(Disclaimer: Ok. If I said I had ownership over Even Stevens…who would care? Not only is the show long gone by now…but WHO WOULD CARE?! No one would take the time out of their day to sue a girl who really doesn't have that much.

I mean, for Pete's Sake, I'm just a kid…kind of! Haha. Seriously! WHO SUES A KID?!?!

They just wouldn't have a life then.

So on with the show!)

oESoRoToESo

"It's getting light outside." Ren blinked, not able to believe her eyes. Had they been talking that long? Tawny and Ren were in a rather engaging discussion when Ren had chanced a glance outside, noticing not only the fact that the storm was gone…but it was nearing daylight.

"Wow…really?" Tawny asked, looking over the counter to see the sun barely rising over the trees in the Steven's backyard. Tawny sighed, knowing what this meant. They would both go back to the way things were…barely talking to each other…barely seeing each other. Tawny looked over at Ren and smirked before standing up, stretching her weary muscles. She didn't really want to let Ren know it but…she had more of an excellent time with her, in a short span of 12 hours than she really had with Louis and Twitty all of the time.

Well, it wasn't that she didn't have an excellent time with Louis and Twitty. They were probably her best friends, excluding Miles. It was just that…Ren actually had an opinion on intellectual things. Ren actually knew who her favorite poets were and who her favorite artists were…and they could discuss them. Tawny nearly sighed again. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately, didn't she?

"Hey Tawny…" Ren's voice sounded distant as it trailed off, almost like she had a lot more that she wanted to say than just a name.

Tawny realized she had been staring at the rising sun and shook her head, turning to face Ren.

"I just…" Ren shook her head and smiled, catching Tawny off guard by pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you."

"No problem, Ren." Tawny pulled away and smiled slightly. "Anytime." She yawned, knowing that she should probably get home. It was 6 in the morning after all. Tawny threw away the two empty gallons of ice cream-they had managed to go through two whole gallons of vanilla ice cream throughout the night-and turned over to look at Ren, who was putting the dishes in the dishwasher. Ren sighed, knowing the date. It was Saturday. Her birthday was next week and she knew the heavy load on her calendar until then. Ren sighed. It never seemed to stop.

By luck, or perhaps by some miracle, she managed to have nothing to do that Friday, on the day of her birthday, whatsoever. Originally, she wasn't planning on doing anything all that special for her birthday. Ren kind of, after having so much stress on her, wanted to just relax a little. She didn't really want any large parties or sleepovers. She just wanted to come home, eat some dinner, open some presents from her family, and catch up on months upon months of lost sleep. Ruby, however, once she found out Ren's plans, had been extremely disappointed and practically begged Ren to at least let her come over.

Along with a couple hundred of their 'closest friends'.

Ren sighed. Ruby, if she didn't get what she wanted, could be a, well…pain in the ass. And she just wouldn't leave her alone. So, around a week ago, Ren had finally agreed to let there be a party thrown at her house. Ruby immediately went on to dialing their 'closest friends'. Ren probably didn't know anyone that would be coming except, maybe, two people. One of those two would be Ruby. And you can never count on who the second would be. With Ren's luck, it would probably be one of her ex's. Ren sighed…none of her relationships ended up well. She always ended up getting hurt. So, eventually, after Jason and Ren broke up two years ago, she decided to lay off of relationships for a while. She hadn't had anything more serious than a date or two with a guy for two years. Her parents had originally worried…but she just told them the truth. She didn't feel like it anymore. It was too much work.

Too much work taking away from her schoolwork.

Ren would have rather had a quiet evening for her birthday. No loud music. No alcohol-though she begged Ruby not to let there be any-no party. But no. Ruby wouldn't have it. It was her 18th. It would be the 'greatest night of her life'. Ren thought back on the night she had just had. It was amazing. She had felt more…alive…then she had for a while. That night, the night before, very well might have been Ren's greatest night of her life. However sad that was.

Ren's eyes trailed over to Tawny's tired ones. She wished that those moments never had to end. Maybe…maybe they didn't have to. Maybe Ren could ask her to her party. At least then there'd be another familiar face. But if she asked her…would she even go? The younger girl yawned once more, pulling her arms above her head and stretched, and Ren watched the way her muscles moved under the fabric of her shirt. Tawny was wearing yesterday's clothes and her stomach could be seen as the fabric of her black, long--sleeved shirt was pulled up for the morning stretch. The color on Tawny's stomach wasn't as pale as Ren thought it would be--not that she had thought about it much or anything…although the question did always catch her attention randomly from time to time-and although it was pale it did seem to fit Tawny. The color on her skin seemed to fit her. Something quite…shiny…caught the corner of Ren's eyes and she felt her eyes widen.

It was a bellybutton ring.

