Chapter 4:

Rosie and Carter took turns glaring at one another from opposite sides of the hallway. They were both pretty banged up, but it was nothing serious. They only had a few bruises and Rosie received a fat lip. "This is your fault." Carter finally announced with her arms crossed.

"How is this my fault?" she snapped, as she spoke through the ice pack. "You're the one who attacked me."

"You're the one who provoked me!" she said in disbelief.

"You hit me."

"Girls!" The councilor screamed through the door before she flung it open. "Your parents should be here soon, so I suggest you act presentable."

The two girls nodded and turned away as Miss McCullen retreated back into her office. "Dad." Carter bounced up off her chair and greeted her father.

"Carter…" he said, sternly. "You're getting into fights again?" He looked over at Rosie to see Carter's latest work.

"Dad, she…"

"I don't want to hear it, Carter." He looked over at Rosie again. "I'm sorry for the trouble." Rosie put her head down and nodded. Carter looked back at Rosie who kept her head down and swung her feet back and forth.

oOoOo

"So, what happened?" Joe asked.

Carter continued to look out the window. "I really don't want to talk about it." She huffed out, but felt her father giving her a glare. "She called me Freak Show and I lost it, okay?" she bit the tip of her index fingers nail.

"Carter, if you want to dress how you want, you have to be prepared for what comes with it."

"I know, Dad. I know." Carter leaned back into her chair.

Joe paused. "You're a good kid, you just have a temper." He paused again. "You get that from your mother, you know?" Carter smile. Just another similarity, and she was proud of it.

oOoOo

"Okay, girls." Miss McCullen began. "I want Carter to begin, and tell Rosie how you feel."

"I feel…"

"Take your hand off your mouth and look at who you're speaking to."

Carter reluctantly sat up straight and huffed. "I feel you're a bitch."

"None of that here!"

"Fine. I feel that you… can sometimes be… not nice…"

Rosie laughed and looked away. "Rosie!" Quickly, Rosie stopped her laughter and looked back at an angry Carter. "You girls are stuck here until you two can resolve your differences."

oOoOo

"Since Rosie and Carter must be paired up, two boys must be paired up as well." All the boys in the class groaned. "Now, now. It's just a project!" Carter continued to pick at her nails. "Now, everyone choose a partner and the last two boys remaining will be paired up, and you must sit with your partners." Once everyone was paired up, they sat next to their partners, all but Rosie and Carter. "When I say to sit with your partner, that's what you do!"

"I'm not getting up."

"Neither am I." Carter huffed.

"Girls, just sit next to each other!" Reluctantly, they both stood and took the two empty seats that were in the back of the room. They both glared at one another before looking back down at their desks. "I'm going to put a piece of paper on your desks. It will say a job or career and your salary. You and your partner must work through a new problem each week for two months. You will be graded on how well you and your spouse get along…." He glanced over at the two girls. "how well you tend to your house and how well you manage your money. The second piece of paper will tell you your monthly mortgage, and the third will tell you the problem that each individual couple must work through."

Carter and Rosie flipped over their papers. "Receptionist. $32,000" Carter rolled her eyes.

"Physical Therapist. $70,000" Rosie crossed her legs and smirked. "Looks like I control the money." Carter looked over and sucked her teeth. "Week 1 challenge, pregnancy?" They both looked at each other. "I'm not carrying it."

oOoOo

"I am not failing this project all because we can't stand being in the same room. Here's my e-mail, send me your solution."

"This is such bullshit." Carter mumbled as she walked away.

Out of nowhere, Rosie's friends popped out of the classroom. "I can't believe you're paired up with that Freak Show." She flipped her hair. "She should have gotten expelled for fighting. You're the class president. You should be like, like untouchable."

"She's such a fuckin' weirdo." Another girl stated.

"And I can't believe you have to be a dyke with her." Angelica chimed in.

Rosie quickly swung around and slammed her purse against the door frame. Everyone in the hall jumped from the sound of her glass perfume bottle breaking in her purse. "Drop it!" she spat before she marched off to her car.

"What crawled up her ass?"

oOoOo

Mason94: I think I should have the baby.

RFiore490: Why?

Mason94: I make less money. If I go on maternity leave, you'd still be making your money and that's enough for the mortgage and to pay for basically everything else if we tap into our $5,000 savings.

RFiore490: You did the math already?

Mason94: Yeah. I'll just send it to you. I'll just take a picture of the info.

RFiore490: I just want to make sure the math is accurate.

Mason94: Yeah, I know.

RFiore490: Well, is that it?

Mason94: I suppose.

RFiore490: Well, I'll see you in counseling tomorrow.

Mason94: Yeah. – Mason94 has signed off 9:47 p.m.

RFiore490: Good night - RFiore490 has signed off 9:50 p.m.

oOoOo

"Look," Jaqulyn pointed down the hall. "Princess is on the wrong side of the halls."

"Carter," Rosie called out, clicking her heels against the hard school floor.

