Authors Note: I think I've tortured them both long enough, so here's this!

Chapter 15: Fast Car.

I'm in a battle with my heartbeat
The more I struggle the more I get deep
I go full throttle down the dark streets
And there is trouble ahead I get weak
It's like I'm running through a red light
Girl you know you make me weak.

-Taio Cruz (AathiTroniic Bootleg Remix)

Enjoy and Review!

Amanda's POV:

Amanda's brow furrowed slightly as she looked down at the books that were scattered on the floor in front of her.

"Fin," she called, raising her head from her school work to look around for her best friend.

Fin's head immediately popped out from her kitchen.

"Yeah?" Fin called.

Amanda sighed in frustration. She'd invited Fin over to do homework, but he had been occupied, making a mess of her kitchen, trying to make them drinks.

"You're going to turn into an alcoholic," Amanda yelled from her spot on her living room floor.

"Amanda, we can't be alcoholics, we have a great reason to be drinking," Fin responded from her kitchen. Amanda groaned at the sound of glass clanking together, and then the blender turning on.

"You always find a reason to drink, Fin," Amanda chuckled, shaking her head. "What's this amazing reason of yours?" she asked curiously.

"Your birthday is two days away," Fin laughed. "You only turn eighteen once, Amanda."

"Yeah, and I'd like to actually be able to remember it," Amanda giggled.

"Come on, Mands. You gotta celebrate the whole week of your eighteenth, it's tradition," Fin explained from the kitchen.

"Tradition?" Amanda questioned, narrowing her eyes skeptically.

"Teens all across the world have been partying on their eighteenth for centuries, we can't let our ancestors down," Fin argued. Amanda rolled her eyes.

"You are something, Fin. Can't beat that logic though," Amanda said, watching as her best friend made his way back into the living room, carrying two tall glasses full of orange liquid.

"Exactly," Fin smirked. He handed her a glass, and sat down next to her on the floor.

"What's this, Fin?" Amanda asked curiously, looking into her drink. It looked good, but it reeked of Vodka.

"Vodka and orange juice," Fin replied simply, shrugging his shoulders and taking a drink from his glass. "It was all you had in your fridge."

"Nice," Amanda said sarcastically, taking a small sip from her drink. It was actually really good.

"Okay, ready to get started on our work?" Amanda asked, setting her glass down on the floor next to her.

"Amanda, are you serious?" Fin asked, looking at her like she was crazy. "We're drinking Vodka, and you wanna do homework? I'm sure Ms. Benson will really appreciate our sloppy handwriting," Fin smiled.

"See," Amanda argued. "These drinks were a bad idea, because we really do need to get this work done."

"Sure," Fin shrugged. "I'll just do it later, in class. You go right on ahead, I'm just going to enjoy my drink and chill."

Amanda rolled her eyes, torn between wanting to join Fin on his quest to get drunk, and doing her homework. She was glad she had Fin, but sometimes, he made things harder. Amanda picked her notebook back up, and began on her homework again. She didn't want to fail, she could get drunk with Fin after she finished.

"Are you still working at that coffee place when you're supposed to be in class?" Fin asked.

Amanda sighed and nodded, "Boss won't give me a break, apparently serving people at the cafe is more important than graduating."

"Man, that guy is an ass," Fin shook his head.

Amanda nodded her head in agreement, "If I didn't need the money, I'd be out that door so fast."

"Benson's been surprisingly cool about it all, letting you make up your work," Fin said.

"Yeah," Amanda nodded, trying to push down her feelings when he mentioned Olivia. "I guess."

"Amanda.." Fin said hesitantly after only a few moments of silence.

"Hmm?" Amanda asked, still focused on her homework. She couldn't let Fin distract her anymore, or this work would never get done.

"Have you even talked to Ms. Benson?" Fin asked slowly, taking another sip from his drink. Amanda's grip on her pencil tightened.

