Chapter 9

All three girls sat on the couch eating their home made nachos with the TV on in the background. Alex was usually the last person to start a conversation, but the silence was driving her insane. She needed a better distraction, something to stop her mind racing with images of Healy putting his hands on Sally.

"So, Nicky said we might be able to use her parents beach house over Christmas, you guys in?"

Piper was more than in for that. Not only would it mean getting away from her mother, it would also mean more alone time with Alex.

"Yes that sounds amazing! I'll have to do the family thing on Christmas day but I'm all yours after that."

Alex loved seeing Piper so excited and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. She could never get enough of feeling Piper's skin against her lips and feeling the blonde hair brush against her face.

"Perfect, and Sal you are definitely in."

"I'm in Lex, it'll be nice to get away."

Alex knew the real meaning behind Sally's words. Christmas without Diane hurt, and any excuse to get into a totally different environment would make that hurt easier to deal with on some level.

"Excellent, I'll lock it in! It'll be us, Nicky, Carrie, and I could also invite your boyfriend if you want Sal?"

"I appreciate your thoughtfulness Lex, but that won't be necessary."

Alex actually wanted Sally to give John a chance, he was a genuine nice guy and he obviously liked her sister a lot.

"Don't you think you've made him wait long enough? At least get a free meal out of him."

"And miss out on your home made masterpieces? Never."

Alex laughed and didn't take it any further, but she was tempted to have a word with John before the summer holidays hit.

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A few more hours passed and Sally ended up going to bed a lot earlier than she usually would. The day had completely drained her and she was craving her bed. Alex stayed in the lounge room with Piper and the blonde started talking more about her dad and her own family, which made Alex feel relieved. She wanted Piper to feel comfortable enough to talk to her about anything. For the last few minutes, Piper had mainly been talking about her mother.

"She never seems happy, so I just avoid her. She was so mad when I told her dad was cheating, she already knew, and she didn't want to hear about it. Fuck, she ignored it for so long just because it was easier, and she wouldn't have to be known as the 'divorced one' in the neighbourhood."

"Everyone deals with life differently Pipes, maybe that was just her way of trying to survive."

"I'm sure it was, but it doesn't exactly lead to healthy relationships, with anyone. She hardly ever talks to me. And then I think about you….if you were a guy…"

Alex knew Piper needed to get this off her chest and she wanted to encourage her to keep talking, even if it wasn't easy to hear.

"You can say it Pipes, it's okay."

"If you were a guy it would easy, I'd introduce you to her and she'd think it was great. But I can't, if I introduced you to her, she'd be upset. It's so fucked up, she'd hate it, she wouldn't even think about whether or not you make me happy. It'd all be about perception, image, those are the things she thinks about. That's why she stayed with my dad for so long, even when she knew he was cheating."

"But eventually she did leave him."

Piper knew what Alex meant, but she wasn't that optimistic, "I hope so."

She didn't want Alex to feel like she'd be Piper's dirty little secret forever, that's not what she wanted. But it's not something she was ready to tell her mother any time soon, especially considering how little they actually spoke to each other at the moment. It also made her think about Alex's mum, she sounded a lot more open than what she was used to.

"What about your mum?"

Piper saw Alex reflecting on her question, so many memories that brought her so much happiness and pain at the same time.

"She just always knew, it wasn't something I ever really needed to tell her about. She just knew…."

Alex leaned back on the couch and cuddled into Piper's side, closing her eyes. Alex had no idea how long they were lying like that when she heard Piper's voice, "Feel like going to sleep?"

Alex was tired, she knew she needed to try and sleep, but part of her didn't feel right leaving Sally on her own. She was almost embarrassed to admit it to Piper, saying that she'd rather spend the night in her sister's room than with her girlfriend, but it was the only way Alex would know if Sally was really okay.

"I always love spending the night with you Pipes, you have no idea how much easier you make it for me to sleep. But I don't wanna leave Sally on her own tonight. I feel like she got hurt today because of me, I fucking hate him."

