Chapter 4
Alex was happy when the next few weeks went by without any issues with Healy, she needed a break from it all. She stuck close to her friends and Sally and Piper when she was at school, just in case he tried something, but he never did.
She didn't go out much in the weeks after Nicky's party, partly because she couldn't be bothered and partly because she felt a need to stay close to Sally. They ended up falling into an accidental routine. Every night Piper would drive her and Sally home from school, and Piper ended up staying at their apartment most Friday nights. It was nice, it felt safe. But Nicky was starting to feel left out, they hadn't been seeing each other as much after school or on weekends.
It was another Friday afternoon and like always, Carrie, Nicky and Alex were sitting in their usual spot at the end of the school oval.
"We haven't done anything together for weeks, how about we all get together this weekend?" Nicky missed Alex, she almost felt like the brunette was pulling away from her.
"No can do Nicholls, my brother is coming home for the weekend, pretty sure mum would actually kill me if I went out."
Nicky rolled her eyes at Carrie, her mother always seemed to be calling the shots.
"What about you Vause? Don't leave me hanging all on my own."
Alex took a long drag from the joint they were passing around and exhaled slowly, she just didn't have the energy for going out.
"I dunno Nick."
Alex's hesitation just worried Nicky even more, "Do you feel okay? Like, you're not still feeling sick because of what happened at my place?"
"I'm fine Nick, it's nothing like that. I'm just tired."
As always, Carrie didn't miss the opportunity to make Alex squirm, "Yeah, I guess spending all that time fucking blondie senseless would make any of us tired." She burst out laughing as soon as she said it and nudged Alex with her shoulder, but the brunette wasn't amused.
"Jesus, we are not fucking, how many times do I need to say it. She's become really good friends with Sal, and I'm not gonna fuck that up for her. Besides, she's not even gay."
Nicky didn't say anything, and just watched the others.
"A lot of girls are straight, except until they aren't anymore. Remember when you fucked Sherry Jones during that field trip last year? Pretty sure she said she was straight too."
"Yeah, and I'm also pretty sure Sherry hasn't been fucked by another girl since then."
"Then you obviously did a shit job Vause, send her my way next time."
The conversation was starting to irritate Nicky, but she still said nothing. Alex jokingly threw her bottle of water at Carrie and passed the joint to Nicky. She could see a hint of sadness in her friend's eyes, and wanted to make her feel better.
"Come over tonight Nick, just hang at my place."
Nicky scoffed, "With blondie and your sister? No thanks."
"Why the fuck not? You got something better to do?"
"I don't actually, but c'mon, do we really need to sit around all night with them? Let's go out and do something."
Alex knew her next words would hurt Nicky, but she couldn't help it.
"I'm not up to it Nick, I need more time okay. That last run in with Sam, it scared the shit out of Sally, more than I've ever seen before. It scared the shit out of me too, so I don't feel comfortable going out yet. Plus I'm tired, I just wanna go home."
Nicky hated it, she still felt like what happened to Alex was her fault, but she didn't want to make her friend uncomfortable. So she caved in, and agreed to hang out at the apartment.
"Fine, your place it is."
0-0-0-0-0-0
Alex managed to convince Nicky to meet her in the parking lot after school and get a ride to the apartment with Piper, it was just easier that way. Alex and Nicky sat on the retaining wall while they waited, until they saw Sally and Piper walking towards them. Alex's eyes went straight to Piper. She had her hair pulled into a messy bun, which still managed to look perfect. She was wearing a light linen shirt and blue jeans with white sand shoes. Everything about her looked effortless, Alex wanted her. Her staring must have been pretty obvious and Nicky pulled her back into reality.
"Seriously Alex, pick your fucking tongue up from the floor before you jump her in broad daylight."
Alex looked to her friend but didn't say anything, it wasn't that obvious, was it?
Piper was all smiles by the time she was standing in front of the younger girls.
"Hey guys, ready?"
They nodded and jumped from their perch. Sally put an arm around Alex's shoulders while they walked to the car, she knew the younger girl had a rough night trying to sleep.
"How you feeling Lex?"
"Tired, but okay. I'm just looking forward to going home."
Sally pulled her sister in closer to her, "You and me both kid."
They were back at the apartment within 30 minutes and everyone was keen to relax. Alex went straight to the couch with the intention of lying down, until Piper came and sat next to her. Maybe she didn't have as much control over her facial expressions as she thought, because Piper seemed to notice the very weird look Alex had on her face.
