Ch. 12
A/N: So I feel like I should warn you, dear readers, this chapter is going to feature a little Nick and Gail spotlight, because as much as he is being a jerk in this fic I actually like them as friends on the show, and it's going to shed some light on some things for Gail. No worries though, there will still be plenty of things for our girls as well. As always thank you for the reviews, I love hearing your thoughts, so keep them coming...
Gail glanced over to where Wes had pulled Chloe aside. She wasn't the only one. The boys were all watching warily from their tables, ready to intervene if their friend needed it. As much as she would love to watch the boys throw Wes and the rest of his annoying friends out, she knew that Charlie wouldn't appreciate it so she hoped that they all behaved themselves. Traci was watching the scene carefully as well from the other side of the room where she was serving her tables. She shot a look to Gail, who just shrugged. She didn't have supersonic hearing to know what the conversation was about.
The bartender kept an eye on the situation even as she turned her attention to the patrons she needed to serve, thanks to her Peck superpowers. That's how she was able to get across the bar in time to stop the boys from getting into a fight. She wasn't exactly sure what started it but she saw Chloe try to get away from Wes who grabbed her arm. That was enough to send their boys flying out of their seats and in their direction.
Unfortunately, that also launched Wes' friends out of their seats as well. Gail had called out to Charlie as her, Traci, and Andy got between the boys. While Traci and Andy tried to calm their guys down, Gail focused her icy glare onto the instigators.
"You guys need to leave now." She told them with a clipped, authoritative tone that would've made her mother proud. It was the Peck-commander-tone that she had heard her whole life and that even she knew meant it was something not to be messed with.
"Or what, Blondie? You gonna make us?" Wes taunted the bartender but Gail just rolled her eyes at him. If this boy thought he was intimidating then he really needed to practice more in the mirror.
"We'll be more than happy to." Nick spoke up in an even tone with both Chris and Dov by his side (Duncan, the wimp that he was, hung back). Chloe was Nick's buddy, honestly she was probably his best friend since he moved back to Toronto, and there was no way in hell he was going to let anyone mess with her.
"Yeah, really intimidating, you're being held back by a bunch of girls." Wes scoffed, while his friends laughed.
"Just leave Wes." Chloe told her ex-boyfriend tiredly. Tonight was supposed to be fun, a chance to hang out with her friends, she really wasn't looking for the drama that he brought with him. Now she was stuck in the middle trying to stop her friends from getting into a physical altercation with the boy she once thought she loved.
"We have as much of a right to be here as the rest of you. You don't own the bar." The boy continued; he wasn't about to let anyone tell him where he could or couldn't be.
"No, but I do." Charlie said as he approached the crowd. He looked between the two groups and at the girls stuck in the middle. "And if you're starting problems, I'm going to ask you all to leave."
"We didn't start anything. I was just talking to the pretty lady and these guys came over to me. My friends were just defending me." Wes replied calmly while his friends nodded in support. Jen Luck just stood back watching the scene unfold.
The boys started to argue back and the crowd quickly got carried away again. Charlie whistled drawing everyone's attention.
"Enough! Peck, Nash, do I need to ask these people to leave?"
Gail and Traci exchanged a look; they knew that their friends would get kicked out just as quickly as the other boys. They looked at Chloe who just looked embarrassed and was shaking her head.
"No, boss, not if they all stay away from each other." Traci told the man in an effort to mollify the situation and keep their group from getting banned. If there was one thing Charlie had a low tolerance for, it was drama.
"You heard the ladies. You boys keep away from one another or next time I get the cops to come escort you out. Understand?" Charlie leveled both sets of boys with a glare.
They all agreed. The boys went back to the tables they previously occupied and Chloe took off for the girls' restroom. She just needed a minute away from the chaos and to splash some cold water on her face. Gail returned to behind the bar and Traci went back to serving her tables.
When Chloe came back, she plopped down onto a stool at the bar, instead of returning to her table, and waited for her roommate to come over.
"What's wrong, Princess?" Gail asked as she gave the redhead her attention. Her blue eyes were unwavering as she judged the state her roommate was in.
"Nothing, can I get a shot of tequila, please?"
Gail poured the shot and waited a beat before sassing, "You do realize that it's not actually the bartender's job to listen to people's problems."
"I didn't say anything." Chloe replied morosely. It was true she was being remarkably quiet for a change.
"But you want to. I can see it; you're just dying to spill. The words want to come spewing out of you like vomit."
But Chloe took her shot and stared at the empty glass rather than speaking. She didn't even comment on how gross Gail's comment was like she normally would.
The blonde let out a sigh, "Alright, I cave. What did Wes want?"
"Me."
Damn it, Chloe had been body-snatched too. And pod-Chloe was way too quiet. Gail had never heard her give one-word answers when she could give a hundred.
"Ok..." Gail replied and waited for the other girl to elaborate.
"It's not ok. He asked me to get hot dogs. Which is like a thing we used to do. We even had this really awesome rap that went along with it." Chloe was starting to ramble but was cut off by her roommate.
"Relevance?" That had become the short way of Gail getting Chloe back on track when she started to wander off on her tangents.
Chloe narrowed her eyes at her friend, who was supposed to be a sympathetic ear right now, "Fine, then he insulted me, then complimented me, then he took the blame for everything that went wrong between us and then he kissed me. That's when the boys came over and everything turned into a mess."
"And?" Gail was still waiting to hear what was bothering Chloe the most.
Chloe looked at her roommate incredulously, "And ugh! Why did he have to kiss me? We were over, we are over."
"Do you want him back?"
Chloe paused, did she? When things had been good between them, they had been really good. They were friends first and he seemed to get that Chloe was quirky but things had changed over the years and especially when they got to college. That was when his jealousy and possessiveness started. Hanging out with friends wasn't okay unless he was around.
"No, no I don't. We don't work. We did work but we don't anymore." She sullenly toyed with her empty glass before muttering under her breath, "But I can't seem to get what I want."
"Which would be?" Gail had caught the utterance and was curious if Chloe would say what she thought she would say.
"Another shot?" The redhead tried to dodge the question.
Gail complied and poured another.
Chloe thanked her and took the drink with a grimace. She looked around the bar and realized that some people were missing. "Sooooo...Where did Frankie and Holly go?"
She had seen the two seated at the bar before Wes pulled her over but she hadn't seen them leave. She briefly wondered if Frankie had seen the two of them talking, she hoped she hadn't seen the kiss.
"Dancing."
