A/N: Hey all of you lovelies. I'm sorry this chapter was posted a bit late. I've been sort of couch hopping here and there due to family issues but I somehow found the time to get the chapter out! I hope the length and extra cute parts make up for the wait. Enjoy! :)
Angela pushed open the glass door to the quaint little restaurant and adjusted the strap of her purse over her shoulder. She fixed her hair and nervously looked around to see if Fareeha had already seated herself.
While Angela was out the day before, window shopping at a nurse uniform shop, she received a text on her phone. Assuming that it was from Lena, it was a pleasant surprise to see that Fareeha had texted her instead. She told her that she was definitely available for lunch on Sunday. Angela took it upon herself to rush to the store adjacent to the one she had been window shopping in to find a new outfit for the lunch date. At the end of the day she had settled on a new pair of ripped denim jeans and a cream colored sweater complimented by a red scarf with some brown boots that came up to her knee. Angela had gone out of her way to send a picture to Lena before buying it to which Lena had responded that she was sexy. Angela hoped she was right.
Angela leaned against the wall and pulled out her phone, pretending to look relaxed when in reality she was texting Lena frantically: "IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE SHE'S HERE. SHOULD I LOOK?"
Lena's response speech bubble popped up a few seconds later: "I think you should just wait at the door."
Angela sighed through her nose and texted back: "But what if she's here?"
Lena texted, "Okay, girl, you need to chill. Trust me, you can't do anything wrong here, it's just you two meeting up for some lunch to get to know each other. It's not like you're scoping her out for a potential wife or anything." Angela sighed again and looked around for a few moments before looking down at her phone again as it buzzed and dinged with a new message from Lena: "….Yet."
"Hello, Angela!" Fareeha greeted her as she pushed the door open beside her, nearly slamming the smaller girl into the wall on accident.
"Hi!" Angela said, jumping out of the way of the door, "Oh my….You pushed that thing like it was nothing!"
"I uh…I forget my own strength sometimes." Fareeha said, embarrassed, "Why don't we find ourselves a seat? I know the owners here!"
Angela found that extremely attractive. As she followed Fareeha to a small booth near the back of the small restaurant, Angela played with her phone in her hands. Fareeha let Angela sit first, and she followed after. They were met by a waiter who seemed to know Fareeha by name. The taller girl greeted him politely and began a small conversation much to Angela's relief. It wasn't very often that someone else had the pleasure of breaking the ice. Angela looked through the menu absentmindedly, flipping through the pages, looking up shyly to watch Fareeha talking. She loved the way her lips turned up in a smile…
"This is my friend Angela." Fareeha introduced her to the waiter, "Do you know what you'd like to drink?"
"Water is fine." Angela replied without thinking, hoping that no one caught her staring at Fareeha like she was, "And it's very nice to meet you!"
"Likewise!" said the waiter, I'll give you two a moment to decide on what you'd like today." He turned and walked away from the booth, leaving the two girls alone. Angela watched as Fareeha opened the menu, looking happily at the selection. She seemed to be a person who enjoyed simple things…
"Do you know what you're getting?" Angela asked after a few moments of silence, hoping to break the silence that she hoped wouldn't turn awkward, "I might get the Turkey bacon and cheddar…what about you?"
"Oh that's a good one!" Fareeha said, "I do love the Rachel sandwiches here but you just can't compete with Reuben."
Angela was confused, "A Rachel sandwich?"
"Yeah!" Fareeha said smiling, "A Rachel is almost exactly like a Reuben but instead of corned beef it has turkey!
Angela smiled at her enthusiasm, "Well, both sound delicious!"
"I come here a lot since it's the only place that can actually make me feel full." Fareeha said, rubbing the back of her head, "I should mention that this place is very generous with their portion sizes."
The smaller girl giggled and doubted the portion size secretly until her food was actually placed in front of her. He turkey and cheddar was a MASSIVE sandwich with fried pickles on the side and a toothpick right down the middle. Fareeha laughed at Angela's genuinely startled expression.
"What do you think?" Fareeha asked excitedly.
"I think…I think I'm gonna need a box!" Angela replied, receiving another quiet laugh from Fareeha. It felt good to make her laugh. It made Angela's heart flutter. Everything about Fareeha seemed so genuine, like there was no need to hide anything about who she was. Fareeha seemed to be an open book, and Angela wanted to read every page.
As the two began to eat, Fareeha mentioned her mother fondly, thanking Angela for keeping her company during the football games and other game days. Angela mentioned how sweet Ana was and that she wanted to be a nurse and finally a doctor when she graduated High School. Ana was always wonderful company, and she had taught Angela a lot already since she used to be an RN nurse when she was younger. Angela slowly began to relax more and more as the conversation went on. It was always a wonderful feeling to figure out how to talk to someone, reaching a point where conversations were easy and seamless. Fareeha had already been as relaxed as could be and secretly felt pleased that Angela was beginning to get used to her.
By the time the shorter girl was halfway done with her sandwich, she felt full, sitting back in her seat and laughing, "I DO need a box!"
"Me too!" Fareeha smiled, lifting her hand, "Waiter!"
The two put their food in boxes and grabbed a bag, leaving the restaurant, still talking happily. The two went for a walk back to Fareeha's house that was just up the road. As they began their way up the incline in the road, Angela asked Fareeha what she wanted to be when she finished High School. The taller girl thought for a moment, scratching her cheek. She looked forward as she explained that her passion was being a good person. She was also interested in enrolling in the military. As soon as Angela heard this she felt something in her chest sink. She wanted a relationship with her…and if that was to come to be, Fareeha would only go away into the military.
"But y'know…" said the taller girl after a moment's pause, "If I found a nice person to settle down with I might rethink that and focus on security work in cities."
