Erica stared at the skimpy garments laid out on her bed.

The lingerie was of high quality and obviously expensive, and she felt a bit foolish standing there in her white granny panties and matching cotton bra. Shaky fingers picked up the satin panties. Sure enough, when held up to the light, they were see-through. The blonde's eyes widened.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. She chanced a look down at her legs; shapely and long with a hint of tan to them thanks to her natural olive skin tone, but also unshaved. Erica grimaced at that. She briefly entertained the thought of hopping in the shower. Just for a few minutes to shave them…but where was she supposed to shave to? Her mom said only strippers shaved above the knee… plus what about her pubic hair? Did Gloria expect her to be completely shaved? Did she expect her to go that far? Did she expect sex?

Erica didn't know the first thing about lesbian sex. Most of, okay all, her experience came from the internet, and she hadn't really trailed too far into that corner of the 'net. A lot of it had seemed…aggressive. Not to mention painful, if the fingernails in those videos were anything to go by. The blonde swallowed and shook the idea from her head.

Gloria was a bit…rough around the edges, but she wouldn't force Erica into anything she wasn't comfortable with. At least, the blonde was fairly sure she wouldn't. A frown pulled at the young teen's lips as she thought back to the kitchen, to the brunette's nervous gaze and pink cheeks and realized that Gloria might not be expecting anything. She might not even be gay. She might just have been trying to make friends- albeit in an incredibly awkward and suggestive way.

Still worrying at her bottom lip, she set the undies back on the bed. The word gay stuck out in Erica's mind as she reached behind her to unclasp her bra. She had remembered the kids in school gossiping about which girls were gay. Which ones played for the softball team and munched carpet. About how butch they were and how you couldn't be friends with a girl who was gay because they'd fall in love with you. The blonde frowned and picked up the bra.

There was nothing butch about Gloria. Erica blushed at the thought of her tight clothes and lipstick, of her dimpled cheeks and how she always tried to hide her smile. Adjusting the straps, the blonde shifted from foot to foot. Gloria wasn't gay and if she was, she didn't act like it- whatever that meant.

That made Erica pause. She was the one attracted to another girl- she was the one fantasizing about seeing Gloria half naked, but Erica didn't feel any different. She didn't feel like she was suddenly more masculine or any less of a woman, well, girl, for liking Gloria. She didn't feel like anything in her had changed- just like another piece of the puzzle had been put into place. She'd had crushes on boys before, lots of them, but it was her first time feeling anything other than fear for another girl.

Sliding the bra on, Erica noted it was a bit tight, but not terribly. It also made her breasts look freaking fantastic. With an ill suppressed smile, she ran her fingers over the cups of the bra, enjoying the sleek feel of the satin. The underwire made them more defined and well, higher, but didn't pinch like her mother had warned her. It made her feel a bit giddy and that giddiness turned to arousal when she remembered that it belonged to Gloria.

That it had held her breasts, that she had worn it before her and liked how she looked in it enough that it made the aloof girl feel sexy. That she looked hot in them and that Gloria thought she, Erica Reyes, the school spaz, had a nice body- a body that she had noticed.

The fact that somebody noticed her made Erica grin. Usually if someone looked twice at her it was because she was making a fool of herself, but after the previous night the blonde didn't feel like Gloria was judging her. At least, not for that stupid Youtube video.

As she stepped out of her cotton panties, she thought over what the older girl had said. About being better than the people who mocked her. It didn't seem possible, but Gloria seemed to think she was. Maybe had just said it to shut Erica up, but it didn't feel like it. Not anymore, anyway. The brunette wasn't the ice queen she pretended to be- that much was becoming obvious to the younger blonde.

Erica slid the satin underwear up her legs. The material was smooth against her slit and she shuddered slightly at the feeling. Her fingers slipped over the top of her mound and Erica felt her stomach flutter knowing that the material touching her had clung to the same intimate place on Gloria. Swallowing her nerves and fighting her blush, the blonde shook her head. She pulled her hand away and did her best to ignore the tingle between her legs.

The young woman walked over to the mirror in the corner of her room. She typically kept it covered, used it more as a coat rack then a mirror, but she wanted to see how she looked. A slightly quivering hand yanked a grey sweatshirt from it.