Chloe lit up at the information, an idea forming that was more than a little inspired by the tequila she was consuming. "We should go. Dancing. Too."
"I'm working." Gail dismissed the idea as she gestured around behind the bar to emphasize her point.
"You're not working all night, we can go after." Chloe's excitement was starting to bubble back.
Gail shook her head, "I have no idea where they went and that's slightly stalker-ish. You want to go chasing after Frankie that's your business but leave me out of it."
Chloe was undeterred, she measured her friend with a suspicious look, "So you're ok with Holly dancing with other girls? Other girls touching her? Kissing her?" If the vibes she had gotten the other night were correct then she knew the blonde wouldn't be. She was an observant person, even though most people dismissed her as ditzy.
Gail's stomach tightened but her face remained stoic. "Not my business what she does or who with."
Chloe deflated a little, "Can I get another?"
Gail poured the drink as Andy came over and plopped down next to Chloe.
"Oh no, don't tell me you're here to bitch too." She had a similar morose look on her face. Great, now the blonde was stuck with both of them. She looked around the room for Traci and hoped she could grab her attention to come over and girl talk with the two of them. She was better at it anyway.
"Sam is being a dickhead." Andy explained as she gestured to Gail to pour her a shot too. The seniors were conspicuously absent that night, except for Frankie. Sammy, Jerry, Juliet had yet to appear.
The comment elicited a laugh out of Gail.
"What?" Andy crankily asked as she looked at the bartender.
"You said something bad about another person. We finally have something in common McNally." She replied with a wicked grin and pausing a beat before adding, "Oh no, we'll always have Nick."
Andy made a face and shook her head. She hated it when Gail brought up Nick.
But the blonde forged on, "What has happened to you? Hey, did you lose your magical Girl Guide sash, you know, the one that bestows all your extra-nice superpowers. You love that sash!"
Andy rolled her eyes. "That's funny. That's really funny."
Gail continued to chuckle at the other girl's expense and even Chloe had to choke back her laugh. The blonde poured out two more shots before moving on to the other kids looking for drinks.
After a while the girls left and headed back to the tables to hang out with the boys. Gail was relieved to not have to continue bullshitting with them but Chloe's words from before still rung in Gail's ears and her stomach remained in knots. She pushed the thoughts of Holly from her mind and focused on finishing her shift without more interruptions.
Eventually, Wes and his gaggle of friends left before the usual gang, which was no surprise. Despite the pissing contest from before there wasn't any more trouble even as the two groups continued to shoot daggers across the room at one another.
Before they left though, Jen Luck made her way back over to the bar.
"Hey, bartender!" Why is it that when Holly said the exact same words earlier in the night, they hadn't caused the blonde to cringe.
"What do you want, Luck?" Gail asked without even looking up from the glasses she was rearranging.
"My table owe anything?" The brunette was trying to grab the blonde's attention. She was still determined to flirt with her.
"What are you? Their president?" The blonde snarked, why was she the one elected to bother her tonight?
"No, just volunteered to come over and talk to the hot bartender, even though I'm crossing enemy territory."
"I'm pretty sure you all did that when you came in here and decided to mess with my roommate in the first place."
"Chloe's a big girl, she can take care of herself." Luck replied dismissively.
"Let me make this abundantly clear, in case your small brain can't comprehend it: leave her alone." Gail's protectiveness was evident as she snarled at the other girl.
"Don't worry, Peck, she's not my type. I prefer bitchy blondes." She winked and wrote her number on a napkin that she slid over to Gail, "Just in case you get bored hanging out with those duds."
Gail just glared at the girl as she turned around and left. She checked the time and realized that she was finally free to ignore the annoying people of the bar, too bad Luck hadn't waited another five minutes or Gail could have really given her a piece of her mind.
The blonde clocked out and traded in her tips for bigger bills before joining her friends at their tables. They still had a couple of hours before Traci would be done, so she figured she could at least enjoy some of the beer she supplied them.
They didn't go chasing after the other brunettes; instead the roommates ended up at the Mancave sprawled out on the couch, playing the boys in video games. They were seated on the big couch with Chris, where Gail was using him as a pillow while she stretched her legs across the other girl. Dov was sprawled out on the smaller couch cursing up a storm as the girls tag teamed and blew him up, repeatedly.
"God damn it!" Dov threw his hands up in despair as his character was turned into another ball of flames.
"Dude, they're killing you." Chris stated the obvious.
"Thanks, I didn't notice." His friend retorted with a pout.
"You sure, because it looked something like this." Gail blew him up with a grenade earning a laugh from Chloe who was targeting Chris. Chloe was a fast learner and with Gail on her team, she was quickly becoming a pro at the game. They played for a little while longer till Gail paused the game and stood up.
"I need sustenance." She made her way towards the kitchen.
"Way to ask if anyone else wanted anything?" Dov shouted from his spot as he motioned to Chris to unpause the game.
"You all have feet. I'm off the clock, which means I'm done serving people." Without turning around she warned, "Touch my controller and die, Diaz!"
The boy gulped and returned to his seat.
Gail rooted around the boy's kitchen till she found some leftover pizza. But before she could leave with her treasure she bumped into Nick.
"We have to stop meeting like this." The boy used his most charming smile on his ex-girlfriend.
"We have to stop meeting. Period. Two words: restraining order."
"You're in my house and you can pretend to hate me all you want but you're not fooling me, this super serious Ice Queen isn't you or at least it wasn't always you. What happened?"
"I'm a different person." Gail pointed out but the boy was undeterred.
"Did you learn to share popcorn yet?" He asked, recalling the numerous times he had to buy two buckets anytime they went to see a flick.
"No." Gail conceded, she would never learn to share her food. Well, except that one time, she did share her fries and onion rings with Holly but the brunette had stolen one first.
"Still sleep with your socks on?" He continued his random line of questioning.
"When it's cold."
"Still listen to Kelly Clarkson?"
"That was one song," the blonde protested. That had been years ago, and a very popular song.
He smiled, "See, same person. I know you, Gail."
But Gail shook her head. She knew that he was just trying to get into her head but she wasn't going to let him. Not again. "No, Nick, you know random things about me. The same way that I know you sleep with your eyes half closed, like a decaying corpse, and have never lost a sock a day in your life because you're a freaky sock tracker. That doesn't mean anything."
"Yes, it does." He countered ardently.
"No, it doesn't. Those things aren't important."
"Then what is?" He challenged her. If sharing a history wasn't enough, then what would be?
She didn't hesitate. "You never remember that I'm allergic to tomatoes." Holly had stopped ordering tomatoes on her food when she found out that Gail was allergic, just so she could share.
