Author's note: Someone asked that how old Alex is and she is 19, turning soon 20. She is two years older than Piper :) I'm sorry for the irregular updating. I'm writing always when I have time.
Enjoy!
It was Monday and Diane had given Piper Monday and Tuesday off. After school Piper really didn't have anything to do, so she decided to do some assignments. It was already end of May, so these were about the last ones given.
Now when finals were done, teachers only gave some random essays to write and didn't bother to give real homework.
Piper usually didn't waste much of her time doing school work and she wans't going to start now.
She started with physics where she needed to write about electricity and magnetism. Piper didn't bother to do any research and just wrote something she knew about the topic. In ten minutes, she had written already one page. Just when she was beginning the second page, her doorbell rang.
She got up a little confused and went to look through the peephole.
There stood Alex with arms crossed over her chest.
Piper opened the door. "Hi", she said bemused.
Piper noticed that Alex white T-shirt was wet and she was probably trying to hide her now visible bra.
"Hey", Alex said as she smiled hesitantly. "I'm sorry to disturb, but I was hoping that you could do a small favor?"
"What do you need? Do you want to come in?" Piper asked as she moved aside.
"Thanks", Alex said as she quickly went inside of Piper apartment. "So, I walked into someone with coffee in my hand and like you can see, my coffee spilled all over me and I was wondering if you could lend me a shirt because I would rather not walk around the town looking like this", she explained as she took her hands away and Piper saw her red bra.
Piper laughed. "Yeah. I can see your issue."
Alex hide her bra again. "I thought that I would walk home, so I don't have any cab money. Your place was close, so I thought that you could help?"
"Yeah, sure. Wait a second", Piper said as she went to her room to get T-shirt.
She looked around her wardrobe a bit before found a loose T-shirt. That would fit Alex.
She went back and gave Alex the plain black T-shirt. "Uhmm... you can change in bathroom?" Piper said unsure how to deal in this kind of situation.
"It's not like you didn't already see", Alex said as she started to take the wet T-shirt off.
Piper quickly turned around, she definitely didn't need to see her ex-crush without a shirt. "Right. Do you want something to drink? Like coffee?" She asked as she started to walk towards kitchen.
"Well, if you don't mind?"
"Not at all", Piper said as she started the coffee machine.
Soon Alex came into the kitchen with Piper's shirt on. "Thanks."
"Sure, no problem", Piper said.
"I hope I didn't interrupt anything?" Alex asked.
"Nothing important. I was just writing some school stuff."
Alex's eyebrows rose. She hadn't thought that Piper would do voluntarily any homework.
Piper rolled her eyes as she saw Alex surprise. "I want to get out of the high school at some day. And I'm always doing my homework, not very carefully but I'm always doing them."
Alex shook her head. "Always when I think that I've figured out something about you, you do something that confuses me all over again."
Piper chuckled as she poured the coffee into two cups. "Yeah. I confuse myself a lot too. But anyways, what were you doing aroung here?"
Alex made a face. "I was studying with Nick."
"Still focusing on your breasts instead of him studies?" Piper asked.
"Yeah. Not anymore though", Alex said smirking a little.
Pipet looked at her questioningly. "How so?"
"I've tried to get him realize that I'm gay, but he just doesn't get it. He tried to kiss me today and I told him directly that I'm gay. He said that he would change my mind and tried again", Alex told as she took the coffee cup from Piper.
"And?" Piper asked curiously.
"Then I slapped him."
Piper laughed and shook her head. "That's not how to deal with boys. You need to punch them straight on the jaw with your fist."
Alex chuckled. "Is that what you always do?"
"Pretty much, yes", Piper said as she rubbed unconsciously her knuckles.
Alex wondered how many boys exactly Piper had punched with those knuckles.
They drank their coffees and talked about some random things.
"Well, I should be going. I'm going to let you continue your school work. Thanks for the coffee and the shirt. I'll return it soon", Alex said when she had drunk the rest of her coffee.
"No problem", Piper said as she got up.
They walked to the front door and Alex opened it.
"Alex?" Piper called out before Alex left.
