A/N: Merry Christmas, everyone! And happy holidays!
So, this is the last chapter... for 2016. ;)
I will post next one early January (hopefully...).
Once again, thank you so much siophiefandom for the betareading! (and the awesome edits).
Love you all!
Emily woke up with a start at the sound of her cellphone ringing. The ringtone was distinctly Hanna's, a Beyoncé song that her blonde friend had chosen herself.
Sighing, Emily answered the call. "Hanna! Do I have to remind you that when it's 10 AM on the East coast, it's only 7 on the West coast? And it's Saturday!" she whined.
"Oh come on Fields," Hanna said, her voice perky. "The early mouse catches the worm!"
"That's rich, coming from you," Emily retorted. Hanna was anything but a morning person. "And for the record, it's the bird. Not the mouse," Emiy pointed out.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Quit channeling Hastings, Em. Are you fully awake now? 'Cause I've got great news."
Emily yawned. "Yeah, Han, I am. Thanks to you."
"You're welcome. Soooo, are you ready to hear the best news you've ever heard? For real?"
Emily couldn't help but giggle. Hanna's excitement was infectious. "Okay Hanna, shoot."
"I'm coming over to California!" Hanna yelled into the phone.
"What? When, why?" Emily asked, surprised.
"Long story short, I have a project to do for my final exam. And I need to do something big, you know? 'Cause my grades are, well, just below average for now. At first I really struggled, trying to find a subject, and then, bang! I had the best idea: what if I did something about Queer Fashion in California? More specifically, in San Francisco?"
"Um... is that even a subject?" Emily said with doubt in her tone.
"Emily, gal! Of course it is! And it also means that I have to be, well, on the ground, so to speak. Soooo, are you ready to be my own personal guide into gay San Fran?"
"Hanna, I would be delighted to have you here. But I'm not sure I'm the right person to, um, guide you in... whatever you have in mind. Besides, I have a hectic schedule. Between classes, swim practise and my job at the Café..."
"Emilyyyy," Hanna whined. "Are you saying that you don't have time for me at all? Don't you miss me?"
"Of course I do, Han. I miss you so much. I'm just saying, I won't be available all day, that's all."
"Of course not, Em. Don't worry, I will be as quiet as a mouse. Or is it a bird?"
"Mouse is fine, Hanna," Emily giggled, even though she had serious doubts about Hanna really being able to stay 'quiet'. "When are you coming? Do you need a place to stay?"
"Well, I'm coming next week, if it's okay with you, and yes, I definitely need to find a room. Do you think you could convince your roommate to, well, move out for a few days?"
Emily cringed. "Well, the problem is that Grace and I don't really get along, you know. We barely tolerate each other," she confessed.
"Oh yeah? What's the problem with her again?"
"Oh, basically she's just an uptight, judgemental bitch," Emily said, rolling her eyes. "At least she's not here this weekend. She is visiting her grandmother in Sacramento. But don't worry Han, I'll find you a place. How long are you staying?"
"Oh, I don't know yet, Em, maybe a week or so. I still have to buy my plane ticket. My mom offered to pay for it, but I don't want her to spend too much."
"Of course Hanna. Just call or text me when you have the details. Oh, we're gonna have so much fun!" Emily exclaimed. She had really missed having her friend around.
"Hell yeah!" Hanna agreed. "I can't wait either, Em. And sorry for waking you up."
"You're forgiven. You were right, this is great news. And I have to get up early today, anyway," Emily said.
"Why? Are you working today?"
"No, I..." Emily hesitated, before explaining: "...I'm seeing Paige today."
"Paige?" Hanna asked, grinning. "As in the infamous Paige McCullers? Are you two back together?"
"Hanna, no! Nothing like that. We're just... friends, I guess," Emily said.
"Um, 'friends'. And with or without benefits, Fields?"
"Hanna!" Emily protested.
"Gee Em, I'm just kidding. I know that your story is... complicated."
