Ch. 15
A/N: So glad everyone liked the last chapter, I really didn't expect it to take as long as it did to build up to the kiss but I think it worked out well.
LuceLux: I know you worry about Gail, and I don't blame you, there are plenty of reasons to worry about her but the party was more about facing off against McD and giving the girls an opportunity to stop hiding their feelings.
This chapter features Gail's birthday and Pecks Round 2, which is kind of making me feel like a bully. But it also has some Golly fluff and a little throwback for CrankyMuppet adapted from the show. Let me know what you think...
Despite trying her best to distract Holly and convince her to stay in the cozy apartment where they weren't surrounded by an entire building's worth of drunk graduate students, Gail still found herself getting dragged back to the party.
They had just stepped back onto the fourth floor when Gail grabbed a hold of Holly's hand and tried one more time, "Do we really have to go back?"
Holly stopped to look at the pouting blonde; damn, she was adorable. Both of their phones beeped indicating more texts, "Everyone's looking for us, they did kind of see us leave together." She reminded the freshman.
"So?"
"So, you know they're going to be talking." Holly pointed out a bit shyly. She wasn't entirely sure how the blonde would respond to their return to their friends who had seen Holly drag Gail out of the party hand-in-hand. They had been gone a lot longer than Holly had expected when she had innocently taken the blonde with her to tend to her wounds. Of course, there was nothing really innocent about the way Gail had ended up kissing Holly before the blonde's brother rudely interrupted them. Holly had never regretted inviting someone to a party so much in her life. But she was pulled from her thoughts by Gail's response.
"Let them talk." The blonde flippantly responded as she squeezed Holly's hand reasuringly. She could care less about what her friends thought, suspected, or talked about. Both Frankie and Chloe had been teasing her for months about her friendship with Holly and the boys had all made unsubtle remarks about her sexuality. All she really cared about was the fact that Holly liked her and that she had liked kissing Holly. That was enough for now.
Holly smiled a crooked smile, pleased that the blonde wasn't freaking out about what had taken place in the apartment but she did briefly wonder what they would tell their friends. Probably nothing, since both of the girls had become experts at denying that anything had been going on. Plus, any kind of reveal would set their friends digging into their lives unnecessarily.
Holly's phone beeped again with another message from her roommates asking where she was and accusing her of breaking her promise and bailing on them, "Just a little while longer." She coaxed.
"You're going to owe me for this."
Holly's voice dropped an octave as she leaned in closer to the blonde, "What exactly do you have in mind?"
Before Gail could reply with the various dirty ideas that had popped into her head looking at the sexy smirk on Holly's face, she once again found the brunette being pulled away from her.
"Where the hell did you vanish off to?" Lisa demanded as she finally caught sight of her friend. She hadn't been around for Jess' jealous fit but had gotten filled in by Rachel. She glared at the blonde, thoroughly unpleased that Holly had even invited her. She noticed the bruise on the pale face but Lisa didn't feel any sympathy at all. She really didn't approve of Holly hanging around the bartender and certainly didn't want them turning into anything more. Gail may have been hot but she wasn't relationship material. Something Lisa would have to remind Holly of later.
"Went upstairs, where's Rachel?" Holly asked eager to distract Lisa from the fact that her and Gail had been alone in the apartment before her friend started one of her sanctimonious lectures about how Gail wasn't good enough for her.
"In the other apartment, come on." Lisa tried to pull her roommate away from the blonde and in the direction of their classmates.
But Holly dug in her heels and turned back to Gail, "Hey, you coming?" She asked hopefully.
But Gail shook her head. She didn't really want to deal with Lisa at the moment and she also had to at least figure out where all of her friends had vanished off. She felt responsible for them, plus, if they didn't see her they would just keep texting. "No, go ahead, I'm going to try to find the others."
Holly shot an apologetic look back at Gail as she felt herself being steered away from the blonde.
And this was precisely why Gail wanted to hide out in the empty apartment where there weren't stupid people. She watched Holly get dragged off and felt the disappointment wash over her now that their bubble had been officially burst. Gail shook it off and figured she should probably find the stupid people that actually belonged to her.
Of course, it seemed that Gail's housemates had finally split up into different rooms making it even more difficult to locate them. As she was searching through one room she bumped into a giggling Traci who was being led by Jerry towards a makeshift dance floor, where Sam and Andy already were.
"Hey." Gail called out, trying to grab their attention before the crowd swallowed them up. She barely caught a hold of Traci's arm.
"Hey." Traci turned to see Gail's face, "Ouch, that looks bad."
"Looks worse than it feels. Thanks for before, you didn't have to."
"I know, but you've always had my back, I figured it was the least I could do. Plus, the bitch deserved it."
Gail smirked, she couldn't agree more. "Know where everyone else vanished off to?"
"Some of them were in the room across the hall, last we saw them, but it's anyone's guess at this point. Want to dance?" Traci offered and gestured towards the crowd of sweaty people dancing on top of one another.
Gail glanced between the two. Jerry was looking at Traci with a smile on his face that looked like he had hit the lottery. It was a far cry from her sullen drinking buddy a month ago at Oliver's party. Gail was actually happy for the boy since it was clear that he was finally getting his shot with the girl he had been crushing on since the summer. Crap, was this empathy she was feeling?
Gail shook her head, "Nah, you two have fun."
Jerry gave the blonde a wink and then pulled Traci through the crowd.
Gail headed into the room across to see if she could find anyone else. They had all sent her texts when she vanished but she had no idea where they were now. She had been distracted for quite some time, though not long enough in Gail's opinion.
As she crossed into the room and took a look around she felt someone nudge her shoulder. She turned to find Frankie who had been talking to one of the girls that had been on Rachel's team in their flip cup game. It appeared that Anderson had found her distraction for the night.
"Hey, Peck, you finally came up for air." The brunette joked, taking a sip of her drink. Everyone had seen Holly drag the blonde from the party and considering how long they were gone for, Frankie figured they had done a bit more than just clean up Gail's face. At least she would have done a lot more if someone had taken a hit like that from one of her exes.
But Gail's bruised face betrayed nothing, "What are you yapping about, Anderson?"
"You and Holly vanished for a while." Frankie stated the obvious trying to prompt some elaboration from the blonde.
"So?"
"So...I'm guessing Dr. Holly tended to your wounds." Frankie turned her head to get a better look at the damage Jess' fist had caused. "Yeesh, you look awful."
"Thanks." Gail rolled her eyes at her friend's tact.
"Anytime. On the plus side, it should score you some sympathy sex."
But Gail ignored the comment, "Where is everyone?"
The senior looked at her like she had ten heads; maybe Jess had hit the blonde harder than Frankie thought if she actually believed that the brunette had been paying any attention to the group's whereabouts. "You're really asking me?"
"Good point. But I figured even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then." Gail flashed her canines at Frankie in a quick smile.
"Funny. You are way too sober for a party. Why don't you grab a drink?"
"Maybe later, I want to try to find the others first." Gail's phone beeped with a new message from her roommate. Gail asked the redhead where she was and finally got a real answer. She started to head to the next apartment, "Stay out of trouble, Anderson."
"Where's the fun in that?" Frankie called out and turned her attention back to flirting with the pretty girl she had with her. She was purposefully avoiding a certain redhead that night since alcohol was involved, and welcomed the distraction.
Gail headed into the apartment next door and found Chloe with the freshmen boys. It looked like they had joined Chris and his med school girls in their game of "Never Have I Ever".
Chloe jumped up a little clumsily to greet the blonde, "Hey Roomie, damn..." She trailed off as she noticed the bruise that was already forming on the pale face.
"Yeah, yeah, I know it looks bad, got it." Gail brushed off the concern that was already etched on Chloe's face.
"I'm glad you came back."
"Well, I got tired of you blowing up my phone. It took forever to find you, next time leave your coordinates."
"Noted. Where's Holly?" The redhead asked when she registered that Gail was alone even though she had definitely left with the brunette.
Gail shrugged, "Don't know."
"I thought you two were together."
"You thought wrong."
Chloe gave Gail a you're-full-of-shit look, "Sure. So where have you been?"