"You never stuck up for me with my parents." Holly had done so at the Peck Party, and they barely knew each other then.
"And you really don't seem to get that I hate it when people pretend to know the first thing about me." Holly had never done that. She just accepted what Gail wanted to share and asked questions but didn't judge. Crap. Focus, Peck!
"You don't want me Nicholas, you want the idea of me, or the idea of me being someone that you do want." Then she changed tones, her voice dripping with contempt, "That or you just want somebody to warm your bed sheets until you can get McNally. But that isn't going to be me."
He started to reply, "There's nothing-."
But Gail cut him off. "Whatever, dude, if you don't want her then move on, man. Find someone new, and stop butting into my life every chance you get."
She tried to leave but he grabbed her arm to stop her, she snarled, "You want me to break your arm tonight, don't you?"
Nick quickly let go and looked a little sheepish. He realized that he wasn't being any better than Wes had been when he had upset Chloe that night. "I'm sorry. Can we at least be friends?"
"Friends?" She asked disbelievingly.
"Yes, Gail, friends: people who hang out in social settings, and can be in the same room without one of them storming out."
She contemplated it, it was getting easier to be around the boy, when he didn't try to get in her pants or ask about whom she was or wasn't hooking up with. And if she could put up with McNally then maybe she needed to learn to deal with him as well. It's not like she needed to be nice to him, that wasn't how she operated. "We need to establish some ground rules: don't look at me, don't touch me, and don't give me those like really weird, creepy, meaningful looks."
"Am I allowed to recall what you look like naked?" He inquired cheekily.
She narrowed her eyes, "Do you want me to punch you in the face?"
"Ok, I accept your rules. Friends?" He held out his hand to shake on it.
"That would be touching." She pulled out her phone and snapped a really awful picture of him. She started giggling, "Oh, that was really terrible."
Nick looked at her questioningly. What the hell was she up to now?
"I'm going to make you an online dating profile." She told him simply.
"I don't believe in online dating." He refuted.
"Oh, it's real and I'm the best person for the job."
A light bulb went off in his head, "You're single. I can make you a profile too. Oh, I can put that video of you arguing with the parking guy with your mouth still frozen from the dentist."
"Nick, you do not still have a video of that." Gail stated rather than questioned. She was going to kill him if he did.
He taunted her, "I will always have a video of that." He mumbled the words acting like part of his mouth was paralyzed.
"And this is precisely why we are never going to be anything more than friends. You're a dick."
"And you're a frigid bitch." He waited a beat before giving her a cunning smile, "So on your profile, should I put interested in guys or girls?"
"You're never going to give it a rest are you?"
He replied honestly, "Probably not till you give me an answer."
"Please, hold your breath. The wait might just kill you." She pushed passed him and plopped back down on the couch.
"You ok?" Chris asked while shooting a look at Nick. Chloe looked at her friend expectantly as well.
"Yep." The blonde dismissed their concerns as she shoved a slice of pizza in her mouth, throwing the box onto their messy coffee table and picking her controller back up.
Nick grabbed a seat on the floor next to Chloe, who smiled at the boy. He waited for Dov to die again so he could join the game. Maybe they could work out a truce.
The girls made it back to their house around 4am. They dragged their tired feet up the stairs to their room ready to collapse in their beds. Gail locked the door, while Chloe flipped off the light. The redhead muttered a goodnight just before her head hit the pillow. Gail collapsed in her bed and stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes. For some reason, her brain wouldn't turn off and it seemed that it wanted to dissect every interaction she had had with Holly in the last few months.
Things had definitely evolved from being a crash test dummy in the park but that was to be expected right? Friendships change and grow. So why did this one feel so differently than all the others. Maybe it was because she wasn't used to having friends. But, was it normal to feel a burning rage when thinking about her friend dancing with girls at a club all night?
She was counting out the till. The bar had been closed for over an hour and she was almost done closing up, when she heard the chime of the bell from above the door. "We're closed for business," She called out before even looking up, when she did she caught sight of the brunette. She looked damn good, her raven hair flowing, her jeans hugging every curve just right, and those sexy glasses framing her dark eyes. "Thought you went dancing?" She asked, but the brunette didn't respond. Instead, she walked determinedly across the bar, before coming behind the counter. "What are you-" but she was cut off but the demanding crash of soft lips upon hers. She let the brunette dominate the kiss, being able to do little more than accept that the other girl had full control of her body. The brunette picked her up onto the counter without breaking their kiss. She couldn't help but pull the girl closer, accepting the onslaught willingly. She tangled her hands in the dark hair and deepened the kiss further, not pulling back till the need to remove the offending articles of clothing separating them became too great. She felt the tan hands slide down her body to the top of her jeans, popping open the button and reaching for the zipper...
Gail startled awake when the front door slammed. Her heart was pounding, as were areas further south, and her entire body felt like it was on fire. She checked the time; it was 5:30am, which meant she had only been asleep about an hour. She glanced across the room at her slumbering roommate. Stupid Princess had started all this when she opened her stupid mouth and made her think stupid thoughts. Gail launched one of her pillows across the room, nailing her sleeping roommate in the head.
"Argh, what the hell?" The redhead groggily cracked open an eye.
"It's your own damn fault."
Chloe ignored her roommate's outburst and instead turned over, taking the pillow with her. Finders, Keepers.
Damn it, now she was awake and down a pillow.
Gail dragged her tired ass out of bed an hour later. It was only 6:30 that Saturday morning but she couldn't sleep. She was either going to need to take a cold shower or go for a run to clear her head. The running seemed more productive. She got up in her silent house and figured she had enough time to get back before anyone woke and would figure out she had been exercising. She had a reputation to protect.
As she was nearing the park entrance she could just make out a figure coming towards her in the opposite direction of the street. She really hadn't expected to see Holly that morning, if she had she probably would've just stayed home and taken that shower. Frankie had only gotten home an hour before and, as unpleasant as it was to think about, she figured the brunette had had a similar night.
"Hey!" Holly called out with a smile and wave as they both reached the entrance.
"Hey," Gail replied coolly.
"I'm surprised you're awake at this time." The brunette good-naturedly teased. Even though they had bumped into each other on multiple occasions, there was no consistency to it.
"I could say the same. How was dancing? Did you get it out of your system?"
Holly shrugged, "It was alright." Was that a slightly guilty expression on her face or was Gail just projecting?
"Didn't make you feel any better?" The blonde asked.
