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?

18. Chapter 18

Ch. 18

A/N: As always, I appreciate you, my dear readers, for reading, following, favoriting, and of course, reviewing, especially the reminders that people haven't forgotten about this story. I contemplated cutting this chapter short just to be able to post it faster but it felt incomplete. So to make up for the extremely long wait, you all get an extremely long chapter. Anyway, I love hearing what you think so don't hold back...

---

Frankie watched her friend carefully. The blonde definitely had an extra bounce in her step and could barely contain the smile that kept gracing her lips. "So you and Holly finally had sex." Frankie stated more as an observation than a question.

The smile on Gail's face immediately dropped, she frowned into the barren fridge where she had been trying to scrounge up something to eat, annoyed by the lack of food and the conversation (but mostly the conversation). She didn't appreciate the intrusion into her personal life. "That's none of your business, Anderson."

"Oh come on Peck, it's written all over your face." Frankie loved pushing her friend's buttons, which was actually strangely difficult to do. Gail had a strong poker face and wasn't easily riled up by stupid things but the topic of Holly always seemed to be the one thing that she couldn't mask her feelings about.

Gail wiped her face of all emotions; it was quite impressive, before she asked, "What makes you say that?" She wanted to know what the senior thought she knew.

Frankie gave her a don't-be-dense look. "Seriously? I don't think I've seen you smile that big in the whole time you've been living here. And that includes the time you kicked the Idiots-Next-Door's assess at video games and won two dozen doughnuts. You're practically Price-levels of happy right now."

Gail's blank expression shifted into a glare directed at the senior, "I know that turns you on, but that's just gross. Don't compare me to my roommate." She ducked back into the fridge, hoping food would magically appear and Frankie would disappear or at least stop her annoying questions.

No such luck.

"That wasn't a denial. So you two are sleeping together?" Frankie gloatingly smiled, knowing she was right.

"Technically, there was no sleeping involved."

"Fair enough," That was sufficient confirmation for now but the mention of sleep set Frankie off on another trail of questioning, "So, why did you come home last night?"

Gail didn't appreciate her friend's tone. It sounded more like an accusation than a legitimate question and Frankie had some nerve considering she was the queen of hitting-it-and-quitting-it, not that Gail had any intention of quitting Holly. Still, the blonde hated hypocrites, "Really Anderson? You want to judge me."

Frankie shrugged, "I just didn't expect the two of you to do the whole casual sex thing." She knew Holly and thought she had a pretty good read on Gail, neither one was really the casual type. Hell, the blonde had basically been celibate the entire semester when she could have easily picked up anybody she wanted.

"Why?" The freshman asked through narrowed eyes. She didn't really want to continue satisfying Anderson's desire to play detective but she was acutely aware that the senior knew Holly longer than she had, so she might be able to gleam some important information from this interrogation by letting Anderson talk.

It seemed like a frivolous question to Frankie, she had eyes after all. "I've seen the two of you together, hell, anytime one of you gets mentioned to the other you get a stupid look on your face," Even as they were talking now there was an extra spark to the blue eyes that only seemed to exist when Holly was in the picture. "You don't act like fuck buddies."

The blonde sighed as she closed the fridge door, still empty-handed, "Look, I kinda think the only person who needs to know how I feel about Holly, is Holly."

"And does she know? Because girls like Holly don't like being left alone in bed. It tends to send messages."

So do texts, which was why Gail had messaged the brunette that morning to see what she was up to that day. Before leaving Holly's bed she had purposefully tried to let her know that she wanted to continue hanging out, but she had still thought it was a good idea to try again this morning, especially if what Frankie was saying was true. Plus, Holly had texted her first the day before so it was only fair that she reached out that day. She checked her phone again, but she still hadn't gotten a response, maybe Anderson was right.

---

Holly had woken the next morning with her muscles deliciously sore. She smiled just thinking about the night before. Sure, it hadn't ended the way she thought it would considering she wasn't used to waking up alone after sex but she tried not to dwell on that fact. It was easy enough when she thought of the sexy blonde, the way those electric blue eyes had darkened when they eagerly roamed Holly's body, or the way she bit her plump bottom lip as Holly had kissed her way down the pale body, or any of the titillating sounds she had made as Holly took her time figuring out what it took to get her to scream her name. And it was precisely those thoughts that allowed Holly to fall back to sleep rather than getting up at her usual early time to study.

It was nearly noon by the time the medical student awoke again. She went to check her phone but it was dead, having forgotten to charge it the night before when it was discarded across the room with the rest of her clothes. She plugged it in before finally abandoning her bed in search of a caffeine fix.

"So you finally bedded the blonde. Did you get it out of your system?" Lisa's condescending tone cut through the apartment as she pounced on her roommate the second the brunette emerged from her bedroom. She had been waiting since she watched Gail exit the apartment the night before to grill Holly.

Holly ignored her roommate as she walked over to the kitchen, immediately regretting her decision to leave her quiet room and comfortable bed. She hoped that by not responding Lisa would take the hint and drop it. Or at the very least get bored only talking to herself.

But Lisa was undeterred by the silence, "Look, I get it, she is gorgeous. I mean it's still not going to last." She was convinced that Gail would end up hurting Holly, girls like her were heartbreakers, it was plain as day, but she needed to convince her friend of this without saying so or she would just dig her heels in more.

"Wow, I think this is a new record for rash judgment even for you. Congrats. I haven't even had my coffee yet." Holly finished pouring herself a cup that she held up in mock salute to her friend before taking a sip.

"It's noon." Lisa pointed out, before returning back to the more important objective of getting the other brunette to see how poor of a choice pursuing a relationship with the bartender would be. "Holly, she's what? Nineteen? Twenty? How serious can this be?"

"I'm only twenty."

"Yeah, but look at all you've accomplished at the same age. Hol, you're going to be a doctor and Gail, she's lovely and you know she's fine, but sweetie, she's a bartender."

"You do realize that she's a student at the University and is only working part-time, she's not going to be a bartender forever?" She couldn't fathom why her friend harped on the fact that Gail worked at the Penny. The ability of the blonde to work a job on top of both majors and still get the high marks she did was not only impressive, but a turn on to Holly.

"No, she's going to be...what exactly? A beatcop?" How her friend could go from someone like Jess who was practically a doctor to a freshman in college was inconceivable to Lisa.

"So?" Holly made a face at her friend, not understanding what her point was. What was so wrong with dating someone who wanted to be a cop?

"So, you're out of her league."

"Oh," Holly replied quietly as she rolled her eyes and shook her head, the smile on her face shifted from one of challenge to one of annoyance as Lisa's words sunk in. She didn't believe them for a second but she could see what type of conversation this was going to be. Lisa came from a family of doctors. She was spoilt and elitist, just like her parents. But Holly still tried to get Lisa to see that she was being excessively haughty. "Since when do you have a problem with cops?"

"I don't have a problem with cops. I respect what they do, putting their lives on the line for other people, and if an injured cop came into the hospital I would obviously go above and beyond to help them but Holly that doesn't mean you should date one, especially not seriously."

"You dated Frankie and she has always made it clear that she wants to be a cop."

"Yeah, and then a detective, but you know as well as I do that Frankie and me were never serious, she was just a good lay. But I know you, Hol, you get attached."

The way that Lisa was dismissing Gail was irking Holly. Especially the way she said detective, like it was somehow more worthy. Lisa didn't know about Gail's family, how accomplished they were, or how well known the Peck family name was in policing, but she wasn't about to get into any of that with her friend. It wasn't her business, plus, Gail still had her whole life ahead of her to decide what she wanted to do and even if it was to be a 'beatcop' forever, that was still a noble profession. She knew her arguments though were falling on deaf ears. "Lisa, I appreciate the concern for my feelings but don't assume things. Plus, I'm a big girl I can make my own decisions."

"Look, I get it, after Jess, you want something that's uncomplicated and simple."

And there it was, the mention of Holly's ex and one of Lisa's best friends. Holly needed to extricate herself from this conversation as quickly and painlessly as possible. So, she said the first thing that she could think of that would placate Lisa and hopefully get her off her back.

"I'm having fun, don't worry about it."

It was true. Holly was definitely having fun with Gail, and technically they weren't dating so there was no harm in downplaying her feelings for the blonde. Lisa didn't know how much the freshman had infiltrated her thoughts; it was nobody's business but theirs.

"Well, have your fun but, I mean, get out before she gets hurt."

"No one's going to get hurt." Holly heard the sound of her phone getting a new message in her room. So she went to answer it, finally having an excuse to get away from the conversation and the judgment. She couldn't help the smile she got when she thought that it might be Gail.

"Well, we'll see." Lisa replied as she watched her friend bounce over to her room to retrieve her phone. She had seen the smile and she knew why it was there. She wasn't happy about it; her friend was in way deeper than she would admit.

---

"Hey," Holly opened the door to her apartment to greet her visitor. She had responded quickly to Gail's message, after apologizing for not getting it earlier, she was more than eager to hang out again and glad that the other girl had been the one to reach out.

"Hey," Gail greeted with a smile but she let it turn to a frown as her blue eyes raked over the brunette.

The smile on Holly's face dropped as well at the look on the other girl's face, "What's wrong?"

Gail looked up at Holly, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Didn't we have a conversation about you wearing clothes?"

The crooked smile returned to Holly's features. "We did."

"And yet you're wearing them." Gail pointed at her accusingly.

"Well, if I didn't put them on then you wouldn't be able to take them off."

Gail took a step closer, invading Holly's space as she placed her hands on curvy hips, "That's an interesting theory, but I think we need to test it out." She slowly closed the gap between them, wanting nothing more than to kiss Holly and take her to bed, again. They were only a breath apart when their bubble was burst.

"Oh good, it's the Bartender." Lisa snidely remarked, making a face at the pair in the doorway.

"Lisa..." Holly was ready to admonish her friend for her rude tone. She was also annoyed by the interruption, why couldn't people wait another couple of minutes, or better yet, keep their mouths shut?

