Freedom's Just Another Word

by snarcasm318

A/U: College is supposed to be their first taste of freedom, but for the last year Gail Peck had real freedom. Now she's back, within the grasp of her controlling parents, and forced to face the nightmares she's tried to leave behind. She's used to dealing with it alone, but does she have to?

17. Chapter 17

Ch.17

A/N: Merry Christmas, dear readers, to all of those celebrating the holiday. Hope you enjoy. I was really tempted to write a Christmas chapter for the story but the characters are still only in about mid November-ish, so Christmas will have to come twice this year.

But that doesn't mean I can't give you all a little present anyway. As always, I can't wait to hear what you think!

---

The bar was especially crowded that Friday and it was grating on every one of Gail's nerves. It had been a long week of barely sleeping and running around between classes, work, and the clinic, Gail was exhausted and cranky and to make matters worse she had to watch Holly leave with Anderson hellbent on getting drunk and over her roommate. Which would mean drinking somewhere else and flirting with beautiful women (Gail had seen her housemate in action, even drunk she could always spot a knockout). Gail knew that Holly had every right to go out and meet people considering they were little more than friends who had kissed a few times and who seemed to like each other as more than friends, which is why she couldn't understand this annoying stab to her gut.

"Where did Holly and Frankie vanish off to?" Traci asked, pulling the blonde from her thoughts as she gave Gail a drink order for one of her tables. She had noticed the two girls when they came in but since they went straight to the bar, she hadn't interacted with them. Traci had been busy enough with her tables, including having to serve the herd of people she called friends, but she had seen Frankie thunder out not long after she arrived.

"Don't know. Anderson's making that decision." Gail shrugged as she mixed the orders that Traci gave her. She hoped her voice sounded as nonchalant as she was trying to make it sound.

Traci chuckled slightly, "That sounds a little worrisome."

"Why?" Gail wondered if her friend was about to validate her concerns that Holly, Frankie, and drinking elsewhere was a bad idea.

"Well, I saw the way she stormed out of here. What had her so pissed off?"

Anytime Frankie was on the warpath was never good and usually meant she was planning on getting wasted. If she was dragging Holly with her then that meant she would be the one responsible for keeping Anderson in line.

Gail didn't answer but she briefly glanced towards the back of the bar as she fixed Traci's drinks.

Traci nodded in understanding, "So, she saw them huh? Any idea what's going on with your roommate?"

"No clue."

Traci gave Gail a look, "You really can't take a guess." The girls had been living with one another for months now. If anyone were to ask Traci what Andy was thinking or up to she was usually able to tell them at least 90% of the time. She knew that she was better friends with Andy then Gail was with Chloe but she also knew the blonde was more observant than she let on.

"At what's going on in the Princess' brain? No thanks, I don't think I could handle all the sunshine and cheer." Gail said with a grimace. There was no way she could survive for a minute in the mind of Chloe Price.

"Well, you do seem to burn easily." Traci joked.

"Har dee har, keep it up and your tables' drinks are going to mysteriously disappear." Gail warned as she finished the last of the order.

"Alright, alright. Thanks for the drinks, bartender." With that the server picked up her tray and went back to work.

Gail kept busy serving the crowd at the bar but Traci's comment about Anderson being in charge of the night was irking her, as was her thoughts of all the girls that were probably vying for Holly's attention. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick message to Holly, hoping that it made her laugh and distracted her from whoever might be talking to her wherever they had gone.

It wasn't long before Chloe came over to grab drinks for her and Dov.

"Two shots of tequila, please." The redhead requested from her roommate with a wide smile on her face.

"Having fun, Princess?" Gail asked as she pulled out the glasses and grabbed the bottle, but she didn't pour the drinks out.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" Chloe happily asked. Dov was one of her good friends so it was easy to hang out with him when he had asked for her help with something. They had gone to see a movie and had come to the Penny for some drinks and to talk.

"Be nice if everyone else could say the same." The blonde cryptically remarked.

Chloe looked at her roommate with utter confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing, you want to live in your little bubble, don't let me be the one to burst it."

"Just tell me."

Gail gave the redhead a hard stare; "I'm guessing you didn't see Frankie and Holly when you were frolicking around with Epstein."

No, Chloe hadn't noticed them. When they came in they had easily spotted their friends at the large table they usually occupied but she hadn't seen Frankie or Holly sitting with them. "They were here?"

"Yep. Right here at the bar ordering drinks when they noticed your grand entrance."

The famous Chloe Price smile that rarely ever left the girl's lips suddenly vanished. "Oh."

"Yep." The blonde repeated, her blue eyes drilling into the girl across from her.

Chloe shook the unpleasant feeling away. "Can I have the tequila, please?" She asked of the bartender so she could get back to talking to Dov.

Gail shook her head at her roommate. "I don't get you, you prance around claiming to be such a nice person, then you go and jerk around two people by the heartstrings."

"I'm not doing anything like that." Chloe stated earnestly.

"You are and you're either faking it with Dov or with Frankie. So which is it?"

"Don't start Gail."

But at this point the blonde was on a roll, "What's wrong Princess? Don't like hearing about how your actions affect others. You missed the part where Frankie left here like someone had ran over her dog. You must be all like broken up about it, Chloe. Gee golly gosh, what a shame right?"

"The drinks, Gail." Chloe bit out as she glared at her roommate.

Gail poured the shots but she still didn't hand them over.

"You should've told Frankie about the date instead of having her see for herself."

"Why do you care so much, Gail? Since when is it your job to look out for Frankie?"

Gail knew that it wasn't her job to protect Frankie any more than the rest of them but she could relate to Frankie the best. They both hid their feelings behind sarcasm and bravado. Which is why she knew that the brunette was hurting when she had to see Chloe on a date with someone else. Yes, the senior was being a complete idiot and dragging her feet but that didn't make her hurt any less. "Just feel for her is all. It sucks realizing you're the person that didn't get picked."

She finally released the drinks to her roommate.

"Thanks." Chloe said quietly as she took the shots and turned back towards her booth.

"It's what I get paid to do." Gail replied as she turned to the next customer waiting to be served.

Chris was next person from the group to head over to the bar that night. He grabbed a stool and waited patiently for his friend to come over so he could order.

"What's up big guy?" The blonde asked when she spotted one of her guys at the counter.

"Can I get a whiskey sour please?"

"Sure. Have you talked to Denise?" Gail poured out the drink for the boy.

"A little."

Gail didn't waste time, she went straight to the heart of the issue. "Did you figure out how far along she is?"

"Please, don't start." Chris begged. He had been hearing everyone's about the pregnancy nonstop since he told his friends about his predicament, especially Dov's. His best friend was driving him nuts; he really didn't need it from his other best friend too.

"Look, I know you don't want to hear it but it's possible you're not the dad." Gail tried to get through to her friend. She'd rather he realize it now then later when he was invested in the kid.

"So what? Maybe I don't mind being a father." Chris was good at taking care of others. He needed to step up for Denise, so that's what he would do.

"Right now?"

"It's something I always wanted, eventually." The boy argued. He had been telling himself that since he found out. And it was true. He did want to be a dad, and his kid was going to know it was loved from the moment he found out. He refused to treat his child like a mistake, he knew what that felt like.

"Eventually doesn't have to be at the age of 18 years old, Christopher, and it doesn't have to be with her." Gail couldn't believe how stubborn her friend was being about this. She knew that he was willing to throw his life away based on the word of his ex-girlfriend. Now, she actually did have something to hold over him to get him to do her bidding.

Chris was getting frustrated, "You don't know anything Gail, so don't pretend to."

"I know how to make a stiff drink." She handed over the amber liquid. Chris' anger hurt but she brushed it off.

"Thanks." Chris took the drink back to the table with him. But he didn't rejoin the conversation; instead, he sat silently brooding. He had too many conflicting thoughts waging war in his head.

"Losers." Gail muttered to herself in reference to her housemates and neighbors, as she returned her focus to the rest of the drunk college kids vying for her attention.

---

"Alright Anderson, a deal is a deal, where do you want to go?" Holly figured her friend would pick a club, where she could drink and dance with random girls till she went home with some new conquest to make her feel better. Holly had every intention of grabbing a seat at the bar and nursing a couple of drinks till Frankie got it out of her system.

"How about that bar over on Easton." Frankie suggested. Normally she would want to go dancing but even that was tainted at the moment. So, instead she chose a place that was far enough away that they would be less likely to bump into anyone they knew, offering a new pool of women to choose from.

"I thought you hated that bar." Holly pointed out. The last time they had been there was probably over a year ago because Frankie claimed that it was way too far away to travel to get laid.

"I hate everything, it's just a bar and you said I could pick."

"Alright." Holly conceded as she tried to flag down a taxi. After climbing in and directing the driver where to go, Holly turned her attention to her friend. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" Frankie played dumb as she stared out the window absently.

"Talk about why Chloe being on a date with Dov has you so upset."

"I'm not upset. I'm just bored but I won't be for long."