"Not as much as hanging out earlier in the day had." She quirked a crooked smile, that warmed Gail all over again.
But she couldn't help pushing the topic a little further. "Well, if you're here this early, probably wasn't that great of a night."
"Or it was so good it only just ended." The brunette countered.
"So which was it?"
"I don't kiss and tell." At those words, Gail felt the unpleasant knot in her stomach again. Unfortunately for her, she was beginning to realize what it was. Jealousy.
"That's ok Frankie will give a full play-by-play." Gail teased; although, chances were that she would hear all about the club when she bumped into her housemate later.
"She was a little preoccupied herself." It hadn't taken long for Frankie to abandon her friend at the club. She had danced with a bunch of girls but she had seen her friend leave with the girl Giselle, or at least who she figured was Giselle based on the way Frankie had gone right to her when she spotted her at the club. Holly thought Frankie might be trying a little too hard to keep up her denial, but who was she to judge?
The conversation was put on pause as the two girls started off down Gail's normal path. They each put their headphones in and tuned into their own playlists. They matched one another step for step until they neared the end and they broke out into another race.
Holly barely won, but her face broke out into a wide grin as she taunted her friend, "Ha, Danger, if I didn't know any better I'd think you were letting me win."
"How do you know I'm not?" Gail panted.
"Because you, my friend, are way too competitive for something like that." She poked the blonde in the stomach, who swatted away her hand.
"Yeah, yeah," she grumbled pissed that she had lost, again. It was a good thing they weren't betting this time.
The two stretched and paced a little trying to cool down.
"You going out again tonight?" Gail asked after a while.
"I'm sure Frankie is going to try to drag me along but probably not. I really need to study and I don't know, maybe just have a quiet night in, watch a movie or something. You?"
"Working, so if you change your mind you know where to find me."
Holly nodded before offering, "You know if you texted before you ran in the morning, we wouldn't have to keep meeting up by chance and I could start kicking your ass on the regular."
"Phone works both ways, Nerd."
"Well, I've seen you operate a gun, I don't think I want to be responsible for waking you up. But hey, you don't have to, no biggie." The brunette was trying a little too hard to be nonchalant.
"I'll keep it in mind."
"Kind of like volunteering on Tuesday?"
"Something like that." Gail checked the time, she needed to get back to her house quickly if she wanted to be sure she was in the shower before anyone woke up. "Gotta run, Nerd, catch ya later." She took off in the direction of her house.
"See ya, Danger!" Holly called out to the blonde's retreating form. She frowned slightly, that hadn't gone as well as she had hoped.
Andy, Traci, and Juliet occupied the breakfast bar while Chloe was in the kitchen making lunch for everyone. Gail was sprawled out on the couch playing a game on her phone, waiting to be fed, when Frankie came stumbling down the stairs. It was nearly two o'clock and the brunette looked massively hungover. She was heading towards the kitchen when she noticed that everyone was sitting around it, which meant the Muppet would be in there, so she changed direction and plopped down on top of Gail.
"Argh, get off Anderson," Gail kicked weakly at the other girl.
"It's a big couch Peck, shove over."
The blonde made a face, crinkling her nose, even as picked up her legs long enough for the other girl to get comfortable before putting them on her lap. "You smell like a distillery."
"Good morning to you too," Frankie yawned, unaffected by her friend's complaints.
"Check the time dude, it's afternoon." Gail mocked as she returned her attention to her game.
"Tell it to someone who cares, dude." Frankie retorted as she shut her eyes and rested her head on the back of the couch.
"You always play so nicely with others," Juliet taunted her friend as she brought over a mug of coffee.
Frankie grabbed for the mug and took a sip, sighing contentedly, "You know me so well, Jules."
"Chloe made the coffee." Juliet pointed out as she gave her friend a look, silently asking her what the hell she had gotten up to the night before when she had refused to go out with the rest of the seniors.
Frankie made a face but didn't offer any thanks, knowing that she would get judged for it. Plus, she was known for being rude. She was still doing her best to ignore the redhead, which was why she had opted to hang out with Holly instead of the seniors last night. Of course, that had backfired when Holly dragged her to the Penny. She didn't know why Holly was in such denial about her feelings for the blonde, when it was so hopelessly obvious. Especially, with the look on Holly's face when she asked Frankie about who Nick was and she had told her it was Gail's ex. She looked like she had swallowed a lemon.
Frankie blushed slightly as Chloe dropped a plate of food on her lap, purposefully brushing her fingers against Frankie's thigh, before giving Gail her portion. Ok, maybe she did know a little something about it, which was why she was ignoring her friend's questioning look.
Juliet finally gave up and returned to the counter. She would just have to bother Frankie about it later when they were alone. She wasn't going to get a real answer out of her with the other girls around. Hell, she would be lucky if she got a real answer at all.
"No tomatoes, right Princess?" Gail asked before taking a bite of the chicken pita that had just been deposited on her stomach.
"Not on yours." The redhead replied returning to the kitchen, as the unofficial cook of the house, she tried to remember what everyone liked. Luckily, Gail was the only one with an actual allergy.
The blonde muttered her gratitude with her mouth filled with food. Gail's table manners were atrocious but the girls were used to eating with her by now. All of the girls, minus Frankie, thanked Chloe for cooking for them and they returned to their normal chatter. The girls surrounding the kitchen were talking about boys while Gail ate with one hand and kept her attention on her game in her other hand.
Eventually she looked up from her game when she realized that her couch companion hadn't said a word. Frankie was staring down at her plate pushing the food around slightly. She looked paler than usual.
Gail nudged her with her foot, "How much did you drink last night?"
"More than I probably should've."
"I heard you get in this morning, busy night?"
Frankie just shrugged, none of her usual cockiness coming out despite Gail's prompting.
"Did you and Holly have fun?" Gail was fishing again; her curiosity was getting the better of her, especially after Holly's cryptic comments.
Frankie was pretty sure she heard a note of jealousy in the girl's question even though she was keeping her eyes fixed on her game, "Those glasses are major nerd-bait."
Frankie may have abandoned Holly soon after getting to the club, but it wasn't like Holly had any trouble getting girls to fall all over her. She may still lack a lot of confidence but Frankie would never understand why. Every time she looked over, her friend had been dancing with a different girl and by the time she took off with Giselle around midnight, Holly seemed to be a bit preoccupied with a pretty, petite dark-skinned beauty. She made sure she grabbed her attention before leaving and double-checked that Holly was ok to stay alone. As far as she knew, the taller brunette hadn't had another drink since they left the Penny, while Frankie had tried to get blasted enough for both of them. It hadn't helped though, and even while she was hooking up with Officer Armstrong, she still had flashes of red hair and a bright smile swirling around her head every time she closed her eyes. It made for an awkward night, to say the least.
