There she was. The girl Charlotte's mind had not been able to forget for so long wandered around her living room. She didn't seem upset, but she also didn't look to be visibly feeling anything. Charlotte followed her friend around the room with just her eyes. It felt as though this was completely normal for the two of them. It was almost like they didn't have a falling out a few short days ago. Maybe it was the lack of tension in the room that made Charlotte hold her breath until Becky said something again.

"Do you 'ave any beer?"

Charlotte's mind was too busy overworking that she nearly missed Becky's question. Becky glanced over her shoulder, managing a small smile that told Charlotte she was requesting a beverage to break the ice between the two.

Charlotte gestured at her coffee table. "I still have some wine," she offered, still tasting the lingering strawberry alcohol on her lips.

Becky nodded. She swiped the bottle from the table, brushed her hair behind her shoulders, then took a long pull. A solid three seconds of chugging the sweet liquid ended with Becky sighing heavily and wiping the excess wine from her lip with the heel of her hand.

"Rough day?" Charlotte asked with a very slight chuckle.

"Aye..." Becky muttered with a nod and a sigh.

The tall blonde steadily moved into her living room. Becky made eye contact with her for a moment, before turning away and sitting on the couch. Charlotte kept her expression as neutral as she could so Becky didn't change her mind about what she came here to say... whatever that was anyway.

Charlotte joined her friend on the couch, keeping a gap between them. Becky sat leaned forward with her hands folded together in her lap. There was a growing awkwardness falling over the duo, prompting Charlotte to forget about everything and anything she could talk about to ease the situation.

In fact, the alcoholic fog hovering over Charlotte's brain that aided in her anxious overthinking had her distracted long enough at first to not realize Becky had closed the gap between the two. The cylinders started working again when the strawberry flavor from the red wine suddenly mixed with cherry chapstick and a little hint of tomato and spinach. Charlotte wasn't even sure if life was real anymore. The last few seconds, forget about the past few weeks, seemed dream-like, mostly due to the reason that Becky was practically sitting in Charlotte's lap, cupping her face between her hands, and forcing her lips against Charlotte's so intensely that Flair's teeth tore into the inside of her bottom lip and produced a few droplets of blood like they weren't at each other's throats a few days prior.

Becky's sudden attack on Charlotte with her lips didn't end as quickly as they previously would have. Becky eased her aggression once she got a feel for Charlotte. The two young women exchanged a few wet, tongue-laden smooches until Becky re-created the gap between the two ex-best friends with a sigh that told Charlotte that Lynch's internal struggle was still far from over.

Becky stayed silent, resting her chin in her hand, appearing deep in thought. Charlotte, still stunned by the sudden and lightning-quick make-out session, watched the troubled Irishwoman closely to try and get any hope of understanding where she was, mentally speaking.

A minute passed and nothing was said. Charlotte felt her chest tighten under the stress of the situation. If Becky was here to tell her she wanted her over Sonya, then wouldn't she have said something? Or, even better, wouldn't they be in Charlotte's bedroom right now pushing the boundaries between "passionate" and "noise complaint"? Charlotte lightly licked the cut on the inside of her bottom lip, trying to keep her brain from wandering any further.

"I love you too," Becky muttered, hardly above a whisper.

Charlotte's unsure frown twitched into a joyous smirk. That brief rush of hope quickly snuffed itself out when Charlotte noticed Becky's still stern expression.

"Do you still want to be with Sonya?" Charlotte spoke before she had a chance to stop herself. The question came off like a desperate plea for Becky's affection, which it was, but Charlotte didn't want to sound so pathetic already.

Becky shrugged. "Yeah? I do," she snapped back with a dry chuckle.

Charlotte's bottom lip quivered. "Why?" She asked.

"Why can't I? Why can't I 'ave one relationship that doesn't end horribly because someone else wanted me at t'e same time?" Becky shot back, a noticeable edge to her tone. "Why are me friends tellin' me that me girlfriend is no good when she hasn' done a thing to me that would make me think she's a bad person?"

"Because she isn't a good person!" Charlotte fired back.

"Don't you dare scream at me..." Becky warned coldly, clenching her jaw.

Charlotte sighed, trying to calm herself down. "Look, Bex, you have to listen to us-"

"Us?" Becky questioned. "Who's 'us'?"

Charlotte started to speak but trailed off when she realized that her explanation would surely be taken the wrong way and make it seem like they were only trying to break Sonya and Becky up so she could be with Charlotte. Granted, that was exactly what she and Dean were trying to do, but to any third party unaffiliated with the group would probably think Dean and Charlotte were insane.

