AN: I'm gonna apologize in advance for this chapter. Something feels wrong with it, but apparently, I am not smart enough to know how to fix this.
I am back in school, currently packing up my backpack after my 10am class - Poverty, Human Rights, and Development with Professor Bailey. She is definitely one of my favorite professors. If I would like law school just a tad bit more, and if there wasn't a certain Latina I want to spend my weekends with, I'd apply for one of her open positions as a TA. Nevertheless, today, during her lecture - even though she is one of the few who usually manages to keep my attention on the class' topic – I couldn't help but check my cellphone every five minutes. And if I wasn't checking my phone or answering Callie's and Teddy's texts, I was lost in my daydreams. Sitting in the last row makes it easy for me to zone out every once in a while. But to be honest, after sitting through two hours of Comparative Online Privacy – my 8am class, and now this, I am already ready to go home. Or even better, fly back to LA to spend more time with Callie. Yesterday and Saturday have been... interesting, to say the least. There have been countless of calls Callie had to take and answer – so much for being off the grid – and then there has been Teddy and her bombarding questions the second I hurried out of the airport to get away from the strangers. People actually recognized me from those tiny pictures in the tabloids and followed me. One even wanted to take a selfie with me. Super scary! I am not someone who gets asked to take selfies with. It felt so weird to be asked, even though it was a very polite young man.
Zipping up my backpack, I'm just about to slide out of the seat as a voice, accompanied with a loud bang as she smacks the latest gossip magazine on my table, stops me. "So this is why you shut me down?" I jump a little in my seat, hitting my knee against the underside of the table. Looking up, there is a brunette standing next to me with barely one foot between us. "You're banging Callie Torres!?"
My eyes shoot open, glaring at her for a moment before I reply harshly, "Would you please lower your voice?" With all the hustle and bustle of people around us moving, it seems like nobody has heard her. Thank God. My eyes glance at the magazine on the table, the cover showing the chaste kiss Callie and I shared after dinner. "This is none of your business... uhm" Crap, Robbins, think. Light brown hair, freckles. You've talked to her before. Think, think, think, crap! I'm not bad with names, at all. I actually make a point in remembering people's names once they introduced themselves to me, it makes them feel important. July... no. Ashley? No, that's Callie's assistant. Stacey? St-something. Stella? Stephanie, bingo! "Stephanie."
"Wow, you remember my name", she snorts and I am seriously lost at what I did to her to react that way. Maybe she likes Callie as well? But she said you shut her down. Did she ask you out? "So? Is it true? Are you banging Callie freaking Torres?" Since she hasn't lowered her voice one bit, I notice a few heads turning around and staring at us - or you, Arizona - and I avert my gaze from the crowd.
"I'm sorry, Stephanie." Why are you apologizing? It slowly comes back to me. I wasn't even completely certain whether she was flirting with me or not. "Look, what I do in my free time and whoever I see, it's really nothing you should be concerned about. So, what do you say to leaving it at that?" That was good, right? Polite, but it got the point across... I think? God, this is getting too much, already. You need to toughen up, Robbins. If you want to keep being with your girlfriend, you really need to get used to this stuff.
She lets out a laugh that sounds more like a bark and I can't help but blink in confusion. "You do realize that you are nothing compared to her and that once she's done playing with you, she will throw you away and jump to the next adventure."
Well, at least she hasn't mentioned anything about Callie's sudden outing. But, what the heck is happening here? At first I thought she was mad at me for not giving her a chance, or whatever. But this really looks like she has the hots for my girlfriend. Which somewhat irks me, but it's no news that my girlfriend is a hot shot actress and singer. Standing up, I give her a hard glare. I'm not going to dignify that with an answer. While my father has always taught me and brother to never back down from a fight – instead we should hit hard and hit fast so we'd only have to hit once, verbally or literally – she is not worth it. My mother, on the contrary, has always told us to be the bigger person if we can, so that's exactly what I'm doing as I leave her standing there.
"Don't come running towards me when she lets you fall!" is what she yells after me and I can't help but wonder if I gave her any kind of reason to think that I'd be interested in her. After all, that one little conversation where she asked me out for coffee was all the interaction we shared, ever. But even if I did, this is not – in no constellation - an acceptable way to talk about my girlfriend.
Shaking my head, I make my way out of the auditorium so fast, that I literally bump into my best friend, butting our heads together. "Ouch, damn it, Teds", I laugh. "If that's going to bruise, I blame you", I add, sticking out my tongue and she mirrors my teasing. No one said I have to act like an adult all the time. "Coffee break?" Whenever we don't have a class around noon, we always use those two for a coffee – and sometimes even lunch - break and to catch up. It's our little break from life that started way back in high school. If she isn't busy making out with Henry nowadays, that is.
"Always", she agrees and links her right arm with mine as we walk through the corridors, passing crowds of students and two of my teachers. "You always had the ability to make heads turn, but I think they are staring for a different reason today", Teddy giggles and drags me along as I try to keep my eyes locked to the ground, hiding the redness that creeps into my cheeks. "And you've never been shy about the reaction you have on other people."
"This is not funny, Teds." Even though she is right. I used to be flirty with women when we went out and I sure enjoyed the effect I could have on them if I wanted to. But being the center of attention is not really my favorite thing. "People stare at me, all the time. I never believed the stats that said almost every third person reads at least one gossip magazine a week, but I guess they were right." Admittedly, the news of Callie Torres dating would make me look into one as well if I would not know firsthand who she is dating.
