"Heads up!" Kara dove forward, catching the frisbee a foot away from Lena's face.

She had effortlessly included Lena with her friends, leaving the younger girl to her own devices once they were all together. They had made a routine of private piano concerts on Thursday nights after soccer practice—Fridays were reserved for date nights or get-togethers—and Lena had gotten to know a little more about Kara. She loved elephants and hated fire, had mild claustrophobia, and was friends with everyone in the area. She also seemed to be genuinely interested in Lena's vague, guarded answers about her family and took care not to push it when Lena would shut down.

It was the first Sunday since the start of the year and everyone was out on the quad enjoying the weather; Lena was sitting underneath a shady tree and reading. The brunette didn't even look up as Kara tossed the frisbee back then bent down to tie her shoe. "That shirt really brings out your eyes...Hello? Earth to Lena?"

Finishing the sentence she was on, Lena scribbled something in the margin and closed her copy of The Count of Monte Cristo. "Yes?" she said distractedly.

"I just saved your life," Kara said haughtily, lying down in the grass next to her. "Hey, did you give any more thought to that manager thing?"

"Uh, yeah. I have too much work, sorry," Lena said lamely. Kara didn't say anything, just sighed, and her heart rate spiked. "Are you angry?" she asked in a small voice, familiar with Lillian's silences that would lead to violent outbursts. She snuck a glance at her friend but she couldn't make out her expression.

"What? Why would I be angry? I'm just watching the clouds go by." Kara grinned, flattening the grass next to her. "Join me."

She started to lie down when a shout of "Lena!" from across the quad made her freeze.

The effect it had on her wasn't lost on Kara; she saw Lena's pupils dilate dramatically, swallowing the bright green irises despite the afternoon sun, and propped herself up on her elbows, frowning.

"Lena," Thomas said again, dropping down to the grass next to them. "I've been looking for you."

"Why's that?" Lena asked warily. It looked like something had twisted in her body; her muscles were taught, her fists clenching and unclenching on the book cover, her shoulders pulled back as though a cord was tied to them.

"Kara mentioned you might be managing the girls' soccer team with me but I haven't seen you."

"Did she now?" Lena shot Kara an accusing look but the blonde just smiled.

"Yeah and I was gonna ask you something your first day as manager but you never showed."

Rolling up her sleeves, Lena eyed his hopeful expression. "And what were you going to ask me?"

"I was going to ask if you wanted to go to homecoming with me?"

Her mouth half-open, Lena was at a loss for words. "I barely know you." The first words out of her mouth didn't put Thomas off.

"I was hoping to change that." He put a hand on her shoulder and she jerked back, almost hitting Kara.

"Sorry, sorry. You static-shocked me," she lied. Feeling Kara's eyes on the back of her head, Lena hesitated then nodded slowly. "Sure."

"Awesome!" Thomas shot to his feet. "I'll text you when I know what I'm wearing." He was gone a second later and Kara laughed at Lena's baffled look.

"He likes you," she teased, lying back down.

"He's got a funny way of showing it," Lena muttered, opening her book again.

Kara hummed, closing her eyes. "He's a little quirky but he's got a good heart. What're you reading?"

"The Count of Monte Cristo."

"What's with all the markings?" Kara asked the question like she didn't care about the answer but it had been plaguing her since she'd seen Lena's copy of Gone With the Wind.

"Just...things that make me feel..."

"Happy?"

"No. They just make me feel."

Kara opened an eye to see Lena staring off towards the football field, her gaze unfocused. "Make you feel what?"

"Anything."

Drinking that in, Kara lightly touched Lena's knee. She didn't miss the way the younger girl flinched but something warm blossomed in her chest because it wasn't the same as when Thomas had touched her. It wasn't the same as when anyone else touched her.

Stop. You aren't going down this road again.

"Hey. You okay?"

"Fine." Lena smiled down at her.

Mike yelled something to Kara and she waved at him. "I'll catch up with you later," she called back.

Lena felt a selfish twinge of satisfaction and hid it by concentrating on the yellow strands of hair blowing out of Kara's ponytail.