"Who?" Becky repeated.

"Me and Dean," Charlotte revealed, looking away. "Alexa and a few others know, but... Dean promised me to help catch Sonya cheating."

Becky jumped to her feet. "Yer fookin' unbelievable, Charlotte," the hurt woman marched for the door, shouting over her shoulder as she went.

Charlotte grabbed for Becky's shoulder. Becky spun and shoved Charlotte, knocking her into the back of her loveseat. Charlotte braced for worse, expecting a slap or a punch to follow. Instead, the teary, angry baby browns of who was once the closest person in the world to her stared a hole through her that would've killed a weaker being.

Becky inhaled a shaky breath, cursed something in Gaelic that Charlotte didn't understand, then stormed from the apartment with a slam of the door for extra measure.

Charlotte couldn't breathe. Something in her heart snapped when that door slammed and shook the frame around it. With the terrible start to her year, this was the last straw for Charlotte. She felt numb; More numb than a bottle and a half of wine could do to her.

Charlotte, crying so hard she couldn't see in front of her, navigated carefully back to the couch, curled into a ball, and cried herself hoarse until she drifted off into an uneasy, exhausted slumber.


The first few days of the week zoomed by without much more trepidation or further heated exchanges other than the one traded between former best friends. Charlotte and Becky hadn't been much by their friends, but, to be fair, a lot of them were stuck in their own schedules and hadn't made much notice anyway.

Following another successful day of student-teaching, Alexa Bliss headed for the weight room for a quick pre-cheer practice workout. Since Dean was with a study group, the tiny brunette was on her own, but some of her fellow cheerleaders were also getting a sweat in before practice.

Alexa's day had gone routinely normal for just about the entirety of her time at P.T. Barnum elementary school. She showed up bright and early, went over the lesson plan with Ms. Tessmacher, then greeted the students when they showed up for that day's class. Unlike Monday, Alexa stayed at the school for lunch with the other teachers in Ms. Tessmacher and Miss Holly's "gossip group". Alexa didn't have a lot of things to say in regards to the other staff in the building, but she did get to speak to Hadleigh a little bit before the little tyke headed to the cafeteria. Hadleigh, now a proud first-grader, happily told Alexa about her new teacher and her new cubby for her things. The little one almost fell into tears when she talked about her foster mom "going to heaven" during the Summer, but she quickly regained her joy after a hug from her favorite college student.

Alexa decreased the speed on the treadmill until it was safe to hop off. She exhaled sharply, wiping a line of sweat from her forehead as she checked her vitals on her FitBit. Getting back into her normal workout routine following Summer break was no hassle whatsoever. Though she felt more motivated when her fiance was cracking jokes or complementing her hard work, Alexa still felt great when she could take some time for herself to work on her gains.

Alexa started to head back to the locker room to add a few layers before heading out to the practice field; Never mind the slight chill in the air, but practicing in a pink sports bra and dark-grey leggings were probably grounds to get her sent home for "distracting" the football team.

As Alexa made her way out of the weight room and venture the small hallway to the locker rooms, she spotted an equally tiny woman in an SU hoodie trying to keep her head down like she was avoiding any human contact.

"Nikki?" Alexa addressed the woman, seemingly scaring her when she said her name. "Hey, I thought that was you," Alexa continued with a friendly grin. "Gonna work out a little?"

Nikki shook her head lightly, showing Alexa a dark purple spiral notebook tucked under her left arm. "Anna needs ma notes," she told, her quick eye roll emphasizing how annoyed she felt about it.

"That's nice of you. Just don't let Anna copy everything off of you," Alexa instructed. "She needs to keep eligible to be on the cheer squad, and it's not fair if you do it for her."

Nikki's eyes waivered south for a moment, before quickly re-locking with Alexa's. "Yer a cheerleader?" She asked.

Alexa grinned. "Yes, ma'am. All four years here, and in high school."

"I can see it," Nikki said, turning away slightly to hide her reddening cheeks. "Yer gorgeous, Lexi."

"Aww, thanks Nikki," Alexa threw her arms around the other woman, giving her a warm embrace. "You're still going to the rush event tomorrow, right? ZBZ would be very lucky to have a girl as sweet as you."

Nikki lifted her shoulders while muttering some excuse to get out of going. "I'm thinkin' about it. I don' really like parties."