Carter's friends surround her and formed some sort of blockade. "What do you want, Hooker Barbie?" One of them spat.

"Don't worry." Rosie rolled her eyes. "I come in peace." She looked back over to Carter who pushed her way through to the front of her group. "I'm really not looking forward to going to therapy. Let's just play nice so we don't have to go anymore."

"Fine. I hate eating lunch in her office anyway…" Carter trailed. "It smells like ass in there."

Rosie chuckled and quickly went back to being serious. "Just meet up with me on the second floor before we go into her office, okay?"

"Yeah. Sure."

"Okay." Rosie gulped. "I'll see you before sixth." Carter nodded and Rosie turned her heel and walked off.

One of her friends shook her head. "Fake bitch."

OoOoO

"Hey."

Rosie turned to see Carter. "Hi." She walked towards Carter. "Okay, with whatever I do, just go with it."

"What are we going to do?"

"You're going to hand me your cuff." She said, pointing to her black leather bracelet.

Carter raised an eyebrow. "For what?"

Rosie cleared her throat. "We're going to act like a couple."

Carter took a step back. "What?"

"We're going to act like we're together, and to sell it, I'm going to wear something of yours and you're going to wear something of mine."

"You're crazy." Carter said, half in disbelief and half intrigued.

"A little bit, but I really hate the idea of mediation in a crap-tastic office when I could be with my friends."

Carter and Rosie exchanged their accessories and put it on. "Okay, let's go." She sighed, hoping the plan would work.

Rosie grabbed Carter's hand and laced them together. They approached the door and knocked.

"Hello…" Miss McCullen opened the door. "Girls?"

"Hi," Rosie replied with a huge smile and pulled Carter into the room and onto the couch. They both sat side by side and practically on top of each other.

"You girls seem to be…" she cleared her throat nervously. "getting along."

Rosie looked at Carter and smiled. "Oh, definitely." She gave Carter a quick kiss on the cheek, which completely caught her off guard. "Once I spent a little time with her, I realized how amazing she really is." She said, dazed. Carter smiled nervously.

Miss McCullen seemed to be taken completely off guard. "W-well, girls," she stammered. "I think you've made a huge break through and you two should get to lunch… immediately." She rushed.

Carter went to stand but was intercepted by Rosie. "But, Carter and I want to spend more time with one another." She stated and wrapped her arms around Carter's neck. "No one knows that we're dating, and if anyone even finds out that I'm a lesbian," Carter shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know what I'd do." Rosie began to play with the leather cuff.

"Well, you're both secret safe with me, now you two head off to lunch."

Carter made another attempt to leave. "Would we be able to stay in your office?" Rosie pleaded.

Miss McCullen rushed to the door. "Your therapy is done, girls. G-get to lunch."

Rosie gave Carter the sad puppy dog look and reluctantly stood up. "Okay." She said with her head down. "And thank you for bringing me and Carter together." She smiled and cupped Carter's face. Carter's eyes widened at first, then softened when she realized Rosie's lips were aiming for just below her chin. "We'll see you tomorrow, Miss McCullen" Rosie said as her and Carter walked out of the room with their fingers laced.

"No need." She rushed, slamming the door behind them.

Carter looked at Rosie and they both wanted to burst out into a fit of laughter, but Rosie kept her hand over her mouth as they went down the first stairwell they could turn into. Once they were one flight down, they set off in to a fit of hysterics. Carter was on the floor but trying to hold herself up, and Rosie was holding her stomach, trying to stop her insides from bursting.

When they finally calmed down, they were finally able to speak. "I almost died when you said thank you for bringing us together" she let out a short laugh. "Did you see the look on her face?" She nodded, and began to laugh again. "She looked completely mortified."

"Her? What about you?" Carter raised an eyebrow. "When I leaned in for a kiss, you almost hit the floor." Rosie brushed the hair out of her eyes. "You'd totally loose at gay chicken." She laughed.

"Well, I didn't expect you to… what's gay chicken?"

Rosie walked towards her and wrapped her arms around her neck. "It's when you and someone of the same sex pretend to kiss. You lean closer and closer," Rosie began to mimic the game. "until someone pulls away."

Rosie's lips were dangerously close to hers. She was able to smell her strawberry lip gloss, and feel her breath on her chin. "So what if no one pulls away?" she asked, with new knowledge of the game, she pulled Rosie's hips into hers.

Rosie gulped and searched Carter's eyes for some sort of doubt. "Well, in regular chicken, if both of the cars don't turn out, they crash together just the same with t-this." She breathed heavily and felt her lips graze one of her lip rings. Between them, there was a long pause. Rosie let out a low gasp and pulled away. "I-I guess you won." She looked down. "I-I'll see you at l-lunch." She stammered and ran down the stairs as fast as her heels allowed her to go.

Carter stood alone in the stairwell, confused.

A/N: Any thoughts/ideas? I 3 reviews