A/N
Hey folks,
Thanks again for all the reviews and follows! When it comes to Alex and Nicky, for me it's about that line that can be so easily blurred with friends when you're a teenager. You feel everything so strongly, and your emotions just run away from you. Vauseman is end game here, but Nicky does feel incredibly close to Alex, like she's the only one that can help her sometimes. Anyways, let me know what you think of Chapter 3.
Cheers.
Chapter 3
Piper helped Alex to the car while Sally finished talking to Nicky and Carrie. Luckily for Piper she wasn't much shorter than Alex, who was leaning heavily on her. The night air was cold so Piper insisted that Alex put her jacket on before they left the house.
"Sal seems pretty pissed."
Piper opened the car door and helped Alex in. She leaned over the brunette to do up her seatbelt, and all she could smell was perfume and beer mixing with the cool air.
"She's just worried about you Alex, you know that."
Piper sat in the back seat next to Alex while they waited for Sally.
"She's always fucking worried, always. Maybe you can convince her to relax?"
Piper smiled at Alex, "I don't think I have any chance of achieving that."
Piper was relieved when Alex laughed and rest her head against her shoulder, it felt nice. They both sat there, quietly enjoying each others company while they waited for Sally to come back to the car. Another ten minutes passed before Sally reappeared. She was about to get into the passenger seat when she noticed Alex was asleep on Piper's shoulder in the back. Piper reached into her pocket and gave Sally the car keys.
"She fell asleep while we were waiting, whatever he put in her drink has totally drained her. I don't wanna wake her up."
Sally nodded and took the keys, driving them back to the apartment.
Once they were nearly back at the apartment block, Piper finally worked up the courage to speak, "Are you okay Sally?"
There was silence for a few moments, "I don't know… That asshole is taking this shit way too far. I'm meant to protect her…"
Piper hated hearing her friend so down, "Look, we need to talk to someone about what happened tonight, the school or even the cops. And you do protect her…"
Sally's eyes were glazed over by this point, she didn't have the ability to think properly any more. All she wanted was to get Alex home, she'd deal with Healy later.
They got home quicker than usual given there was no traffic on the road, and Piper needed to wake Alex up. She leaned in close to the younger girl and quietly spoke into her ear.
"Alex, we're home."
Alex slowly opened her eyes, but she really didn't want to move. Her body felt so heavy, and she couldn't focus on anything. She was still half asleep when she heard Sally's voice.
"You need to see a doctor Lex."
That was enough to jerk Alex awake, she hated doctors and hospitals, and wasn't willing to change her mind about that now.
"No fucking way, I'm fine. I feel better now, I just need to sleep."
"You have no idea if you're fine! You have no idea what he put in your drink!"
"I'm not going Sal!"
Alex immediately felt bad for yelling at her sister, she was only trying to look after her. But there was no way Alex was going to the emergency room or to see any doctor, not unless she absolutely had to. It was all too hard, it always brought back so many bad memories. Alex managed to lean forward and grab Sally's arm before she got out of the car.
"I'm sorry. But I promise that if I start to feel sick, I'll tell you and I'll see a doctor. Just not now, please Sal…"
Alex hated the look on Sally's face, she looked tired and broken. She hated knowing that she was responsible for making her sister feel like that.
"Okay, deal." Sally squeezed Alex's hand before taking a deep breath and stepping out of the car. She walked around to the other side of the car and opened Piper's door, letting the blonde step out. Alex then managed to pull herself out of the car and Sally immediately put an arm around her waist to keep her steady. All three girls made their way back to the apartment, and Alex was nothing but relieved as they walked through the front door.
"Home sweet home." Alex didn't hesitate in throwing her leather jacket to the lounge room floor and lying on the couch.
Sally was hoping to get a few hours of sleep until she noticed it was just after 4am, "Fuck…"
"Everything okay?" Piper had helped Alex to the couch and could see Sally wasn't happy.
"I need to be at work in two hours, fuck!" She had the early shift at Red's Diner every second Sunday, and this Sunday was hers. She worked part time so they had a little extra money, just to make their lives feel a bit more normal.
