Okay, so... I think I want to include Shay in this fic, that was the original plan, but I wasn't sure, so that's why I didn't tag her character for this story. One of the readers asked me to put her in and I would love to know if you also want me to include Shay in this one. Please let me know :D

EV & Issacrocks: thanks again for your reviews!

"Sweetheart," she whispered, placing my glasses on the bridge of my nose so I could see the movement of her lips. "You were pretty active and restless during the night. What's going on in that brilliant mind of yours?"

I shrugged my shoulders as she reached out to rub my arm. She's been sleeping in my bed since Tuesday night… since Delphine left the house in a hurry… since I hugged Delphine and kissed her on the cheek. My mom is worried sick about me, she has no clue what's going on my life right now.

"Baby, you barely talk, you're not signing as much and you even skipped your science club yesterday. Something is wrong Cosima, and I want you to tell me so I can help you."

I just stared at her and closed my eyes, shutting her out. I haven't seen Delphine since that night, she didn't come to school and I have this feeling that even her friends don't know where she is. I seriously hope Delphine didn't tell them about the confession I made. She doesn't seem like the type who would, but you never know.

My mother squeezed my hand, asking me to open my eyes and to focus on her lips again.

"Cosima," she said, her eyes full of worry. "Is Justin bothering you again?"

I inwardly cringed as the familiar name tumbled from my mother's lips. Justin… the boy who turned my life into a living hell. I met him in 9th grade, he just moved to San Fran because of his parents' divorce. His mom is an alcoholic and his dad took off to Europe, leaving his son with his ex-wife. It started quite innocently: spreading rumors about me, mocking me behind my back and some name-calling. It wasn't the first time that I had to deal with bullying. It all started in middle school. I was eleven years old… a "mute" girl with glasses and braces. The perfect target for bullies. Anyway, I hoped it would be over once I started high school, but nothing changed, thanks to Justin and his followers. The bullying became physical very quickly and my parents had numerous conversations at school, but nothing helped.

I still remember the worst moment of my life. I was fourteen and Scott and I went to a waterpark after school. We we're having so much fun, until I spotted everyone from my class riding the slides, literally everyone, including Delphine's new friends. Justin and I locked eyes, and I was about to turn around and drag Scott out of the waterpark, but I couldn't move, frozen on the spot. I saw Justin shouting my name, pointing at me before he climbed out of the pool. He ran towards me and pulled the string of my bikini top, causing the fabric to sprang free from my chest. My breasts had just started to develop and they weren't big enough yet to keep the bikini top in place. So, I stood there, on the edge of the swimming pool, my flat chest exposed to my entire class and a few strangers. I still see their faces when I close my eyes at night, laughing, shocked, worried… Scott responded like a real gentleman, wrapped a towel around my chest, guided me to the changing rooms and brought me home. He was the one who told my parents about the incident. I've never seen my mom so upset and distraught, but my father was furious and he visited Lucy at her apartment that night. It took me three weeks to go back to school and the event crushed all the self-esteem I had left. Justin does his best to ignore me since the incident, but what my parents don't know, is that he still bullies me sometimes. I guess my existence triggers something within him… he can't help it.

"Cos?" my mom tried again. "Is Justin the reason why you're feeling down? Does dad need to call Lucy again?"

I shook my head, offering my mother a weak smile as a feeling of guilt swirled around in my stomach.

"Is it Delphine? Did you girls get into a fight?"

My bottom lip began to quiver and tears spilled from my eyes before I could stop them. A loud sob erupted from my dry throat, making me hiss in pain. My mother enveloped me in a warm embrace, hugging me tightly to her chest as I allowed myself to cry.

"Oh sweetheart," she sighed, kissing my salty cheek. "What happened?"

"I…I…" I hiccuped, trying to activate my vocal cords after four days without speaking. "I gave her a hug."

"Okay… so?"

"She left because she didn't want me to hug her. Obvs."

"Cosima, I don't believe that for a second. I don't know Delphine that well, but she would tell you if that's the reason why she left so suddenly."

I can't think of another reason mom, I signed without speaking the words, wiping the tears from my face. She's so nice and I don't want our friendship to end because of this.

