"And remember, if Piper asks, I was with you last night," Alex murmured to Nicky as they pulled into the school parking lot. "Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah," Nicky said. "I remember my script. Now do you remember what happened yet, or are you still suffering with that memory loss?"

"Ha ha," Alex said weakly. "I said I didn't wanna talk about it, not that I couldn't remember. That's more your speed, anyway. How much did you drink last night? I'm assuming it's all a blur for you this morning."

"I wish," Nicky said, wincing as someone in the space next to them slammed his car door. "Some parts are burned into my memory forever."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Alex asked, turning in her seat.

"Nothing interesting," she murmured, glancing over at her.

"You tease." Alex unbuckled her belt and Nicky grimaced as the metal hit the window as it retracted. "Sorry. Who has a party on a Thursday, though? No-one wants to sit through French with a hangover."

Nicky closed her eyes and took a long slow sip from her ice water. Even the sound of the cubes rattling on the cup hurt her head. "I don't take French."

"Not really my point…"

"I know," Nicky snapped. "Blame Luschek. His parents were only out of town for one night and that was yesterday, so…"

"How was it?"

"Fucking fantastic." Nicky retorted. Then she peeked one eye open. "From what I can remember, anyway. But my life is so boring. Why don't you tell me why Blondie can't know where you were last night? Can I know?"

"Absolutely not," Alex said, a little frown darkening her face. "You couldn't keep your mouth shut to save your life."

"Bullshit! I'm a treasure trove of secrets."

Alex scoffed. "Like what?"

"Like-" Nicky stopped herself, and then chuckled. "You almost got me there, Vause."

"Oh well. I guess I'll have to find out Lorna's newest crush when she blabs herself…"

"That so wasn't my secret."

"Sure," Alex said skeptically.

"Don't worry," Nicky said. "I'll make sure I keep your secret as well as I keep all my others."

"It's not a secret," Alex said. "It's just bending the truth. It'll just upset Piper if I tell her where I was."

"And that was..?"

"Nicky." Alex sighed. "If I tell you, you'll just tell Piper to piss her off."

"Well, she shouldn't make it so easy and so fun," Nicky replied. "Hey, incoming at 12 o'clock." She nodded her head in the direction of Piper's car, which was pulling up.

Alex raised her eyebrows and got out of the car. "I'll see you later, 'kay?"

"See ya," Nicky said, leaning out of her open window. "Don't say anything I wouldn't."

"Is that you reminding me I have the right to remain silent?" Alex said.

"No," Nicky replied. "But I'll have to remember that one in future."

Piper stepped out of her car. She leaned against the red exterior, lips pursed, arms crossed. She spied Alex from across the parking lot. She didn't like the apprehension of her features. Sure, she'd been a little annoyed when Alex had messaged her to say she wouldn't be able to make it, but it wasn't like they were married. They didn't have to spend every waking hour together.

"Hey, Pipes," Alex said as she drew close enough to Piper to reach out and grab her hand. "How was your night with your mom? Sorry I lost track of time...Nicky really wanted me at that party, you know."

Piper's eyes narrowed minutely as she studied Alex's features. It wasn't the explanation she doubted, but the way in which Alex was staring at her. Like she was waiting to be quizzed. Like she was holding her breath for the argument. Her relationship with Larry made her feel like that. She'd always had one foot out the door; she had always felt like he was waiting for something to pick on, something to leave her over. She didn't want to be like that. She didn't want her relationship to be hanging by a thread. And she didn't want Alex to look at her like that.

"Yeah, I know," Piper said, forcing herself to smile. "Mom said she had a really nice time. She said she missed spending time with me like that."

Piper had enjoyed herself too, as much as she hated to admit it. It had been years since she'd spent so much time in her family room and without Alex there, she'd felt able to lounge in the pyjamas she hadn't grown out of since she was twelve, the ones with the bunnies on the front, and snuggle up with her mom for a movie night, too.

The anxiety on Alex's face splintered into a smile and just like that, the tension was broken. There was something satisfying about picking a fight, Piper couldn't deny that, but this felt pretty good too. Seeing Alex smile after all the shit she'd been through lately was more fulfilling than being in the right.

"I'm really glad," Alex said genuinely. "It was good for me, too, you know. I needed a little time to blow off steam."

She hoped Piper didn't see the guilt all over her features. If she was good at anything, it was acting as if everything was okay.

As someone pulled up next to the two of them, Alex dropped Piper's hand. It was almost like instinct now - if she didn't, Piper would have, and that always felt worse. But this time, Piper didn't let it drop.

"I'm sorry for never holding your hand," Piper murmured. She still let her sleeve cover their hands, but it was something - much more than she'd ever offered up before. "I know I hurt you yesterday when I pushed you away." She swallowed hard. "I never want you to feel like you're some dirty secret...you're not." A pink blush swept her pale cheeks as she looked away.

Alex felt her heart clench. She'd wanted to hear that for months now. It had been the very words she'd dreamed about...yet she couldn't enjoy them, not after last night. Her hand felt limp in Piper's.

After a beat, Piper tugged on Alex's hand.