"Yes. It is. And now that we've declared a truce, we're just trying to... build back our friendship. That's all."
"Okay Em," Hanna said in a mischevious tone. "So tell me, what are you going to do today, you and Paige?"
"Well, she needs someone to monitor her swimming practises," Emily said. "You know, when she was traveling in Europe, she didn't have the opportunity to train properly. She really wants to go back to Stanford next semester, so I want to help her to get back on track," she explained.
"That's great, Em, and so nice of you," Hanna approved. "And by the way, I'd love to see Paige when I'm out there."
"Really?" Emily asked, surprised. Of all her friends, Hanna was the one that had been the angriest at Paige for cheating.
"Of course, Emily. I know I've been hard on her, but..." Hanna sighed, shaking her head slightly. "What she did was wrong, but well, if you've forgiven her, I guess I can do that too," Hanna concluded.
Paige and Emily had agreed to meet at the Frings' house. Paige was still on good terms with Shana Fring, her first girlfriend, who was off studying in New York. She had volunteered her private pool for Paige to use for training. The Frings were a wealthy family who lived in one of Oakland's well-off neighborhoods, far from The McCullerses' house, but close to Carson High School, where Paige and Shana had met as students.
Emily knew the place rather well; during her stay in Oakland, she had been invited, along with the rest of Rosewood High's swim team, to the Frings for a memorable goodbye party. It was the day before they flew back to Pennsylvania, and everyone was excited and nostalgic at the same time.
Emily and Paige didn't leave each other's side that night. They shared numerous kisses, and had even made out in one of the guest rooms, while the rest of the team was goofing around in the pool or in the garden. When Paige and Emily finally joined their teammates outside, they were greeted by catcalls and whistles, mainly orchestrated by Shana herself.
Emily couldn't help blushing as she recalled the memory. It was a beautiful night. And we were so happy, so carefree.
It was odd, Emily thought, to be in the exact same place a year later, given how much things had changed between Paige and her in that year. It was... almost painful, too, she realized, while staring at the Frings' front door. I'm not sure I can do that. Not yet.
The door opened, revealing a grinning Paige, whose smile faltered immediately at Emily's obvious discomfort.
"Hey Em," Paige said. "Are you.. are you okay?" she asked, frowning.
"Yes, I'm just..." Emily muttered, her eyes down.
"Did something happen?" Paige asked, concerned.
"No, it's..." Emily tightened her lips as she fought to keep a lid on the flood of emotions. "Listen Paige, I can't do this," she blurted out.
Paige stared at her, puzzled. "You can't do what?"
"This!" Emily almost yelled. "This. Especially here. At your ex-girlfriend's house, where we... Don't you understand, Paige?"
Paige's eyes widened as realization dawned on her.
"...I see," she said slowly. "I guess this wasn't a good idea after all."
"No, it wasn't!" Emily said vehemently. "Listen Paige, I'm okay with helping you with your training, but just... not here."
Paige dipped her head. "I understand. It's just that... I can't really train in Stanford, not anymore anyway, and it's not as if I'd be allowed to use the pool at Berkeley, right?..."
"I guess not," Emily said in a softer tone. "You're the competition, after all," she said in an attempt to lighten the mood. "I'm sorry, Paige. But I can't..."
"It's okay Emily. I get it. And it was kind of... stupid of me to ask you, I guess," Paige said. "I will find another place to train." Or another training partner.
Her tone was even, but Emily could tell that Paige was hurt.
"Are we good?" the raven-haired girl asked softly.
"Yeah, of course we're good," Paige answered, a little bit too quickly. "Sorry for the inconvenience, Emily."
Emily sighed deeply and shook her head. "It's not..." she began, her frustration increasing. "Listen Paige, I'd better go now."
"Okay," Paige simply said.
"Okay," Emily repeated. "Bye then. I'll call you?" she added in a small voice.
"Yeah," Paige said with a forced smile. But both girls knew that they weren't going to reach out to each other that day.
