A/N: Please don't flame. I'd been planning this from the beginning. NO, the relationship will not continue, and in case I didn't make it clear enough, Cherry is NOT a lesbian. If you think this is OOC and would like an explanation of why I believe it isn't, PM. :) Enjoy!
A few weeks after the midnight adventure, in the beginning of February, Alice bounced into Calculus class practically glowing. Her smile had remained on her face throughout the morning, including her good-natured argument with her mother about clothes again (she had even given in and agreed to wear a dress), and the taunts in the hallway. It never flickered once.
Cherry, so used to seeing Alice slink into class with her head down as if to shield her from the hateful words, was shocked to watch her fly into the room grinning. As soon as Mr. Wilson was absorbed in his lesson, she sent a note, something she hadn't done in weeks.
Why so happy? she wrote. Are you high?
In her good mood, Alice had to laugh out loud. She quickly turned the choking burst of laughter into a particularly noisy cough. Mr. Wilson glared at her even though the cover-up had been quite convincing, as if to blame her for coughing in his class.
No, she replied once she had herself under control and Mr. Wilson resumed his lecture. I talked to Laura last night. It's all arranged, she's coming for spring break!
You know that's a month and a half away, right? Cherry wrote, taking extra care to make sure no one saw her pass this one. Mr. Wilson was extra-attentive today and her parents wouldn't be pleased if she got landed with a detention, and besides, Alice had been right weeks ago. The two of them being friends wasn't a good idea for Cherry's image or her safety.
I know, Alice wrote, sighing happily as she penned the words. We didn't think she was going to get to come out until summer.
Cherry smiled. It was clear her spirits wouldn't be brought down. Congrats. I want to meet her, okay?
The fact that she was on cloud nine made Alice mischievous enough to get sexual and too happy to care whether Cherry was uncomfortable. I don't know; I might not let her out of my bedroom the whole time she's here. But, as soon as she passed the note, she instantly regretted it. Out of the corner of her eye, she studied Cherry carefully, noting the blush that began as she read and grew steadily deeper as she wrote her reply. But she wasn't teasing, Alice could tell from the set of her jaw.
What does it feel like? Cherry had written, hand shaking, before she could stop herself.
IT?!!
The blush only brightened. Well... maybe we shouldn't talk about that here. What does kissing her feel like, then?
Why do you want to know? Alice's mood had improved even more. Cherry was clearly curious, at least to some extent, and the fact that she was asking meant that she was comfortable with the brunette. Also, for the first time, instead of feeling like a circus freak being laughed at by the whole goddamned town, Alice enjoyed being asked. The older girl was being sincere, she could tell.
I don't know. Didn't you wonder what it felt like before you'd tried it? Or what kissing a boy felt like before you'd done that ?
I've never kissed a boy,Alice scrawled. And have no desire to. But fair enough. I guess it just probably feels like kissing a boy only better.
The redhead laughed. And for those of us that are straight?
Alice had to ponder that one. Describing what a kiss felt like was almost as hard as describing what an orgasm felt like. Well... softer? I guess if you're holding her, she's smaller than a boy would be. And more gentle. From what the girls I kissed told me, I was a better kisser than their boyfriends because I didn't shove my tongue in their mouth.
Part impressed, part amused, and part thrillingly scandalized, Cherry wrote, You kissed girls with boyfriends? Multiple girls with boyfriends?
Rolling her eyes, Alice gave a quick explanation of all the girls that had come to her for kissing advice or experimentation. She didn't regret it exactly, but it certainly wasn't something she took great pride in.
It was a few minutes before Cherry wrote back. Alice thought she was digesting the information. A few weeks ago she would have worried about being faced with disapproval, but somehow she didn't think Cherry would mind. That girl seemed to have a crazy like for sexual scandal. She was probably a closeted hippie. So, occupying her mind with these thoughts, Alice waited patiently.
Wow, the older girl finally replied. Are you serious? The note was handed back immediately, with no reply except a nod. She frowned and stared down, twirling her pencil around her slender fingers. Alice could practically see the wheels turning as she considered what to say. And she had a pretty good idea of what it was going to be.
Sure enough, the reply came: And have you considered bringing some of that hippie culture to Tulsa?
Alice grinned. She had been right. Cherry Valance, with her perfect body and red hair, Socy clothes, and occasionally snotty attitude, was as curious as Curious George. Well, I don't know. Do you think there would be an audience?
Cherry's heart was pounding. The truth was, the question had been burning inside her since the day she found out Alice was a lesbian. She wasn't attracted to her – and this time Cherry wasn't lying to herself. She liked Alice as a friend, a friend who just happened to be a girl who just might be able to answer the question. The redhead wasn't even questioning herself- she knew she was as straight as a yardstick. But she just wanted to know what it felt like. And it seemed she would get to find out. I know you have at least an audience of one.
Unable to suppress a smile at this, Alice looked over at her friend and grinned. Cherry's flippant sense of humor was quickly becoming a familiar comfort. She looked at the clock – class was almost over. My house, five o'clock tonight. You can stay for dinner if you want.
As Mr. Wilson wrapped up his lesson, Cherry nodded once to signal that the time worked. The bell rang, and Alice was out of the room before they could exchange a word. Bewildered, the older girl looked back at the paper and unfolded the bottom half in hope of an answer. But there was only one more thing written:
PS: I knew it.