"Are you okay?"
Alex tried to regain her composure, get a fucking grip Vause!
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, just tired as usual."
"Why don't you lie down? Have a rest before we decide what to do tonight."
This suggestion made Alex's face turn red. You never get flustered around girls Vause, what the fuck is wrong with you!
"No that's okay, I don't wanna take up the whole couch."
Piper smiled, "Don't be silly, just lie down."
Piper reached out and pulled Alex down until her head was resting in Piper's lap and she stretched her long legs across the small couch.
Alex froze, this felt so good, but it was so hard. Her head was in Piper's lap, and all she wanted to do was reach out and touch her legs, her body. So she closed her eyes and tried to focus on something else, which Piper seemed to think meant Alex was trying to sleep. Alex kept lying there with her eyes closed while Piper picked up the magazine that was next to the couch and started flicking through it.
Alex eventually managed to relax, and got comfortable on the couch with Piper. She moved so that she was lying on her side and her head was resting on Piper's thighs. She bent her knees so that her legs actually fit on the couch, and crossed her arms across her chest. She actually started to drift off to sleep, until she felt soft fingers running through her hair.
"Mmmhhh, that's feels nice."
"Try and take a nap, I think Sally's on the phone with your aunt. Sounds like she might be a while."
Piper kept running her fingers through Alex's long black hair, and started running her nails along her scalp. She couldn't help herself, it felt so right, any time she touched the brunette it felt completely right. Piper noticed the change in Alex's breathing, she was starting to fall asleep. Her breathes were deep and even, she sounded relaxed.
Nicky came into the lounge room moments later and sat herself on the ground near the TV. She grit her teeth as she saw Alex lying there with her head in Piper's lap. She knew that Alex wasn't hers, but she still wanted to be the one to make Alex feel good. Although she wasn't sure what that even meant anymore.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Half an hour later and Sally had finally managed to get their aunt off the phone. They spoke about once per week, but they hardly ever saw her. It's as though she tried to justify their lack of contact by spending more time on the phone with Sally. She was never overly close to Diane, and Alex and Sally never spent much time with her. She just never seemed overly interested in them, or maybe it was too hard for her to see them, they were a permanent reminder of her sister.
Sally walked into the lounge room and saw Alex asleep on the couch with Piper, and Nicky sitting on the floor, her eyes trained on her phone. Things had been tense between Sally and Nicky ever since the party, but Sally knew how important Nicky was to Alex. She didn't want to make the younger girl uncomfortable.
"What do you feel like doing Nick?"
Nicky finally looked up from her phone, "Hmmm, board games and beer?"
Sally was surprised Nicky would ever be willing to spend her Friday night playing board games.
"Yes to the board games, no to the beer."
Sally got up to go grab the few games they had, leaving the other three alone in the lounge room. Piper leaned in close to Alex and brushed the hair from her ear.
"Al, wake up."
Alex grumbled and rubbed her face against Piper's thighs, "I'd rather not."
"You'll miss out watching Nicky play board games."
Nicky's ears pricked up as soon as she heard her name, "Hey, I did also suggest beer."
Alex opened her eyes, but she really didn't want to pull herself away from Piper.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Alex was reluctant to admit how much she actually enjoyed sitting at home playing board games, that definitely wouldn't do her reputation any good. After one game of Monopoly and two games of Pictionary, they decided to move onto Twister. Even Nicky was getting into it.
"I am not losing again! And I am not getting teamed up with blondie anymore, your drawing of a mountain range looked like a pile of crap!"
"I never said I was an artist! And it was better than your attempt at the helicopter."
"I still maintain my helicopter was better than your supposed mountains."
Nicky didn't want to admit it to herself, but she didn't mind hanging out with Piper, even if she was a little stuffy at times. But she was still worried about what Piper wanted from Alex, the last thing she needed right now was to be strung along by a straight girl.
Sally started shouting to get everyone's attention, "Shut-up! It's me and Alex versus Nicky and Piper on this one. You guys are gonna have to re-group after your pathetic artistic displays."
Alex and Piper started out against each other on the floor, and it didn't take long before they were in a very compromising position.
"C'mon blondie you got this! Don't screw me over again."