"Why do you read so much?"

"I'm not sure. I've always liked reading, and I guess...I feel like the people on the pages are more real than the people I walk by in real life." She played with a bit of grass, weaving the blades together.

Kara latched onto that. "It looks like you've already read that," she pointed to the book. It wasn't really a question but she was hungry for Lena's attention, hungry to have those piercing green eyes staring at her instead of at the ground. "What do you like about that book?"

She was rewarded with Lena's quick glance up, holding eye contact for as long as possible without it getting awkward. "It's a story of someone who was wronged and then spent many long years planning his revenge and carrying it out." She shrugged, her eyes looking like sea glass in the sunlight. "I relate to that." She chuckled darkly and put the book away. "What's with all the questions?" She said it with a little apprehension; normally the people that tried to get close to her were sent by her mother or wanted something from her.

"I just think you're cool." Kara shrugged, playing with Lena's hair. Her fingers deftly twisted a small braid out of the dark strands and Lena swallowed, pulling back.

"If you think I'm cool then you don't know me. I'm not a good person, Kara."

"That's not true." Kara's eyebrows knit and she dropped her hands. "I know you. You are a good person."

"No, I'm not." She said it so adamantly that Kara dropped the subject. She didn't look away from Lena, studying her face like it would reveal something that the brunette wasn't saying.

Squirming under the unrelenting cobalt gaze, Lena moved Kara's backpack—the girl had let her lean on it to read—and her hand caught the strap. The bag was unzipped from when Kara had gotten her frisbee and it fell sideways, the contents spilling out.

A pill bottle and a handful of what looked like tiny mints fell into the grass along with Kara's phone and a crumpled math packet.

"Crap," Kara muttered, already on her knees and picking them out of the dirt. "The lid must have come off."

Lena sat there looking dumbfounded as her friend scrabbled around. "Are you...a drug dealer?" she asked slowly. It wasn't unheard of. Back at her old school a girl named Beth had gotten in trouble for selling oxy to the younger kids and it had turned out to be part of one of the cities biggest drug rings. But Kara wasn't Beth, and there had to be another explanation.

"No!" Kara said vehemently, pouring the pills back into the bottle. "No, that's not what this is." She laughed but the sound was stilted. "I—don't tell Mike, okay?"

"Tell Mike what?" Lena picked up one of the pills that Kara missed and inspected it. She recognized it once it was closer, the numbers and letters.

Kara gave her a sheepish look. "I've been on them since I was eight. I never told him."

Raising an eyebrow, Lena scanned Kara's face and saw something that surprised her—guilt. "You've been dating him for two years. He doesn't know you're on antidepressants?"

"No," Kara said shortly, stuffing everything back in her bag. Her phone buzzed and she sat up, squinting at the screen. "Shoot. It's Alex."

"Your sister?" Lena was afraid she'd offended the other girl but Kara didn't seem too bothered.

"Yeah. She's been going through a rough patch." Kara turned away to answer the call and the smell of vanilla wafted in Lena's direction, carried by the wind.

"I'll be home soon...I'm leaving right now, don't do anything dumb, okay? Ten minutes, I'll speed...You know what I mean...I'll see you soon."

There wasn't a cloud in the sky but one passed over Kara's face. It was just like that day in the practice room but this time there was no mistaking the worry in her eyes. "Yeah. Hey, there's an away game on Thursday so we can't go to the practice rooms but if you want to tag along," she offered, standing up. Her expression said she didn't expect Lena to say yes.

Not wanting to miss an afternoon with Kara, Lena felt suddenly brave. "I'd like that."

The answering smile blinded her as much as the sun. "Bangarang. I'll drive you there. Do I have any grass on my butt?"

"Just some dirt." Lena brushed it away with a quick hand, feeling like she was crossing a line but Kara just laughed, oblivious to her awkwardness.

"Thanks. See you at breakfast." She started to walk away but paused, twisting her neck around. "Hey, Lee?"

Lena's head shot up. "Lee?"