"No," Amanda replied simply, trying to calm herself down. She hadn't been fully prepared for Fin to bring up Olivia. Amanda's heart was beating wildly in her chest, it hurt when someone even mentioned Olivia.

"You should go talk to her," Fin encouraged.

"No," Amanda shrugged, trying to sound like she didn't care. She didn't want Fin to know how truly close to breaking she was, although, she was sure he could already tell.

"Amanda, you have to talk to the woman," Fin protested.

"I don't have to do anything," Amanda replied. "I don't want to talk about it anymore, Fin," Amanda continued, hoping he'd get the hint and leave her alone.

"Amanda, I'm serious," Fin said. "I can see how much pain you're in, and everyday in class Ms. Benson looks miserable. You both need to grow up, and admit that you need each other," Fin finished, his tone telling Amanda that he was for once, being completely serious.

"Fin, just drop it," Amanda pleaded, mentally steeling herself for whatever was coming next. This was Fin, he wasn't going to let this go without a fight.

"Amanda, you're my best friend, so I can't just drop it. You've been extremely depressed, and I know it's because of her. I won't let you keep this up."

Amanda sighed and dropped her notebook on the floor, picking up her glass and taking a large gulp. "Fine, I just miss her, Fin," Amanda admitted.

"Then go and see her," Fin replied, looking at her like she was stupid.

"I can't," Amanda said.

"I think you can. You told me about how she thinks she's abusing you by being in a relationship with you, have you tried telling her how you feel about it?" Fin questioned.

"Of course, I tried, She doesn't want to listen to me, Fin," Amanda said, biting her lip.

Fin sighed loudly, reaching out and grabbing her hand. "You need to make her listen, Amanda. Show her that you're not some dumb kid, and that you're determined to get what you want," Fin said.

Amanda groaned and fell backwards, resting her head against the soft carpet of her living room floor. She knew that Fin was right, she couldn't keep going on like this. Amanda had tried not to push Olivia too hard, but now she realized that was the problem. She hadn't tried hard enough to get through to Olivia.

"Okay," Amanda said, sighing in defeat.

"...Okay?" Fin questioned, his voice sounding hopeful. "What does that mean, Manda?"

"It means I'll go talk to her in the morning, I have to drop her homework off anyway," Amanda explained, sitting back up and looking at him.

Fin's smile was so big, it looked like it might actually hurt. "Thank God," Fin breathed. "I wasn't sure how much longer I could take seeing you all mopey."

"I wasn't moping," Amanda quipped back, shoving him slightly.

"Hey, watch the drink," Fin laughed, covering his glass protectively.

Amanda shook her head, smiling back at her best friend. "Seriously, Fin, I need to do this," Amanda picked her work back up and started again on the problems.

"Whatever.." Fin laughed, sipping from his glass and flipping her t.v on. "Oh, look, basketball is on today.." he murmured.

Amanda shook her head and tried to continue with her work, ignoring his whooping shouts of encouragement directed at her television screen.

"So, have you decided what you want for your birthday?" Fin asked, trying to distract her yet again.

"You don't have to get me anything, Fin. You being here is enough," Amanda looked up and smiled at him. Fin pretended to wipe away his tears.

"That really got to me, Manda," Fin said, placing his hand over his heart. Amanda laughed, and looked back down at her papers.

Amanda straightened out her clothes as she hurriedly climbed up the steps, and stepped out into the dark hallway. Every step she took brought her closer to Olivia. She scanned the numbers above the doors to find Olivia's room number, and she stopped at Olivia's door.

Amanda timidly brought her hand to the doorknob, and took a deep steadying breath before she turned the knob, and opened the door.

It was extremely early, and she had given herself about an hour to talk to Olivia one on one, before students actually started showing up at school. She had been trying to build up her confidence all night, but it hadn't really worked. Amanda was still shaking with nerves. She had so many different ideas about how this conversation could possibly go down, and all of them terrified Amanda. What if Olivia rejected her again?

The classroom was dark, the only light was coming from the small lamp on Olivia's desk. Olivia was hunched over a thick pile of paperwork, and Amanda's breath caught at the sight.

