Root groaned as Sameen shook her awake. It was nice to have an alarm clock that didn't let you stay asleep, but Root hated that Sameen was a morning person. She flung an arm in her direction, keeping her eyes clenched shut.

"Root, get up. You have to shower," Sameen grabbed the arm Root was waving and used it to roll her over. "Rise and shine."

"I'll rise, but I refuse to shine," Root groaned and tried to open her eyes, but the light was blinding. "Too bright."

The blankets disappeared from around her and the rush of cold air shocked her into awareness. She sat up and rubbed her eyes.

"Why do you hate me?" she whined.

Sameen was kneeling on the bed next to her, her long, wet hair tied up in a ponytail. Root could tell she'd been awake for a while and had probably already jogged around the neighborhood. Sameen glared at her and pushed her off the bed.

Root's feet landed on the cold, wood floor and she shivered. Bear raced over to sniff at her feet. He had grown a lot since they'd found him, but he's ears were still too big for his body. She patted his head. Standing, she stretched her arms over her head and yawned.

"Root…" Sameen warned.

"I'm going!" Root headed for the door. "I'm showering."

She walked out the door, telling Bear to stay, and down the hall to the bathroom. Her hand felt around in the shower before landing on the handle and turning the water on. She shivered as she pulled her pajamas off, keeping a hand on the counter to steady herself.

Root stared at herself in the mirror, eyes running over her sharp edges. She wasn't as skinny as she'd been before she met Sameen, but she wasn't exactly curvy. She wondered if she'd ever have breasts.

The mirror started steaming up and Root stepped into the shower. She tilted her head back, letting the water soak her hair.

They'd moved her in over the weekend, once they'd gotten back from the Championship game. The game had been last Wednesday and when Sameen's team won by a landslide, Principal McCarthy had canceled school for the rest of the week.

Most of Root's stuff was still packed up from the hurricane last fall, so it had been easy to move. When they'd brought it all over, Sameen had put her trophy on her dresser and told Root that everywhere else was free game, but if she moved the trophy, she was dead.

They'd made a trip to Target to buy another bookshelf. Mrs. Reese had asked if they'd need an air mattress for Root to sleep on, but they'd decided to just let Root sleep in Sameen's bed, like they normally did. So far, living with Sameen was feeling pretty normal.

Root poured soap on the pink loofa they'd bought for her. She was dreading going back to school. Rationally, she knew she couldn't avoid the kids at school forever, but it was still scary to have to go back and face them. Sameen would be with her for most of the day.

Root sighed and rinsed herself off, stepping out of the shower into the steamy room. She pulled a towel off the rack and wrapped herself. When she turned the water off, there was a knock on the door.

"Root?" Sameen's voice asked. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," Root said, running a brush through her hair.

The door opened and the cool air made Root shiver. She smiled at Sameen and pulled another towel off the rack to dry her hair. Bear rushed into the room, sniffing around at Root. He put his paws up on the sink.

Sameen pushed him down and picked up her tooth brush, already fully dressed. Root watched her brush her teeth as she tied up her hair and then reached for her own toothbrush. They brushed their teeth in silence, making faces at each other in the mirror, Bear sitting between them.

Finally, Sameen spit into the sink and rinsed her toothbrush off.

"How did you ever make it to school on time before I forced you awake?" Sameen asked, moving Bear away so Root could spit.

Root rinsed her mouth out before answering. "Honestly, who knows?"

Sameen laughed and led them back into their bedroom. Root waited until she'd turned to face the desk before dropping her towel to get dressed. She opened the small dresser they'd gotten her to pull out her clothes. She had to push Bear away to keep from accidentally smashing his nose in the drawer.

"Do you think people will talk to me about last week?" Root asked Sameen's back, hopping as she pulled her jeans on.

Sameen shrugged, drawing on her desk with a pencil. "I'll keep your name out of their mouths."

Root rolled her eyes. "You can't fight everyone in the school, Sameen."

"I can try."

Root laughed and gave up, pulling a shirt over her head. She grabbed her shoes and socks and headed downstairs, Sameen and Bear behind her. She heard John, Lionel, and Mrs. Reese in the kitchen.

"Morning!" she greeted as she walked in. She dropped her shoes on the floor and sat at the dining table. "This looks so good!"

Mrs. Reese had cooked them breakfast. Root looked at the pancakes, eggs, and bacon in front of her and smiled. Bear sat next to her, putting a paw on her leg. She broke off a piece of bacon and fed it to him.

"Don't get too used to this," Mrs. Reese warns her. "I hardly ever do this, but it's your first day with us, so I pulled out all the stops."