"Yeah?" Alex asked and turned around to look at Piper.
"I'm not a complete asshole. I mean I can be, but I can also... not to be..." Piper trailed off as she tried to form her thoughts into words. "Anyways, I saw that you were hesitating when you came to ask help. So I just wanted to say that you can ask help from me. I'm not going to turn you away or anything..."
It was true that Alex had been a little hesitant to ask help from Piper because she didn't how she would react with Alex randomly coming over.
"Of course", Alex said.
"I'm not saying that you need to come to me with every problem you have, but... if you need something... then, yeah", Piper ended awkwardly.
"Got it", Alex smiled. She knew that it meant a lot coming out of Piper. "The same applies to you. I know that you like to handle things on your own, but I'm here if you need anything. Even if it's just lending a book. Oh, and that reminds me, you should visit us someday. You could check my book collection and if there's anything you would like to read?"
"Yeah, okay", Piper smiled.
"Cool. See you on Wednesday?" Alex asked.
"Yeah."
"Okay, bye then", Alex said as she turned around.
"Bye", Piper said as she closed the door.
Piper continued her essay and after another ten minutes, she was done. When she didn't have anything else to do, she read Polly's letter again.
After reading the letter once more, she took her phone and unblocked Polly's number.
[Piper] - Hey Polly, I read your letter. I'm understanding you a little better, but I'm not ready to forgive you. Maybe with time. Anyways, I think that we are better apart. Please don't try to contact me again. Have a happy rest of your life.
Piper blocked Polly's number just in case again. It was better this way, Piper decided before picked some random movie on her laptop and started watching.
"So, it's your birthay next week", Diane said to Piper as they were unloading a new shipment.
"Yes. And no, I don't need any extra day offs", Piper told her annoyed. She didn't need any reminders about her birthday.
Piper's brusque answer startled Diane and she looked at her questioningly.
Piper glanced at Diane. "Sorry."
"No, no. It's fine", Diane said. She noted that Piper didn't like to talk about her birthday for some reason.
There landed uncomfortable silence between them before Diane broke it. "Alex applied for a job at the near cafe."
Piper was thankful for the change of topic. "Didn't she like tutoring anymore?"
"Yes, she likes it, but it doesn't pay that well. I think that she is continuing it though even if she gets the job", Diane said.
Piper nodded. If Alex wasn't going to be around so much anymore, maybe this was the time to start taking distance.
They heard someone's phone ringing.
"It must be yours", Diane said as she left from the backroom to give Piper some privacy.
Piper went to get her phone but stopped when she saw who was calling her. It was her aunt, that didn't promise any good. Piper considered not answering, but then she thought about Cal. What if something had happened to Cal?
"Hello?" She answered.
"Ah, Piper, dear. Hi", Her auntie's fake cheery greeted her. "So, I was thinking..."
Oh no, this was not going to be any good Piper thought as she gritted her teeth.
"...Since you have the apartment in Litchfield, a couple of my friends is coming there, so I promised that they can bunk in your apartment for a couple of weeks?" She continued.
Piper stood there with her mouth agape. "You did what? Didn't you happen to think asking me first, before you started promising such things!"
"Surely you have someone there where you can spend a couple of weeks?"
"You can't do this. I'm not going to accept this", Piper said her eyes burning with anger.
"You are forgetting that the apartment is under my name until you turn eighteen. I can evict you from there", Piper's aunt reminded coldly.
"My birthday is next week!" Piper snapped.
Her aunt was quiet for a while. "Oh? Well, it still gives them a week. Are you going to leave voluntarily or do I need to evict you?" She asked.
"I'm not letting you do this", Piper said defiantly.
"You need to be out of the apartment by Friday", her aunt said before ended the call.
Piper stood there cursing her aunt when Diane came back.
"Wow, that wasn't apparently a good call?" Diane said as she saw Piper's state.
Piper forced herself to calm down. "It wasn't that bad. But you know my temper", Piper said trying to smile a little.
Diane looked at Piper skeptically but didn't pry more information.