The blonde shrugged, "Trying to find everyone." She left out the part where she spent most of the time she was missing in Holly's apartment away from all the chaos. She really wished she were there instead of having this conversation.
"And did you?" Chloe asked.
That's when Gail remembered that she hadn't quite finished her mission, "Just about. Have you seen Nick and Juliet?"
"They had been playing a game with some of the med students in one of the other rooms." Gail nodded in response, satisfied that all of the people she came with were accounted for.
"So, where was everyone?" Chloe took a sip of her drink. She was trying to sound uninterested but the truth was that she was wondering where Frankie had disappeared. Parties usually worked out well for her when it came to the fickle senior, so she was hoping to capitalize on that trend.
"Other rooms, most of them were dancing."
"Frankie was dancing?" The redhead looked a cross of unbelieving and jealous. Then again, dancing was something she could work with.
"No, she was talking to someone. Why?"
"Oh. Just wondering, it didn't really sound like something she would do," the redhead fibbed as she visibly deflated. She knew damn well that Frankie enjoyed dancing, or at least enjoyed it when she let herself.
Gail knew her roommate was bullshitting her, considering Frankie and Holly had gone dancing the other night but she decided not to push it, knowing that Frankie had clearly been trying to busy herself with someone else.
Chloe did her best to brush off the disappointment. She nodded her head in the direction where she had left the boys, "Want to join us?"
Gail phone buzzed in her pocket before she could respond. She glanced down and tried to contain her smile when she saw the name on her phone. She opened the new message.
Nerd Champion: You were right we should've stayed upstairs.
Gail chuckled to herself; she had tried to convince her but the brunette had been adamant that they go back to the party.
Officer Danger: Told you so. What are you doing?
Maybe it was time that she rescued the med student from whatever boring activity Lisa had dragged her off to.
Nerd Champion: Don't gloat. Shots with Lisa and Rachel want to join?
Well that had some potential.
Officer Danger: Body shots?
Nerd Champion: Only with you ;)
Gail immediately flushed at the thought. She glanced up and realized that Chloe was still waiting for an answer. "Actually, I'm going to go see what's going on in one of the other rooms."
Chloe looked back at the boys she had left. They were kicking her ass at the game, and by that, she meant she was drinking significantly more than any of them. It wasn't her fault that, unlike her, they had lived sheltered lives. "Can I come?"
"Whatever, Princess."
Gail headed over to the apartment that Holly had texted her with Chloe in tow. She immediately spotted the brunette who looked to be ignoring whatever Lisa was saying and staring at her phone. But when Rachel tapped her arm she turned around to do another shot with the group of students they were with.
As much as Gail didn't want to deal with Lisa, she did come to spend time with Holly.
"Hey." The blonde called out as she joined the crowd.
Holly turned at the sound of Gail's voice and immediately adopted a goofy grin. "Hey! You found us."
"It was easier than trying to find two houses worth of people."
"I see you had some success. Hi Chloe."
"Hey Holly, I didn't know you'd be in this room." The redhead shot Gail a look indicating that she wasn't fooling anyone. But the blonde just glared at her.
"Do you want to join us?" Holly gestured to Rachel, who was pouring the shots, for two more as she introduced Chloe to both Lisa and Rachel and the rest of the group they were drinking with.
"Oh good, your puppy found us." Lisa snidely remarked as she looked at Gail with disdain.
"Shut up, Lisa." Both Rachel and Holly replied.
They took their shots and to add fuel to the fire of Lisa's hatred, Gail leaned over to whisper in Holly's ear. "Thought you offered body shots?"
Holly blushed slightly, the temperature of the room suddenly spiking, "I wouldn't want to have to compete with Chloe's performance."
"There's no competition." Gail explained as she brazenly placed a hand on the small of Holly's back. Gail wasn't entirely sure where her confidence was coming from, she could hardly blame it on the alcohol that she had barely consumed, but she was certainly enjoying flirting with Holly.
Holly quirked a smile at Gail, but before she could respond Lisa interrupted them once again, this time pulling Holly over to talk to some blonde girl she seemed to know. Rachel handed both of her friends a couple of mixed drinks as they passed by.
Chloe leaned over to Gail, "What's that girl's problem with you?"
"Too many to count."
"How about I make you a drink for a change?" Rachel offered to Gail and Chloe, feeling bad that Lisa was being a bitch to the blonde, especially after the stunt Jess had pulled.
Chloe accepted the offer and immediately immersed herself in talking with the various med students while Gail silently watched the group. While everyone continued drinking, Gail restrained herself, only taking small sips from the drink Rachel handed her. She still wasn't ready to let loose with this many people that she didn't know. She also kept an eye on Chloe who was now talking to only one guy who was clearly flirting with her.
Lisa kept a hold on Holly to keep her involved in the conversation with the relatively pretty girl that she was clearly trying to set the bespectacled brunette up with. Holly didn't know why Lisa was even bothering, as her eyes kept drifting to Gail as she sipped her drink and listened politely to the conversation. Holly felt butterflies in her stomach as Gail smirked at her, but she became distracted when she felt the girl Lisa had introduced her to touch her arm. Holly glanced down at the touch and then back up at Gail's face, which had become inscrutable. Even though the alcohol was starting to fuzz Holly's senses she knew what Lisa was trying to do, so she stepped back from the group and started to head over towards the blonde whom she actually wanted to be with.
Gail watched Holly pull herself away from the group and start heading back towards her. Before she reached her destination though, Gail saw Lisa stop her once more to say something that Gail couldn't hear over the music, but whatever it was had pissed Holly off, her features hardening as looked at her friend who just shrugged and returned to the other girl.
"What was that about?" Gail asked once Holly rejoined her.
"Nothing important." Holly downed the rest of her drink and accepted another from Rachel. She shook off what Lisa had said to her and turned her attention back to Gail, "Enjoying the party?"
"Not really."
Holly frowned slightly, "Sorry."
"Don't be, the night hasn't been a complete bust."
"Oh, no?" The brunette brightened at the thought.
"Nope."
"Care to elaborate?"
Gail was about to tell Holly about enjoying having a certain hot brunette pressed up against a wall but they were interrupted by a thoroughly pissed off Chloe.
"I'm done, I'm heading home."
"What happened, Princess?" Gail asked, slightly concerned at how agitated her normally upbeat roommate was.
"That guy licked my face!"
"What?" Both Holly and Gail looked over at the boy that Chloe had been talking to.
"He freaking licked my face! We were talking and flirting and then he leaned in and I thought he was going for a kiss, which wouldn't have been the worst thing, but he licked my face." Chloe whined.
Both Holly and Gail dissolved into laughter at the poor girl's plight.
"I'm glad you two are enjoying yourselves but I'm going home."
"I'm sorry Chloe, that's really gross. But you don't have to leave, there are plenty of other people here." Holly tried to cheer the girl up.
"Thanks Holly, but I'm tired and just want to head back." The party really hadn't been working out for Chloe on any level and that was just sad considering the amount of alcohol she had consumed. It wouldn't be worth the hangover in the morning that was for sure.
"Alright, Price, why don't you see if any of the other troops want to head home? The guys have probably all struck out too."
Chloe huffed but she busied herself with texting the rest of the gang to see who was ready to call it a night.
Gail looked apologetically at Holly, "I should probably head back with them."
Holly finished off her drink for a little added courage before being way more forward than she usually was, "You sure? You could stay, maybe come back up."
Damn it, that offer was tempting but Gail knew she shouldn't, at least not that night. "I probably shouldn't."
"You probably should." Holly tempted.
"Nerd, I think we both know where that's going to lead. And I think there's been a little too much drinking for that tonight." Not on Gail's part but she knew that Holly was fairly drunk at that point.
"You are being far too reasonable."
Gail nodded in agreement. "I also need to make sure all the losers make it back home."
Holly accepted that it was an end to their night, "I'll walk you guys out." She offered. She turned to Rachel to let her know that she was calling it a night and was going to walk Gail and the rest of her friends out before heading back to the apartment. Her friend accepted it and bid both Gail and Chloe goodbye.
They collected the rest of the group and headed outside. Everyone said their goodnights to Holly and thanked her for inviting them. The group started to head home but Gail hung back for a moment alone with Holly.
