3-4 weeks later (I'm not sure of my own timeline, hehe.)

" What's the matter with them now?" Marissa asked of Alex, as she watched Jodie and Summer who appeared to be in a heated debate, for the third time in the last two days.

Alex shrugged. " They'll figure it out," she said, " They always do. Now you come back over here with me."

Marissa lay back down beside Alex who was sprawled across the floor, and Alex draped an arm across Marissa's stomach, giving her a sweet smile as she did so. Marissa moved in closer, and they went back to watching the film that was the reason all four of them were at Jodie's house. They could still hear Jodie and Summer arguing in the kitchen, however, Jodie's voice especially irate.

" It's the fact that you just flat out lied about it, Summer. That's what I don't get."

" I TOLD you, I'm not ready," responded Summer, her tone becoming increasingly frustrated.

" Maybe it's not that. Maybe you're just not ready for this, for us."

" How can you even say that? I've tried explaining to you, like a hundred times…"

Jodie cut her off. " It's not enough. Your reasons don't make sense, they…"

" Just leave it, would you?" said Summer, rubbing her face with her hand. " I'm tired, I don't want to do this now."

" You can't just pretend that everything's okay, Summer, because you're tired. What about me? Don't you think I'm tired of going around in circles all the damn time? I'm sick of this, of being your dirty little secret, and when we're out together sometimes you won't even look at me because you're scared of what people will think. I can't live like that, Summer. I've never hidden who I am, or who I'm with."

" Just give me some time. I promise…"

" How many promises are you going to break, Summer, before you tell the truth? I feel like your ashamed of me, and worse, of what we have."

" I'm not! You should know that!"

" You're saying it, but I'm just not hearing it."

" Jodie…"

" No. No more excuses."

" I wasn't going to make excuses. I don't want to fight with you. It's like before we got together, only its not even funny now."

" Wait, you thought it was funny before?" said Jodie indignantly.

" Hhmm-hhmm," said Summer, smiling as she sensed that their conversation was changing direction.

Jodie shook her head. " All that wasted time thinking up new insults for you…"

" Ha, I knew that you didn't think of them spontaneously."

" Are you calling me stupid?"

" Maybe," said Summer, hiding her smile.

" That's it," said Jodie, grabbing Summer and lifting her off the floor.

"Aaaahhh, put me down," shrieked Summer as Jodie swung her around.

Jodie set her down and looked at her.

" I'm sorry for getting mad just now. And earlier. And yesterday. It's just…it's frustrating, you know? I want everyone to know, I mean you're a big part of my life, and I don't like that we have to hide that."

" I know, but you just have to give me some time. I mean, don't you realise this is a big deal for me?"

" Of course I do. I've been there, Summer. And you can't keep on denying this forever," she continued, gesturing between the two of them as she said this. " People are already drawing their own conclusions anyway. I mean, when you freak out over those little things, that just makes it clearer for some people. Wouldn't you prefer it to be on your terms?"

" I guess…" said Summer slowly. " I'll think about it, okay?"

Jodie smiled. " That's all I'm asking you to do," she said, drawing her into an embrace.

When they returned to the living room, Marissa's face was buried in Alex's shoulder as a particularly gory scene played out on the screen in front of them.

" Is it over yet?" asked Marissa, her voice muffled in Alex's shirt.

" Yep," replied Alex.

Marissa moved her head to look at the screen just as the main character got his head cut off in a violent fashion.

"Alex! You're not supposed to do that!" exclaimed Marissa, hitting Alex's upper arm.

" Ooww!" she said, rubbing her arm where Marissa had hit her.

" I hope that'll make you think before you try something like that again."

" I promise I'll never do it again," said Alex sweetly, kissing Marissa lightly.

" Aaw, look Summer, isn't she just so.." she coughed " whipped?"

" Oh, definitely," said Summer.

" What was that, Jodie?" asked Alex, a glint in her eye.

" Nothing, we were just saying about how cute you are."

" You sound sincere. With you, that's my biggest clue that you're lying. But I'll let it go this time."

"Oh, I feel so relieved now," said Jodie sarcastically. " For a second there, I was terrified about what you might do to me." She would have continued, if it weren't for the cushion that was flung at her by Alex. Jodie threw it back at her, but her aim was so bad that it hit Marissa square on the nose.

" I can't believe you made the team back home with an aim like that," said Alex, looking at Jodie contemplatively. " You didn't sleep with the coach, did you?" she asked suspiciously.

Jodie smirked a little.

" Oh my god, you didn't?"

Jodie lost the smirk. " No! I never realised quite how gullible you are before this moment."

" You never told me you played sport, Jodie," said Summer. " Organized activity doesn't seem like your thing."

" It's not," said Jodie, rolling her eyes.

Alex laughed.

" So why did you try out for the team?" asked Marissa curiously. " And what sport was it anyway?" she continued.

Alex laughed again at Marissa's first question.

" Umm, I wanted to do something different…" said Jodie.

" And the real reason?" asked Summer immediately.

" What?" asked Jodie a little too innocently.

" That's okay, I'll just ask Alex."

" Wait! Do you want to hear Alex's insane and not true reason, or mine?"

" Alex's," said Summer.

" She wanted to impress the head cheerleader," said Alex, still finding something incredibly funny. As she opened her mouth to continue her little story, Jodie clamped her hand over Alex's mouth. A few second later, she pulled her hand away, shaking it.

" OW. I can't believe you bit me!"

" I can't believe you won't let me tell them. It's such a good story."

" No it's not," denied Jodie, shaking her head vigorously.

" You only say that because it's horrifically embarrassing from your point of view. It's okay, I won't tell them," she said, before mouthing to Summer over Jodie's shoulder, " I'll tell you later."

They all sat back down in their previous positions, Marissa once again burying her head in Alex's shoulder to avoid the goriness on the screen. Summer, on the other hand, was watching through her hands, as if it would be less bloody that way, somehow. They all fell asleep as the screen of the TV turned black, signifying the film had ended.