Piper could see the conflicted look on Alex's face, she did not want her to feel bad about wanting to make sure her sister was okay. She placed a hand on Alex's cheek and gently moved her fingers over the soft skin.

"Don't go to sleep tonight feeling angry, promise?"

Alex was completely drawn into Piper's blue eyes, she made Alex feel special, "I promise."

"Spend the night with Sal, make sure she's okay, I'm worried about her too. This whole bravado attitude seems to run in the family."

Both girls smiled, Alex didn't think she could ever explain to Piper how much her understanding meant when it came to her sister.

"She likes to think she's the tough one."

Piper kept her fingers running over Alex's cheek and kissed her on the lips. Alex's lips always felt impossibly soft and smooth, and she always smelt like home. Alex eventually made her way into the bedroom once Piper was comfortable under the blankets in the lounge room. Alex almost felt nervous when she walked into the bedroom. She was so used to being looked after by Sally, now she wanted to take care of her.

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Alex tried to be quiet when she crept into the bedroom, even though Sally was a heavy sleeper. The room was dark, but Alex was already in her pyjamas, so all she needed to do was crawl into the bed. There was just enough light slipping into the room and she could see Sally asleep in the bed, pressed close to the wall. She'd gotten so used to sharing the small space with Alex that even when she had the bed to herself she still only took up half the space. Alex got underneath the blankets but Sally didn't move, and Alex could hear her deep breaths. She got close to her sister and put an arm around her, careful to not press against the bruises. Sally's body seemed to automatically react as soon as she felt Alex's arm on her, and shuffled closer to her.

It made Alex feel better to see her resting, but she still needed to hear her say it, "Are you sure you're okay."

She could feel Sally shuffling under the blankets, "Mhhhmm, stop worrying."

Alex kept her voice low, "I'm not used to this Sal."

Sally knew that Alex needed to talk more before she could sleep, so she carefully rolled over so they were facing. She was still half asleep but she knew what she needed to say, what Alex needed to hear.

"No one's gonna take me away from you Lex. I promise you I'm okay."

"Okay…"

"Are you tired?"

Alex was starting to feel tired, but she really didn't want to sleep, she didn't have the energy to deal with her dreams tonight. Alex didn't need to say anything, it's like Sally could read her mind.

"You need to sleep kid, but wake me up if you need to. I'm not working this weekend, so it doesn't matter. We look after each other, right?"

Alex nodded, that was the most important thing that she needed to keep remembering, they always needed to look after each other.

Sally rolled back over and Alex shuffled closer and draped an arm over the older girl. She felt like the closer she held Sally to her, the safer she was.

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Piper was having lunch with her mum on the next day, so Nicky and Carrie were hanging out with Alex at the apartment while Sally slept. It was almost lunch time, but Alex let her sister keep sleeping. She told Nicky and Carrie what had happened the day before, they were both shocked. All three of them were sitting on the roof of the apartment block, and Carrie was the most vocal.

"You cannot just ignore what happened, you need to do something and show that little asshole he can't run around doing whatever the hell he wants."

"I know, but I'm pretty sure Sal just wants to let it go. She'll get seriously pissed off if she finds out I did something behind her back."

Nicky couldn't resist the opportunity to make fun of Alex and Piper.

"Hold on there Vause, don't you mean your girlfriend will get pissed off if you misbehave?"

Alex rolled her eyes, "Don't be an asshole Nick, she's just worried."

"And how is standing back and doing nothing going to make things any better? It's not like I'm saying go and put him in the hospital, but you need to stand your ground. Fuck with his car or something, he drives to school every day. Fuck up his paint work, slash a few tyres. We'll come with you."

"Yes! Listen to Nicky, even if she is morally bankrupt, we need to move on this Alex. Like, move on it this week."

"Guys, c'mon. Besides the fact that Sally and Piper would fucking kill me if they found out, Caputo would probably expel me. I've fucked up enough at that school."

