Chapter 38

Zona stepped out into the rain of Baltimore, she was here she had made it and Hopkins was everything she had ever dreamed off. Firstly, there was active LBGT groups, with a very active lesbian section. Nearly every night they were out at a bar, and Zona was loving the night life. She'd lost her virginity in high school to Becki, they had broken up at the end of summer, Becki was destined for California, Zona to Baltimore, neither wanted to do long distance. Zona had had to many promised pen pals she had lost contact with over the years to try.

"Hey Arizona, you going to class?" Zona looked up from her coffee and doughnut,

"Hey Peyton, uh huh you take Bio 101?" Zona asked, recognising Peyton from her LBGT group. Her heart racing, Peyton knew who she was, she knew her name. Peyton was one of the most attractive woman Zona had ever seen, 5ft7, slim, but with curves in the right places, ginger hair that sat naturally in light curls and piercing green eyes. She was smart too, taking nearly all the same classes as Zona.

"Yeah, can I walk you?"

"Uh huh" Zona replied, her mouth dry, she hated how nervous she got around attractive girls, still it was much better than her reactions to male authority figures. Luckily in the large classes of college Zona had so far managed to avoid close contact and thus her secret was safe.

As they walked Peyton linked her hand with Zona's

"Are you going to the party tonight, I was thinking we could go together?" Peyton asked nervously, Zona bit her lip, bating her eyes slightly, as she nodded,

"That would be great" she hoped her flirting was as good as she hoped, as she twizzled a strand of blonde hair,

"I'll pick you up at 7?" Peyton asked, Zona gave her warmest smile, making sure her dimples popped

"That sounds perfect"

They went to class together, sitting besides each other, Zona found herself tuning out of the lecture, it was nothing new, she'd covered it last year in AP biology and much more interesting was Peyton's perfume, or how she chewed the tip of her pen, or the way she took notes.

It was only Peyton getting up that made Zona aware class had even ended.

"See you later beautiful" Peyton winked as she walked out leaving Zona sat their stunned.

"Who was that?" her best friend walked over,

"Peyton, I have a date tonight" Zona announced proudly to Sophie, still unable to believe it.

"Arizona you are hot, you could have a date every night of the week if you wanted" Sophie reassured. Zona sighed not sure she believed her friend, what she did know was how excited she was for tonight.

Zona waited impatiently at the door, Peyton was late, it was 1902, and there was no sign of her date. She texted Sophie

She hasn't turned up, I've been stood up, she received the reply almost instantaneously

No way what time was she supposed to meet you

1900!

Arizona, its only 1903!

The phone buzzed, Sophie was calling her,

"Arizona, you need to calm down, not everyone has grown up in a military household, give her until at least 1930 before you freak out" Sophie urged her.

"What if she has changed her mind, what if she found someone better?" Zona ranted pacing up and down her shared room.

"Arizona, you are hot, smart and have dimples to die for, if Peyton doesn't turn up then you will move on to the next person" Sophie reassured, as the door knocked

"She is here, oh gosh, she is here" Zona said panicking,

"Breath Arizona, you have got this" Sophie said laughing at her friends distress, hanging up, Zona hung up the phone, replacing it on the holder. Opening the door she gave a shy smile,

"Hey" she said nervously, Peyton looked sexy, suddenly her mouth went dry, Zona was glad she had gone for a short blue sparkly red that made her eyes pop as Peyton was wearing a black dress that clung to her figure and emphasised all of her curves.

"Hey, you look wow" Peyton said, her eyes not leaving Zona's body.

"You look pretty wow yourself" Zona replied,

"Here I brought you flowers," Peyton handed over a bunch of roses,

"Wow thanks, I've never been given flowers before"

"Well, you deserve them" Peyton leaned in giving Zona a quick peck on the lips. "I almost don't want to go out, but I made dinner reservations" she said sadly,

"There is always dessert" Zona said a naughty smile on her lips, that was soon matched by Peyton.

…

"I can't believe it mom, it's our 3-month anniversary. I want to do something special" Zona moaned on the phone to Barbara.

"It will be special, why don't you take her out do a picnic under the stars" Barbara suggested.

"I could do" Zona pondered the suggestion, there was a lovely park nearby that had great views over the city. "We could take fruit and I could get salad from the deli, and I could light candles, thanks mom, I think this will work" Zona praised, happy with the suggestion.

"Your dad did it for me once, it was very romantic, it was the night he proposed, we were in Utah and the stars, they went on forever" Barbara reminisced. "It was magical, we danced under the stars, and then..."