Rest of the day Piper was thinking how she could get out of this. Finally she had to admit that there was no way out. The law was law. Then she started to think where she could go. Diane and Alex was basically her only option, but she wasn't sure if she could give up her pride.
But she didn't need any other options if she didn't want to sleep on the streets. Piper took a deep breath before turned towards Diane. "Diane?"
"Yeah?" Diane asked as she stopped what she was doing to look at Piper.
"I... Uhmm... I have a favor to ask. Really big one."
Diane looked at Piper worriedly. Something bad must have happened if Piper needed to ask a big favor. "Of course. What is it?"
Piper scratched at her neck uncomfortably. "Well... I got thrown out of my apartment by my aunt till my birthday... So, I was thinking if I could bunk with you for a few days? I mean I can do something, like housework or-"
"Piper." Diane interrupted. "Of course you can stay with us. We have plenty of space. And you don't need to worry about any housework. What happened with your aunt?"
"She promised to lend my apartment to her friends and when I didn't cooperate she threw me out and I can't have the apartment under my name until I turn eighteen", Piper explained.
Diane furrowed her eyebrows. "Why would she do that?"
Piper shrugged. "She has always been like that, doing whatever she wants. And she hates me. That's why I didn't want to move there with Cal."
"That's just mean. When do you need to be out?" Diane asked.
"By Friday. I'm going to stay around if she doesn't get any official eviction. But I'm afraid that she does."
"By Friday? Isn't there usually some kind of notice?"
"Yeah, it should be 20 days, since she didn't have any good reason to evict me, but she has connections", Piper said still annoyed over the whole situation.
"I'm sorry about your aunt. You're absolutely welcome to live with us for a while", Diane said.
"Thank you", Piper said.
"Piper's going to live with us from this Friday to next week", Diane announced to Alex as she had come home.
Alex was in the living room watching some TV. She however turned it off when she heard what her mom said. "What?" She asked bewildered.
Diane explained the situation and Alex was happy that Piper trusted them enough to ask. "That's good, isn't it? I mean not good like that, but she has learned to trust us."
"Yeah", Diane agreed.
"I'm pretty positive that if this had happened a month ago, she wouldn't have asked", Alex thought.
"Yeah. She has started to be more open around us. That's good."
It was Thursday evening when Piper got an official eviction notice. Piper cursed her aunt probably for the hundereth time. She send a picture of it to a lawyer she knew through their heritage process in hope of her finding some loophole.
No such a luck. The notice was completely valid.
Piper accepted finally her defeat and packed her things. She took clothes, personal stuff and her coffee machine. There was no way that Piper would give that for her auntie's friends use.
Piper called on Friday morning to the school saying that she was sick, so she could concentrate on moving. Alex was going to come and get her, before later dropping Diane and her off to the bookshop.
A little after noon Piper heard her doorbell ring. She opened the door and there stood a middle-aged couple smiling. "Hello. You must be Piper."
"Yeah", Piper said as she gave the couple her home key. Luckily she had ordered a second key that would be delivered to Alex and Diane's place later.
"Thank you. It's so nice of you to voluntarily give us your place", the woman said smiling.
Piper looked at them unbelievingly. Her aunt really was a twisted bitch. "Whatever. I'm out."
"Wait, you aren't going to give us a tour?" The man asked.
"It's not a mansion. You can figure it out on your own", Piper said sarcastically. "Remember, I'm back on Thursday. You better be out before 4 p.m.", Piper reminded before started carrying her bags downstairs.
Alex was waiting for her there and took Piper's coffee machine, so Piper didn't need to carry so much stuff alone. "We do have a coffee machine on our own", she said grinning.
"I figured. But I didn't want to give them to privilege to use my coffee machine. It's mine."
Alex chuckled before looked at Piper. She seemed annoyed, for a good reason obviously. But Alex was prepared Piper to be furious, so, either Piper could keep her emotions in check or she wasn't too upset about all this.
Piper glanced at Alex. "I'm really fucking furious if that's what you were thinking. I'm just trying not to show it very much, so you don't need to live with some maniac."