Nicky stood up to stretch her legs and grab another cigarette, she could understand Alex's point of view, but she felt like doing nothing was the more dangerous option.

"He needs to catch you first, and since when have you given a shit about Caputo?"

"Since now okay! Fuck, is it that hard to understand that I don't wanna fuck things up! I don't wanna get expelled from school, and I want to keep my word to Piper."

"She's got you wrapped around her little finger Alex."

"Okay Nicholls, calm down, she's just trying to do the right thing."

Alex didn't have the energy to fight with Nicky, she just wanted to hang out with her friends and relax. She was grateful when Carrie cut Nicky off and changed the subject.

"How are things going with Piper? You two seem to have gotten cosy pretty fast."

"Things are really good, which is why I don't wanna fuck things up. I want her to trust me, I want her to know that she can trust me. Sally too, I've given her enough shit to deal with."

Carrie could tell how tired Alex was, not only physically but emotionally, and she wanted to support her.

"That's awesome, but maybe you should talk to her again on the whole Healy situation."

Alex appreciated what her friends were saying, but she felt like they didn't understand her situation. She'd always been a bit of a fuck up, and she was over it. For once, she wanted to prove that she could keep her word.

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Nicky and Carrie left after another hour, and Alex was hoping Sally was awake. She went back down to the apartment and into the bedroom, Sally was still under the covers, but Alex could tell she was awake. Alex kicked off her shoes and Sally lifted the covers so she could slide in next to her. Alex lay down next to her sister and Sally draped an arm over her, just like she did the night before.

"Nicky and Carrie still around?"

"They just went home, Piper's still with her mum, so I thought I'd see how you were feeling?"

"So I'm your last choice hey."

Sally laughed, she didn't think she had the energy for a serious conversation this soon after waking up.

"That's not what I meant Sal.."

"I'm just kidding around Lex, I'm still tired. I thought I might as well take advantage of not working this weekend and sleep in."

Alex didn't say anything, but Sally knew something was wrong.

"I know you're upset about yesterday, but you need to stop worrying. That's what you always tell me when you think I'm worrying about you too much, and it's the same when you're worried about me."

Sally felt so frustrated, she didn't know how to make Alex feel better, it made her feel like a failure. She was so tired, but the time of year was also playing with her mind. The holiday season was just around the corner and the realisation was starting to hit her. This was just another year without Diane, and the idea of Thanksgiving and Christmas without her again hurt too much. Sally tried to keep her focus on Alex, but it was too hard right now. She looked at Alex, who was still lying there in silence, looking a bit lost. The only way Sally knew how to cope was to keep moving.

"I need a shower."

Sally got out of bed and made her way slowly to the bathroom, and Alex followed her, still not saying anything. Sally stood in the bathroom and couldn't stop looking at her reflection in the mirror, she looked tired. Her long brown hair was a mess and her dark brown eyes had bags underneath them. She didn't feel like herself right now, and she could feel everything building inside her. All those emotions she tried so hard to keep in check were about to find their way out. She kept standing in the middle of the bathroom and put her face in her hands, she slowly started to sob. She felt Alex step in front of her and hug her, wrapping her long arms around her body. It felt so familiar and comforting, but it just made her cry more. She spoke quietly through her tears, she wasn't even sure if Alex could hear her.

"I'm sorry Alex."

Sally felt her sister running her hands from the top of her head, down her long hair and her back. It was the exact same thing Diane always did to comfort them when they were down. She would always run her hands through their hair and down their backs.