Every time she saw Olivia, she was struck with just how beautiful the older woman really was. Amanda's eyes automatically raked over Olivia's gorgeous form. Today Olivia had pulled her dark hair up into a sleek ponytail, that gave Amanda a fantastic view of the older woman's face. Her heart constricted as she stared at Olivia.

She waited for Olivia to acknowledge her presence, but Olivia didn't make any move to look up. She quietly stepped further into the empty room, closing the door behind her. That got Olivia's attention, and she glanced up. For the first time in days, they made eye contact. Amanda's palms began to sweat as those soulful brown eyes stared her down. Olivia finally snapped out of it and gave her a smile.

"Hi, Amanda," Olivia said warmly, a tense undertone to her voice. "You're here early."

"Yeah, I needed to talk to you about something," Amanda said.

"What can I do for you?" Olivia asked, folding her hands in front of her and giving Amanda her complete attention. Amanda thought this was going surprisingly well so far.

"Oh, um, I have some work for you," Amanda spoke up from her position by the door. She knew that she hadn't really come here to drop off her homework, well she had, but it wasn't the most important reason. She just didn't know how to start this conversation, without sounding like a child who's toy had been taken away. She didn't want to give Olivia yet another reason to push her away.

"Okay," Olivia nodded, looking at her expectantly. "Please, come in," Olivia instructed after a moment, waving her forward.

"Oh," Amanda blushed, realizing that Olivia had been waiting for her to walk over, and deliver the work. Amanda girded her loins, and walked over to Olivia's desk, taking a seat on the edge.

"One second," Amanda said, reaching for her bag. It took her a second to dig around in her bag, but she managed to produce her homework in a fairly quick time frame. She handed her papers to Olivia, swallowing as their fingers brushed.

"Thank you," Olivia murmured, clearly dismissing her. Amanda got up, but stayed standing in front of Olivia. Olivia looked back up, a questioning look covering her face. Now or never, Amanda thought. It would probably be best to get straight to the point.

"Olivia, why are you avoiding me?" Amanda asked, looking directly at Olivia.

"I'm not," Olivia said, shrugging and looking back down at the papers on her desk. Amanda clenched her fists.

"Yes, you are. Please, don't lie to my face," Amanda spoke. ""You won't look at me, you've texted me all of two times this week, and this has been our only verbal communication in God knows how long."

"I'm not avoiding you, Amanda. I'm just busy."

It pissed her off that Olivia could just sit there and continue to lie. She had hoped that Olivia respected her enough to at least give her the truth. She knew the brunette was avoiding her, she only wanted Olivia to admit it.

"Right," Amanda snorted. "Olivia, I think we both know that you're doing everything in your power to make sure you don't have to come in contact with me."

Olivia opened her mouth, and then closed it. It was time to switch tactics, Amanda decided. This confrontational approach clearly wasn't working on Olivia.

"Olivia, you have to know that I have feelings for you- and they're so strong," Amanda murmured. "It hurts that you won't even speak to me, Liv. I know you have this ridiculous idea in your head that you're abusing me, and I love that you care about my well being so much, but Olivia- you're not hurting me in any way, shape, or form."

Olivia didn't say anything, in fact, she didn't even look up.

Amanda shook her head, trying to blink back her tears. "I know that you have things to do, Liv. But-" Amanda's voice broke. "It's my birthday tomorrow, and I was hoping you could at least send me a happy birthday text."

With that, Amanda gave Olivia one last look, and then she turned and quickly rushed towards the door. She hesitated before she opened the door, hoping Olivia would try and stop her. Olivia remained silent. Amanda nodded and grabbed for the doorknob, twisting it and pulling the door open. Amanda's tears fell down her face as she stepped out into the dark, empty hallway. She clutched her coat tighter around her, and made her way towards the steps.

That had gone so much worse than she could have ever imagined. Olivia had not only rejected her, she'd ignored her too. For the first time, Olivia had made her feel small.