It wasn't anything fancy or elaborate…it was simple and silver. But it was perfect on Tawny. Ren had never expected something like that of her…but there it was. While it was unexpected…it did seem to fit her. Just like the color of her skin. The sun hit it directly, sending the shine into Ren's eyes and making another word spin around in her head when she found herself gaping at the ring. Sexy. The ring was totally and completely…sexy. Ren shook her head. She was thinking things. She was thinking things that she shouldn't be thinking….

But…what was she thinking? What, exactly, was she thinking? She was thinking that Tawny was sexy. Tawny Dean, with a belly ring, was the sexiest thing on the planet, at that exact moment in time, to Ren Stevens. Was it just that moment in time? Ren didn't know. She had no idea. Because all she could think about was that ring. And Tawny. She was thinking of Tawny. Tawny…and sexy. Tawny…ring…sexy. A girl…another girl…was the sexiest thing on the planet to Ren Stevens.

Wait, no…she wasn't gay. Girls didn't think other girls were extremely sexy if they were straight, did they? And…well...she couldn't be gay. There was no way in hell she was gay! Bobby…Gil…Jason…Sure, she wasn't exactly dating right now…but that didn't mean she was gay! She had been attracted to all of them…Right?

But it didn't even matter! Just because she said that Tawny looked sexy with a bellybutton ring…that didn't make her gay. You don't have to be gay in order to think another woman is attractive. It could just be a fact…a statement. Like the statement she was thinking now.

The statement that Tawny looked completely hot with a belly button ring. Well…not that she didn't look hot before. Oh, no, Tawny looked amazing before. Tawny definitely looked amazing before Ren knew that she had a bellybutton ring.

"Uh…Ren?" Tawny asked, one of her eyebrows raised, as she looked towards Ren's focus of sight. Ren immediately looked away and tried to find something to say. She had been staring. No…staring was not the word for it. She had practically been drooling. Ren's eyes got wider at the thought. She didn't drool…right? If she had, Tawny didn't seem to notice. Just for good measure Ren checked her mouth--passing it off as a yawn--to see if any drool had come out. Thank God…it hadn't. "Oh. Were you looking at this?" Tawny lifted the edge of her shirt to reveal the simple silver ring once more. Ren nodded. "I got it around last year, when I was 15, and my birthday was coming up." Ren moved closer to Tawny, stooping down slightly and looking more closely at the object.

"Why?" Ren asked and Tawny couldn't help but smirk. "Why did you get it?" Ren clarified. Tawny's smirk grew wider. Every single time Ren was curious about something…she put on this adorable little face. Her head tilted to the side and her eyes got kind of wide, though it wasn't an unflattering wide, and she always managed to remind Tawny of a puppy at dinner time, begging for something to eat. Tawny let her shirt fall down once more as she leaned back against the counter, not able to stand Ren's eyes on her anymore. The feeling wasn't as unnerving as…hypnotizing…and it frightened Tawny.

"Well…my friend Miles wanted something to-," Tawny stopped mid-sentence and gasped. "Miles!" Tawny jumped off of the counter, remembering the young man she had left at her house last night. She could see Ren's confused, still amazingly adorable, face cross Ren's features once more. Adorable? Ren Stevens…adorable? She never thought adorable about anything…let alone anyone. Tawny shook her head. She shouldn't associate adorable with Ren Stevens. Only bad would come from that one.

"Miles?"

"Yeah…he's…I left him at my house and I completely forgot!" Tawny looked over at Ren and sighed. She had to go. Both of them knew that things would likely never be like this again. Ren and Tawny rarely ever saw each other…maybe two minutes every week. "I didn't even call him. I should probably go."

"Yeah." Ren whispered, looking down at the floor. Her thoughts turned back to earlier. Should she ask her?

"It was really fun, Ren. I mean…I had a good time. It was nice to actually talk about something intellectual for once. Look my best friends…both of their IQ's add to less than their age." Ren chuckled and started walking Tawny to the door.

"It was a lot of fun." Ren sighed. She was being absurd. "Thank you again Tawny, for everything." They really didn't know each other all that well…although Ren had learned a lot about the younger girl in the past twelve hours then she ever cared to know about anyone else…but, still, Tawny would probably come to Ren's party if she asked. And, after the night before…well…Ren owed it to her, didn't she? She had helped her during a rough time…a time no one else had helped her through. It was a sign of friendship, to extend the offer.

"No problem, Ren. Seriously, if you ever need anything, don't be afraid to ask." Tawny smiled reassuringly at her and placed her hand gently on Ren's shoulder. It sent warmth throughout Ren's spine and she could feel her heart skip a beat. "I guess…I'll see you at school?" Was that regret in Tawny's eyes…or was that just her?