Gail took Lisa's attitude and matched it in stride, "Hello to you too, Boob Job"

"Gail!" Holly's turned her look of admonishment to the blonde this time. She knew Lisa had started it, but she didn't want things to escalate, especially if the other med student started spouting her nonsense theories about her and Gail's 'relationship'. So, she reached for the blonde's arm. "Come on, let's go." She pulled Gail out into the hallway after throwing a good-bye over her shoulder to Lisa. They headed downstairs and got into Holly's car, once they were alone she asked, "Can you play nice, please?"

The blonde just shrugged, "That was me playing nice, Frankie calls her BitchTits."

Holly snorted a laugh as she started up her car and started heading to their destination.

---

"You know when you said I could come over, I was thinking we were going to hang out in your room." Gail mentioned casually, she used the shopping cart like a scooter as she followed Holly throughout the store. They had already been shopping for a while with Gail providing commentary on Holly's healthy food choices.

"I told you last night that I needed groceries." The brunette pointed out as she inspected the granola bars. Making her decision she tossed it in the cart and directed them to the next aisle.

"Yeah, but I was hoping you would've done that already."

"Why?" Holly asked absentmindedly; she was looking at some snacks, searching for anything that wasn't filled with fat and artificial sugar.

Gail walked up behind Holly and slipped her hand under her shirt, immediately seeking out the belly ring that she had enjoyed playing with the night before. "Because there are better things we could be doing." She whispered into the taller girl's ear as she smiled impishly.

Holly couldn't stop the shudder that ran down her spine at the touch of the other girl, but she tried to keep her voice steady, "Well, the faster we get this done, the faster we can be doing those things." Gail sighed as she released Holly and returned to the cart. "Plus, we're going to need fuel." The brunette added with a smirk.

"Good point," Gail conceded as she dropped cheesepuffs into the cart as they made their way through the snack aisle.

"Seriously?" Holly asked as she eyeballed the package, she contemplated pointing out how many artificial ingredients were in the thing.

Gail grinned widely, "As a heart attack."

"Which is what you're going to have eating crap like that. Those are not real food."

The blonde looked affronted, "Of course they are."

"They have zero nutritional value."'

"They fulfill my orange quota for the day."

"Oh, so you base your eating habits on colors."

"Aren't you the one always trying to get me to eat green?"

"Because it's good for you."

"Well, you can keep your rabbit food." She threw another bag in for good measure, while Holly rolled her eyes and continued steering them throughout the store.

They had split up when Gail heard their voices. Damn it, her housemates appeared to be doing their shopping as well. She had been looking for Holly who had gone off to grab something she had forgotten from one of the aisles they had already been to while Gail continued to grab things off her list. There wasn't much she could do as she rounded the corner and was spotted.

"Hey Roomie, what are you doing here?" Chloe cheerily greeted her roommate as she bounced over and pulled her into a hug.

Gail immediately shoved the redhead away with a grimace. The way the perky girl acted you would think they hadn't seen one another in years, when it hadn't been more than a couple of hours. "What does it look like?" She growled, still annoyed with the physical contact.

"You never go food shopping." Andy pointed out. They had been friends for forever and getting the blonde to shop for anything that wasn't weapons or shoes was like pulling teeth.

"I'm not." Gail said simply, though the full cart in front of her seemed to imply otherwise.

The three girls gave her a skeptical look but Chloe was the one to speak up, "Could've fooled us. So if you're not grocery shopping, why are you here?"

"Because I needed food." Holly supplied as she rounded the corner and met up with the small group.

After everyone exchanged hellos, Chloe immediately teased her roommate. "Oh, so you'll do it for Holly but not for any of us. We've been starving all week."

"Damn straight." Gail replied with a head nod.

"Interesting choice of words." Andy joked.

"Shut it, McNally." Gail bit out as she glared at the other girl causing Andy to gulp.

But Traci, like Chloe, wasn't intimidated by the blonde, "You know Holly, this one over here hasn't gone grocery shopping this entire year." Gail's friend explained with a smile.

"I employ Price, it's a business arrangement." Gail immediately went to justify her actions, glaring at Traci for the reveal but the dark-skinned girl just smiled brighter at her.

"And yet, you're here right now, interesting." Chloe chimed in, smiling just as widely as Traci. The girls were relentless in their teasing, it wasn't often they had something to make the blonde squirm, but the med student seemed to be the only one able to crack the normally frosty exterior.

As pleased as Holly was with this revelation she could see that the other girls' teasing was taking its toll on the blonde. She didn't like seeing Gail so uncomfortable so she politely extricated them both from the group to continue shopping.

As they were walking through the aisle, Gail kept stealing glances at the brunette who hadn't stopped smiling since her idiot friends opened their traps. She knew the girl was thinking something but she had yet to say anything about what they had revealed. She let out a sigh, "Go on, say it."

Holly glanced over the blonde, her smile getting slightly bigger and more crooked, "Say what?"

"Whatever it is you're thinking."

"I'm thinking that I should really get some ice cream, think you could help with that?"

The grumpy look on Gail's face vanished as she smiled widely at the brunette. She had fully expected Holly to tease her about her friend's remarks or at least comment on them. But instead she was giving Gail a much needed out, which she gladly accepted.

"Well, we don't want you picking any weird healthy frozen treats so I guess I could give you some advice."

"How kind of you."

"I think I should get some extra rewards for my kindness."

"That could be arranged." Holly replied with a wink as she lead them to the ice cream aisle, with an extra swing to her hips.

---

When the freshmen, minus Gail, had returned to the house they bumped into Juliet who was heading to the gym. Traci and Andy decided to join her, while Chloe opted to start dinner. She hadn't really cooked all week and was tired of all the takeout. She thought she had the house to herself so she tossed her hair up in a messy bun, grabbed her music and an apron before she started getting her ingredients ready. She had been at it for a while and was almost ready to throw everything in the oven when she heard the front door slam and felt someone come up behind her.

Frankie had just gotten back from hanging out with Sammy and Jerry. The senior boys had been on her case about not spending any time with them, so when they were heading to the gym, and Juliet was not going for once, she agreed to join them. She hadn't expected to come home to a warm house filled with delicious smells, but that could only mean one thing. She glanced into the kitchen and sure enough there was the Muppet, lost in her own world, swaying gently to the music playing as she cooked. She couldn't resist saying hello, so she slipped her hands onto the chef's waist. "Smells good." Frankie whispered in the redhead's ear as she stood at the stove stirring something in the saucepan.

"Thanks." Chloe smiled as she felt the older girl flex her fingers into her hips a little more.

"The food does too." Frankie added as she ghosted her lips along Chloe's exposed neck.

The redhead shuddered at the feeling of Frankie's breath on her neck. "Smooth." She said with a smirk.

"I try."

Chloe turned around, shifting Frankie's hold to the small of her back. "Want a taste?"

"I thought you'd never ask." Frankie smirked as she leaned in for a kiss.

But the redhead turned her head slightly, dodging the senior's lips. "Nice try, but I meant the food." She held the spoon with the sample to the other girl's lips and smirked cockily when a moan escaped Frankie's lips. "You're going to have to wait if you want a taste of something else." Chloe added before turning back to the stove. She wanted to give in to the other girl. Really, she did. It had been months since she had had sex, months since she had felt another person's touch. Months that she had wanted Frankie, really ever since her break-up, a want that worsened every time the senior was hot and cold with her. She was well beyond the point of craving Frankie, no it was more like a...more like an itch...Chloe had an itch that needed to be scratched, and she was very, very itchy. And even though she knew that sounded gross, it didn't even begin to explain the grossness that was happening in her head. Still, she knew that playing coy was just going to drive Frankie that much crazier and she couldn't resist the effect she had on the other girl.

"Till when?" The older girl asked as she continued to hover near the stove. She knew the cook was teasing her but she didn't mind giving in this time.

"When are you taking me out?" Chloe asked turning around to lean against the counter after she sprinkled something else into the pot.

"How about Thursday?"

"I could probably squeeze you in."

"Now that that's settled..." Frankie returned her hands to those glorious hips and tugged the freshman till she was flush against her. Chloe was biting the corner of her lip still trying to restrain herself from giving into Frankie, but her resolve was nearly gone. So when Frankie leaned in, Chloe was ready for the kiss, what she didn't expect was for the senior to nip at the other corner of her lip. It caused the redhead to jump a little and gasp.

"What the hell?" The freshman reached up to brush her fingers over the spot that had just been bitten.

Frankie smirked, "You're the one who said I had to wait."

She had. So this time, Chloe leaned into Frankie's lips, "Waiting's overrated," she told the older girl but they couldn't connect before the sound of the door broke the moment and caused both girls to jump this time. Frankie was the one to move back and put distance between the two of them, as usual, Chloe's expressive face shifted from lust to disappointment.

"God, that smells good, Chloe." Traci called out as she entered the house with Andy and Juliet in tow, they were still in their sweaty workout gear.

"Thanks." The redhead replied, although the last thing she wanted to do was thank the interlopers. She forced a smile.

"Seriously, at the rate you feed us we're all going to gain the Freshman 15." Andy complained as she grabbed water from the fridge for each of the girls, oblivious to the moment they had shattered. She passed a bottle to Traci and Juliet who were perched near the doorway.

"That's why we go to the gym. Plus, my cooking is a lot better for us than the crap we've been eating all week." Chloe countered as she gestured with the wooden spoon in her hand, chastising the other girl for her criticism.

Andy held her hands up in defeat, "Good point."

"You all can get cleaned up, dinner won't be ready for a while." Chloe shooed them away from the kitchen minus the senior who was standing statuesque in the corner of the kitchen. She hadn't said a word to any of the girls, preferring simply to show her displeasure with their presence with her usual scowl.

"Shotty the shower," Traci called out as she raced Andy up the stairs.

But Juliet and Frankie stayed where they were, Frankie leaning against a counter in the kitchen and the other brunette hovering in the doorway.