"Thanks for the support partner." Piper needed to get her right hand on blue, and left foot on yellow. And that combination would leave her directly under Alex's body, whose long arms and legs were already spread across the board.
Piper tried to block out Nicky's heckling and make her move. She stretched out her arm as far as she could, bringing her face directly below Alex's. The long dark hair started tickling her nose, she had no hope of keeping her balance. She started to feel her arm wobble, and on instinct reached out to grab Alex's arm, pulling them both down to the ground with a thud.
"Hey that's obstruction! I told you to tie up your hair Vause!"
Even with Nicky's screaming and Sally's laughing in the background, all Piper could hear was her own breathing. She'd managed to pull Alex down directly on top of her, and their face faces were practically touching.
"Shit, sorry Al."
All Alex could do was smirk and look down into Piper's blue eyes, "I don't mind."
Alex got up from the floor and helped Piper stand up. That was the closest their faces had ever been, and it took all of Alex's energy to not reach out taste those lips.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Nicky decided to call it a night around 10pm and caught a cab home, leaving Alex, Piper and Sally alone in the apartment. Sally was in the shower, while Alex and Piper packed up the games and washed the dishes. Alex was washing the dishes and Piper did the drying and putting away.
Piper couldn't stop thinking about how close their lips were earlier in the night, she wasn't sure what was happening, but she needed to know if Alex felt the same. Piper put down the tea towel she was using and put her hand on Alex's arm.
The brunette put down the plate she was washing, "What's up Pipes?"
Piper didn't say anything. She stepped towards Alex until they were facing each other, and put her hands on the younger girls cheeks. Piper searched those green eyes, checking to see if there was any hesitation. When she saw none, she moved in closer and pressed her lips against Alex's. Her heart was pounding, and she was so relieved when Alex returned her kiss. She moaned into Alex's mouth as the brunette put a hand into her blonde hair and pulled her closer. Her heart skipped a beat when she felt Alex's tongue running across her lips. She opened her mouth and let Alex kiss her properly, and her head was spinning. She felt Alex's hands move down her body and pull her hips towards her, it was the most intense physical experience Piper had in a while. Alex eventually ended the kiss and leaned her forehead against Piper's before she whispered into her ear.
"I've wanted to do that for a while now."
Piper let a small smile stretch across her lips, it was pure relief. Both girls heard the shower stop and slowly pulled away from each other. Alex went back to the plate she was washing, and handed it to the blonde once she was done. Piper kept her eyes locked with Alex's, she had no idea what that kiss meant, but she knew she wanted to do it again.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Piper went to have a shower after Sally, leaving the two sisters in the lounge room. Alex managed to fall asleep on the couch while Sally got blankets and pillows ready for Piper. When she was done, Sally sat on the floor next to the couch and watched her sister sleep, it was always a relief when Alex finally managed to get to sleep each night. But Sally knew there was plenty her sister didn't tell her, didn't want to talk about at all. She snapped back to reality when Piper walked back into the lounge room after her shower, wearing pyjama shorts and a tank top, ready to get some sleep.
"I'm gonna head off to bed Pipes. Just let Alex sleep on the couch, I'd rather not wake her up."
"Will she be uncomfortable in jeans?"
"No way, trust me. She should be out to it for a while, she can come get changed if she gets up, it won't wake me up. Night."
"Goodnight."
Piper got comfortable on the lounge room floor after Sally had gone to her room. It was the end of the week and she was extremely tired, but she couldn't stop thinking about how close she was to Alex. She knew how much the brunette struggled with sleep, so she tried to make as little noise as possible as she lay down and closed her own eyes.
0-0-0-0-0-0
It was almost 2am and Alex had been asleep for a few hours. But her mind was starting to wander to the same time and place that it did most nights, the same dreams she could never get away from.
Pain, that's all her mind could register, absolute pain, especially in her side. She tried to open her eyes but it was so bright, it hurt to try and look at anything. She tried to move her head to look around, but it was so stiff, so hard to move. She looked down at her arms and chest, but all she could see was blood. She was trying desperately to remember what happened, but she couldn't piece any real thoughts together. All she remembered was talking to Diane about picking Sally up from soccer practice, but that's it. The next thing she remembered was waking up here, she assumed it must be the hospital.
Then she saw Sally, even with her blurred vision and no glasses, Alex could tell she'd been crying.
"Hey kid, it's so good to see you open your eyes, you have no idea. They're gonna take you into surgery soon, but I'll be right here when you get out. I'm not going anywhere."
