Root adjusted her grip on the gun, squinting down the barrel. "Make sure to watch the kickback."

"I'm watching," Sameen said from her camping chair. "I've been watching for almost half an hour."

School had ended just over a week ago and Root and Sameen had started checking off their list of summer activities. So far, they'd had another X-Files watch through, watched all eight Fast & Furious movies (and the two shorts), and gone to the hill every night. Now, Root and Sameen had ridden their bikes out to the wooded area a few miles from Bishop.

Root had borrowed one of John's hunting rifles. It was heavier than what she was used to, but she was making due. Root pulled the trigger, knocking a soda can off the fence.

"Ok," Root lowered the gun, pulling the strap over her head, "you try."

Sameen shot out of her chair and grabbed the gun from Root's hand. She bounced it in her hands. "It's heavier than it looks."

"Can you handle it?" Root asked, smirking.

Sameen put the strap over her head, adjusting it on her chest. "I'm gonna make this gun my bitch."

Root laughed and ran across their shooting range. She pulled more soda cans along the wooden fence. She liked coming out here, the long grass and tall trees made her feel full of life.

She ran back to Sameen. "Ok, don't shoot yet. Just aim and feel the weight of the gun in your hands."

Root watched Sameen stare down the barrel, adjusting her hands. She reached out to pull Sameen's hand back.

"Don't hold the barrel near the tip; hold it closer to the grip. Keep your hands away from the bullets, yeah?"

Sameen looked at Root, incredulous. "Wow. I'm not dumb.

Root smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. It's just nice to be teaching you things."

"You teach me things all the time, nerd." Sameen stared down the barrel again. "Can I shoot now?"

"Sure." Root skipped over to the camping chair and sat down.

She watched Sameen fiddle with the trigger, trying to get comfortable. Root didn't find guns or hunting fun, but she was good at it. Her quick reflexes had helped her when she and her dad used to go hunting. She tried to never kill an animal though, but if she did, she would give them a proper burial. She'd stopped hunting after her dad left.

Sameen pulled the trigger, her shot going wild as the rifle kicked back. She groaned and clamped a hand over her shoulder.

"That fucking hurt," she groaned.

Root tried to hold back her laughter. "I told you to watch the kickback."

"I didn't think it was that bad," Sameen scowled, throwing the gun to the ground and stomping over to Root. "You seemed fine."

"I've been doing this my whole life," Root responded.

"Well," Sameen said, crossing her arms. "Have you ever tried archery?"

"Of course," Root rolled her eyes. "I still have my father's bow."

Sameen frowned, obviously uncomfortable with being one-upped. "Fine. Maybe I'm not cut out for shooting guns."

"Or," Root countered. "That was the first time you've ever done it and you're just upset that you weren't immediately good at it."

"That…is so wrong," Sameen scoffed, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder.

"Does that mean you're going to try again?"

Sameen glared at her, but turned and stomped back to the gun. "Just wait. The next time you complain about doing too many push-ups, I'm going to bring this up."

Root rolled her eyes. "Don't be a baby."

"I'll show you a baby," Sameen muttered, aiming the gun at the first soda can again.

She pulled the trigger, gun going wild again. "Fuck. Let me try again."

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Sameen laughed when Root knelt in front of her, gun strapped to her back, half-buried in tall grass. Root held up a crown made from dandelions.

"My Lady, please accept this token of my affection," Root said in a grand voice.

"You're so weird," Sameen said, but she took the crown and placed it on her head. "What now?"

"Now," Root said, standing, "we are to be wed!"

"Hold on," Sameen crossed her arms, "Why are you the knight?"

"Because," Root grinned. She started walking through the trees.

Sameen followed her, her hiking boots crunching loudly. "'Because' is not an answer. I should be the knight and you should be the lady."

"Why? Because you're more butch than I am?" Root laughed and ran her hand along a low-hanging branch. "That's archaic. Just because I'm feminine doesn't mean I can't be a knight."