"Got a minute, Frankie?" Juliet asked with a head tilt indicating that she wanted to speak alone. She needed to talk to her friend and knew the other senior had been ignoring her all day, no matter how many times she knocked on her door.

"No." Frankie replied as her green eyes shifted into a glare as she crossed her arms in front of her chest defensively.

"Frankie." Juliet said her name pleadingly.

"Juliet." Frankie replied mockingly but still not budging.

"Whatever." She knew she would get nowhere when her friend was in one of these moods, so Juliet decided to head upstairs to their shower.

Chloe had watched the interaction between the seniors with poorly concealed interest. She knew that something was going on between the two of them. They had been thick as thieves in the beginning of the year, and the senior boys had said that the two had been practically inseparable since freshman year. But everyone had noticed the change. The two were barely seen together anymore, and it wasn't just Frankie doing the disappearing.

"Are you pissed at Juliet because she's dating Nick?" Chloe asked bluntly, wondering if that was why Frankie seemed to be so annoyed with her friend, not that she could understand how the relationship between the senior girl and junior boy could get under her skin so much.

"You know?"

"I'm basically Nick's BFF, and besides, they're always sneaking off. And when you question one about the other they try to be all evasive but they fail miserably. He's the only one to not do the whole no shave thing for November and that's because he's in a new relationship. It's pretty obvious." That had been the ultimate confirmation for Chloe, when she called Nick out on the shaving thing. He had tried to deny it but he could never pull one over on his little buddy, try as he might.

"But you haven't told Gail?"

"Why would I?"

"She's your roommate and he's her ex."

"And it's not my business to tell. But you should talk to Juliet. We can't help who we fall for CrankyPants." She pressed a kiss to the other girl's cheek as she headed up to her room to grab something to read. She had already set the timer on the oven and shut off the stovetop. It would be a while for the food to cook.

Frankie let out a sigh as she brushed her hand over her light brown ponytail. She knew the freshman was right, but it didn't stop her from being pissed at Juliet. She just couldn't get past the hypocrisy. How many times had Juliet reminded her of their deal whenever she caught Frankie's gaze lingering on their housemate or the two girls a little closer than usual? Meanwhile, Juliet had been traipsing around with Nick and keeping it hidden from everyone. She may not want to face her friend but she needed a shower too so she headed up the steps.

Juliet had just been about to hop in the bathroom when she caught the other senior in the hallway between their rooms. "Frankie, seriously, just give me five minutes." She tried to appeal to her friend.

Frankie stopped and leaned against the wall, crossing her arms in defiance. "Why should I, Jules?"

Juliet shook her head, "So that's how it's going to be?" Her friend was being particularly stubborn and the more she dug her heels in, the less patience Juliet had.

"It's what you turned it into." Frankie shot back.

"I didn't do anything Frankie, other than get involved with a guy that I'm interested in." Juliet wished her friend could understand, she knew that for over a year now it hadn't been easy for Juliet to find someone who didn't judge her or know her as the girl who turned in one of the most popular kids in school, someone who happened to be a good friend of hers. With Nick, she didn't have that problem because he just transferred in. So why couldn't Frankie just be happy for her?

But to Frankie that wasn't the point, "That's bullshit and you know it or you would be flaunting your relationship, instead of hiding it." Juliet had one of the strongest senses of right and wrong, it was something that Frankie admired. Hiding this was out of character. "At the very least you would have told me about it." Frankie pointed out to her friend. How many times had they talked about crushes and (in)significant others? So, if Nick was really someone serious, shouldn't she have told her best friend?

"Is that what's pissing you off so much, Frankie, that I didn't tell you?" Juliet asked but she didn't believe it.

That was definitely part of it; the other part was that Frankie was still bitter that she had wasted time pushing Chloe away out of some skewed sense of loyalty that clearly Juliet didn't share. But she didn't like admitting her feelings so she shrugged, "What else would it be?"

"Oh, I don't know, could be that you just want an excuse to break our agreement."

"That agreement is complete and utter crap."

"Right, because there was no basis for it. You've never broken one of our housemates' hearts by using her and then dropping her, leaving us short on rent."

"Lucky for me, doesn't really matter anymore now, does it?"

"Fine Frankie, go right ahead, there's nothing stopping you from turning Chloe into another notch in the Anderson bedpost."

A creak on the stairs interrupted the girls' argument. They turned around in time to catch the flash of red hair as its owner darted down the stairs in the opposite direction.

Frankie glared at Juliet, who immediately regretted her words. Chloe wasn't supposed to hear that, she had said it in the heat of the moment because she was mad at her friend for treating her like the enemy. She opened her mouth to apologize but Frankie was already turning her back on her.

Frankie headed down the stairs and caught Chloe by the arm as she headed towards the front door. "Hey wait, wait a sec. Where are you going?"

Chloe whipped around, "Is that what you think? That I'm just another notch in your belt?"

"I didn't say that."

"No, you didn't, because you never say anything. Why ask me out Frankie? If you just wanted to get in my pants why go to all the effort?" She would've gone to bed with the brunette at any point this semester, so she didn't understand why the senior played so many games with her.

"Because I wanted to." Frankie replied honestly, and succinctly.

"But why?" Chloe continued to challenge the senior; there was a fire in her eyes that was burning a hole right through the older girl.

Frankie opened her mouth and shut it. She didn't have a good answer that didn't make her sound like a sap. She couldn't be honest and tell the freshman that she couldn't get her out of her mind. That she wanted to take her out and flaunt the beautiful girl on her arm. That she wanted to see her moves on the dance floor and know that they were for her benefit, while others got jealous. Yeah she wanted all that, but mostly she wanted it with Chloe, she wanted Chloe to be the girl she did those things with. But those words were never going to be said as Anderson swallowed them back down.

Realizing that she wasn't going to get an answer, Chloe jerked her arm away. "Well, when you figure it out let me know." She stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

Frankie watched the redhead go, and let out a frustrated sigh. She didn't chase girls. And this time, it wasn't even her who messed things up, not that it mattered since the result was the same. What the hell was she going to do now?

---

Monday found Frankie and Gail eating lunch at the breakfast bar. The blonde was on a break between classes, since one of hers had been cancelled, while the senior hadn't even started her day yet.

"My god, this girl can cook." The two were both feasting on some of Chloe's leftovers.

"Mmhmm," Frankie agreed dejectedly as she pushed the food around her plate. It tasted good, no surprise there, but she had no appetite.

Gail had gotten home late from the bar and her roommate had texted her to let her know that she was over at the boys' house. She told her there were leftovers in the fridge but the blonde had been too tired to eat them. So when she came home to grab some food and bumped into the senior she had decided to be nice and share her bounty with her, since she was walking around with her hangdog expression again. The redhead's absence hadn't been surprising but this mood Frankie was in definitely was.

So she decided to be even more magnanimous and find out exactly who pissed in the other girl's cornflakes, "What happened now?" She oh so tactfully began the interrogation.

"Nothing."

"Bullshit, Anderson. Yesterday when I left you were floating on cloud nine and today you're being even moodier than usual."

"Am not."

"That was really convincing."

Frankie rolled her eyes but didn't respond.

"Well, since you only seem to act this way when you've screwed things up with my roommate, I'm going to venture that you did something stupid...again. So why don't you apologize and just nut up and take her to bed already."

"If I had nuts it would make the whole being a lesbian thing hella awkward."

"You know what I mean." Gail replied. She heard the front door open as two of their housemates raced in.

"You need better lines." The senior deflected. It wasn't that simple, she couldn't just use sex to fix this one, considering Chloe seemed to think that was all she was after. She hated having to admit it but for once she wanted more than just that (though she definitely wanted sex too). She had gone over to Holly's the night before to vent and the med student suggested that if she couldn't just tell Chloe how she felt then she should at least try to show her that she cared. Frankie just wasn't sure how to do that.

She went to take another bite of food but paused with her fork halfway to her mouth at the sight of Chloe in just her sports bra and shorts. The freshman had pulled off her sweaty shirt as she made her way to the fridge for some water.

Chloe and Andy had gone to the gym since they had extra time without their class. They had raced home competing for first dibs on the shower. Andy had beaten the redhead to the stairs so she decided to cool down downstairs instead.

"You're catching flies there, Anderson." Gail teased and tapped the brunette's chin with the back of her fork.

Frankie swatted her friend away, "Shut up, Peck."

The blonde chuckled but decided to throw the other girl a bone. "You know she could probably use a shower right now. Too bad ours is taken."

Frankie had to resist the urge to go flying out of her seat and after the redhead as she made her way into the living room to stretch. She couldn't embarrass herself in front of Gail and expect to ever hear the end of it. But the blonde was right, this was a chance to do something nice for the redhead and maybe score back some of the points Juliet's comments had cost her.

"How's it going?" The senior asked as dispassionately as she could muster.

Chloe eyed her warily as she crossed an arm over her chest to stretch her arm and shoulder, "Alright." Chloe knew that the senior was trying to play it cool but she could detect the hint of nervousness under the practiced nonchalance. It was actually kind of endearing.

"Hit the gym before class?" Yes, this was Frankie's lame attempt at starting a conversation. It was obvious from the way the redhead was dressed and the glistening sweat carving trails down the petite girl's toned body that she had been working out.

Chloe switched arms and decided to mess with the other girl. "Well, I needed to burn off some energy. Blast the glutes." She added with a hint of seduction in her voice and a glint in her eye.

Frankie nodded along, her eyes raking over the other girl ravenously. "You look good...and sweaty...good and sweaty."

"Well, that's what happens when McNally beats you to the shower, looks like I'm going to be late to class." Chloe inhaled a deep breath as she pulled her arms over her head, flattening her stomach further and accentuating her breasts a bit more.

Not that Frankie had noticed.

"You can use mine." The brunette offered, doing her best to keep her voice steady as Chloe continued to twist her body.

"You never let anyone use your shower." Chloe pointed out as she bent over to touch her toes, stretching her hamstrings.