"But I want you to come so bad!" Alexa chirped, taking Nikki's hand. "ZBZ isn't like DXA. I know you mentioned that your mom is a legacy there, but ZBZ is nothing like those guys. We actually care for our sisters' wellbeing and don't parade them around like clown-faced cattle."

Nikki broke out into a fit of cackles that she tried hiding behind her sweatshirt sleeve. Alexa thought of what she wanted to say next but got distracted by the arrival of Sonya Deville, who looked less than pleased to be there.

"Hey, girl," Alexa greeted the taller woman. "Where's Becky?"

Sonya shrugged, the irritated look on her face speaking volumes. "I don't know. She was being weird, so I told her to meet me at Sideways later, so..."

"What's Sideways?" Alexa asked.

"A dance club in town," Sonya said over her shoulder as she angrily marched into the weight room.

Alexa raised her brow with a quick exhale. "Oh-kay. Don't know what's going on there."

"She seems mean," Nikki hissed with a frown.

"She's got a temper but she's really sweet," Alexa said. "She's dating one of my fiance's best friends. I wonder what's going on?"

Nikki shrugged. "Sounds like things are gettin' a little 'sideways'."

Alexa rolled her eyes but did chuckle a bit. "Another European pun machine? You and Becky would be best friends. I gotta get goin', ok? I better see you at ZBZ tomorrow."

Nikki's fingers flexed around Alexa's. Alexa smiled sweetly, Nikki just sorta nodded before she pulled Alexa in for a quick hug and bolted for the weight room.

"Ok, quick change, and then I'm good," Alexa told herself, following the hallway to the women's locker room.

As the pint-sized brunette headed for the exit, she heard whispers coming from her left. She glanced curiously, finding the voice oddly smooth and comforting. Alexa made eye contact with a tall boy in a leather jacket peeking out of the handi-capped bathroom near the back door.

"Psst! Over here!" Dean hushedly yelled to his fiance.

Alexa approached her man, giggling as she went. "You are the least discreet person I have ever met, sir. Why are you trying to get my attention from the bathroom?"

"Just trying to add a little unpredictability to the relationship. That's all," Dean said. He leaned down to softly peck his girl on the lips.

"I think I'd rather have everything be extremely predictable from now on," Alexa giggled.

Dean looked his wife up and down, then gave her a sharp whistle and that smirk she always adored. "How'd it go? I'm sorry I got hung up with my group."

"It's alright, baby. Things were pretty good. I saw Sonya," Alexa cringed a little when she said Becky's girlfriend's name.

Dean furrowed his brow. "Was Bexington with her?"

Alexa shook her head. "No. Said she was meeting her at Sideways later."

"The hell is that?" Dean asked with a snicker.

"She said some kind of dance club..." Alexa looked off into the distance as she trailed off.

Dean smirked. "You wanna scope the place out to see if we can catch Sonya, don't you?"

Alexa grinned. "I think catching Sonya cheating on our friend is a good bonding exercise for couples going through a rough patch."

"I'm sure Dr. Maddox will be thrilled to hear about that later during our appointment." Dean sarcastically put, baiting a little laughter from his beloved.

Alexa gently gripped Dean's wrist. "Why are you waiting for me in the bathroom?" She asked.

"Saw you talking to that other crazy midget that wasn't AJ and thought I'd scare you or somethin'," Dean answered. His face lit up. "Actually, could you help me with my knee quick? I'm gonna talk to Sandow, but I need my personal nurse to check it out."

"Sure." Alexa chirped with an eye roll. "Lemme guess, you want me to give you a quick 'rub down' before practice so you can get ahead in that bet thing at BPO?"

Dean looked off into the distance, thinking over his answer, then nodded. "Yeah. That's pretty much it," he admitted.

Alexa slid her hand through Dean's. "How about after supper?" She asked, looking for fiance in the eyes for any kind of disappointment. "You make us something good, and I... dig up my nurse uniform and help you ice your knee?"

A smile grew on Dean's lips, showing Alexa that he was the furthest thing from upset about her request. "Uh, gee, lemme think..." Dean paused for less than a second before finishing his thought. "Absolutely."

"Good," Alexa giggled, stealing a quick kiss to Dean's lips. "Don't forget to hurry out of practice so we can get to Dr. Maddox's office right away. I don't want to lose Sonya before she gets to the bar."

"Sure thing, baby doll," Dean assured.

With one more kiss to the crown of his girl's head and a warm embrace that melted the iced shell around his heart, Dean headed for the locker room to change for practice, with Alexa doing the same.