Angela's eyes widened slightly, "A nice person, huh?" She liked the sound of local security work…
"Yeah! I always had a thing for blondes." Fareeha responded.
Angela's heart began to pound. Blondes? She was a blonde! A blonde boy or girl? Would it be strange to ask what her preference was? Was that a weird thing to ask anymore?
"I did date this girl a while back." Fareeha continued, "but she moved away. I don't know if she even remembers me. It was an experimental thing, but I'm not sure if I could date a girl again. She was straight…straight girls will break your heart."
Angela was near hyperventilating with this news.
Fareeha looked down at her curiously and reached over to pat her back in concern, "Are you okay?"
Angela coughed and giggled nervously, "YES! I uh…Sorry. Asthma." That was one hell of a lie, "I'm okay. I have a little attacks here and there…I'm sorry that happened to you though. I'm sure she doesn't have any clue what she could have had."
Fareeha slowed down for a moment and blinked, "Thanks Angela….that was really nice of you."
Angela sighed, trying to get her breathing under control. Hearing that Fareeha dated girls at all was a major weight off of her wondering mind. Angela felt a shiver down her spine as she heard Fareeha's voice reach a tone she had never heard before. It was soft and sweet and sincere…she wanted to hear it again.
"Well…I mean it." Angela said, smiling.
"Are you into girls too?" Fareeha asked, putting her hand in her pocket.
"Yes!" Angela answered, unafraid, "I like guys too…sometimes. If they're nice. Nobody from our school though."
"Yeah the guys at our school aren't the best." Fareeha rolled her eyes, "They're all typical bro's who have cock fights in the locker rooms after games."
Angela quickly turned her head to look up at Fareeha in surprise. Was that resentment in her voice?
"Sorry!" Fareeha quickly replied in embarrassment, "I didn't mean to say that. I just aren't as fond of them as everyone thinks I am. You'll keep this a secret right?"
"Of course." Angela said, reaching out to take her arm absentmindedly. Fareeha believed her.
They continued to walk, the cool air bringing them close together. Angela comforted her, telling Fareeha that it was okay to not like her football team very much. The taller girl found a comfort in Angela that felt unique and honest. It was a nice change, and Fareeha enjoyed watching Angela's hair whip in her face occasionally due to the slight breeze. Every time Angela would wrinkle her nose up and push her hair out of her eyes and behind her ear.
They reached Fareeha's house after and the taller girl invited Angela in to which the blonde accepted wholeheartedly. Stepping inside, Angela shivered from the cold and moved further into the home. Fareeha lead her into the kitchen to where Angela saw Ana sitting at the dinner table with a cup of tea and a book. Fareeha greeted her nonchalantly, heading right for the fridge and Ana said quietly, "How did it go with Angela?"
"Fine!" Angela replied for her new friend.
Ana perked up and turned around in her chair, smiling happily to see Angela, "Angel!"
Fareeha thought it was cute that her mother knew Angela well enough to call her something like that. She watched as Angela rushed to her and opened her arms for a hug. Fareeha grabbed an apple and leaned back against the fridge as her mother and Angela embraced, taking excitedly about the game they knew was coming up next week on Wednesday. When there were game days, Angela and Ana were always together on the sidelines.
"Hey…" Fareeha interjected, "You better watch out for me, you two! We're playing the Talons this week."
"We will." Angela giggled while Ana rolled her eyes.
"You've sprained more ankles in one year than your entire team in their entire football career." Ana said flatly, "We'll be watching you."
"No need to rub it in, ma." Fareeha said in embarrassment.
"Can I give you a ride home?" Ana asked Angela who nodded quietly in response, "Good then! Unless you two wanted to spend more time together."
Angela certainly wanted to, but she looked at Fareeha and smiled, shrugging, "It's up to you!"
Fareeha thought for a moment before saying, "We'll get together again soon. I hope to see you at the game…"
"Look out for me!" Angela replied, "I'll be by the benches with some water for you to come say hi."
"Tell me everything." Lena said immediately into the phone as she flipped through her Geography book in bed, barely paying attention to the material at all.
"I just….I really like her." Fareeha replied, sitting back on her bed, "She's so sweet and pretty. Her hair is so nice and I love how she pulls it up into a pony tail. She's got the most beautiful blue eyes and her hands are so cute. Her skin is so flawlessly perfect I just want to touch her."
Lena giggled and kicked her feet with joy, "Tell me more, you dork!"
"She's…I don't know. I let on today that I liked girls but I'm not sure she caught it. I don't want to be too obvious with her you know?"
"With Angela, you sort of have to be obvious." Lena chuckled, "Wednesday at the game, ask her what her type of girl is, okay? I'm sure she'll give you a direct description of you. I promise."
Fareeha lifted a hand and sighed, running her fingers through her hair as she attempted her Algebra homework while trying to manage her thoughts about Angela. She always had trouble with that class, and she was meaning to talk to her mother about a tutor since it was her worst class and she needed to have a higher than average grade in every class in order to compete in sports.
"Hey." Fareeha asked Lena over the phone, "Do you know anyone who's good at Algebra that isn't an idiot that could help me?"
Lena grinned as she wrote down an answer on her paper, "Call Angela."
"What?" Fareeha asked, "She's good at Algebra?"
"The chick has straight A's on her report card and she hasn't gotten below a B in the iron maiden's class."
"Wow…pretty, kind, and smart." Fareeha sighed.
"The whole package." Lena confirmed with a grin.
Fareeha had always noticed Angela. It was a reoccurring presence in her day to day life. Who couldn't notice Angela? She had such an endearing air about her. She always seemed so gentle and serene. She was confident in herself, yet, vulnerable enough to be wooed and handled properly romantically. Ever since Fareeha's mother mentioned her at the beginning of her Junior year, Angela in the Sophomore year, she had taken an interest in the girl. First, it was only because she wanted a friend, but she quickly found a friend in Lena as the two spent a lot of time in track meets.