"You don't always need to hold it in Sal, you'll drive yourself crazy. I can take it, I'm not a kid anymore…"

Sally knew Alex was right. Sally had always been more open with her emotions than Alex anyway, but she struggled with that when it came to Diane. The first thing that always came to her mind was that she needed to be strong for Alex, she needed to give her a stable home life and help her make something of herself. But the reality was that outside of her need to help Alex, Sally couldn't bring herself to think about it all too deeply. From the phone call she got from their Aunt to say there'd been an accident, to getting to the hospital only to be told that her mother was dead, and then the agonising wait to see if Alex would be okay. Sally could never let herself think about it for too long. If she let her mind go there, it was hard to escape, it was a constant loop that she didn't know how to stop. Then it all came back to the most basic fact, the only reason Diane and Alex were in the car at that time on that day was because of her. They were coming to pick her up from soccer practice, that's it. She usually caught the bus home, but the weather was looking bad so she'd asked Diane to pick her up.

Sally couldn't shake that sense of blame and she'd never spoken about it to anyone, she held all of that inside her for two years. If she had just caught the bus home that night, there wouldn't have been an accident, Diane would still be alive, and Alex wouldn't have to put up with Healy's constant harassment. She'd carried around that guilt for so long, but she wasn't ready to share it yet, she didn't want to dump all of that on Alex. She took a few deep breathes and tried to regain some semblance of control.

"I know you can take it Alex, but I'm not sure I can sometimes. I just really fucking hate this time of year."

"Me too."

The two sisters kept hugging until Alex pulled back, it had been a long time since she'd seen Sally like this, and it was scaring her. Her immediate instinct was to call Piper, get her to come over and hang out, maybe it would help give Sally a distraction.

"Have your shower, I'll see what Piper's doing tonight, we should all do something together."

Sally just smiled and nodded, she appreciated what Alex was trying to do, but all she really wanted was to go back to bed and sleep until someone forced her to get up. She didn't feel so horrible about everything when she was asleep, it was a relief.

0-0-0-0-0

Alex was feeling particularly protective over Sally when they were back at school the next week, and Piper could tell. She stood next to Alex's locker and watched the brunette rummage through her things, never quite finding what she was looking for.

"Hey, Al, look at me."

Piper waited as Alex slowly turned to look at her, but her eyes gave her away, her mind was somewhere else. She leaned in and kissed the younger girl on the cheek, trying to reach her.

"You know I'm here if you need to talk?"

Alex let out a defeated laugh, "So apparently I'm not the master of emotional disguise I'd convinced myself I was."

Piper laughed and leaned in for another kiss, "Not even close."

Alex wanted to open up to Piper, she wanted to let the blonde in, but she wasn't sure how.

"I'm just worried about Sal. Not only with all the Healy stuff, she's just really down, this time of year kinda sucks. But she won't talk to me about it."

Piper didn't say anything just yet, she wanted Alex to keep talking.

"I feel like everything is getting to her, and the whole Healy situation will just push her over the edge. You should have seen the way he was looking at her this morning when he saw us, the way he looked at her, it made me want to hurt him."

Before Piper could even respond, she picked up on that familiar smell of cheap aftershave and that same voice in her ear, the voice she hated.

"Why are you stooping to her level Piper, it's disgusting."

Piper didn't turn around, she knew exactly who it was, "Just get the fuck away from us Sam."

She was about to turn around when she felt a grip on her arm, "I'm trying to help you here, you need to listen to me."

Piper still didn't believe he would actually hurt her, but she knew what Alex's reaction would be. Before Piper could do anything she felt the grip around her arm release and Alex wasn't next to her anymore. She turned around to see Alex push Healy back against the lockers with a knife in her hand, it was the same knife she'd seen Sally pull on him only weeks before. Alex had obviously caught Healy by surprise, holding the knife down low against his stomach to keep it hidden.

"Just because Sally didn't use this doesn't mean I won't. You need to learn to stay the fuck away from us. Or are you just as fucking psychotic as your mother?"

Alex saw a new look on Healy's face, she'd never seen his eyes go so dark before. She knew she'd hit his biggest vulnerability in his mother, but she didn't care, in that moment she wanted to push him over the edge. Before either of them could say anything else, they saw a few teachers walking towards them on their way to class. Alex immediately slipped the knife into her jeans, grabbed Piper's hand and walked down the hallway as if nothing had happened.