"Oh." Gail's jaw tightened but she kept her gaze fixed on her game. Holly had followed all of the usual break-up buddy rules. She had vented, hit things, shot things, and had come to the Penny to drink. She had even gone dancing and met new people, checklist more than complete. But it didn't make the envious burning in Gail's stomach go away.
"Jealous, Peck?"
"Of what?"
"Of whoever got to spend the night with Holly." Frankie taunted her friend, trying to elicit a reaction out of her.
"No." She stated flatly, "Though you're one to talk Anderson."
"What's that supposed to mean?" The brunette snapped, irritated.
"Is the drinking and sleeping around helping at all?"
"You barely know me, Peck. Drinking and sleeping around is what I do best."
"Keep telling yourself that." The blonde looked unconvinced.
Frankie ignored her before turning the tables, "I wouldn't wait around too long, Holly isn't going to stay single forever."
"Doesn't concern me." The blonde replied, trying to sound unphased by the comment.
"Yeah, ok." Frankie didn't believe that for a second.
"Same goes for Chloe," Gail countered.
"I can't stand the Muppet."
"Yeah, ok." Frankie could deny it all she wanted but everyone could see the way she looked at the redhead.
The bitter brunette gave up trying to eat and tossed the food onto Gail's lap, before heading upstairs to her room for some peace and quiet.
Chloe's eyes followed the senior up the stairs even as she continued chattering away with the other girls.
"I wouldn't eat that, Gail." Chloe warned from the kitchen.
"Yeah, I know, tomatoes." She grumbled but her roommate came over with some fresh food to replace the tainted plate.
Gail glanced up at the redhead, "Not bad, Princess."
"I know, Grumpy, enjoy!" Frankie was an idiot in Gail's opinion; she was passing up on a girl who could cook.
"I'm surprised you texted," Holly told the blonde as she slid into the passenger seat of her car. It was Tuesday afternoon and even though, they hadn't seen each other since their run together the blonde had still texted her to ask if she wanted help at the clinic. Holly had happily accepted.
"Wouldn't want to deprive you of my awesomeness for too long, Nerd."
"Of course not, Danger, I might go into withdrawal."
"Exactly."
"How was the rest of your weekend?" Holly started up the small talk as she started to navigate their way to the clinic.
"Boring, work, studying, video games, messing with Anderson, the usual."
"What were you bugging Frankie about?" The brunette asked with a good-natured smile. She was sure that whatever hell Gail was giving their friend, Frankie was giving right back.
Gail shrugged, "Nothing much." She wasn't about to tell Holly that she and Frankie had spent the better part of the weekend arguing about their denial of their feelings.
Holly accepted that was all of a response she was going to get, she was becoming used to knowing when to push a topic and when to drop it, so she changed subjects, "So you excited?
"To see what new communicable diseases the kids can give me? Can't wait." The blonde wisecracked.
"I know you love working with them, there's no point denying it."
"Oh, there is always a point in denying it." The blonde teased. "Plus, maybe they're not the only reason I show up."
"Really? Why else might you be here?" Holly asked, she was fairly certain she was only getting set-up for another joke, but the comment did cause a small flutter in her stomach.
"For the free meal you're going to treat me to after this, obviously." Gail smiled her mischievous smile.
Holly chuckled, but knew that she had to turn down the offer. "We might have to do a rain check on that one, I kind of need to get back to studying right after."
But the blonde was undeterred, "How about we just make it something quick? We need to keep that big brain of yours nourished."
Holly smiled and agreed to the compromise, "Sounds like a plan."
A few hours later, the girls were back in the car joking around about the visit. Gail was becoming quite popular amongst the kids and staff at the clinic, especially with the nurses for her constant mocking of the doctors. Holly should probably be offended too, but the blonde's jests were usually spot on and hilarious.
"Dr. Santana has a major stick up his ass." The blonde commented after she mocked his snobbish way of strutting around, bossing around the nurses, and intimidating the kids. Why he was allowed near children was anybody's guess?
'Tell me about it." He was Holly's least favorite doctor that she had to deal with but everything was a learning experience for the brunette.
"How do you put up with all the pompous assholes that you have to work with?"
"Well, not all doctors are like that, a lot of them actually want to help people."
"I guess, but most people suck." Gail countered dismissively.
"Agreed." Holly really was starting to agree with the blonde's assessment of humanity, though she was still nicer about it. "So where are we eating today?"
"Hang a right over here and then the next left." The blonde directed in lieu of a response.
They pulled up in front of a small Middle-Eastern place.
"Ever had schwarma before?" Gail asked as Holly looked at her questioningly.
"No, but Oliver raves about it."
"I know, he introduced me to it. It's a life-changing experience. C'mon." Gail climbed out of the car and the brunette had no choice but to follow.
They ordered their food, sans tomatoes, and Gail shot off a text to her roommate to see if she wanted anything. She may not be able to cook but that didn't mean she couldn't feed the redhead too. Everyone else was on their own.
It didn't take long before their food was done. Holly took a small tentative bite before letting out an appreciative moan. Damn, that was good.
Gail felt her heart rate pick up a little at the sound Holly made but she brushed it off, "Told you it was good."
"You didn't lie."
"Never do."
Holly nodded in acceptance. They ate quietly for a bit before Holly ventured tentatively, "Can I ask you something?"
"You can ask, but it doesn't mean I'll answer." Gail warned with her mouth full.
"What happened in your last relationship?"
Gail swallowed, "What? Why?"
"I'm just curious, I know you said you hated relationships. Plus, I told you all about Jess, so..." Holly waited patiently, she took another normal sized bite of food.
"I'm assuming you're referring to Nicholas. What exactly did the prick say to you the other night?"
Holly just shrugged and took another bite so she wouldn't have to answer.
"And I'm guessing Anderson mentioned we dated." Holly nodded but continued chewing. Frankie told her that on the way to the club the other night, but apparently no one knew for sure what had happened between them before she left for Europe. Though there were plenty of rumors about him and McNally.
Gail sighed, "We dated on and off for most of the time I was in high school and into his freshman year of college, even though he went out to Vancouver and I was only a senior here. He developed feelings for a friend of mine and some shit happened. Then he tried to overcompensate by asking me to marry him." This was the most she had said about it to anyone but for some reason Holly felt trustworthy so she didn't mind keeping it brief. She wasn't about to go into the twisted details of her senior year but this was the summary she was prepared to share.