The girls went the rest of the ride in silence, except for the driver's music playing in background. When they got out of the cab, Holly paid the driver. She caught a hold of her friend's arm before she went into the bar.

"Seriously Frankie, how long have we known each other?"

"Apparently too long. Don't make me regret asking you to hang out tonight."

"Ok, ok, we shall go to the bar you hate and find you a beautiful lady for the evening to stop you from being bored."

"Thank you."

Holly threw her arm over her friend's shoulder, "Just remember this the next time you get any ideas about banging on my car again."

---

The two girls grabbed some drinks and a table to scope out the pickings for the night. Frankie was being particularly choosy, much to Holly's amusement and annoyance.

"What about her?" Holly pointed to a petitite girl at the bar with strawberry blonde locks in a pixie cut.

"Too short." Frankie argued. She had more than a few inches on the other girl and she was wearing heels.

"Her?" The med student pointed to a taller girl who had been checking out Frankie since she walked through the door.

But the brunette shook her head and took another shot. "Too pale."

Holly rolled her eyes and pointed to a woman at a table with a group of friends who were being loud and obnoxious. "Her?"

"Too tan."

"Seriously?" Holly laughed and took her own shot. She was going much slower than Anderson, knowing that one of them should at least keep some sense.

"She's practically orange. I'm not looking for someone who fake and bakes."

"Ok, what about her?" Holly gestured to a pretty girl with glasses, who was neither too tan nor too short.

"Too dorky."

Holly glared at her friend from over the rim of her own glasses. "I resent that."

Frankie held up her hands in surrender, immediately placating the other girl. "You're a hot dork."

Just then two new girls walked through the door. The one was a tall, chesty brunette and the other a bit shorter, curvy, and seemed to be of some sort of Spanish descent. But most importantly, they looked nothing like Chloe. Anderson gestured to the girls, declaring with finality, "Them."

"We're supposed to be looking for you." Holly immediately argued. She wasn't interested in meeting anyone new. She was more than content with the current girl occupying her thoughts.

"We are and part of being a wingwoman is to distract the friend." Frankie reasoned. She didn't really care which girl she picked up but she would need Holly to distract the other.

"How do you know they're just friends?" The bespectacled brunette tried again to get out of having to go over.

"Come on, they're acting just like us."

"Fine." Holly finally conceded. She knew that Frankie wasn't going to relent, so the sooner she got this over with the sooner she could go home.

Frankie dragged Holly with her across the bar to talk to the newcomers. They introduced themselves and Anderson offered to buy them all a round. The tall girl's name was Victoria and the curvy girl was Mariana. They were both graduate students at the University, where they were getting their Master's in Women and Gender Studies.

"So you're studying rainbows and vaginas?" Frankie immediately joked as the bartender passed over their drinks and the girls found a table to sit at.

"Essentially." The taller girl smiled at Frankie, seemingly amused by the description of her major or maybe she just thought Frankie was hot, didn't really matter that night.

"And what does one do with such a degree?" Holly asked curiously. She wasn't entirely sure what jobs there were for people studying such a liberal subject and she liked adding new pieces of information to her knowledge bank.

"Well, I am also planning on applying to law school when I finish my degree. I just need to take the LSAT this summer." Mariana explained, "And Vicky is planning on going into social work."

Holly nodded impressed.

"What are you both majoring in?" Victoria asked but she addressed only Frankie.

"I am finishing up my degree in Criminal Justice and Holly just started medical school." Frankie replied easily, keeping her focus on the girl that was clearly interested in her.

"Wow, med school, shouldn't you be studying?" Mariana teased.

"Shouldn't you?" Holly retorted.

"So what are you planning on doing after graduation, Frankie?" Victoria asked leaning a little closer to the senior.

"I'll be joining the police force."

"Impressive, so you must be in good shape if you're planning on going into such a tough field?" The girl asked as she flirtatiously traced Frankie's arm with her gentle strokes of her long fingers. "I love a girl in uniform."

Frankie moved closer to the girl and dropped her voice as she whispered in her ear. The other girl giggled and leaned in more. This was too easy.

Holly shook her head at her friend, this one had to be record time for her. She glanced at her phone and noticed a text from Gail.

Officer Danger: Watch out for any amazon woman wherever Frankie drags you off to.

Holly smiled as she read the message. She remembered Gail telling her about her encounter with Gabriela. She may have to be an unwilling witness to Frankie's seduction techniques but at least she didn't have to fight off any exes. She wrote out a quick message saying so far so good. But then she couldn't resist continuing the conversation by asking how the bar was.

"Does your girlfriend know you're out picking up strangers?" Mariana asked, drawing Holly's attention away from the device in her hand.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Your girlfriend, who just messaged you."

"I don't have a girlfriend." It was technically the truth: she couldn't really call Gail her girlfriend.

"Well, whoever she is, she's a lucky girl if she can get you to smile like that." Mariana pointed to the brunette's crooked smile that she had been sporting just from thinking about her prickly blonde.

"Umm...thanks?"

"What do you say we go grab some drinks at the bar and let these two get better acquainted?" Mariana suggested as she stood up from the table.

Holly glanced back at her friend who had migrated even closer to the other girl and was not so subtlety checking out her ample cleavage. But the other girl seemed to be encouraging it the way she was leaning over towards Frankie. It was kind of obnoxious. "Sure."

"So are things serious with your non-girlfriend?" The future lawyer asked as she ordered drinks for both her and Holly.

"Look, Mariana, you seem really nice but I wasn't looking to meet anyone tonight. I was just here to help out my friend and she was interested in your friend." Holly explained honestly.

"Hey, I get it, I came out to do the same, I just didn't think I'd get lucky enough that she would actually pick someone with a hot friend. But if you're not interested that's ok. Here's my number if things don't work out with phone girl." Mariana gave Holly her number before she sauntered off to talk to another girl at the bar. Holly was a little stunned by the exchange but when she felt her phone vibrate, she smiled again.

Officer Danger: If I commit a homicide would you cover for me?

Nerd Champion: Have fun with Bertha.

When Holly glanced up from her phone she realized that Frankie and Vicky had vanished from the table. If she had been leaving for the night then Frankie would've come over to tell Holly, like she usually did, which probably meant she had vanished somewhere to hook up with the other girl, but that also meant Holly couldn't really leave without her.

So Holly ordered another drink and started playing a game on her phone. Frankie wasn't gone for terribly long but it was long enough that Holly got hit on a few more times, each person she politely turned down. She knew that what she had with Gail wasn't serious yet but she was enjoying whatever it was they were doing. She had also done the one-night stand thing a couple of times when she had been single before and it just wasn't really her thing.

Finally, Frankie slid onto a stool next to her, "Did you uncover Victoria's Secret?" Holly quipped, putting away her phone.

The sullen brunette merely snorted in response. She had her head resting on both hands and her eyes were downcast.

"Did the bathroom sex make you feel better?" Holly asked without reproach.

"No." Frankie snatched Holly's drink from her and finished it in one gulp with a wince.

"Want to get out of here?" Holly asked gently.

"Maybe."

"Want to talk?" The med student tried; maybe now that Anderson had gotten drinking and sex out of her system, she would be more willing to open up.

"No." Frankie shot down that idea faster than a puck on ice.

"Want to spend the night at mine?"

"Yes." The senior readily agreed.

"Alright, but just so you know you're showering before I let you into my bed." Holly smirked at her friend as she led them out of the bar.

Frankie rolled her eyes but didn't argue; she needed a shower anyway.

---

"What the fuck is wrong with me, Hols?" Frankie asked as she pulled on the pair of sweats and t-shirt Holly had given her after she finished showering. She reclaimed the bottle of tequila that she had been nursing since she walked through the front door and raided the med students' liquor cabinet. She laid claim to it after finding out it belonged to Lisa, which was the deciding factor, and she left Holly's bourbon in the cabinet.

"In general, or were you looking for something specific?" Holly teased her friend, while taking a small sip when the other brunette offered her the bottle again.

"Not funny." Frankie glared as she pointed at Holly in warning.

"Hilarious." Holly countered pointing to herself before adopting a serious expression. "Want me to diagnose you?"

"Yes, Dr. Stewart."

"Would you like the white coat and everything? We can go all out for this." Holly knew that turning the conversation into a joke would make it easier to get the other girl to open up, that and the alcohol.

"I don't know if I'll be able to control myself. I saw how Gail was trying to jump your bones after the clinic on Tuesday." Frankie joked and laughed openly at the blush that was trying to take over Holly's tan skin.

"Do you want my help?" Holly narrowed her eyes in warning to her friend.

Frankie stopped laughing and nodded solemnly, "Yes."

"Alright, tell me your symptoms please."

Frankie took a long pull from the bottle of alcohol before answering, "Strong impulses, weird dreams, saying things I shouldn't, spending an entire night just talking, no touching, ummm...cooking for another person, oh and no longer enjoying meaningless sex."