Alex didn't want Sally to leave, there was too much that had been left unsaid after the last few hours. Even though Alex struggled to express herself in words a lot of the time, she felt like if she could just lie next to Sally for a while, that would be enough.
"Sal just call in sick, say it's my fault."
"No, Red will kill me if I ruin her Sunday sleep in. Besides, I'm too wound up to sleep anyway."
Piper could see the conflict on Sally's face, she clearly didn't want to leave Alex on her own.
"I'll stay here with Alex today, you can take my car to work. Then I'll go home when you get back."
Sally started shaking her head but Piper wouldn't let her say anything, "Seriously, I have nothing to do today, and hanging around reading and watching TV isn't exactly hard work."
Sally walked across the lounge room and gave Piper a big hug, "You're a fucking lifesaver, I owe you one!"
0-0-0-0-0-0
Sally left for work over an hour ago, and Piper had convinced Alex to try and get some sleep. As soon as they got to the bedroom, Alex kicked off her boots and lay on the bed, she was exhausted. Piper was initially afraid to leave her alone, and sat on the edge of the bed to gauge how she was feeling. She sat there and watched the younger girl close her eyes and try to relax, she still looked beautiful. Piper was about to get up and leave the bedroom when she felt Alex reach out and grab her hand, not wanting her to leave.
"I have a really bad headache, can you get me some pain killers?"
"Yeah of course."
Piper went into the bathroom and took the pain killers from where Sally had left them, along with a glass of water. She went back to the bedroom and found Alex sitting up against the wall, a look of pain on her face. She handed Alex the pills and glass of water, watching her to make sure it didn't make her feel sick. Piper could tell the younger girl wasn't feeling good, which just made her hate Sam Healy even more.
"We should go see the Principal tomorrow, Healy can't get away with this, it's insane. He…he could've really hurt you." Piper hated the idea of Alex getting hurt, and tried to push the thought from her mind.
Alex just sighed, "I have no proof, the school doesn't give a shit about me, they'll just say I was on drugs or something. You don't know what it's like." Piper was surprised when she felt Alex reach out and place her hand on top of the blonde's, "But thanks for looking out for me. I'm sure you had better things to do today than babysit me. Sally just overreacts sometimes."
"Don't be ridiculous, I wanted to stay."
Piper was relieved to see Alex smile, and watched the girl lie back down on the bed.
"Stay with me for a bit?"
Piper felt the butterflies gathering in her stomach at the thought of getting that close to Alex. She lay down next to the younger girl, with the small bed forcing their bodies to touch ever so slightly. Then just like that, Alex wrapped an arm around the blonde's waist and closed her eyes. Alex usually avoided sleep as much as she could, anything to avoid dreaming, but she was exhausted and her head was pounding. She couldn't resist the idea of snuggling up to Piper while she slept, even if she did have bad dreams, it was worth the risk.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Alex's exhaustion won out and she managed to fall asleep straight away as she cuddled into Piper. Her body felt so warm, all Alex wanted to do was slip her hand under the blonde's top, but she didn't. The two girls were asleep in the small bed for almost two hours before Alex's phone rang and woke them up, it was Sally.
"Hey Sal." Alex answered the phone feeling groggy, but she was glad to hear her sister's voice.
"Hey, how are you feeling? I've been kinda worried about you." Alex could hear the hesitation in Sally's voice. She had always been a lot more open with her emotions than Alex, but it was still hard for her to think about anything happening to her younger sister.
"I promise I feel better."
"That's a relief, and is Piper still there?"
Alex looked down at the blonde lying next to her, who was trying to go back to sleep, "Yeah she's here, we've just been sleeping."
"I guess everyone's pretty tired after last night. Any dreams?"
Alex smiled at Sally's question, she knew her so well, "No, I was too tired for that, it's been okay."
"You need a good sleep Lex."
They spoke for another few moments before Sally had to go back to work.
"I'm only here for a couple more hours. I told Red what happened and she practically told me to leave early."
Both girls laughed. Alex didn't know Red very well, but she knew Sally liked her, as though the older woman filled a gap that was left when Diane died.
"I'll bring home some leftovers for dinner. Try and get some more sleep okay?"
"I will. I love you Sal."
Alex didn't say those words very often, but in that moment she felt like it was something she needed to do.