Frankie couldn't help licking her lips before she spoke, her mouth suddenly dry as she watched the other girl's body contort. "There's a first time for everything. But hey if you don't want it..."

"I do," Chloe cut her off, bouncing back up. She paused as she passed the girl on her way to the stairs, "Thanks, Cranky."

Frankie smiled as she watched the girl go. There, that had been easy enough, and it was a start.

Gail had been watching the interaction from her ringside seat. She was smirking as she continued to shovel down food when the senior rejoined her.

"Shut up Goldilocks and eat your porridge." Frankie ordered the blonde even though she technically hadn't said a word.

Before Gail could respond she felt her phone buzz with a new text.

Dork King: You need to talk to Chris

Gail frowned at the message and sent out a reply. She still had classes to get to. She cared about Chris, more than she would admit to anyone else, but ever since the pregnancy reveal the two had been at odds. She really didn't want to have to talk to him about it, again.

Ice Queen: He's your son, Dov, you talk to him. I'm busy

Dov replied instantly.

Dork King: I've tried, he won't listen, this is serious! Come by after class tonight

Gail huffed at her phone. She had originally planned on stopping by Holly's after class considering she had had to close the bar yesterday. They had gotten back to the apartment later than they had planned so they didn't have time for much more than some heavy petting before the blonde had to head to work. So they had arranged to hang out that night. The brunette was going to the gym late with her roommates, but Gail was going to stop by after. Those plans were now out the window since Dov would just keep bothering her all night, so she sent a text to the med student letting her know that she had something to deal with and wasn't sure how long it would take. Holly responded that she understood and would see the blonde at the clinic the next day if she wanted. Gail confirmed and let out a sigh.

After class, Gail headed over to the Mancave as promised. She let herself in without knocking, since the boys always left the door unlocked during the day. She had barely crossed the threshold when Dov dragged her into the hallway in front of the stairs.

"He's dropping out of college," were the first words out of Dov's mouth.

"Hands off, Epstein." Gail warned with a growl and Dov immediately released her hand. "Now, what are you blathering on about?"

"Chris, he wants to go back to Timmons, well Denise wants him to."

"And he's just going to drop everything?"

"He said he's going to finish out the semester and that's it. Gail, the kid might not even be his and he's going to throw everything away." Dov had been trying his best to convince Chris that he was ruining his life and should at least know that the kid was definitely his before making any big decisions but it wasn't working.

"So, what am I supposed to do?" It was ultimately Chris' decision to be painfully ignorant.

"Be yourself." Right now he needed help from the Ice Queen.

The blonde narrowed her eyes at the pale boy, "What's that supposed to mean?"

But Dov was used to his friend's glares and just shrugged, "Tell him he's being an idiot."

Well that she could definitely do, so Gail headed up to the second floor and knocked on Chris and Dov's door. She heard her friend shout that it was open, and when she came in she found him studying at his desk.

"Hey, what's up?" Chris greeted his friend with a wide grin as he pushed himself away from the book he had been reading.

Gail briefly glanced at his bed but decided there was no way any of the boys had clean sheets in the house. Hell, they barely had clean clothes. So she made her way over to the desk he was working on and pushed some of his stuff aside so she could perch herself on the corner.

"You're dropping out?"

Chris got out of his chair and started pacing in agitation. "You talked to Dov?" He had been arguing with his roommate about this since he made his decision after talking to Denise that weekend. Dov hadn't taken it well but Chris thought he owed him a heads up, since it would leave him without a roommate and the rest of the guys having to cover his portion of the rent till they found someone to take his place.

"Chris, you can't seriously be considering giving up your degree." She gave her friend a hard look. He wasn't stupid (naive, sweet, overly nice, but not this stupid). What the hell did he expect to accomplish with this move? On top of his studies, there was also the football team and his scholarship. He was about to throw away everything he had earned for some girl that he didn't really want to be with.

"We don't need college to be cops."

"So...what? You're just going to be some town clown who writes parking violations because someone left their horse tied to the wrong pole? You're going to be a dad to a kid that might not be yours and marry some girl that when push came to shove you decided to dump instead of commit? Wow, sounds like a great life you're about to lead."

Chris glared at the girl seated on his desk. He had been going out of his way since the start of the school year to befriend her. He tried to chip away at the cold veneer no matter what anyone else said about her. But here she was living up to her reputation. "Cold and condescending. Why am I not surprised?" Chris told her with a sneer as he headed to his door. He had to get out.

As Chris walked away, Gail's eyes dropped to the floor and her face softened. His words cut deeper than she would ever admit to anyone. Chris was one of the few people who had been her friend since the beginning of the year, with the exception of Chloe, he had always gone out of his way to try to make her feel like she belonged and was one of them. Sure, he had always tried to get her to be nicer but he still hung around despite her harsh approach to friendship. He couldn't see that this was her way of looking out for him. She really shouldn't have been surprised, no one ever really seemed to get her, no one ever looked beyond her exterior to figure out what she was really feeling. Chris was no exception. The big puppy dog that greeted everyone with a lick to the face and a wag of his tail had bit her, hard, and all she was trying to do was look out for him.

It hurt.

---

She was walking through the house following the tall guy. Their friends were scattered about in their various couplings: Traci and Jerry were on the couch, Andy was on Sammy's lap on a comfy chair, Sue and Dov were on the loveseat. Nick and Juliet were talking in the kitchen, while Frankie and Chloe were perched on the stairs. Chris was barreling past everyone but she was hot on his heels.

"Come on, Chris talk to me."

The boy whipped around, "There's nothing to say. You're a sociopath. You can't express yourself in a way that isn't dripping in sarcasm and contempt. I used to think it was worth it, that you just had a hard shell, and that once you cracked it..."

"Don't say ooey gooey center."

"Yeah, well, now I know it's not worth it."

"Chris wait."

She ascended the stairs two at a time trying to reach her friend. He was just at the end of the hall. She reached out to him but before she could catch him she felt a door slam into her.

Gail awoke with a sinking feeling in her stomach. Clearly, the fight with Chris was weighing heavily on her, but she didn't know why. She must be getting soft in her old age. And that fucking door was just getting on her nerves. She pushed her hair out of her face, letting her fingers linger on the rough scar as she checked the time. It was 5:30am, so she still had a few hours before class. Despite only sleeping a few hours she decided to go for a run, which she hadn't needed to do in a while.

"Funny running into you here."

Gail smiled instinctively as the sweet tones of Holly's playful voice reached her ears. She had been crouched down tying her shoes and must not have noticed the other girl's approach. She straightened up. "Well, Nerd, I didn't exactly get a workout in yesterday for once."

"Hey, I invited you over."

"I know." Gail conceded, "What are you doing out here? I thought you went to the gym last night?" She really hadn't expected to see the brunette at the park.

"I did, but I like running outside better." Holly stretched a little bit as they chatted. She smirked as she noticed the blue eyes watching her muscles intently. "Did you deal with your something?"

Gail blinked, she had been a little bit lost in Holly's movements and thoughts of all the things that body could do but the words brought her back to reality. "Kind of, but it didn't work out like I hoped." Which was why Gail was out running first thing in the morning.

"Want to talk about it?" Holly offered.

"Not really."

Holly nodded in understanding and put her headphones in her ears, while the blonde followed suit. They ran their usual route, keeping pace with one another.

The brunette waited till they were cooling down to start talking again. "Coming to the clinic today?"

Gail nodded in affirmation. "Of course." Unless there was an emergency, Charlie had learned to stop scheduling the blonde for Tuesday shifts.

The med student grinned widely, "Awesome, well I should probably head back and shower before class." She gestured in the direction of her apartment building.

Gail was pretty sure the other girl had mentioned a shower on purpose, but that didn't stop images of water gliding down the brunette's naked body from assaulting her. She moved a bit closer to the brunette and grinned naughtily. "Want to conserve water? Shower together?"

"I'm nothing if not eco-friendly. I'll race you."

The two girls sprinted back to Holly's apartment. They were still laughing when they stumbled into the shower together.

---

"You girls ready?" Eva asked as the girls entered the clinic that Tuesday. After their shower (which considering how long it lasted had done nothing to actually conserve water but it was impossible to resist wandering hands and mouths) Gail had borrowed some clothes from Holly before heading back to her apartment to grab her books and meet up with some of her housemates for class. Chris still wasn't talking to her but at least he had let her into his car. At least, the trip to the clinic with Holly after class had been much more pleasant.

They exchanged a look; the nurse always seemed to have something planned for them. "For what?" They asked in unison.

"Your flu shots."

Holly nodded in understanding. She had gotten an email from her school reminding all the students that they would need the shot if they were in any kind of patient setting where they had direct contact. She had meant to warn Gail about it but it had slipped her mind considering the blonde had been busy slipping her tongue...ahem...let's just say it wasn't a priority on her mind. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you, we have to get flu shots so we can be around the patients." She explained to the other girl with a small sheepish smile.

The mention of a shot had felt like a bucket of ice water down her back. Gail immediately started to balk, "I'm not a doctor."

"Yeah but you still have to get one since you interact with them. It's standard protocol at the clinic to stop us from transmitting it from person to person."

"I'm not getting a shot." The last time Gail had gotten any shots had been before she started college when she needed all her immunizations. She had nearly broken the nurse's arm when she approached her with the sharp instrument. She had a full-blown freak-out and almost had to be sedated, which had only fueled her panic more at the time. She still didn't remember entirely how they had gotten it done but it hadn't been pretty.

"Why not?" Holly gave the other girl a quizzical look. It really wasn't a big deal, one little prick of the skin and they would be able to get on with their day. Plus, the shot seemed better than a real bout of the flu.

Gail stubbornly crossed her arms. "Because I'm not."

"Then you won't be able to continue volunteering."

"Oh well."

"What about all the kids you promised to see at their next appointments, kids like Sophie?" Holly's tone wasn't accusatory; it was more like a reminder. She didn't want to pressure the other girl but she knew that there were many 'mini-humans', as Gail called them, attached to the blonde. Plus, the med student was getting a bit attached to seeing her in this setting and wasn't ready for it to end.