"No, I'm sure," Amanda spoke into the phone, smiling at Fin's attempts to get her to go out.

"Fin, I'm absolutely positive that I'd rather be at home by myself, than packed in some sweaty club," Amanda laughed. "I'll be fine, Fin. Have fun."

Amanda hung up the phone, a smile still on her face. This had been the second time Fin had called her to wish her a happy birthday, and invite her out. He'd been trying to talk her into heading to some new club with him, but Amanda had declined. She wasn't in the mood to go out tonight, all she wanted to do was curl up on her couch and stuff herself full of ice cream.

Amanda padded into her kitchen, flipping the lights on. Moving to her refrigerator, she opened the doors, and pulled out a small plastic bowl. She had stopped by the bakery on her way home and bought a small cupcake, there was no need for a large cake when it was just her. Amanda pulled out a single candle and stuck it in the middle of the chocolate cake. She was just about to light the candle, when she heard a knock on the door.

Amanda clicked her phone and looked at the time, it was almost midnight. She really hoped Fin hadn't ditched the club to come spend time with her. Sighing, Amanda set down her lighter and walked to her front door. Her throat constricted when she looked out the peephole, and saw, the one person she hadn't been expecting. Olivia was standing at her door. Her hand moved to the doorknob, but she paused to collect herself. She needed to pull herself together if she was going to have a conversation with Olivia.

After waiting for a moment, Amanda unlocked the door, and opened it. Amanda blushed at Olivia's attire, the older woman was dressed in tight black jeans that hugged the curve of her hips deliciously, a luxurious silk green top, and had thrown a leather jacket over it, her hair was still in a ponytail. Amanda was dressed in sweatpants and an Atlanta Braves sweatshirt.

"Hey, Amanda," Olivia smiled. "I'm sorry to bother you."

"It's no problem," Amanda said, doing her best to smile back. It was a little hard for her to smile, and pretend everything was okay, when Olivia had crushed her less than 24 hours ago.

"May I come in?" Olivia asked hopefully, clasping her hands behind her back.

"Uh, yeah, sure," Amanda mumbled, stepping back and allowing Olivia to enter her apartment. She closed her apartment door, and latched the lock. She didn't want to turn around and face Olivia, she didn't think she had the strength for this right now. She didn't want to seem rude, so unable to do anything else, she slowly turned and looked at Olivia.

Olivia stood directly behind her. Amanda swallowed.

"Happy birthday, Amanda," Olivia said.

"Thanks," Amanda replied, nodding her head. She didn't want her cupcake to sit out for too long so she moved back into her kitchen, swallowing nervously when she heard Olivia follow. "Sorry, I was just about to blow out a candle, I know its stupid but.." Amanda trailed off.

"It's not stupid," Olivia whispered.

Then Olivia did something that shocked the hell out of Amanda. She started singing.

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, dear Amanda," Olivia sung to her, and walked around the counter, taking the lighter out of her hand and lighting the candle for her. "Happy birthday to you," Olivia finished.

Amanda blinked. Olivia had just sung to her, it was the most over used song, but to Amanda- it was precious. She never wanted to forget this moment.

"Make a wish," Olivia whispered to her, gesturing to the small cupcake on the counter.

"Okay," Amanda nodded. Leaning down and placing her face directly in front of the candle's flame, she closed her eyes. Amanda knew exactly what she was going to use her wish on. Amanda took a deep breath, and blew the small flame to smoke, just as the air passed her lips, her wish rose up in her mind.

I wish I could make Olivia as happy as she makes me.

Amanda leaned back up and opened her eyes, a small smile on her lips. Olivia clapped softly and wrapped her arms around Amanda, hugging her tightly.

"Happy birthday, Amanda," Olivia murmured into her ear.

"Thank you," Amanda said, sighing as Olivia released her and took a step back.

"I wasn't expecting company, but we can share my cupcake?" Amanda offered, already pulling out two forks.