SU's Titans football team had their first regular-season game against Long Island University that coming Saturday. Due to a scheduling error, SU was originally set to face the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, but they were now SU's second-week obstacle. For now, Coach Graves was orchestrating an offensive scheme against the LIU Sharks' pass-heavy, shotgun offense.

Coach Jones' defensive scheme against the passing game involved most of his backers playing pass coverage, with the linemen taking the more brutish route of trying to run down the quarterback before he had a chance to get the pass off. Dean hated having to stay on his toes to keep on a receiver, especially with his bad knee acting up for the duration of practice. McIntyre, unless the QB was under center, was told to keep mostly behind the line to cover more ground and hopefully swat a pass or capture an interception. In the chance that LIU went under center, then McIntyre and Dean were to blitz the line along with the hogs on the defensive front.

Graves was no less confident than he was during the first week of practice than now. Nervous, perhaps since this was his first official game as head coach, but never wavoring his confidence in his team making a statement when they traveled to Brooklyn that Friday for their Saturday afternoon game. He admitted, during a film session, that he may have let the confidence get to his head when he named a special offensive play "Shark Bait", that was more or less like a "hook and ladder", but instead of a backwards toss to a second receiver, the person with the ball was to fire a lateral pass to a player on the opposite side of the field and hope to God it wasn't called for "forward pass". Graves mentioned that it would be a last resort kind of play, but he didn't fully rule it out of his scheme for that Saturday.

Coach Carr still had multiple receivers rotate in and out during drills. The starting wide-out spots still rested in the hands of Rollins and Dillinger, despite the ongoing efforts of Storm some times making Seth look like a cheerleader.

Graves stood near the backfield as Big E called a huddle. Cutler jogged from the group up to his coach. Starting with the 2018 season, Division 1 football teams were permitted twenty headsets to be distributed amongst the team and coaches, but with the players only allowed to use four. Coach Graves already assigned one to Cutler to make play calling easier. On defense, due to his position as middle linebacker, Ambrose was going to use the higher-tech helmet for communication between himself and Coach Jones; The remaining two were to be given to the backup for both key players, which in this case would be Adam Cole, for Cutler, and Tyler Breeze, for Ambrose.

"What do you think?" Graves asked Cutler, eyeing his team before looking his senior QB in the eye.

"Flea Flicker on sound?" Cutler half-seriously suggested.

Graves chuckled once. "Not on your life, man. 'Shark Bait' on two. Let's see if Kingston and Storm are paying attention."

Cutler nodded and headed back for the huddle. With the call of the play, the players dispersed for their assigned positions. Rollins lined up directly across from Storm.

"You ain't gettin' past me, mate," Storm taunted teasingly.

"Beers at Roadie's says we get it ten yards," Rollins shot back.

"Alright. Deal," Storm agreed, before shuffling back into deeper coverage.

Cutler called hut once, then twice. Immidiately after the snap, he turned and rifled the ball directly into Rollins' hands. Seth took two steps, baiting Storm into charging right for him, then turned and fired the ball across the field at Dillinger. Storm had too much forward momentum to stop herself and took Seth to the group. Dillinger caught the ball easily with both hands, catching Kingston completely off guard, and took off for a solid thirty yard gain before Graves blew his whistle.

"That yer cup or are you excited to see me?" Storm asked, pushing off Rollins to stand up.

Toni offered her hand. Seth accepted her gesture and pulled himself to his feet.

"I don't wear a cup," Seth shot back.

"Good to know," Storm replied. Seth couldn't see her eyes very well due to her visor, but he was willing to bet that she winked at him.

"Looks like beers on you," Rollins pointed out, gesturing at Dillinger downfield.

"Shit!" Storm exclaimed.

Seth snickered with the intent to do more light chastising, but the shouts of coaches and other players took his focus towards the backfield. Reigns and Joe were in eachother's faces, shoving one another back and forth like two schoolyard bullies in a turff war.

"I SAID BREAK IT THE FUCK UP!" Coach Jones screamed over the commotion, yanking Joe back by the collar of his shoulder pads; Dean got in-between the dueling teammates to keep his brother back. "NOW I DO NOT CARE WHO THE FUCK STARTED THIS BULLSHIT, BACK THANK THESE TWO DUMBSHITS FOR EXTRA SUICIDES!"

The team all let out a collective groan. Graves called for a waterbreak, but kept Reigns back.