Root grinned at her and dug into her food. She glanced up at Sameen, unsurprised to see almost all of her food gone already. She could really pack it in. Lionel hardly ate anything. He looked less awake than she was and several times he almost nodded off onto his pancakes.

"Alright," Mrs. Reese said, glancing at her watch, "Time to go. The bus will be here soon."

Root took one last bite and pulled her shoes on. She hurried to the front door, grabbing her bag from the hook by the door and heading outside. Mrs. Reese kept a hand in Bear's collar to keep him inside. Sameen led them to the bus stop, still eating her last piece of bacon.

Sameen saw Root watching her and glared. "I'm still growing. I need this protein."

Root held her hands up. "I'm not judging you."

"She still thinks eating is going to make her taller," Lionel laughed. "Good fucking luck."

Sameen lunged for him, wrapping his head in a headlock, pushing him down. John was still trying to pull them apart when the bus pulled up. Root just shook her head and got on the bus, the siblings bickering behind her.

"Look who it is," Joss said, grinning from the back of the bus, "The four horsemen of the apocalypse."

"Good Morning, Joss," John said politely. "Morning, Zoe."

Root watched him walk to the back of the bus and slid into an empty seat, scooting all the way to the window so Sameen had space. Sameen sat down heavily and threw her bookbag on the floor in front of her.

Sameen stretched up and glance back at John. She looked back at Root and mimed vomiting.

"He does that every morning," she scoffed. "'Good Morning, Joss. Morning, Zoe.'"

Root giggled. "How did I ever live without knowing that?"

"Well," Sameen said, faking enthusiasm, "now, you'll ride the bus with us every morning and see it firsthand!"

Root punched Sameen in the arm. "It's cute. He's greeting his girlfriends."

"If I ever date someone and they're that gross, I'm going to dump them, immediately," Sameen said confidently.

Root smiled. If she and Sameen ever dated, she knew that Sameen would let her do whatever she wanted. She talked a big game, but she was a total pushover.

Sameen caught her looked and glared. "What?"

"Nothing. Just trying to imagine the gruff ex-marine you're going to end up with."

Sameen rolled her eyes. "Fuck you."

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Root met Sameen in the hall in front of their Biology classroom. They walked in together, taking their seats.

"How was first period?" Sameen asked her, pulling out her notebook. "Anyone bother you?"

Root shook her head. "No. Thank God." She looked around the classroom, but no one was looking at them.

"Good, I have John and the girls keeping an eye out, too."

"The girls?" Root asked, pulling out her pencil case.

"Zoe and Joss," Sameen said, playing with the end of her braid. "I can't say all three names every time."

Root just chuckled as the bell rang. Mr. Ingram stood up and moved around the desk to lean on the front.

"Class," he said, "something very big happened last week."

His eyes landed on Sameen and Root watched her tense. Root was so focused on her own drama that she hadn't considered that Sameen was basically a hero now. She was the reason the Bishop High School had its first ever Championship win.

"Our own Miss Shaw led the Bishop Badgers to a Championship title!" He applauded, signaling for the rest of the class to applaud, too. "Stand up, Sameen!"

Sameen shook her head, refusing to stand. Root grabbed her arm and stood up, forcing her to stand up, too. Sameen stared at her, looking betrayed.

"Why?" Sameen whispered. "How could you?"

Root laughed as Sameen yanked her arm away and let her sit back down. She smiled at Mr. Ingram as she settled into her seat.

"Now," Mr. Ingram said to the class, "We're only 2 weeks away from finals and I know that you've all got your summer brains in, so I thought we would start reviewing the material."

He picked up a stack of study guides from the desk behind him and started passing them out. He stopped next to Root and dropped two study guides onto their desk.

"Have you heard?" he asked them.

Sameen pulled a study guide across the table as Root shook her head.

"Heard what?" Root asked.

Mr. Ingram smiled at them. "You're both tied for top of your class."

Root and Sameen looked at each other, confused.

"Well," Sameen shrugged. "We do all of our work together and I got a B minus on that English paper."

"I got an A plus," Root said, thoughtfully.

"So," Mr. Ingram concluded, "Your final exams, and subsequently, your final grades, are going to determine who finishes Freshman year ahead."

He gave them another smile and walked away to pass out the rest of the guides. Root turned to look at Sameen. She opened her mouth to talk, but Sameen grabbed her study guide and threw it across the room.

"Hey!" Root protested. "What the hell?"

Sameen smirked at her. "Revenge."

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"I'm just saying," Root said, staring down at her meatloaf, "I don't think is actually food."