"You going back to the party?" The blonde asked, though she hoped that she wasn't. She didn't want to have to worry about Holly drinking more. She also didn't really want Lisa trying to set her up anymore either, but she kept those jealous thoughts to herself.
"No, think I'm going to call it a night too. Don't really have anyone there worth hanging out with anymore."
"Is that so?" Gail asked with a grin, her voice soft and sultry as they talked quietly so the group wouldn't hear them.
"Definitely."
The two girls had drifted closer as they had been talking. Gail really wanted to kiss the brunette again but they were interrupted by Dov shouting, "Hey, Caspar, you coming?"
The whole group had stopped a couple of buildings down and was waiting on their blonde mate.
"Fuck off, Epstein, I'll catch up in a minute." Gail growled, annoyed at being interrupted, again.
Holly settled for pulling Gail in for a quick hug since everyone was watching. "You should get going. Text me when you guys get back."
"Will do. Text me tomorrow if you still want to watch those movies." Gail reminded Holly of their plans.
"Sure. Good night, Danger."
"Night, Nerd." Gail started to head over to the group; she took her time walking and tossed a glance back at Holly.
Holly watched the blonde catch up with the rest of the group. She sighed before turning back to her building; it had been one hell of a night.
Gail was lying in her bed staring up at her ceiling. She could hear the rhythmic breathing of Chloe on the bed opposite her; the redhead had fallen asleep shortly after they had gotten home. She had dutifully texted Holly to let her know they all made it home and was pleased that the brunette had returned to her apartment as well. But now the adrenaline from the night had finally worn off and she was left with nothing but her thoughts, including but not limited to those related to getting decked by Holly's ex, Holly's confession, and Gail's impulsive kissing. Gail hadn't really been thinking at the time. But Holly was looking at her so tenderly with just so much care, and Gail wasn't used to that. No one had ever viewed her as something worth caring for, worth protecting. She was a fighter, someone who could take care of herself and didn't need anyone. Hell, she prided herself on that fact, and yet Holly caring for her had made Gail realize something in her life had been severely lacking.
She had kissed Holly, a lot; in fact, she really hadn't planned to stop if it hadn't been for the brunette dragging her back to the party. But what did it all mean? What did Holly expect from her? And what was she willing to give? Gail hated relationships that much she was certain of. She hated how restrictive they were, how filled with expectations and disappointment, and of course how stifling it was to care about someone else's needs while they ignored yours. For Gail, it had always been about how little she was willing to give, how guarded she was, how cold. It was to the point that she believed that about herself. So if Holly was expecting something serious out of her, she was barking up the wrong tree. She would just have to warn the brunette. Then if Holly decided that she still wanted to hang out with Gail, she could at least say she had given her a heads up, then she wouldn't have to feel guilty when it all turned to shit. Gail chastised herself, her and Holly haven't even started and she was already trying to end it.
She felt the blow to her face. Fuck that hurt, but she ignored the pain as she tried to fight back. It didn't do any good. The person was too strong for her. She could feel herself getting lifted off her feet. She tried to use the momentum to throw the person off like she had been trained. How many times in her life had she had someone in her family jump out at her and grab her from behind? She knew how to fight back, but it didn't matter. She was being restrained and then she felt nothing at all.
The buzzing of Gail's phone awoke her. Her heart felt like it was beating out of her chest and she was drenched in sweat. Her sheets were twisted around her to the point that she could barely move enough to loosen them. She tried to regulate her breathing, taking deep breaths and waiting for her heart to stop hammering. Finally, she felt a bit better and checked her phone. She opened her latest text from Holly.
Nerd Champion: I'm no longer on speaking terms with Jack, Jim, or Jose.
The text made Gail laugh and she felt the tension from the dream leave her body. She had figured the brunette would be hungover. So she decided to tease her.
Officer Danger: Then it's probably a good thing you're a lesbian, that's a lot of guys to dump.
Nerd Champion: Indeed. We still on for today?
Gail smiled, glad that the brunette had remembered their plans but glancing at the clock she realized there wouldn't be too much time to hang out before she had to be at work.
Officer Danger: If you want but I have to be at work by 4pm.
Nerd Champion: I can work with that. Your place or mine?
Officer Danger: Yours. Give me 30 min.
Nerd Champion: See you then.
While showering and spending an inordinate amount of time picking out an outfit, Gail let her mind wonder about what hanging out with Holly meant after the night before. Was this just a friendly hangout or a more than friendly hangout? Was it a date? Should she act like it was a date? Should she kiss Holly and make it more than friendly? Realizing that she was just wasting time overthinking things she grabbed some clothes and finally made her way downstairs. She would just play it by ear.
"Hey Roomie, you hungry?" Chloe called out from the kitchen as she spotted the blonde.
"Depends, Princess, what did you make?"
"Eggs benedict."
Gail made a face; she hated eggs. "Gross."
But Chloe just shrugged, "Fine, more for me."
"Where is everyone?" Gail asked as she pulled on her shoes.
"Who knows? It's anyone's guess which beds they ended up in." Even though most of them had come home together it was clear that not everyone was planning on spending the night alone or in their own beds.
Chloe plated her dish and noticed that her roommate was getting ready to head out. "Where are you off to?"
"Out." Gail replied dismissively as she patted her pockets to make sure she had everything she needed.
"Tell Holly, I said hi."
"Why do you always assume I'm going to see Holly?"
"Because you don't exactly have a lot of playmates, Grumpy."
"Whatever."
As Gail was heading out the door, Frankie was heading in.
"Where are you off to?" Anderson asked as the blonde brushed by her.
But Gail countered with a question of her own, "Where are you coming from?"
"Nowhere," Frankie grumbled.
"Same," Gail replied before continuing on her way.
Frankie made her way in and started to head towards the stairs. She needed a shower and some more sleep.
"Hey." Chloe called out to the brunette as she passed by the kitchen on her way to the stairs.
Frankie froze like a deer caught in the headlights. Normally, her walks of shame took place in the wee hours of the morning and didn't involve running into the person she had actually wanted to spend the night with but had purposefully avoided. "Oh, hey."
"Busy night?"
The night really hadn't gone as Frankie had expected. Well, it started out like any other night; she had picked up an attractive girl and had gone back to her apartment. But when they were starting to fool around, Frankie had fucked up and called the girl by the wrong name. Frankie had been mortified but Bianca, the girl's real name which she informed Frankie of for clarity's sake, had actually taken it surprisingly well, though it had put an end to their sexytimes. Instead, the girl had made them a pot of coffee and asked Frankie about the girl that she was clearly thinking about. It turned out that Bianca had just gotten out of a relationship and could understand being hung up on someone else. They had talked for the better part of the night and she let Frankie crash on her couch, which was why she was coming back so late in the morning. But she couldn't very well tell the redhead any of that.
"Uh, yeah?" Frankie replied a little warily.
"Relax, Crankypants, we're friends. Friends talk." Chloe said simply as she continued to eat her breakfast.
"Right."
"So, did you have fun?" Chloe continued innocently, though her eyes were locked intently on Frankie and the brunette could feel the scrutiny on her skin.
Frankie ran a hand through her straight, light brown hair nervously as she continued to stand halfway between the kitchen and the stairs. She wasn't sure what game the redhead was playing, so she carefully drawled, "It was ok."
Chloe giggled, "You're really bad at this."
Frankie switched from cautious to offended, "At what?"
"Small talk." The redhead replied simply before taking another bite of food.
"That's because small talk is stupid." Frankie watched the way Chloe lips curled around the fork a little too intently.
"Still, normally when someone asks if you had fun, you would ask if they did too. You would also grab a seat and stop being an awkward turtle by standing there."
Frankie made her way over to the breakfast bar and sat across from the freshman. She was going to be damned if she was going to allow Chloe to continue to throw her off her game. The redhead wanted them to be friends so she would be friends with her. "Did you have fun last night?"
"No, some dude licked my face."
First, Frankie was hit with a wave of jealousy but she did her best to ignore that in favor of enjoying the hilarity of the situation. "A guy at the party licked your face?" Her voice wavering as a laugh tried to escape.