"What the fuck was that?" Graves demanded, getting in Roman's face but keeping his voice low to keep from the other players out of the conversation.

Reigns shook his head. "Joe was talking shit, and I let it get to me. That was it, Coach. I'm sorry."

"Apologize to your brothers for giving them extra cardio," Graves spat, slapping Roman over the head with his clipboard. "Keep it between whistles. I expect better out of you, Reigns!"

Coach Graves left, but Roman remained cemented to his spot. Joe had made some kind of rude remark about Tessa that Roman didn't particularly take kind to, especially since Joe had been running his mouth non-stop all week. Apparently, getting run over multiple times during "Tenessee Six" wasn't enough to keep his big mouth shut.

Dean approached his adoptive brother, slapping him over the back. "You good, dude? You're lucky my knee is falling apart or I'd beat your ass."

Roman shook his head, not in the mood to keep up with his brother's sarcastic humor. "Joe's a fucking loser, man." He stated.

"I know," Dean agreed. "Which is why you shouldn't let the dumb fuck get in your head. Fucks sake, man. You know better than this shit."

Roman, though he was on the verge of throwing a car at the smug piece of shit who started the fight, knew he was in the wrong for letting it get the better of him. In high school, or even last season, he'd just let it sit with him until game day where he'd unleash his frustrations out on some poor, unsuspecting player from an opposing school. Maybe it was Tessa physically being there that made Roman jump the gun and try to beat Joe into the dirt. Roman spotted his girlfriend in the stands beside Bayley, watching him closely. Roman pulled off his helmet and nodded at her, seemingly settling some of her worry.

Seth approached his two best friends with Zack in tow.

"We good?" Seth asked.

"Yeah. Roman's just a hotheaded jackass," Dean quipped.

Roman tutted his tongue. "Bro, I have use of both of my legs and will kick your ass."

The four boys shared a quick laugh, then jogged off the field for a waterbreak. Tessa made eye contact with Roman for a moment. In that heartbeat, she made a fist and pushed it towards her mouth, while probing the inside of her cheek with her tongue. Bayley, horrified at the thought of Tessa and Roman doing something like that, pretended not to notice and waved to her husband, who blew her a kiss in return.


Dean held out as long as he could. Pre-practice stretching and warm-ups didn't hurt as much as they had been, which Sandow and Dean agreed was a good sign that his knee was healing. Then the constant quick direction change and constant agile movements that came with pass coverage put further strain on Dean's knee that made the first half of practice a living hell. Dean hobbled off the practice field for some water, but a wave of heat washing over his knee told him that his day was over.

"Does it hurt at home?" Sandow asked, slowly extending Dean's knee in front of him on the bench.

Dean winced, fighting back a scream of pain. "No," he lied, gritting his teeth. "Just really fucking stiff. Then I ice it, and it feels fine, then I come here and it's like someone stuck a knife in my leg."

Sandow shook his head. "I think this is something more than ice can fix, Dean."

"Ice has been helping," Dean insisted.

"Have you seen a specialist yet?" Sandow asked.

Dean shook his head. "Yeah, I mean... I've been meaning to."

"Goddammit, Ambrose," Sandow muttered with a sigh.

"I want to, ok?" I just..." Dean really didn't have a good explanation for his lack of responsibility. He'd thought about going to see a doctor and get a proper diagnosis, but he was either too busy with class or too prideful to admit he had a serious problem. He knew that taking care of himself was the best option in a prolonged career playing football, but the fear of them possibly making him take time off just wasn't something Dean wanted to hear.

"Go see one as soon as you can," Sandow instructed, handing Ambrose a bag of ice. "Figure out what you gotta do. You have two years of 'ball after this. You don't need to kill yourself your Sophomore year."

"Thank you, sir," Dean said. He gently placed the ice over his sore joint, finding some relief almost immediately.


Of all the things frustrating or confusing in his life, Roman was thankful that at least his girlfriend was somewhat normal.

Aside from her sometimes erratic behavior, and her hairline temper when playing video games, Tessa was damn near perfect. Roman still loved Ronda, and still cared about Charlotte, but he would've been more than happy in keeping Tessa around for a while. Especially now, with the slender, athletic brunette making dinner while Roman took a steamy shower to defuse from practice.

Roman emerged from the steam a few minutes later in a pair of gym shorts, feeling his aching body somewhat relax finally. Tessa flashed her man a quick grin, then switched off the stovetop before joining Roman in the living room and kiss his cheek.

"How was the shower?" Tessa asked.