Soon after, she heard more and more from Lena, Fareeha began watching Angela day by day. It was an occasionally glance here and there since she didn't want to be creepy after all. She simply noticed her as she ate her lunch and sat with Lena and her Sophmore friend Mei. The way she ran in PE was adorable and Angela threw balls like such a girl. The only thing she seemed to be physically good at was dodgeball. Fareeha had received an impressive mark on her thigh from when Angela targeted her from a distance once.
Fareeha's feelings for Angela blossomed into a crush the day she saw the girl sitting by herself in the bleachers, doing some homework early, looking up occasionally to watch the football practice going on. Angela's eyes were so blue, they stood out among the pale grey of the bleachers. It was a like a piece of sky had fallen and manifested itself in Angela's beautiful eyes. Fareeha wanted to take her and press her against the wall and kiss her breathless. She wanted to put her on her shoulders and carry her around and give her things and do her every bidding just for the simple reward of her happiness and appreciation. She wanted Angela to kiss her cheek like she had seen her kiss Lena's so many times.
"I'm telling you." Lena said quietly, "You should make a move soon."
"I'll…try something on Wednesday." Fareeha replied, "I know mom would love it if I brought her home for real. Angela told me her parents aren't around often so…we could be together a lot."
"It's a perfect situation." Lena said, putting her pencil in between her teeth, flipping a page in her book, "You're the man, Fareeha. You can totally get her. I don't even know why you need me to tell you that!"
Fareeha smiled and tilted her head. She appreciated Lena's kindness a lot.
"I've got to go for now, L." Fareeha said, "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Remember." Lena said, catching her mid hang up, "Call Angel. She'll help you with Algebra."
"Will do!" Fareeha replied, "Goodnight, Flash."
"Goodnight, you giant lug."
Both girls hung up the call and Lena closed her geography book, setting it aside. She had known for a while how Fareeha felt about Angela, and she had seen Angela's slow development of admiration to a cute then steaming crush on Fareeha. Both were so perfect for each other and Lena adored them with all her heart. She wanted them to be happy, and wouldn't mind being a third wheel if it meant she got to see both of them together. She wasn't sure if she was going to find anyone else like Angela ever again, and she wanted to make sure that she had the absolute best. Fareeha was a quiet sweetheart with a fantastic eye for women and Lena loved that about her. Lena had thought many times of how both of them would fit together...almost like puzzle pieces, made for each other. She picked up her phone and slid under the covers, pulling up Angela's contact, opening a new message to send her: "Hey, Angel cake. How the heck are ya!"
Angela, who had been near sleeping woke up to a quick text tone on her phone, but then the phone continued to vibrate annoyingly against her pillow. Angela picked up her phone, thinking it was Lena, accepted the call and put it to her ear, "Hey, you." She sighed, her sleepy voice prominent, "Whatcha up to this late? You hold off on homework again, silly?"
Fareeha, who was on the other line, bit her lip, letting herself blush deeply since she was alone. Angela sounded so cute and groggy…was she sleeping?
"I uh…" Fareeha said, the smile obvious through the phone, "I'm not Lena, but I did hold off on my homework."
Angela jumped to attention upon hearing the smooth voice on the other end, rubbing both of her eyes and grabbing her phone tightly, "OH! FAREEHA! HI!" She couldn't help but yawn tiredly, "Whats…Mm. What's up? Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you." Fareeha said, setting her head in her hand, her eyes half closing, "I wondered if you could…help me understand some things in our Algebra homework. I know you're good at it, and the teacher is tough. Lena said you're a good tutor!"
Angela broke out into a small smile upon the mention of Lena, "Yes! I can help you with your homework. Whenever you need me, I can help, okay?"
"M-hm!" Fareeha smiled, lifting a hand to rub the back of her head, "Thanks a lot by the way…"
"For what?" Angela asked.
"Well just…joining me for lunch and everything."
Angela played with her sheets, "I was the one who asked YOU! So I should be thanking YOU!"
Fareeha leaned into the phone, Angela's sleepy voice instilling an affection in her chest that felt alarmingly real, "I'll let you go then." Fareeha said, "You sound sleepy. We can work something out tomorrow at school if we see each other. I also just…wanted to call and say goodnight."
"Oh!" Angela asked, feeling very giddy, "Well goodnight to you too!"
"See you tomorrow." Fareeha said.
"Night night." Angela replied sleepily.
"Hold on one second." Fareeha said quickly…
Angela had already hung up.
The blonde had set her phone down by her pillow and curled up under her warm blankets, reaching over to her night stand and turning the light off, closing her eyes and drifting off into a gentle sleep. Fareeha stared at her phone for a few moments before setting it down and running her fingers through her hair.
The next day at school, both girls met each other in the cafeteria before school. Fareeha bought Angela some pop, both of them ignoring Genji, hoping that he would finally get the hint that his current method of skulking around the vending machine wouldn't work. Angela smiled a lot while Fareeha looked genuinely confused at her paper while she explained the process of problems a bit easier. Fareeha tapped her pencil on the table and licked her lips in thought. Angela received a flush of heat every time. Lena sat on the other end of the table, pretending to rest her head before classes started, but she really was looking through her spiky hair to watch as the two seemed to get along extremely well.
"I'm getting frustrated." Fareeha said, setting her pencil down.
"It's okay!" Angela said comfortingly, picking up the pencil, "Lets try one more time and if you can't get it, let's take a break to rest your mind. Sometimes when you think too much you fry out!"
Fareeha laughed at the expression and Angela placed her pencil in her hand, "Let's start from the beginning."
