Jacqui Briggs had felt conflicted before. It happens to everyone. What doesn't happen to everyone is waking up, naked, next to your straight best friend when there had been no alcohol or drugs involved. For the fifth time. That week.

Jacqui groaned, for the first time in her life wishing she had a hangover so she'd have an excuse for how absolutely shitty she felt. Next to her, Cassie Cage, the aforementioned best friend and apparent lover, stirred in her sleep.

"Goddammit." Jacqui cursed in a tone she thought was quiet.

"Aren't I supposed to be the one with the dirty mouth here?" Cassie, voice still groggy with sleep, said. "What the hell is bothering you at six in the morning anyway?"

Jacqui glanced down, at Cassie, and remember why it was so easy to fall into bed with her over and over. A. She was pretty attractive, but mostly B. They'd been friends for a long time, together through thick and thin. It also didn't help that Cassie had somehow ended up wearing Jacqui's t-shirt at some point in the night.

"Just school things, you know?"

Cassie yawned, loudly. "You're worried about school things? Poor Uncle Jax."

"Hey, not all of us can bribe their professors with autographs from Johnny Cage, alright?"

"Low blow, Briggs. Low blow."

"Whatever." Jacqui shrugged. "Give me my t-shirt."

"You're going to wear this outside?"

"No, I'm going to put it on and then put on a hoodie. Shirt." she said, holding out her hand.

"Fine." Cassie obliged, sliding out of said shirt. "You're supposed to let me keep something of yours. It's in the fuck buddy manual."

Jacqui tried not to notice the words "fuck buddy". "Is it? I would imagine you wouldn't want anything that belonged to someone you porked."

"We're not exactly typical "buddies" though." Cassie added.

"Fair enough." Jacqui said, standing. "You planning to lay in my bed all day?"

"Not all day. Just until my afternoon classes start. That a problem?"

"Not really. If Jin swings by, he wants my Calculus notes. They're on the dresser."

"What, am I your maid?"

"You're literally in my bed half naked right now. Let's not have this argument." Jacqui said.

"Try not to bomb that English Lit test!" Cassie called out as Jacqui left.

Jacqui's classes didn't start until eight, but the school library opened at seven. There was no pressing need for her to study-she was doing relatively well in all her classes, despite what she had told Cassie. In reality, she didn't want to deal with the fact that she slept with her best friend so frequently that it had become a "normal" thing between the two of them, so she lost herself in an Engineering textbook for an hour.

Which proved to be a bad choice, as her first class was English Literature, and she couldn't remember anything, except that she had a test, because Cassie told her, and there she was, thinking about Cassandra goddamn Cage for the fourth time. It was impossible to forget, especially when she went to the bathroom with her hood off, and then discovered a hickey. That was just like Cassie, reminding people about her presence even when she wasn't there. Oh, and Takeda Takahashi, one of her dad's friends kids and also a friend of hers, just had to have this class with her.

"Jacqui." He greeted her after the test was collected.

"Takeda." she nodded.

"Are you concerned about the grade you may have gotten? You look worried." Takeda said, sounding worried himself.

"I'm fine." she reassured him. "Didn't study though."

"I figured. Important things come up?"

Does banging your best friend count? she thought.

"Yeah, you could say that." she agreed.

"Must have been a big deal. You always do well."

Jacqui fought back a blush. "Envious?"

"I am." Takeda grinned. It happened that Takeda had one of the most infectious smiles she'd ever seen, so naturally she smiled back.

"You want to grab coffee tomorrow morning? Maybe go over some notes together?" Takeda asked.

"I'm an early bird, Takeda."

"I'm an earlier one." he answered. "So how about it?"

"You find a place open early that sells good coffee and I'm game." Jacqui said, just as the professor announced the end of class.

Jacqui's next class was the one she was actually prepared for- Engineering. This was something she could handle, something that came easy. She didn't have to worry about Engineering finding out about Chemistry and telling Political Science. Chemistry didn't have to battle feelings for two people (both different genders) and feel dirty about it. Political science wasn't in a long-lasting affair- Jacqui's thoughts were cut short by a dry snapping sound- her pencil, now in two pieces.

"Does anyone have a pencil for Ms. Briggs?"

After classes, Jacqui was roped into some activity that involved running around the city and pasting flyers everywhere they could fit. These flyers said a variety of things, like "End the violence!" "The only place fighting gets you is dead!" and assorted phrases. After all of that, she was tired (not physically, more so mentally. She had at one point gone through combat training- her endurance was ridiculous.)

Really, she wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a good night's rest. These two things were stopped by two words. Cassie Cage.

Cassie was casually lounging in Jacqui's tub (she didn't live on campus, thank god. Sharing bathrooms would have been a nightmare.)

"You really don't have any shame, do you?" Jacqui asked upon finding Cassie in her tub.

"How many times have you seen me naked? It's a great honor. It hasn't been bestowed upon many people, you know." Cassie said.

"I want to take a shower." Jacqui stated.

"I'm not stopping you." was Cassie's response.

"I am going to take a shower. Then you are going home, and I am going to bed."

"Sure thing."

"I'm serious." Jacqui said. Cassie finally looked up, locking eyes with her.

"I got it."

And then, three hours later- "Briggs, will you stop being such a sheet hog?"

Goddammit.