There were so many things packed into Frankie's ramble that Holly wasn't sure where to start. She also really wanted to tease her friend for the cooking and talking comments but refrained considering how distressed she seemed about the situation.

So she continued the charade, "When did you first notice your symptoms?"

"A couple of months ago."

"Anything trigger it?"

"A kiss." Frankie reluctantly grumbled as she continued to drink the tequila.

"And have these symptoms worsened in that time?"

"Unfortunately."

"Does anything seem to relieve them?"

Frankie's mind immediately conjured up the image of messy red curls, warm hazel eyes, and a brilliant smile. She tried to wash the image away with another swig. "Only one thing. But it's ummm...addicting."

"I see. So you're afraid of becoming addicted?"

"I think I might already be."

"You're right, this is serious. I think you're suffering from a severe case of Iminlovewithaperkyredheaditis." Holly tried her best to not laugh at her brooding friend who was clinging to the tequila bottle like a life raft. She was going to have to cut the other brunette off soon.

"Are you sure doc?"

Holly nodded sympathetically, "Unfortunately, all evidence points towards that diagnosis."

"What are my odds?"

"About 100% that you are falling for Chloe Price."

"Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Frankie released the bottle to cover her face with her hands as she groaned.

"Seriously though, why haven't you made your move yet? You normally would've by now." For at least the last year, Frankie had been making her way steadily through a large number of girls. She would set her sights on someone new and just go for it, kind of like the girl in the bar earlier in the night.

"Do you remember Monica?" Frankie asked.

Holly took a minute to think, trying to recall the familiar name. Finally, it came to her, "Your housemate that moved out on you guys in the middle of the year?"

"That's the one. I kind of started messing around with her after I broke up with Gabi. She was interested and I was rebounding and I thought she knew that. Apparently, I was wrong and I guess she started to have real feelings for me, which I mean who doesn't, right?" Frankie half-heartedly joked, but Holly rolled her eyes. "Anyway, Juliet was the one who had to tell me to stop messing around with the girl's heart and when I did, she moved out, leaving us a person short for our rent payments. Between that and all the other crap over the last couple of years, Juliet and I promised each other that we would have a drama-free senior year. Which means I can't use my housemates for sex."

Well, that made a lot more sense. But then Holly remembered something else, "I thought you had a bet going about you and Gail?"

"I always make a stupid wager with the boys at the beginning of the year just to mess with their egos. It doesn't have to be sex and I can usually convince whichever girl I pick to go along with it. Gail agreed after a lot of tequila then kind of forgot."

"I think you picked the wrong freshman." Holly stated the obvious.

"No shit, Sherlock." Frankie growled at her friend. She wasn't helping.

"So why don't you just tell Juliet that it's not just sex or tell Chloe how you're feeling?" This seemed like an easy solution.

"I can't" Frankie sighed.

"Can't or won't?" It was a fair question.

But Frankie just shrugged, "Both."

Holly looked at her friend seriously, "Frankie, I think you're an idiot."

"Holly, I can't fall for someone like Chloe, she exudes happiness and perkiness..." Frankie made a genuine face of disgust but it softened as she continued,"...and is open and crazy...and complicated and confusing...and...incredibly sexy."

"Hate to break this to you, but you already have." Holly explained to her friend gently. She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Frankie threw herself back onto the bed dramatically, "I'm fucking doomed."

"Overdramatic much?"

"She was on a date with Epstein. Have you seen the guy? If that's her type then I definitely shouldn't be going anywhere near her." And there it was: the bitter, jealous feeling that had been eating away at her all night was rearing it's ugly head once more. All week, she had been enjoying hanging out with Chloe and not once did she mention having a date planned with the boy.

"It was one date, that hardly means anything." Holly knew her friend was looking for any excuse to bury her feelings for the freshman.

"I'm a senior, she's a freshman, I'm cold and bitchy, she's warm and friendly. We're never going to work so why start it now?"

The alcohol must have finally kicked in because this was the most honest the brunette had been about her crush in all the months she had been trying to hide it, no matter how many times Holly had tried to get her to talk about what was eating at her. The slurring of her words added further evidence that the senior was indeed shitfaced.

"Frankie, in all the time I've known you, you my friend, have never been afraid of anything. And right now, you're being a chicken shit."

"I need more booze."

Holly quickly snatched the bottle from her friend's hand, "You need water and then you need sleep." The med student went out to her kitchen to retrieve a couple of bottles of water.

"You're a stick in the mud."

"Whatever, Lush, drink this."

Frankie drank the water handed to her obediently. But once finished, Holly couldn't get her to drink anymore. Afterwards, the two girls climbed into Holly's bed to go to sleep.

"I know it's been a while since you were single, Hols, but if you wanted to get me into bed, you didn't have to get me so drunk." Frankie sleepily quipped as her heavy eyes started to shut.

"Shut up, smartass. You're not the person I want in my bed." But drunken snoring drowned out Holly's words.

---

Gail was a little surprised when she got home after her shift and found Chloe asleep in her own bed already. At least she's alone, Gail thought to herself, glad that she wasn't going to have to bear witness to exactly how pale Dov's ass really was. She stripped out of her clothes, which reeked of booze, and grabbed a tank and some shorts to sleep in. She figured with how tired she felt it wouldn't be long before she was asleep. Before closing her eyes that night she hoped it would be a dreamless sleep, so that she might actually feel rested for the next day, when she was supposed to meet Holly after work.

She could hear the beeping of the machines and voices of people talking over her. They were saying how lucky she really was. How much worse it could have been. The room felt too bright and the noises too loud. She wanted to get up but her legs felt like lead. She glanced around and noticed a window where people were looking in on her. She could see the disappointed look in her mother's eyes before the redhead walked away. When the door opened, a different redhead walked in. McD made her way over to where she laid stuck to the bed she was in. "Do you really think you can make her happy? She doesn't know anything about you. She doesn't know how much of a failure you are. You're just going to hurt her. But don't worry; I'll be there to pick up the pieces." And then she started cackling like some awful movie villain.

Gail awoke to her alarm clock ringing in her ear next to her head. Well, at least she made it through the night for once. She cursed her subconscious as she glanced around her room. It looked like her roommate had already woken up and left. She got up and made her way downstairs.

She found her roommate sitting at the breakfast bar with her laptop. "How long you been awake, Princess?"

"Long enough." Chloe replied without looking up, her voice lacking its usual cheer.

"You still being pissy about what I said last night?" Gail asked as she made her way over to the coffee pot to pour herself a cup. She needed the caffeine fix desperately.

"You still plan on being a bitch?" Chloe bit back.

"Why? Because I was being honest with you. Noticed you were alone last night, date with the dork not go as well as you hoped?" It's not that Gail didn't like Dov; he really wasn't bad when he wasn't being annoyingly competitive or trying to show off, and she enjoyed their sibling-like banter, but he really was a dork.

Chloe sighed before mumbling to herself, "It wasn't a real date."

Gail's Peckish hearing caught the utterance but she didn't understand, "What?"

The redhead looked up from her computer, surprised that her roommate had heard her, but since she did she might as well clear the air. "It wasn't a real date. Dov isn't even interested in me like that. He wants to ask out Sue Tran but he was nervous. So I offered to go on a practice date with him to give him some confidence."

"Wait, Sue Tran? The girl that wants to defuse bombs for a living and that does suicide drills in the park for fun?"

"Yep."

"Epstein thinks he has a shot with her?" Gail made a mental note to torment the boy about it later.

"I think he does too. I've seen the way she looks at him when they're talking in class. She's into him and you can't help who you're attracted to." Chloe argued. If she could then she wouldn't be attracted to a skittish senior who refused to admit her feelings.

Gail shrugged, not wanting to admit that her roommate had a valid point. "So if it wasn't a real date, why were you skipping around like a kid with a new toy for Christmas?"

"Because I was excited to get dressed up and go out with someone for once. Some of us actually like going on dates and dating people. Maybe I'm tired of waiting around for something that isn't going to happen."

Gail could tell that the perky redhead was frustrated so she tried to lighten the mood, "Should we be braiding each other's hair right now, if we're having girl-talk?"

Chloe rolled her eyes, "You're such an ass. And you started it. Plus, for it to be girl-talk you would have to be talking too."

"Yeah that's not going to happen but if you make me breakfast, I'll let you assault my ears with your feelings."

Chloe went into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl, a box of cereal, and the milk. She placed the ingredients and a spoon in front of the blonde.

"I don't even get pancakes for this?" Gail argued incredulously. She couldn't believe she was getting short-changed.

"We're out. You're lucky we even have milk left. We need to go grocery shopping."

"You need to go grocery shopping. I need to go to work, so I can afford said groceries." The blonde argued as she poured herself a bowl of cereal and started chomping away. Without waiting to swallow, she asked, "Alright so what isn't going to happen?"

"Frankie and me. I don't know why she's always running away from me."

"I thought you two were finally hanging out." Gail knew that the two girls had spent most of the other night together. Plus, there was that bullshit move where Anderson made the redhead BLTs. The blonde was still bitter that she couldn't eat any but she did manage to steal some bacon from the pan when Frankie was distracted.