"Woah mom" Zona interrupted, not sure where it was going but sure she didn't want to know.

"I was going to say kiss dear, get your mind out the gutter" Barbara lectured, Zona rolled her eyes,

"Okay mom I got to plan, I love you, say hi to dad, talk to you tomorrow" Zona hung up. She needed to get her skates on and start scouting for locations and get the food, their anniversary was tomorrow.

Over the last 3 months they had become so close even joked they were connected at the hip, they were the 'it' couple among their friends. Every morning Zona would meet Peyton outside her room with breakfast, for Zona it was often fruit or a doughnut, but she knew Peyton liked French pastries so would get up early and skate over to the bakery. Then they'd walk to class, they only shared 2 but on the classes, they didn't share they'd often be seen dropping each other off. Then was lunch, often they would sit somewhere quiet and share. Every night they'd be there hanging out with friends as a group or on dates. For Zona, Peyton was everything and she was desperate to show her at the 3 month mark just how much she meant.

It came quicker than she expected, this time it was her turn to pick Peyton up, she greeted her with a kiss and a bunch of roses.

"Wow, these are great, let me put them in water" Peyton said giving Zona a peck on the lips turning into her apartment, Zona followed her in pulling her into a much deeper kiss. Peyton moaned, deepening the kiss spinning Zona around pinning her against the fridge.

"If you carry on doing that we will never go out for dinner" Zona said,

"Would that be such a bad thing?" Peyton asked, Zona considered it, the picnic could wait, but then she had persuaded Sophie to guard the blanket and the basket,

"No, but we do need to go" Zona sighed,

"Well, there is always dessert" Peyton said mimicking what Zona had said on their first date. Zona grinned, taking a moment, she loved this girl, she made her feel safe, way more than Joanne ever did. Maybe this was what her mom met when she had met her dad. She felt magical, she felt special, like she could do anything.

They walked the short distance to the park, Zona saw Sophie run as they approached not wanting to interfere with their date.

"Wow Arizona, this looks amazing" Peyton said sitting down on the blanket. Zona sat opposite,

"So, I have quiche, potato salad, rice salad and pasta salad, devilled eggs, and cheese a biscuits" Zona listed "And to drink strawberry lemonade"

"Wow, you went all out, when I saw the picnic I thought it would just be sandwiches or something" Peyton looked at Zona noticing a strange expression on her face, "Arizona?" she questioned, stroking her arm,

Zona took a moment, she wanted to open up to her girlfriend, let her in, over the years Timmy had told a few people, Nick and his current girlfriend Samantha, while Zona had told nobody, not since Edna and her therapy. Maybe it was time to let someone in, share her past, and she really liked Peyton,

"I don't like sandwiches" Zona said, her voice strange, Peyton waiting hoping that the silence would support her girlfriend, shifting closer to her, "My mom and dad adopted me, my original dad wasn't very nice, we, my brother Timmy and I didn't get a lot to eat, but the one thing we did eat, was sandwiches, when I got out of there I promised myself no more sandwiches" Zona confessed she closed her eyes for a moment waiting for Peyton's reaction, she was hoping for empathy, or even sympathy, just understanding, instead she felt Peyton move away from her, her arm went cold from where Peyton had just been holding it,

"You were abused as a child?" Zona nodded, tears leaking from her eyes, as Peyton moved further away, "No wonder your so messed up, those nightmares, when you wake up screaming, or the way you act like your 5, its explains so much" she stood, backing up as if Zona was dirty, as if just looking at her would somehow take away from her, "I'm sorry Arizona, I can't do this, I want a normal girlfriend," she said leaving the picnic. Zona sat on the grass, not hiding the tears that were running down her face, she had tried telling someone about her past and it had backfired big time.

She didn't think she was messed up, she thought she was fairly well adjusted, sure some nights she woke screaming imagining daddy was standing above her, but didn't everyone have nightmares sometimes?

Numbly she packed up the picnic sure that her cheeks were flaming red, positive now everyone around her knew how messed up she was. She arrived back at her room, everyone in her dorm was out, like she should be on a Friday night.

She picked up the phone, there was only one person she wanted to talk to, only one person who could truly understand what she had been through,

"Hello, my name is Arizona Robbins, I'm trying to get through to my brother Timothy Robbins" she said, only to be told they would pass the message across.

"If you could, tell him I need to talk to him, please" she begged unable to stop the tears even as she passed the message across.

Alone and broken Zona did the one thing that always made her feel safer, climbing into the bottom of the wardrobe crying herself to sleep hugging Doggie and horny tightly.

Poor Arizona, hoped you liked it