Roman sighed. "Good. I needed it after that shit with Joe. I don't know why he and Summer are actively trying to ruin my life."

"Jealousy?" Tessa guessed.

"Of what?" Roman chuckled.

"Your smoking hot girlfriend, duh," Tessa snickered.

Roman nodded and pecked his woman on the lips. "Fair enough. What are you making for dinner?"

"Cheap steaks and instant potatoes," Tessa revealed. "But, I want to give you something before we eat, ok?"

Roman couldn't help but chuckle at the way that sentence came off. Tessa rolled her eyes playfully and slapped Roman's chest with the back of her hand. She ventured to Roman's room, then re-emerged a moment later carrying a dark blue gift bag.

"What's that?" Roman questioned.

Tessa handed over the bag. "Happy one month anniversary, Rome. I hope you like it."

A guilty wave washed over Roman's heart. "Oh shit. I didn't even think about that. I'm so sorry."

"It's ok, Roman. Really. Trust me, what you do to me in bed makes up for it," Tessa praised with a wink.

Roman pulled back the tissue paper. From within, Roman pulled out a stuffed teddy bear. The bear had dark-brown fur, black eyes, and wore a mini SU football jersey.

"Tess..." Roman said with a grin. "This is... amazing."

"Right? They were on sale in Koloff and I thought of you when I saw it." Tessa explained, linking her arms around one of Roman's.

Roman laid a heavy kiss on Tessa's lips, letting it linger long enough for her to moan into it and let a little heat reach his groin. Tessa broke the kiss before it escalated further.

"Here," she took the bear and set it on the countertop, facing the living room. "Perfect. Now we have a little mascot."

Roman approached Tessa from behind, brushing her hair away from her neck before placing several slow kisses on her shoulder and under her ear.

"Should we let him watch, or should we head to bed before dinner?" Roman asked.

Tessa reached behind her person for Roman's crotch, feeling him poke through the fabric of his shorts and gripping lightly.

"Bedroom, please," Tessa cooed, turning in Roman's arms to face him and peck his lips. "I don't need to be going to jail for getting railed with an audience."

Roman chuckled at the comment, but he quickly pushed it to the back of his mind in favor of lifting Tessa into his arms and carrying her to his bedroom.


Sideways. Both Alexa and Dean still had no idea what this place was or what kind of crowd it attracted. What they did know, however, was that Sonya was still a lying, cheating, manipulative bitch. That proof was further backed up with Alexa, using a near comical pair of binoculars, spotted Sonya arriving at the club alone. Dean knew his redheaded friend wasn't inside, since she was texting him about how she needed to make things right with Sonya before it was too late; Dean wanted to inform Becky to tell Sonya to hit the road, but he decided to play it cool for now.

"Whaddya reckon?" Dean asked his fiance, his eyes glued to Sonya. The woman the couple was currently trying to catch in the act of being unfaithful entered the club.

"I'm gonna kill her," Alexa growled, narrowing her eyes bitterly. "Who would cheat on Becky? What kind of person would cheat at all?"

Dean stayed silent, that off comment hitting a little too close to home in several different ways. Alexa caught what she said and looked to her fiance. The blank, emotionless expression on his face hurt to see, but at least they'd moved past that part in their life. Alexa was thinking about her affair with AJ, while Dean had pictured the still unknown fling he had with Ruby almost a year prior.

"I love you," Alexa told her beloved, scratching her hand over his bum knee. "Let's not think about that right now, ok? I want to catch this bitch tonight."

Dean nodded, shaking the clouds from his brain. "Hell yeah. Becky doesn't deserve to go through this shit again."

As Alexa and Dean slid out of Betty, the thumping club music caught their ears. Sideways was further into town, just about twenty minutes from campus. Judging by the people walking in and out, and the nearly full parking lot, this was a fairly popular night club, even if it was only Wednesday night. From the outside, it was no real indicator of what kind of place it was supposed to be. Dean figured night club, which made sense with the blaring music and the dark color scheme outside the bar.

Alexa led the way towards the bar with Dean following close behind. The bouncer asked for both IDs; Alexa handed hers off no problem, while Dean handed the man a passable fake. The man nodded and the young couple stepped into the club.

Right away, the music hit them in the face almost as hard as the stench of smoke and the aroma of alcohol. Beyond the front door was a black curtain. Dean pulled back the cloth for Alexa to step through, then he followed her.

"Let's split up!" Alexa yelled over the music.