The blonde sighed heavily, "Fine. Let's get this over with."

Eva had waited for the two girls to finish their argument before ushering them into a room. "Who wants to go first?"

Holly noticed the hardened look on Gail's face. "Maybe you should do Gail's first before she backs out." Eva nodded and clucked sympathetically as she prepped the blonde's arm for the injection.

Holly was watching the nurse prepare the shot for administration. She was focusing more on what she was doing than on the blonde patient. Trypanophobia was a common fear, she just hadn't expected Gail to be afraid of them, the blonde seemed pretty fearless. But when she looked up she suddenly noticed how shallow and rapid the blonde's breathing had gotten at the sight of the needle. Her eyes were dilated and unfocused and she was beginning to shake. It looked more like a panic attack than a case of nerves.

"Eva, hold up a sec. Can you give us a minute?" Holly got the nurse to stop preparing the syringes.

The experienced nurse glanced quickly between the two girls but decided it was better to just leave than draw attention to what was going on. She gave the young medical student a look that told her to grab her when they were ready or if she needed her then headed out.

Holly immediately reached out for the blonde, "Hey what's wrong?"

The panicked blue eyes finally locked onto Holly's, "Can't breathe." Gail's strangled voice explained as she grabbed at her chest. She started looking around in alarm, as everything got fuzzier; the disorientation only caused her panic to mount, it was too familiar.

"Gail look at me, take a deep breath, just like me. Come on, focus on me." Holly pleaded as she grabbed a hold of the pale hands, trying to ground the other girl and get her to control her breathing. She was taking in too much oxygen, which meant she was going to pass out at the rate she was going.

Gail clutched Holly desperately and tried to mimic the deep breaths the brunette was taking. She could start to feel the anxiety subside and things were beginning to come into focus again. She became aware of the tears in the corner of her eyes.

"Yeah, good, just like that." Holly's hands moved up the other girl's arms and she moved them up and down in comfort. "It's alright." Holly offered a tentative but reassuring smile.

The crooked smile is what killed Gail the most. She had just broken down in front of Holly, completely losing her shit. She pulled into herself, shifting uncomfortably under the other girl's gentle caress. Not that she wanted Holly to stop touching her but the embarrassment was prickling her skin and she didn't want the brunette to feel it too.

Holly immediately withdrew her hands and placed them in the pocket of her white coat instead. "I'll talk to the head of the clinic, you don't need to get the shot."

"No, I do, tell Eva to come back in." She didn't want the shot, in fact she wanted to flee the building entirely but she had promised a bunch of the kids that she would be there when they came back and some were due for another visit soon.

"Really, Gail, you already do more than you need to around here, you don't have to do this."

"It's ok, I'm good, tell her to come back in." Gail replied resolutely, trying to muster the Peck mask of confidence she had crafted over the last two decades.

Holly studied the blonde for a bit more but decided to do as she said. She grabbed Eva but this time she took a spot close to the blonde and was watching her instead of the nurse.

"Nerd," Gail's voice was just above a whisper, but Holly could hear that it was more like a whimper.

She reached out and gently traced the pale jawline. She knew the other girl was asking for a distraction. "You still owe me stories about your trip. Where did you go after Spain?"

Gail tried to keep her voice steady as she told the brunette about heading to Portugal for a while even though she didn't know the language at the time. She hadn't stayed long but had seen some cool sights. The nurse worked quickly while her patient was distracted and had the shot done and a bandaid in place before the blonde realized it.

"Next."

Holly and Gail switched places, and even though Holly told the other girl that she could leave so she wouldn't have to see the needles, she had refused. So Holly had her continue her story to keep her focused on her and not the nurse. They were finally done and released back to their normal duties.

The girls finished their shift at the clinic a couple of hours later.

"Food?" Holly asked as they got in her car. The blonde had been quieter than usual but she always perked up when it came to eating.

"Actually, can you just drop me off at home?" Gail asked staring out the window and purposefully avoiding the brunette's worried gaze.

Holly studied the other girl for a minute. There were a lot of questions she wanted to ask but clearly the blonde didn't want to talk. "Sure," Holly replied quietly and drove in the direction of the other girl's house. It was the first time that they hadn't gone to eat after the clinic.

The drive back was silent, neither girl spoke as Gail kept her gaze firmly on the surroundings flying by her and Holly tried not to glance over at the other girl too often as she attempted to concentrate on driving.

They pulled up to the house not long after. "Thanks," Gail said as she grabbed her stuff to leave. She had one hand on the door handle when she felt a soft hand grab a hold of her free arm.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Nerd, I'm fine. Just tired and I have some work to do."

"You know you could over to my place?" Gail cocked an eyebrow at the suggestion but Holly quickly clarified, "Just to study." She was worried about the other girl locking herself in her room and being alone the rest of the night, even if she did have a roommate.

"I actually have some stuff to get done with the losers here. Maybe next time." It was only a little white lie since Traci had asked to study together.

Holly accepted the excuse even though she could tell there was more to it. "See you later, Danger?" For once it was an actual question, rather than inevitability.

"Yeah, later Nerd." Gail quickly fled to the house rather than watching Holly leave. She just needed some space so she could get control of her feelings again, even though she craved the comforting touch and reassurances from the other girl she didn't want to get used to it. So she did what she did best, she isolated herself some more.

---

She couldn't see. The world around her was pitch black but she was starting to be able to feel things again. She went to move but found her hands and feet restrained. She pulled at the ties binding her. She assessed her situation. It felt like she was bound to a metal table of some sort and there was a blindfold around her eyes. There was something in her arm, something sharp and uncomfortable. That's when she heard the heavy footsteps. Without thinking she called out, "Where am I?"

"Ah you're awake." It was a male voice.

"What, what's in my arm?"

She could hear the sound of running water and soap, like the person was washing his hands. "I'm just trying to keep you hydrated. That sedative can give you an awful headache."

"Yeah, so will smashing your elbow in my face." She couldn't control the sarcasm even in the worst situations, but then again her face hurt and lip felt swollen.

"I'm sorry that had to happen. Don't worry though, I'm going to get you all fixed up, my pet. But I think maybe you woke up too early. You should really get some rest."

She could hear movement and felt a tug at the thing in her arm, "No, no, no, what are you doing?"

"Shhh, let me take care of you."

She could feel the panic before she felt like she was falling into an abyss.

The hardness of the floor woke Gail after falling off the couch in her distress. It took her a minute to get her bearings. She brushed her hands roughly through her hair, pushing the mess away from her face as she stared up at the ceiling. Great, not only was she having nightmares, she was moving in her sleep again too. That was how she nearly broke her hand and was precisely the reason that she couldn't stay in bed with Holly the other night. She had ended up on the couch in the living room after Chloe and the rest of the housemates went to bed. She hadn't wanted to risk waking anyone up, again, and apparently had good reason to be concerned. She dragged her bruised ass from the floor to the kitchen to get some water.

She hopped up on the counter and twisted her phone around in her hand. It was almost 5am and she wanted to text Holly, but was acutely aware of how needy that made her feel. She absentmindedly locked and unlocked the phone. She knew that she hadn't left things with the brunette the best way, considering she literally bolted out of her car, but she couldn't help it considering how overwhelmed she had felt at the time. It was run or break down and she didn't want to scare Holly away. She tucked her phone away and decided to head up to her room, knowing that she wouldn't be going back to sleep.

---

"Oh, come on Carlotta." Chloe pleaded as she turned the key in her ignition once again. The car stuttered but failed to turn over. Her car was a hand-me-down from her parents and was over ten years old. It wasn't the first time she had been in this situation but she was already running late for class. She had overslept after having trouble falling back to sleep after hearing her roommate come back to their room, and everyone had already left without her. She banged her forehead on the steering wheel, realizing that she was fucked.

"Won't start?"

Chloe looked up to find Frankie leaning on her open driver's side door. She hadn't noticed the senior approach. "No, and Chris is in class already. Everyone else headed in with him."

"Pop the hood." Frankie instructed and tapped the hood of the car for added emphasis.

"Why?" Chloe asked in utter confusion.

"Just do it." Frankie demanded and the other girl complied. Once opened, she puttered around, checking for any messed up connections and all the fluid levels. She spotted the problem. "You have some kind of leak. You need oil and probably a gasket. I can fix it, but I gotta go to a store." She explained as she closed the hood again.

Chloe stared at her in surprise, "I didn't know you could fix cars."

"There's a lot you don't know about me."

"Not for a lack of trying."

Frankie sighed, it seemed the freshman was still perturbed with her. "Do you want a ride? I have class now too." It was practically a gallant offer, since Frankie never offered to help out anyone, and here she was coming to Chloe's rescue.

The redhead gratefully accepted, and after Frankie washed up, they headed to campus.

"So how do you know about cars?" Chloe asked after they had settled in the car.

"It's not because I'm lesbian so don't even bother asking." Frankie warned. She had heard plenty of the clichés over the year and she refused to buy into them. She was exactly the woman she wanted to be not the one people wanted her to be.

"That wasn't what I was saying." Chloe defended herself. She really hadn't even thought it; she just wanted to know more.

Frankie sighed heavily, "My mom comes from a long line of mechanics. Her father, grandfather, her uncles, my uncles. My cousins and I all grew up around their shop, so they would never let us live it down if we didn't know how to at least diagnose a car problem. Even my little brothers are gearing up for the family business."

"Is your dad a mechanic too?"

"No." Frankie replied flatly, keeping her eyes fixed on the road. She didn't like talking about her family but she couldn't really explain her car understanding without lying.

Chloe picked up on the girl's discomfort and although her initial response was to poke some more to satisfy her natural curiosity and to get the other girl talking since she thought it was cathartic, she restrained herself and let the conversation drop. She shifted it to school and finals and Frankie gave her some pointers for her classes.

