Lizzie hadn't slept that well in ages. Correction. Lizzie had never slept that well. Her skin was glowing, her wounds weren't hurting anymore and she was ready for the first period. Her excitement for education was reinforced by the fact that she would be there. She couldn't stop replaying the previous night in her head, craving for more of Hope's touch. Who knew? All this time they were fighting and hated each other, who knew her lips would be so soft against hers, and her tongue so amazingly smooth and unexpectedly skilled and.. Oh, God, was she blushing? Had just the thought of her made Lizzie blush? That's not good. Everything was still so new to the girl, yet so exciting and she couldn't wait to experience all of it.

The siphon entered the kitchen for a quick snack and -of course- coffee, before her first class. When she walked in, Josie, Jade, MG and Kaleb were talking and laughing over something the latter had said, while having some breakfast. Her footsteps caught everyone's attention and four pairs of eyes turned to stare at her heading to the coffee maker.

"Morning?" Lizzie said baffled that her presence caused such bemusement.

Her classmates waved hello to her without starting a conversation -they could tell she wasn't in a mood for chitchat and she hadn't even had a sip of coffee yet- and got back to their meal. Normally she would have loved the attention but right now she just wanted to-

"Hey." Lizzie tensed in the sound of Hope's voice entering the room and greeting everyone at the table before she noticed the familiar back in front of the coffee machine.

Everyone started talking to Hope, as she seemed more willing to communicate than the last person who walked in. She politely listened and even nodded now and then but her eyes were often sliding towards the girl standing alone a few meters away. Lizzie, on the other side, unapologetically outstared her, while enjoying her steaming beverage. Hope could feel her skin burn and her mouth dry under the blonde's eyes.

"Uh, excuse me, I'm gonna go make some coffee, be right back." she excused herself and headed to the machine.

Lizzie was leaning on the counter, in front of the upper cupboard with the mugs, hands and legs crossed. Hope found the perfect pretext to get back at her for making her sweat in front of their friends. She casually walked up to her and stopped right before their hips could touch. She leered at her full of anticipation, slowly separating the girl's legs with her knee and when Lizzie gawked, she raised her hand and opened the cabinet next to the girl's ear, reaching for the furthest mug, just as an excuse to bring her face as close to hers as possible.

"I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" Hope had the nerve to ask, seeing Lizzie panting.

As the siphon opened her mouth to say something, Hope pulled back and walked to the cafetiere, pouring some fresh coffee as if nothing had happened.

Oh, is this how you wanna play? She looked at the tribrid bemused. That new side of Hope did things to Lizzie's body. She returned to the table and resumed her conversation with the rest of the squad but not before she gave the blonde a sensational look over her cup, as she took a big sip.

* * *

The class let out quickly. Most of it, Lizzie had spent gazing at Hope's beautiful back, sitting on the desk diagonally behind her. The shorter girl would scope the class every once in a while, just to check in on her and she would struggle to hide her smile every time she'd caught her staring.

"Miss Saltzman." Dorian requested as Lizzie was about to exit the room like the rest of the students.

"Yes?" she said returning to the front desk.

"Are you okay?"

"Uh.. sure?"

"I noticed you were.. distracted during the entire lecture." the teacher said worried. "You know you can talk to me if something is bothering you, right? I know these past weeks were really stressful for you and I just want to make sure you're getting the help you need."

"I'm okay, Mr. Williams. It won't happen again." Lizzie couldn't exactly say that she wasn't deranged, just a normal lovestruck teenager.

"Okay." he nodded, deciding it was better not to push. "You're dismissed."

* * *

Hope was in the locker room, changing for the next period, P.E. With her, a bunch of other girls were getting ready. She lifted her right foot on the bench she was sitting, to tie her shoelaces, when she noticed two legs pausing right in front of her. She glanced up to see Alyssa Chang standing with her arms crossed and she seemed pissed.

"Can I help you?" Hope said really calm, continuing her task unbothered.

"The fact that I let you keep your room doesn't mean I'm gonna let you have my position as QB1, so, do not get any ideas." the witch threatened.

"Wow, okay, nice to see you, too." Hope exclaimed surprised, but not really.

"Don't play innocent, I can see right through you. And I'm telling you, the spot is mine."

"Scram, Alyssa." Lizzie interrupted, getting their attention as she stepped in. "If you want to be QB1 then fucking prove you're worthy of it in the field and stop bitching around." she declared making the witch seethe and Hope tried to hold back a giggle. "Besides. You're barking up the wrong tree, if someone is to take that position, it's me."

"We'll see about that." she returned furious and cleared off.

The two girls shared a look but when Hope seemed like she was gonna say something, Lizzie walked up to her locker, took a pile of clean clothes from it and got lost in the hallway. Hope smiled shaking her head, knowing damn well this was payback for this morning.

