Dylan sat on her bed, staring off into space again. No matter what she tried, she couldn't concentrate on anything other than Danielle's cruel prank. It scared her to know that someone else had the power to tell Julie, and that the someone who had the power was a psycho bitch who hurt people for fun. Why does she hate me? Dylan wondered. Katherine insisted it was because she was jealous of her friendship with Julie, but in Dylan's fragile state she didn't know what to believe. After a long time spent wringing her hands, she realized that the only thing she could do now was to tell Julie the truth herself, before Danielle could poison their friendship and twist Dylan's feelings into another sick game.

Hello?

Hi, Julie. It's me. I mean, it's Dylan.

I know, I recognized your voice.

Haha, of course. Um...can I come over?

Of course you can, you don't need to ask.

Okay. I'll be right over......bye.

Bye.

"Mom!" Dylan shouted on her way down the stairs. "I'm going to-"

She stopped abruptly, seeing Katherine on the couch with Adam. They'd very obviously just stopped kissing. Katherine giggled sheepishly, clearing her throat.

"Yes, dear?" said Katherine.

"I'm going to Julie's." said Dylan, giving them a half smile.

"Oh." Katherine said, taken aback. She stood, scuttling away from the couch so she could confer with Dylan without Adam overhearing. "Have you said anything to her?"

"Not yet." said Dylan in a warning tone, uncomfortable discussing it with someone else in the house.

"Okay." Katherine said softly, tucking Dylan's hair behind her ears. "Call me if you guys go out?"

"I will. Bye, mom." Dylan kissed Katherine on the cheek, and waved goodbye to Adam.

"Everything alright?" Adam asked as Katherine returned to him.

"Your lips are moving." Katherine said, climbing right on to his lap. "They should be kissing me."

Dylan let herself in at the Mayer's house, knocking softly as she opened the door.

"I'm upstairs!" Julie called out. She walked down the first couple stairs, leaning over so she could peek through the railing at Dylan. "What's up?"

Dylan did her best to look happy. Julie was smiling so brightly, she just exuded warmth.

Dylan shrugged. "Nothing much. It smells delicious in here."

"I was making cookies. Come up and have some."

Dylan sighed uneasily. Could the girl get any more perfect? Dylan allowed herself a quick daydream on her way up the stairs - she and Julie, feeding each other chocolate-chocolate-chip morsels while they honeymooned on a tropical island...

"You like walnuts right?" asked Julie, interrupting her thoughts.

"Yup." said Dylan, trying not to think dirtier thoughts as she entered her bedroom.

Julie walked to the desk in her bedroom, where a plate of still-warm cookies sat. She'd noticed right away that Dylan was more withdrawn than usual, like she'd been earlier after their manicures.

"Is...everything okay?" Julie asked tentatively. Dylan hadn't told her what Danielle had said to her on the phone but she knew that it had shaken her badly.

As a reflex, Dylan smiled and she almost said yes, but she caught herself. Her smile faded.

"No." she answered, starting down the road to the truth.

Julie's face fell. She hated seeing Dylan this way. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

Dylan felt tears starting to well up in her eyes. How was she supposed to say it? Her nerve was disappearing as she thought of all the different ways she could tell Julie how she felt. All of her scenarios ended with Julie frightened and repulsed.

"I have a friend," she said. "I...I fell for..." she stammered, realizing she couldn't say it. "Danielle found a letter I wrote, it was really personal...I was telling someone I was in love with them in it."

"Is that what her phone call was about this afternoon?" asked Julie.

"Yeah. She was reading the letter to me like she wrote it, word for word."

Julie felt an anger rise up in her on Dylan's behalf.

"That's low, even for Danielle." Julie said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Ugh, when did she get so mean? We used to be friends."

Dylan shrugged. She wanted to kick herself for chickening out, and for being such a cry baby. It was no wonder Julie didn't want her, she must seem like such a timid victim.

"Come here." said Julie softly, reaching out her arms. Dylan crossed over to the bed, sitting beside Julie as Julie put her arms around her for a comforting hug. "I'm so sorry, Dylan."

Dylan didn't let the tears control her, letting only a few fall before resolving to be stronger.

"Can we play teddy bears again?" asked Dylan with an embarassed smile.

"Of course we can." said Julie, happy to do whatever she could to make her feel better. They both laid down on the bed, the same way they had the night Dylan spent in Julie's dorm. Julie put her arm around Dylan's waist, and Dylan felt instantly more relaxed. If she couldn't bring herself to tell the truth, then she would have to enjoy what she could.

They laid in silence, until their breathing was synchronized. Dylan breathed in and out, feeling Julie's chest rise and fall with hers. After a while, she wondered if Julie was asleep, but then she felt her move.