The first thing Erica noticed was the flaws in her skin. She scowled at them, at the inconsistencies and redness. Then she noticed how wild and mangy her hair looked, frizzy and blonde. The girl smoothed it down with a frown. It didn't cooperate, but then it never did. Slowly her self-esteem began to dwindle as she began to fuss over her hair, over the bags under her eyes and how her stomach wasn't perfectly flat. Sighing, her brown eyes flickered over the bra -too tight- and the panties –too loose- and she bit her lip. The girl looked as awkward as she felt and with a hint of frustration she grabbed the sweatshirt and pulled it on, covering her offensive body from her sight.

Downstairs, Gloria was very seriously considering sticking her head in the oven. She vaguely wondered if it would kill her, but she was fairly certain it was electric and thus not a proper means of suicide. The brunette glared at it through her fingers. Her blush had only grown since Erica left the room and frankly, it was beginning to piss her off a bit. With a huff, she hopped off the counter she was sitting on. Gloria still wasn't sure just why she had asked Erica to put on her underwear- the girl probably though she was some kind of pushy pervert and complied out of fear.

Then she remembered the mischief in the younger girl's brown eyes, the wickedness in her smile and Gloria swore as her blush grew darker. She didn't feel any of the dread or discomfort Erica did about whatever it was that was happening between them. Mostly Gloria was just surprised it was happening at all. She had expected to go her entire life without ever being attracted to, well, anyone. Her doctor had assured her that it was perfectly normal, that some people simply never had those feelings and there was nothing wrong with that. Her mother had suggested she was a late bloomer, but accepted whatever she decided to identify as and her father was just happy she wasn't getting pregnant anytime soon.

Her apathy towards sex hadn't gone unnoticed at her old school and had even caused her some trouble there. Gloria felt her stomach churn and her chest tighten. She could admit the idea of sex still scared her a bit. Vaguely, she hoped Erica didn't expect anything from her. The brunette clenched her jaw and wondered if she had led Erica on. She liked Erica. She didn't want the younger girl to be mad at her if she…couldn't perform.

Gloria was still in the midst of her own thoughts when Erica crept down the stairs. She eyed the brunette from the doorway of the kitchen, puzzled by her tight posture and nervous expression.

"So," Erica cleared her throat. She had put a baggy sweater on over the other girl's undergarments and a pair of pajama pants. When Gloria's gaze whipped over to her, she didn't miss the disappointment or utter relief in the older girl's gaze at the sight of her. The blonde's stomach turned and she dropped her gaze to the floor. Clearly Gloria thought she was repulsive too. Licking her lips, she rubbed the back of her neck. "What'd you want to do now?"

Gloria frowned at the sight of her. Erica had been cocky and flirty when she'd gone upstairs. She was holding herself differently now; shoulders hunched and expression meek in a way that made Gloria feel a bit sick. She had pushed her- she had made the younger girl uncomfortable and she felt like shit for it. The last thing she ever wanted to do was make Erica uncomfortable.

Shaking off her disgust, Gloria offered, "I brought some movies." She forced a grin. "None of which are PG-13, I swear."

Erica returned the expression as best she could, but couldn't shake the image of how relieved Gloria had been from her mind. "That sounds great. Which ones?"

"Carrie. And the sequel, but not the remake." Gloria pointed at her. "I know you have no point of reference, but that movie was absolute shit."

Erica smiled at her attempt at levity and the older girl suppressed a real smile. The blonde could tell by the dimple in her cheek. Relaxing a bit, the younger girl nodded. "Okay, sounds good."

"Awesome, but-"

The pair stiffened at the crash of thunder. The lights flickered overheard, but didn't go out as Jinkens let out an enraged yowl. Gloria sighed at it. The blonde snickered at the older girl's frustration but merely nodded toward the den. "Go on, I'll make some popcorn."

"Cool," The brunette all but chirped, "I'm gonna go kill your fucking cat."