"Yeah. Lena's too long."

"It's two syllables," Lena argued.

"Sure, sure." Kara's phone buzzed again and she glanced down, frowning again. "Never mind, I gotta run."

Disappointed, Lena watched her go. The second Kara was out of earshot, Elizabeth Martindale approached her from her sulking spot on the corner of the quad, her friends all sitting in a circle in the grass.

"I saw that, Luthor."

"Saw what?" Looking around she realized that almost everyone had gone to lunch. Did I say something wrong to Kara?

"I saw Thomas Rousseau ask you to homecoming."

Zipping up her bag, Lena kept her eyes down, standing up. "So?" she said amicably.

"Back off him. I'm warning you." The contempt in her tone made Lena uneasy.

She zeroed in on the girl's narrowed eyes, her crossed arms, defensive stance. "You like him." It slipped out before she could stop herself and she sucked in a breath, wishing she could suck the words back in with it.

"No, I don't," Elizabeth said immediately, confirming her theory. "Watch yourself, Luthor." Her voice hardened to a sneer and she shoved Lena, making her stumble back.

Her fight or flight response triggered and she tried to force it down, unsuccessfully.

"You really are a loser, aren't you?" Elizabeth said vindictively, seeing her pupils dilate in fear. "Why do you hang around people like Kara? One day she'll find out that you're nothing special and she'll hate you for it."

Lena's throat had closed up and words wouldn't come out. She's right.

Elizabeth looked her up and down, scoffed in disgust and sauntered away. Pressing a hand to her pounding heart, Lena tried to calm her breathing. She thought of Kara and how the blonde girl would smile at her in chemistry class the next morning and slowly her heart rate returned to normal.

Why wouldn't she tell Mike?

Lena was slowly realizing that things weren't what they'd appeared her first day. Of course they weren't, you didn't stay with someone for two years and not have ups and downs. But for him to have no idea?

She returned to her room, confused, and more fascinated by Kara than ever.

You ready to go?

Lena glanced at her phone.

Should I head to the Athletic Center?

She had barely seen Kara outside of breakfast and class since the weekend because the other girl's life was so busy. Her heart skipped a beat at the idea of sitting alone in a car with Kara Danvers.

Wait by your last class, I'll come get you.

Already walking away from the biology wing, she made an abrupt u-turn. Her shoulder was jolted by someone walking by and she had to put a hand out to brace herself against the wall. Straightening around, she saw Elizabeth's brown hair right before it hit her in the face.

"Are you still going to homecoming with Tommy?"

"I don't think he likes being called Tommy," Lena said, getting over her shock. Three girls with pinched faces surrounded her and she swallowed, shrinking against the wall. Scanning the science center's lobby she saw several people walking by and two people watching.

Elizabeth took a step forward, a menacing look on her face. "The dance is in two weeks, just keep that in mind."

"You have a lot of nerve."

Kara was walking towards them, the sun behind her making her look like an avenging angel. She had already changed into her soccer jersey; sweats, and a white penny with the number 27 and her last name on the back. Lena was visibly relieved and she closed her eyes.

"What are you gonna do about it, Danvers?"

The smell of fresh baked cookies that always hung around Kara parted the girls like she had pushed them. "Leave her alone, Elizabeth. What did she ever do to you?"

"Everyone thinks you're so cool but I saw you at Joe Thornton's party last month. You didn't have a single drink."

Kara's jaw clenched, a barely-there ripple of muscle, but her voice stayed even. "It's because I didn't drink anything that I could drive you home."

Elizabeth flushed, trying to cover up her faux pas. "Or maybe you just like driving that old car of yours because you think you're too good to ride the bus to your games. Not that a beat up Ford is anything to be proud of."

Blue eyes flashed and Lena saw a hint of fear cross Elizabeth's face. She had never seen Kara so tense, like she was about to jump off a cliff and didn't know if her parachute would open. "Get lost, Elizabeth." It was practically a growl and the hair on Lena's arm stood up; the four girls left the science center with Kara glaring after them.