Holly froze with her food halfway to her mouth, "Wait, he proposed?"
Gail shrugged, "It was half-assed and he was drunk."
"What did you say?"
"I told the dumbass no, then I left for Europe the next day."
"So that's why you went on your trip?" The brunette deduced.
Gail sighed, "There were a lot of reasons, that was just one of them. It was only supposed to be for the summer but then I just decided to stay."
Holly checked the time as they finished up eating, "I really want to hear about your trip one of these days but I kind of really need to get home."
"Another time, then." Gail assured the brunette, garnering a crooked smile.
The two girls hopped back into the car and talked some more. Gail listed off the countries she went to but promised to tell Holly about some of the highlights of them all another time. They pulled up in front of Gail's house.
"Thanks for coming today." Holly really enjoyed the company at the clinic, it made time go faster and she liked grabbing food with the blonde after.
"Well, you obviously needed your fix of me, so happy to be of service." The blonde teased her.
"You're ridiculous."
"You like it."
"Maybe." Holly replied noncommittally though her smile begged to differ.
"Good luck studying, Nerd." The blonde got out of the car, with Chloe's food in a bag in her hand, and waited on the curb.
"Thanks, Danger. See you later."
Gail watched the car drive off with a content smile on her face. Going to the clinic had been a good choice.
The next day, Gail rushed into her house from class. Charlie had texted her at the last minute to cover a shift so she needed to grab her stuff and get over to the bar ASAP.
"What's the rush, Roomie?" Chloe had been in the kitchen, preparing dinner for the girls that night.
"Gotta get to work." The blonde called out as she bounded up the stairs.
"Need food?" She shouted so her roommate could hear her.
But Gail was already back down and making sure she had everything she needed. "No time."
"Alright, well I'll save you some leftovers."
Gail waved her gratitude as she bolted out the front door.
Chloe returned her attention to what she was doing. After a while she plugged her iPod into the speakers they had set up in the kitchen. She started dancing while she cooked. It was nothing new. The girl always had music playing and could usually be found shaking her hips or spinning around whatever room she was in when she got the urge. Everyone in the house had become accustomed to her 30-seconds-dance-parties while they were studying, or whenever anyone was in a bad mood.
So it really shouldn't have been a surprise for Frankie when she got home from class that day to hear the music playing. She knew she should ignore it and head up to her room. It's what she had been doing ever since the night of the body shot. She had to stay away from Chloe, that much had become clear, for whatever stupid fucking reason, the Muppet had gotten under Frankie's skin, invading her thoughts, and even worse her dreams. Maybe that was why this time she couldn't just walk by, not without sneaking a peak.
Frankie hovered in the entryway to the kitchen. Chloe had her back to her as she continued to sashay her hips to the music, dropping low every now and then before picking herself back up seductively. She sang along to the lyrics as she added a touch of seasoning here and a pinch of spices there to the pot on the stove. Frankie watched; she couldn't help it, even at the club the other night no one had left her as mesmerized as Chloe Fucking Price. Frankie could feel her body heating up, but she attributed it to her proximity to the stove.
"Do you like what you see, Crankypants?" Chloe called out without turning around or stopping her movements.
The chipper voice snapped Frankie back to reality, "Not bad."
"You just going to stand there all day or are you going to join me?"
Frankie knew the answer was to walk away but she was only human. So she stepped into the kitchen behind the other girl, only this time she didn't touch.
But it was invitation enough for the fiery redhead who dropped down to the floor again before slowly sliding her body back up the older girl's. She continued swaying her hips to the music, grinding into Frankie who was trying her hardest to hold onto some form of self-restraint and keep her hands to herself. But Chloe reached behind her, placing her hands on Frankie's hips and forcing her to move in time to the music as well.
Frankie caved, she wrapped her fingers around those familiar hip bones and pulled Chloe closer into her. She ghosted her lips along the shorter girl's neck, causing Chloe to just grind harder. Now, it really was getting way too hot in that damn kitchen.
She couldn't hold out any longer. Frankie had to taste the other girl's lips again, had to give in to the incessant need that had been plaguing her for months now. She had to have this girl; it would be the only way to get her out of her system. To dominate her, leave her breathless, and incapable of saying nothing more than her name over and over again.
She spun the redhead around and crashed her lips into Chloe's. She kissed her hungrily; she had been starving for this for way too long. She backed Chloe into one of the counters and continued her desperate onslaught on the other girl's waiting lips. Chloe kissed her back with just as much passion, just as much desire, and tried to pull Frankie impossibly closer as she dug her nails into the brunette's back. Frankie's hands slid up to cradle Chloe's face and she deepened the kiss further, eliciting a delicious moan from the girl she had beneath her. It only added fuel to the fire that Frankie was certain was going to consume her completely.
Chloe urged Frankie on, as Frankie started to grind her hips into the other girls in time to their kisses. The rhythm continued and Frankie slid a hand down to Chloe's thigh, lifting her leg, which Chloe wrapped around her as Frankie slid a thigh into Chloe's heated core.
The two girls were so lost in each other that they forgot they were in a kitchen, with a burning stove, till whatever Chloe had been cooking starting boiling over the sides of the pot. It was the sizzling noise and burst of flame that finally broke the girls from one another.
"Shit!" Frankie exclaimed as she pulled away from the redhead to snap the burner off and Chloe moved to remove the overflowing pot from the heat.
That disaster averted they stood slightly apart, facing one another, each one breathless from before. Chloe was biting her bottom lip, as her eyes desperately searched Frankie's for some sign of what they were going to do next, she worried that if she said anything it would send the brunette running, like she always did.
Regardless, reality set in once again anyway, "I shouldn't have done that, I have to go." Frankie tried to flee the kitchen but Chloe grabbed a hold of her arm.
"Why? Why do you keep fighting this?" She asked, her eyes pleading with the other girl for an explanation of why they kept holding back.
"I just...I just can't. I can't do this, not with you." Frankie desperately pulled away and headed out the front door and straight for her car, the engine was still warm.
Holly entered the Penny and reflexively scanned the bar for the familiar mop of platinum blonde hair even though she wasn't supposed to be working that day. So she was pleasantly surprised when she saw her, causing Holly to head over and grab a stool.
"Helllooooo." Gail drawled as she greeted her friend.
"Gail, hi, I didn't know you'd be here." Holly replied pleasantly.