"Ah-" said Julie, shifting her weight. "My arm's asleep."

Dylan feared that the game was over, and she would have to get up and go back to worrying about her feelings again, but Julie merely turned over, her back to Dylan. She turned her head, and as Dylan moved to her other side she saw Julie smiling back at her.

"Switch!"

It was an old command - the person not playing the teddy bear could, and any time, decide they wanted to play the teddy bear and they would both switch positions.

Dylan laughed, surprised Julie remembered that rule. When Julie finished settling onto her other side, Dylan put her arm around Julie's waist. She was hyper aware of where she was putting her hand, as if Julie could read the thoughts that were racing through Dylan's mind a mile a minute. She tried to let her arm rest limply above her waist, her fingers barely touching Julie's stomach.

After a few minutes, Julie took her hand, pulling Dylan's arm tighter around herself. Dylan's heart nearly stopped. To Julie it was just a simple nap, but now Dylan's arm and hand were tucked snugly underneath Julie's breasts, those big beautiful things Dylan had gotten a tiny preview of the night before they'd left school for vacation. A small part of Dylan was trying to convince her that Julie was doing it on purpose, that maybe she wanted this too. That small part of her made her just confident enough to put her face on Julie's neck where it met with her shoulder, inhaling quietly so she could smell her gorgeous smelling perfume. Dylan felt Julie squeeze her hand.

Was that a comforting gesture, or encouragement? Can she tell what I'm doing?

Julie thought Dylan was asleep and dreaming. She thought it was cute, the way Dylan snuggled against her like she really was a soft teddy bear in her arms. She thought about what Danielle had done to her, and how she was going to help Dylan get her confidence back. She thought about who the friend that Dylan had mentioned could be, and then she felt Dylan's hand move again.

Dylan also wondered if Julie was asleep. Her breathing was even, but not that deep. She thought that this might be the last time they would be so close, both physically and as friends. Julie had her own life at college, one that didn't include a needy childhood friend that couldn't seem to make it on her own. Julie's body felt so soft and warm, filling Dylan with a desire she couldn't ignore. Slowly, she let her thumb wander higher, and it just brushed the underside of Julie's breast. Just this tiny bit of contact made Dylan's desire grow. She wanted to touch and kiss Julie so badly, it hurt not to.

Julie felt Dylan's thumb linger, caressing the round underside of her breast softly. It wasn't an altogether unpleasant sensation, but Julie wasn't sure what to make of it. She couldn't feel Dylan's breathing anymore, and her own breathing had become shallow with anticipation.

Julie hadn't said anything, hadn't moved since Dylan had started. Dylan found herself moving her hand further, achingly slow, until it covered Julie's breast completely. She gave it a soft squeeze, as surprised by her own actions as she was by the fact that Julie hadn't stopped her. Dylan stifled a whimper; for a fleeting moment she was in heaven, until Julie's hand clamped over her own, pulling it away from her body.

"Dylan...?" Julie said softly, wondering if she was waking Dylan from a dream. She turned her head and found Dylan very much awake, gazing back at her with equal amounts of lust and shame.

"Julie..." Dylan was finally ready. "The friend that I'm in love with...it's you."

Julie had no words to say. She was staring back at Dylan, eyes wide with shock. She hadn't seen this coming at all.

Dylan knew that this was the defining moment, the moment where Julie would either make her wishes come true or confirm her worst fears. She also knew she only had two options - run away or kiss her.

Dylan quickly put her lips to Julie's, and she was in heaven again. They were as soft as she'd imagined, even more so. At first, Julie was too shocked to react, letting Dylan kiss her by default, and when Dylan slowly drew her head back, all Julie could do was stare at her in shock. The light in Dylan's eyes turned dull and dark when she saw the girl that she loved with all her heart frozen with fright before her. She realized that Julie hadn't kissed her back, that she'd just laid there because she had nowhere to escape to.

Dylan waited for a reaction, anything from Julie, but the kiss had rendered her speechless.

"I'm sorry!" said Dylan, a hoarse whisper. Tears sprang to Dylan's eyes and spilled onto her cheeks, and after another moment she pushed herself up from Julie's bed and ran from the room.

Julie sat up, her heart pounding, and she put her fingertips to her lips, trying to process all that had just happened.

Katherine and Adam were still playful and giggling on the couch when the door flew open. Dylan ran straight for the stairs without closing the door behind her, leaving Adam confused and Katherine completely sober.

"Oh no." Katherine breathed.

"What's wrong?" asked Adam, brow furrowed with worry. Anything bad that happened to his girls happened to him too.

Katherine sighed, and Adam knew that their playtime was over.

"Dylan just had her heart broken."