"Is that why we're meeting here?" Lena asked timidly once the door closed.

"I always drive to the games." Kara's voice had returned to its usual light tone and she stuck her hands in her pockets. "I had to get my permit because there's no buses for private schools and I—I like driving." It looked like she'd wanted to say something else but stopped herself, something that she was now used to in Kara. It always felt like she was holding back, keeping something to herself even when her expression was honest and open and alarmingly attractive—

"You like driving." They started walking towards the parking lot and Lena tried to forget about Kara's sudden intensity but the look in her eyes had seared itself onto her brain.

"Yeah." Kara stopped by an old-fashioned black car and fished for her keys.

"The same way you hate piano music?" Lena raised an eyebrow.

Kara dumped her backpack in the back seat and blew out a breath. "I don't actually hate piano music."

"I gathered." Lena slid into the passenger seat. The whole car smelled of Kara and she took a deep breath. "You have a 67' Thunderbird?"

Pulling out of the space, Kara looked over at her. "Good eye." She sounded impressed.

"I know my cars," Lena blushed.

"It was my grandfather's," Kara explained. "I learned how to fix it up because it's too expensive to have a mechanic work on anything from before the 90's. I take care of it like it's my baby."

They drove in silence for a few minutes until Lena's curiosity got the better of her. "So what, uh...what happened back there?"

Kara didn't answer for a while, keeping her eyes on the road. She was a very careful driver, Lena noticed, always waving other drivers ahead and stopping for every yellow light. "I just don't like bullies," she said shortly, turning left. It wasn't rude but Lena sensed there was more to it than that, more that she couldn't ask about without invading her privacy.

She tried a different line of questioning. "She's a sophomore?"

"Yeah."

"How come she's so..."

"Unpleasant? Dunno. I did get the lead part in the musical last year over her, so I don't think she likes me very much." Kara winked at Lena. "She's probably making your life miserable because you're friends with me, so run away while you can."

Lena made a face. "That's dumb."

"Do you know who her mother is?" Kara looked over at her, squinting in the sun.

Mesmerized by the colors swirling in the blonde girl's eyes, Lena had to remind herself to blink. "No idea."

"Susan Martindale."

"The actress?"

Kara nodded. "That's the one."

Pursing her lips, Lena decided not to mention that she knew the woman personally. She had properties next to Lillian's along the coast and Lena had met her at several of her mother's cocktail parties. "Do you think her friends are really her friends?"

Kara hit the brakes a little too hard and Lena slid forward, her hand hitting the dashboard. "Sorry, sorry!" There was an unexpected desperation to her apology that Lena didn't understand.

"It's fine, really. Don't worry."

"What were you saying about friends?" Kara sounded distracted.

"I just thought, you know. Her mother is a well-known public figure, maybe her friends aren't really her friends. Maybe they're after something else."

"Huh. I never thought about it." Kara smirked at her. "Maybe I'm only friends with you because of your mom."

"It's a little different. My mother is infamous and the only networking she can do is hook you up with an assassin," Lena said bitterly. Kara didn't know she was only half joking and she switched topics quickly. "If Elizabeth's only been here a year, why does she think she has the right to act like such a dick?"

Kara shrugged. "She's rich," she said, as though that explained everything.

"That doesn't mean she can do whatever she wants."

"Doesn't it? You could run across campus naked and your mom would cover it up," Kara teased her, checking her side views.

A pang of self-hatred shot through her and Lena stared out the window. "I never get to do what I want," she said quietly. They were almost to the other school but Kara slowed down. "What are you doing?"

"I'm speeding up," Kara said sarcastically, pulling over by a coffee shop. She put the car in park and pursed her lips at Lena's expression. "You're taking an insane amount of classes, the school bully won't leave you alone and you look like you need a second to think."

"I..." Lena fell silent at the look in Kara's eyes, her heart pounding so hard she was surprised Kara couldn't hear it. It was something she hadn't seen since the Luthors adopted her. Genuine concern. Kara looked a lot more concerned than she needed to be. "I'm just...confused."