She pushed the tray away from herself and sighed. Looking around the cafeteria, Root tried to relax. She knew people were looking at her, but if she pretended she didn't care, maybe they'd stop.

"We could always bring lunch," Sameen said around a mouthful of potatoes.

Root shook her head, amazed. "That's your second serving. How do you do that?"

Sameen just shrugged and smiled, cheeks bulging slightly. Her eyes slid past Root and hardened. She swallowed her food and rose to her feet.

Root looked over her shoulder and frowned, standing. Martine was heading towards them, looking smug. If there was one person Root wished dead, it was Martine. She hadn't spoken to Root since Halloween, but Root still hadn't forgiven her. Sameen told her that Martine was still being obnoxious in their history class.

"Root, Sameen," Martine greeted them, stopping at their table. "How are you doing?"

Root crossed her arms. "What do you want?"

Martine pressed a hand to her chest, eyelashes fluttering. "I'm just checking in on you. I heard about what happened last week." She smiled at Sameen. "I didn't get a chance to see your game. Congratulations, though."

"Fuck off," Sameen scowled.

Root was starting to get angry. Martine was always such a bitch and Root really doubted she was here to 'check in.'

"I came over to express my concern," Martine turned back to Root. "I heard you guys got pretty drunk on Valentine's day."

Root shifted, fists clenching. She could guess where this was going. "So?"

Martine shrugged delicately. "I mean, I can understand Sameen needing to drink to hang out with you. I had to get wasted just to sit next to you, but-"

Root pulled her arm back to punch her, but Sameen caught it and held her back.

"It's not worth it, Root," Sameen said quietly.

"But," Martine continued like nothing had happened, "I was surprised to see you drinking, Root. I'd be worried about becoming…dependent on it. Then again, I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the alcoholic tree."

Sameen released Root's arm. "Go for it."

Root pulled her arm back and punched Martine in the face, knocking her to the ground. Around them, the students in the cafeteria started yelling. Sameen grabbed Root's arm again and pulled her towards the exit. Root grabbed her bag from the ground and followed her out.

When they walked into the hallway, Root took a deep breath. She pumped her fist in the air, cheering.

"That felt great!" she exclaimed. "I busted her lip right open!"

"Ok, Rambo, calm down," Sameen chuckled, pushing her to keep walking.

Root slipped her arms through her bag's straps and skipped down the hall. "Man, that was such a rush." She punched the air a few times. "I feel like I can do anything."

Sameen grabbed her arm and pulled her through a doorway. Root looked around, confused, as Sameen pushed her into a chair.

"Why are we in the principal's office?" Root asked.

"Because," Sameen said as a phone rang in a side room, "When you punch someone, you get in trouble."

Principal McCarthy walked out of the side room, smiling. She stopped in front of them, crossing her arms.

"What's this I hear about you punching Miss Rousseau?" she asked Root.

Root felt the blood drain from her face. She hadn't even considered that she could get in trouble. She'd never been in trouble before in her life. She was always good about covering her tracks online and she'd never done anything illegal in person before.

"I am so sorry," Root started. "I don't know what came over me. I never do stuff like this. I'll do anything you want, just please don't tell Mrs. Reese. I don't even-"

"Whoa, slow down," the principal said, holding her hands up. She smirked at Sameen. "You're not in trouble, Root. I hear what she said to you. You have a stellar record and I think we can forget all about this."

Root's mouth dropped open. "What? Really?"

"Really," she said. She gestured for the girls to stand up. "Now get out of here; lunch is almost over."

Root stood up and hurried out of the office before Principal McCarthy could change her mind. She looked back at Sameen.

"What if I got detention?"

Sameen shrugged, unbothered. "It's not a big deal Root. I've had detention before. I think Mrs. Reese would be relieved that you were a normal kid."

"I'm normal," Root protested as they walked down the hall towards the gym. "I'm just… cautious. I need a full ride to college and I don't want to do anything to compromise that."

"Understood," Sameen said, giving her a mock salute. "We have to find you a rich wife who can pay all your bills."

Root laughed and pushed her away. "Shut up."

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"Come on," Sameen said, hovering over Root, "two more."

Root struggled to do another push-up, arms shaking. "I can't."

Sameen dropped onto the ground, crossing her legs in front of her. "You have one more to go."

They'd finally finished the treehouse recently and Mrs. Reese had bought the set of weights she'd promised Sameen on her birthday. They'd put them on the second floor of the treehouse, saving the first floor for sleeping bags and beanbag chairs. There was no way to bring power into the treehouse, but they'd brought all the board games they had and a good number of books.

Sameen and Root had been working out together after school a few days a week. Now that Root was living with them, Sameen had decided they were working out together every night.