"We have been...as friends."

"So turn it into something more." The blonde advised.

"Every time I've tried, she runs. I know what I want, Frankie needs to figure it out for herself." Chloe adamantly explained. She wasn't really a patient person and she was tired of waiting.

"Dude, Anderson looks at you like a dog eyeballs a steak. I don't think 'want' is the problem."

"Then what is?" Chloe whined.

"Fuck if I know, you'd have to ask her." Gail checked the time on her phone, "Anyway, you're time with the therapist is over. I'll bill you later. I have to get back to my day job."

Chloe rolled her eyes but let out a small chuckle as her roommate headed back upstairs. Maybe the blonde was right.

---

"Morning, sunshine, how's the head?" Holly was in her kitchen drinking coffee and studying when Frankie dragged herself in, late the next morning.

"It feels like someone is taking a jackhammer to my skull." The senior grumbled as she collapsed on a stool.

"I tried to get you to drink more water."

"Whatever." Holly handed over aspirin and a bottle of water to the grumpy brunette. Frankie looked up confused. "No coffee?"

"It's only going to make it worse. You're dehydrated you need water." Holly advised.

Frankie glared at her friend, "Do you value your life?"

Holly rolled her eyes, but poured her friend the magical cup of coffee. If the girl wanted to make her head hurt worse, who was she to argue.

"So what's your game plan, stud?" Holly asked once Frankie had consumed of the caffeinated beverage and looked less murderous.

"For what?" Frankie asked confused and she propped her head on her hand.

"Dealing with your Chloe-induced condition."

Frankie sighed. Despite how much alcohol she had consumed, she unfortunately remembered the night before, and she was no closer to a solution. "What's your prescription, Doc?"

"Talk to her and tell her how you feel."

Yeah, that sounded like awful advice. "I think I'll just ignore it."

Holly scoffed, "Good luck with that. You planning on hiding out here then?"

"Yes." Frankie replied instantly. The thought of going anywhere literally caused her head to throb. But the idea of going home made her feel even more nauseous on top of it.

Holly pulled out her phone and sent out a text. She had asked Gail to hang out, but the blonde hadn't given her a concrete answer the night before. If she was, then she would need to get rid of Anderson at some point.

Nerd Champion: Did you think about coming over tonight?

Officer Danger: Maybe I could swing by. I mean if you still want me to

Holly smiled at her phone and immediately replied.

Nerd Champion: I want

Officer Danger: Of course you do ;)

"Well you don't have to go home but you'll have to get the hell out of here eventually, I have plans tonight." Holly informed her friend as she put her phone away.

"Oh, and I'm not invited?" Frankie asked with as much offense as she could muster.

"Definitely not."

Frankie smirked at her friend, if she wasn't invited that probably only meant one thing, "So what do you and Goldilocks have planned?"

Holly ignored the question as she focused on the textbook in front of her, but she had a sly smile on her lips that her friend caught.

"Don't even try to deny anything is going on between the two of you." Frankie immediately warned her friend. This week had confirmed every suspicion she had had and then some.

Holly rolled her eyes and looked up, "Just hanging out, watch a movie or something."

"Yeah right. Your game is weak Stewart." Frankie taunted.

"At least I have game, Anderson, go home and make a move on your freshman." Holly fired back.

Frankie opened her mouth to continue arguing but she knew she had lost that round. She waited a few minutes before offering up some unsolicited advice, "Be careful with Gail."

Holly let out a sigh of frustration. She was tired of people cautioning her about the blonde, "You better not warn me that she's going to hurt me."

But Frankie shook her head slowly, trying not to worsen the ache before the painkillers kicked in, "I'm more worried about you hurting her."

Holly scrunched up her forehead in confusion. She hadn't expected that one. "How would I hurt Gail?"

"You and Jess didn't break up that long ago." Frankie reminded her. She had been there for their previous break-ups and they had never lasted long enough in Frankie's opinion before Holly inevitably took the ginger back. In the meantime, Holly would half-heartedly try to rebound, but she would never open herself up to anything more.

"Jess and I were over even before we broke up, it just took me way too long to realize it." Holly definitely didn't have any feelings left for her ex. Those went out the window when she decided to use Gail as a punching bag, especially since the blonde had been defenseless at the time. Just thinking about it, created a guilty weight in her stomach, that could only get relieved when she thought of what happened after.

"Have you seen her lately?"

"Not since the party, the rotation she's on doesn't overlap with any of my school stuff." For that Holly was glad. She didn't want to have to see her ex especially in a school setting where they would be forced to interact, or risk getting in trouble for unprofessionalism. That didn't mean Holly was free of her though. Lisa still brought her up in conversation every chance she got, and Jess still texted or called, but Holly always ignored it.

Frankie nodded in acceptance, "Good. Still, you shouldn't use Gail as a rebound."

"I like Gail, and I'm not rebounding."

"Just checking." Frankie knew that Gail could take care of herself but she still felt like she should look out for her. If they were as alike as everyone seemed to think, then Gail would be the one who would fall harder than Holly.

The girls were interrupted by the arrival of Rachel. She greeted both Holly and Frankie before asking if they wanted to go shopping with her. Both girls agreed and Frankie borrowed some clothes from Holly before they headed out. They could both use the distraction.

---

"You seem to be in a better mood today." Traci greeted her friend when she started her shift that Saturday night. She knew Gail had been working a double but for once she wasn't tearing into everyone that crossed her path that day. In fact, she looked like she was almost enjoying herself.

"What do you mean, Nash, I'm always in a good mood." Actually, Gail had been in a good mood ever since Holly had texted her about hanging out. She was looking forward to getting off work and getting the chance to hang out with her...friend...but she wasn't about to tell Traci that.

Traci laughed, "By the end of the night yesterday, I thought you were going to blow the whole bar up with your eyes."

Gail rolled her eyes, "You're exaggerating."

"Both Chloe and Chris looked like you punched them right in the gut." Both of their upbeat friends were a bit more reserved after talking to the bartender.

But Gail defended herself, "Only with the truth." It wasn't her fault that they didn't like to hear it, someone had to tell them that they were being stupid.

Traci shook her head at her friend, "No remorse."

"Never."

The waitress couldn't put her finger on it but the other freshman was giving off a weirder vibe than usual. "Still you seem weird today?"

"How so?"

Traci continued to study the blonde bartender, but she still couldn't explain what was different, "I don't know it's just a feeling. You almost seem happy." But in all the time they had lived together, the blonde never really seemed happy. She would sometimes be amused by other's misfortunes, or energetic when she was being mischievous, but she never seemed content ever. Then again, it was rare for her to show any emotion other than annoyance, which is why most of the friends referred to her as the Ice Queen.

Gail decided to throw her a little bit of a bone. "Maybe I'm just happy to not have to spend my entire night here." It was true, for once she could enjoy her night and she was choosing to enjoy it with a very cool-in a nerdy way-brunette.

"Well, you've earned it, so enjoy your Saturday night." Traci told her as she geared up to serve her tables. She was working the dinner shift till closing but she knew that Gail worked more hours than her, usually till the bar closed and still got up in the morning for classes, so she wasn't about to complain. Plus, she had had time after her shift the night before to hang out with Jerry and was in a pretty good mood herself.

Gail's mood stayed upbeat even though her shift at the Penny felt like it was taking forever. She couldn't control the ball of excitement and nerves that was buzzing through her body at the thought of seeing Holly that night. She knew it wasn't a date, but she was still excited to have some alone time with the brunette, maybe finally have a chance to act on their attraction without getting interrupted. She should probably be more nervous than she was about being with the other girl but whenever she was with Holly, things just felt right. And Gail knew she could handle physical stuff. Hell, it was the only part of a relationship that she ever felt she excelled at. Being with Holly just seemed natural and not something to really worry about.

So when her double shift finally ended, Gail ignored the swelling in her feet to get home quickly so she could shower and get over to see the girl who had invaded her mind all shift. She spent a ridiculous amount of time looking at her clothes but she had finally picked out an outfit and was getting changed when Chloe walked into their room.

"Hey Roomie, want to come out with us tonight? We're going bar hopping."

"Nah, I already have plans." The blonde told her pulling on her top then moving to the mirror to apply her make-up.

The redhead gave her a knowing smirk, "Ooooh, really, what are you and Holly up to?"

"No one mentioned Holly." Gail pointed out.

But Chloe wasn't fooled, "Come on, spill." She started poking the blonde as she tried to coax her roommate into admitting that she was indeed going to hang out with the med student.

"Hands off, Princess. And there's nothing to spill, we're just hanging out."

"Mmhmmmmm. Hanging out naked."

"Shut your face," Gail bit out as she tried to suppress the blush that was creeping into her pale skin.

Gail finished getting ready as her roommate started rummaging through her own closet for something to wear. As she was leaving the room, Chloe wished her luck at getting lucky. Gail chucked a shoe that had been on the floor at her before she made her way down the stairs just as Frankie was getting home.