"The whole knighthood/chivalry thing is archaic," Sameen pointed up ahead. "Bunny."

"Ooh!" Root dropped her bag and took off into the trees, chasing the rabbit.

Sameen looked around for a place to wait. Knowing Root, she had some time to kill. She saw a branch low enough to grab, picked up Root's bag, and pulled herself up into the tree. When she was settled in, she opened Root's bag and pulled out an apple.

She was snooping around in the bag when her back pocket buzzed. Rolling her eyes, she pulled her phone out. It was Tomas again.

They'd been texting some over the last few weeks. Mostly, Tomas flirted with her and she told him to fuck off. She had to admit, though, he was a little charming. Sameen wasn't sure how she felt about it.

She hadn't told Root that she and Tomas were talking. When her phone buzzed while they were together, she lied and said it was Joss or Zoe. One time, she'd said it was Martine and Root had tried to snatch it from her hands. After that close call, she started keeping her phone on silent.

Sameen dropped her phone into Root's bag, ignoring Tomas' text. She wasn't entirely sure why she hadn't told Root about it or why she was still texting Tomas. She didn't really feel one way or another about him, but that wasn't anything new.

When she figured out what her plan was with Tomas, she would tell Root. Until then, there was no need to upset her. Not that it would upset her because nothing was happening. Sameen leaned her head back against the tree trunk and sunk her teeth into her apple, biting off a large chunk.

Sometimes, it seemed like she and Root were dating and, sometimes, she didn't really mind it. Other times, however, it was stifling. She liked her freedom and having time to herself. Root was always around now. They went to school together, hung out together, lived together. Sameen didn't have a second alone.

She knew if she asked, Root would find something else to do and leave her alone. If she said she wanted to spend time with Joss or Zoe, without Root, Root would probably understand. If she told Root she wanted to spend time alone with Tomas, which maybe she did…She just didn't know how Root would feel and she didn't know how to find out.

"Sameen!" Root called from the ground. "Look!"

She looked down and saw Root carrying a small, grey rabbit. She raised her eyebrows, impressed. The rabbit sniffed around at Root's shirt and nibbled at Root's hair.

"Wow, you caught it."

Root looked smug. "Of course. Did you doubt me?"

"Honestly," Sameen shrugged, "Yeah."

"Do not doubt your knight, fair maiden!" Root boasted, sticking her chest out. "I am sound of mind and strong of body!"

The rabbit wiggled in her arms, suddenly kicking and trying to jump away. Sameen watched Root struggled to hold on to it, eventually losing the battle. The rabbit ran away, disappearing in the brush.

Sameen sighed and dropped down Root's bag before hopping off the branch. She took one last bite of her apple and threw it over her shoulder. "What now?"

"Technically," Root said, eyes on the discarded apple, "That's littering."

Sameen frowned. "It's an apple. It decomposes."

"But, if you drop it where apples don't naturally grow, it throws off the ecosystem and ruins the planet."

"Ok," Sameen rolled her eyes, "dramatic, much?"

"I'm just trying to save the planet we live on."

"I live on this planet," Sameen said, walking to the apple core and picking it up. "You live in space."

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Root held her arms out, balancing as she walked along the side of the train tracks. She held out a leg, trying to stay steady on the iron beam. Sameen stopped next to her, standing in the middle of the track.

"Don't get your shoe stuck," Sameen ordered. "If a train comes, I'm going to leave you here."

"Just don't go chasing my hat," Root joked, putting her foot down and continuing on.

Sameen scowled, trudging along next to her. "You are obsessed with that movie."

"I'm a lesbian, Sameen. I have to watch all the lesbian movies. It's the law."

"The law?" Sameen kicked a rock. "That's dumb."

Root laughed, not taking her seriously. She had really enjoyed Fried Green Tomatoes. And Bound. And Saving Face. Sameen just complained because she like action movies and Root liked RomComs. For every Fast and Furious movie they watched (not counting the 2 shorts), Root got to pick a lesbian movie.

