ZBZ house was teeming with activity the Monday after the mass return to campus from Spring Break. Girls who were staying there, girls who lived in a less accessible section of campus who left school supplies and changes of clothes in the house so they didn't have to go all the way back to their dorms, and even girls who just needed a place to lay low and study between classes all found their way to what would soon be the newest and most exciting Sorority house on campus.
One of those girls, Alexa Bliss, was perched on a stool next to the serving island in the kitchen. She had a book open and was doing her best to study for a practical exam in one of her education classes, as well as doing her best to keep her mind off of the previous week's events with AJ AND how badly she wanted one of her "magic pills."
As she gazed half heartedly into her immaculate notes, Alexa felt the presence of someone taking the seat next to her. Glancing to her left, Alexa was surprised and relieved to find Nia Jax resting her voluptuous form on a matching stool.
"Hey stranger," Nia began, almost cautiously. She truly didn't know if Alexa was mad at her or something, but she had barely spoken to her roommate over the entirety of their duration in Cabo san Lucas.
"Nia! Hey!" Alexa blurted out, jumping from her seat to slide her arms as far around her roommate as they would go. "I meant to call you last night! I'm SO sorry I didn't touch base with you more in Cabo. Last week was nuts."
"So I've heard," Nia retorted wryly. "I ran into Dean on the beach just as he was headed up to his room for a… special engagement. Something about you and AJ?"
Alexa's face flushed with embarrassment. Her first instinct was to lie to her close friend, but the tiny blonde was fairly certain that Nia wouldn't have brought it up if she hadn't had at least a pretty good idea that it happened. Instead, the miniscule blonde just hid her face in her hand, mortified that her closest confidante knew about her tryst.
"Ohmygod, Nia, I am so embarrassed. Did Dean tell you?"
The Samoan senior chuckled. "No. Not really. Well, that's a lie. He actually asked me if he thought it was a good idea. It honestly kind of felt like he wanted me to talk him out of it."
"And what did you say?" Alexa prodded gently.
Nia shrugged. "I told him it was spring break and he should not overthink his options."
Alexa pondered this, then nodded resolutely. "That's good advice, actually."
Nia paused for a moment before continuing. "So… AJ, huh?"
Alexa knew where this conversation was headed. "Yeah. Long story. Having mostly to do with her staying with Dean and me after I lost Alofa and how great she was at taking care of me. I started thinking maybe I was having feelings for her and she kept coming onto me and then when we were trying on dresses after lunch she told me she'd have sex with Dean to get to have sex with me too." Alexa breathed in deeply, having expended all her breath telling that story. "So we decided to talk to Dean about it."
Nia tried hard not to let her face betray how she was feeling at the moment. She did raise a single curious eyebrow. "And you don't think it's a bad idea to try to have casual sex with a girl who's clearly been in love with you from the day she met you?"
"Why do people keep saying that, Nia? Aj told me-"
Nia cut her off, raising a hand to indicate she was talking. "I really don't give a shit what she told you. I have been around the two of you together, and she always looks like she's got the hearts in her eyes like a cartoon. Trust me. She's been into you for a very long time."
"Well, Dean and I both made it very clear to her that it was just a fling we were having because it was spring break and because I thought I might be bi. She knows it's over, and she's fine. I promise."
Nia stared at Alexa for a second, before seeming to accept this line of thinking. She didn't accept it, not really, but she didn't want to argue with her friend over something she had no real influence in or control over. She did have one question for her roommate, however.
"So… how was it?"
Alexa tried not to blush. Lowering her speaking voice and checking to make sure no one was listening, she responded to Nia.
"It was… really sweet. And fun. And super hot. Like, Dean was very sweet to me and made sure I know that I'm first in his eyes, and AJ REALLY knows what she's doing in the sack. It was something I very much enjoyed, but I don't think I could be in a poly relationship or a relationship with a girl." She trailed off, noticing that Nia was still staring at her. "Are you judging me? It feels a little like you're judging me right now."
Nia chuckled, before lightly placing her hand on Alexa's shoulder. "I am absolutely not judging you. I was just thinking about how at this time last year you still thought that sex was this weird thing you had to give a man to keep him around or happy and now you're this fully liberated little dynamo. And, for the record, I can't judge you for the girl-girl dalliance either."