"Are you only getting home now?" Gail had been at the Penny all day so she had no idea where Frankie had been.

"So?" Frankie huffed out in annoyance at being questioned. She would have still been hiding out at Holly's if she hadn't forcibly kicked her out because of the blonde. Apparently, Holly hadn't appreciated her teasing while she was getting ready, but had let her stay as long as possible in hopes that by the time she got home, she wouldn't have run into any of her housemates and could just hole up in her room.

"So, what did you get up to last night?" Gail asked as she sat down on the stairs to pull on her combat boots, not bothering to lace them.

Frankie shrugged and leaned up against the wall near the stairs. "Just went to a different bar. Went home with Holly. So no worries, your girl didn't score last night."

"She's not my girl." Gail argued as she grabbed her leather jacket and keys and a small wristlet that fit everything she needed and that she could tuck into her jacket pocket.

"Not yet." The brunette teased.

Gail patted her pockets one more time to check that she had everything. "Whatever, Anderson, I'm out of here."

"Have fun playing doctor." Frankie called out as the blonde headed out the door. Gail flipped her off before slamming the door behind her.

The older girl was still chuckling as she turned to head up the stairs but all merriment died on her lips when she noticed Chloe about to come down the stairs. The petite girl was in skintight jeans, and a deep red tank top, with the edges of her black bra showing too. She had a sweater in her hands but had yet to put it on. Frankie could feel her mouth go dry at the sight of the other girl and the amount of skin she was showing.

"Hey," Chloe greeted the girl with a small smile but it dropped when she noticed Frankie's outfit. Frankie had been missing all day and now she was showing up wearing some other girl's clothes. The brunette had a million outfits but these weren't really her style. Chloe tried to stop that observation from bothering her.

Frankie cleared her throat before responding. "You look nice." And she did. Well, she looked more than nice, Chloe looked fucking hot. Then Frankie reminded herself that the redhead was dressed that way to go out for the night, with someone else. She couldn't stop herself from snarking, "All dolled up for Epstein?"

Chloe heard the jealousy in the other girl's voice, and normally it would've made her be a little more flirtatious but she was getting tired of the cat and mouse game. "We're all going out bar hopping. Want to come?"

"No thanks." The last thing Frankie wanted to do was go out with all their housemates and neighbors and have to watch Dov and Chloe flirt the whole night in front of them. Especially, with alcohol involved she may not be able to be held responsible for what might happen to the freshman boy's manhood.

"Why not?"

But the brunette just shrugged, "Don't feel like it."

"Oh yeah, and what is it that you do feel like doing?" Chloe challenged, trying to get a rise out of her.

But Frankie continued to keep her answers brief. "Nothing."

The senior was starting to act the way she did before they went to the Chinese restaurant. She was being distant and dismissive, and Chloe was sure that the only reason she hadn't run yet was because she was blocking her path to her room. But this was just further annoying the freshman.

"What's with you?"

"Nothing, Price, you want to go out with Epstein and the others then be my guest but I don't have to get dragged along." Frankie's voice was dripping with contempt.

"I thought we were friends?" After everything that week, Chloe had finally gotten the other girl to fall into an easy rhythm with her but all that seemed to be for naught as she was reverting back to her more biting ways.

"Right, friends, so we had all those conversations this week and, yet, you didn't mention a date."

Chloe started to explain, "It wasn't..." But she was cut off before she could tell the senior that it wasn't a real date.

"Don't bother, I don't want to hear anything about your night with the bird." Frankie couldn't control the disdain with which she referred to Dov, all her feelings clamoring to escape but instead shifting into a ball of frustration.

The redhead was getting tired of Frankie's tone. She hadn't done anything wrong and she didn't want to hear her insulting her friend. Especially not when Frankie came home again after spending the night out. "At least Dov had the guts to invite me out." She challenged the senior, calling her out for her cowardice all semester.

By that point that freshman had stormed down the stairs and was directly in front of the senior, standing only inches apart. Frankie had pushed herself from the wall and could feel the blood pounding in her veins as she glared at the freshman, she wasn't sure if she wanted to yell at her or just kiss her already. But before she could even make up her mind her thoughts were interrupted.

"Hey Anderson, you coming out with us tonight?" Juliet asked from the stairs. She was also wearing tight pants and a skimpy top. Her wavy brown hair hanging loosely around her shoulders, and she had on high, but comfortable, heels that she had 'borrowed' from Frankie.

Frankie was still glaring at Chloe who hadn't broken eye contact the entire time. "No." she told her friend and took a step back from the freshman. Chloe just shook her head and walked away from Frankie all together, making her way towards the kitchen.

"You okay?" Juliet asked as she made her way down the rest of the steps. She lowered her voice so that Chloe wouldn't hear and tried to reach out to her friend. They hadn't had much of a chance to talk lately and she was troubled by the look on the other girl's face.

But Frankie brushed her concern away, "Yeah, Jules, I'm fine. Just recovering from my hangover from last night. Are those my shoes?" The senior gestured towards her friend's feet.

"Yes." She confirmed before quickly changing the topic, "Where have you been all day?" Juliet had texted Frankie sometime that afternoon when she had noticed that the other brunette wasn't home.

"Holly's." Frankie shoved her hands in her pocket as she moved to lean against the wall again. She hadn't just been avoiding Chloe all day, she was also staying away from Juliet who she knew would be on her case about the way she had been acting lately, even though she had had the feeling that her friend had been avoiding her as well. She seemed to constantly be disappearing.

The brief response and the fact that Frankie wouldn't look her in the eye still had her concerned, especially since she didn't make any smartass remarks about Juliet borrowing her clothes without asking, "You sure you're ok?" Juliet asked again. There was something different about her friend; she seemed distant and borderline hostile, even more than usual. But Juliet didn't know what it was because Frankie wouldn't talk to her about it.

"Dandy."

"Guys are here." Chloe called out to the rest of the house as she spotted them through the kitchen window rough housing on their lawn. They could hear Andy tripping over herself on the way out of her room and down the stairs.

"See you later?" Juliet asked Frankie with a little bit of hope in her voice.

"Whatever." Frankie grumbled as she headed up the stairs to hide out in her room, while the rest of the girls left to start their night.

---

Holly opened the door of her apartment to find a blonde knockout waiting on her welcome mat. She quirked a smile, "Hi." She was impressed that she remembered how to talk just seeing how gorgeous the blonde looked, even though she was wearing casual clothes: jeans that looked painted on, a slouchy top, her signature jacket, and of course her combat boots. Even her makeup was simply done and Holly found herself glancing down at the glossy lips that looked particularly inviting.

"Hey." Gail replied as she did her own evaluation. Holly had on a pair of skinny jeans, with a royal blue button down top over a white tank that highlighted the brunette's cleavage.

"You know you could've knocked." The med student joked as she leaned in the doorway.

The brunette's voice drew Gail's eyes back up to the speaker's face, she could see the smirk on the other girl's lips egging her on to sass her back. "I didn't get the chance." The blonde retorted.

"Fair enough, coming in?"

"Only if you move." Gail tried to sound annoyed but there was no venom to her words and it just caused Holly to chuckle as she stepped out of the way letting the blonde into the apartment. Gail immediately made herself comfortable tossing her jacket aside and kicking off her boots.

Someone's particularly feisty tonight, Holly thought to herself, thoroughly amused by the blonde who apparently didn't need an invitation this time to make herself at home. Not that it bothered Holly, she was enjoying the view as she followed the blonde into her own apartment. "How was work?"

"Long." Gail sighed as she plopped down on Holly's couch. She made herself comfortable in the nook that she decided would be hers from now on.

"Tired?" Holly asked as she leaned against the back of the couch.

Gail smiled, "Nah, I think I'm getting my second wind." It had been a long shift but she wasn't tired, no she felt something else since getting to the brunette's apartment. Content? Nah that couldn't be it, Gail hadn't felt anything even close to that in who knows how long. She was probably just excited to not be working and at the possibility of getting laid. Yeah, that must be it.

"Well you must be hungry. So I figured we could order some food and watch a movie or something. Kind of just a quiet night." Holly explained with a shrug. She was trying to keep things casual between them and not pressure the blonde into a date or anything more. She really was satisfied just hanging out with her friend, though if she got to taste those tantalizing lips she wouldn't be complaining either.

"A quiet night sounds good, my ears are still ringing from the bar." That was one thing about Gail's job that could be annoying. On top of swollen feet from standing and running around so much, she often had a headache between the music and the drunks trying to shout over it. Spending an entire day and night at the Penny made it tempting to wear ear plugs.

Holly laid out a bunch of take-out menus for the blonde to choose to from. After settling on Thai food, they placed the order and pulled up Netflix on the television to choose something to watch. It was the blonde's turn to pick but she just wanted to watch something mind-numbingly stupid. So they picked the first comedy they could find.

"Where are your roommates?" Gail asked before Holly started the movie. She noticed that it was quiet in the apartment but she wasn't sure they weren't home. Then again, even if they were out they would probably come home at the most inopportune time possible.