"Yes," The disgust was still evident on Chloe's face as she recalled the event. Stupid college guys. "You're going to laugh, aren't you?"
"At your misfortune? Obviously," But Frankie managed to contain herself to just smiling.
"Well, I guess not all of us can hit a homerun every time." Chloe finished eating and got up to head towards the sink. She rinsed off her plate so she could place it in the dishwasher, giving herself a minute to process the fact that Frankie hadn't reacted the way she hoped. Maybe the senior was over her.
"I didn't," Frankie replied quietly.
"Didn't what?" Chloe asked over the running water.
"I struck out too, turned out the girl wasn't over her ex." Frankie stretched the truth as far as it would go.
Chloe put the plate away and dried her hands on a towel. "Really?"
Frankie just nodded, unsure why she was sharing the info but at least some of the brightness had returned to Chloe's features. That kind of made it worth it.
"You hungry, slugger?"
The senior rolled her eyes, "Why are you always trying to feed me?"
"I feed everyone."
"So I'm just everyone?" Frankie countered.
"You, Frankie Anderson, are hardly everyone."
Frankie gulped a little at the intensity of Chloe's eyes as she said that. She decided that she had probably participated enough in this friendship and got up from her seat. "I need a shower."
"Want some company?" Chloe called out as the senior headed up the stairs.
The brunette stumbled on the steps, and she could hear the freshman chuckle. "Not funny, Muppet."
"Who's joking," Chloe mumbled to herself but she stayed in the kitchen.
"Hey." Holly greeted with one of her crooked grins as she opened her apartment door to let Gail in. But her smile faltered as she saw the bruise on the blonde's face.
"Hey, don't look so concerned, my face is fine." Gail cut off what she was sure was going to be another apology from the other girl. "You going to let me in?"
Coming back to her senses, Holly stepped aside, "Of course."
As Holly lead Gail into the main area, the blonde took in the other girl's appearance. She was dressed casually in a pair of University sweats and a plain, form-fitting t-shirt. Her hair was wet and pulled back, indicating the she had recently gotten out of the shower. Gail found herself impressed with how effortlessly beautiful Holly was. And considering the way she had caught the other girl checking her out when she first stepped through the door, she figured the brunette approved of Gail's tight jeans and black sweater. She had opted for a classically simple appearance, even if she did purposefully wear pants that made her ass look good.
"So, I come bearing gifts," Gail explained and she held up her hands for extra emphasis as she walked through the apartment. The blonde had stopped by the cafe on the way to pick up coffee and pastries for the two of them. She figured sustenance would help the brunette with her hangover, plus she was starving since Chloe had failed to feed her. She also remembered that the redhead had told her that people liked it when you fed them.
"You're the best." Holly smiled as she accepted her coffee and glanced into the paper bag Gail had in her hand. It was heavy, which came as no surprise since the blonde usually ordered enough for a small army. But she noticed that at least one of the croissants was almost completely gone. "Get hungry along the way?" Holly teased.
"I'm always hungry, you're just lucky I saved you any."
"Well I appreciate it." Holly gestured for Gail to grab a seat at the island as she headed into the kitchen.
"As you should." Gail glanced around as she made her way over to a stool, "Where are your roommates?" She braced herself for Lisa to appear like she always seemed to when she knew Gail was around.
"They went out shopping." Holly explained as she grabbed a couple of plates and laid out the food for both of them. She grabbed a treat and gestured for Gail to do the same.
"Didn't want to join them?" Gail asked curiously as she reached for one of the other pastries she had gotten.
"Had better plans for the day." Holly stated simply with one of her quirky smiles, but her eyes showed just how much she meant it.
Gail smiled shyly; it was amazing how easily the brunette could make her feel special. She cleared her throat, "So what movies are on this list of yours exactly?"
"Just the ones, you've referenced thus far. I fully intend to check out this pop culture awesomeness you keep bragging about."
"You're prepared to be blown away?"
"Very." They finished up eating and Holly cleaned up the plates and crumbs. "You can head into the living room and make yourself comfortable. I just have to grab something from my room."
"What? I don't get invited into the Nerd Lair?" The blonde teased.
"Maybe later."
"That's not what you said last night." Gail called out as Holly headed into her room.
She had missed the brunette's blush but the lack of a rebuttal made her smirk none-the-less. She took off her jacket and tossed it onto a chair, as she kicked off her boots. She headed over to the big couch across from the television and made herself comfy on one end, tucking her legs underneath her. She glanced around the apartment as she waited and realized that it looked different in the daylight that it had in the dim lighting the night before.
Holly tossed the blonde a blanket and some more pillows as she made herself comfortable on the other end of the couch. A part of her wanted to sit closer to the other girl but she also didn't want to push things. The night before had been amazing besides for the whole Jess incident, but drinking had also been involved and it was very possible that in the sober light of day, Gail felt differently. Then again, she was there which hopefully meant something, but Holly didn't have as much liquid courage in her to try to turn this into them hanging out as more than friends. She fired up her Netflix to find at least one of the movies that Gail had referenced.
Settling on Invasion of the Body Snatchers, she started the movie. She smiled at the hot blonde on the other side of her couch but settled down to watch the film, trying hard not to get sidetracked.
Gail settled in as well but she kept finding herself sneaking glances at the brunette. She couldn't help being distracted by how Holly's features changed as the movie played.
Not long into the movie, Holly paused it. "You know what we need?"
"A less boring movie." Gail suggested.
"Popcorn." Holly got up to make some.
"I should warn you, I'm not good at sharing." Gail cautioned the other girl. She remembered Nick pointing out that very fact when he was arguing about how well he knew her.
"That doesn't surprise me," Holly called out as she popped a bag in the microwave.
Once it was ready, Holly returned to the couch but this time she settled closer to the blonde in order to share the snack. She started up the movie again and offered Gail some of the popcorn. As they watched the TV, their fingers kept brushing together every time they reached into the bowl but neither one seemed to particularly mind. For the first time in her life, Gail Peck was happy to share her popcorn with someone.
It didn't take long for Gail to demolish the snack and Holly tossed the empty bowl on the coffee table. But she remained in her new seat near the center of the couch and closer to the other girl. Not that Gail was complaining.
As the movie continued to play, Holly started to ask Gail random questions about it. She was using her phone to see if the blonde's answers were actually true. After the fifth factitious response, during which Gail had come up with a ridiculous remake of the entire movie, Holly teased her, "I knew you hadn't actually seen this."
Gail glared, "Why? because I don't know all the lines."
"Because you have yet to answer a single one of my questions correctly." Holly jested.
"You're obviously cheating." The blonde replied petulantly.
"No I'm not."
"Let me see your sources." Gail started to reach for Holly's phone but she wasn't quick enough and Holly pulled it away.
"Nope."
Gail leaned over to try for another grab at the device but the brunette moved to keep it out of reach. The blonde advanced and tried to wrestle it from Holly's hands. When she finally got a hold of it, she realized that she had Holly stretched out on the couch underneath her. She brought her hand back down from where it had been reaching for the phone, to lift herself slightly. She found herself staring at Holly's soft lips, which were just a few centimeters away. Holly was watching her curiously, her eyes dark with desire as she waited to see if the blonde pulled away or gave in to temptation. Gail started to slowly close the gap between them.
But before she could actually reach Holly's lips, the girls were interrupted as the front door opened.
"Hols, you home?" Rachel called out as she struggled to carry the shopping bags she had in her hands into the apartment.
Gail scrambled to get off of Holly and out of the compromising position. She scooted back to other side of the couch where she was no longer touching the brunette. But the other girl seemed nonplussed as she simply propped herself up so she could lean against her side of the couch, staying stretched out.
"Yeah, in the living room." Holly called out.
"What are you-oh, hey Gail." Rachel greeted the blonde as she entered the living room to see what her friend was up to, since she had refused to go shopping that morning and had given a lame excuse. She hadn't mentioned the blonde but Rachel could now see why she had said she was busy as she looked at the two girls.
Gail just nodded a hello in response; she could still feel the flush on her skin. She hoped she wasn't blushing too badly, but with her fair complexion, she probably was.
"Sorry, were we interrupting?"