"I love you too. Bye."
Alex hung up, lay back down on the bed and looked towards Piper who was still trying to go back to sleep. Alex didn't know what she was doing, she never let her guard down around people she didn't know. Yet in the last week she had completely exposed herself to Piper, it scared her. It also made her realise how little she actually knew about this girl.
She considered waking up the blonde properly, but then she remembered it was because of her that no one got any sleep last night. So she decided her questions could wait, and she rest her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes.
Even though she was still exhausted, her mind wouldn't let her get back to sleep. A few times she got excruciatingly close, but it was either Alex's body or mind that would constantly jerk her awake. Either she'd start dreaming and desperately try to wake up, or her body tensed up to the point that it became almost painful. Alex gave up after another hour of trying to sleep. When she finally let her body wake up properly, she noticed that she her palms hurt and she was covered in sweat. She looked down at her palms and noticed the red marks from where she had subconsciously dug her nails into the skin. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but it still frustrated her so much.
She sighed and pulled back the blanket, which was just enough movement to wake up Piper. She watched on carefully as Piper stretched out her arms and yawned, Alex lay back down next to her and lay an arm across her waist. Sally would be home soon and then Piper would go home. But Alex didn't want her to leave, she couldn't remember the last time someone had been so kind to her, someone she barely knew.
She was about to get up when she heard Piper's tired voice.
"Hey."
Alex turned so she was facing Piper as they both lay down, "Hey…"
Piper looked like she was hesitating, but she finally spoke again, "Before….Before you said I didn't understand what it's like, and you're right, I don't. So tell me, I want to understand."
Alex didn't know what to say, "It's hard…It's my word versus his, and the school will never believe me. Maybe I deserve it, I haven't exactly been a model student. But I've tried to stay out of trouble in the last couple years, I don't want Sal getting dragged into my shit."
"But what about last week when he had you up against the lockers, he left you with a cut and bruises, and people saw it happen. How can they not do anything about that?"
Alex sighed, there was too much to the story, and she didn't have the energy to talk about it.
"There's a lot you don't know Pipes. But yeah, maybe if I went to the Principal last week, Healy would've gotten a talking to, but that's it. They're not gonna suspend him over me, I've caused them a lot of trouble in the past. And let's just say a few of the teachers aren't enamoured with any of their gay students, they get along great with fucking Healy."
The small amount that Alex had revealed just made Piper angry, "That's fucking ridiculous! You can't help who you love."
"Tell me about it."
Alex was starting to feel tired again, and even though she knew Sally would be home soon, she wasn't ready to be alone.
"I'm still pretty tired, will you stay with me while I sleep? I know it sounds fucking pathetic.."
Piper cut Alex off before she could keep going, "Of course I'll stay, and it's not pathetic, especially after what you've been through."
Alex wasn't sure if Piper was talking about Healy or if Sally had told her about Diane, but it didn't matter anyway. Alex closed her eyes and held onto Piper's hand, holding it close to her chest as she tried to go back to sleep.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Sally ended up getting home in the late afternoon and she was ready to collapse. She peeked into the bedroom and saw Alex and Piper both sleeping in the small bed. She also couldn't help but notice that they were holding hands, but she was too tired to worry about that now. She took off her shoes and collapsed on the couch, giving into her exhaustion as soon as her head hit the familiar soft material.
By the time Alex and Piper woke up, Sally had already been asleep for almost an hour. Piper was the first to wake up, and noticed that Alex was still holding her hand against her chest. It felt good, not only to be this close to Alex, but to know that her presence made the younger girl feel better. She knew she had to get home before her mother started bombarding her with phone calls, but she really didn't want to wake up Alex.
In the end she didn't need to wake her up, as the younger girl slowly opened her eyes and tried to adjust to the small amount of light that was spilling into the room. It felt like several moments passed where they just looked at each other, saying nothing. Piper finally broke the silence.
"Did you sleep okay?"
"Yeah, it was nice. Thanks for staying with me."
After a few more moments of staring at each other while they lay in the small bed, they finally decided it was time to get up. Alex led Piper to the front door, but she felt weird saying goodbye to the blonde, even though they'd be seeing each other at school the next day.