"Come on," she said. "If we get in early I'll be the first to sign up for debate club."

Alex couldn't help but laugh. "And that's a good thing?"

"Obviously," Piper said. "It's extra credit, which I really need right now, and it's also great practice for the courtroom."

When Piper had mentioned wanting to become a lawyer in passing a few weeks ago, Alex hadn't given it much thought. Yet Piper clearly had. Despite not thinking Piper needed any more practice arguing her case, Alex nodded. As they walked, their hands swung easily.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Did you wanna hang out tonight?" Piper asked. "Or is your mom getting out of hospital?"

"Um, yeah, maybe. I need to be at home in case she does come home. I'd invite you over, but you know what she's like...and she probably just wants some quiet. Sorry."

"That's okay," Piper said easily. "I'll just…" she trailed off.

Truthfully, since dropping Polly and Larry, she found herself without too many friends to fall back on. Now she'd spent time with Alex she didn't particularly want to go back to Polly - especially not now she was dating Larry. And whilst she'd had lots of acquaintances, she'd never really had that many friends. Not ones she could really count on, anyway. It had been unpleasant to realize, but maybe, she thought, she could use this as an opportunity to make some more.

She tilted her head. "Hmm. Well, Cal might be home. Maybe I could practice debating with him."

Alex smiled. "I'm sure he'll love that."

When asked what her favorite subject was in school, Nicky always replied that it was lunch. She only did it to piss off her mom, who always insisted that she was 'gifted at math'. That day, however, she might have said calculus was less painful than lunch. She sat cross legged on the concrete, staring up at the blue of the sky peeking through the bleachers whilst Joel leaned against them. An uneasy silence had settled over both of them, and Nicky hummed to try and alleviate it.

"Where are they getting this fucking takeout - Florida?" Joel complained. "They've been gone ages."

"You're just fading away," Nicky said with a withering glance over to him. She rolled her eyes and stood up, the world spinning around her. "They're probably hooking up in the parking lot whilst my burrito congeals on the back seat." She sighed. "Young love, what a dream, eh?"

The thought made Luschek look a little green, and Nicky wondered how he'd managed to clean up the mess from the party before his parents got home. Before going home last night she could barely stand, she'd drank so much. She didn't exactly regret it now, but she was hoping that she could soak some of it up with some greasy junk food.

"So did your parents find out about it?"

"What? How would they have? I don't kiss and tell."

"Don't," Nicky said weakly. "And I meant the party, asshole. How did you manage to clean everything up and get to school on time?"

"Well, firstly, I was late this morning," Joel said. "And secondly, um, well, I didn't." He shrugged. "They aren't coming home til this evening. So yeah. That'll be a fun night for me."

He kicked a soda can and watched it skitter over the tarmac like a pebble over a lake, though he winced at the sound. Clearing his throat, he pulled out a cigarette, and without looking Nicky in the eye, offered her one.

Nicky silently took one and placed it between her lips. She fished a lighter from her bra and lit it up. As she tried to slip it back in, it tumbled down. Her eyes followed as it dropped to the floor with a clatter, yet she didn't move to pick it up.

"You're not gonna get that?" Joel asked. "Cause, you know, I could do with another lighter. If you don't want it."

"I don't know," Nicky said slowly. "Am I safe to turn around with you there?"

"That was an accident! You know I tripped!" Joel insisted, his cheeks flushing fuchsia. "It was dark in that closet. Shouldn't you know?"

Nicky glared. "You tripped?" she asked, her voice dripping with contempt. "And the only thing you could grab onto was my ass?"

"Your skirt was glittery! It caught the light! And you were the one who suggested playing seven minutes in heaven!"

"Well, I didn't think I'd earned enough bad karma for the bottle to land on you, did I?" Nicky rolled her eyes. "God, don't look so offended!"

"Gee, I wonder why I'd feel offended?" Joel glared back at her. "You know, you didn't have to kiss me! No-one would have known!"

"I was drunk!" Nicky shot back, turning so that he couldn't see how red her own cheeks burned.

"So was I!"

The sound of someone clearing their throat pulled the pair from their argument, and they looked up to see Alex and Piper clutching what was supposed to be their lunch. Nicky glared at them too, as if they'd intruded in on something.

"You two okay?" Alex asked tentatively as she passed Nicky her burrito and Joel his burger. She sat down on a small patch of grass.

"Yep," they said in unison, exchanging glances.

Piper settled down next to Alex. "Were you two talking about the party last night? Did you not have a good time?"

"Ask Alex," Nicky said breezily. "She was with me." Lying came naturally to her; she didn't have to think of the words, they slipped off her tongue quickly, and with ease.

Too quickly, Piper thought. She nodded slowly as she mulled it over.

Nicky was too pleased the attention had been deflected from herself to worry about the effect her words had had on Piper.

"She said," Piper said finally, her fingers tightening over the straps of her backpack. Her eyes flickered to Joel. "I saw the photos online. Looked like fun."

It had looked like a mess. Piper had been glad she wasn't there when she'd clicked through them this morning. Her eyebrows had well and truly raised over her bowl of cereal at the breakfast table.