"Yeah, Charlie fired the new guy, this one only lasted two days." The brunette chuckled, it had become somewhat of a running joke about how many servers Charlie blew through. The manager of the Penny could be pretty ornery when it came to his workers. Yet, both Gail and Traci had somehow managed to survive thus far.
"So can I grab you a drink?" The blonde asked, gesturing to their vast supply of alcohol.
"No, I actually need to study, my exam is next Friday. I'm just meeting some people here because they were complaining that we haven't eaten all day and needed a study break."
"Oh, sorry."
"Don't be sorry." Holly dismissed her concerns with a wave of the hand.
Gail poured her a glass of water instead. "So, who are these people? Anyone important?"
"Lisa and Rachel, and whoever else they drag along with them."
The bartender nodded in acceptance, slightly pleased it wasn't some kind of date. "How's the studying going?"
"It's ok I guess. Stressful."
"Well if you need some stress relief that also falls under my purview." The blonde offered confidently.
"Ooo and what do you suggest?"
Gail smiled flirtatiously, "Hot, mind-blowing sex."
Holly choked on the water she was drinking. She spluttered and gasped for air as Gail laughed a little at the reaction she provoked. "Very funny."
Gail shrugged, "That or we can always go crush some more balls."
"How very lesbian of you." Holly jibed.
"You're the gold-star." The blonde countered.
The chiming of the bell on the door interrupted their banter. Gail glanced over and spotted Lisa with another girl, whom she was assuming was Rachel. "Looks like your friends are here."
Holly looked disappointed, "Talk later?"
"Sure thing."
She got up and joined her friends at a booth. She grabbed a seat and was boxed in by Rachel, who Lisa shoved next to her. Future Dr. Boob Job grabbed a seat across from the two girls and immediately focused her attention on her phone.
Gail couldn't hear what the girls were saying but she did catch Holly glancing her way and smiling. Eventually, Rachel followed her friend's eye line and noticed that she was looking at the bartender. She whispered something in Holly's ear that caused the brunette to blush and shrug.
Traci had been working the day shift and was nearing the end of it. She came over to see what had her friend's attention, "Those Holly's friends?"
"Roommates." Gail corrected and turned her attention to cleaning glasses. She hoped her friend hadn't caught her staring.
"Do you want to serve them?" Traci offered. At least that way, the blonde would have a reason for watching the other girls.
"Isn't that your job?"
"Just offering, since I know you and Holly are friends."
"Oh." Gail contemplated heading over to serve. She wasn't wearing her brace anymore but her wrist still had a tendency to hurt. Though, she could probably handle serving three people. Before she could tell Traci so, the bell above the door went off and Gail's jaw tightened as her hands balled into fists.
McD had just walked in. She sent a glare Gail and Traci's way as she glanced around the bar before heading to Holly's booth.
Gail could see that whatever smile had been on Holly's face was quickly wiped by the sight of her ex. McD said something to the group and Lisa flew out of her side of the booth before tugging Rachel out of her seat as well. Rachel whispered something into Holly's ear and the brunette nodded before she allowed herself to be led away by Dr. Boob Job. The two girls grabbed stools at the bar as McD took Lisa's seat.
Gail started to make her way around the bar to go over to the table when she felt herself restrained by Traci.
"Where do you think you're going, Gail?"
"To serve my table." Traci moved to stand in front of Gail who tried to sidestep her but Traci continued to block her path to Holly's table.
"Oh no, you're not. Charlie told me that you need to stay away from that girl."
"Which girl?"
"The bitchy one that flipped on me about the nachos."
"She's Holly's ex." Gail explained.
Oh, that made more sense, but it only made Traci more resolute, "Then you're definitely not going over there."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Gail demanded indignantly.
"The last time you two interacted Charlie told me to keep you away from her if she comes in. Apparently he warned you to do the same."
"So?"
"So, I think he means it, Gail, and I would really like it if we continued working together." Traci tried to placate her friend.
"Charlie isn't going to fire me."
Traci gave her a you're-shitting-me look. Charlie may have liked the two of them but no one was safe from getting fired by the guy after he explicitly warned them about something. "He will especially after the nonsense with the boys and Wes. Too much drama."
"Whatever," The blonde grumbled and Traci relaxed slightly as Gail went back to her usual perch behind the bar. Her eyes continued to stare daggers into the corner booth. She was watching McD talk quickly though quietly enough that she couldn't hear them from where she was. Holly was simply staring at her silverware, which she was playing with, but not responding.
Traci made her way over and interrupted the two. She got a sharp look from McD for intruding on their conversation but Holly simply smiled when she looked up at Traci. McD must've dismissed Traci, and kind of rudely from what Gail could gather because Traci was heading back her way, after Holly apologized to her and then glared at McD. It looked like Holly was admonishing her, which was probably going in one ear covered by the fire-engine red hair, and out the other.
Holly slumped back in her seat and went back to focusing on the silver objects dancing in her hands, while McD picked back up her speech.
Gail walked over to Lisa and Rachel who were still sitting at the bar, as they had their backs to it since they too were preoccupied watching the table they had just left.
"What do you want?" Gail's voice harshly spooked the two girls who jumped and swiveled around.
"Oh, it's you." Lisa drawled as she smirked. Having Gail there to witness Holly and Jess' reunion was just icing on the cake. They hadn't planned it, just hoped for it, when Lisa had agreed to help Jess talk to Holly in person since she was still dodging her calls.
Rachel looked between the two girls who were glaring at one another. She smiled, "Hi, you must be Gail, I'm Rachel," she extended a hand to the bartender, the one she had been hearing about for weeks now.
She knew that Gail had helped Holly get to Vancouver and she also knew that Lisa couldn't stand the "home wrecking" bartender. But Holly seemed to really like her and Rachel could certainly see why. Gail was gorgeous and if the unyielding look on her face that was directed towards their roommate was any indication, she too had a strong personality.
Gail looked at the hand with contempt, "What kind of people ambush their 'friend' and force her to talk to her ex when she clearly didn't want to."
Rachel retracted her hand as she felt the icy wave of Gail's glare settle on herself as well. "I had no idea." She honestly hadn't which is why she had asked Holly if she wanted her to stay even as Lisa was trying to get her out of her seat. She hadn't left the booth till Holly had told her it was ok.
"It's none of your business, bartender. Why don't you just focus on your job and less on what Holly is doing?" Lisa bit out, causing Gail to turn her attention back to the bitchy friend.
"You're right, maybe I should go over there and see what they want to drink." Gail cocked an eyebrow in challenge.