"Come on," she said, tossing the seets aside. "It's Saturday Cosima, you're going to see Delphine."

"Excuse me?" I huffed, sitting up.

"Go to her house and talk to her."

"NO!"

"Yes."

"NO!"

"Cosima, I'm not going to argue with you. You're going to see her. End of story."

My mom stood up, marched towards my closet and picked out a printed summer dress, underwear and my favorite sandals, putting the pile of clothes on my bed before she pressed a kiss on the top of my head.

"I'll run you a bath sweetheart," she said, leaving the room. I groaned in frustration and annoyance, but deep down in my heart, I knew I didn't have another option.

"Hi Cosima!" Delphine's father greeted me happily. "Delphine didn't tell me you were coming."

I wanted to tell him that his daughter didn't know either, but I kept my mouth shut, not feeling comfortable enough to speak.

"Come in," he said, touching my shoulder as he led me into the kitchen. "Delphine is out for a jog, but she'll be back soon. Tea?"

I gave him a small nod, twirling a dreadlock around my finger as I sat down in one of the chairs. This is gonna be awkward.

"Are you here to give her your notes?"

I shook my head, swirling the spoon around in my cup of tea as Delphine's father offered me a chocolate chip cookie.

"Please try one. Jane made them yesterday, they're really good."

I took the cookie from the plate and gave the man a smile, touching my chin with my fingers before I moved my hand forward, thanking him in sign language.

"Oh," he smiled, looking surprised. "Delphine didn't tell me that you're deaf. I'm so sorry."

I instantly felt extremely exposed and vulnerable. She didn't tell her dad? Is she ashamed of spending time with me? Maybe she isn't as accepting as she claims. Maybe coming here was a bad idea after all. I tried to come up with a polite way to tell him I had to go, but didn't get the chance to do so when Delphine stepped into the kitchen, dressed in running clothes and sweating profusely.

"Cosima?" she said, her voice full of surprise. "What are you doing here?"

A furious flush covered my cheeks and I jumped to my feet, ready to leave the house. I looked at Delphine's father, who shifted his eyes between his daughter and me.

"Delphine? Why didn't you tell me that Cosima is deaf?" he asked, squeezing Delphine's shoulder. "I've been rambling about unimportant stuff… things she probably couldn't follow, that's quite rude don't you think?"

"She can read your lips dad," Delphine shrugged, pouring herself a glass of water, making me feel unwanted and stupid.

"You should have told me."

"No, I don't agree."

"Delphine!"

"What?" Delphine shook her head, locking her eyes on mine. "It's not important okay dad? Cosima is so much more than her deafness. I rather tell you about her intellect, her humor or our ant experiment."

I couldn't contain the smile that formed on my face and I let out a breath of relief when she tapped my arm.

"Let's go to my room," she suggested, already walking towards the stairs. I followed her upstairs and sat down on her bed, my back propped up against fluffy cushions. The walls are painted a light shade of pink, she owns a makeup vanity with a mirror and lights. The room looks very girly and is much smaller than mine.

"Those are beautiful," I whispered, pointing to a pair of worn pointe shoes that hung above her bed.

"Thank you, those were my mom's"

"Cool. Are you a ballet dancer too?"

"Yes, but I had to give up my ballet lessons when we moved here."

"You can dance ballet in America too," I laughed, opening the small pink jewerly box that was placed on her nightstand. My curious eyes took in the twirling ballerina, making me smile. The box was filled with earrings and I even spotted a beautiful diamond ring.

"Is there music in there too?"

"Yeah," she nodded, taking the box from my hands. "But it's super annoying."

"I had one of those when I was a kid, but I can't remember the sound it made."

"You should be glad about that," she laughed, sitting down next to me. A heavenly smell filled my nostrils and I quickly realized it was her natural scent. She doesn't even smell of sweat, how that's possible after such an intense work out?

"Look Cosima," she began, speaking slowly. "I'm sorry for what happened at your house. I shouldn't have left like that."

"It's okay Delphine," I lied. "I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, I mean… kissing your cheek a second after I told you I like girls… that was a stupid move. I totally get why you fled the house."