"I'd like that," Olivia smiled. "But first, I, uh," Olivia stammered and reached into her jacket pocket, pulling out an unmistakeable thin black box. "I got you a present."

"You didn't have to do that," Amanda said, her voice thick with emotion.

"I wanted to," Olivia replied, offering Amanda the box.

Amanda cleared her throat, and happily accepted the gift from Olivia. Amanda looked up at Olivia before she opened it. Olivia was shifting nervously, and biting her lip. Amanda gave her a reassuring smile and slowly opened the lid. It was the most beautiful looking piece of jewelry Amanda had ever seen, it was a silver necklace. An thin, elegant chain, with a medium sized locket dangling from it. Amanda looked closer at the locket, and smiled when she realized that her name had been elegantly engraved in the middle.

Amanda couldn't stop the tear that fell down her face, and she looked up.

"Olivia, it's so beautiful. God," Amanda cried, launching herself across the small space, and wrapping her arms tightly around Olivia's neck. "Thank you," Amanda whispered, rubbing her cheek against Olivia's.

"You're welcome, Amanda," Olivia replied, hugging her back.

The necklace looked so expensive, and it was hardly an appropriate gift. Amanda didn't understand Olivia at all, one minute she couldn't even look at her, and the next she was giving her this amazing piece of jewelry.

Amanda pulled back and held the necklace out to Olivia. "Help me?" Amanda requested, turning around and lifting her hair so Olivia could see her neck.

Amanda gulped as Olivia leaned in, she could feel the softness of Olivia's breasts pressing against her back. Olivia's hands quickly secured the necklace around her neck, and then Olivia's warmth was gone. Amanda looked up and saw Olivia staring at her, emotions flooding her dark eyes.

Amanda grabbed her fork from the counter and sliced into the small chocolate cupcake, lifting the fork into the air, she offered the bite to Olivia. Amanda's heart was beating wildly out of control as she watched Olivia lean in, and open her mouth, taking the chocolate in. Olivia's darkened eyes never left hers as she sucked all the chocolate off the fork.

Olivia chewed and then opened her mouth again, "I'm glad you like the necklace, Amanda."

Amanda nodded and set the fork back down. Without giving herself a moment to think, Amanda reached her hand out, and ran her fingers over the soft skin on Olivia's neck.

"Amanda.." Olivia pleaded, looking down at the floor.

Amanda took another step, moving closer to Olivia. She had waited so long for this moment, she didn't want to give Olivia the chance to walk away from her again.

Amanda's hand slipped around to the back of Olivia's head, her fingers getting lost in the silky strands of Olivia's ponytail. Amanda licked her lips unconsciously and inched slowly closer to Olivia. Amanda closed her eyes and leaned all the way in, brushing her lips against Olivia's.

Olivia turned her head and tried to step back. Amanda didn't let her. She wrapped both arms around Olivia's neck and looked into those dark orbs.

"Please, Olivia, please," Amanda begged, "Don't push me away again."

"I have to," Olivia whispered, looking back at her. "I would be abusing you if I didn't."

"No. I'm not going to sit here and let you call what we have abuse. I know what I feel for you, Olivia. What I feel for you is not wrong, what I feel for you is amazing," Amanda said, her voice steady and calm.

She would not back down on this.

Olivia's POV:

Olivia was fighting a battle with herself, and honestly, she was tired of fighting. Her mind had been waging a war with her body, but she wasn't sure how much more her mind could take. Olivia only had so much self-restraint and Amanda was pushing her right to the edge. She had been certain that she'd been doing the right thing for Amanda by trying to distance herself, but when Amanda had showed up in her classroom, there had been so much hurt in Amanda's voice. Olivia was starting to doubt her decisions. Olivia was trying to protect Amanda, and so she kept turning Amanda away, but Amanda just came right back. Olivia didn't know how many times she could tell Amanda no.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by Amanda's lips trailing over her jaw, placing soft little kisses to her skin. Olivia groaned and tried to pull her head away. Amanda was weakening her defenses, she was loosing the ability to say no. Amanda's arms tightened around her neck, and Olivia's knees buckled when she felt Amanda's warm breath on her ear.