"Course not, we were just watching a movie." Holly gestured to the screen where the movie was paused.
"Great, then you won't mind if we join you." Lisa added as she pushed past Rachel, she dumped her bags on the ground and grabbed a set on the empty couch.
"You hate watching movies, you say it's a waste of time." Holly pointed out, trying to get her friend to leave. Their timing had been less than ideal and she really wanted to pick up with Gail where they had left off.
"It's our weekend off, vegging out and watching movies is exactly what we should be doing." Lisa countered as she made herself comfortable. She threw a dirty look Gail's way, pleased to interrupt whatever had been going on before they arrived.
"Since when? You usually spend these weekends having marathon sex with whichever girl you pick up on Friday."
'Things change." Lisa replied dismissively and refused to budge.
"You're not gonna like it, Lis." Holly warned her roommate, trying again to get her to buzz off.
"I'm sure I will." Lisa replied resolutely.
Rachel looked between her two roommates, unsure if she should stick it out in the living room or not. She knew there was no way she would be able to get Lisa out of the room and away from the other two girls who were obviously displeased with their presence, but she also worried that if she left Lisa in the room alone with them the blonde might kill her (justified, though it may be). She gave Gail an apologetic look and grabbed a seat next to Lisa.
Holly gave up, realizing that she wouldn't be able to get rid of the other girls. She unpaused the movie and laid back down. This definitely hadn't gone as she had planned. She had figured her housemates would be out for most of the afternoon. She wasn't looking to get into Gail's pants or anything (though she wouldn't be opposed to it) but she had wanted to spend some time alone with the blonde. Of course, Lisa had to ruin that. She nudged Gail with her toe and offered her an apologetic look but the blonde just shrugged and turned her attention back to the movie.
Just as the movie was ending, Gail's phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a text from Charlie asking her to come in early. "Hate to cut this short, but I have to get to work."
"Serving alcohol to the masses, how important." Lisa snidely commented.
"I thought you didn't have to go in till 4pm." Holly was disappointed that the blonde was taking off already.
"I didn't but Charlie needs me early for some reason." She got up to grab her stuff. "So, if you're looking for some drinks tonight, feel free to come by the Penny." Gail made the offer to Rachel and Holly, but purposefully ignored Lisa.
"I'll walk you out." Holly offered and got up as well. She ignored the scornful look from Lisa and the knowing one from Rachel.
They headed down to the ground level and once outside, paused on the stairs.
"Sorry for them, I didn't think they would be home as early as they were." Holly gestured back up to her apartment where she half-expected her roommates to be hanging out the window to try to spy on them.
"Trying to get me alone, Nerd." Gail teased. So, Holly had planned it for them to hang out with interruptions.
The brunette shrugged, "Happenstance." But her crooked smile indicated that she had more than pleased to take advantage of the opportunity.
"Lucky then." Gail replied with a smile but it faded as she checked the time on her phone, "I should get going. See you later?" Gail opened the door for some more hanging out.
"What time you working till?" Holly asked a little hopefully. Maybe if the blonde finished early enough they could meet up again, maybe pick up where they had left off.
Damn Stewart, you have it bad. Holly thought to herself.
The blonde frowned, "I was supposed to work the closing shift tonight." She wouldn't mind spending more time with Holly, but knew she would get out of the bar way too late. Well, unless it was for a booty call, but she managed to stop herself making that particular joke.
Holly was disappointed, "How about tomorrow?"
"Can't get enough of me, Stewart?" The blonde teased, though she was secretly pleased that Holly obviously wanted to see her.
Was she being too forward? Holly tried to make it seem like no big deal, "We still have more movies to watch and I wanted to take advantage of the free weekend, since they rarely exist. Plus, I still owe you dinner."
Gail watched the adorable nervousness but she knew she couldn't even though she would much rather be having the meal with Holly then trapped with her parents, "I have a Peck family dinner." She left out the part where it was for her birthday, which was on Monday.
"Ok, well, I'm pretty much free all day since I don't have to study and plan on doing nothing but relaxing, so if you want, you could come over before or after?" Holly left the invitation open, but hoped the blonde took her up on it.
Gail knew that she would be in a bad mood by the time she finished with her parents and didn't want to subject Holly to that. "I probably can't, don't know what time I'll be done and I kind of promised Traci I would study with the rest of the girls before hand. She's kind of earned the awesomeness of my presence." She gestured to her face.
"Of course, well have a good shift."
"Come by if you're not busy, I'm sure the rest of the gang will be there. Later, Nerd."
Gail started to head back to her house.
"See you later, Danger." Holly hated to see her go, but she loved to watch her leave.
Sunday morning into early afternoon found the girls in their living room, studying together. Each of the freshmen had commandeered their own study space and Gail had kept up her word and joined them. She actually got some work done and helped the other girls, even as Holly was distracting her via texts (not that she was complaining). The brunette was teasing her about having to be studious while she was being lazy.
The girls looked up from their work as they heard Frankie and Juliet arguing as they came down the stairs.
"It's the husband. It's always the husband." Frankie reasoned.
But Juliet still wasn't convinced, "I don't know, it can't be that straightforward, and it says that they had him in interrogation for four hours without his story changing."
"What are you two arguing about?" Traci asked as the girls reached the living room.
"Our Advanced Theories class. For one of the assignments, we pair up and Professor Jarvis assigns us a real case. We receive all the evidence and need to come up with the theory behind what happened. There's always some kind of twist, at least that's what Oliver and Steve warned us about. We need to have the start of our working theory by tomorrow but the closer we are to the real thing then the better recommendations we're going to get from him." Juliet explained. Which was why Frankie and her had been arguing about this case the entire semester.
"Why do you need recommendations?" Andy inquired.
Frankie rolled her eyes at the freshman's cluelessness, "Jarvis is friends with the higher ups at 15 Division, which only takes the best of the best at the Academy. So it wouldn't hurt to get noticed now."
"So what's the case?" Chloe piped in excitedly. She loved mysteries.
The rest of the girls, minus Gail, were also interested in helping.
Frankie looked at the freshmen skeptically, "Do you really think you guys can solve it? You're barely puppies."
"Couldn't hurt to have fresh eyes look at it, Frankie, they might notice something we missed." Juliet reasoned. They were given the assignment on the first day of classes and they still only had the husband theory.
"Doubt it." Frankie scoffed as she plopped down on one of the couches, throwing her head back against the cushion.
Juliet read out the prompt to the group, "L. McConnell. She's found dead one night, bottom of the basement stairs in her house. Blunt-force trauma to the head. Blood on the hammer lying next to her on the floor. Husband comes home, 6:00 pm. He said he found her that way."
The girls were interrupted when music blared from Chloe's computer as she accidentally knocked her headphones out. "Shit my bad. Shh! Sorry. Sorry."
Frankie looked over at the noise and internally laughed at the adorably spastic redhead, but kept the annoyed look on her face. She pulled up another sheet of paper and focused back on the project, "Coroner's report says she's been dead nine hours. Placing the time of death approximately an hour after hubby left for work." She leaned back in her seat and made herself comfortable as she waited for the freshmen to process the information.
Juliet taped pictures of the crime scene to one of the living room walls. If they were going to do this, they were going to do it right.
Even though Gail was pretending to not listen she couldn't resist the urge to poke fun, "I've got it, it was Colonel Mustard in the observatory with the candlestick."
"Hilarious." Frankie deadpanned, even as the rest of the girls snickered.
Gail shrugged, "I know."
Traci brought the group back to the actual case, "If the husband did it, what's his motive?" She recalled Frankie saying it was always the husband on her way down the stairs.
Frankie looked at the girl like she was insane, "What do you mean, 'what's his motive?' They were married. So that's his motive: they were married." She stated matter-of-factly. A lifelong commitment should be enough to drive anyone to murder.
But Juliet agreed with Traci, which was why she had been arguing with Frankie about the husband's guilt since they first received the assignment, "But it's all pretty thin. According to the report they were married a couple years and neighbors and friends said they were happy." She pointed out once again to her partner.