"Okay, that's a start. What are you confused about?" Kara didn't look away from her.

"Aren't you gonna be late?" Lena asked worriedly. "The game—"

"Lena. What's going on with you?"

Lena sighed, settling into the leather seat. She counted every tick on the speedometer, stalling for time. "There's a boy in my math class." She traced a finger along the dashboard. There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere; Kara hadn't been lying when she said she took care of her car. "Actually, he's the only other person in my math class."

"And what about him confuses you?" There was no accusation in Kara's tone and Lena felt her walls coming down but she still said nothing, rolling down the window.

The heat from the summer pavement radiated up and she stuck an arm out, watching the light glint off her watch. Another minute passed in silence and she could feel Kara's eyes on the side of her face like a laser burning her skin.

"He looks just like my brother."

After a moment Kara spoke, her voice quiet and soothing. "And how do you feel about that?" She had stopped herself from googling Lex's name because she wanted her friend to tell her herself, but Lena hadn't mentioned her brother in days.

How do I feel about it? I can't look him in the eye, I can't even look at his face. He did nothing wrong and yet every time I see him it's like a million knives cutting into me .

She couldn't say any of that to Kara.

The silence yawned longer and longer and when it became apparent that Lena wasn't going to say anything else, Kara started driving again. "You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," she said as they pulled onto a main road. "Just know that if you ever want to talk, I'll be here." Shooting Lena a side glance, she cleared her throat.

"You didn't, um, mention anything to Mike about the other day..."

"No. You asked me not to," Lena said simply. That was all the reason she needed.

"Cool, cool." Kara blew out a breath. "Can I ask your advice on something?"

"Anything." Lena sat up, the wind whipping her hair around. Kara's was in a ponytail and didn't fly around too much and she wished she had thought to grab a hair tie before she left.

Kara wordlessly handed one to her like she had been reading her mind.

"Thanks." She pulled her hair into a tight ponytail then sat back. "So what's going on?"

"It's my sister. She just broke up with her fiancée and she's having a really hard time."

Lena blinked owlishly, completely caught off guard. "Oh, wow. I thought you were going to say you needed help with your chem homework or something,"

"That too. She's just, I don't know, bummed out. And I want to cheer her up but I can't shove her right back into the dating pool and I'm just afraid that she's going to deny herself any kind of happiness and fall back on old habits." They had arrived at the field and Lena saw the bus pulling up after them.

"That sucks."

"Yeah. Sam was the love of her life," Kara sighed. "I just don't know what to do and I figured you might have some advice."

"Why me?" They got out of the car and Kara grinned at her over the roof of the car.

"Cause you're all dark and twisty inside. You have hidden pain."

"Perceptive." Lena rolled her eyes but apprehension made her heart rate speed up. Please don't ask questions.

Digging in her trunk, Kara pulled out a box of ribbons. "But I legit do need help with chemistry, I'm already failing. Tie one of these in my hair for me?"

She had to stand on her tip toes to comfortably reach Kara's ponytail. It smelled of shampoo and Lena slowly tied the green ribbon into a bow. "I could talk to your sister if you really want me to," she said, more to distract herself than Kara. She wanted to run her hands through Kara's hair and clamped down on the urge, feeling her cheeks burn.

Kara was fighting urges of her own; old, guilty ones that she was familiar with. Lena's breath hit the back of her neck and goosebumps crawled up her arms. "Yeah, I'll mention it to her and get back to you." She turned around quickly, grabbing the box. Too quickly, because her elbow hit the side of the car.

"Ow. Jesus."

"Careful, you'll hurt yourself." Lena's voice was laced with concern and Kara looked up, a little breathless.

"I'm always careful." She shook out her arm, pretending that it hadn't hurt. "Come on. You can sit with Tom and watch the game."

"Oh boy," Lena said under her breath, following Kara to the group of girls milling around.

"Hi, Lena. I didn't know you'd be here." Their chemistry teacher, Mrs. Rojas, looked surprised to see her.

"Me neither, but I couldn't say no to Kara."

Her teacher winked. "I know what you mean."