"Olivia, please.." Amanda begged into her ear.

Olivia opened her mouth to reply but then Amanda thrust her body against hers, and Olivia's voice died in her throat. Amanda pressed even harder against her and whimpered into her ear. Olivia clenched her jaw.

"Amanda," Olivia growled, her voice thick with desire. She was trying so hard to stay strong, but God, she wanted to give in.

"I want you so badly, Liv," Amanda purred into her ear, her voice low and thick with need.

Olivia went to protest, but Amanda pushed her back against the kitchen counter. Olivia let out a surprised gasp as her back connected with the counter. Amanda didn't allow the separation for long, as soon as Olivia had regained her balance, Amanda's body was back against hers. Amanda's lips went to her neck, and Olivia's hands instinctively gripped at Amanda's hips.

"Amanda-" Olivia moaned out, her body squirming against the counter as Amanda sucked on her pulse point. Olivia's body was telling her to be quiet, and to give in. Her mind was still resisting Amanda's pull.

Olivia watched through hooded lids as Amanda shook her head, and then she felt Amanda's hands sneaking under her leather jacket. Amanda pushed the jacket off, and Olivia heard the soft thud it made as it landed on the kitchen floor. Olivia watched as Amanda's eyes raked over her. Amanda's hands came up and cupped her breasts through her shirt. Olivia let out a loud moan, tipping her head back. Amanda's hands felt so good on her breasts. She had wanted Amanda's hands on her body for so long.

Stop, Olivia thought. This can't happen like this.

Olivia's hands came up and she pulled Amanda's hands away from her chest, intertwining their fingers instead.

"Amanda, we can't," Olivia said breathlessly.

"Yeah," Amanda replied. Olivia swallowed as Amanda pulled her hands away and cupped her face. Amanda's lips were pressed to hers, and Olivia couldn't even put together a sentence. Amanda pressed their bodies even tighter together, and Olivia moaned as their breasts rubbed together. Amanda apparently saw that as an opportunity to get her tongue into Olivia's mouth, and Olivia let out a strangled gasp as Amanda's velvety tongue stroked over hers.

One of Amanda's hands left her face, and traveled down her body. That hand moved past her breasts, over her stomach, and finally stopped at her ass. Amanda cupped her backside, and squeezed firmly. Olivia groaned into Amanda's mouth.

Olivia resisted, and turned her head away. Amanda nipped at her earlobe, since she couldn't reach Olivia's mouth.

"Olivia, I want you to make me a woman, I want you to love me," Amanda whispered.

"Wha-what?" Olivia asked, trying to clear her head of the fog that surrounded her thoughts.

"Olivia I want to be with you, I want you to be my first. I want you to take me, I want you to love me," Amanda clarified. Olivia let out a growl.

Amanda was a virgin. Amanda was asking her to take her virginity. Olivia's body trembled with desire at Amanda's words. The thought of being the first one to show Amanda that pleasure, to touch Amanda, to love Amanda, made her unbelievably hot. Olivia could feel the wet pool building between her legs. Olivia also felt incredibly guilty, it wasn't her place, it wasn't her right to make love to Amanda. Olivia didn't want Amanda to make a commitment, that she wasn't ready to make.

"Amanda, please," Olivia whispered, closing her eyes.

She could feel Amanda's lips ghosting over her face, laying soft kisses all over her cheeks.

"Olivia, I want to be with you," Amanda said. Olivia opened her eyes and looked into Amanda's twin pools of blue. She groaned at the feelings that Amanda was showing her, Amanda was looking at her, pleading with her through her eyes.

Olivia gave in. That was it. Olivia had fought the good fight the best she knew how, and she had lost. Olivia nodded her head and moved her hands up, gently gripping the back of Amanda's skull, and moving to pull her closer.

Before their lips melded together, she heard Amanda whisper, "thank you."