When they finally got to campus and parked, Chloe hovered by the car until Frankie emerged as well. "Thanks for the ride."

Frankie nodded awkwardly, "Let me know if you need one back." She wasn't used to being nice or showing that she cared but with the redhead it also felt weirdly ok. She tried not to think too much about it as she fiddled with her keys.

Chloe really did find the break in the other girl's swagger quite endearing. "It's ok, I can just catch a ride with someone else or walk."

"Whatever." Frankie put her tough facade back on. She was starting to head to class when Chloe's voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Still want to go out?"

Frankie turned around to look at Chloe in wonder. Did the freshman just ask her out? "Thought you were mad at me?" She asked cautiously like she was being set up for sport.

"Gotta pay you back for fixing my car somehow." She trotted off to meet up with Gail and the rest of the freshman for classes.

---

Gail had been on edge. The lack of sleep and the stress that was starting to emanate off of everyone now that finals were around the corner were not helping her. Nor was the fact that winter break was fast approaching and with it the anniversary of the incident. She was continuing to avoid Holly as a result, it had been over a week since the shot incident and Gail had covered Traci's Tuesday shift when she needed to help her mom take care of one of her sick siblings, which had worked out perfectly so the blonde didn't have to make up an excuse to avoid the clinic. In fact, she was picking up as many shifts as she could, using her insomnia to compensate for the study time she lost behind the bar.

But she really knew things were bad when she had nearly broken a bottle of vodka over Charlie's head when he had tapped her shoulder from behind in the stockroom. Her boss hadn't meant to startle her, but she had been so lost in her own thoughts that she hadn't heard him approach or call her name repeatedly. Luckily for her, Charlie had been in a decent mood for once and since she hadn't actually spilled any alcohol or bashed his skull open, he let her go back to work but offered to give her the night off if she needed it.

She refused and instead went back behind the bar. It was a relatively slow night, since it was only Wednesday but there were enough people to keep her distracted.

"Hey." Juliet greeted the bartender when she got to the Penny. She was meeting Nick for dinner but had arrived early on purpose. She wanted a chance to talk to Gail and clear the air, she knew that if she didn't tell Gail then Frankie would. Her friend was never one for false threats. "Can we talk for a second?"

Gail sighed. "This is so great, this is exactly what I need." She knew where the conversation was heading and she wasn't in the mood for it. After what happened with Chris and the clinic, not to mention the nightmares, she just didn't want to deal with any more drama this week.

The blonde was in a bad mood. "Ok, so that's how this is going to be." Juliet mumbled to herself, thinking the blonde couldn't hear her in the crowded bar.

She did.

"How did you think this was going to be?" Gail looked at the hypocrite incredulously, "You lied, you snuck around, and you fucked things up for Anderson."

"Gail, I didn't put Frankie in that situation. She put herself there."

"Juliet, how's my ex doing?" Gail asked saccharinely.

The brunette froze, "Sorry?"

"Nicholas, how's he doing?" The fake smile remained plastered on Gail's face in faux innocence.

"What did Frankie say?" Juliet couldn't believe the other senior had actually gone through with her threat.

Gail kept her face impassive. Now she knew for certain what the two girls had really been arguing about the other night and what Anderson wouldn't tell her. "She didn't have to say anything."

Juliet realized that the blonde must have figured it out on her own. "How long have you known?" The blonde shrugged. "Gail, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, it kind of just happened."

"Look, I don't give a flying fuck what Nick does with his life." That much Gail knew for certain. She really didn't have any feelings left for her ex, except maybe 'friendship' though even that she barely wanted to acknowledge. She had moved on and she was kind of relieved that he had to but she couldn't resist twisting the knife a little when it came to Juliet. "But you might want to watch out for McNally though, I heard Sammy's been hanging around some girl named Marlo. Oh yeah, and piece of advice, watch out for graduation night, that's when he likes to propose."

She walked away, leaving a stunned Juliet standing in the middle of the bar. But before reaching the bar counter, she spotted the boy in question. She grabbed a hold of Nick's arm and pulled him into the back room.

"What the hell?" Nick asked his ex once she released his arm from her death grip.

"What have you told Juliet?"

"About what?"

"You know what."

Realization dawned on the boy. "Nothing, Gail. I promised you I would never say anything to anyone about it." And he had kept his promise. He wasn't going to tell anyone about the incident.

"You better not be lying to me, or I swear, Nicholas, I will tase you. That is 50,000 volts right into the junk. And if you think I'm joking ask Ollie what he got me for my birthday." Technically it had come only a few days ago, so a couple of weeks after her actual birthday. Gail had argued it was too expensive, but the boy had said that her shoes cost more.

"Trust me, I believe you." He really did. Gail didn't make idle threats. Satisfied with the response, the bartender returned to work.

"That went well." Nicholas muttered to himself after the blonde walked away. He went in search of Juliet, figuring it was time to head to a different bar for dinner.

As Gail settled back into work she felt her phone go off. She decided to ignore it, not wanting to see another text from the brunette that never left her mind. It would only make the unpleasant twist in her stomach worse. It wasn't the most mature reaction but she also didn't pretend to be mature.

---

Frankie had fixed Chloe's car that weekend while the redhead was busy studying with the rest of the freshman. She had to take an extra long shower to get all the grease and oil off her skin but it was worth it, considering they had a date later that week. That was the one thing Frankie focused on while she worked on the vehicle, letting her hands do the work without much conscious thought. If she thought too much about it, then she would think of home, and she didn't want to think about that.

But now it was finally Thursday, which meant it was date night, and Frankie actually managed to be ready first. It probably didn't hurt that she had already forced Holly to scope through her entire closet earlier in the day, but Chloe didn't need to know that. She knocked on the freshman's bedroom door and her knees nearly gave out when the other girl appeared. Chloe was in a low cut red dress that hugged every inch of her body closely.

"Wow." Frankie was finally able to utter when her breath returned to her.

The redhead smiled widely, the way Frankie's eyes had slowly traveled over every inch of her like she was trying to memorize a painting made Chloe recall Gail's analogy to a dog with a steak. The blonde may have been right. "Thanks. You look wow too." And she did, Frankie had opted for a button down, sleeveless top that brought out the green in her eyes with a pair of leather pants. Chloe's eyes did their own sketching of the other girl.

Frankie smirked. "Ready to go?" She really would rather push the redhead back into her room and have fun stripping that dress off of her but she had promised a real date, so a real date they would have.

"Yeah, going to tell me where we're heading?"

"I told you already dinner and dancing."

Dinner came first. Frankie had been to this restaurant more than a couple of times with other girls because it wasn't far from the club they were going to. It was slightly on the fancier side, which worked out well considering they were both dressed to impress, and actually had good food but wasn't ridiculously priced.

"Fancy." Chloe commented as they entered the building. The tables actually had linen tablecloths.

"Glad, you approve."

"Have you been here before?"

"A few times." Frankie evasively replied.

"Dates?"

"Does it matter?"

Chloe shrugged, "No, just curious. So what's good?" She immediately changed the subject noticing the tension in the other girl. She wasn't trying to get their date off to the wrong start and putting Frankie on the defensive was going to do just that.

Frankie rattled off a couple of dishes she had tried in the past as the two looked over the menu. They weren't seated long before the waitress came to take their order. Frankie was looking at the food options but her head shot up at the voice. She recognized it but couldn't place the face of the girl, although by the look in her eyes she recognized Frankie. Fuck what was her name? Becky? Nikkie? Shit, no, it was Vicky. She glanced at the nametag to confirm and remembered Holly's joke at the bar.

Well, shit.

"Frankie, hey." Vicky immediately recognized the brunette from the other night at the bar. She had given her her number but hadn't heard from her at all. She glanced at the other girl seated at the table, taking in the pretty redhead in the gorgeous dress. So, that was why she hadn't heard from the other girl.

"Umm hey." Frankie tried to maintain her usual swagger but knew it was faltering under both girls' watchful gaze.

"So you do remember me." The waitress' voice was trying for forced playfulness but the bitterness was evident.

"Of course, I didn't realize you worked here."

"Yeah, I can see that. Looking good, Frankie."

Chloe didn't miss the predatory look in the server's eye and neither did Frankie as she raked over the senior from where she sat, "Umm...thanks," she mumbled clearly uncomfortable. She had just gotten past answering Chloe's question about whether or not she brought anyone here. God, it would probably be easier to explain away a date than meaningless bathroom sex that was supposed to get Frankie over her jealousy of Dov, not that she wanted to admit to any jealousy.

Luckily, the server finally returned to some form of professionalism even though her eyes never left the brunette, "Anyway, can I start you off with something to drink?"

They gave their drink orders but the server lingered a bit giving Frankie a look. Once she left, Frankie chanced a glance at Chloe who was watching her with a cocked eyebrow.

"She's one of the people you brought here?"

"No." Frankie replied with a grimace.

"Oh. Do you want to leave?"

The brunette looked at the redhead concerned that she was uncomfortable in the place she had chosen, "Do you?"

"No," Chloe reassured her date.

"Neither do I. I promised you dinner and I always keep my promises. Plus, the food here really is good."

"I trust you." Frankie gave Chloe a genuine smile, not one of her usual smirks, and the redhead grinned even wider in return.

Before the conversation could continue Vicky was already back with their drinks and a couple of glasses of water. The waitress hovered near Frankie and offered to answer any questions about the menu. The smile had faded from the brunette's face but she tried to contain her scowl. Luckily, she was ready to order and Chloe decided to make things simple by letting Frankie order for her. She had flirtatiously added that she liked surprises, finally getting the arrogant smirk to return to Anderson's face. The cockiness could be annoying but Chloe had her own plans for wiping it off her face later that night.

The look the waitress gave Chloe as she walked away had the redhead briefly worry about the sanitation of her food. "We may have to switch dishes when she comes back."

"Then it's probably a good thing you let me order for you."