"You should stay where you are if you know what's good for you." Lisa warned.
Rachel realized that she needed to defuse the situation that was quickly escalating between the two girls, for Holly's sake. She kept her voice calm and reassuring, "Gail, I know you're Holly's friend too, but she said she was ok and wanted to hear what Jess had to say before I left the table."
For some reason, that idea kicked Gail in the stomach. Holly wanted to talk to McD or at least listen to her. Why? Why would she want that? Gail's face though remained set and impassive, "Whatever. So what can I get you?"
The two girls looked clueless as to why Gail was stomping her foot impatiently. She sighed loudly, "To drink? You're taking up stools at my bar, so what can I get you?"
Rachel politely asked for a coke, which Gail poured for her and nodded in acceptance of her thanks.
But Lisa decided that she wasn't done pushing Gail's buttons, "I'll have a vodka martini, dry. Two olives. Oh and shaken, not stirred."
Gail made the drink but she put it down a little more forcefully than she knew she should have, causing the contents to slosh around and over the edges, slightly splashing Lisa. "You bitch! You did that on purpose."
"Sorry, clumsy. If I had done it on purpose it would be covering your lap." At that she went back to the other side where Traci was waiting and looking annoyed with her.
Rachel tried not to laugh as she handed Lisa a napkin. She had kind of deserved that one and it's not like she had actually gotten it on her clothes.
"I leave you alone for a minute and you pick a different fight with customers?" Traci admonished as Gail approached.
"What did McD say to you?" Gail asked without preamble.
"Who?" Traci hadn't heard the nickname before.
"The clown with Holly."
"Oh, she rudely told me to buzz off and not interrupt them. Holly was scolding her when I left."
Gail nodded but her eyes were focusing back on the table in the corner. Holly looked up at whatever McD said, but she eyes drifted over to the bar where they spotted Gail. Her lips quirked up slightly but dropped when she focused back on McD. Gail was about to text her to see if she needed a rescue when Frankie came storming through the door and right over to Gail.
She had been driving around aimlessly till she dropped her car back at home and walked over to the bar. She made sure she didn't go inside the house that time and instead went straight to the Penny.
"Tequila, now." She demanded as she grabbed a stool.
Gail had no idea what was bugging Frankie but she was too preoccupied to care. She glanced quickly to make sure Charlie wasn't around and poured out two shots. She clinked glasses with Frankie and downed one with her.
"Gail!" Traci reprimanded.
"Sorry Trace, did you want one?" Gail sarcastically replied.
The waitress shook her head and went to check on her other tables, but stayed clear of Holly's.
"Another." Frankie insisted, so Gail complied but she didn't drink that one with her.
Frankie swallowed the drink and demanded another. Now she had Gail's attention. "What's wrong, Anderson?"
"Nothing, just keep 'em coming." She gestured to her empty glass.
Traci came over, "Maybe you should slow down Frankie."
"Thanks for the advice Mom, but I got this." She took the shot Gail had just poured and gestured again.
"I'm not carrying your ass home tonight Anderson, I'm in no mood." Gail warned even as she poured out the drink.
Frankie toyed with the glass that time, "What's your problem?" She asked as she noticed the blonde was distracted. Gail didn't respond but her gaze remained fixed on the corner.
She turned around in her seat and noticed Holly seated in the corner where Gail was looking and she was not pleased to see her companion was Jess.
"Gross, please tell me she's not taking her back, again."
"Don't know, Lisa and McD ambushed her a little bit ago."
"Oh, great. So by the end of their conversation I'm sure Holly will give her another shot. She always does. And I'm going to lose my buddy again." Frankie was making a disgusted face at the fact that Holly was with her ex.
Gail's face remained stoic as she watched the two interacting but her grip on the tequila bottle tightened when she saw McD reach over to lightly grip Holly's wrist, the one playing the silverware. She bit down on her tongue hard, when she saw McD brush her thumb along the inside of Holly's wrist.
Frankie was watching them too. "Fuck this!"
She downed her shot and headed over to the booth before Gail could stop her. She slipped into the side next to Holly and threw an arm over her shoulders. The intrusion caused Holly to withdraw her hand from the table and McD looked none-to-pleased with the invasion.
"Frankie, what do you want?" McD unhappily greeted the other girl.
"Oh, I just came over to visit with my friend. The real question is what are you doing here? Could you not take the hint when Holly was dodging your calls."
"I'm here for the same reason as you, to be friends with Holly. Although, we were in the middle of a conversation so why don't you head back the way you came?" Jess' voice was calm but her eyes were warning Frankie to back off.
"Nah, I'm good right here." And she settled further in the booth.
Holly could smell the tequila on Frankie; her friend was already drinking so this was not going to end well. "Frankie, it's ok."
"Glad to hear it, so you don't mind if I stay put. If it's just friends talking then there shouldn't be any reason for me to leave." She was addressing Holly but glaring at Jess who looked ready to blow her top at any second. "By the way, Hols, did you ever get that girl's number from the club the other night? She was smoking hot."
Holly blushed slightly, "How many drinks have you had, Frankie?"
"Not enough, want to grab another with me?"
"Actually, Holly and I weren't done talking yet." Jess interrupted, trying to regain Holly's attention.
Holly glanced over to the bar where Gail was watching them all with an inscrutable expression. "Actually we are, come on, Frankie."
Victorious, Frankie smirked at Jess before slipping out of the booth and waiting for Holly to join her.
"Holly!" Jess grabbed her ex's wrist as she started to walk away.
"What Jess? I heard what you had to say. Now I just want to finish grabbing dinner with my friends and getting back to studying. You're the one who was constantly telling me how important it was." Holly pulled her arm away.
"Not as important as this, I'm not giving up on us, Hols." But Jess got up and headed out of the bar regardless, realizing that she wouldn't get anywhere with Frankie hovering.
"Well that felt slightly ominous." Frankie commented as the redhead left. Why was this redhead so much more unpleasant than her redhead-err, the other redhead-Chloe, whatever?
"Gotta push buttons don't you Frankie?" Holly asked tiredly. Interacting with Jess was exhausting.
"You wouldn't love me any other way." Frankie smiled cheekily.
"No, I wouldn't." Holly conceded as she slung an arm around her friend, "Come on let's get you that drink."
They made their way over towards the bar where everyone was waiting for them.
A/N: Wanted to keep going but this chapter is getting way too long and I need to get back to reality...unfortunately...sorry this update took a little longer than usual holidays and whatnot...