"I don't make the rules," Root smiled.

Sameen snorted, derisively. "You don't usually follow them either."

Root saw an abandoned train car up ahead and hoped off the beam. "Hey, let's check it out."

She started towards it. The large, open car looked like it had been sitting there for years, abandoned. Root jogged towards it.

"Wow," Sameen said, tossing Root's bag onto the rusted platform, "this is cool."

Root took in the whole railroad car. It was long, about 30 feet if she had to guess, and most of the green paint had faded away. She could just make out a faded yellow 'CCPN' on the door to the cab. The door was pushed to the side, the inside of the train visible.

Root had never really been interested in trains, but she could admire it for the feat of engineering that it was. They'd sparked an economic revolution and connected the entire country. They were the subject of the first ever motion picture. Also, they were just really cool.

"Ugh, what a hunk of junk," Sameen grimaced.

Root stared at her. "Trains are great, Sameen. They're a part of history."

"Of course, you're a train nerd." She stood on her toes and peeked into the car.

Root rolled her eyes and moved to looked at the wheels, black with age. They were big, coming up to her waist. She reached for one, but Sameen stopped her.

"Don't," she said, her hands on the bed, "you'll get Tetanus."

"Ugh, you're killing the mood. I'm exploring!"

Root turned away from the wheel, though, and moved to the bed of the train. She watched Sameen try to lift herself into the train and laughed. The bed came up to Root's chest, but Sameen was half a foot shorter than she was. The train's floor came up to her chin and, even with her impressive upper body strength, she couldn't lift herself inside.

"Here," Root said, kneeling next to her, "use my knee as a step."

"Is this the knight thing again?" Sameen squinted down at her.

Root rolled her eyes. "No, you're just three feet tall."

"Rude," Sameen muttered, but she put a foot on Root's knee and boosted herself on the bed. She turned and let her feet hang off the edge. "This would be a cool hideout."

"Maybe we can bring some blankets or something. Make a club house!" Root suggested, hands on her hips. "No boys allowed."

"John and Lionel can't catch a break," Sameen chuckled. She leaned back on her hands. "Speaking of, what are our plans for tonight?"

Root wandered back to the tracks, inspecting the flowers growing between wooden planks. "I think Zoe and Joss are coming over for a sleepover."

"Think?"

Root sighed. "They're so bad at responding to things when they're together and they're always together."

"They're like us."

"Except they kiss," Root muttered to herself. She spotted a flattened penny under some gravel and picked it up. "This is cool."

She walked to Sameen and showed her. Sameen took it and looked it over.

"You can still see the shield a little." She tossed it back down to Root.

A horn blaring floated to them down the track. Root reached into her pocket to pull out some coins. She quickly spread them out along the beam before running back to the railroad car. Sameen reached down to hoist her inside. Pulling the gun over her head, she settled down just as the oncoming train came into view.

There wasn't much distance between their legs and the train, but Root wasn't worried. Unless something flew off and hit them, there wasn't much danger. She watched the train approach, wincing at the loud noise.

It blew past at high speed, blowing air into their faces and pushing their hair back. Root grinned as the train clattered passed, steam trailing above it. Trains always made her want to run away. She liked that you never knew where they were heading or where they came from. They just moved from place to place. One day, she might just hop on one and never come back.

She glanced at Sameen, the train still rumbling by. Sameen had her eyes closed and Root couldn't tell what she was thinking about. Root wondered if trains brought back memories of her childhood or maybe Sameen was just worried about getting dirt in her eyes.

Eventually, the end of the train came around the curve and the last car whistled by. Root left the gun on the train as she hopped down from their car and jogged to the tracks. The coins she'd put out had been flattened, but when she tried to pick them up, they were too hot to touch.

She turned back to Sameen. "I'm just going to leave these here. They'll take too long to cool down. We can get them next time."

"So, this is our new hideout?" Sameen smirked, tossing Root's bag to the ground.