Paige closed the door and leaned against it, her eyes closed. She let out a deep breath. God McCullers, you're so dense sometimes, she groaned internally. And who said it was gonna be easy?
A week later
"Hanna, how many luggages did you bring exactly?" Emily asked, rolling her eyes at her blonde friend who was smiling innocently at her. "I thought you were staying for a week, not a month," she teased.
They were in the airport at Oakland, near the baggage carousel, and Hanna's pile of bags was getting dangerously higher.
"Come on Em, a girl's gotta be prepared," Hanna said in a cheerfully.
"Prepared for what?" Emily giggled.
"Anything," Hanna said firmly, before bursting into laughter.
Emily beamed at her friend. "I'm so happy to have you here, Han," she said, before hugging her one more time.
"I am too, Em!" an excited Hanna said. "We're gonna have so much fun! I can't wait for you and McCullers to show me Gay San Fran!"
Emily's smile faltered a little, and she took a step back.
"About that," she said. "Well, I'm not sure..."
"You're not sure about what?" Hanna said, frowning. "Don't tell me that you and Paige are fighting again!" she added with a pout.
"No, not at all," Emily corrected. "We're not... fighting. It's just that... Well, for starters, I haven't told her that you were coming out."
"Oh," Hanna said. "And why is that, Fields?"
"Well," an embarrassed Emily said, "the last time Paige and I saw each other, it was a little... awkward," she explained.
Hanna raised a brow. "Awkward how? Was it too hard to deal with the sexual tension? 'Cause in that case, you two should simply get some, it's ea..."
"Hanna!" Emily squealed, her cheeks burning. "Please stop," she pleaded.
"Oh come on Fields. You're such a prude," Hanna retorted.
"I am not," Emily protested. "It's just that... the situation between Paige and me is..."
"Complicated, I know," Hanna said. "It's always complicated when we talk about the Paily situation, as Spencer calls it," she added, rolling her eyes.
"The... Paily situation?" a dumbfounded Emily asked. "And who is 'we', exactly? Are you guys talking about me and Paige behind our backs?"
"Sweetie, we - I mean the gang, Spence, Aria and I - only have your best interests at heart. And yes, we talk about you two. We care about you, you know."
"I know," Emily said.
"You're my best friend, Em," Hanna said. "And Paige is... ugh, I don't know what she is to me anymore, but I do know what she means to you."
Emily dipped her head. "How could you," she whispered. "when I myself don't know anymore..."
She felt Hanna's hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at her blonde friend.
"Are you really sure you don't know, Em?" Hanna asked gently.
Emily sighed and looked away. "Look Han," she said, "There's another suitcase that looks like yours on the carousel! The pink one with all the glitter!"
"Yep," Hanna confirmed with a big grin. "This one's mine too."
Paige woke up at the sound of her cellphone buzzing. She grabbed the offending device and smiled when she saw the name on the screen. Emily. They hadn't spoken to each other since their brief, awkward encounter at the Frings'. But, as always, the raven-haired girl hadn't left Paige's mind, or her dreams for that matter.
"Hi Em," Paige said in a raspy voice, before clearing her throat. "Sorry, I just got up."
"Oh, did I wake you? I didn't mean..." Emily stammered.
"No, it's fine," Paige assured her. She took a look at the time, and added: "wow, it's already nine anyway, I guess I overslept a bit! I usually get up much earlier, but..."
"Yes, I know. You're quite the early bird," Emily answered in a beat. "You were usually the one who woke me up," she said, before biting her bottom lip.
Things were still weird between them. Not tense anymore, but not comfortable yet. Their past relationship was still a delicate topic.
"...Yeah, I remember," Paige said softly, berating herself internally for not knowing what to say.
A silence settled between them, before Emily said: "Listen Paige, I don't have much time. I have class. But... I wanted to ask you something. Are you... are you free today?" she asked with uncertainty in her tone.
Paige felt her heart racing. "Yeah, absolutely. Why, do you want to hang out?" she said, trying not to sound to eager.