Frankie looked at them both with disdain, "Everyone's happy, what does that even mean? You're happy when you're with someone at first. And all their little quirks seem cute," She bobbed her head back and forth as she smiled a tight-lipped smile and used a slight sing-songy voice before sobering up again, "Then after a while you hate the way that they chew their food and find yourself holding a hammer. Know what I mean?" She finished morbidly.
The rest of the girls looked at her awkwardly, they still weren't accustomed to her sense of humor. Well, everyone except Gail who barely suppressed a laugh because she agreed.
Chloe shook her head at Frankie's opinion about relationships as she got up to head to the kitchen for some more coffee. No wonder she ran away from her every chance she got. She stopped to take a closer look at the pictures the girls had been provided of the evidence and crime scene. "Wonder what she was making for dinner. Looks like a marinade of some kind. Maybe Piri Piri? Mmm."
"Why is that relevant, Muppet?" huffed Frankie.
But Chloe didn't give her a response and continued towards her destination.
Traci got up to make her attempt at figuring it out, "Okay, I'm in the kitchen, I'm cutting chicken. My husband wakes up. He comes downstairs..."
Gail got up and joined in, "I'm the husband." She slammed her hand down on the coffee table, "And I don't like the way you chew." She walked up behind Traci picking up her cell phone, "I grab a hammer. Smack!" She shouted and pretended to hit Traci in the head.
Traci cringed slightly as if taking the blow before turning back towards the group, "So, why am I at the bottom of the basement stairs?"
Gail pointed out the other flaw in the theory, "Why am I just gonna, like, leave the hammer lying next to you and then head to work?"
The girls started to throw theories around about what happened, some more realistic than others. They made a list of the various ways that the woman could have died but they seemed to be no closer to the truth.
After a while, Frankie got tired of the freshmen yapping, "We just need a theory."
Juliet sighed, "Okay, so do you want to just flip a coin and pick one?"
Frankie shrugged, "Do you have a better idea?"
Chloe had already gone back to her work when everyone was ignoring her suggestions. She looked back up at the pictures before asking, "What's the knife for? She was making Piri Piri, right?"
The comment elicited a growl from Frankie, "No one ever said she was making Piri Piri."
But Gail noticed the look on her roommate's face and cut Frankie off, "Shut up." She had a feeling that Chloe was on to something. Her roommate could be super annoying but she was also weirdly observant.
Chloe ignored the eye roll from the older brunette and went back to the pictures, she continued her theory, "Piri Piri, you marinate the whole chicken, which is why you don't need a knife. Plus, it's a lot of chicken for two people." She thought about the scenario for a second before lighting up, "It was frozen. She was using the knife to separate it. I used to do it all the time when I was just cooking for myself when my parents were traveling. I was constantly forgetting to put the chicken out the night before, so it was always rock-solid, so I would have to use the knife to wedge it apart. It's actually really dangerous, which is why..."
Despite the rambling, the redhead had gotten everyone's attention. Andy prompted her to continue, "Which is why...what?"
"Which is why I use a hammer to pound on the end of the knife." Chloe explained with a self-satisfied smile.
Traci picked up the reigns and walked them through the whole scenario, "So she was carrying the hammer. That's why her prints are all over it. And she was bringing it back downstairs."
But Gail was still a little skeptical, "So, she tripped, she fell, she landed on the hammer, and she smashed her head open?"
The rest of the girls shrugged. It was certainly a possibility and seemed to make the most sense.
Chloe perked up, "So, maybe they were happily married. Maybe not every relationship is a piece of crap! Ha." She threw the last comment in Frankie's face, considering the senior's previous remarks about marriage and relationships. "Still very tragic, but maybe, maybe it wasn't a murder."
Frankie tried to keep her face straight but it was clear in the way she was looking at Chloe that she was beyond impressed.
Juliet conceded, "It's a theory."
"And the kind of tricky bullshit case that Jarvis would give us. A murder that's not really a murder." Frankie hated when professors pulled that kind of crap.
The two girls agreed that might be the most likely scenario and started compiling their notes, while the freshmen went back to their own studies.
Gail checked the time and realized how long they had actually been playing Clue for. She had to hop in the shower and get ready before Steve got there. She left the rest of the girls to their work as she headed up the stairs.
Chloe also got up and headed into the kitchen to see if there was anything she could make for the group to eat and Frankie followed her.
The senior leaned against the counter. "You're very strange."
"Why? Because I solved your murder for you, Detective. No need to pout."
The way that Chloe had called her Detective had caused Frankie's stomach to flip but as usual she had to play it cool, "According to your theory it's not a murder."
"You could just say thank you."
"Thank you for what, Muppet?"
"Letting you bask in my awesomeness." Chloe replied confidently. She found what she was looking for. "You just going to stand there or are you going to help me?"
"Help you with what?"
"Make brownies." Chloe pulled out a box of the mix.
"I don't bake."
"There's a lot of things you don't do. How about trying something new?"
Chloe proceeded to ask the senior to hand her what she needed. Frankie grumbled but did as she was told and she watched as Chloe quickly whipped up the batter and popped it in the oven.
The redhead brought over a spoon to her assistant, "Want a taste?"
Frankie kept her eyes firmly on the freshman as she leaned forward to lick the spoon clean.
Chloe bit her lip as she reached forward to wipe some of the batter from Frankie's chin. "Missed a spot." She brought her thumb to her own lips.
Frankie was fairly certain that the girl was trying to kill her and wanted nothing more than to pull Chloe in another liplock but their bubble was burst as Juliet called out to her, reminding Frankie that they were in a house filled with other people.
"Anderson, you planning on helping me with this?"
"I was baking, Ward."
Juliet scoffed at the idea.
"Gotta go, duty calls." Frankie headed back out to the living room to help the other senior with their project.
Chloe watched her friend leave. Damn, she was a stubborn one.
"Ready to go, Garbage Pail?" Steve asked as Gail came down the stairs. He had been catching up with Frankie and Juliet who had filled him in on the "Piri Piri Theory" for their project. He agreed it was plausible and was impressed by whoever came up with it.
The blonde told her roommate to save her some brownies if she wanted to be able to sleep in their room that night before heading out the door with her brother.
"Can we get drunk tonight?" Gail asked on the way to the car.
"Uh yeah, it's mandatory." But they wouldn't. They both knew better than to get drunk in front of their parents, especially with the Superintendent already on Gail's case about it.
They got into the car and Gail fastened her seatbelt, "Let's just get this thing over with."
Steve tried to cheer up his sister as he started up the car and navigated them to their parents' house, "Who knows it might be fun?"
"Really?" Gail glared at him; there was nothing fun about sitting through dinner with their parents, especially not for Gail. It was pure torture for her. At least at the party her mother had been slightly distracted. This time, there would be nothing to keep her from setting her talons firmly into her daughter.
Steve chuckled, "Yeah, you're right, it's going to be awful. Just the same judgey conversation every month, you know you're lucky you missed an entire year of these."
"You could've run too, Steve." His little sister reminded him, it wasn't her fault she was smarter than him.
"Well, someone didn't tell me." He pointed out; the boy was still hurt that his sister hadn't even bothered to leave him a note. He understood why she would run from their parents and the situation but he thought they were closer than that, having always had each other's backs when push came to shove.
"Would you have come?" She asked but the look on his face was all the answer she needed, "Didn't think so."
"I did miss you, Garbage Pail." Steve told his sister sincerely. He had worried about her the entire time she was gone.
"I know, I'm awesome." She jokily replied, breaking the seriousness.
Steve smiled at her cockiness, "So do you want your birthday present now or after?"
"Now! Obviously, gotta have something good happen today."
As they stopped at a red light. Steve reached behind her seat and handed her a wrapped present. She carefully unwrapped the gift, even though the paper had been messily thrown on. It was a new fully stocked range bag for shooting.
"Thanks, Steve." Gail told her brother sincerely, she was excited to be able to put it to use.
"Figured this way you'd stop stealing mine."
"But that's half the fun."
They pulled up in front of the suburban house they had both grown up in. Gail grimaced; she hated Suburbia.
"You ready?" Steve asked as they paused outside the front door.
"No." She quietly told him.
"Come on, it won't be that bad."