Erica rolled her eyes as Gloria slipped out of the kitchen. She popped a bag of microwavable popcorn in and sighed. The blonde wasn't sure whether or not she should be thankful that Gloria had lost interest in her- assuming she ever had anything akin to attraction toward Erica in the first place. She supposed the older girl could've just been looking to experiment- she was probably straight, Erica reasoned. Probably just trying to be nice and make the school basket case feel a bit better of herself.

She was only there for the project. Erica wasn't stupid or naive enough to think the brunette could ever really like her. She knew Gloria would be gone soon enough and she would be back to being the school loner. Or rather, they would both be back to being the school loners.

The microwave dinged and she threw its contents into a bowl. Sucking in a deep breath, she moved into the den. Gloria had set up the movie and was now sitting on the floor with an ashtray on one leg and Jinkens on the other. Both the girl and the cat looked woefully unimpressed with the situation, but neither moved as Erica entered. They both just looked at her.

"Why doesn't it realize I don't like it?"

Erica shrugged and dropped to the floor beside her. "He doesn't like the storm."

Gloria chuckled, letting her head fall back against the couch as she raised an unlit cigarette to her lips. Talking around it, she joked, "You keep saying that, Blondie. It's gettin' a little old."

Erica forced down a smile at the nickname and looked at the screen.

It was filled with naked women. Just… nothing but naked women. Naked women in the shower. Naked women getting changed. Naked women in towels. Nothing but naked women.

A blush crept up the younger girl's neck and she snuck a peek over at Gloria. The brunette didn't seem particularly bothered by the gratuitous amount of nudity. Erica resisted the urge to sigh, noting that there was no flush on Gloria's cheeks or interest in her eyes at the sight of the women. She was probably straight, the blonde reasoned, a hint of a frown tugging at her lips. Leaning back against the couch, she swallowed down her disappointment.

"So…" The older girl cleared her throat. "How'd they fit?"

Erica blinked. "Huh?"

"The clothes I loaned you." Gloria met the blonde's shocked gaze. A bit embarrassed herself, the brunette barely managed to keep her expression cool and neutral as she let her head fall back on the couch. A bit of her dark hair fell from her pink bandana, framing her cheek as she peered over at the Reyes girl with what she hoped was coming off as curiosity and not eagerness.

"Oh, well, uh…" Erica bit her bottom lip before deciding to bite the bullet. With a shrug, she told her, "The bra's a bit tight and the underwear's a bit big."

Hazel eyes widened. "You're still wearing them?!"

Cheeks painted a painfully flustered red, the blonde began to stammer and sputter. "I- You- but- wasn't I suppose to keep them on?!"

"I'm just surprised." Gloria fought a grin, but the dimple in her left cheek gave away how pleased she was. "I mean, you put your old clothes on so I thought maybe you changed your mind."

"Oh. No, I'm wearing them."

"Okay." The brunette nodded and pointedly looked back at the screen. If she didn't, she'd no doubt rake her eyes over every inch of the blonde's form, imagining what was underneath her frumpy clothes and make the poor girl even more uncomfortable than she already was. "Sorry they didn't fit like I thought they would."

Erica lifted an awkward shoulder. Not wanting to think about how she looked, how disappointed the brunette would be in how Erica looked in Gloria's expensive lingerie, she looked back at the screen. "My body's never been very co-operative."

"Do you mean the epilepsy or the fact that someone else's underwear didn't fit you?" When Erica didn't answer, Gloria continued, "I didn't expect them to fit like a glove or anything, Blondie. I mean, we're similar in size but it's not like we're identical. There's nothing to be self-conscious about. I'm sure if I tried to fit into your panties, they wouldn't fit either. It doesn't mean anything." A wicked smile curved over the brunette's lips. "Well, except that you have bigger tits than me. But there's nothing wrong with that, Reyes."

Erica smirked softly at her. Her brown eyes fell to the older girl's mouth as she raised her cigarette once more to her lips. Biting her bottom one, the blonde shrugged, "Yeah, I guess."

After a moment, Gloria let the smoke from her lungs slip past her teeth. Arching a brow at how intently Erica was watching her, she told her, "I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I mean, if you're uncomfortable, you can change."

"I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

Erica nodded firmly.

Gloria smiled at her. "Okay then."

A/N: No offense intended with Erica's gay panic stereotyping.