Root nodded, grinning. "Yes! We can mix it up. Sometimes the hill, sometimes here. This is definitely a liminal space at night."

"What the fuck," Sameen huffed as she jumped off the bed, "is a liminal space?"

Root started back down the railroad towards where they'd left their bikes. She could hear Sameen getting her bag and the gun and following her.

"We haven't talked about this before?"

"Don't remember," Sameen said, walking alongside her. "You talk a lot, though."

"Whatever," Root laughed, bumping their shoulders together. "A liminal space is a place where the veil is thin and time is in stasis."

"'A place where the veil is thin?' Is this an alien thing?"

"No, it's a…You know that feeling when you're at school and no one else is there and the air feels almost weird? Like you can never tell if it's day or night, even if the sun is streaming through the windows? Or like an empty gas station in a new town? A pier on a lake when you want to swim, but aren't allowed to?"

Sameen looked skeptical, but shrugged. "Sure, I guess. I don't really get creeped out."

"It's not creeped…" Root sighed. "I'm not explaining this well."

"Why would the empty train at night be a liminal space?"

Root shoved her hands in her pockets, feeling the rifle bounced against her butt as she stepped. "I don't know. I just think it would be cool to look at the stars, at eternity, from an abandoned train, from something that's meant to take us places, but can't anymore."

"Are you…" Sameen hesitated. "Are you feeling restless? We don't have enough saved for a road trip, but we could do something."

Root smiled softly, happy that Sameen was trying to reach out. "We're going to Corpus Christi soon. That's going to be really exciting."

"Will you tell me what's happening in Corpus Christi?" Sameen scowled.

"Nope! And, no, I won't tell you what day we're going so you can google it."

"Whatever," Sameen mumbled. "As long as it isn't some boring art museum thing or something."

Root's phone buzzed and she fished it out of her back pocket. Joss and Zoe were down for a sleepover tonight and they were bringing beer. Root's fingers hesitated over the keypad, Martine's words coming back to her. She shook her head and told them she was excited to have their first sleepover in the treehouse.

"Ok, Zoe and Joss are in," Root told Sameen. "They're bringing beer."

"Do all high school kids drink this much?" Sameen asked as they walked along.

Root shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe. Enough for Elias to stay in business."

"Have you seen that kid's brother? With the scar?" Sameen asked, whistling. "That is one mean-looking motherfucker."

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Sameen lay on the wooden floor of the treehouse, directly in front of the fan. The loud whirr as it turned out cool air was lulling her to sleep. The sun had set a long time ago, but it was still so hot out. She closed her eyes, listening to Root chat with the other girls.

"Really? With who?" Root was asking.

"Cal Beecher," Joss answered with a giggle. "He is so cute."

Glass bottles clinked. Sameen knew Zoe and Joss were huddled under a blanket together, somehow tolerating the heat. They'd both brought shorts to sleep in, Sameen thought to herself, grumpy. She'd brought pants, and when the heat didn't subside, just took them off. They were all girls; they could handle her in her underwear.

"Well, my first kiss was with John," Zoe said, sighing. "We were four. He was also the first person I made out with."

"Gross," Sameen spoke up from across the room. "I bet kissing him is like kissing a wall."

"Actually," Joss called to her, "He's very tender."

Sameen clutched her stomach. "Please stop. I'm gonna vomit."

They laughed at her. She heard Root cough lightly.

"What about you, Root?" Joss asked her. "Who was your first kiss?"

"Oh," Root said, sounding surprised, "Um, Hanna was. It was just a pop kiss, though."

"Hanna Frey?" Zoe asked. "Huh, why didn't I know that?"

"I never told anyone and then she moved away."

Sameen could hear cloth shuffling.

"That makes sense," Joss said. "You were together all the time. She was your original Sameen."

That made her open her eyes and sit up. She glared across the treehouse at the other girls.

"Who is Hanna Frey? Why were you kissing her?" She asked, crossing her arms, not jealous at all. She was just wondering why Root had never talked about her before.