The two continued to banter while they waited for their food. They talked about their housemates and stupid things they had done lately. They were interrupted briefly by the arrival of their meals, which as promised had been delicious and they ended up splitting the two dishes. Unlike, their blonde housemate, the two of them didn't have territorial issues when it came to food.

"So can I ask you a question?" Frankie tentatively asked.

"Shoot." Chloe happily agreed.

"Was it really a fake date with Epstein?" Gail had told Frankie that one and teased her endlessly for being jealous. She had only shut up when the senior had brought up Holly, which had caused the blonde to flee back to work.

"My roommate?" Frankie nodded in accession. "Technically Dov asked me out on a date, but it was to build his confidence. It didn't mean anything because he wanted to be with someone else and so did I."

Chloe reached across the table and gently placed her hand over Frankie's, her thumb brushing along the back of her hand. "Were you jealous?"

Frankie snorted, she flipped their hands, and brushed her own thumb along the inside of Chloe's wrist, "I'm never jealous."

"That's not what I heard."

Frankie made a mental note to slaughter the people they lived with, but her homicidal thoughts were tamed as Chloe brushed her leg against Frankie's and she could feel her heart start to pound a bit harder in her chest. She really couldn't remember the last time any girl had had such an influence on her. But if these little touches were enough to ignite a fire in Frankie's body, she really couldn't wait to get to the club.

They were interrupted by the arrival of their server once again. The waitress glanced down at the joined hands and plastered a fake smile on her face. She offered a refill of each girl's water but as she went to Chloe's glass she missed, sending ice-cold water cascading into the younger girl's lap, causing the redhead to shoot out of her seat.

"Oh, I'm sorry, did I get you?"

"What the hell?" Frankie was glaring at the waitress.

"It was just an accident. The pitcher slipped." Vicky explained with faux innocence.

"Frankie it's ok, it's just water." Chloe calmly replied, as she used a napkin to blot at her now wet lap.

"It's not ok because she did that on purpose."

Chloe kept her usual smile on her face as she addressed the waitress but her eyes held a warning. "I think it's time for the check." The waitress left without another word to retrieve their bill. "It'll dry." She assured Frankie, wanting the other girl to calm down.

"Do you want to head home to change?"

"No, I know you want to get me out of this dress but that will have to wait." Chloe smirked as she was certain what images had just flashed into the brunette's mind. "But I will head to the bathroom to freshen up. Think you can stay out of trouble in the meantime?"

"No promises." Frankie watched the redhead walk away with an extra sway in her hips. It was amazing how easily things just rolled off the other girl. She was amazing. Frankie was still in a bit of a daze when Victoria returned with the bill.

"So I didn't take you for a cradle robber, Frankie, is she even 18?"

"Trust me, she's more woman than you."

"You didn't seem to be complaining the other night."

Frankie rolled her eyes and got out of her seat. She quickly glanced at the bill before turning her attention to the waitress. "I thought my radio silence after would be enough of a hint, but since it wasn't, I'll spell it out for you: you weren't that good." Frankie threw a few notes onto the table and went to meet Chloe so they could get the hell out of there and onto better things.

---

It had been a week, but Holly still texted Gail to see if she wanted to hang out anyway. She knew the blonde always worked Thursdays but the college student had come over before work on other occasions. They hadn't seen each other since the clinic, which hadn't exactly been the best experience for the other girl, and they hadn't even been texting as much as usual. The blonde had turned down all her usual offers to hang out but Holly was doing her best not to read into it since it was reaching the end of the semester and, according to Frankie, Gail was working an insane number of hours at the bar. But she had just found out that class was cancelled for the next day so she was hoping to occupy her night with a certain blonde. No such luck as Gail was working, so Holly decided to stay in. At least this time she had gotten a legitimate response, so the blonde wasn't ghosting her.

"Alright, we are drinking tonight." Lisa declared as she plopped down on the couch next to Holly.

"I don't know." Holly had been planning on getting ahead in her studies so she could make some time that weekend to play with Gail. "I don't really feel like it."

"You're coming too, it's not often we get a night off so put the books away." Rachel grabbed the textbook from her friend, while Lisa pulled the girl up. They both hauled her to her room.

"Seriously, I just want to stay in and study." Holly protested as she purposefully dragged her feet.

"Too bad. You never spend time with us, so tonight you are." Lisa demanded as she started snooping through Holly's closet for a different outfit for the taller brunette. The sweats weren't working for her.

"Fine, where are we going?"

"It's Lisa's turn to pick." Rachel informed their friend.

"Again?" Holly hated when it was Lisa's turn to pick where they went for the night.

Rachel just shrugged, "You missed your turn." Holly had opted to hid away with Gail the Saturday before last, forfeiting her turn.

"No strip clubs tonight Lis, I don't have that kind of money." Holly warned.

The smaller brunette rolled her eyes. "Spoilsport." But Lisa had other plans in mind anyway.

---

Gail had gone straight to work on Thursday after her classes ended. Even though, she was working the closing shift as usual, Charlie had asked her to come in early and Gail could never turn down the chance for more money. The holidays were coming up and her family had expensive tastes, plus there was rent, and groceries, and her steadily increasing savings account. It also made it easier when she turned down the offer from Holly to hang out. She missed seeing the brunette but that only freaked her out more considering she wasn't used to missing anyone. She had left her entire life behind for a year and hadn't missed people. Maybe Ollie, and sometimes Steve, but even that was barely. So these feelings combined with the embarrassment from the shot were driving her a bit insane.

"What's wrong Girl Guide?" Gail asked without any real interest as she spotted Andy sulking at the bar out of the corner of her eye. She wasn't sitting with the others who were occupying their usual table.

The brunette had her phone in her hand that she kept staring at, willing it to ring, "I can't get in touch with my Dad."

That had gotten the bartender's attention. She gave a different customer his order before turning her full attention to McNally. "What do you mean?" It wasn't the first time the other girl's dad had gone incommunicado, but the last time had been a particularly bad bender. His alcohol problem wasn't a secret at 15 Division as it had directly led to his early retirement and his disgrace with the force. The fact that Andy was so willing to follow in his footsteps and become a cop at 15 honestly astounded Gail.

"We were supposed to meet for lunch. I've called him like 18 times but he isn't answering and hasn't answered since yesterday morning. I didn't think too much of it till he didn't come to the diner today." The distress was evident in Andy's voice.

"Have you gone by his place?"

"I pounded on the door but no answer."

"Did you go in?"

Andy sighed, "He changed the locks recently and I haven't gotten the spare yet, I was supposed to pick it up at the holidays."

"So why not pick the lock?" They had been picking locks since they were kids. Gail was better at it, obviously, since being a Peck meant being the best at everything one does, but Andy was more than equipped to get a door open.

She had tried but the lock wouldn't give, "Couldn't get it." Like Gail, Andy had been able to pick a lock since before they could ride bikes. Not being able to get the door open had only added to her anxiety and his apartment was too far from the fire escape to be able to look in the window.

"Do you want me to try?"

Andy shook her head. "You're working. I'll just wait a while longer."

Gail could see that the girl was upset, so despite everything she decided to help. "Charlie will cover me as long as we make this quick. Just give me a sec." The blonde went to the back to explain to her boss that she needed to take her break now for an emergency but that she would return quickly. He agreed to cover the bar but told her to hurry back. She headed out and met up with McNally who was making an excuse to the rest of the group to cover the truth. The two girls left much to the puzzlement of their friends.

---

By the time they got into the club, Chloe's dress had dried no worse for wear and she was laughing off the incident, joking about Frankie's jealous exes. The brunette told her to stop talking and dragged her over to the bar for a little more liquor before they got onto the dance floor. After a couple of shots of tequila Chloe pulled Frankie into the crowd. It was the sway of Chloe's hips to the music that really made any other thoughts impossible in Frankie's mind.

Chloe kept her back to Frankie as she got lost in the music. She smiled as she felt Frankie wrap her hands around her hips, pulling her closer. She pressed her ass into Frankie's center as they moved to the same rhythm. As the older girl molded her body against her, Chloe tilted her neck and was rewarded with the feel Frankie's lips on her neck. She reached back to tangle her hands in the silky light brown hair.

They stayed like that through a number of songs, till Frankie finally spun her around. She pulled Chloe flush against her and started to lean forward to connect their lips when Chloe brought her lips to Frankie's ear, "I think we need more tequila." She knew the redhead was teasing her but she could take it for a little while longer, so she navigated them over to the bar. There was a wait so Chloe offered to grab the drinks while Frankie headed to the restroom. She was on her way back scanning the bar for the familiar red mane when someone caught a hold of her arm, and a familiar voice was in her ear.

"Paixão da minha vida."

Frankie froze where she was as the Portuguese words hit her. The problem was that the accent and husky voice weren't the ones she wanted to hear. She hadn't seen Gabriela since the night in the bar and that whole night had been a blur, but she was using the term of endearment that she had always used with her. It literally meant 'passion of my life', and used to be enough to flood Frankie's heart but right now it was the last thing she wanted to hear.

"Gabi." Frankie stated as she turned to face the voice. Gabriela looked as gorgeous as ever but Frankie wasn't nearly drunk enough to be fooled by it, the woman was candy-coated misery. She knew better than to get sucked back into Hurricane Gabriela. So she tried to keep a distance between them despite the crowd.

"It's been a while Frankie, I'm kind of surprised I haven't heard from you. I thought you missed me."

"I had been really drunk the last time we spoke, Gabi."

"So you don't miss me?" She leaned in closer to Frankie, invading her space and Frankie caught a whiff of the floral scent she used to find intoxicating.

"Frankie." Chloe's voice brought Frankie back to the present, as she finally caught up with her date. Chloe's eyes darted to the girl that Frankie had been speaking to, unsure if she should be concerned by how close the gorgeously tanned blonde was standing next to the senior.

"Who's this?" Gabi asked with barely concealed disdain, her accent getting thicker as she judged Chloe from head to toe.

"None of your business, Gabi." Frankie glared at her ex and took a step further away.