"Well, no, unfortunately, I can't. I told you, I have class," Emily answered.
"Oh," Paige said, disappointed. "I see. So, why do you..."
"Listen Paige," Emily cut her off, "I... I have a favor to ask."
"Anything, Emily."
"Don't say that before I tell you," Emily said with a small giggle. "It's a big favor. I need... I need you to chaperone Hanna."
At the other end of the line, Paige frowned. "Hanna? As in your Rosewood friend, Hanna Marin? And...'chaperone'?"
"Yes. That Hanna," Emily answered. "And yes, she definitely needs a... guide."
"But isn't she in New York? And... a guide for what exactly?"
"Well, usually, yes, she's in New York, but well, she's... here for a few days. And she'll tell you all about it, but she's got this project for her school, something about gay fashion in California through the ages..." Emily explained.
"Uh? What?" Paige was bewildered. "I'm not sure that I understand..."
"Neither do I," Emily retorded. "Well, you know Hanna. Anyway, she's here, and she needs someone to... I'm quoting her, to 'introduce her to gay San Fran'," she said, rolling her eyes.
"And... I'm this person?" Paige asked. "I'm not sure that I can..."
Emily sighed. "Listen Paige, forget that I asked. It wasn't a good idea."
"No, no!" Paige protested. "I'll do it, I will, Emily. What I meant was that... well, I'm not sure Hanna is my biggest fan right now."
"Well, she asked about you," Emily said. "She even said she'd love to see you again."
"Uh? Really?" Paige asked, the surprise obvious in her voice. The last time she'd heard from Hanna directly was the summer before, when the blonde girl had sent her an inflammatory email.
"Yeah. I know it's a lot to ask, Paige, but..." Emily said.
"I'll do it," Paige said again.
Paige McCullers was waiting for Hanna Marin at the intersection of Haight and Ashbury streets in San Francisco. Hanna had texted her to meet her there, because, as she had briefly explained, it was "where all started." What 'all' was, in Hanna's mind, Paige didn't know. From what Paige knew, Haight-Ashbury was mostly known as the central place of the famous 'Summer of Love' in 1967. It might have been a queer district during or after the hippie movement, Paige thought, but, these days, there were only tourists there, wandering around and taking pictures of the typical houses and the colorful shops.
Paige sighed and checked the time once again. Hanna was late. Just when she was about to send the blonde girl a text message, Paige heard her name called from the other side of the street. She looked up and saw Hanna waving at her. "McCullers!" Hanna yelled. "Get your ass over here, pronto!"
Paige crossed the street and approached the other girl cautiously. She still didn't know what to expect from Hanna. The blonde girl had taken off her sunglasses and was now staring at her, her big blue eyes more intense than ever.
Paige dipped her head. "Hi, Hanna," she whispered. She was feeling incredibly nervous, and could even feel her hands becoming sweaty.
Hanna tilted her head from side to side and groaned: "Oh come on, McCullers. Seriously."
The next thing Paige knew, Hanna was engulfing her in a bear hug. Paige squeaked and let out a small laugh of relief. "I was afraid you were going to hit me," she confessed.
Hanna released her grip and stared at Paige, her expression stern.
"Well, I thought about that," she said. "It was either a slap, or a hug. Or both."
"Yeah?" Paige said. "Well, I'm glad you went with the hug. Though you're surprinsingly strong, Marin."
"Oh yeah. I'm quite the beast. As you will learn firsthand if you ever hurt Emily again," Hanna said in a firm voice.
Paige nodded and looked down, her feelings of shame returning. "I know. And I understand," she said in a small voice. "But it won't happen anymore, Hanna."
"I hope not," Hanna said. "And, Paige..." she added in a softer tone.
"Yes?"
"I'm really, really sorry about your mom."
Paige nodded again, her throat tight. "Thanks, Hanna," she croaked.
She felt Hanna reaching for her hand and squezzing it briefly, and she smiled at the blonde girl. She's really something, this one, Paige thought.