"What?" she sucked in a breath, her eyes widening. "No! That's not why I left! You can hug me or kiss my cheek. I'm French, I do it all the time. The fact that you like girls doesn't change anything. You're my friend and I feel comfortable around you. There is nothing in the world you can do or say that will change that."

"Really?" I whispered, grinning madly as my eyes sparkled with happiness. "Oh my God."

"Yeah, of course! I still want to give you hugs, I still want to invite you for a sleepover next weekend, you can sleep in my bed if you want and I'm still gonna change in front of you if you're okay with that. Nothing is gonna change Cosima."

"You wanna have a sleepover?" I whispered, my heart fluttering inside my chest. "With me?"

"Oui. We can watch movies or try beauty products or I don't know… talk science?"

"Sounds perfect Delphine!" I exclaimed, already growing too excited. "I never had a sleepover."

"Never?"

"No."

"It's gonna be fun," she smiled, standing up from the bed. "Have you got any other plans today?"

"No, not really. I think I'm gonna do some gardening, but other than that… no, you?"

"I'm going on a double date."

My mouth suddenly went dry and my heart began to beat wildly as a thin layer of sweat coated my palms.

"A double date?"

"Yes, Simon texted me this morning and invited me for lunch."

"Senior Simon?"

"Yes."

"That's cool. He seems like a nice guy," I whispered, gesturing along with my words. "So, who are the other two?"

"Lizzie and Justin."

"J…Justin?" I stammered as bile crept up my throat. This can't be true.

"Yes, you know him?"

"I ehm… yes. I've heard his name before."

"He seems nice too, but I don't know what to wear Cosima. Can you help me out?"

"Sure," I shrugged, tears stinging my eyes as I tried to swallow back sobs that threatened to escape my mouth.

Delphine opened her closet and took out a few dresses before she threw them on the bed.

"Please pick one," she encouraged, taking off her running shoes. "I'm gonna take a shower in the meantime okay?"

"Okay."

I swallowed thickly, trying to moisten my dry mouth. I can't believe Delphine is meeting Justin this afternoon. I hope he doesn't bring up the incident at the waterpark. There's no reason why he would do so, he's probably too focused on his date, but I feel nervous and sick to my stomach nonetheless. I quickly shifted my attention to Delphine's dresses, gliding my fingers over the different kinds of fabric as I tried to calm my racing mind. I really wanted to choose the modest blue summer dress she had worn to my father's barbecue, so Simon wouldn't get any inappropriate ideas, but I eventually picked out a sleeveless yellow dress with a white collar, convinced she'll look absolutely gorgeous in it. She's going to impress Simon for sure in that dress and she deserves a nice date.

"Have you made your choice?" she asked, stepping into the bedroom with a pink towel wrapped around her body. Fuck, she looks beautiful.

"Y…yeah," I nodded, touching the yellow dress. "This one."

"Perfect choice."

She walked over to her closet and pulled out a pair of black satin panties and a simple bra, before she nonchalantly took off her towel and began to dry herself. I almost gasped in shock and inhaled sharply through my nose at the sight of a buck naked Delphine, standing less than three metres away from me. Holy watershed…

"Oh," she said, eyes wide. "I'm sorry. Is this making you uncomfortable? I'm so sorry Cosima, I should've asked. I didn't think about it, me and my female friends always changed in front of each other when I lived in France."

"N…no it's okay, I just didn't see it coming," I said, gesturing wildly. She looks genuinely shocked by my reaction… guilty even. For a second, I thought she was doing it on purpose, testing me or something, but I'm glad that isn't the case.

"You're not prudish are you?" she giggled teasingly. "We're both girls Cosima."

"No, you don't get a chance to be prudish about something when Sally Niehaus is your mom," I laughed, sinking back into the cushions.

"Good."