Root did her last push-up and collapsed on the ground, sweating. "Why are you doing this to me? Can't you be fit for the both of us?"

"Studies show that exercising is good for the mind," Sameen said, passing Root a towel. "Don't you want to help your mind?"

"I won't be any good mentally, if physically, I'm exhausted," Root countered, slowly pulling her legs under her to sit up. She wiped her face with the towel. "How much more?"

"We're done," Sameen said, standing. "You are free."

Root laughed, rising to her feet and slinging the towel over her shoulder. She tugged at the bottom of her tank top. Sameen may be comfortable with working out in a sports bra and jogging shorts, but Root kept covered up. She didn't like how skinny she still was.

She walked across the floor and sat in the window, pulling one over the window sill to hang outside. A noise made her look towards the road and she saw John's car coming down the street.

"I'm really excited for Summer," Root sighed, leaning against the frame. "We're going to have a lot of fun."

"I'm thinking about building a Go-Kart," Sameen said, coming to stand next to her. "Maybe John will help me."

Root looked at her and smiled. "That'll be fun." She turned back to the window.

"Are you ok?" Sameen asked her. "Can I do something to help?"

"I'm just adjusting," Root replied, reaching out to touch a tree branch. She craned her next to look up at the tree house roof. "Do you think we could get up there?"

"On the roof?" Sameen asked.

"Yeah."

"Probably. Go out on the branch. I can give you a lift."

Root grabbed hold of the branch and pulled herself through the window. She threw her leg over the branch and scooted to the end, reaching out to lay a hand on the roof.

"I think I can make it," She said, carefully crawling onto the roof. She turned herself around and called down to Sameen. "Come on up!"

Sameen climbed out of the window and reached up the roof, hauling herself up with her arms.

"Wow," Root said, watching her with admiration, "you have remarkable upper body strength."

"All this could be yours," Sameen said, standing and walking across the roof, "if you did more pushups."

"Ugh," Root rolled onto her back and stared at the pink and orange sky, "pass."

The sun was starting to set and Root took a deep breath. Night brought no relief from the heat, but Root still felt calmer in the dark. Summer was only a few weeks away and she was starting to get restless. She let her head fall to the side, spotting Sameen looking over the neighborhood.

"How does it feel to be tall?" Root asked her, lazily.

Sameen twisted to glare at her. "Why are you so obsessed with my height?"

Root shrugged, tapping her toes together. "You're so small. I feel like I need to protect you."

"I don't need protecting. I do the protecting."

Root widened her eyes dramatically. "Wow. You're like Batman."

"Maybe I'll be Batman for Halloween."

"No," Root object, rising to her feet, "I have all our costumes planned."

Sameen turned around to stare at her. "Seriously! It's April!"

'No one has ever said that I am anything, but forward thinking."

Sameen smiled. "You always think about the future, I know."

"I do," Root confirmed, slowly walking towards her. "Do you?"

Sameen crossed her arms. "I mostly think about future meals."

Root laughed, rolling her eyes. She heard the door to the house opened and turned to see John coming into the yard.

"Root? Sameen?" he called up to them, squinting into the setting sun. "You up there?"

"Yeah!" Root called down, heading back to the tree branch. "Dinner?"

"It's dinner time!"

She heard Sameen scoff behind her chuckled. "We're coming down!"

They climbed back into the treehouse and gathered their things. Root caught Sameen looking at her and flushed.

"What?"

"Nothing," Sameen shook her head and heading down the steps to the lower level. "I was just thinking about how glad I am that you think about the future."

"Oh yeah?" Root asked, following her down. She picked her bag up, sliding it over her shoulder.

"Yeah. I'll worry about our present and you can worry about our future."

Root watched Sameen start down the rope ladder, thinking about what she'd said. 'Our future.' Root swallowed the lump in her throat. Sameen might not like girls, or she might not like Root, but she still wanted a future with her.

When Sameen asked if Root wanted to get married, Root had said that she imagined a future where she lived in a city with her best friend and their dog. Well, she had a best friend and a dog. She should feel like that was enough, but she didn't.

She didn't know why, but Root was starting to feel lonely. Even living with her three best friends, she felt lonely all the time. Sameen had cut back on their physical affection since Valentine's day. They still slept tangled together, but it was different.

Root had pushed her too far and now she was pulling away. Root cleared her throat. What mattered was that Sameen saw a future together. She wanted Root around and Root was going to be around. That would be enough.

"Root?" Sameen called from the ground.

"Coming!" Root hurried to the ladder and climbed down. She followed Sameen into their house.