Holly shrugged, "It's a Saturday night, they both went out." She explained. The girls had tried to convince Holly to go out with them, especially since she spent the whole night out with Frankie the day before. But the brunette had made some excuses and opted to stay home. She didn't mention her special visitor for the night, mostly to avoid a lecture from Lisa and teasing from Rachel. She got enough shit from Frankie, who kept making barbs the whole day before she got kicked out so Holly could get ready for the blonde's arrival.

"Trying to get laid?" Gail surmised.

Holly tried to make it sound slightly better than that, "Trying to meet people." Yes, Lisa was probably just trying to get laid but Rachel was actually out looking for a relationship.

"You didn't want to join them?" The blonde asked curiously.

Holly shrugged, "I'm not really looking to meet anyone." That much was definitely true and had been proven last night when no matter what girl talked to her she was more focused on daydreaming about hanging out with the blonde that was currently on her couch. It didn't hurt that she had already made better plans for the night than going out to talk to a perfect stranger in a bar with the possibility of maybe going home with them. She already had a hot girl at her home, so she was doing pretty good for a Saturday night.

"What about last night?" Gail's piercing gaze had shifted from curious to cautious.

Holly was confused, "What about it?" The freshman already knew that she had spent the night hanging out with Frankie.

"Did you meet anyone?"

The brunette smirked, "Met plenty of someones but they all seemed to get the hint when I was more interested in my phone." She kind of enjoyed the borderline jealousy that the blonde was trying to mask in her voice.

"Oh yeah?" She was strangely relieved at Holly's confession.

"Yeah, this distracting blonde kept texting me."

Gail had a smug smile on her face, pleased that her attempt at divert the med student's attention the night before had worked. "Hmmm...hope she's hot if she was scaring away all the other girls."

"Eh, she's pretty easy on the eyes." Holly conceded.

Gail smiled even wider, "You think so?" She asked as she picked herself up from her corner and moved in closer to the brunette's side of the couch. She hadn't stopped thinking about kissing Holly since their heated encounter on Anderson's bed the day before. Hell, she hadn't really stopped thinking about kissing the brunette since the innocent first kiss they shared, but her thoughts had stopped being innocent long ago. Now they were alone and there wasn't really anything to stop the blonde from acting on her urges.

Holly nodded as she watched the blonde make her way over to invade her personal space. She was just about to close the distance and kiss the other girl, when there was a knock on the door announcing the arrival of the food. "Food's here." The brunette's voice was barely above a whisper.

Gail spoke equally softly, "Probably a good thing. I'm starving." But the look in her eye said that she was hungry for something other than food. Another knock on the door finally forced Holly to pull herself away from temptation incarnate.

Holly went to the door and paid the delivery person before returning to the couch with the food.

"How much do I owe you?" The blonde asked once the med student started to pull the large order out of the bag. She knew that she had ordered at least twice as much as the other girl.

But Holly shook her head, "Nothing, it was my turn to feed us."

"Oh, so we're taking turns, are we?"

"It's only fair."

Gail nodded as she accepted the food Holly offered her. She watched the brunette settle herself on the other side of the couch out of reach. After all her progress before the interruption, she couldn't very well let the other girl create distance between them again. "How am I supposed to steal your food if you're all the way over there?"

"Why yes Gail, I am willing to share my food with you, that was very nice of you to ask." Holly teased but moved closer to the center of the couch. The blonde smiled widely, pleased with the new arrangement but that smile quickly dropped when Holly quickly snatched a piece of food from her dish.

"Heyyy," The blonde whined dramatically causing Holly to laugh at her. Oh, that laugh was well worth losing her food for. She could listen to Holly's laugh all day. But she continued to pout anyway, "No fair."

Holly picked up a piece of her own food and offered it the blonde. She watched those seductive lips retrieve the offering from her chopsticks and Holly temporarily forgot to breathe. Her thoughts becoming nothing but a single focus on how badly she wanted to feel those lips again.

"Mmmm. Tasty," Gail's velvety voice sent a shockwave straight through Holly's body and her words did nothing to quell the desire coursing through her veins. "You okay, Nerd?" The blonde asked when she realized that the brunette had been staring at her silently for the last couple of minutes.

Holly cleared her throat and nodded, not trusting her voice. She looked away from the blonde seduction seated next to her and focused instead on the television, where the movie they had started and forgot about was playing quietly. She hoped the heat from her skin would dissipate quickly. She focused on eating and watching TV, but couldn't stop herself from stealing glances at the girl next to her who appeared to be steadily demolishing her food. Even the horrible eating habits weren't enough to turn Holly off. Ugh, what the hell was wrong with her? She shook off the thoughts and returned to eating.

Suddenly, their little cocoon was interrupted when they heard loud voices and music coming from above them.

"What the hell is that?" The blonde growled as she glanced up at the ceiling.

"Someone must be throwing a party." Holly guessed. It wasn't unusual on the weekends for some of the residents of the building to throw small parties on the roof. Though, this one seemed to be particularly loud.

"So much for a quiet night." The blonde complained. It sounded like a herd of elephants were above them and the music was even worse.

"Sorry, we could head somewhere else." Holly suggested.

But Gail shook her head, "Nah, I like it here, no roommates." She had that mischievous glint in her eye that Holly was becoming familiar with, only this time the look caused a pleasant flip of her stomach.

Holly smirked and turned the volume on the television up.

---

The girls had finished their food a while ago. They had started out innocently watching the movie, but that had quickly been forgotten when they ended up tangled up together on the couch. Neither girl would be able to tell you who made the first move but it didn't really matter now. Gail was on top of Holly dominating the kiss as the brunette tangled one hand in the long blonde locks while the other rested on the small of the girl's back playing with the hem of Gail's shirt.

Things were heating up quickly between the girls as they got lost in one another's kisses. When Gail felt Holly's cool fingers slip beneath her shirt and trail up and down her heated spine, the blonde decided she wanted more. She pulled back, straddling the brunette to pull off her shirt. Holly sat up too, letting her hands run up the smooth, ivory sides till her thumbs brushed the bottom of Gail's black lace bra. The blonde pulled her in for another heated kiss before pushing Holly onto her back once more.

As the girls' hips found a rhythm in time with their kisses, Holly slipped a thigh between the blonde's strong legs. As she pressed into Gail's core, she earned a loud moan and could feel Gail grind harder onto her leg. Holly lost all thought but to hear more, so she urged the blonde on.

Suddenly Gail pulled back, breathing heavily with a confused look on her face. It had taken a little while to register, considering how distracted she had been with the sexy brunette below her, but she had definitely felt something weird.

"Everything ok?" Holly immediately worried that she was pushing things too far, too fast.

She felt it again, "I'm getting wet."

"That's usually a good thing." Holly pointed out with a smirk.

Gail's flushed skin turned a deeper shade of red, "Shut up." She glanced up, "Your ceiling's leaking."

They both looked up. That's when they heard running, crashing, and laughing and the leak was getting worse, "What the hell?" Holly said. Another crash and more water hit the two girls. They got up from the couch and Gail grabbed her shirt. They headed up the stairs to see what the fuck was going on.

When they got to the roof they found that the partygoers had created a slip and slide on the roof by spraying the floor with water from buckets and soap on a bunch of garbage bags. Not only were the idiots drunk but they were also bruised and cut up from the shenanigans.

"Hey, what the hell are you guys doing?" Holly shouted to one of the guys as he threw another bucket of water onto the makeshift tarp.

"What does it look like? You want a turn." He gestured to where other people were lined and racing towards the wet plastic.

"No, we don't want a turn."

"Your loss." He traded the empty bucket for a full one that someone handed him.

Holly glared at the drunken idiot in front of her, "You guys need to knock this off, you're causing a leak in my ceiling."

"Aww come on we're just having a little fun."

"Yeah well moron, your fun is about to cost her a couch." Gail chimed in.

But the boy just shrugged indifferently, "Lighten up."

"Just stop with the water."

"Or what?"

The blonde narrowed her eyes at the drunk, "Or I'm going to shove that bucket up your ass." She warned.

"I think you need to cool off, Blondie." The guy threw the bucket of water on Gail, soaking her from head to toe.

"What the fuck?" Both Gail and Holly yelled at the same time.

But before the blonde could destroy the guy one of his friends intervened, shoving his friend away from the two girls.

"Jason you're a fucking asshole, what the hell is wrong with you? I am so sorry, Hols. Can I get your friend a towel? How about some drinks?"

Holly recognized her friend from her classes, "Ricky, you're the one throwing this party?"

"Well, technically Jason was throwing it, I just offered up our roof."

"Thanks for that, I now have a leak in my ceiling."

"And I'm fucking soaked." Gail growled as she brushed a hand through her wet hair.

"I'm really sorry, he's super drunk, and he's an idiot even when he's sober. I'll get the guys to clean this up mess. Are you sure I can't get you anything? Pretty girls like you shouldn't have to deal with our crap."