Piper's heart was racing, and she pulled Alex out the closest exit and into the school gardens.

"What the fuck was that! What did you say to him?"

Alex didn't have anything to say that would make Piper feel better. She'd acted on pure emotion, but it felt good. For two years they'd let him harass them and nothing ever got better, she was starting to think that it didn't matter what she did, they'd still have to put up with the same crap. She pushed past the blonde and walked back towards her next class, she needed time alone to clear her mind. Anything she said to Piper now would just come out wrong and do more harm than anything else. Her only thought was protecting everyone around her, but she knew Piper wanted her to deal with it differently.

"Look, I'll talk to you later okay, I just need some time Pipes."

Alex turned on her heels and walked back into the building. Over the last few years she'd gotten so much better at controlling and understanding her anger, and she didn't want to throw it all away now. She didn't want Piper to ever see that part of her personality, it wasn't her anymore. It made her think of all the times Diane had calmed her down, especially when the kids at school first found out she was gay. Alex had reacted to everything with anger, but Diane always found a way to get through to her.

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"Don't walk around your whole life being pissed off at the world Alex, that never ends well."

"I'm not pissed off at the world!"

"Don't give me that crap, have you forgotten that I can sense your bulshit from a mile away?"

"Apparently."

Diane pulled her youngest daughter aside and forced her to sit down at the kitchen table. She'd always been fiery, and now at nearly 14 years old, it seemed like Alex was always looking for a fight.

"Baby please, you gotta talk to me, why are you always so angry lately? What's going on at school? I can't help if you don't tell me."

She was surprised when Alex actually started talking quietly, "I'm sick of not fitting in, I'm sick of having to defend myself all the time. I just want a break. Actually, I just wanna be left alone, that's it."

Diane wished she could take it all away, but she couldn't. It was all just a part of growing up, which was something Alex didn't seem to have the patience for. She loved watching her daughter grow up, she'd be an adult soon. She always knew Alex would probably have trouble at school if the kids found out she was gay, she hated the fact that her daughter would be bullied for something she had no control over. Part of her wished the kids at school would never find out, just so Alex wouldn't have to deal with the bullying. But deep down that wasn't the lesson she wanted to teach either of her daughters. She'd always taught Alex to be proud of who she was, she never wanted her daughter to be ashamed.

Diane knew that Alex's heart was always in the right place, but she was starting to worry that all of Alex's good intentions would be clouded by her own anger. Diane knew that she could never teach her daughter to hide who she was, she needed to teach her how to deal with adversity without automatically giving into her anger. Diane wanted to help her daughter to see the good things in life, even when it felt like the good things had disappeared.

"You fit in with your friends Alex, you and Nicky are so close, and you get along with Carrie."

"That's two people mum! And they give all of us a hard time, not just me, and all for the same reason. It's not fucking fair!"

Diane reached across the kitchen table and put her hand on top of Alex's. She hated watching Alex struggle, but she knew it would make her so much stronger once she got through to the other side.

"I know it's not fair baby, it's really not. They should know better, but it won't always be like this, I promise."

She looked across the table, she could still see the anger in Alex's eyes, but at least she was willing to listen.

"Don't lash out at them, just take a deep breathe and walk away, think about things before you react. People get scared about things they don't understand, or they might even be unhappy in their own lives. There's lots of reasons Alex, but the only thing you can control is what you do. All you need to do is call me baby, if anything happens at school, if you feel like you're struggling, just pick up the phone. Okay?"

Alex nodded in agreement, she knew she needed to try harder to not get in trouble at school, and the truth was that she hated the idea of disappointing her mum.

"I'll try mum, but I won't let them push me around forever."