Alexa didn't pick up on her signal right away. After a few seconds, her eyes lit up in comprehension of what her friend was actually telling her.
"What? When? Who? Are you serious?"
Nia chuckled and shook her head again. "Bitch, please. I play women's basketball. I'm pretty sure it was written on the scholarship papers I signed that I would have to try the same-sex thing at least once. And it was the beginning of last year. With Jillian."
"Jillian Hall?" Alexa returned. "The annoying girl from down the hall who thought she was gonna be on 'The Voice?'"
Nia nodded, a slight air of regret in her countenance. "Yep. We were here alone for Thanksgiving. That was when you left early to go back to Ohio. We were the only two people left on our floor. She came in to watch some TV and it just kinda happened. Mostly because we were both cold and lonely, I think. We both promised never to tell, and I only talked to her a few times after that." She stopped, clearly relieved to have finally spilled her secret. "And she wasn't that annoying."
Alexa shook her head. "Huh. Total mind blower."
"Yep," Nia fired back. "Look, I'm not judging you for being sexually curious. A ton of people in college are. As long as you're honest with Dean about what you want, I say go for it. I'm not telling you not to hook up with girls. I'm telling you its a bad idea to hook up with THAT girl."
Alexa smiled, but there was only sadness in her countenance. "Yeah. She was being weird yesterday. I'm afraid our relationship might be irreparably damaged."
The two continued their conversation another minute, with Nia continuing her dissertation on why AJ Lee wasn't the best choice to have casual lesbionics with, but their dialogue came to a swift and abrupt halt when Charlotte Flair barged into the kitchen from the dining room, where several ZBZ colonists were eating and studying. Without stopping to acknowledge either of the kitchen's two occupants, the statuesque blonde flung open the cedar doors to the house's pantry, aggressively pulling a large box of cereal from the vast storage space within. She shut the cabinet with an air of annoyance, then repeated the process with the stainless steel refrigerator, dropping a half gallon jug of milk on the same island Alexa was occupying with her study materials. She winced, expecting a spill, before noticing that the container still had its cap on.
Alexa and Nia watched with mild amusement as Charlotte assembled her hasty breakfast in a red solo cup, pouring some form of Cheerio, and then milk, then hungrily (or angrily) plunging a spoon into the contents. After taking her first bite, she glanced over at the room's other inhabitants, noticing for the first time that there were others observing her.
"Hi," Alexa began sheepishly, unsure of the frame of mind her friend would be in.
"Hey," Charlotte returned, mouth still partially full of sustenance.
"What's going on?" Nia inquired, not having seen this side of her teammate in some time.
Charlotte sighed, before taking another bite of her food. She held up a finger, signifying that she wanted to finish chewing, then swallowed hard and began.
"It's Ronda," Charlotte returned, rolling her eyes in annoyance with her future sorority sister. "She's in the dining room just going on and on about how sweet Roman was to her over spring break and about how she thinks he's gonna ask her to formal and UH!" Charlotte finished, the groan expressing her intense displeasure with the situation. "And then she has the fucking audacity to look over at me and say 'if that's okay with you, Charlotte.'" Charlotte took another bite of cereal, almost stabbing the cup's contents with her utensil. "It's not fucking okay," Charlotte muttered to herself with a mouth still full.
"Yeah, so, I noticed that." Alexa began, again trying to be mindful of her friend's feelings. "So what exactly happened? I heard you two were broken up, but…"
Charlotte nodded, acknowledging her intent to answer. Swallowing again, she inhaled deeply and resumed her conversation. "So, we get to Cabo, and I'm just super excited to spend some time with him, but then he gets all emo about our future and shit like that and I was telling him about the trouble my dad is in and HE says 'I'll always take care of you!"
"Aw," Alexa cooed.
"That son of a bitch," Nia spat, at exactly the same time.
"What?" Alexa fired back, unsure that she'd heard her friend correctly.
"Thank you!" Charlotte exclaimed, pointing at Nia as though her own words were coming from the big Samoan girl's mouth. "How dare he assume that I need him to take care of me? As though all every woman wants is some strong man to swoop in and solve all her problems." She gazed hard at Alexa, then Nia, before continuing. "I can take care of myself."
Alexa had trouble understanding why Charlotte was so upset. Before she could ponder further, however, Charlotte continued. "So then he gets upset with me, like he's upset with me for not suddenly turning into some 'damsel in distress' for him to come swoop in and save with his tribal tattooes and gold trident like fucking Aquaman."