"Well", my best friend starts as she opens the door to the small coffee shop that is just around the first corner of the campus, "you better get used to it. After all, you're dating one of the most famous people in the world", she says, practically ripping the words out of my head. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"
Sitting down, I hang my jacket over the back of my chair and loosen the scarf around my neck. My throat is still a little sore and I can't risk missing any more classes. I'd be up to my neck in workloads of law school stuff if that would happen. "Of course I knew this." Callie had warned me, had told me the possibilities of what could happen when we go public. But I think she hadn't expected for it to be like this. "But I don't like living in the closet", I say with a shrug of my shoulders.
Squinting her eyes at me, Teddy grabs the menu – although she and I, we both know she will probably order the usual, a hot caramel coffee – and leans closer. "Tell me, did you force Callie out of the closet?"
Telling her that I would never do that and how she's really lucky that I am not a violent person, I stop talking about my girlfriend when the waiter arrives to take our order. "I just really didn't expect it to be everywhere." Seeing myself on the cover of a magazine is surreal. "I thought that, maybe, the paparazzi wouldn't spot us on our first night out and that maybe, just maybe, we could be a normal couple on a normal date."
She opens her mouth to take a deep breath and I just know she's about to give me one of her best-friend-speeches, as my phone flickers up, indicating an incoming call from my favorite singer. Giving me a knowing look, my best friend silently tells me to answer the phone, so I do. "Hey you", I say, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible as I control the hurricane of butterflies in my stomach. That feeling will never get old. "How's your day going?"
"That's what I wanted to ask you", she replies, sincere evident in her voice. "How are you holding up? I'm sorry you have to go through this alone. I wish I could be by your side." Yesterday, before I left, she told me that she is a little worried how I would handle the sudden attention. "Any unwelcome incidents?"
Smiling, I force myself to push that little scene Stephanie tried to cause aside – and since I am still not sure if this was about me or her, I don't tell her about it. "I'm good. People stare, let them stare. They are just jealous", I joke to cover my insecurities. Really, brushing it off kind of helps. "How is your day?"
"Hectic", she laughs. "My phone hasn't stopped ringing since eight this morning and the only two pleasant calls where the one with my parents and ours. Thank God me liking women isn't news to them. That would have been a shock and my mom would probably have a heart attack." We have talked about her parents – super religious people, by the way – before, and how she had a talk with them about her sexuality. I can say that I am gay, whereas Callie always says that she falls in love with the person's character and not with their gender. I think it's admirable, to be so at ease with yourself. But I am also super glad she prefers my female curves over male muscles. And I can so relate to that favoritism. "Hold on, Ashley calls me again. Can I call you back?"
"Of course." But before I can get my whole sentence out there, I hear the line going dead and I can't keep that groan inside. "Ugh. I really wish we were a normal couple."
"You are a normal couple, A. Yes, one half of your relationship has walked down a lot of red carpets, takes baths in the spotlight instead of the sunlight, and enjoys giving public concerts to numerous fans. But in the end, you're two people who love each other." Love. It's a little bit too soon to think about that word, isn't it? But even the slightest possibility of Callie loving me sounds so very wonderful. "And that is what matters the most."
Wow. Seriously, wow. I am a little baffled by Teddy's words. Not that she isn't one to have a deep conversation with, or that I thought she would belittle my relationship or feelings for Callie – after all, a few weeks ago, I was a hardcore Callie Torres fan. But what she just said, wow. "I- thank you, Teds." Shortly after that, our food and coffee is brought to our table and we dive in. I ask her some questions about her and Henry, definitely enjoying doing the asking for a change.
But before we know it, our break is up and we both have to head back to our classes. We part, Teddy goes left to her creepy anatomy classes and I turn right, going back to the boring load of laws and crimes. Checking my phone once again, I see an email from one of my most loyal fanfiction readers, asking me for an update. Ever since I met Callie, I kind of neglected all of my unfinished stories. And I do feel bad about it. But with everything I have on my plate for school and my promise to my dad to stay on top of everything, and seeing my girlfriend on the weekends, my passion has been on the back burner for quite some time now. Add to it, that it feels weird to write about her, I am really lacking in the update department. Maybe today, I think to myself and sigh, sending a quick reply to the reader.
BANG!
And then everything happens so fast. Suddenly, people are running past me, screaming and crying in panic and I have no idea what is actually happening. There are two more loud bangs and my face goes blank at the realization of what that sound was. A gunshot. A shooter. My brain tells me to run, but my legs are frozen and my feet don't move. I am pushed and stumbled into by my fellow students, almost knocked over by their force, but nothing has the power to rip me out of my stupor as my eyes stare right at the shooter. RUN, ARIZONA, RUN! The next person runs into me with such vigor that it actually pushes me over and kicks my cellphone out of my hand, its shattering drowned by the noise around me.
"YOU ALL RUINED ME AND YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!", I hear the deep voice of the shooter yell, his face remains hidden behind the hood of his sweater as he stands still. I can see a guy lying on the ground, not moving. Another girl is motionless only a few feet away from me. Are they dead? Fucking run, Arizona! I feel like it's just me and the shooter now, none of us making a move until he starts getting closer, walking up to me. Quickly rising to my feet, I dart towards the nearest door, fumbling with the handle as the sound of another shot fills the air and then all I feel is pain, crying out as it rips through me like nothing I have ever experienced. With my last rational thought, I rip the door open, lock it behind me and slide onto the ground, the adrenaline still pumping through me until everything goes black.
Oh oh?
I know this was - mainly - a filler. I still hope you could find at least something you liked. And I told you we were about to face some drama.