Alex tried to speak but she didn't recognise her own voice, it was completely strained, "What happened?"
"You guys had a car accident, Aunt Julie called me."
"Mmmum, where's mum?"
The last thing Alex saw before she lost consciousness again were the tears rolling down her sister's face.
Just like most nights, Alex woke up with a jolt. At first she felt disoriented, but then everything came into focus and she remembered where she was. She could still see Piper's silhouette on the floor in the darkness, at least she hadn't woken up the blonde. Her mind went back to the kiss they'd shared earlier in the kitchen, it was perfect. But she wasn't ready to show this side of herself to Piper, she needed Sally. Alex carefully got up from the couch and quietly walked to the bedroom. She pulled off her jeans, t-shirt and bra, throwing them in the corner. She picked up one of the old t-shirts she liked to sleep in, and crawled into the bed next to Sally. Sally didn't even wake up until she felt Alex trying to pull her closer.
Sally's voice was groggy, but she knew what Alex needed, "Come here Lex."
Alex nuzzled into her sister's chest and tried to relax, closing her eyes tight to keep her tears from falling.
"I dreamt about the hospital again, it felt so real, fuck…."
Sally wrapped her arms around Alex and tried to comfort her, "Do you wanna talk about it?"
"I don't know….."
"Was mum in your dream?"
"No, just you and me."
Sally didn't want to push too much, she knew it was better to let Alex talk at her own pace. It's as though Alex felt safe to talk at night when it was dark, like it somehow acted as a veil between them and the rest of the world.
"I was in the hospital bed, Aunt Julie had called you about the accident, you were sitting with me. I asked you where mum was, then I woke up….."
Sally just listened and rubbed Alex's back while she was hugging her, she didn't know what else to do.
"It was just a dream Lex. All that stuff is over, you got better."
"I just really wish I could've said goodbye to her."
"I know kid, me too…"
They lay in silence for a while, but Sally stayed awake, she wanted to be there in case Alex wanted to keep talking, she didn't talk enough. Even though she was whispering, Sally could still hear her sister's voice.
"What will you do when you finish school this year?"
Sally knew exactly where this was going, "I have no idea Lex, I haven't decided. But whatever I do, I'm not leaving you behind."
"I don't want you to be stuck here because of me."
"Who said we'd be stuck here? We're not stuck Lex, we never will be. And whatever happens next year, we'll be together. Why do you think I'd want to go somewhere without you anyway?"
"I dunno, freedom."
"Never seeing you wouldn't feel like freedom, it'd feel like shit."
Sally was pretty sure she saw a faint smile from Alex, "Try and sleep, wake me up if you have another dream."
Alex nodded against her sister's chest and closed her eyes, she felt better, Sally always made her feel better.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Piper went home the next day around lunch time, she wanted to get her homework out the way and avoid any phone calls from her mother. She locked herself away in her room as soon as she got home, she couldn't be bothered dealing with her mother's dramatics today. Piper didn't even understand why, why at this point did her parents finally separate. Her father had been cheating on her mother for years, it was nothing new. So what was the trigger that made Carol finally leave?
Sometimes Piper missed her dad, but those feelings seemed to be slowly disappearing. She had begged him to let her stay with him, but he always said no. It made her feel like he didn't want her, like her presence would just be an inconvenience to his life. She didn't want to think about what he was doing or who he was spending his time with. He kept telling both her and Cal that he loved them, but Piper found it hard to believe. Or maybe he did love them as much as he could. Maybe this was just his version of love, and that in itself eventually tipped her mother over the edge. She knew that Carol wasn't perfect, but at least she was there. Piper had hardly spoken to her father since they moved out. Between her emotionally unavailable father and unstable mother, she was starting to feel like an orphan.
That thought made her mind wander to Sally and Alex, who truly were orphans. Piper didn't know what happened to their dad, it sounded like he was never really in the picture, but Sally had opened up to her about what happened to their mother. Piper couldn't imagine being put in that position, the idea alone was petrifying. But Sally didn't seem to question it, she just did it, and Piper could see how desperate she was to make it work. Piper was pretty sure she'd crumble in that sort of situation, but Sally seemed so strong, and completely determined to hold Alex together no matter what. Piper envied Sally's strength, she wished she could be that strong. Alex's strength was different, it was hidden underneath so many layers, but it was always there.