Both girls giggled at the reminder of Roman's resemblance to Jason Momoa.
"So I told him it would never be his job to take care of me, and then he asked me what we were in a relationship for if not with the endgame of being married and having kids, and then we broke up."
Alexa shook her head. She felt for friend. She really did. But part of her thought Charlotte was being a little ridiculous about the nature of Roman's gesture.
"Charlotte, I'm not going to tell you how to live your life, but I think maybe Roman was just trying to be nice."
The taller of the two blondes nodded, seemingly unoffended by Alexa's assertion. "I know. And after I had a bit to cool off, I decided to go back up to his room so we could talk, and he comes out the door with fucking Ronda!"
"What!?" Both girls inquired in unison.
"Yeah," Charlotte confirmed. "Truthfully, I was almost impressed in kind of a sick way. I didn't think Ro had a 'rebound bang' in him. So then I spent the next couple days trying to find him without her so we could talk, but she stuck to him like-"
"Herpes?" Alexa blurted before catching herself. Noticing the incredulous looks on both girl's face, she grinned sheepishly and added "sorry. Been spending too much time with Dean."
Charlotte offered her friend a hesitant half smile. "Right… So, anyway, then I get loaded and show my tits all over MizTV or whatever the fuck. I guess I told him to fuck off?"
Nia grimaced. She'd been at the bar when that particular exchange took place, and had seen her teammate dismiss Roman more harshly than Jax herself thought was necessary.
"Uh, in not so many words. But yes."
Charlotte cringed. "Ugh. I swear to God I'm never doing drugs again."
"I know the feeling," Alexa murmured quietly. Before either of her friends could press the tiny cheerleader on what she meant, Alexa launched into a question.
"So why exactly is it that you don't think you could be happy marrying a guy like Roman?"
Charlotte pondered this for a moment, before speaking. "Alexa, I want to answer that, but I need you to promise that you won't get offended if I say some things about marriage that you don't like. I love you, and I'm SO glad we're going to be sorority sisters, but I don't want to hurt your feelings again."
Alexa smiled. "Thank you, Char. That's very thoughtful. I swear that I will keep in mind that your opinions about marriage are yours and yours alone. Okay?"
Charlotte pointed over at Nia. "And you heard her say that?"
Nia nodded silently. Charlotte took another second before initiating her response. "So, it's not necessarily that I am opposed to the idea of marriage in general. At some level I understand it's appeal and would even consider tying the knot with the right guy one day. It's just…" she hesitated, biting her lip in frustration at the recent events in her life. "It's just, who the fuck is so focused on marriage and family at eighteen? I mean, dude was thinking about wife-ing me up when we were at the lake house. And it just seemed like EVERY date we went on and every minute we spent together there was just this...cloud. This cloud of expectations that just seemed like it stifled every conversation we had and every date we went on and every time we were intimate. He'd look at me and I knew he was seeing me in a white dress or barefoot and pregnant in his kitchen."
Alexa and Nia both chuckled at that mental image, before focusing back in on Charlotte.
"I mean, does Dean do that, Alexa? Constantly talk all that weepy bullshit about wanting forever with you and how when he dates it's to find a wife and all that syrupy nonsense?"
Alexa furrowed her brow, deep in thought about what her friend had asked.
"I mean," she began, still searching her consciousness for the correct answer, "he tells me he'll love me the rest of our lives and obviously our thing is a bit different than you and Roman's-"
"Obviously," Charlotte conceded, before motioning for Alexa to continue.
"Honestly, he hasn't really even mentioned the wedding since we lost-"
Alexa's sentence caught in her throat as a wave of emotions threatened to overtake her. Before she could cry, however, she felt the strong comforting hand of Nia on her shoulder. Breathing in deeply, the diminutive pixie resumed. "Since right after Christmas."
Charlotte nodded. "But he's not like, obsessed with marriage and family like some fucking weirdo? I mean, it's sweet that that's what Roman wants, but it's borderline psychotic to let that obsession color every relationship you have, especially at eighteen, right?"
Alexa couldn't decide how she felt, other than irritated at Dean that he'd seemingly forgotten about the ring he'd put on her finger and the pledge it signified, but she could tell Charlotte wanted her to say something.