"Lena!" Thomas waved at her and she plastered a smile on her face. His blonde hair looked lighter in the sunlight but it was nothing compared to the gold of Kara's. "What are you doing here?"

"Kara dragged me," Lena said in a friendly tone. "I need to talk to you, actually."

"What's up?" He led her to a small tent and they sat next to each other. "Gatorade?"

"No, thanks." She watched Kara huddle up with the other girls. Something about the way the blonde carried herself made it obvious she was in charge; Lena wouldn't be surprised if Kara was the team captain. "About homecoming..." Time to make an outcast of yourself. "I can't go with you." His face fell and Lena immediately regretted the words but it was too late. "I'm sorry, I just, I can't."

His fingers twisted the top off the Gatorade he'd just offered her and he took a long drink. "Is it because of Elizabeth?"

"No," Lena said, surprised. His disappointed look changed to a hopeful one.

"Is it because of me? Have I been too forward? I know you just started here but if you're not ready to do anything that's okay." His face was open, honest, and she groaned internally.

"No, Tom. It's not you. It's me. I'm—" The words got stuck in her throat and she swallowed, flattening her hands against the table.

He waited patiently, spinning the bottle cap on the table. The team was warming up by jogging around the field and he waved to them.

"You got this, girls!"

Lena tuned him out. She was watching Kara; the smooth motion of arms and legs, graceful and perfectly synchronized, the way her mouth was half open as she inhaled, how her hair swung with every step. She didn't meant to, it was just that Kara's hair was the easiest to pick out on the field.

That was all. Right?

"I like someone else," she lied.

"Oh." He sounded disappointed. "Did they ask you to homecoming too?"

"No," Lena said, feeling her cheeks flush. "And they never will." She found her eyes wandering to Kara again. "How close are you and Mike?"

"Mikey? Pretty close. We've taken ice baths together," Tom grinned boyishly. "Jump start the healing process from the brutal football games. Kara's always telling him to be more careful on the field."

"From what Kara's told me, she doesn't even like football."

"Haha, not really. She thinks it's too dangerous. She's very...naive, that girl. All sunshine and rainbows and peace signs." His eyes widened. "Do you have a crush on Mike?"

"What? No, of course not," Lena said incredulously. It was almost offensive that he had jumped to that conclusion and she scoffed. "Why do people always assume things? That's not at all what I was saying." And seeing the best in people doesn't make you naive.

"Sorry, I just—you were asking about him and Kara." Thomas held his hands up. "I'll be a better listener. Round two, come on. Who's this mystery reason you can't go with me?"

"It doesn't matter." Lena shook her head and her eyes followed Kara on the field. She could practically hear Lex's voice in her head.

"If you want something, go get it."

"Shut up," she muttered. Thomas raised an eyebrow and she gave him a weak smile. "Sorry you have to find another date. I just don't have space in my life for a relationship right now and—"

"We don't have to start a relationship. That's why I asked you, sure, but you can still go with me if you want to. So you won't be alone."

"That's very nice of you, but I couldn't possibly ask you to do that," Lena was taken aback; most of the boys she rejected turned vicious and judgmental, telling he she'd never get a man with thinking she was better than everyone else.

"You aren't asking, I'm offering," he said graciously. The smile on his face didn't look forced and she considered the idea. "We can go to homecoming. As friends."

"Friends," she echoed quietly. "I'd like that."

"You should come to every game, you're a good luck charm," Kara said earnestly, her eyes on the road.

Sitting in the front seat of Kara's car, Lena snorted. "Yeah, right. And the pH of milk is 2."

"I don't know. Is it?"

"You really don't pay attention in chemistry, do you?"

Kara grinned sheepishly, glancing over at Lena. "That's what you're for. You dumb everything down and explain it to me later."

"The pH of milk is about 6.6, lemon juice is 2. And you don't need me to dumb it down, just listen."

"Okay, mom. Maybe I fake being dumb so you have to tutor me," Kara laughed.

