected from the way she carried herself so confidently. But it was a beautifully shocking surprise.
Carmen looked up from the line she was in and glanced over to where New Girl was being handed her schedule. She looked even more interesting up close.
Wait a minute: Alexandra Ethan…That was her name. Carmen couldn't think of one more fitting for the stranger. Might've been because she was too distracted by said girl's chest, but who's to know.
"Name, please?"
Carmen's eyes met an anxious pair immediately. Ah, fuck it; it was just the counselor, trying to find her schedule.
"Carmen Santiago." She stated smoothly.
The woman stared at her, bored out of her mind as she handed her the schedule.
"Have fun at as a junior…" She recited in the least excited tone Carmen had ever heard.
Normally, Santiago would have found this sight amusing. She would've grinned stupidly, rolling her eyes at the lack of enthusiasm in America's education system - - although, who's really to blame, the staff or the students? She couldn't decide, but as an adolescent it was always easier to blame authority, so she stuck to her stereotype gladly. She might have even made fun of the unenthusiastic staff-member to her face, laughing loudly and boisterously, if someone hadn't already beaten her to it.
But the giggle lighting the air on fire now wasn't exactly loud and boisterous, or even laughing at the staff-lady. It was soft, sweet, and kind, and somehow familiar to Santiago in a way she could not recognize until she lifted her eyes to pools of green.
"Carmen Santiago," she heard that same voice say while she was lost inside those eyes. How she wished everyone could say her name like that.
Carmen found herself beaming uncontrollably.
"Yeah. That's me." She hesitated for a moment, taking in the sight before her.
"You actually said it correctly." She paused. "For some reason I'm not surprised."
Alexandra's face molded into a flawed, but brilliant smile. She had dimples like a baby doll.
"Oh, you aren't?" Her smile grew bigger. "Well, I'm not exactly the most American person here."
Carmen almost threw her fists up to Zeus. She laughed.
"Couldn't be happier to hear it."
They stared at one another sweetly, each openly checking the other out. Their styles of dressing were similar: they incorporated elements of high fashion, bohemian, and "scene" into their wardrobes. If worse came to worst, they could at least nab some of the other's clothing before they moved on to other girls.
Assuming they ever became a couple (or whatever) to begin with.
Carmen broke the comfortable silence. "So, you're Alexandra Ethan."
Ms. Ethan almost blushed, but wouldn't allow herself.
"Alex, actually." She bit her lip, unabashedly looking Santiago up and down, mercilessly interrogating each curve with her eyes. "It's nice to meet you finally."
A deep crimson spread across Carmen's face; she was not one to fear blushing, unlike Ms. Ethan. Carmen laughed loudly, almost embarrassed. "Hey, subtlety is what makes certain things special, isn't it?"
Alex grinned. "I wasn't worried about being too subtle with you, it didn't seem like it was the way you went about things."
Oh, yeah. She had openly stared at her for several minutes.
"It's not the way I go about things." Carmen clarified, half-joking, but hoping Alex was smart enough to know she wasn't.
"Then you and I are going to get along just fine, aren't we."
Oh, they were. Carmen would make sure of it.
Next chapter:
Who said Ashley Davies had nothing in common with blonde hair and blue eyes?