"Yeah. Yes. Of course. I'll see you at school." Ren smiled before Tawny opened the door and started walking out. Why couldn't she just ask her? It wasn't a big deal. It was just a party.

"Bye Ren."

"Tawny, wait." Ren grabbed Tawny's arm, making the younger girl turn and face her. Neither of them wanted it to end. The talking. The smiling. The feeling safe. The ice cream. But maybe that was the problem. Maybe that was why Ren was so hesitant in asking. She didn't want it to end. Ren enjoyed Tawny's company. She enjoyed spending time with her. She enjoyed talking about politics and artists and poets…she enjoyed all of it. She enjoyed Tawny. But there was something about it all…something about it all that was…different. It was totally and completely different and that scared Ren. Something was changing. She didn't know what…but something was changing.

And Ren Stevens didn't like change.

She liked timetables and schedules and charts…she liked organization. Nothing good ever came from change. Change always meant that her original plans never worked out ok. Change meant that something would be different. That everything would be different.

And Ren Stevens didn't like change.

But as Ren gazed into Tawny's blue, soul-gazing eyes…she found the words slip out of her mouth anyways. "Do you want to come to my party next Friday? It's for my birthday and all. Turning 18."

"Yeah. I heard about it. Apparently practically half of the school was invited." Ren winced. She knew Ruby would invite more than 100 of their 'closest friends'. "It's at 7 next Friday, right?" Ren nodded. "I'll be sure to come then. My present probably won't be amazing or anything…but you'll make due." Tawny smiled.

"I'm expecting a statue-made from the finest clay, mind you- of me…or a pastel portrait of my greatness, showing my academic achievements. That sort of thing. I'm sure it'll be great. You being the artist that you are." Ren smirked and leaned against the doorway.

"Well, you're in luck. I started sculpting last year, after your last birthday, just to get those eyes of yours right." Tawny looked into Ren's eyes and gave her a serious look, using her acting skills to her advantage. "Because, truth is, Ms. Stevens, those eyes seem to haunt me." The statement threw both of the girls off track, but Tawny kept her serious expression on her face to the best of her ability. She had just meant to say, 'because they're difficult to sculpt'. Or something like that. Well, hopefully not as lame as that…Tawny was always known for her wit. But with Ren, lately, things seemed to just start popping out of her mouth that she wouldn't normally say, either way. Tawny mentally shook herself, knowing that, on some level, the statement about Ren's eyes was true. But she would never, in a million years, let Ren know that. So she kept her expression serious and tried not to let Ren know.

Ren stood there, not knowing what to say. It felt like she was a stick of dynamite and a spark of fire just shot throughout her body, nearing towards the fuse. She wasn't sure if it was a good feeling…or a bad one. Was Tawny joking? She had such a serious look on her face…and her eyes…her eyes were holding something in them. Something Ren didn't know what to do with.

Did she want to do anything with it?

Did she want to do anything now?

What should she do?

What could she do?

How the hell are you supposed to respond to something like that?!

Change.

Something was changing. And Ren didn't know what to make of it. What to think of it. Who to think of. All she knew was that something was changing…and fast. But, again, as she looked into Tawny's eyes…she didn't seem to mind it much.

The silence that stretched between them, however long it lasted, neither of them knew, almost seemed to suffocate them both.

Finally, Tawny smiled, showing Ren that she was only joking. Though Tawny wasn't exactly sure that she was. As much as she would have liked to stay and talk to Ren…she really had to go. Why did she have to leave again?

Oh. Yeah. Miles.

"I really have to go, Ren. I'll see you at school, right?" Ren nodded and smiled, waving as Tawny started walking down the driveway. Neither of them noticed her arm shaking.

"Alright. Bye, Tawny! Thanks for everything!" Ren closed the door and slid down it, burying her head in her arms, shaken to the core.

Something was definitely changing.

And Ren had no idea if she hated it…or if she loved it.

A picture of Tawny's face flashed through her mind, those blue eyes shining, and Ren found the words slip out of her mouth, although no one was there to hear them. "No…it's your eyes that haunt me." The words cracked like a whip throughout the silent, unoccupied house and Ren gasped at what she had just said. She hadn't meant to say it. But she had said it. Did she mean it?

Nothing in the house changed.

The house was still the same.

The world didn't shake.

The sky didn't fall.

Nothing in the house changed.

Ren saw Tawny's eyes again and looked out at the street, the younger girl long gone, and sighed.

Nothing changed.

Maybe…maybe Ren wanted it to.

oESoRoToESo

(A/N: Sorry about the wait guys. My internet got taken away. And it still is away...but…yeah. Anyways. Another chapter! Thank you guys for reading! You rock my socks off! That's really the only reason why I'm not wearing socks right now.

Anyways. The Review Button is quiet tonight. Don't know why. It doesn't feel like strippin'…so give 'em a break, yeah?)