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Alex kept playing Diane's words over in her mind for the rest of the day, "Just walk away...It won't always be like this..." But then her mind would wander. She'd think about how miserable Sally was at the moment, she'd think about Healy laying his hands on her sister. Then she'd think about Piper, and how the fact that they were dating just gave him a new target. Even though the bullying about her being gay had stopped long ago, any one she dated now was a new target for Healy. He hated her because she was gay, but most of all he hated her for what happened to his mother. Alex felt like she was going crazy towards the end of the day. As she walked towards her last class, she felt like she was about to have a panic attack. She took a moment and leaned against the lockers before she kept walking, trying to slow down her breathing. She opened her eyes to see Sally walking towards her, and Healy coming in the opposite direction. Just like he did earlier in the day, he stared at Sally with a look of pure disgust and hatred. It was a look that made Alex feel completely vulnerable, like he had no intention of leaving Sally alone. Something in her mind snapped and she walked out of the building before Sally could see her.

She needed to prove a point, she needed to let him know that he couldn't get away with it anymore. She'd always given him empty threats, no wonder he felt invincible. Now she was determined to send a message, she needed him to know that she was more than capable of fighting back.

Alex walked towards the parking lot full of anger and anxiety, she needed to find her release.

0-0-0-0-0

By the end of that day Alex found herself sitting in Caputo's office with Sally next to her, she'd been there so many times before. But this time she was so sure she wouldn't get caught, she more annoyed at herself than anything. She wished she'd paid more attention to Diane's words that she kept hearing in her head. But she didn't, she gave into her anger, and now she was going to pay for it.

Caputo looked across his desk at both girls, "Why'd you do it Alex?"

"How do you even know it was me? You keep saying that you can't do anything to protect me unless the teachers see him do something. Well nobody saw me slashing his tyres! Why are you so willing to take his word?"

Caputo did genuinely have a lot of sympathy for Alex, but he was also fed up with her behaviour.

"There's security cameras in the damn parking lot! We have video footage of you taking a knife to all four of his tyres!"

Fuck! Alex cursed herself. How fucking stupid can you be Vause!

Now it was Sally's turn to speak, she couldn't believe what she was hearing, "What the hell were you thinking Alex?"

Alex knew she was screwed, there was nothing she could say to get out of it. She didn't respond to Sally's words and waited for Caputo to keep going, she wanted this whole meeting to be over with so she could crawl into a hole.

"You gotta give me something here Alex. You haven't given me much of a reason to not kick you out of here altogether. You don't show up to half your damn classes, you've been caught with prohibited substances on school property more than once, and now you're slashing tyres. Why should I go easy on you?"

Alex couldn't even be bothered anymore, "You shouldn't. I'm done being your pity case, so just get rid of me already. It's not like you give a shit."

Alex knew she'd pushed it too far, he looked so angry, but he managed to keep his cool.

"You're suspended for the rest of the week, get the hell outta here."

Alex didn't say anything, picked up her back pack and walked out of his office with Sally close behind her. She was angry and hurt, part of her wished he had the guts to expel her instead of handing out a bulshit suspension. She was so annoyed at herself for getting caught on camera. Nicky and Carrie would never let her live that down. Plus she knew Sally was pissed off, and Piper would be pissed off because she'd promised to stay away from Healy. In Alex's mind she had stayed away from Healy, she was nowhere near him, just his car.

Alex stopped when she was further down the hallway, she was waiting for Sally to say something, anything. Her sister stopped next to her, Sally didn't know what to say to Alex anymore, she felt like a failure. She just needed to say her piece and go back to class.

"I know you're scared, but our number one goal right now has to be staying together. That isn't gonna happen if you get expelled. I'm not trying to scare you, I'm just telling you the truth. If you get expelled, there's nothing I can say to Aunt Julie to convince her I can look after you, or control you. So I'm fucking begging you Lex, please, you need to stay out of trouble."

Alex stood still as Sally walked past her, going back towards her last class that she'd left early when Caputo called her to his office. Sally's words hurt Alex even more, and she felt the anxiety rising in her chest again.