Joel shrugged. "You should have come."

"Well, I didn't get an invite," Piper said in a sing-song voice.

"Hey," Luschek said, frowning at her. "Hot chicks are always invited. No questions asked."

Piper scoffed and covered her smile with her hand. "I'll remember that for next time," she said. She turned to Alex and smiled openly. "I'm glad you had fun though. Even if it was without me." She let out a little laugh.

Nicky looked up. "Don't your own friends have any parties?" she asked. "You guys don't have to do everything together. And you've got a lot of free time…"

"Almost as much as you have," Piper snapped. "But that doesn't mean I don't want to spend time with my…" she paused, stumbling for a second. The word girlfriend hung uncomfortably in the air. "That doesn't mean I don't wanna spend time with Alex."

There was an uncomfortable silence before Alex spoke again.

"Don't listen to her. She just has a hangover," she said uncomfortably, lacing her fingers in with Piper's. "Of course I love spending time with you too. I'm sorry. I should have called to see if you wanted to come. It just didn't seem like your scene."

"Hey, time apart is healthy in relationships," Joel said. "Who wants to be with one person forever?"

"What do you know?" Nicky asked, flicking him. "Your longest relationship was with the Playboy you keep hidden under your mattress."

"Why were you looking under his mattress?" Piper asked with a little snicker. "Something you wanna tell us, Nicky?"

Joel smirked as Nicky squirmed. Piper let her stew for a moment longer before she turned to Alex.

"You know, I could do with something to pass the time," she lamented. "I used to spend all my free time making soap for Popi. Now Polly's making soap with Brooke. I think she's calling it Poke. What kind of name is that?"

"Why don't you get a real job?" Nicky asked. "You know, one that makes actual money instead of just spending it."

"Popi was a real job," Piper retorted. She sat back against Alex, who rested her chin on top of Piper's head. "That isn't a half bad idea, though. Not that you would know. How many credit cards have you maxed out this month?"

"You could be a busgirl at Storky's," Nicky continued, undeterred. Despite the tension with him, Nicky exchanged a smirk with Luschek at the comment.

"Nicky," Alex said with a frown.

"What?" Nicky said. "Taystee says it's a good job."

Alex paused. "I didn't know you still talked to Taystee."

"Yeah. She doesn't deal anymore though," Nicky said quickly.

That wasn't what Alex had heard, but she let it slide.

"I think Taystee's expectations are a little lower than Piper's," she said diplomatically. "Hey, wasn't Red looking for someone to help her out in the shop?" she asked, taking a swig of her drink. "Maybe you could do that, Pipes."

"Red doesn't need any help," Nicky said with a mouthful of burrito. "She has me."

Joel flinched. "She asked for the news, not the weather, dude."

Nicky stuck her tongue out, spraying him with flecks of more food. Even Alex looked a little grossed out.

"Last time I went in there," Alex continued, her forehead creasing, "She had a 'help wanted' sign in the window. Did she hire someone already?"

"Well, no," Nicky admitted, looking down at her lap. "But I don't think she's serious."

"Hey, Red!" Nicky set her bag down on the counter, shaking the rain out of her hair as she stepped inside. "I think some kids took your 'help wanted' sign again. It's not in the window."

She hopped up onto one of the stools by the counter, craning her neck to try and spot Red. As if on cue the redhead stepped through from the back room. She beamed at Nicky, although when she saw the dark circles under Nicky's eyes, she frowned.

"No, I filled the position," she said, sweeping her hair back. "But thanks for letting me know, honey. Did you get enough sleep last night? You look pale. You're not sick, are you?" She pressed a hand to Nicky's forehead.

"You filled it?" Nicky repeated, her brow knitting together. She ducked out from under Red's hand.

"Yes," Red said, moving Nicky's bag under the counter. "I can't tell you how relieved I am. I don't think I could have done another year on my own. The boys are supposed to help, but you know they don't."

"But I help you," Nicky said. She hated how needy she sounded, but she couldn't help herself.

Red sat down heavily next to Nicky, a sigh escaping from her lips. "I know you do, but I need someone who can commit to fixed days." She wrapped a curl of Nicky's hair around her finger. "Besides, if you worked for me, you'd eat all the profits."

"Not true," Nicky said, sliding the pastry she had already selected from the glass case away from her behind Red's back. "Well, who did you hire then? What sap have you got to do your donkeywork?"

Before Red could respond, the door to the back room swung open with a loud creak.

"Mrs Reznikov, I hope you don't mind, but I printed off the orders for tomorrow to get ahead," a voice called from out of view. "Is there anything else you need me to do?"

Nicky closed her eyes as she recognized the voice. "Oh, Red, you didn't..."

"Oh, hey, Nicky!" Piper said cheerfully as she emerged from the back room. She leaned against the counter in her apron, her face lit up. "You can be my first customer! What can I get ya?"

A/N:

Hiya lovelies. Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter. I hope you're all well and I'm sorry for the delay in updating. I've been working on this chapter for over a month! I think it's a hard time for everyone at the moment but I hope this update made you smile. Let me know what you thought, if you feel like it.

Stay safe.

- Star xo