They had just gotten through the door and greeted their mother when the Superintendent grabbed a hold of her daughter's chin, "What happened to your face?"
"Hello to you too, Mother." Gail sarcastically greeted the formidable redheaded woman. She had done her best to cover up the bruise but of course her mother hadn't been fooled.
The woman ignored the remark and remained locked on target, "That wasn't an answer."
Gail tried to shrug it off, "Walked into a wall."
"It looks like you were punched."
"It was my fault mother, I was goofing around and I accidentally elbowed her." Steve cut in, trying to draw his mother's attention away from his sister.
"Covering for your sister is noble but pointless." The Superintendent focused her attention back on her daughter, "You had better not have been drinking."
"Right, Mother because I am just such a heavy drinker. I can hardly control myself."
"No, but we all know what can happen when your faculties are impaired." The older woman sternly reminded her daughter.
Gail's jaw clenched, she was tired of the digs but there wasn't anything she could do except shut her mouth and take it.
The Inspector broke into the argument between his wife and daughter. "Let's talk about other things. Happy birthday, sweetheart." Gail's father pulled his daughter in for a hug.
"Thanks, Dad."
They decided to head to the restaurant where their parents had made reservations. Gail hated the place, for some reason they thought a dish wasn't complete unless it included raw or grilled tomatoes. They ordered and waited for the food. During that time Gail's mother made a point of discussing all the things going on at 15 Division. She grilled Steve about his potential for making the next detective's rotation and what he had been doing to make himself stand out. As usual, she was pleased with all his answers.
"How are your classes, Sweetheart?" The woman focused her attention on her youngest next.
"They're fine."
"I trust you are acing all of them." The Superintendent's tone indicated that she would accept nothing less.
"Of course."
"Good grades aren't the only thing that matters. You should be networking and volunteering."
As usual, nothing was good enough, "I already told you, Mother, I'm volunteering at a children's health clinic."
"If you have time to do that and work that menial job of yours then you should also have time to volunteer at the precinct."
"Well Superintendent, considering I have spent my entire life at the precinct, I think I can handle doing other things for a change." The blonde tried to defend herself and her ability to make at least some choices.
"Gail, you are now twenty years old, you need to start taking your future more seriously, it is right around the corner."
Technically, Gail was still 19 for about six more hours. "Exactly, and in less than four short years, you will forever have my soul. Let me enjoy it till then."
"I am not the enemy, sweetheart, but you should be following your brother's example."
Steve gave his sister an apologetic look but Gail just stared at her water glass, "Right."
The Superintendent switched topics, "Why haven't you called any of the boys you met at the party?"
"Probably because I'm not interested in any of them." She thought of the pretty brunette she had kissed that weekend, who had also been texting her all morning. She could barely contain her smile, but knew it would draw her mother's attention.
"They have excellent pedigrees and any one of them would make a fine boyfriend. They can help you focus on what's important." The woman had handpicked all the boys she introduced her daughter to.
"Still not interested."
The Superintendent looked like she was ready to continue the discussion but the Inspector sent her a look from across the table to drop it. Finally, the conversation changed gears and the food was served. About an hour later they were finally able to say good-bye to their parents.
"Well, that wasn't so bad." Steve remarked as they got into his car.
Gail punched her brother in the arm.
"Ow."
"Just put some make-up on." Gail mocked him for the advice from before.
"What? I thought you did a good job covering it up."
"Not good enough, just like everything else I do." The blonde grumbled as she slumped in her seat.
"Don't let her get to you, she's like that about everything."
"Except you."
"You know that's not true."
"Whatever."
Steve decided that the birthday girl needed some cheering up, "Want to go shoot something?"
"Yes!"
Steve decided to take his sister to the range at the precinct. It was less hectic than the public ranges and he liked being able to show off her skills to his colleagues. She was a better shot than most of the people in uniform. He was proud of his baby sister, even if she didn't believe him.
After they each fired off some practice rounds, they made their usual wager. Winner got bragging rights and loser bought lunch the next time they hung out.
"I'm worried about your ability as a police officer, brother." The blonde taunted as they compared their targets. She had beaten him hands down.
"I let you win." The boy countered.
"You tell yourself whatever you need to help you sleep at night," She continued to gloat all the way to the car.
On the way back to Gail's house, Steve decided to ask his sister about something that had been bothering him. But he knew he had to approach her cautiously, "So what's up with you and Holly?"
"Nothing, we're friends." Gail kept her eyes focused on the passing scenery.
"Right."
The blonde glared at her brother, "What?"
"Nothing."
"Just say it, numbnuts."
"Look Holly's great, she really is, she's one of my best friends, so just don't hurt her ok?"
"Right, because that's what I do so well, hurt people?" Not that Gail would show it but her brother's doubts cut deep.
"I didn't mean it like that I just know that you can be...guarded." Steve tried to explain but Gail had already closed herself off and continued to stare absently out the window.
Steve changed the topic but he couldn't get more than one word answers out of his sister.
They finally pulled up in front of the girl's house.
"Happy Birthday, Garbage Pail." Steve pulled his sister in for a hug as she tried to squirm away.
"It's not until tomorrow." She pointed out without any enthusiasm, shoving her brother away.
"I know but I'm probably not going to see you tomorrow, got any big plans?"
"No, I plan on ignoring it like I do every year."
"Have you told anyone?" He asked. He would never understand why she would refuse to celebrate.
"Absolutely not. And you better not either if you want to live to see your own birthday." She warned.
Steve held up his hands in defeat, "Try to do something fun." He encouraged his sister. He didn't want her to spend the day moping.
"I plan on going to class and going to sleep."
"Whoa, dream big!" The boy had a wide smile on his face as he mocked his sister.
"Whatever, tool."
"Well, I hope you enjoy whatever it is you end up doing."
"Thanks."
"See you later, sister." Steve called out as the blonde exited his car.
"Bye, brother."
Gail had just gotten done with her grueling day of classes. She was trudging along back home, dragging her tired feet and her heavy bag. Happy Birthday to me, Gail thought to herself. She purposefully hadn't told anyone, not wanting to make a big deal of it. She hated her birthday, always had, probably always would. At this point, she just wanted to get home, eat something and sleep the rest of the day away.
She saw the red and blue lights before she heard the siren.
"Freeze. This is the police, we have you surrounded." Oliver's voice rang out over the speaker in his squad car. Gail rolled her eyes at her friend's antics.
The boy got out of the cruiser and approached the blonde like he would a suspect. "Ma'am you have the right to remain silent and accept your twenty birthday punches. Yikes, though it looks like someone beat me to it. That from Holly's ex?" He asked as he got close enough to see Gail's face and the yellowing bruise.
He pulled her into a hug that she grudgingly accepted. She would never pull away from Oliver.
"So you heard?" Gail asked even though she knew that he had. She wondered how long it had actually taken for that piece of gossip to spread.
"Yeah, Steve told me. Sorry I wasn't there."
"And what exactly would you have done?" She teased knowing that Oliver would never hit a girl.
"I would've arrested her for you." Oliver replied seriously.
"It's ok, Officer Shaw. We wouldn't want you abusing your limited power."
The boy broke into a wide grin, "Speaking of, want to go for a ride?"
"Sure."
"Happy birthday, darlin'" Oliver told the blonde as she got into the car and he handed her her birthday meal: schwarma and a baker's dozen of her favorite doughnuts spelling out Happy Birthday. It was one of the few birthday traditions Gail actually enjoyed.
"Thanks Ollie." She told him sincerely as she tucked into her meal as he chauffeured her around on his break.
"So, I still owe you a present. I was thinking shoes but I don't know your size."
"I also settle for weapons."
"Maybe next time." The boy promised with a wink. "So how is everything going?"
"It's fine." She replied with her mouth half full of doughnut. She had already demolished her dinner and was tucking into dessert.
"Do you mind me asking, what happened the other night at the party?"
She swallowed, "Not much, jealous ex is all."
"Did she have something to be jealous about?" Oliver asked
"What is with everyone?" Gail asked. She couldn't understand everyone's obsession with whatever was going on between her and Holly.
"Well I don't know about everyone but I'm just trying to look out for you, Little Peck. You bottle everything up and keep everyone at arm's length; it's ok to let people in on what's going on in that head of yours. It's ok to share."