Coming to a stop, she reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind Lena's ear. The brunette froze, a tingling sensation going through her entire head and down her spine at the heat coming off Kara's hand.

Kara looked distracted, her teeth worrying at her lip, then the light changed and she focused on the road. "I'm serious," she said in an unnaturally high voice. "We never win against them and today we crushed it. 4 to 1?"

"I feel like I got exposed to a lethal amount of sunlight," Lena grumbled, already missing Kara's warmth. "Leave it to you to drag me out of my room. I could've been doing homework."

"It wasn't that sunny," Kara protested, "And I'm sure you've already done it."

Lena stayed silent and Kara took it as a yes.

"You still don't want to be manager?"

"I think I'll get skin cancer if I do."

Sliding the shades off her face, Kara handed them to Lena without looking. "Forgot all you green-eyed monsters are pansies," she joked. "Cover up your sensitive, beautiful eyes."

"Beautiful?"

Nice going, Kara. "Yeah. Your eyes are really pretty," Kara said quickly, staring intently at the road. She never thought before she opened her mouth and that had been her downfall last time. She didn't look over at Lena the rest of the way back, keeping the conversation casual.

Mike was waiting for them in the parking lot. "Hey, babe." He was sweaty from football practice but Kara went into his arms like he was a cologne commercial. Lena took her time getting out of the car, breathing in the smell of Kara one last time. She wouldn't see her friend until the next day once she left and she was trying to drag it out.

"Guess what, babe?" Kara's eyes lit up. "We won!"

Mike's jaw dropped and he kissed her. "No way. Against Newton? You never win against Newton!"

"I know, right? Lena must be a good luck charm." The blonde waved at her friend who was standing awkwardly by the car.

The look that Mike shot her unsettled her in a way she couldn't describe. His brown eyes reminded her of a puddle that always formed outside the Luthor mansion in the wintertime—dark, muddy and frozen over.

She must have imagined it because a second later he was giving Kara one of the most passionate kisses she'd ever seen, on or off screen. Kara was breathless by the end, looking up at Mike with starry-eyed adoration.

"I gotta go finish my homework," Lena mumbled, wanting to be as far away from their puppy love as possible. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

Kara's eyes darkened at Lena's obvious lie. "I won't be there in the morning but I'll be in english."

"Cool." Lena's face fell and Kara fought the urge to wrap her arms around the younger girl.

"You better not skip breakfast because of me," Kara waggled a finger at her.

"I won't," Lena lied for the second time. "See you."

Kara watched her walk back to her dorm. She considered, for a moment, chasing after the forlorn girl but Mike's arm on her waist stopped her.

"Babe," he said sternly, looking her in the eye. "Do I need to be worried?"

Snatching her gaze away from Lena's retreating figure, Kara gave him a winning smile. "Not at all. We're just good friends."

"You and Veronica were 'just good friends'," he said, hooking quotation marks in the air.

Kara's eyebrows knit and the joy she was feeling at the win—at Lena being there to witness it—deflated like a popped balloon. "There's nothing to worry about," she said, kissing Mike's cheek. "I love you."

"Hm." He seemed satisfied and ran a hand through his hair. "Want to come over tonight?"

"I can't," Kara answered, feeling guilty for the wrong reasons. "My sister..."

"Right, right. The break up, or whatever."

"It's not whatever," Kara snapped. She looked startled at her own anger and shook her head before she could think about it. "They were engaged, Mike. She's a wreck."

"Tell her to stop being a wreck. I want my girlfriend back."

He sounded nonchalant but Kara saw the glint in his eye, saw the way his lip curled when he said Veronica's name.

"I promise we can hang out soon. I'll have you over for dinner."

Unsettled by his hostility, she left without kissing him goodbye. He always got prickly when she mentioned Alex and her girlfriend—fiancée—ex-fiancée—and she couldn't put her finger on it but she was sure it was something to do with them both being women. Not that Kara would have ever dated anyone homophobic or intolerant in any way. Mike had been more than tolerant throughout the entire Veronica situation and Kara knew she took it for granted.