"No, we have better things to do." Gail bit out before she grabbed a hold of Holly's hand and dragged her back downstairs.

---

"Gail are you ok?" Holly asked as they reentered her apartment.

"It's just water. No worries, I'm not melting." The blonde quipped, her anger fading now that she was away from the idiots upstairs and alone with the brunette once more.

"I'm sorry, let me grab you something else to wear." Holly went over to her room to grab something dry for Gail to change into. The blonde followed but stopped in the doorway.

"So this is where the genius happens?" Gail joked as she glanced around Holly's room. It was super organized and neat to no one's surprise. She had a collection of books lining a makeshift book case, along with DVDs and CDs. Gail had no doubt that they were all in alphabetical order. The only thing that appeared to be a little messy was the desk, which had papers and books open on it the same way that the brunette spreads her things across the bench upstairs.

"Yeah, you like?"

"I do, it's very you."

"That's a good thing?"

"Well, I like you, so yeah," The blonde shrugged. Holly beamed a smile at the fact that Gail had said she liked her. She suddenly felt like a twelve-year-old hearing that a girl liked her for the first time, but she didn't care because who would when someone like Gail admitted such a thing.

"You're covered in goosebumps, you should change." Holly went to step out of the room but Gail was blocking her path. She pulled off the wet top, then reached behind her to undo her bra clasp.

"I think I might need you to warm me up." She dropped the wet top and bra to the ground.

Holly was frozen to the spot, drinking in the half naked girl before her. She wanted Gail in the worst way possible but she didn't want to rush things.

"Gail, are you sure?"

The blonde undid her jeans and shimmied out of them, "I'm beyond sure, Nerd." She kicked Holly's door shut before she moved over to the brunette and pulled the other girl flush against her. Her lips grazing Holly's as she whispered, "But if you don't want me..."

Holly's lips crashed into Gail's as she guided the blonde to her bed. The kiss broke as they settled on the bed. "Of course, I want you. Have you seen you?" She moved her attention from the tantalizing lips to the behind the blonde's ear, before she blazed a trail of hot open-mouthed kisses down Gail's neck. She stopped at the blonde's pulse point and sucked hard, enjoying the feeling of Gail's thundering heart rate against her tongue.

Gail's hands dug into Holly's back. "You're wearing too many clothes," The blonde breathlessly uttered. Holly pulled back and slowly undid the buttons on her top, watching as the stormy blue eyes that had haunted her dreams since their run in that summer turned darker with each button. Once they were all undone, Gail wasted no time puling the garment and the tank underneath from Holly's body and throwing them across the room.

She pulled her back in for another long kiss, their tongues battling for dominance, till air became a necessity. Holly returned her attention to the blonde's neck and started to move lower but before she reached more sensitive areas, they heard the door to the apartment slam shut halting Gail's fumbling attempts at Holly's bra clasp (she suddenly felt bad for some of her high school boyfriends).

"Hols, you home?" Rachel called out as she entered the apartment.

Holly paused for a moment, pulling away and suspending herself above the blonde. She looked like she was contemplating what to do.

"Don't answer." Gail whispered before pulling her back down for another kiss.

Holly broke the kiss, "Wasn't planning on it." Her hands moved up to palm Gail's breasts and the blonde barely suppressed her moan at the contact, as her hips involuntarily rose up into the brunette.

But they were distracted again. "What the hell?" They could hear Rachel in the living room. Chances were that she had noticed the ceiling. Then they heard footsteps get closer before the door opened. "Oh shit, sorry." Rachel apologized as she quickly caught a glimpse of her half naked friend straddling the other girl before slamming the door shut.

The two girls started laughing. Their luck was incredible.

"Hold this thought," Holly said as she dismounted the blonde and headed into the living room in only her bra and jeans.

Gail watched her go and tried to control her groan of displeasure at the lost of contact. She couldn't hear the muffled voices of the two girls, but Holly returned quickly.

"She told me to lock the door next time." Holly informed the blonde as she closed the door behind her before doing just that.

"And what did you say?" The blonde asked, she propped herself on her elbows as she admired Holly's body from across the room.

Holly had to lean against the door for support as she caught sight of the almost naked girl in her bed, the black panties only fueling the desire that was pulsing through Holly and throbbing in certain areas. She licked her lips before responding, "I told her to knock." But Holly remained rooted to her spot as she just drank in the image of Gail in her bed, burning it to her memory.

"You going to stand there all day?" The blonde bombshell taunted in a seductive voice.

Holly quickly moved to the bed but Gail stopped her before she reached her destination, "Freeze." Holly stopped in her tracks. "You're still wearing too much clothes." She gestured to the brunette's pants. "Those have got to go."

Holly did as she was commanded before sliding back on top of the blonde and kissing her soundly. "Where were we?"

Gail flipped them over, "I could show you." She said before attacking the brunette's neck.

"Not to interrupt, but do you have any idea what you're doing?" Holly teased before letting out a moan as Gail bit the sensitive spot behind her ear as she pressed a thigh to the brunette's heated core, feeling her through the thin material of her panties.

"Trust me, Nerd, I have plenty of ideas."

---

The two girls laid in a tangled mess of sheets, both girls working to catch their breaths.

"That was...intense." Gail said as she pushed her hair back from her sweaty forehead.

"Intense in a good way?" Holly asked as she propped her head on her elbow as she laid on her side. The sheets barely covering her.

"A very good way." Gail quickly assured her. "Was it...ummm...good for you?" The blonde shyly asked as she quickly became self-conscious about her own clumsy first attempt to bring Holly to an orgasm, after the way the brunette had expertly brought her up and over the precipice not once but twice.

"Very good." The brunette assured her as she placed a kiss to Gail's exposed shoulder. As much as she liked shy Gail, the freshman had nothing to worry about. Other than some initial awkwardness, Gail had been very attentive and responsive, quickly figuring out what Holly liked.

"Good."

"You're saying that a lot." Holly teased.

Gail smirked, "You're right, I shouldn't really be talking right now."

Holly cocked an eyebrow, "Oh no?" She asked as she quirked a crooked smile.

"Nope."

"Then what should you be doing?"

Gail rolled the brunette onto her back once more, and pinned her hands above her head. "Showing you how excellent of a student I can be." She purred before attacking Holly's lips once more.

---

After another round of incredible sex, both girls laid limp and finally satiated.

"You're right, you are an excellent student." Holly conceded.

Gail laughed, "Well, it's easy when you have an excellent teacher."

"Mmmhmm." The brunette had her eyes closed and was struggling to hold onto consciousness as her breathing started to even out and deepen.

Gail noticed that the other girl was starting to drift off to sleep and she could feel that her body wanted to do the same but she couldn't let it. Not yet anyway, she couldn't fall asleep in Holly's bed. Not when her dreams were still something out of her control.

"I should get going," Gail said softly and started to pull herself up.

The sudden movement caused Holly to open her eyes once more, "It's late." She pointed out as she glanced at the clock. She hadn't really considered the possibility that Gail might leave after they had sex, but now she was, and Holly had to admit that the feeling wasn't great.

"I know, that's why I should head home."

"Oh..ummm..." Gail turned to look at her expectantly. Holly moved onto her side once more so she could face the blonde, "You umm don't have to if you don't want to. Leave, I mean. You can stay if you want." Holly tripped over her own words as she made the offer.

"I know," Gail assured her and pressed a quick kiss to her lips, "But I have to get up early in the morning so I should really sleep in my own bed." Gail didn't have anything to do in the morning but she had to think of some excuse. She couldn't admit to Holly that she had nightmares, and lately they had been almost nightly.

Holly just nodded, trying to mask her disappointment.

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Gail asked with her back to the brunette as she collected her clothes from around the room and got dressed once more. Her top was still wet from the idiot on the roof.

"Not sure, definitely study, probably do some laundry, maybe go grocery shopping."

"Well, if you want any company, text me. I don't have work till late evening." She wanted to see the brunette again, no matter what they were doing, though if they could have a repeat of tonight she would be all for it.

Holly studied the blonde as she finished getting ready. She didn't understand how she could be leaving but at the same time be asking to hang out the next day. But she was too tired to think too much about it. "Ok."

Gail turned to look at the brunette as she finished getting ready. Holly had one leg exposed as the sheet was tangled around her. She was resting her head on one arm and her long raven locks were a sexy mess of tangles. "You have to stop looking like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like that?" Gail gestured wildly to the other girl, "So damn sexy, or I'm never going to leave."

Holly smirked, "Maybe that's the point." Gail couldn't resist as she went in for another kiss, which Holly deepened and tried to pull the blonde back on the bed.

Gail pulled back before she lost all of her bearings once more, "I really have to go."

"Want me to walk you out?" Holly asked, sitting up in the bed but keeping the sheet tucked around her.

"No." Gail shook her head adamantly, "If you did that then you would have to get dressed and you should never wear clothes again." How she had never noticed how truly incredible Holly's body was was beyond her. She was an amazing combination of toned muscles, soft skin, and mesmerizing curves.

