Chapter 2: "Go Get Your Girl"

It was probably the semester before senior year when Alex lost her dead weight of a girlfriend. No one understood why she was with someone so dainty. Alex was tough. She was tall, strong, and confident to anyone who saw her. Alex was also amazing in her classes. Her mastery level at procrastination would deceive people who didn't know, but she was the best at crunch time. To Alex, class time was a waste. She could sit down, read the book, and teach herself better than a professor ever could. Alex just wasn't one to be told what to do, even when it came to learning.

Piper was quite the opposite. She was the diligent note taker. She needed the class time and the study groups to get the grades she did. Piper wasn't a slacker. As soon as she was assigned a project or task, she began working toward completion. Piper was in as many study groups as she could cram into one day. This was mostly to learn, but partly to stay away from home. Her home life was depressing. She would go home to her girlfriend and go through the motions. Her girlfriend and her were pretty much roommates. There had been no intimacy in years, but both piper and her girlfriend were content on where they were. Things were easier to stay together and be unhappy than to actually separate.

Piper thrived at school. She was a definitely a person who needed to be around people. This was a pitfall for Piper, but she was doing fine as long as she was on campus. Alone, Piper's mind would begin to wonder and anxiety would throw her into a whirlwind. Piper was one of those people who constantly had to be doing something or actively onto the next task.

Alex was the opposite. Alex was very composed and confident by herself. She knew who she was. She loved to read and listen to music. Music was what made Alex tick too. She knew indie music as well as mainstream. Walking to and from campus, you would always catch her with at least one headphone bud hanging from her ear with the cord connected to her phone in her pocket. She walked with the ease of someone who was confident in their own shoes. Whether Alex was as confident as her walk was another story.

Spring semester of their junior year, Alex started making the first move to get noticed by Piper.

Sitting backwards on top of her desk so that she was facing piper she said "What did you think about that lab?"

Piper, who was mesmerized by the grace that Alex jumped on the desk wondering how she could ooze such coolness composed herself.

"It wasn't too bad. Mitch was doing most of the work. He pretty much had it ready to go before class."

"Lucky! My partner doesn't do shit." Piper smiled.

Goddamn that smile. Piper could look at that smile all day.

"At least you get to actually learn what the lab was about." Piper retorted.

"True. True." Alex said sarcastically. Sarcasm was Alex's second language. "I would rather just let him to all the work and let me just write up the report. The report takes no time."

"Yeah, I'm the opposite."

By that time, the professor had entered the room and made a valiant attempt at starting the class. Alex spun on the desk, taking the seat in front of Piper. This was the typical seating that they had taken for the semester. Piper got out her iPad to begin her note taking and Alex got out her pen and paper to either draw or take meaningless notes that she'd never look at again.

With small conversations and quick texts back and forth in class poking fun at the professor or fellow classmates, their friendship grew stronger. Alex loved to make Piper laugh and Piper loved to see Alex's smile. Their blues eyes would still dark around when they spoke directly to each other, though, but they would stand closer and closer.

Piper went home every night to her girlfriend and went through the motions again and again. Finally she asked her, "Are you happy?"

"Sure I'm happy."

"I mean, like, is this what you want?"

"I'm not sure what you're asking?" Piper's girlfriend answer with the look of confusion molding to her face.

"I'm not happy anymore and you know it. We both know it. Neither one of us have been happy in a long time." Piper stated plainly.

"Well… maybe we can work on it."

"Sure…" Piper sighed. She was not happy where she was and all she could think about was Alex. She owed it to her girlfriend to try to make it work though. Right?

Over the break, Alex went home to visit family. Her family meant the world to her, especially her mother, Diane. Alex would play straight the entire time and listen to any gay-bashing she had to just to be close to them. She would not come out just for the simple reason that she didn't want to be disowned. She knew that it would happen. She couldn't help to think that if she ever had a chance with Piper that she would be able to come out for her. Piper.

"What am I think?! There is no chance I could date Piper. She's taken. She thinks I'm straight! I would never have a chance in hell to even get close to Piper." Alex swallowed the wishes and went back into the living room with her mom.

"What's wrong, Alex?" her mom inquired.

"Nothing, mom."

"Don't lie to me. I know when something is bothering you."

Inside Alex's head she can't help but think "yeah, I want to kiss and touch a girl who is very much off the market and I can't tell a soul."

"No, mom. I'm fine."

Back in town, Piper was having her a conversation in her own home. She and her girlfriend had been on the rocks, and the rocks that they were currently on were the sharp jagged ones near a waterfall. Back and forth, Piper's girlfriend and she had been arguing about their relationship. Her girlfriend couldn't believe that she wanted to just give up after all the years they'd been together.

"I think I want an open relationship." Piper stated.

"What!?"

"I think it would be good. Couples can do it and survive. I don't feel wanted or loved. This might help."

"I can't believe you could even think something like that is ok!" Piper's girlfriend wanted nothing of the sort and was very clear about her feelings.

After sharp tongued words were thrown at Piper, Piper decided it was best to leave well enough alone. She left the house in a mess of tears and text Alex right away.

Piper: We just got into a huge fight. I can't go back home right now.

Alex: What?! What happened!?

Piper: I told her I wanted an open relationship…

This made Alex pause. She wasn't happy…? She knew that she bitched a lot about home, but who didn't? She legit wasn't happy and she was asking to sleep with other people. Did she have anyone in particular in mind? Could Alex be that person who she could… No! There's no way! Alex did the only thing that she could think of. She knew that she felt strongly for Piper and maybe even loved her. She called her. She had actually never called Piper on the phone, but this seemed the best time to start.

"Hello?" Piper answered through sobs.

"Piper!? Are you ok? What do you mean you can't go home? It's your house!"

"She's pissed. I can't go home."

Alex paused. She's crying. She's heart broken. She loves her girlfriend? Of course she loves her stupid. They're engaged. Alex, being the strong person she is swallowed all her wishes in one gulp and took a breath.

"Well. You need to go back home and get your girl back." Piper couldn't see her, but she had already reached for her keys getting ready to drive back to town to Piper. Her mother stopped her. She couldn't explain to her mother why she was leaving so suddenly without making her mom suspicious of her actions. Girls go through breakups all the time. Why did Alex in particular have to drive 3 hours back for this one girl? Because I love her.

Alex has always been a protector and this was just another instance of how she was going to protect who she loved even at the cost of herself. When Alex did finally get back in town the next week, things had been somewhat smoothed over between Piper and her girlfriend, but they had both agreed that they weren't happy. Neither one was. They would give it a chance, but neither one had hope that it would stay. Alex had some serious mixed feelings about this.

If Piper was going to be on the market, she wouldn't even give Alex a second glance if she kept thinking she was straight. Alex would have to do something about this. Could she trust Piper? She's kept this secret her whole life. Was Piper worth destroying some walls that were so diligently built?