She got ready and entered the restrooms, in order to fix her ponytail in front of the gigantic mirror above the sinks. Two other girls were also there, gossiping somewhere in the corner, but Hope didn't pay any attention to them. Suddenly, Lizzie came out of one of the toilets and used the sink next to hers to wash her hands, looking at her own reflection the entire time. Hope gave her a discreet glimpse through the mirror and resumed her task. The two chatty girls in the back decided to use the toilets, leaving them alone in the washing space of the bathroom. Lizzie headed towards the exit but suddenly stopped behind the tribrid, who was still trying to tame her hair, placing her hands to the shorter girl's hips and looked at her through the glass.

"Wha-" Hope exclaimed, almost choking on her drools but Lizzie raised her index finger above her own mouth, suggesting she should stop talking.

The tribrid stood completely still, observing as the blonde's nose tickled the back of her ear. When she felt the girl shudder under her touch, Lizzie started leaving a trail of small kisses across her neck. Hope slowly put her hands down, tilted her head to give her space and closed her eyes, losing every bit of self-control when the siphon's tongue slid against her skin, slightly sucking it in a way that made the girl moan. As luck would have it, the flush exceeded the sound, reminding them they were not alone. Hope twitched.

"I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" Lizzie whispered in her ear with the cheekiest smile.

Hope turned around to face the siphon when they heard the sound of the door unlocking. Before any of them could get opened, she grabbed the blonde's hand and led her outside all the way to the janitor's closet.

Once she locked the door behind them, Hope pushed the girl to the wall and pressed her body against hers, releasing all the ferocity of the day onto Lizzie's welcoming lips. Their kiss was passionate, yet gentle. Hope's delicate movements inside the girl's mouth drove the latter crazy, waking up a side she didn't know she had in her. She responded by grabbing her waist and leading her across the tiny room, without ever breaking contact, only stopping when the tribrid's back was the one against the wall.

"Hey." Lizzie said gruffly from the rush, remembering they never actually greeted each other.

"Hi." Hope returned in the same tone but with a smile forming on her lips while she was struggling to catch her breath.

"That was something you pulled on me at the kitchen this morning." the blonde teased her.

"You're the one to talk, playing me like that in there." she responded in the same mood.

"In retaliation for your poking."

"Maybe I should poke more often, then." Hope said flirty.

"Keep this up and it's a matter of time before they send me to a nuthouse."

"What?" the tribrid spat out startled.

"Oh, yeah, Dorian thinks I'm on a brink of a meltdown because I wasn't paying any attention to the class, couldn't exactly say I was just too distracted by your fine back to listen to useless first-grader's spells."

"We had history."

"See?" Lizzie shrugged.

Hope couldn't hold back her laugh any longer. The chuckle soon evolved to a nervous laughter so strong, she had to hold her belly from the pain in her abdominals. Lizzie gawked at her astonished.

"Oh, is this amusing to you?" she asked both shocked and offended but the girl couldn't stop. "I think that's enough. Hope! Stop! It isn't funny!" she complained but the girl's laugh was uncontrollable.

"It's a little funny." she managed to say between her giggles.

"Oh, yeah? Do you know what else is funny?" Lizzie said and attacked the girl, tickling her as hard as she could.

Hope howled and twitched and then twitched again, trying to avoid the girl's tease. "No, no, no. Lizzie! Stop it! Noo!" she screamed laughing.

"What's the matter? Not so funny now? I'm having fun." she continued attacking her belly from behind.

The shorter girl turned around to face her and their mouths almost collided, making them both forget what they were laughing about. Suddenly, Hope's lips found Lizzie once more, this time more possessively, she needed to be hers. She raised her hands aiming for Lizzie's chest when she found herself pinned against the wall, the blonde's hands tangled in hers, containing them right above her head. Lizzie broke the contact to look at her, make sure it was okay. Hope's pleased expression suggested she could continue, so she did, burying her head in the girl's neck. The feeling of the siphon's lips against her skin was unmatched and the sounds of pleasure she made, combined with a lift of her head, lent to Lizzie a devious smirk.

"W-we have to get back." she panted while the taller girl was still working on her neck.

"Not enjoying this?" she asked between her kisses.

"That- that's not it." Hope was more than enjoying it. "They're gonna be looking for us."

"Nobody will notice we're gone." Lizzie gently let go of the tribrid.


"I don't know. You would be the first person I would notice if were missing." Hope answered honestly.

"Well, everyone's. But right now, I don't feel like sweating. From sports that is." she said, her eyes stuck on the girl's lips.

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Playing me."

"Oh, I've barely started." Lizzie wore a wicked smile, bringing the girl closer.

Perhaps time stopped when the blonde pulled her in, claiming her mouth again, hungry and intense, until Hope's knees gave in. She loved having that much effect on the girl, knowing she, herself, wasn't immune to the tribrid's beauty. Damn. How had she managed to make that trash bag of a jersey look so hot? By the time Lizzie was aware of her fingers, they had already slipped under the girl's shirt, her skin smooth, radiating heat. The contact sent shivers down Hope's spine, forcing a soft groan to escape her mouth. The siphon's hands wandering around a sensitive zone, combined with the intensity of her intoxicating scent passed through Hope's inceptors, made the shorter girl dizzy. Accordingly, her primrose-flavored skin aroused every last of Lizzie's senses, disarming any doubt she might previously had. She needed to feel her.

