" Well, first she told me a load of stuff about her that I really didn't need to know..."

Marissa cut her off. " I don't need to know either, Summer. Now get to the point. Please?" she added when she caught Summer's look.

" No. I had to endure it, for you, may I add, so you're going to too."

" Summer, if I have to beg, I will."

" No you wouldn't," said Summer dismissively. " Anyway, as I was saying, I had to hear all about Jodie, and how much she wants me first."

" Summer, I know when you're lying to me. Now stop, and tell me what she actually said."

" Hey! That hurts. I was not lying. There is a difference between lying and a tiny tiny exaggeration of the truth."

" Whatever, Sum. I don't want to know about Jodie, I want to know about Alex."

" Yeah, well. It's my turn to put you through an ordeal."

" Stop being so dramatic, Sum. It was just talking to Jodie. When are you going to give in and admit how much you want her?"

" The only kind of wanting I have for Jodie is the want for her to leave me alone."

" Sure," replied Marissa. " Whatever you say Sum."

" Anyway, back to the point. She just told me about Alex's bitch of an ex, who, now I come to think of it, sounds like she could be related to yours."

" We're not allowed to mention her, remember Sum? That was your idea."

" Right, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to force you to have to think about her. I just thought it was relevant here."

" What do you mean?"

" I just meant that both of you got hurt, even if it was in different ways. I think you should tell Alex about K..."

" No way."

" Marissa, if you want Alex to be more open with you, you have to be open with her. Which is why I'm not going to tell you anything more. You can find out for yourself."

" Summer! I can't do that; you know that. Alex just freaks out, and that's before I even ask her anything remotely personal. Besides, if I start talking about my exes, she's gonna wonder why."

" And why shouldn't she? Then you can tell her exactly why."

" I don't want to," said Marissa stubbornly.

" You have to," said Summer, looking to determined to make Marissa do what she wanted her to.

" Fine, I'll talk to her. But I'm just going to be friends with her."

" Marissa, you know that's not what you want. I'm pretty sure that it's not what she wants either."

" No, you don't understand. I made this mistake before, jumping into something without thinking about getting to know the person better. I'm not making the same mistake again."

" Okay, it's your choice," said Summer. " As long as me supporting you in this doesn't mean I have to hang out with Jodie, I'm cool with that."

" I think you should make an effort with Jodie."

" I did not just hear that."

" Come on, Sum. You like her, she likes you, what's to lose?"

" Marissa, just because you're gay, doesn't mean the whole world is."

" I'm not saying the whole world is. Just you. You'd feel better if you just admitted to it, Summer. I promise."

" I'd admit to it, if it were true. Now can we talk about something else?" Summer realised the conversation wasn't going her way, and tried to change the subject.

Marissa decided to let it go. She didn't want to pressure Summer; she knew she'd have to think about it seriously eventually. Worried she may have gone a little far with the teasing, she said,

" Of course. And you know I'm just kidding, right? If you say you don't like Jodie, I believe you."

She didn't like lying to Summer, but if it made her feel better, then it wasn't so bad.

" Thank you. Finally, somebody believes me when I say I don't like her. Now all I have to do is get her to understand that," replied Summer, the thought that Marissa could be lying not even crossing her mind.

Marissa decided that this might be a good way to talk to Alex later. If she talked to her about other people, then Alex might eventually be more open about herself. They could work on a plan to get Summer to admit to her feelings.

The next lesson provided Marissa's first opportunity to speak to Alex since she had run out on her. Alex looked at Marissa apologetically, saying,

" I'm so sorry about before, I just, I don't know, got freaked out."

" Don't worry about it. But, can I ask you something?"

" Obviously, you just did," shrugged Alex.

" Why did you freak out?"

" I don't know, exactly. It's just, it's kind of hard for me to get close to people."

" Why is that?"

" It's kind of a long story."

" You mean you don't want to tell me?"

" It's not that," replied Alex hastily. " It's just, I don't really like to talk about it, and I'm not ready to tell you. I promise, though, it's nothing to do with you. It's my issue."

" Okay," said Marissa. She was happy to do what Alex wanted. At least she was being honest with her now. She was really different when they weren't arguing with each other. Marissa liked it, even if she sometimes missed the banter. She supposed they'd have that in a different way when they were a little more comfortable with one another.

" I want to talk to you about Jodie," said Marissa following a moment's silence.

" Please tell me you don't want to date her," said Alex.

Marissa looked confused.

" Of course I don't, Summer does."

" She does? That's not the impression I've been getting."

" Yeah, that's because Summer won't admit it. I was just thinking, we need to find a way for them to spend more time together. Then Summer won't be able to deny it."

" Anything to keep Jodie occupied," said Alex, smiling.

" Well, I kind of meant for us to be with them. Because we've both seen what they're like after they've been alone together. They spend the whole time insulting each other. Is there any way you can get Jodie to stop doing that?"

" No, I've tried. And it's not just Jodie, it's Summer too."

" I know it's not, I just thought, if one of them stopped, the other one might do the same."

" Well, I'll talk to her again, but I'm making no promises."

" Thanks," responded Marissa. " And I'll talk to Summer about it. But she usually ignores any advice that people try to give her, so I'm not sure it's a good idea."

" Try. This has got to work out eventually. All Jodie can talk about is Summer."

" Summer's the same."

They smiled at each other, feeling a lot more relaxed in each other's company than they had done previously.