That being said, she also knew he thought she was brainwashed. That Veronica had been a manipulative girl that had sucked her into a spell and taken advantage of her. And Kara had no idea what to do with that.

"I got a job," Alex announced proudly at the dinner table. She was met with a round of "good for you sweetie"s and a cheer from Kara. "It's at a private veterinary clinic in the city."

"Does that mean if Krypto or Osh gets sick they'll get free health care?"

"No," Alex slapped her arm. "It means my little sister will be visiting me to play with the puppies."

Kara's laugh echoed around the table and her mind switched to Lena. The way the brunette's face would light up whenever Kara entered a room, the way she started talking with her hands when she got excited. Maybe she could take Lena to visit the clinic, her friend could use some cheering up.

"Kara?" Jeremiah was looking at her expectantly.

"Mmm yeah?"

"I asked you how your soccer game was."

Alex turned to her. "You had a soccer game? I had no idea," she said with an exaggerated face. "Oh, wait, of course I did because you smell like a boy's locker room."

"Do not!" It was Kara's turn to slap her sister and she rolled her eyes. "Okay, maybe I need a shower. At least Lena didn't mind the smell." She turned to her mother. "We won. I think Lena's our good luck charm."

"So you said," Eliza smiled. Kara had waltzed in and said those exact words before running up to her shared bedroom, a grin on her face.

Alex's spine stiffened at the girl's name and Jeremiah raised an eyebrow. "Lena Luthor?" His fork was halfway to his mouth, mashed potatoes falling off it.

"Yeah. She's new," Kara said, a defensive tone already rising in her voice.

"That's nice, honey," Eliza smiled at her. "I'm sure she could use a few friends. We should have her over for dinner." No stranger to the Luthor name, Eliza knew more about the matriarch of the family from science festivals and events than anyone at the table.

"I don't know," Jeremiah hesitated. "I think I should meet her before she comes over."

"I agree," Alex spoke up. "You may really like this girl, but who knows what kind of person she is?"

"Like father, like daughter." Kara's face had heated up at Alex's words but she stood her ground. "She's a good person," she said adamantly.

"I'm sure she's wonderful," Eliza tried to smooth out the tension. "I'm inviting her," she said with a glance at her daughter and husband team.

"Can she come next Friday?"

Her entire family shot her a funny look and she returned it defiantly. "Don't say it's too soon," she groaned. Everyone looked as though she had just suggested eating Krypto for dinner.

"No, honey. I just thought you'd want to be alone next weekend," Eliza said slowly, gauging the reaction on her adopted daughter's face. "The 20th is a Friday this year, I've already called Savannah Zhang and you don't have to go to school."

The table had gone eerily silent. In her excitement to have Lena come over, she had forgotten the date.

How could she have forgotten the date? How could she be so stupid?

Pushing her chair away from the table, Kara looked at the ground, the will to eat completely obliterated. Her dogs could sense the drop in energy and they were both lying down in the doorway.

"I'm not really hungry anymore," she mumbled, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

"Kara," Alex started.

"I said I'm not hungry." There was a hint of steel in her voice and Alex didn't push it, just let her go.

She tripped up the stairs, the happiness of the day long gone.

Stripping off her clothes, she got under the steaming hot water. She avoided her reflection, rolling out her shoulders once the droplets hit her skin.

September 20th.

Closing her eyes, she tried to think of a happy memory. The long-expired method of repeating the names of streets she grew up on didn't help her anymore and she sucked in a watery breath. She didn't have any tears left—two painful years of crying herself to sleep had taught her not to waste the precious things—but instead slammed her open palm into the wall of the shower.

The pain in her hand felt good, solid.

"Careful, you'll hurt yourself."

She could've sworn Lena was right behind her.

Maybe that's what I want. Maybe I don't deserve to be here, to be able to breathe and feel and hurt when they can't.

Knowing she was dangerously close to her old way of thinking, Kara opened her eyes. She was alone in the shower and the water was pouring down her face. So why was she thinking about Lena?

At least I get to sleep in tomorrow.

The thought didn't make her feel any better.