"I think every relationship is different. Even though Dean doesn't constantly talk about wanting to get married and have more kids, I know he does because of how he treats me every day. I'm always his first priority. Roman treated you like that, right?"
Charlotte nodded. "Yeah, but I did wonder sometimes if having someone to place in that mental picture he had of his future family was more important than who that person was."
Alexa chuckled, knowing what she was talking about. "And see, I'm not sure Dean even had that picture in his head until fate or whatever brought us together."
"Faulty birth control and Jim Beam brought you two together," Nia quipped. "And the Anheuser family might have something to say about that, too."
Alexa turned toward her massive friend. "Speaking of Anheuser, did you know Budweiser is owned by like, this huge conglomerate now?"
Nia's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Ladies!" Charlotte interjected, before giving Alexa an overly playful glare. "I didn't know ADHD was sexually transmitted, Lex."
Alexa giggled. "I guess it is. Like-"
"Don't say 'herpes' again, Lex. Please," Nia countered softly, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Fine," Alexa spat, giving an exaggerated pout.
"Can I please finish?" Charlotte pleaded, growing tired of her friend's idle chatter during her attempt to relate a genuine problem.
"Sorry," both girls sang in unison.
"It's okay," Charlotte acquiesced. "I'm pretty much done. I just can't figure out why Roman was so insistent on focusing on getting married and having kids so soon."
"Me neither," Alexa fired back, giving an exaggerated shrug in addition to her statement.
The conversation transitioned into the following night's women's basketball game, a first round conference tournament matchup that neither Nia nor Charlotte really felt ready for. With that animated conversation, Alexa was able to distract her mind from how badly she wanted another hit of ecstasy, and how desperately she wished to keep hiding the bad news her doctor had given her from her beloved.
Monday, the first day after the week long extravaganza that was Spring Break, came with physical strains of a different type for Dean Ambrose.
The first week of Spring football practice was strictly non-contact due to NCAA rules. This week was dedicated to mostly reintroducing the formations and plays that the team would run during the season. Following two hours of walking through plays and light contact was an hour in the weight room.
But that wasn't the focus of Bayley, Alexa, and Charlotte, who had all agreed to head to lunch while Zack and Dean were preoccupied.
Bayley suggested Roadies, but Charlotte insisted on a quaint new coffee shop a few blocks from campus.
Nitro Coffee was opened in what used to be a post office. Its grand opening came while the students of SU were on Spring Break.
Charlotte led the trio of women into the cafe. It was surprisingly unoccupied for a Monday morning just a few days after opening. Bayley scanned her eyes over the menu to see what the place had to offer.
Bayley's attention turned to Alexa for a moment. The tiny blonde removed an orange pill bottle from her purse.
"I thought you already took your meds?" Bayley spoke quietly, as to not draw unwanted attention.
"I did," Alexa said with a shrug. "I just… take extra sometimes."
Bayley furrowed her brow. "You're allowed to take extra antidepressants?"
Alexa shook her head. "These are different. They do the same thing pretty much but they're not exactly… prescription."
Bayley nodded slowly. "Right. I think that makes sense."
Charlotte stepped up to the counter, speaking to the barista with a smile.
Bayley scanned the menu to decide on which item she wanted. Alexa, her pupils dilated and her sex drive increasing, leaned her head against the hugger's shoulder and giggled to herself. Bayley raised an eyebrow in confusion, but didn't think anything more of it.
It hadn't occurred to the ladies who would be Zeta Beta Zeta that a simple pilgrimage up Interstate 91 from Stamford to Hartford, CT, would be such an undertaking. The women's basketball team, who found themselves in the opening round of a conference tournament that each girl felt overwhelmingly unprepared for, had arrived in Hartford several hours earlier.
It was abundantly clear early on in that particular contest that Stamford was simply going to "out talent" their opponents. They'd seen Delaware Tech in the regular season, and though the "Lady Tribe" had given them all they wanted the first time they played, now the Crimson-clad "Lady Titans" had been exposed to the full court press and the related problems such a defense caused. The result was a tidy 81-55 victory for Stamford U.
Alexa Bliss couldn't wipe the grin off her face. She was bursting at the seams with pride for her friends Bayley, Charlotte, and Nia Jax. Next to her, Trish Stratus was yelling at the top of her lungs for her sorority sisters as she took cell phone footage of the team's postgame celebration.