She pulled away, breaking their kiss to look at her eyes, asking for permission, while her hand was slowly and steady reaching for the girl's pants, when she suddenly stopped, inches before she could feel the texture of Hope's running shorts. The tribrid's disappointed expression wasn't reason enough for her to continue, she needed to hear her say it. Thankfully, the girl caught on quickly.

"I want this." she whispered, well-aware it sounded like more of begging than confirmation but she could not care less in that moment.

Before any of them could realize it, Lizzie's hand had slipped under the girl's shorts. Hope felt the girl's fingertips horrifically slick, milling around her center and for a second she wished she could disappear off the face of the earth, dying of embarrassment for the fact that she was so ready for her already. The only thing that consoled her in that moment, was the realization that Lizzie couldn't look or sound more pleased by that.

"Oh, my God, Hope." she panted amazed. "You really do."

Hope responded by burying her fingers inside the girl's skull and pulling it back, freeing some space of Lizzie's neck for her to work on, merely to hide her blushing.

The blonde felt her limbs go numb but she kept coming, gently brushing the girl's clit, making repeated, round movements that caused Hope to lean against the wall to keep her balance, for her legs could not be trusted anymore. She reached the girl's entrance with the tips of her fingers but when she felt her twitching under her, she returned right back where she started, relentlessly rubbing Hope's most sensitive area, heavenly torturing her.

Lizzie eventually gave in to the girl's silent pleading and smoothly thrust two fingers inside her, forcing a cry out of both of them, much louder than they could afford. The tribrid's hips unwittingly started moving towards the blonde's restless hand, raising momentum and friction, until the contractions started. She was so close to the edge when the blonde froze and blocked Hope's mouth with her available hand when the latter tried to complain. She was about to complain for that, too but the look on the siphon's face suggested she should really stay quiet. Like clockwork, the door knocked three times before Josie's voice resonated from the hallway.

"Lizzie? Are you in there?"

"Uh, yeah, j-just give me a minute, coming right outside." Lizzie responded dazed, and rightfully so, considering her fingers were still inside the girl.

"Everyone's looking for you, why aren't you in the field?" Jo asked confused.

"I've got my hands full right now." Lizzie said cheeky, looking at Hope almost choking on her own spit. "Organizing our upcoming birthday party, I mean. I'm skipping P.E. today."

"What? That's not for another month. And you never skip P.E., especially on the day of the trials."

"I'm growing as a person."

"Wha- Why are we talking through the door, just-" The girls tensed as they heard the handle slightly spin when-

"Let's go back and she'll catch up." Jade came to the rescue once again, her ears being too sensitive not to hear what was happening on the other side of the door before they interrupted it. "Isn't that right, Lizzie?"

"Sure, right behind you." Lizzie rolled her eyes and waited till the sound of their footsteps was lost in the distance. "Isn't that right, Lizzie?" she murmured mockingly, finally detaching herself from the tribrid.

"You know she just helped us out of a very uncomfortably unpleasant situation, right?" Hope remarked raising an eyebrow, in the vampire's defense.

"Wait, you think she knows?"

"Oh, she definitely knows." she confirmed almost satisfied.

Lizzie's gawp turned into a smirk and the disquiet of almost getting caught soon came out as a provocative laughter that she could not control. Hope briefly stared at the girl at a loss but the whole situation she'd found herself into and that contagious sound produced by Lizzie's mouth, made the girl snort, giving a boost to the blonde's laughing. Before they knew it, they were both rolling on the floor laughing without a good reason and without even realizing it, for the first time in what felt like forever, Hope was happy.

* * *

Lizzie's room was extra clean today and it smelt like.. vanilla? And why were there so many candles? These were only few of the questions that crossed the blonde's mind when she returned from the showers after the practice. Jo walking in with two crystal glasses and a bottle of some sparkly wine answered most of them. She had plans.

"Oh, hey." Josie greeted uneasy.

"Why is my room turning into a pornographic film set?" she asked, casually unwrapping the towel from her head and throwing in on her bed.

"I.. invited Jade to come over?" Josie scratched her neck, realizing she should've probably asked her sister first. "Are you mad?"

"Oh, that's just great! Please, don't mind me trying to sleep in my own bed, while some vampire deflowers my twin across the room!" Lizzie remarked supposedly thrilled. "Why would I be mad?"

"I'm so sorry, I know I should've talked to you first but now it's kinda late and I'm so nervous as it is and Jade will be here any minute, so please, do me this one favor and find another place to sleep for the night?" Josie begged truly stressed out.

Lizzie was about to start bashing the girl but the look on her face made her decide against it and she settled for an eye-rolling. "Fine. But you owe me one, baby sis."

"Really? Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Jo asphyxiated the blonde with her kisses.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm the best, I know. Okay, I guess I'm leaving, since my own sister is kicking me out to get it with Dr. Sucker." she threw a last gibe, naturally using insults as a coping mechanism, before she reached the exit. "Be careful, alright?" she spat out softly and waited for Jo's nodding and got lost in the hallway.

And before she could realize it, Lizzie was standing on the familiar doorstep.