"I hate sharing." She deadpanned.
"Oh, I know that my Petulant Peck, which is why I haven't even asked for a doughnut."
She looked at her friend through narrowed eyes, "You may have one sugary treat, Shaw, and that's only because I'm feeling generous today."
"How very kind of you." He grabbed a doughnut from the proffered box.
The two drove around, catching up. Oliver told her about the beat and Celery, while Gail amused him with stories about the stupid drunks at the bar. Oliver Shaw was one of Gail's favorite people so it seemed fitting that he was the person she got to see on her birthday.
Oliver pulled up in front of the girl's house, "Unfortunately, birthday girl, my break is over and I have to go pick up my partner."
Gail took off her seatbelt, "Have fun keeping the streets safe."
"Enjoy the rest of your birthday, Peck."
"Oh, that's going to be easy, I plan on sleeping for the rest of it."
Oliver accepted that for Gail, that was her idea of a good birthday, sad though it might be. "Whatever makes you happy, darlin'."
"Stay safe, Ollie." The blonde told the boy as she exited the cruiser.
"Always." The boy promised before pulling away.
Gail was struggling desperately. She could feel an overwhelming weight crushing her chest. She tried to breath but she couldn't. She kicked and desperately punched wildly but the pressure intensified. She could feel everything around her getting fuzzy and darker. She wouldn't last much longer.
Soft hands gently tapped the slumbering blonde. Gail awoke with a start, gasping for air. She jumped back in her bed, scrambling to push herself against the headboard when she realized someone was next to her.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, it's ok, it was just a dream. Sorry to startle you." Holly immediately tried to soothe her friend. She had tried knocking but it hadn't woken Gail up.
"Holly? Hey." Gail tried to wipe away the fogginess she felt from suddenly waking.
"Hi." The brunette smiled as she tentatively sat on the edge of Gail's bed.
"Hey." Gail repeated a little less confused. She pulled her hair out of her face and tied it up in a messy bun.
"You said that already." Holly pointed out.
The blonde shrugged, "You know it sounded familiar. What are you doing here?"
The sass had made Holly smile; the blonde was sounding more like herself. "Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?"
Gail realized she had been busted, "Oliver?" She guessed considering her friend had only dropped her off a couple of hours ago.
"Steve." Holly revealed. She had been confused when he had called and she also reprimanded him for waiting till the end of the night. "He said you didn't like your birthday and that you might need some cheering up. Is that true?"
"Which part?"
"Both."
"I'd rather it just be over already." Gail confessed.
Holly checked the time, "Well, we still have ten minutes and from what I understand, you have yet to have a proper birthday wish." She got up to grab the gourmet cupcake with a candle in it that she had placed on the girl's desk. She came back to reclaim her seat. She lit the candle and softly sang Happy Birthday to the blonde. "Make a wish."
Gail was surprised. She couldn't really believe that Holly had gone out of her way to see her for her birthday, just because Steve mentioned she didn't like it. Rather than close her eyes, Gail kept her stormy blues locked on the brunette and she leaned forward to blow out the candle.
"Happy Birthday, Danger." Holly leaned over and pressed a lingering kiss to the corner of Gail's mouth.
When she pulled back, the blonde frowned slightly, "You missed."
Holly smiled. The blonde looked incredibly sexy sitting up in the bed. She took the cupcake and placed in on the table next to them. She reached out to gently cup the pale face in front of her with the pouting lips and leaned in again to give her a proper kiss. When Holly finally pulled away, the blonde had a real smile on her face.
Gail's eyes fluttered open; the kiss had sparked something in her. She wanted to pull the brunette in for more kissing but that's when she remembered that she shared a room, "Where's Chloe?" With any luck the redhead was busy downstairs.
Holly shrugged, "Not sure, she wasn't downstairs with the rest of the girls. Frankie let me in and said you were in your room but she failed to mention you were already sleeping. Sorry for waking you." She made herself more comfortable by supporting her weight on the hand she placed on the other side of Gail. She started to fiddle nervously with the comforter covering the blonde.
Gail brushed it off, "Don't be, it's been the best part of my birthday."
Holly grinned widely at that, before teasing, "Even better than birthday doughnuts from Oliver." Steve had mentioned the tradition.
The birthday girl contemplated it for a moment, "Those are a close second."
"Oh yeah, how close are we talking?" Holly asked softly as the blonde moved closer to her.
"Really close, though there's a way for you to seal your victory."
"How's that?"
Gail closed the gap to kiss Holly again. She could feel the fire in her growing even more. Something about the brunette was driving her body insane. Maybe it was that she hadn't been with anyone in such a long time but she had a feeling that it was something more. No, the way she felt with Holly was uncharted territory for her. There was a connection with her that she had never felt with any of the guys she had been with, or even when she had kissed Frankie earlier in the year. No, this was definitely something better. She reached up to pull Holly in even more, deepening the kiss as she tangled her hands in the other girl's hair.
Holly couldn't resist, hell, who could? The blonde was kissing her so passionately and she wanted her so badly that when Gail started to lean back onto her bed the brunette followed. The kissing continued and Holly could feel the pale hands starting to wander up and down her sides. Things were probably moving too quickly but Holly didn't want to stop.
Gail tugged Holly in closer; enjoying the feeling of how soft and curvy Holly was pressed against her. Damn, she felt good. She wanted to feel more and started to slip her hand under the brunette shirt but they were interrupted, once again.
"Oh, shit, sorry." Chloe squeaked as she entered the room. She had no idea that Holly was over or that she was going to walk in on her and Gail snogging. "Frankie said you were looking for me."
"Clearly she was wrong. Go away Price." Gail growled, pissed off that everyone on the planet seemed to be conspiring against them.
"Right, I'm going." The redhead went to bolt from the room before the Gail acted on the murderous expression that was clearly on her face.
But Holly reassured her as she sat up and put some distance between her and the temptress in the bed. "It's fine, I should be heading home anyway. It's getting late."
"Still leaving. I have to go kill Anderson." Chloe explained as she headed out the door.
"Save a piece of her for me." Gail shouted as her roommate closed the door behind her. "What the hell is Frankie's problem?"
Holly sighed, she knew exactly why Frankie had sent the redhead upstairs. She had promised pay back for the lunch the other day. "Retaliation. I really should be going though, I have class early tomorrow." Plus, now she needed a cold shower.
Gail accepted the explanation. "I'll walk you home."
"No, you were sleeping." Not that the blonde seemed to be complaining about the visit.
"I'm awake now, and trust me, the cold will do me some good."
"Alright." Holly conceded as she stood up to let the other girl off her bed.
The blonde threw back her sheets and climbed out of bed. Holly's mouth went dry and she swallowed thickly at the skimpy tank top and short shorts the girl had worn to bed. Cold shower, indeed.
Gail smirked as she noticed that the brown eyes had darkened with desire at the sight of her. "I should probably put on some real clothes." She dropped her shorts so she could throw on a pair of jeans and she chuckled as the brunette looked away quickly. She put on some pants and pulled a sweatshirt over her head. "You can look, Nerd."
"Ready?" Holly asked as she put on her jacket, even though she was seriously overheating.
"Yep."
The two headed down the stairs and grabbed their shoes.
"Thanks, Frankie." Holly sarcastically called out as she spotted the senior lounging on the couch playing on her phone.
Frankie snickered, "Anytime." She laughed even harder when she looked up and noticed the death glare Gail sent her way as the two girls headed out the door.
"You're such an ass." Chloe thumped the brunette lightly with a pillow as she grabbed a seat on the other couch.
"Why's that, Muppet?" Frankie feigned innocence.
"You knew Holly was still up there."
"And?"
"And you sent me up anyway. Why?" Chloe didn't understand why Frankie would purposefully send her to interrupt the two girls.
"You said you wanted to be my friend. This is how I treat my friends." The senior pointed out with a wicked smile.
"It's a wonder you have any."
A/N: Alright gang, I have my exam this week and it's an 8 hour test! I'm not sure when the updates will be but there will be at least one (two, if I can remember my own name after the exam). Hope this holds you over in the meantime.