Alexa scanned the rows in front of her. Despite the strenuous class schedule they'd all be meeting head on upon their return to campus, two dozen BPO pledges and members had also made their presence known. The men's basketball team would be participating in their own conference tournament starting the next day, but that would be in New York at the Nassau Coliseum. BPO was there to remind the women of ZBZ that they cared.
Finally, after the coaches and officials had cleared the court, the students were allowed to make their way courtside to congratulate their friends on their first victory of what would hopefully be several. As soon as her feet touched the hardwood, Alexa made a beeline for her roommate Nia.
"Holy shit, Nia, that was so amazing!"
The massive Samoan grinned at her waifish companion. "Thanks, babe!" She extended her arms in a signal that she wanted a hug. Alexa gave her friend the once over, noting that she was in street clothes and had showered, presumably, and so she plunged into the embrace of her giant olive-skinned guardian.
"I'm sooo happy for you guys," Alexa continued. And she wasn't lying. Given the amount of travel the players had done since the day before, it was far beyond just impressive that the Lady Titans had so handily dispatched a foe that had very nearly beaten them some weeks back.
Nia grinned, trying her very best not to betray too much joy over an opening round victory. The Stamford girl's team would have to win two more games over two more days to claim a conference championship, which would guarantee a berth in the nation's most prestigious tournament.
"Eh. It's not that big a deal. I'll get excited if we win tomorrow. I'll get REALLY excited if we win the whole thing."
Alexa laughed. "Well, I would hope so. If you win the whole thing, there's gonna be a ginormous party at Roadie's with the BPO's and Sig Nu's."
Nia shook her head and sneered. "Well, I hope it isn't too big. If we DO win, we'll have our first game in the big tourney next week. Can't be all weighed down with beer and pizza and shit."
Alexa smiled and rolled her eyes. "No excuses. The conference finals are Thursday. You'd have almost a full week to recover. You're just being lame."
Now the tall Islander couldn't suppress a chuckle. "You're right, you're right." She grinned and slid an arm around her petite roommate, and the two young women continued their conversation into the chilly Connecticut night.
Across the coliseum, Charlotte Flair was having nowhere near as pleasant a denouement as her teammate appeared to be. She was sure her friends were just as happy for her, but since her return to Stamford from spring break there was a hole in the blonde's heart shaped like a Samoan heartthrob.
"Hey, Char." The statuesque forward stopped dead in her tracks as she processed what she heard.
"Becky," Charlotte returned, unable to keep the wide grin from spreading across her face. "What even are you doing here?"
"I came ta support you. And the rest of the Lady Titans, of course."
Charlotte snickered. Though she would never have admitted it to anyone, it gave the knockout blonde tremendous comfort to know she'd made a new connection with the red-haired fiery young woman.
"Well, I appreciate it. You didn't have to do that."
Becky scoffed, though there was no malice in her tone. "Well, you'll hafta tell Alexa that. She was insistent that you all needed our suppor', so I dropped what I was doin' an' jumped in the van with the others."
Charlotte pulled her gaze to the floor, trying not to let on how much it meant to her that Becky had so ardently cheered for her during the game. Still, she had a front to keep up.
"Please. You were probably just hoping if we won I'd be in a good enough mood to let you fondle my tits again."
Becky chuckled, though the memory of their drunken exploits at the hotel bar in Cabo caused butterflies throughout here midsection. "If I remember right, you took both ma' hands and shoved them up yer shirt. I was perfectly conten' dancin' with ma' hands on yer hips, like a lady."
Charlotte looked up at Becky, who was leaning against a row of lockers. The leggy blonde's perch on the bench suddenly felt like the difference between her appearing in control of her emotions and sliding onto the ground like a puddle of primordial goo. The memories, recent as they were, washed over Charlotte, cascading over her like so many waves on the pristine beach they'd occupied just a few days prior. Before she realized it, the tears began flowing freely from her eyes, the emotional load of everything she'd gone through in the past week finally breaking her near-iron will. At the sound of Charlotte's first audible sob, Becky moved to her side, sliding a comforting arm around her much taller friend.
"It's okay, Char," Becky began, in the most comforting voice she could summon. "I know ya been through a lot. What with Roman and yer dad and-"
She instantly paused her list as Charlotte loosed a second sob, this one more ferocious than the prior one. Without taking time to compose herself, Charlotte began responding.