By the time the first bell had rung, Angela had helped Fareeha complete all her due homework for that day. Fareeha would normally have quit without Angela's help, and she found herself getting a second wind with her around. She was so encouraging and sweet that Fareeha couldn't help but give it another try every time she felt herself giving up.
Angela thought Fareeha was so handsome and focused. Her dark eyes were always fixated on the paper as Angela was speaking and whenever she got frustrated or was thinking very hard, she happened to lick her lips. Angela had the urge to lean closer every time…
School that day went slowly. Mondays usually went at a snail's pace. No one focused on the material and instead decided to focus on the clocks. Fareeha fell asleep in Chemistry and Mr. Winston allowed her about 15 minutes before he shouted at her to wake up. Angela helped a frustrated Lena in Algebra.
At Lunchtime Angela, Mei, and Lena all sat together in silence, enjoying each other's company. About halfway through the hour, they suddenly felt a presence at the end of the table. Lena tilted her head back to look up at who had come by and her face went pale.
It was Amélie, the French student. She was born American, but her family spoke traditional French so her accent was always very thick. She never could seem to find a niche to fit in among the students and she looked sullen for the majority of her time there. Her hair was long and black, tied high in a ponytail away from her face, and her dark eyes were complimented by a glittery purple eye shadow. She wore purple clothes often and seemed to love the color. No one knew much about her, and frankly, many of them were slightly intimidated by her height and demeanor.
"Can I help you?" Lena asked.
Amélie looked like she was thinking very hard for a moment, then she reached out and took Lena's hand, pulling a pen out of her pocket and writing down a series of numbers on her palm. Angela and Mei looked on with slight concern. Lena took her hand back and looked at her hand. A phone number?
"You want me to call you?" Lena asked again.
"I would like you to ask me out on a date this Wednesday to the football game." Amélie replied in her thick accent.
Angela's mouth fell open slightly and Mei choked a bit on her food while Lena just stared blankly up at the lanky girl who wouldn't seem to look away from her.
"I uh…I." Lena stuttered.
"Shh." Amélie said, leaning down slowly and taking Lena's face by the jaw, wrapping her hand under her chin, "I promise you, you will enjoy my company, mon Cherie."
"Mon what?" Lena gulped, clueless and startled, feeling like she should pull away but at the same time feeling if she did she'd face some kind of consequence. In one fluid movement, the taller girl moved forward and pressed her lips against Lena's. The shorter girl's hair stood on end as the new sensation made itself known, sparks flew for a split second and a sickening jolt of shock followed…
Amélie slowly backed away and stood up very straight, "You will call me anytime between tonight and Tuesday night." And with that she nodded to Angela and Mei, wished them a good day, and walked away with her hands behind her back.
A full 30 seconds passed in which Lena turned back and stared down at the table, looking at her lunchbox, her eyes wide, processing what had just happened. Angela looked horrified for a moment, wondering how Lena would react. There usually was no telling with Lena…
"W…well." Mei said nervously, "That happened."
"Lena?" Angela asked nervously, reaching out to rub her back, "Lena are you okay?"
"Sure!" Lena said in the calmest voice either of the other girls had ever heard from her, "I'm just great…"
"Some first kiss." Mei muttered.
"Wasn't my first kiss, but it was my first kiss with a girl." Lena pointed out, folding her hands, "How…the fuck…am I going to get out of this?"
"Tell her you already have a date?" Angela suggested.
"I don't have anyone I could do that with without it being weird." Lena replied, running her hand through her hair, "Fucking hell."
"Lena!" Angela scolded.
"I'm sorry! I just…." Lena shouted, biting her lip, "I don't know if I liked that or not!"
Mei tilted her head in confusion and Angela pressed her lips together, waiting for Lena to continue.
"It was…weirdly nice?" Lena muttered, touching her lips with her fingertips lightly, "It felt like…it was sweet and like she was trying to tell me something, but it wasn't coming out through her words. It felt like a sp…"
"What?" Angela asked, rubbing her shoulders.
"A spider bite. She bit my lip really soft. I could barely feet it."
Mei turned red and Angela nearly broke out into a fit of laughter, "A spider bite? Is that the best way to describe it?"
"I don't know!" Lena said, blushing a light red, "SHUT UP!"
The rest of the school day, Lena seemed off and distant while Angela went about her day. It was strange to hear silence from Lena on any given day. Angela had to start a few conversations first, which almost never happened. Angela couldn't help but think that it must have had some kind of intense impact on Lena to get her to be so quiet for so long. She repeatedly asked Lena if she was alright to which the girl would respond with either a shake of her head or a thumbs up or a light grunt.
At the end of the day, Angela was packing her things, getting ready to leave when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face Ana from the nurse's office. The two had a short conversation about Fareeha and how she was going to need tutoring in Algebra. Ana went on to tell Angela how Fareeha had went out of her way to visit her mother in the nurse's office, telling her that Angela had helped her. Ana pulled out a ten dollar bill from her pocket and held it out with a smile.
"If you continue to tutor Angela in Algebra and her grade rises, I'll pay you for your service." Ana said lightly.
"Oh, Mrs. Amari!" Angela replied, shaking her head, "I can't take your money! I'll keep tutoring Fareeha because I want her to get good grades!"
Ana took a moment to think, placing the money back in her pocket, "How about we discuss something I could do for you in return on Wednesday at the game?"
Angela nodded her head and smiled, extremely thankful for her generous gesture. She told her that she would see her on Wednesday and turned to leave after giving her a tight hug. Lena seemed to have already left, Angela furrowed her brow in concern. She would have to call her that night to check on her. She noticed Amélie standing by the water fountain looking almost invisible. It was amazing how she managed to look unnoticeable while being so tall. Angela moved across the hallway to stand next to her, "Hey."