"Are you sure?!" Dean yelled.

Alexa nodded. "Yeah! I'll meet you by the bar!"

In the front entranceway, a young man in affliction and spiked blonde hair that almost made Dean laugh out loud at how douchey he thought the guy looked, stood behind a table.

"Hello, hello!" The young man addressed both Dean and Alexa. "Welcome to Sideways. I'm Gavin, your host-slash-DJ. What kind of wristband would you like?"

"Wristband?" Alexa asked.

Gavin gestured at an array of colorful wristbands. "We have several different options so your fellow patrons know what you're here for! Red for "taken"; Green for "single and ready to mingle"; Blue for "not interested"; Yellow for "looking for friends"; and of course black for "here to drink, leave me be!"

Dean shrugged and took a black wristband. "I already love this place!"

Alexa rolled her eyes and took a red wristband. "Behave yourself. We're here for a reason."

Dean pecked his girl on the top of her brunette head of hair. Alexa scratched her fingernails over Dean's shoulder, then disappeared into the crowd of people. Dean looked around the sea of young adults dancing to terrible music and sipping drinks, wishing he was anywhere but there. Dance clubs were definitely not his thing and being left alone in one was something of a nightmare he was sure he had at some point in his life. Even if he hadn't, wading through a club up to the bar was a living nightmare regardless.

Dean looked around the scene, trying to spot Sonya somewhere in the crowd. The bartender, a gruff-looking woman with a lip piercing and sleeve tats, threw a dish towel over her shoulder and approached Dean's spot.

"First time?" She asked, nodding at Dean's fidgeting fingers.

"Sensory overload and shit," Dean said with a dry chuckle. "Untreated social anxiety. I'm sure you've heard it before."

The bartender chuckled. "What'll you have?"

Dean shrugged. "You got whiskey?"

"Sure do," the woman turned away for a moment to retrieve a shot glass and a bottle of liquor. She set the glass in front of Dean, filled it, and was quick to refill it again when Dean threw back the first shot right away.

"That nervous, huh?" The bartender asked.

Dean shook his head. "I'm just lookin' for a friend."

"Well, you'll find plenty here. Especially with that wristband," the bartender told.

Dean lifted his arm. "What do you mean? The guy said this means 'fuck off, I want to be drunk'."

"Black means your 'DTF'," the woman explained.

Dean rolled his eyes. "Great. Gavin fuckin' lied to me. And he seemed like such a great guy," he said sarcastically.

"Gavin does that with all the guys that come in here," the bartender off-handedly put.

Dean nodded. "Oh ok. I don't judge but that's not really my thing. Maybe I oughta let him down easily."

The bartender bore an expression somewhere between a smirk and joy. "What's not your thing? Gavin?"

"Uh, guys in general," Dean said. "My girl is around here somewhere."

"Wait... you're not gay?" The bartender asked.

Dean furrowed his brow. "What?"

"Dude... this is an 'alternative' night club. Know what I'm saying?" The woman gestured at the room around them. "Take a look around."

Dean glanced around the night club. The first thing that caught his eye was two women, very clearly a couple, exchanging a few pecks near the dance floor. Then he spotted Gavin making eyes at a group of guys, then looking at Dean and nodding his head and winking.

"Ohmygod I got dragged to a gay bar," Dean stated with a chuckle.

"Yeah..." The bartender said with a laugh. "Let me grab you another drink. My name's Mercedes if I lose you, kay?"

Dean felt a tap on his shoulder. Fearing the worst, Dean downed another shot and turned around. Thankfully, it was Alexa, who looked about as surprised as Dean felt.

"Lexi!" Dean said, throwing his arms around his fiance. "Oh man, it's good to see you."

"You just figured it out too, huh?" Alexa replied.

Dean nodded. "Yeah... I didn't know Stamford had places like this."

Alexa handed Dean three slips of paper. "Well, that explains why I got numbers from a few girls... and a very firm hug from some drunk soccer mom."

Dean glanced around the bar. "Hey, look..." Dean gestured towards the corner of the room; Sonya was sitting under a girl's arm - a girl who didn't have fiery orange hair.

Alexa took her phone out and snapped a few pictures of Sonya with her mistress. The last one caught Sonya turning into her date and kissing her full on the lips.

"Got her!" Alexa exclaimed.

Mercedes returned with a few cocktails. "Here you go. Few whiskey sours from the guys at the end of the bar."