"Hi, I'm Gabriela." The tall woman flashed Chloe a smile while extending her hand in introduction.

But before Chloe could introduce herself, Frankie was interrupting, catching Chloe's hand that had reached out to accept the handshake. "We were actually a bit busy, so if you'll excuse us, Gabi." She tried to move the two of them back towards the crowd.

But Gabi wasn't willing to let them leave that easily. She grabbed a hold of Frankie's arm, "Aw, wait you should have a drink with me and my new friend. She had just gone to get the bartender's attention, we should catch up before we go back to dancing."

Frankie pulled her arm free, "No thanks." She just wanted to get as far away as possible from her toxic ex. But then another voice from Frankie's nightmares assaulted her ears before she could escape safely with Chloe.

"Anderson."

Fucking shit, today was a day from Frankie's own personal hell and it had started out so well. She directed her attention to Holly's ex, Jess, who was handing a drink to Gabi. She glared at the two women.

"Jess." Frankie bit out with a snarl. She had been ready to clobber the ginger the night that she had sucker punched Gail but Juliet and Nick had held her back. It was just a shame the guys had stopped Traci from decking her. "Taken any cheap shots lately?"

Chloe took a step closer to Frankie and was also glaring at the older girl. She had recognized her too and was just as pissed.

"Like you're one to talk." McD scoffed. Then she directed her attention to Chloe. "Aw, Anderson I knew you always had a thing for me, but really, dating a lesser version is a bit desperate, isn't it?"

"Don't flatter yourself, you're barely half the woman she is."

"I find that hard to believe. Did you find her at the school playground?"

Why everyone was insulting Chloe's age was beyond Frankie's comprehension.

"Says the woman who went after someone nearly 6 years younger than her. I'm glad Holly finally came to her senses about you."

McD turned her focus to Chloe, "Kid, let me give you some advice, she's not nearly as good as she claims to be. You can save yourself a lot of trouble if you just walk away now."

If Frankie wasn't already pissed enough, having Jess say anything to Chloe directly was enough to set her off completely, "At least I've never had a girl fake an orgasm with me, Ronald McDonald." She smirked as the smug look on Jess' face vanished and the other girl turned red with the anger, the best part was that her words were true and she knew that using Gail's nickname for the girl would really rub salt in the wound.

"And on that note. Come on, let's go." Chloe slipped a hand into Frankie's and started to pull the senior away before the altercation turned physical, which by the look on both girls' faces was exactly where this was heading. She really didn't want to end her night in the police station explaining to her godfather why her date was being brought in for assault.

Frankie let herself get lead by Chloe, more than happy to return to the night they were having even if could still feel the anger pulsing through her body. They hadn't gone more than a couple of steps when Gabi bumped Chloe. The freshman felt cold liquid go right down her dress, causing it to stick to her.

"Whoops." It was the second time in the night one of Frankie's exes had thrown a drink on her.

Chloe let go of Frankie's hand to pull the fabric away from her but had to quickly grab a hold of her again as she made a beeline straight for her ex.

"What the fuck, Gabi?" Frankie growled but she let Chloe stop her.

"It was an accident." Then the girl added something in Portuguese that Frankie couldn't understand. But Chloe certainly did because suddenly the younger girl, who had remained calm the entire night, was going off on the taller woman in Portuguese. The fire in Chloe's eyes as the words slid fluently from her lips was pretty damn hot, and the sight distracted Frankie till she felt the redhead tug on their joined hands again.

Chloe dragged Frankie out of the club, past a confused Holly accompanied by Lisa and Rachel. The senior was barely able to utter any form of acknowledgement or warning to her friend over the noise. It wasn't until they were outside that Chloe released Frankie, creating a bit of distance between them. She didn't look at the brunette and stared out into the street. Frankie took the hint and went to grab a cab. Unlike the ride to the restaurant, Chloe sat as far away as she could; there was no physical contact and no conversation between them. As Frankie stole glances at the other girl, who was in quiet contemplation staring out the window, she had the sinking feeling that she blew it, once again.

---

Holly and her friends had already been to a couple of bars before Lisa decided she wanted to dance and the three headed off to her favorite club. She hadn't been to the place in months, since it was one of the places that Jess frequented and she hadn't wanted to deal with her ex, but it was her friend's choice for the night. She was surprised when Frankie and Chloe stormed by her on their way out. Frankie had mentioned something about Hurricane Gabi but she hadn't heard the rest of what she said. If Gabriela had been involved then she was sure nothing good had come of it, but at least Frankie wasn't alone, she hoped Chloe would be able to handle whatever it was that had happened this time.

She followed her roommates to the bar where Lisa ordered more tequila shots for all of them while she checked her phone. The girls clinked glasses and downed the shots before another round was poured. Lisa decided it was time to dance as her and Rachel pulled Holly into the crowd. She really didn't want to dance with strangers so she stuck close to Rachel.

Lisa disappeared into the crowd but Holly didn't pay it much mind as she was laughing and dancing with her friend. She felt someone move in close behind her so she stepped forward a bit closer to Rachel hoping the person would take the hint. But then hands were on her hips turning her around.

Holly was fully ready to turn whomever it was down but the words caught in her throat as she realized it was her ex that was trying to dance with her.

"Hey Hols. Fancy meeting you here." Jess greeted the brunette, stepping closer.

Holly moved back but bumped into the crowd. "No, it's not." And she moved away from the older girl and in the direction of the bar. She pushed through the crowd till she reached the bartender and got herself another drink. She knew it had been a possibility that Jess would be there, but she had hoped that on a Thursday the older girl would be too busy with whatever rotation she was in. Of course she hadn't been that lucky.

She downed her drink quickly and asked the bartender for another. She was going to have to find Lisa and Rachel and tell them that she was going home. She had just resolved to do so when Jess spotted her.

"Hols, listen to me I'm sorry for the party, I was hammered and never should have hit the girl. It was petty, but I couldn't stand seeing someone else with you. It felt like someone was twisting a knife in my heart."

"That's too damn bad Jess, because I really don't care about your heart anymore." She went to move past her ex but a hand on her arm was pulling her back.

"I miss you baby and I know I messed up, but if you give me another chance I'll show you everyday how much you mean to me."

Holly knew that Jess was trying to appear sincere and apologetic but the words sounded hollow to her. "It's too late Jess, I've moved on."

That was enough to change her ex's tone, "Really? I heard things aren't working out with the bartender."

Holly rarely got angry but hearing Jess mention Gail and knowing that the only way she would know anything about her was from Lisa was enough to change that. "Don't, Jess. Just don't." She warned her ex with a steely glare, the redhead had no right to talk about Gail.

"She's not good enough for you." Jess continued, undeterred. Holly shook her head and tried to pull away, she wasn't about to stand by and continue to listen; she just wanted to get out of the club and as far away from both Jess and Lisa as possible. "She's only going to break your heart and when she does I'll be there, because I still love you Holly." She finally released Holly's arm and rather than respond Holly tore a path right through the crowd towards the exit.

"Holly, where are you going?" Rachel called out, trying to catch up to her friend. She had realized a little too late that Jess had been at the club.

"I'm getting the hell out of here, Lisa set me up again and I'm done."

"Hold up you shouldn't go home alone."

"Don't worry about it, I'll grab a cab, you can deal with Lisa because if I see her right now I don't know what's going to happen."

"Be safe, text me when you get home." Rachel gave her friend a quick hug then went in search of their other roommate, she hadn't known about Lisa's plan and really wasn't ok with it because by the look on Holly's face whatever had happened had hurt her.

Holly headed out and enjoyed the feeling of the cool night on her skin as she hailed a cab. Finally feeling like she could breathe again.

---

The cab pulled up in front of their house and the girls got out. Frankie stopped to pay the driver as the freshman headed straight for their front door. She knew she'd have to apologize for how the date had turned out, she really should have picked places she had never been before, hell she should've picked places outside of the city because now she was home and Chloe wasn't talk to her. She followed the redhead along the path to the house, trying to think of the right words to salvage the night or at least to get a do-over. She was pulled from her thoughts as Chloe stopped in front of the door.

The redhead turned around and finally faced her date. "Are you going to kiss me or what?"

"What?" Frankie thought she had heard wrong. She had already given up any hope of so much as a goodnight kiss after the disaster at the club.

"You heard me."

"I didn't think you'd want me to."

Chloe took a step forward, looping her arms around Frankie's neck. "I'm pretty sure there is only one way to redeem that disaster of a date, and I'm a firm believer in second chances." She looked down at Frankie's lips then back into the green eyes of the senior as she smiled.

Frankie's hands moved to the freshman's hips, grounding them both. She leaned in slowly, enjoying the build up till their lips finally met. She pulled Chloe in a little bit closer as a warmth spread through her body from her head to her toes. It was probably the sweetest kiss the two had ever shared.

When Frankie finally pulled back, Chloe's eyes opened with a bit of a daze and she smiled widely at the other girl. "Much better." Then she pulled the older girl in for another.

---

Holly had intended to go home, but when she hopped into the cab, she gave the driver different directions. Maybe it was the alcohol or just the anger and frustration that both Lisa and Jess had managed to evoke but she couldn't just go back to her apartment. There was someone she needed to see first. The cab pulled up in front of the Penny.

Holly entered the bar, her eyes immediately scanning for the platinum blonde that was hard to miss. She didn't see her behind the bar or serving any of the tables. Holly was hit with a sinking feeling, Gail had definitely said she was working and on a Thursday night she was usually chained to the counter, but she wasn't here so maybe she had lied. She spotted Charlie in the blonde's usual spot as well as Gail's friends at their tables. She suddenly felt like an idiot for showing up and decided to head out before any of them noticed her and could tell Gail that she had been there. She turned around and headed back out the door she had just come through, trying not to feel the sting of rejection as insecurity mixed with the alcohol coursing through her system.

---

A/N: I had more for this chapter but I decided to use it as a head start for the next one. I think the next chapter will bring the semester to a close and probably start winter break, which is going to be significant for both couples.