Chapter 2

Paige spent most of the morning thinking about Alex, and more importantly, about what she had whispered as they were saying their goodbyes in the atrium.

She's thought about what our first time will be like, Paige mused to herself while pretending to take notes for class. How long has she been thinking about it? And how long has she been thinking about me? If it had been a while, I guess it would make sense since she did always seem kind of jealous any time I mentioned Matt's name. She also sort of seemed kind of happy when he broke up with me. Of course she felt bad for me, but was she thinking in the back of her mind that it might be her chance then? When I met her mom she said that Alex talked about me all the time, so why did it take her so long to let me know how she felt? I wonder if Emily knows about us? Did she know that night how Alex felt about me? Did I even know how I felt about Alex?

Paige was scrunching up her face as she completely lost herself in her thoughts while the teacher droned on, when suddenly she felt very aware of her surroundings and as though she had a pair of eyes watching her. Glancing to her left, she found Hazel intently looking at her. As she mouthed the words, 'what is going on with you?' to the blonde, Paige realized her friend had been trying to get her attention for several minutes. 'Nothing, I'm fine' she mouthed back hoping it would suffice, but Hazel just shook her head in disbelief, and returned her attention back to the teacher.

Paige suddenly felt uneasy and wondered how long she had been zoning out. Looking down at her notebook she noticed she had been absent mindedly doodling Alex's name all over it, and encircling it with little hearts.

She hadn't really gotten around to telling Hazel that she and the other girl were now an item, but she hadn't really tried keeping it a secret either. She just kind of hoped Hazel would find out on her own like so many others had, thereby letting the blonde off the hook to explain what it was she saw in Alex.

I really shouldn't have to defend her to my friends anyway. If they'd only see her the way I do, they'd love her. Love. Did I just say that? Do I love Alex? Of course as a friend, but more than that...Am I in love with her? I guess if someone were to ask me at this moment, I would have to say - RING

Since she hadn't been paying attention, Paige didn't realize how close to the end of the class hour it had become. She quickly grabbed her books, trying desperately to escape the questions she knew she was going to get from Hazel.

"Paige!" Crap, the blonde thought in her efforts to race out of class.

Turning with a plastered smile on her face like nothing was out of the ordinary, she says in an all too high of a pitch, "Hazel! What's up?"

"That's just what I was about to ask you. What is with you? You have been totally out of it all morning. Have you been smoking weed again?"

"What? No!" Paige screeched, then realized a lot of people had turned and gawked at her. Lowering her voice, she continued "No, I haven't been smoking anything. I've just had a lot on my mind lately. It's nothing. I'm fine," she pleaded with the girl to leave it be, but Hazel just kept looking at her skeptically. "Ok, look, you're gonna find out soon enough anyway..." taking in a deep breath, she hurriedly mumbled "Alex and I are dating."

"You're what?"

Marco found Alex perched on one of the tables by a computer in the media lab when he walked in for class. There was still about 10 minutes before it started which gave him just enough time to catch up with the blonde's other half before she herself showed up.

"So Alex, how's it going playing on this side of the fence?" he teased with a big grin while pulling up a chair next to her.

She rolled her eyes in mock annoyance and set her notebook down. "If what you're really asking is if I'm happy, then yes I am. However, if you had told me last year that I would be dating the caption of the Spirit Squad, I would've thought you had spent a little too much time putting highlights in your hair."

"These are natural..." he quietly murmured while moving a stray strand of hair behind his ear. Alex just laughed and shook her head. "But seriously, are you happy?"

She nodded with a genuine smile "Yeah, I really am. For the first time in a really long time. And better yet, I feel I can totally trust her, unlike Jay. She really means a lot to me..." trailing off Alex found herself picturing Paige's face and smiling inwardly to herself which doesn't go unnoticed by Marco.

"You seem really at peace," this got a questioning sideways glance from her, so he explained. "What I mean is, since you and Paige have gotten closer, it just seems that all of the outside chaos going on around you has been affecting you less. You're more at peace, and go with the flow..."

She laughed at this, and then nodded agreeing, "Yeah I guess now that you mention it, I do feel like I can handle things better. She's been a positive influence on me, and my life."

"And you have been for her too, you know."

"You think so?"

"Most definitely. You've grounded her, and made her realize she doesn't float above anyone."

Alex looked down pondering this for a moment before replying, "Well, one thing I know for sure is, I don't want to screw this up."

"Screw what up?" Paige cheerfully asked as she walked into the room, prompting an instantaneous smile on the lips of her girlfriend.

"Hey, there's my girl."

The blonde's grin widened at this, but playfully she changed her smile to that of a furrowed brow. "Your girl? I don't remember belonging to anyone but myself."

Playing along, Alex replied with a smirk tugging at her lips, "You're absolutely right. You belong to no one. I apologize, I didn't mean it."

"Neither did I, say it again!" Paige cheered in an exuberant tone.

"My girl" Alex beamed as the two girls smiled into each other's eyes, savoring the moment as everything went on around them.

Not being able to hold back any longer, Marco broke the spell with feigned disgust, "Ugh, you two are really starting to test my gag reflexes."

"Shut up!" the two cried in unison, both slapping him on the arm as they took their respective seats at a computer while Mr. Simpson began his lecture.

To be continued