"Guess I'll see you tomorrow. And look, thanks again for today, and last night." Alex stood at the front door and had to force herself to look Piper in the face as she spoke, she couldn't remember the last time she'd been so self-conscious.
"Well if it makes you feel better I actually enjoyed hanging out with you today."
Before Alex knew what was happening, Piper leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. It completely threw her, and she immediately felt the heat spread across her face from Piper's touch. It was so soft, and completely addictive. Alex didn't move as she watched Piper disappear down the stairs as Alex closed the apartment door. Would I actually have a chance with this girl? Alex couldn't help but let her mind wander to those thoughts. She'd always been more of the aggressor when it came to girls, but Piper was different, she made Alex feel things that she hadn't felt around any other girls. But Alex was also determined to not fuck up Sally's friendship with Piper, she wanted to control herself, but it definitely wouldn't be easy.
Alex tried to stop thinking about Piper and walked back towards the bedroom and saw Sally still fast asleep on the couch. She decided to let her sister keep sleeping, she definitely needed it. Alex stretched out on the bed and found herself staring off into space. She tried to read a book, but she couldn't focus, all she could think about was Piper.
0-0-0-0-0-0-0
Alex woke Sally up a few hours later and they both went to bed, she could tell how drained her sister was, and she hated it. Alex lay in the bed while Sally got changed.
"Last night scared the shit out of me Alex."
Alex didn't know what to say, she hated the fact that her existence made Sally's life so much more stressful.
"I know, I'm sorry.."
Sally sat on the edge of the bed and looked her sister in the eye, "I don't want your apology Lex, it's not your fault. I just….I don't even know what I'm trying to say, fuck. Mum always knew what to say…"
Alex didn't think she had the energy to talk about Diane. It was so comforting to talk about her mum, but at the same time it just reminded her that she was gone.
"Yeah, she did….But I know what you're trying to say."
Alex was relieved to see her sister smile, "Well good." Sally paused for a moment before she kept talking, she needed to get something off her chest.
"I know I'm not mum, I know I can never replace her. But I'll always look out for you, okay?"
Alex felt the emotion swell inside her chest, she always struggled to process these feelings, "Okay."
"I miss her too Lex. But she taught us how to be strong right? And remember what she always said to us when we were ready to kill each other?"
"Yeah…..You'll never have another sister, so don't be an asshole."
Both girls laughed, remembering the many many times that Diane had to break up their fights when they were younger.
Sally sat next to Alex on the bed and put an arm around her shoulders, "You were such a little asshole when you were small."
Alex laughed and leaned into Sally, it felt so good when they talked about Diane, even if made her sad sometimes. It created this feeling of familiarity, like Alex could almost reach out and touch her.
"Let's get some sleep kid, wake me up if you have any dreams."
Alex just nodded and crawled under the covers. If she had any dreams, she really hoped they were good ones.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Alex initially fought off sleep just like every other night, but she was still exhausted so it didn't last long and she let her mind drift away. She was always worried about having the same bad dream that followed her most nights, but that didn't happen tonight. Tonight was a good dream, taking her back to the good memories she had of Diane.
Alex waited patiently for Diane to pick her up after school, Sally had soccer practice and would be home later in the afternoon. Even though she was 12 years old, Diane still wouldn't let her walk home alone, which Alex hated. While she waited, Alex noticed a girl from her class, Melanie, who always looked perfect, standing on her own too. Alex went over to Melanie and started talking about everything and anything, she couldn't stop herself from talking to this girl.
Another ten minutes passed before Diane arrived, and Alex made her way towards the familiar old car and hopped into the front passenger seat.
"Hey baby, how was school?"
"Yeah, it was okay."
"And I see you were talking to that same girl, what's her name again?"
Alex answered quickly and eagerly, "Melanie."
"I see you talking to her almost every day."
"Yeah, well she's not a jerk like most of the other kids. She's really nice, and smart, and pretty. I like talking to her."
Alex tried to hold back, but she couldn't help herself whenever she spoke about her secret crush.
"Sounds like you like her a lot?"
"I guess so."
Alex was getting uncomfortable with where this was heading, she was still trying to work out things for herself. She was still too scared to talk to her mum about it, even though Diane had questioned her after she'd knocked back a few dates to the last two school dances.