"So, Paigey!" Hanna resumed in a cheery voice. "Are you ready to be my guide?"
"Um, yes," Paige answered. "But just so you know, I'm not really into fashion."
"I know, Honey," Hanna said, rolling her eyes. "Look at you, with these faded blue-jeans and those old sneakers."
"What's wrong with them?" Paige frowned. "They're comfortable."
"Exactly. That's all they are. But fashion is not about comfort, it's about style," Hanna explained, motioning to her shiny Jimmy Choo high-heel shoes.
"Oh yeah?" Paige snorted. "Well, we'll see if you still say the same thing after a day of pacing up and down the streets of San Francisco. This city's got hills, you know. And not the kind you like, I'm afraid."
A few hours later, much to Paige's amazement, Hanna was still bright and breezy. They had spent the afternoon in Haight Ashbury first, and then in the Castro district.
Paige had prepared a lists of places and points of interest that she thought were relevant to Hanna's assignment, but Hanna had stopped her short as soon as she started explaining about The Castro's turbulent history.
"Wow McCullers, don't go all Wikipedia on me," Hanna had exclaimed. "I have Hastings for that. No, I want to feel the queer vibe of the city. That's why I'm here."
Paige had sighed deeply. "And how exactly are you going to feel it?"
"I have my ways," Hanna said, grinning. "Let's start with a bit of shopping. You're right, I need some new shoes."
And now, a dozen fashion shops and concept stores later, Hanna was dragging an exhausted Paige behind her, along with numerous shopping bags.
"Hanna, please, can we take a break?" Paige whined after they exited another fashion shop on Noe Street.
Hanna rolled her eyes. "And you're supposed to be the athlete. Fine, Paigey. Let's take a break. Do you know a fancy café nearby?"
"Well," Paige said, "Not really, but there's this place where they have really great organic fruit and vegetable juices..."
Hanna made a face. "Organic fruits and vegetables? Now you're beginning to sound like Aria."
She winked at Paige, who was staring at her with a puzzled look on her face. "Oh, come on, McCullers. I was just kidding you. We'll go where you want. You've earned it."
"...So, Paige," Hanna started once they were settled at a table in a quiet corner of the small fruit juice parlor. "Let's talk seriously."
Here we go, Paige thought, sighing internally. She sipped a bit of her pineapple, orange and carrot juice, and peeked at Hanna, who was staring at her with a stern look on her face.
"What do you want to talk about, Hanna?" she asked, even though she thought she knew the answer.
"Well, for a start, how are you doing? I mean, really?" Hanna's tone was gentle, even caring.
The question, though simple, caught Paige off guard. The auburn girl had expected Hanna to confront her about Emily, about what happened between them. But Hanna seemed to be genuinely concerned about her.
"I... I'm okay, I guess," Paige stammered, dipping her head.
Hanna nodded, even though she wasn't convinced by Paige's answer.
"'Okay' is fine. For now," Hanna said simply. "You'll get through this." She patted Paige affectionately on the shoulder, and took a sip of her own fruit juice.
"Hey, it's actually good!" Hanna exclaimed. "Even with that... weird red thing in it."
"Beetroot," Paige said. "It's very good for the skin. Among other things."
"Cool," Hanna said. "Skin is the window to the soul."
"Actually, it's the eyes that... never mind," Paige said with a smirk. She had the feeling that Hanna had said that just to make her smile.
"...You're really something, Hanna Marin," Paige added, earning a giggle from Hanna.
"Well, look who's talking. The infamous Paige McCullers, who just came back from a trip around the world."
"Around Europe," Paige corrected.
"Still. Very impressive. Were you scared?" Hanna asked, keenly interested.
"Scared? No," Paige said, surprised. "No, not at all. I was curious, you know? I wanted to see other places, to... meet other people."
"And did you?"
"Yes, of course. I saw a lot of great places, and I even made some friends."
"Anyone special?" Hanna asked.