PPS: If you don't want to get your ass whooped by Neanderthals in football jerseys, burn this.
At two minutes to five that night, Cherry pulled into Alice's driveway in her red corvette. She wasn't nervous like she would have been before a date, only excited. The only thing she was anxious about was getting caught. She found herself glancing out the windows before getting out, making sure nobody was around.
Alice answered her knock with a grin. "Hey," she said, looking more confident than Cherry had ever seen her.
"Hi," the Soc replied quietly. It seemed that all of her confidence had stayed behind in the car.
"Don't worry," Alice assured her. "I'm not going to rape you. It's just a little experimentation between friends. And I won't bite, either." Cherry looked up, waiting for the punch line. "Wait..." Alice added, not one to disappoint. "I might actually bite a little bit."
With a laugh, Cherry seemed a little more at ease. "Okay," she sighed, trying to breathe deeply. "I'm ready." The younger girl smiled, took her hand, and led her upstairs. "Umm... Alice? Is your mom..."
"She's at work," interrupted Alice. "We're not going to get caught. I'm very experienced at this, you know."
"Oh, right," Cherry replied.
Once in Alice's room, the older girl's heartbeat seemed to double-time. She glanced around – a large dog slept on the floor among scattered textbooks.
"Cherry, relax," Alice laughed. "It's no big deal. I swear I'm not getting any sort of sick pleasure out of this. I'm not going to look at you any differently afterwards, and I hope you won't look at me differently either."
"No," assured Cherry. "I won't." After a moment of silence, she added, "So how should we... I mean, do you want to sit down, or stand up or what?"
"Doesn't matter to me," said Alice with a shrug.
"Okay... we can stand up." The brunette nodded her agreement and took a step closer. Cherry took one last deep breath before she leaned in.
It was... interesting. Like Alice had said, it felt soft. Cherry followed her lead and embraced the other girl gently. She did feel small. And she was, as far as technique went, a very talented kisser. In some ways, it was more enjoyable than with Bob. Except that it was purely academic. It was what Cherry had expected, but she still felt some relief. A very, very small part of her had been worried that she would enjoy it... a little too much.
Alice was certainly enjoying herself... but rather more distantly than she would have expected. Sure, Cherry was one of the most gorgeous girls she'd ever seen, and her body was insane. She would have thought that having it pressed up against her would have excited her a little more though. And the older girl definitely knew how to use her tongue. The tiniest amount of heat gathered between her legs, which was to be expected considering how long it had been (to a hormone-filled teenager, anyway) since anyone had touched her. But Laura's kisses would have had her weak at the knees and begging by now. Cherry was pretty and an excellent kisser, but Alice was glad to find that there was absolutely no spark.
When the two girls parted for air, Alice waited to see Cherry's reaction. The older girl tilted her head to the side like a puzzled dog. "Huh," she said, looking thoughtful.
"You okay there?" Alice chuckled.
"Yeah," nodded Cherry breathlessly. Her hand found the back of her friend's neck and she brought their lips together again. If there was one thing she had learned in her high school career, it was that making out with anyone of decent kissing skill was inevitably fun. Today she found that she could attach a 'no matter the gender' to the end of the rule. It was fun; she felt dirty, sexy, and sinful. She, Cherry Valance, was kissing a girl.
Alice had to grin for a moment when Cherry seemed so eager for more. Then she concentrated on the kiss with renewed vigor. She wasn't expecting, nor did she want, the experimenting to progress any further, but while she had the chance, she was determined to give the Soc a makeout session she'd never forget. The brunette had always prided herself on her self-proclaimed and widely agreed-upon talents in the lip-locking field.
Finally, Cherry pulled back again. Her eyes were wide and she was just a little flushed. Laughing a little, she sat down on the bed and crossed her legs Indian-style. Taking everything into account, she looked surprisingly businesslike.
"So?" prompted Alice. "What did you think?"
The older girl considered. "It was... well, you were right; it was soft. And you are a good kisser."
"Thank you," interrupted Alice, offering a small bow with a flourish.
"And," continued Cherry, "it was definitely fun. But... I can say with confidence that I'm straight. Even though you're a better kisser than Bob, I didn't get.... you know.... like I would when I was kissing him."
Alice nodded. "I feel the same way. I mean, don't get me wrong; you're great-looking with kissing skills to rival my own, but it's all friendly."
Grinning, Cherry asked, "So you aren't... um... 'hot' at all?"
The sophomore laughed uncomfortably. "Well, first let me say, no, I'm actually not. But I am curious to know... would it bother you if I was?"
About to open her mouth with an immediate "yes," Cherry stopped for a minute to reconsider. Since she had already said she wasn't interested in that way... what was wrong with taking a little physical enjoyment? Wasn't it exactly what Cherry did when she danced with strangers and ended up turned on? One thing was for sure: being friends with a lesbian sure made her think a lot more than she used to.
"Honestly..." she sighed. "Not really. If I already know you aren't interested in that way, and I mean you couldn't help it if you were. Which, by the way, I think you are." The flush in the younger girl's cheeks and how slowly she was breathing, being almost too careful, had not gone unnoticed.
"How observant," replied Alice. "I am," she added in admittance. "But only a little. Come on, you hungry?"
Leading a startled Cherry downstairs with a wink, Alice just laughed and asked if she liked peanut butter sandwiches.