Occasionally Piper would think about contacting her old friends, but she never did. After spending time with Sally and Alex, everything she had with her old friends felt so shallow, like it wasn't real. It made her look forward to going to school tomorrow, just so she could have more time with her new friends. She felt like every moment she spent with Sally, she became a little bit stronger herself.
0-0-0-0-0-0
The next day at school was going by slowly for Alex as usual. She kept going to most of her classes, but still missed a couple of afternoon classes each week so she could meet Carrie and Nicky at the oval for their usual joint session. It was almost lunch time and Alex was standing next to Sally at their lockers, when they were soon interrupted by George Mendez. He was standing there with his flat top dark hair and dark shirt, and he always smelt of old spice. Alex couldn't stand the guy, no matter how many times Sally said no to him, he'd keep asking her out. Sally was definitely one of the prettier girls at school, but she was also one of the quietest.
"Hey Sally, how's it going?"
Alex could practically feel her sisters internal eye roll as soon as he started talking.
"Fine."
"I was thinking maybe we could study together after school today? I could give you a ride home later."
Sally kept her eyes trained on the books in her locker, she was so sick of having to deal with this guy.
"No thanks George, I've already got a ride home."
"Who? I know you don't have a car."
Alex couldn't help herself at this point, "It's none of your fucking business asshole."
He turned to look her right in the face but she was not about to back off, "No one asked you dyke, I was talking to Sally."
Sally closed her locker and grabbed Alex's hand before it ended in a fight, "And now we're done talking."
The two sisters started walking away when George reached out and grabbed Sally's backpack to stop her from leaving.
"No, we're not done."
Alex didn't bother hiding her frustration and shoved him back as hard as she could. She was deciding on her next move when she felt a hand on her shoulder, it was Piper.
"Everything okay?"
Sally interjected, keen to get as far away from George Mendez as possible, "Yeah, we were just leaving."
All three girls then walked away from the lockers towards their next classes. That was the first time Piper had seen that side of him.
"Well, I now know what you mean about him being a jerk."
Sally kept walking and dragging Alex along with her, "Don't get sucked into his bulshit Alex, that's what he wants."
"He'll get more than that the next time he touches you, he's such a fucking pig."
Sally put an arm around Alex and tried to brush the whole thing off as a joke, the last thing they needed was Alex getting suspended because she decided to punch George Mendez in the face.
"Calm down kid, I'm perfectly capable of keeping that moron at bay. Remember that time I locked you in the laundry room when you were 10? It took mum over an hour to find you."
Sally was satisfied to see Alex laugh as they went off to their classes, she needed to learn to relax more.
0-0-0-0-0-0
Alex found herself in the girls bathroom before her final class of the day, she decided she'd be good and actually go to it, but she needed to get her head straight first. She stood there looking at herself in the mirror when she heard the door open, it was Piper.
"Hey Al, don't tell me you're actually going to class?"
"Well, I gotta keep up my model student reputation." Alex loved the easy flow of conversation between them, but there was something else she wanted even more. She walked towards Piper and pulled her into the cubicle closest to the door, and locked them in. She slowly and gently pushed Piper up against the wall, placing her hands on her hips. Piper smiled back at her, there was no doubt about what was about to happen. Alex leaned forward and kissed Piper on the lips, but it wasn't like the first kiss they shared in the apartment. There was something more frantic about this one, like they needed to make the most of the few minutes they had before they had to go back to class. Alex kissed Piper harder, and she loved it when the blonde kissed her back with just as much force. Alex kept her hands on Piper's waist the entire time, pulling her as close as possible, but it never seemed to be close enough. Piper broke away from the kiss, and took the opportunity to look at Alex's face properly. It made Alex feel self-conscious, she wasn't used to girls taking their time to study her face that closely.
Alex's breath caught in her throat as Piper leaned in to kiss her on the cheek, and then whisper in her ear.
"You're beautiful."
A/N
Hey folks,
Welcome to all the new readers, thanks again for following! I've had enough time in the last week to write quite a lot, hence the quick updates. Also, this story is flowing pretty nicely when I sit down to write, so for the moment chapters are coming together pretty fast. Updates might go to once per week as we get closer to Christmas, see how I go.
I'm keen to hear what you all think about the relationship between Sally and Alex, and then Alex and Piper.
Cheers.