"Hello." Amélie replied immediately, "I assumed you would want to come and speak with me."
Angela narrowed her eyes in confusion, then sighed and said, "Look. I want to be honest with you: I want the best for Lena and she was really sort of…affected by what you did at lunch today. I don't want anything bad happening to my friend…"
"Do not worry." Said the tall girl, "I simply wanted to make a statement. She understood it clearly, no?"
"No…I mean yes!" Angela stuttered, "Look, as her friend, I just need to make sure you don't intend on doing that again anytime soon…taking her off guard or whatever. Okay?"
"I understand." Amélie said flatly.
Angela went to say more, but she decided against it, leaving Amélie near the water fountain. As she stepped out of the school, she spotted Fareeha as Fareeha spotted her. Both simultaneously waved goodbye to each other as Fareeha stepped onto her bus.
The autumn day was crisp, and the air smelled clear and clean with an earthy accompaniment of wet asphalt and rainwater. Angela adjusted her backpack and pulled out her cell phone from her pocket to check the time. As she went to check her texts, she didn't notice Lena following close behind her until she was halfway home. Angela had begun singing absentmindedly to herself, happily looking at a picture of Fareeha on her phone that she had taken at the roller rink before putting it back in her pocket. She whistled and kicked some stones on the sidewalk while Lena watched her.
"Angela?" Lena whispered.
The blonde let out a startled shriek and nearly fell onto the road.
Lena grabbed her and pulled her back closely to her, "OH Jeez, Angel cakes. I'm sorry!"
"Don't DO THAT." Angela gasped, leaning into her and hugging her tightly, "I thought someone I didn't know had been following me home and was about to attack me."
"HAH! You know I'd never let that happen." Lena giggled, "Plus it's in the middle of the road in broad daylight. Come on let's get you home."
"Are you feeling better?" Angela asked as the two continued down the sidewalk, side by side, holding hands.
"A little." Lena answered, shrugging, "I didn't know what to think of it. I was trying to think of what to do about her. It was all really fast."
Angela nodded her head in agreement, holding Lena's hand tighter.
"Want me to kiss you too so you can make sure that those sparks aren't just with Amélie?"
Lena went quiet for a few seconds, then turned to Angela and took her face, getting on her tip toes to give her a tiny peck on her lips.
Angela broke away and stared at Lena in slight surprise. Lena narrowed her eyes and looked back at Angela…
"Well I mean…that was lovely, but no sparks." Lena said thoughtfully, "Maybe I didn't kiss you for long enough. Let me try again."
"NO!" Angela laughed, pushing her away and beginning to run, looking over her shoulder.
"WAIT!" Lena cried dramatically, chasing after her with both arms out, "Let me smooch you!"
"NO! LENA! Oh my god!" Angela shrieked.
"Come heeeeeere!"
"Oh my god you're so creepy Lena NO! Don't grab my shirt!"
"I was aiming for your bra!"
"AUGH! STOP!"
"NEVER! I will receive my kiss! You know you can't outrun me, Zeigler!"
Wednesday came around after an uneventful Tuesday. Fareeha came by to say to hello to Angela and Lena at lunchtime the day before, and there was no contact from Amélie much to Lena and Angela's relief.
Fareeha was waiting for Angela in the cafeteria that day, flipping absentmindedly through her Algebra book, two soda's beside her and an empty seat saved for Angela. When she entered the room, she saw the setup and hurried forward, happy to see Fareeha again.
"Good morning!" Angela smiled happily.
"Hi there." Fareeha greeted her, standing up.
Angela loved that whenever she would enter a room or be anywhere where Fareeha was, she would stand up to greet her. The shorter girl reached out and fixed Fareeha's collar gently, placing her hand against her chest for a fraction of a moment before moving behind and around her to her chair. Fareeha wished she would have kept her hand there for a bit longer.
Both girls began their time together. Fareeha had lots of questions and Angela had many answers. The taller girl admired her for her intelligence and ability to explain problems with ease and in a way that Fareeha could understand and apply with a little practice. Fareeha zoned out and found herself watching Angela's lips while she talked and explained a problem.
"And so you take the…Fareeha?" Angela noticed that her temporary student wasn't looking at her book. She then noticed Fareeha's eyes…
"Mmm?" Fareeha asked, tilting her head, her eyes soft.
"Are you okay?" Angela asked, suddenly feeling very drawn towards her. There was something about how Fareeha was sitting then…something alluring. She bit her lip and smiled. Fareeha leaned forward slightly and realized what she was doing, snapped out of it a second later, and reached forward to brush some hair out of Angela's face.
"You have a bit of hair." She said.
"O-Oh!" Angela giggled, putting the piece of hair behind her ear, "Thanks! So let's try number four again."
"Angela…" Fareeha said, her voice lowering significantly and into a sort of whisper. She put her arm over her Algebra book so that Angela would look at her face. Fareeha knew how to seduce someone, and Angela was no challenge…but it became a very hard one when Angela slowly lifted her beautiful blue eyes to look up at her with an involuntary shy, suggestive expression that made Fareeha very nervous.
Angela had been around her new friend enough to know when she was being serious or asking a question about math and Fareeha had never seemed more serious than she did then. Angela looked her head on, her stomach dropping and her heartbeat speeding up. Lena, from across the table, looked over her book, mentally forcing them together even closer. It was very apparent to everyone around them that they liked each other a lot. Their body language was clear as day.
"You uh…" Fareeha began, but stopped herself, "I have to ask you something, Angela…"
"Call me Angel." Angela replied, smiling affectionately.
"O..Oh." Fareeha said, beginning to openly blush. Angela saw this and began to blush as well in surprise…was Fareeha nervous? Did she like her back? Was she at least crushing on her? It could have all been very true. Questions swarmed in Angela's head while Fareeha calmed herself down.