Holly laughed, and Gail's stomach flipped at the sound once more, "I think I might get in trouble for public indecency if I did that."

"It would be worth it, trust me, plus you might not have a choice if I torch your closet." Gail half-jokingly warned. Though she was serious that the brunette should never cover that amazing body ever again.

"Too much fleece?"

"And backpacks." Gail joked. She leaned in for one more kiss goodnight but kept it brief. "I'll text you when I get home."

Holly watched the blonde leave and she laid back with a sigh. That girl was a walking contradiction.

Gail was still riding her sex high as she grabbed her jacket and boots on her way out the door that she didn't notice Lisa who had just made it back to her room with a drink of water. But the med student certainly noticed her.

---

Anderson couldn't sleep. She had already tried distracting herself with music and a movie but those hadn't been enough of a diversion. Even binge watching Netflix shows wasn't working. So she decided to do the only thing she could think of to help her fall asleep: homework. Of course she had left most of her books in her car so even though it was almost 2am she decided to head out to grab at least one to bore herself with.

"No fucking way." Frankie growled as she opened the front door.

Her voice caused the kissing couple blocking the doorway to quickly break apart.

"Frankie, it's not what you think." Juliet breathlessly explained as her face flushed with embarrassment.

"Oh, it's exactly what I think." The senior snarled.

"Umm, I should go, talk later." Nick gave Juliet a quick kiss on the cheek as he took off in the direction of his house. He nodded at Frankie who just glared at him intensely. She finally understood why the boy had finally stopped hitting on Gail and had seemed to be sucking up to her at the Penny earlier.

She redirected her attention to her friend, "You've got some fucking nerve, Jules."

"Seriously Frankie, it's not like that." Juliet pleaded with her friend to understand.

"Not like what? Not like you're hooking up with Nick, the same guy who hooked up with not one, but two freshmen in our house, who has been the source of drama between them all year and who knows how long before that?" Frankie asked incredulously. She couldn't believe that one of her best friends could seriously be so stupid.

"Him and Gail have been over for years." Juliet replied weakly. She knew that even though that was true whatever animosity had existed between them was still around. Even though Gail had been making more of an effort to tolerate both Nick and Andy, it was still tense whenever they were together.

"Good, then you'll have no problem telling her." Frankie told the other senior flatly.

"I don't think that's really necessary, do you?" Juliet would rather eat glass than have that conversation with the cantankerous blonde.

"Come on Jules, you're all about honesty. What happened to drama free senior year? Or is that only true when it comes to me." Frankie's unyielding glare was piercing right through her friend.

"You know why we made that pact in the first place. We both needed to avoid getting into situations that just make things worse." For Juliet that meant not turning in good friends for dealing drugs. For Frankie it meant not breaking the hearts of the people they lived with.

"Make all the excuses you want, but you're a fucking hypocrite and I can't believe that I've actually been trying to keep my end of the deal."

The other brunette shifted from defense to offense, "Really? Messing around with Chloe and then ignoring her has been keeping up your end." Juliet wasn't fooled; she knew that Frankie had been playing with fire all year, even if she hadn't sealed the deal yet.

"I've tried to keep my distance like we agreed but I guess the rules only apply to me."

"It's not the same thing, Frankie, it's not like he lives with us." The whole point of the drama free senior year had been to prevent Frankie from hooking up with one of their housemates and causing an issue in the house when she inevitably broke her heart.

"No, he just lives next door, with boys that are like brothers to us, oh yeah and he's our fucking housemate's ex! I may have done a lot of stupid things over the years, Jules, but I think you managed to beat me this time."

"Come on Frankie, it just happened, I can't help it that I actually like him. This could be something serious." Juliet had been developing feelings for Nick for a while as they had gotten to know each other. She had tried to fight it but it hadn't worked, the boy was incredibly charming and persistent when he wanted to be.

"Right, serious, that's what makes it different? It's something real? Something I'm not capable of?" Frankie was hurt, not only by her friend's words but the fact that she would break their promise.

Juliet looked apologetic, "I didn't say that. But it's not something you've been looking for."

"You have no idea what I've been looking for." Frankie bit back, allowing her anger to overshadow any pain she was feeling.

"Maybe because you won't actually talk to me about it." The other senior fired back. Frankie had been avoiding her for a while now and even when they talked she knew that her friend was always holding back. It had never been that way between them, but recently things had changed.

But Frankie deflected, turning the focus back to Juliet, "Really, you're the one that's been skulking around."

"I have not been skulking." Juliet continued to defend herself in vain.

"Whatever, I don't care. Tell Gail or I will." Frankie warned one last time.

"Tell me what?" The blonde appeared on the walkway interrupting the argument between the two seniors. She had only caught the tail end of the conversation but her interest was obviously piqued since it apparently concerned her.

"Nothing important," Juliet quickly explained. "Frankie was just reminding me to tell you about the fundraiser I'm helping with next month."

"Umm alright," Gail watched as the senior booked it into the house.

"You're home late."

"Thanks for waiting up, Mom." The blonde teased as she brushed past her friend on her way to the kitchen for some water.

Frankie let out a long, frustrated sigh as she continued towards her car. Now she was really not going to be able to sleep tonight.

---

Gail headed up to her room with a bottle of water and a spring in her step. She hopped into the shower before throwing on some pajamas and climbing into bed. That night, for the first time all week she didn't have any nightmares. No, instead her heart was racing when she woke up with a smile after images of crooked smiles, and tongues, teeth, and skillful hands playing her body like an instrument, had invaded her mind in a mix of memory and imagination. It was the best dream she had had in forever.

---

Early Sunday afternoon, Chloe was heading out the door to meet the boys for lunch. She could hear Chris beeping his horn, telling her to hurry up. She had just grabbed her bag, when she felt a hand on her wrist tug her back. She turned around to see Frankie with a oddly serious look in her eye.

"Can we talk for a sec?" The senior asked as she reluctantly released Chloe's arm. Touching the freshman had sent a spark right through her.

"What's on your mind, Frankie?" The redhead was curious about what the senior wanted from her but she was still cautious after their row the night before.

"Dancing." The senior told her simply. After spending the entire night tossing and turning, thinking about everything that had happened that semester and everything she had talked to Holly about, she had ended up not being able to stop thinking about the redhead dancing in the kitchen. Which was how she knew what she had to do now.

Chloe wasn't sure what exactly Anderson meant by that. "You want to dance?" She tried to clarify.

Frankie moved a little closer to the redhead, as she softened her voice, "I was thinking we could go out dancing, maybe grab some food first." She elaborated, a smile waiting to bust out, but she kept her features schooled.

Chloe's face scrunched up in confusion, "I need to be really clear about something cause a lot of what you're saying, not gonna lie, makes it-"

But Frankie cut her off, "Yes, Muppet, I asked you out." She wanted to make this clear. Yes, Frankie Anderson was finally asking Chloe Price out on a date.

"What changed?" Chloe was still wary that this was some kind of ruse.

Everything. The night before had changed everything as far as Frankie was concerned so she was finally making her move. "I had promised someone something but it turns out that it wasn't worth it." If Juliet could break their promise then so could Frankie.

"But dancing with me is worth breaking this promise?" Chloe asked with a sparkle in her eyes and a coy smile playing on her lips.

Frankie lowered her voice as she looked at the redhead seriously, her eyes traveling from the warm hazel eyes to those addictive lips and back up. "I think you are more than worth it."

Chloe leaned in closer, never breaking eye contact as she whispered each word slowly against Frankie's lips, "You have no idea." She paused for a moment to see that her words had the desired effect and she was rewarded as she noticed the senior's eyes darken with desire before she slipped past Frankie and opened the door. She turned back in the doorway, "It's about time, Frankie Anderson." She called out before she sauntered away.

Damn that was sexy. Frankie turned around to head back to her room, not realizing that she was smiling until she saw the smug look on Gail's face at the top of the stairs, and felt her smile vanish.

"Smooth, Anderson." The blonde applauded the senior for the little display.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't." Gail smirked at her friend from the stairs. Before adopting a serious expression. "Don't hurt her," she warned the senior.

"What makes you so sure I'll be the one who does the hurting?" Frankie asked, crossing her arms in defense.

"What makes you so sure you're the only one I'm warning?" Gail countered as she made her way to the kitchen. Frankie didn't argue back, she was a little surprised that the blonde would be willing to warn her roommate for her. Maybe, they were friends.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a the freshman changing the subject, "So what were you really arguing with Juliet about?"

The guilt pooled in her stomach, as Frankie thought back to what she walked in on, but Juliet should be the one to tell the blonde, "You have to ask her."

But Gail was undeterred, "I'm asking you."

"Not my thing to tell." Frankie maintained before shifting the focus. "How was hanging out with Holly last night? I'm guessing pretty good based on your smile and walk of shame."

"Oh, trust me, Anderson, there is no shame in my game."

---

A/N: Merry Christmas, dear readers, hope you liked this and that you have a safe and Happy Holidays