Dean looked up. Across the room, Darren Young and Curtis Axel yelled out and raised their drinks. Dean did the same, his night becoming all the more strange as if he fell into a parallel dimension, then quickly downed the beverage.

"Ready to go?" Dean said.

"Is it bad that I want to beat Sonya to death right now?" Alexa asked with a lowered brow and a growl.

"No, because so do I, but I have a feeling that her date will kill both of us before we try," Dean pointed out.

Alexa nodded her head. Dean left a decent tip for the barkeep and led his girl to the door. On the way out, Dean threw down his wristband with a laughable "you lied to me, Gavin!" before stepping out into the chilly autumn evening.

"Hey, how about no more gay bars, ok?" Dean suggested with a snicker.

Alexa shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe we should come back if I ever want to dip my toe in 'lesbionics' again."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh. You're hilarious."

Alexa giggled. "Thank you, baby. You know I'm joking, right? I can't even think about that shit right now. We need to send these to Becky ASAP."

"Do it, ok?" Dean opened the door for his wife, then hurried to his side of the car.

Alexa tapped away at her phone. "It's sent. I hope she sees this shit before it's too late."

"Me too," Dean sighed, pulling away from the curb.


Spending time together at Roadie's didn't happen to cause the amount of trouble that Seth thought he'd get into being seen with Toni. Then again, since half the football team was there AND heavily drinking, he wasn't all that surprised no one noticed him buying Toni shots or sneaking a quick peck on her cheek every now and again.

Seth kept a little light on the alcohol intake tonight, figuring it was a better idea since he had a quiz in the morning. Toni was a little tipsy but not nearly the drunkest Seth had seen her; The night of the Labor Day party was still definitely the most wasted the New Zealand born blonde was in front of her teammate.

Rollins rummaged for his keys in his pocket, before finding the correct one on his keychain and unlocking his apartment.

"Are you gonna come in for a bit?" Seth asked, pushing his door open. "I just downloaded the new Madden. It's supposed to kick ass."

Toni shrugged. "I'd like to, but I gotta get some sleep fer class tomorrow. Maybe when we get back from the game Saturday?"

Seth nodded. "Yeah. I'd like that. Celebrate kicking LIU's ass with some pizza, Madden, and ice-cold beer for sure."

Toni pushed against Seth's chest lightly with her fingertips, flashing him a slight smirk. "That all, Seth? You sure you don't want somethin' else from me?" She asked, standing close enough to her teammate to smell the silver bullets on his breath.

Seth swallowed hard. "R-really?" He breathed, the fast-moving amount of blood rushing south almost making him faint.

"Maybe if you get me a passing touchdown..." Toni lightly brushed her lips over Seth's; Faint enough to keep him wanting more, but deep enough to show how she felt about their budding relationship. "Maybe two." Toni finished her thought.

With that, Toni left down the hall. Seth followed her with a grin so wide and goofy that a few passersby may have thought he was insane. He was two heartbeats from slipping into his dorm room, but Seth caught a bone-chilling sight that made his blood run cold and his face pale: Dean and Alexa, twin looks of great disappointment, approaching their friend from the opposite end of the hall.

"Hey, guys." Seth greeted the two, trying to sound as casual as possible.

Alexa rolled her eyes before she ducked into Dean's apartment. Dean, his hands stuffed in his jeans, shook his head.

"You know I have to kill you now, right?" Dean said, with no look of humor on his face.

"What? Why?" Seth asked.

"If you hurt Toni like you hurt the others," Dean concluded. "Dana, because you couldn't keep it in your pants. AJ was sorta my fault because I wouldn't let her take Alexa. And Zelina... what the fuck even happened there?"

"Dana was at my place-"

Dean cut in, waving a hand in the air. "I don't wanna know. I have half a thought to report your stupid ass to Graves, but I think this makes us even now, right?"

"The lakehouse?" Seth asked.

Dean shook his head. "No. The stuff last Fall... with Ruby?"

Seth nodded. "Of course, man. I wouldn't tell anyone anyway. But if you don't tell the coaches about me and Toni, then I won't say shit about what you said."

Dean held out his fist, then shook his head when Seth bumped knuckles. "You really gotta stop fucking every chick that comes into your life, man. It's not healthy. And that's coming from ME." Dean said over his shoulder, before stepping into his apartment and shutting the door.

"You don't know the half of it, man," Seth muttered, picturing a certain green and black-haired woman in his mind.

With more to weigh on his mind that wasn't Toni or football or class, Seth slipped into his apartment and closed the door behind him.