"I'm just so fucking tired. It's like everything went to shit all at once. My dad getting investigated and breaking up with Roman and having to watch that idiot Ronda take my place…." She inhaled deeply, noticing that Becky had begun softly rubbing her back. She laid her head gently on Becky's sinewy shoulder, before chuckling at how dramatic she must've appeared. "And it's not like I can be mad at Ronda. She didn't steal Ro from me or anything. It's just...hard."
"I know the feelin'," Becky returned sadly. "Every second since I been back has been brutal. Havin' to see Sash' flirtin' with everyone. Boy, girl, it don't matter. It's like she's doin' it just to hurt mah feelin's."
Charlotte sat up, and her heart sank even further as she saw that her fiery companion was also crying. "Aw, babe," Charlotte began, almost at a whisper. "I'm sorry. I was so caught up in my own shit I didn't think to ask how you were doing. That's really rough."
Becky nodded, using her free hand to wipe tears away from her face. "It is rough. Sasha's been all smiles and shite since we got back. Bein' all giggly with Kaitlyn and Alicia at the ZBZ house. And I can't say anythin' because it's my fault we aren't together."
Charlotte grabbed her friend firmly by the knee, causing their gazes to meet. "Look at me," Charlotte asserted, all remnants of weakness now dissipating from her authoritarian tone. "What happened with Sasha was not your fault. You were on a break and some miserable ho-bag with nothing better to do with her life preyed on your sadness. Were you a willing participant? Yes. Was it fair for Renee to approach you when she did, knowing you were heartbroken and alone? Absolutely not. And," she continued, hoping her soliloquy would have the desired effect, "lest we forget, you two were on a break. A break Sasha insisted she needed. This isn't on you." Becky nodded, though her head hung and she still had tears running intermittently down her face. Charlotte felt the need to repeat herself. "This. Isn't. On. You."
Becky gazed up at Charlotte, the slightest of smiles now fighting it's way to her lips. "Thank ya, Charlotte. And, fer what it's worth, you could have anyone at this school you wanted. Roman's an idiot if he thinks he's gonna do better than you."
Charlotte rolled her eyes, but didn't keep a smile of her own from creasing. "Well, I think right now he'd argue that Ronda is better than me, but I appreciate you saying that." She paused for a moment, considering her friend's rooming situation. "Are you gonna be okay?" She asked, genuinely concerned for Becky. "I don't have to live with Roman. Or...ever see him again. You can't avoid Sasha. You think you can handle that?"
Now it was Becky's turn to let the tears flow. "I'm not sure. Sasha can be petty. Last night she was makin' sex noises in 'er room loud enough fer me ta hear. I dunno if there was someone else in there wither or no', bu' it made me sad anyway." Becky scoffed incredulously as she attempted in vain to compose herself. "I'm supposed ta be makin' her make them noises!" Becky buried her hands in her face, hoping desperately that Charlotte would choose to ignore her general lack of composure.
Charlotte sensed that it was now her turn to slide an arm around the smaller girl. She did, and she was a bit taken aback at how close Becky scooted almost immediately. It broke Flair's heart to see how devastated Becky clearly was by her separation from the girl she'd been so clearly in love with all year. Searching her mind for a solution, Charlotte blurted the first idea she had.
"Tell you what," she began, hoping her forthcoming proposal would take Becky's mind off the pain she was clearly in, "from now on, my room is open to you twenty four- seven. Anytime you need a place to do homework, or take a nap, or just get away from whatever petty horseshit Sasha is trying to pull in y'alls room, you come over to Flair Hall. It should be easy to find. It's the big-ass building with my dad's name on it."
Becky giggled. "I figured." She turned to the locker room door, where both girls could hear voices emanating from the hallway beyond.
"C'mon," Charlotte finalized, gesturing for Becky to stand with her. Before the Irishwoman could protest, the statuesque blonde threw her arms around Becky's neck, pulling her in for the most comforting hug Becky had received in some time. Becky could also feel Charlotte's hot breath on her neck as she buried her face in the auburn hair cascading down the side of Becky's face.
"Did she just kiss me on the cheek?" Becky pondered in bewilderment as she followed Charlotte out of the room. As she matched her friend stride for stride, all that was important to Becky in that moment was to not let Charlotte see the crimson wash over her face.