"What?"
"Did you make a... special friend?" Hanna said, her tone even.
Paige frowned. "Listen Hanna, if you are fishing for information... why don't you ask me directly?" she asked, her tone now defiant.
Hanna raised her hands in surrender.
"Wow, hold your horses, McCullers. I'm not judging you. A holiday fling would have been totally understandable. After all, it's not as if you and Em are together anymore."
Paige dipped her head. "Yeah..." she said in a soft voice. "Obviously. But just so you know, Hanna, there was no... holiday fling or whatever you call it."
"Okay," Hanna nodded. "That's good. Well, not good, but you know what I mean."
Paige let out a small laugh. "Well, I'm not sure I do. Anyway, I made a real friend while in France. Natalie. We even traveled together for a bit."
"Oh yeah?" Hanna asked. "A French girl then?"
"Yes and no, "Paige said. "Well, I mean, she's half French, half Australian. Actually, she grew up in Sydney with her dad. She was in Paris to visit her mother."
"How did you two meet?"
Paige smiled. "Well, that's rather funny actually. It was at a café in Paris, near Notre-Dame cathedral. She... she saved me from a crancky waiter who was yelling at me because I couldn't understand his French. Natalie basically told him to fuck off. In French, that is. And after that, she bought me coffee and croissants."
"She seems like a nice girl," Hanna said.
"She is," Paige approved. "And she is fluent in both French and English, of course. Though she has this weird Australian accent," she added.
"And you two traveled together for a while?"
"Yeah, we went to Czech Republic, and then to Germany. It was great, you know? - not to have to travel alone anymore," Paige said.
"Well, I'm glad you made a friend," Hanna approved. "You deserve to be happy, you know, Paigey. You're a good person."
Paige stared at the blonde girl with disbelief. "I'm not sure about that... and, well, you said otherwise in that email."
"Oh, yes, about that..." Hanna said sheepishly. "I'm sorry if I went a little overboard and if I called you... names back then."
Paige shrugged. "Well, it was a bit harsh, but I guess I deserved it."
"It's just, Emily is my best friend, you know. And you hurt her so badly," Hanna explained. "When Em called me from that swim camp last summer, she was crying so hard, and..." she stopped when she saw the look of hurt and shame in Paige's eyes. The auburn girl seemed to be fighting tears.
"I know," Paige said in a hoarse voice. "Believe me, I know."
"...Hey," Hanna said after a while. "I'm sorry I brought that up. Let's not talk about it for now, okay? It's nothing that can be fixed," she added in a soft tone.
"I'm not sure about that," Paige sighed.
"Paigey, Paigey, my friend. You need to be more positive. And you definitely need some fun-time."
"Oh yeah? What do you have in mind, Hanna?"
"Well, we're gonna start by buying you some new clothes," Hanna said firmly.
"Are you serious?" Paige exclaimed. "You want to go shopping again?"
"Absolutely. We need to do something about that jacket and those shoes," Hanna said in an animated tone. "And you definitely need a dress for tonight."
"A dress? Tonight? Why?" Paige asked, alarmed.
"Well, girlfriend, we're partying tonight!" Hanna said cheerfully.
"Really? We are? " Paige asked, taken aback. "Wait, who's we, exactly?"
"Duh! You, me and Emily, of course!" Hanna said as she were talking to a five-year-old. "Tell me, what's the best gay club in San Fran, Paigey?"
"Uh... I don't know?" Paige said, her eyes wide.
"Seriously, McCullers! Get a grip! Well, you have till tonight to find out."
Paige stared at Hanna and sighed deeply. I guess she's serious.
"Okay," she said reluctantly. "I'll call Shana. It's the kind of things she would know."
"Yeah, ask your ex-ex-girfriend to find the perfect place to untertain your ex-girfriend. No wonder you're still single, McCullers," Hanna said, rolling her eyes.
A/N: So, let me know what you think... And once again: Merry Christmas, and an early happy New Year! Take care.