Alex kept walking down the cold empty hallway alone, trying to hold back her tears. She was so fucking frustrated, she didn't know what to do with herself. She didn't even notice Piper walking towards her, with the blonde grabbing onto Alex's arm to get her to stop.

"Hey, what's wrong? I'm sorry about earlier okay, I was just worried."

Alex couldn't bring herself to say anything, she just kept staring at the floor with a miserable look on her face. Piper was more than a little concerned by this point, and pulled the younger girl into the nearby bathrooms. As soon as the bathroom door closed, Alex let a few silent tears fall down her cheeks.

Piper wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, trying to comfort her, "Hey it's okay, I got you."

Piper didn't even bother asking anything at that point, she wanted to let Alex talk when she was ready.

Alex couldn't stop thinking about the feeling of Piper's jumper against her cheek, how sweet and beautiful she always smelt, it was always perfect. Alex gripped onto Piper a little tighter as she thought about telling her the truth. She closed her eyes as soon as she felt Piper running a hand through her hair, she didn't ever want to lose that feeling.

Alex kept holding onto the blonde when she finally worked up the courage to start talking.

"I'm suspended for the rest of the week."

"What! What the hell happened? Are you hurt?"

Alex hated it, she hated the fact that the first thing Piper thought was that Healy had hurt her again.

"No, I'm fine."

Piper pulled back from the hug, she needed to look Alex in the face, "So what the hell happened?"

"I slashed the tyres on Healy's car…" Alex stood there and waited, it didn't take long for Piper to react.

"What! Are you fucking insane! What happened to promising to not do anything crazy and stupid?" Piper felt her chest filling with anger and worry, all that emotion needed to find a way out.

"I know, I'm sorry Pipes."

"Does he know it was you?"

"I don't know, probably..."

"Fuck! What were you thinking! Sometimes I feel like you want him to come after you. This isn't a game Alex!"

Alex didn't want this to disintegrate into a screaming match, but she couldn't control her emotions anymore.

"I know it's not a fucking game! And no I don't want him to come after me, I just want him to stay the fuck away from Sally! I saw him in the hallway today, I saw the way he looked at her, with that fucking pathetic smile on his face. And I couldn't take it! So yeah, I slashed his fucking tyres and got caught. I'm not gonna sit back and let him fuck with the only family I have left! Why are you so fucking angry at me for trying to defend myself and Sal?"

"I'm angry because I fucking love you! I'm angry because you have no regard for your own safety! I'm angry because I don't want anything bad to happen to you!"

Then it was silent, both girls stood still and stared at each other. Alex didn't know what to say, this was the first time a girlfriend had ever said that. It made her feel amazing and like a complete asshole at the same time. Actually, when she really thought about it, it made her feel lucky. Alex started to feel like Piper was going to turn around and walk away from her, but she didn't. The blonde kept her gaze focussed on Alex and her insecurity was starting to show. She'd just completely put herself on the line, and here was Alex standing in silence.

"Fuck….Pipes.."

"Just, forget I said anything." Piper's insecurity had officially set in, and all she wanted to do was disappear. She turned to leave the bathroom, but there was no way Alex was letting her walk away.

"Hey, you can't say that and then just walk away from me."

Alex could see the frustration plastered on her girlfriends face, "And you can't just stand there in silence after I've said that. But that's exactly what you're doing."

Piper tried to walk out of the bathroom again, but Alex was now blocking the doorway.

"Okay, okay you're right. I just….I never really thought of myself as the kind of person someone could fall in love with."

Now Alex was the one feeling incredibly insecure, but at least Piper was calming down.

"Well then you're insane…" Piper stepped towards Alex and kissed her softly. Alex kissed her back, and in that moment she knew she was ready.

"I love you too Pipes."

A/N

Hey folks!

Apologies for the slightly late update, I was visiting family over the weekend and time got away from me.

Keen to hear what you think about this chapter and the way things are playing out between the main characters.

Cheers.