"You know what Alex, everyone falls in love with something different, and it doesn't matter. If you fell in love with Melanie, and Sally fell in love with that new boy in her class that she's obsessed with, it's all okay. Don't ever feel ashamed baby."
Alex didn't say anything, and Diane let the topic drop. But she felt a huge wave of relief wash over her – it didn't matter. No matter who she fell in love with one day, Diane would still love her.
0-0-0-0-0-0
As soon as Piper got back home she tried her best to avoid her mother, but it was pointless. Carol cornered Piper as soon as she walked through the front door.
"Seriously Piper, where on earth have you been all weekend!"
Piper sighed and took a deep breath before answering, "I told you mum, I stayed at a friends place."
"Still, you didn't need to be gone all weekend."
Piper ignored her mother and eyed the two empty wine bottles that sat next to the kitchen sink. She walked into the lounge room and sat next to Cal, who was lost in a comic book.
"The prodigal sister returns."
"Shut-up Cal."
"C'mon Pipes, I can't believe you left me alone with her all weekend."
"Since when are you home on the weekends anyway?"
"Since I got busted with a joint at our great new school."
Piper knew she shouldn't laugh, but she couldn't help it, "Really Cal, one week in and you're already caught with pot."
"Pipes, it's a study aid. But enough about me, tell me about your week. Every day I see you with the same girl. Don't scare off potential replacement friends too early on with your clinginess, save that for later."
Piper reached across the seat and put her hand over Cal's mouth, "Not funny Calvin."
"Well if you wanna talk funny, did you not realise that your new best friend's sister hangs with the power lesbian group at school?"
Piper's ears pricked up as soon as the words left his mouth, "What the hell are you talking about, are you high right now?"
"Of course! But remember, study aid. C'mon Pipes! Your new friend, her sister hangs out with my new local supplier, Nicky."
"It's only been a week! How the hell do you know who to buy drugs from already?"
"It's a friendly economy Pipes, we all help each other out. Anyway, there's a few of them, they all stick to themselves. And your friends sister, my god, they all want her Pipes, but no deal. You could actually have her if you play your cards right. Really drive the last nail through mum's heart."
Cal was in hysterics by this point, "Oh my god! If you're lucky she'll even kick you out! Please Pipes, you have to let me live with you, I can't survive in the ice kingdom on my own."
Both of them were laughing by this point, but it was still a sad reality. Carol probably would kick her out if she ever brought a girl home, but it's not something Piper ever really thought about before. She wouldn't call herself gay, but she couldn't deny that she was attracted to Alex, even if she was Sally's little sister.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Sally had one thing on her mind the next day at school. She had her own plans for Healy, and immediately walked up to him in the school hallway. She grabbed him by the arm and pulled him into an empty classroom, he'd only get one warning. She pushed him up against the wall, taking in his grey button up shirt that looked like it was probably his father's and the smell of his cheap aftershave.
"You stay the fuck away from Alex."
She could see the look on his face, trying to brush it off, "Get out of my face Sally, I really don't give a shit about your sister."
He tried to walk past her but Sally stood her ground. She knew the school would never do anything about him, she learnt that the hard way in the past. So it fell to her to keep him away from Alex.
"You tried to fucking drug her on Saturday night!"
"I think you're imagining things Vause."
"I'm not imagining anything. I fucking mean it Sam, you go near her again.." But he cut her off before she could finish and pushed her back.
"What? What are you gonna do? You can't touch me, and how about you try to control your fucking sister, or have you forgotten that she started this? Tell her to stay the fuck out of my way."
Sally was about to let him walk past her when Carrie appeared in the classroom. She saw Sally pull Healy aside and wanted to make sure everything was okay.
Healy laughed when he saw the other girl, but Carrie looked seriously pissed off. She walked up to Healy, who was still standing against the wall, and pulled a screw driver out of her shirt pocket. She slowly ran the edge of the screw driver up and down his chest, wanting to make sure that he listened to every word she said.
"If you do anything to Alex or Sally, I will fucking gut you."
Healy looked more angry than anything else as Carrie dropped the screw driver on the floor and walked back out into the hallway.