I picked up the magazine that lay on her nightstand and focused my attention on an article about the lastest fashion trends, but it didn't take long before I peeked over the opened magazine. Delphine is rubbing the towel over her belly and isn't looking at me, but seems lost in thought. My eyes took the opportunity to take in her full breasts and pink nipples, her widened hips and round butt. Her body is definitely much more developed than mine… nearly full-grown already, even though I'm almost a year older. She dropped the towel to the floor and that's when I noticed the absence of hair on her pubic mound… shaved. I guess that's normal for girls my age, but I've never really thought about it for myself. I don't know why, but I instantly felt insecure.

Delphine finished dressing herself and applied some mascara to her lashes as I opened my small purse and pulled out my red lipstick.

"Delphine, come here," I said, patting the mattress. She shuffled towards the bed and sat across from me, tucking her legs under her butt.

"Yes?"

"Do you ever wear lipstick?"

"Non."

"May I?" I asked, showing her the makeup.

"Sure."

I cupped her jaw in my left hand, slowly dragging the lipstick over her lips, smiling when the red color appeared on her mouth. I could feel her eyes burning into me as I colored those full lips. Full feminine lips that are easy to read and probably very pleasurable to kiss.

"Rub your lips together," I instructed.

She did as she was told and smiled broadly, showing me her perfectly white teeth.

"How does is look?"

"Beautiful. Simon is definitely gonna try to kiss you."

"Hmm. I hope so," she giggled, blushing madly.

"You do?" I asked in surprise.

"Of course, he's nice and handsome. He's allowed to kiss me."

"What does it feel like?" I whispered softly, focusing my eyes on her red lips.

"Kissing?"

"Yes."

"Wet," she said, pushing her tongue through her teeth. "It kind of depends on the person you're kissing to be honest."

"Have you kissed a lot of guys?"

"Three," she whispered and I felt grateful for her honesty. "Kissing is very intimate Cosima, it feels so much better when you're kissing the person you're in love with."

"Yes?"

"Yes, I can't really put it into words, but when a guy uses his tongue… it can feel a little rough and demanding, but when you're in love with someone… that same kiss feels much better. You're lucky that you're a budding lesbian though," she laughed, squeezing my shoulders before she curled her fingers around my neck, stroking the skin of my throat with her thumbs.

"Why?"

"I think women are a lot softer, their way of kissing is much gentler and their tongues are less demanding. But how could I know? It's not like I've got any experience in that area," she laughed again and I'm longing to hear what that laugh sounds like.

"I think you're right Delphine, but I don't know either."

"I'm sure you'll find out soon," she smiled. I didn't really believe it myself, but smiled back at her.

"I need to go Cosima, do you have any plans tomorrow?"

"No, not yet."

"Okay well… Ruth told me about a waterpark for teens the girls always go to, maybe we can check it out tomorrow? It sounds like a lot of fun. Huge slides, whirpools, waterfalls and tube slides."

Oh… my… God. I could feel all the color draining from my face and tears clouded my vision as I clenched Delphine's sheets in my fists, my knuckles turning white.

"Cosima," I heard Delphine gasp, but she sounded so far away. "Are you okay?"

I tried to answer, but nothing came out, my tongue felt thick and heavy in my mouth.

"Okay, lie down," Delphine said, pushing me onto the mattress. I screwed my eyes shut, my heart pounding furiously, causing an unbearable pain in my chest. I inhaled deeply through my nose and exhaled slowly through my mouth, until my breathing turned back to normal. I peeked through my eyelashes and saw Delphine staring at me, wearing a worried expression on her face.

"Are you okay? What happened?"

Yes, I'm okay. I skipped breakfast this morning, I signed without speaking, pushing myself up into a sitting position.

"What? Cosima, I'm sorry, but I don't understand sign language yet."

"Right, sorry," I chuckled sheepishly, fumbling with my glasses. "I skipped breakfast this morning, I think I need to eat something."

She opened the drawer of her nightstand and pulled out a pack of Skittles, pushing it in my hands.

"Oh my God, I love these," I exclaimed, putting the candy into my mouth.

"So, are we going to that waterpark tomorrow Cosima? Or are you scared of water?"

"No," I shook my head. "I'm not scared, I've been there before and it's not really my thing, but I wanna go with you if you wanna check it out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," I whispered as a wave of anxiety rushed through me. I need to do this, for her… for Delphine, my best friend.