"Well, Angel." Fareeha said, leaning forward even more, putting an arm behind her and resting it on the back of Angela's chair, "You-"
The school bell overhead cut through the conversation with a sudden loud ringing. Fareeha jumped in her chair and Angela began to laugh. She had gotten herself into such a vulnerable spot with Angela that the loud noise scared her. Fareeha laughed as well and ran her fingers through her hair, reaching out to close her Algebra book.
"Whatever you had to say, you can say tonight, after the game." Angela giggled, reaching out to place her hand over Fareeha's. She leaned very close to her and placed a sweet kiss on her cheek, receiving a small hint of the scent of her skin around her neck. She held the kiss just a bit longer…
"O-Okay." Fareeha said as Angela backed away. Her hair smelled lovely…
Angela sighed quickly and stood up, bringing her first period books with her, Lena followed after her friend, looking over her shoulder at Fareeha, making wild hand gestures and trying to tell her to finish what she was going to say before class. The football girl shook her head sadly. Looking away, she put her chin in her hand, not worried about getting to class on time. She had to make this special somehow. She didn't exactly know how she would do it, but telling Angela she liked her in the cafeteria before school wasn't the right time. Fareeha had to wait until the moment felt right. She hoped that she could ask Angela out at the game that night…that was the best idea she had.
"You smooched her." Lena said to Angela as they walked back to class, "Why won't you smooch me?"
"Oh stop it." Angela sighed dreamily, "She was so cute. I wonder what she had to say."
Lena looked over her shoulder to see Fareeha dragging herself out from the cafeteria looking very frustrated.
"I really don't know." Lena said, sighing, "It seemed to be important. She got very close to you."
"Mmm...yeah. It was probably a secret or something!"
Lena let Angela think whatever she wanted. She hoped that Fareeha could bring herself to tell Angela how she felt soon or else Lena would lose her mind. The slight sexual tension between the two was nerve wracking. As Lena walked back to class next to Angela who was as placid as ever, she went back to the scene of Fareeha and Angela in the cafeteria. In her memory, Lena noticed small details about the moment that she found extremely obvious. How could Angela not notice how attracted Fareeha was to her?
In Angela's mind, meanwhile, the possibility of Fareeha liking her at all, much less the physical attraction that was very much there, was almost impossible. It was a too-good-to-be-true thought process which usually ended with her just accepting that Fareeha was just being really nice and cute and nothing more.
Lena noticed Amélie by the water fountain and looked away, hiding behind Angela.
School went quickly that day. Everyone knew that the football game was right after school and they looked forward to it. Usually, football games were an excuse for everyone to mess around in the bleachers after the school day, and not pay attention to the game much at all. Everyone loved to watch Fareeha, however. She was so daring in all of her plays. If he had the ball in her hands, most likely someone was going to get run over or jumped over. She was very entertaining and everyone loved cheering for her.
Fareeha's mind wasn't at all on the football game…
When the final bell rang, everyone burst out into the hallways with excited chatter. Angela and Lena stayed close together in the hallways, both of them frantically looking around for Amélie. Lena hadn't taken it upon herself to call the strange girl and wanted to avoid her at all costs. She told Angela that she had seen her by the water fountain earlier and Angela shook her head.
"Maybe you should just go home." The blonde said.
"Hell no." Lena replied, squeezing Angela's hand, "I wanna hang out with you. And anyway, if I go home, I'm afraid she'd show up at my door and try to kiss me again."
"Is that so bad?" Angela teased, nudging her.
"YES." Lena shouted, "Let's just go out to the bleachers. Maybe we could find a spot where we can hide…"
Angela laughed gently, "I'm going to be down by the field with Ana today. I'm a medic's assistant, remember?"
"Oh yeah, that's right." Lena sighed, "Well…I'm gonna have to face this sooner or later."
Angela shook her head up and down and followed Lena out the front doors and toward the football field. The rival school had already arrived and was waiting in and around busses in the parking lot. Angela waved to a few of them and some waved back. As the girls approached the field, Lena noticed Amélie standing by the bleachers, facing her with her arms crossed.
"Turning around…" Lena said in a strangled whisper.
"No, let's just deal with this. You have to be up front about it, okay?" Angela insisted, "I'll be right beside you."
"If she goes in for a kiss, smack her." Lena said in a sort of half serious joke.
There was a decently long walk to reach Amélie and Lena did everything she could to avert her eyes, even though she knew the girl was staring at her hard. Angela did the same. Neither of them could look at her in the eye and the awkward walk seemed way longer than it actually was. When the two approached the taller girl, they stopped for a brief moment and Lena cleared her throat.
"Amélie…." Lena began.
The girl's eyes narrowed.
"Uh…"
Angela sighed awkwardly.
"I uh…" Lena said nervously.
This was a mistake, Angela thought.
"I was busy with homework…." Lena tried.
"I know you are lying." Said Amélie.
"Well I mean…" Lena said, rubbing the back of her head.
Amélie sighed and lowered her head, "I understand."
"No no…" Lena said, putting a hand to her chest, "It's not you…"
"If it is not me, then who?" Amélie asked, rolling her eyes, "Certainly not you."
Lena blushed and Angela looked at her friend oddly.
"I must be insane." Lena sighed, rushing forward in a split second impulse decision. She took Amélie's face in her hands, stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips against hers. Angela's eyes widened and her jaw dropped again. This time Amélie slowly put her arms around Lena's waist and the energetic, naturally tense girl relaxed, putting her arms around Amélie's neck.
Angela stared on with discomfort, bordering distress.
Lena slowly let go and continued looking at the taller girl's mouth…
Amélie stared down at her.
"Oh…" Lena said sweetly, smiling.