"But we get it, you have every right to be angry", Alex said.
"Still", Piper said ending the conversation as they got to Alex's car.
They put Piper's stuff into the trunk before driving to Diane's and Alex's place. The journey was a little uncomfortable since Piper wasn't in the mood to talk. They drove there about in fifteen minutes.
Piper looked around and saw that Alex and Diane were living in a nice neighbourhood in beautiful white two-story house.
Alex parked the car in front of the house and they carried Piper's stuff inside.
They greeted Diane before Alex showed Piper the house before taking her to the guest room. "You are staying at here. Make yourself at home", she smiled before left Piper to unpack her things.
Piper looked around the room. It wasn't too small, there was a comfy looking double bed, a wardrobe and she had an own bathroom. Not a bad place to bunk at all.
Piper still felt uncomfortable with being in someone else's home. She couldn't even remember when was the last time she even visited anyone. Probably three years ago when Polly and she were still friends.
Piper looked at the wardrobe and when she noticed that it was empty, she started putting her clothes in it.
When she had unpacked most of her things, she sat down on the bed. It couldn't be that awful to be a week here, right?
A knock on the door startled Piper. "Yeah?"
Alex peeked into the room. "Hey. We're leaving in ten minutes. You ready?"
"Yup", Piper said as she got up. "Nice looking home. It looks like... well home."
Alex grinned. "Thanks. So, yeah. You can just act like you were at home. If you're hungry, take something from the kitchen, okay?"
Piper didn't feel comfortable with that but she nodded anyways. "Got it."
"Good. Shall we go?" Alex asked.
Piper nodded.
Diane was waiting for them in the downstairs. "Ready to go, girls?"
"Yeah."
The following morning Alex and Diane was sitting in the kitchen drinking coffee. It was almost eight o'clock.
Soon they heard when someone came in and they looked at each other questioningly. They had given Piper an own key but what was she doing outside at this hour?
They had their answer when Piper walked into the kitchen with slightly red face and running clothes.
"Good morning", Diane said as she sipped her coffee.
"Morning."
"Do you want some breakfast?"
Piper looked between them for a while. "Just coffee is fine. I'll grab a shower first."
"Sure."
"She looks so out of place", Alex commented when Piper had gone.
"It must be very strange for her. She has been living alone for so long."
After about ten minutes Piper came back with. She was reading something on her phone with her eyebrows furrowed.
"Everything okay?" Diane asked.
Piper put the phone into her pocket. "Yeah. I just... Can I get my day offs on Monday and Thursday?"
"Of course. Something related to your apartment?"
Piper nodded. "I'm seeing a lawyer on Monday. We can fill the papers, so immediately when I turn eighteen the apartment will be under my name."
"That's good." Diane said before pointed one of the drawers. "Just take a cup from there, coffee is ready."
Piper complied and poured herself a cup.
All of the three drank their coffees in silence but it wasn't uncomfortable.
"I'm going to a job interview, so I'm taking you to work", Alex said to Piper.
"Okay, when are we leaving?"
"In fifteen minutes. Oh, and I'm going to a grocery store today, is there something you don't eat?" she asked.
"Aliens", Piper answered with a straight face.
Alex chuckled. "So humans are okay. Should we be scared?"
"I'm not going to eat my friends", Piper said smirking as she stared at Alex and waited for her to catch up.
Alex narrowed her eyes a little. Why did Piper say it like there was some kind of innuendo? She had emphasized the word 'eat'. What could she possibly-
Alex's eyes widened as she realized Piper's joke.
Piper, in turn, burst into a laughter. "Your expression was priceless", she said still laughing.
"Jesus kid", Alex murmured shaking her head.
Piper just winked at her before got up to put her cup into a dishwasher. "But for real though, everything is fine."
Diane looked after her confused before turning to look at Alex. "What did I miss?"
"Nothing", Alex said. Her mother didn't need to know that Piper eating people really meant Piper having sex with women.
Thank you for reading! Like always, please review and tell me what you thought. Feel free to ask or suggest anything. I'm trying to update soon again :)
-Iina