"For goodness SAKE!" Angela shouted, throwing her arms in the air.
"What?" Lena shouted, removing herself from Amélie's arms, blushing furiously, "Come on, come on." She grabbed Angela's arm and began dragging her toward the bleachers.
"BUT!"
"ANGELA SHUT IT!" Lena ordered.
"ExcUSE ME!" Angela hissed in a frustrated whisper, "Who was the one who told me to smack who if she kissed you. I should have smacked YOU instead!"
Lena dragged her all the way to the top of the bleachers, sitting herself down heavily and crossing her arms as Angela sat down beside her, "Last time she kissed me, I got an idea of what she was feeling."
"That doesn't make any sense." Angela replied, frustrated.
"Look." Lena said, turning towards Angela, "Whenever she kisses me it's like…it's a completely different person. It's almost like she can't express herself properly unless she's close to you. Kissing or touching you."
Angela nodded, rolling her eyes and putting her head in her hands, "Well I mean…I don't know how to feel about her, but I trust you."
"I'm sorry." Lena apologized, "I know that must've been uncomfortable."
"A bit." Angela replied, watching as more people began filing into the bleachers, talking excitedly and finding their seats. Angela turned back to Lena who began to look distracted yet again. She smiled then, taking her hand comfortingly. She didn't know if she liked Amélie for Lena's first girlfriend, but as long as Lena insisted that it was fine, she would support her. Whoever hurt her would face Angela's wrath.
The football team began filing out onto the field and the rival school made themselves known as well by going to sit on the other side of the bleachers, making a bunch of hollering noises at the girls who ignored them. The opposing football team: the talons, moved out onto the field as well. Angela put a hand on Lena's shoulder, standing up to find Ana, "I'll see you after the game. If anything goes wrong, just call me on my cell."
"What could go wrong!" Lena asked with an innocent smile. Angela smiled back and turned to walk down the bleachers to the very front where Ana was waiting for her. The two began to talk happily together as they always did. Angela loved Ana in that she was she was an old lady with an amazingly cold and sarcastic attitude. Everything she said was either honest and caring, or hilariously joking and sarcastic.
When Fareeha walked out onto the field in her football uniform but helmet off, Angela and Ana waved her over. The taller girl jogged over and Angela stood to greet her.
"Love the shoulder pads." Angela said, reaching up to pat them.
"I know. Sexy right?" Fareeha scoffed, "Hey, ma."
"Hello, Fareeha." Ana said, nodding, "Do me proud and get out there okay? I've got your back."
"Then I have nothing to worry about!" Fareeha smiled, putting her helmet on and adjusting her strap over her chin.
"Good luck!" Angela said as Fareeha waved and began to walk away, "I'll be watching over you…"
Fareeha paused and looked over her shoulder at Angela who waved sweetly at her. The taller girl's heart skipped a beat and she waved back. That was possibly the cutest thing she had heard Angela say yet. Without a doubt in her mind, Fareeha believed her.
As the game started and the whistle blew, cheering began and the game started in intense plays on both sides. It was easy to lose Fareeha in the crowd of players but Angela did her best to watch her like a hawk, partly because she knew she had a tendency to hurt herself, and partly because she simply loved to watch her play. Whenever Fareeha had the ball, she ran with all her might and played as hard as she could.
Angela remembered Lena and looked behind her to see where she was, then forced an uncomfortable smile as she saw Amélie sitting next to Lena, holding her hand. Her friend was blushing and smiling profusely. She waved at Angela as the two met eyes and Angela waved back. As she turned back to the game, Ana gasped as Fareeha made a reckless play again, but managed to get the ball where she wanted it to be.
"That girl is going to kill me." Ana sighed, placing a hand on her chest, "I just can't figure out why she has to be so dramatic about this."
Angela laughed, "She just wants to do a good job!"
"I think she wants to kill me!" Ana replied.
The game continued on and at around the halfway mark, Angela found herself daydreaming. Her mind went to what she wanted to eat for dinner tonight, then it made the connection to her feelings about Fareeha and put her in the daydream as well. Angela began thinking of what she might look like in a tux or a suit at a fancy dinner. And then her mind trailed to what she might look like under her football uniform and…maybe without a shirt on. She smiled dreamily and her leg bounced absentmindedly as she began to think of how wonderful hugs from her must be…she was so tall and strong. It must be warm too.
As she began to think about what Fareeha's lips felt like, she suddenly heard a loud shout and the opposing school's cheers went quiet. Angela's school was already quiet on their side, making worried noises. Angela looked up in alarm and saw Fareeha on the ground, under another player. As the opposing team member slowly moved off of Fareeha, both Ana and Angela stood up in a panic and began to run. Angela bolted ahead of Ana and fell to her knees beside Fareeha, immediately reaching down and undoing the strap around her helmet, taking it off, and throwing it to the side. She put her hand on Fareeha's face that was twisted in intense pain. She brushed the sweaty hair out of her eyes.
"Angela…" Fareeha said through clenched teeth, "I think my arm's broken."
"Call me Angel." Angela said again, reaching down to touch her arm. Fareeha winced sharply and Angela jumped, afraid she had hurt her.
"Looks like you dislocated your shoulder." Ana said beside Angela, getting down to her knees beside her daughter, "Again, you do this to me."
"Again?" Fareeha asked, tears of pain rolling down her cheeks, "Is that all you have to say?"
"…Other than that? Hmm…Angela, go run and get a wheelchair for me, okay? We're gonna take her back to the room upstairs where I have to reset her shoulder."
"Oh god." Fareeha sighed, "Well isn't this great."
"Hush." Ana said, "Calm yourself."
"I'll be right back." Angela said reassuringly to Fareeha, and ran as fast as she could off the field and past the crowds. She pushed her way through the heavy school doors and rushed into the office to grab the foldable wheelchair that was always there. She fumbled with it nervously, then tucked it under her shoulder, running back out with it. Many people in the bleachers were surprised to see that Angela could carry something heavy like that under her arm. Lena looked on with worry.
Ana was already helping Fareeha up. The more weight that was put on Fareeha's shoulder, the more she cried out and gasped in pain. Angela winced with every little jerk or sharp intake of breath from her dear Fareeha. She hated to see her in any kind of discomfort. Angela set the wheelchair on the ground and opened it, helping sit down, careful of her shoulder. She knew that dislocation pain got worse by the minute, and she knew that a further tear in her ligament would require something much more than a reset of her shoulder. Ana gestured to the coach to continue, and Angela began wheeling Fareeha off the field and into the schools parking lot, and finally into the school doors.
Fareeha tried looking over her shoulder back at Angela but she couldn't. The intense pain was enough to keep her in her place. Angela hurried her back to the nurse's office, Ana following suit. Upon reaching the room, Angela stopped the wheelchair by the cot at the end of the room and walked around the chair to face Fareeha, "We've gotta get you out of that jersey, okay?"
"I can't lift my arms, Angel." Fareeha said, stressed from the sharp pain.
"Get some scissors." Ana ordered Angela. The blonde rushed to the back cabinet where she knew the scissors were next to a roll of binding. She took Fareeha's jersey from the front and began cutting up the middle. Fareeha tried to make a joke, telling Angela not to cut through her shirt underneath, but halfway up, Angela realized she was doing just that.
"OH god!" she giggled in embarrassment, "Oh my god I'm so sorry."
"No big deal." Fareeha replied, "You're doing a good job.
Ana noticed this and lifted an eyebrow…
When Angela was done, she made Fareeha sit forward and she slid the shirt over her arms. When she was done, she comfortingly touched her face, "Next step is we get you in the cot, okay?"
"Sure thing." Fareeha said, smiling through her pain to make sure that Angela wasn't too worried about her. When she stood up by herself however, she let out a startling cry and grabbed for the bed with her good arm. Angela rushed forward, putting her arm around Fareeha's waist and helping her onto the cot, wincing at every sound of pain from Fareeha.
"Sorry! Sorry!" Angela repeated over and over.
"It's not your fault!" Fareeha hissed through her teeth as Angela finally managed to get her settled. Ana walked over and her daughter smiled up at her, embarrassed
"I'm gonna have to reset your shoulder." Ana said to her, "Angela?"
The blonde looked at her worriedly and understood what she wanted her to do without speaking. She took Fareeha's good hand and said, "Just keep looking at me, okay? I promise It's just gonna hurt real bad for a few seconds."
Fareeha nodded, smiling sadly as she knew that no amount of comfort would make what came next any less painful…Ana positioned her hands correctly, sighed in frustration, then reset her daughter's shoulder sharply. Fareeha's eyes snapped open and she clenched Angela's hand so hard, that she let out a strained moan. Fareeha shouted in surprise as the pain shocked over her shoulder and seemed to affect the whole side of her body. She nearly blacked out but was kept awake by her mother who patted her cheek firmly.
"You're going to be fine." Ana said comfortingly, "The worst is over. Let me get you some ibuprofen."
Fareeha lay in a daze, panting and trying to ride out the intense dull aching in her shoulder and all down her arm. She turned her head to the side and closed her eyes tightly, breathing in and out steadily. Angela rushed to the sink and wet a rag with some cold water and returned to Fareeha. She pulled up a seat and leaned over her crush, brushing more of her damp hair out of her face and wiping the cold rag over her forehead. She continued over her cheeks and nose, wiping off the sweat. Fareeha lifted a hand to place on Angela's arm, appreciating the refreshing sensation.
When Fareeha opened her eyes again, she looked up into Angela's worried blue eyes and watched as she continued to wipe her face. It rejuvenated her…and something in Fareeha's chest made itself known. She felt calmed and a warm pleasure arose in her stomach. She looked up into Angela's eyes and the worried girl looked back.
"What did you want to say…" Angela whispered, hoping to distract her from her discomfort, "Earlier…"
"I wanted to…" In a moment, Fareeha knew that this wouldn't be a good time to ask her out either. She desperately fought for something to say…and she remembered the conversation Lena and she had two days ago about Angela, "I wanted to ask you what your type of girl was." She said.
Angela paused at the strange question. Now was hardly a time for that, but she assumed that Fareeha was going to ask it earlier, thus explaining why it seemed so out of topic for the moment. She began to think carefully and Fareeha watched her eagerly. Lena had promised her that she would give a description similar to Fareeha.
"I like tall girls." Angela replied, simply, "I like dark hair, dark eyes…muscly. Someone who I know could beat me up, but who treats me gently. Someone sweet and kind and whom I know I can be their kryptonite."
Angela already was her kryptonite…all she had to do was tell her so.
Ana came back with the pain medication and told Angela to go fix the medicine in her cabinet, since it was messy. Angela nodded and went to do her job. Fareeha wanted to stop her and talk to her more, but she let her go, laying back on the cot and taking the medicine from her mother.
Ana noticed something going on between them and reminded herself to ask Fareeha about it later, when she was more calm.
Fareeha and her mother went home that night while Angela trudged home alone. Lena got a ride home from a friend. All three girls laid in their beds, staring at the ceiling, confused, excited, thinking. Ever thinking.
Fareeha had some confessions to make, Angela had some thinking to do, and Lena had to decide what to do about her new admirer. All three were too tired to contact one another so they all went to sleep early. Lena picked up her phone moments before she slid into a deep sleep…then set it back down.
She would talk to Angela in the morning…she hoped she was alright.