Root looked sheepish. "Um, we were friends in middle school. We hung out like constantly."

"And you kissed her?" Sameen asked again, just wondering. "Was she your girlfriend?"

"No," Root shook her head, clasping her hands in her lap, bare legs sticking out from under her large pajama shirt. "She's straight. We were just practicing."

"OK," Sameen said, huffing. She stood up and dragged the fan over to the other girls. If they were going to insist on sitting across the room, then they would have to tolerate the cold air. "Are you still close?"

Root shrugged, pushing her hair behind her ears. "Not really, we talk sometimes, but she's really busy with school and I'm busy with you, usually."

Sameen thought about how she still found time to text Tomas and frowned. "Yeah."

"So," Zoe said, looking between them. "if Hanna was your first pop kiss, who was the first person you made out with?"

Root blushed. "I've never made out with anyone before."

"What?" Joss asked, leaning away. "No one? Girl, you are missing out."

Root's blush darkened. "Um, I mean, I'm sure it's going to happen soon. I'll date someone before I graduate."

Sameen looked at her and wondered again if Root like-liked her. She knew that she and Root were really close, closer than normal friends, but that didn't necessarily mean that Root had a crush on her. They cuddled when they went to sleep, but Sameen had been the one to start that. Just because Root liked girls didn't mean that she liked Sameen.

Sameen thought about the way that Root's eyes lingered on her when she changed. The way she always caught Root smiling at her. They way Root had suggested skinny-dipping on Valentine's Day and then tried to kiss her.

Root was a lesbian though, maybe she couldn't help looking at Sameen's body. Root was really desperate for friendship when Sameen had moved here; she could just be happy to have someone to spend time with. The almost kiss, Sameen thought, what about that? They'd been drunk, she realized; so drunk she couldn't hop a fence and Root had thrown up on her.

Root didn't even know that Sameen like girls. Sameen wasn't even sure if she like girls or just…Root. Sameen swallowed, feeling her heart pound. This was not the way she expected the evening to go. She did not expect them to talk about kissing. She didn't expect Root to have had another best friend like Sameen. She didn't expect to finally admit her…feelings? attraction? to Root, even if it was just to herself. Her heart sped up.

Hanna Frey, Sameen said in her head. Another reason Root might not have a crush on her. She used to have someone just like she had Sameen. A different girl, but the same relationship. Maybe Root just got really close to people. Maybe she just showed her affection physically. Maybe she didn't like Sameen at all.

"Sameen?" Zoe's voice snapped her out of her reverie.

They were all looking at her, confused. She swallowed, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry, I got…distracted. What?" Sameen said, smiling slightly and trying to seem normal.

She ignored Root's concerned look and focused on Zoe and Joss.

Zoe raised her eyebrows. "We asked if you'd kissed anyone."

"Oh," Sameen shrugged, "my first kiss was some guy in elementary school, if that counts. I haven't made out either, though."

Zoe glanced at Joss from the corner of her eye and back at Sameen. "You guys should practice!"

"Practice what?" Sameen asked, scooting so she was closer to the fan.

"Making out!" Zoe said, clapping. "Who better to learn with than friends?"

Sameen glanced at Root, teeth clenched. Root looked thoughtful, like she couldn't decide if she was excited or not.

"With each other?" Sameen asked Zoe. "Neither of us know how to French kiss. It seems counterproductive."

Joss rolled her eyes, but Zoe nodded.

"Ok," Zoe said, reaching out to Root, "come here."

"What?" Root asked, eyes widening. Her hands tightened around her t-shirt. "Go there?"

"I'm going to teach you how to kiss and then you can teach Sameen."

Root looked at Sameen. Sameen tried to smile encouragingly. She could feel her stomach flutter at the thought of kissing Root again. Feeling so vulnerable and excited confused Sameen. There wasn't much that made her feel, but Root got under her skin. She wanted. Root made her want.

Root crawled across the floor to Zoe. Zoe pushed her blanket off and lifted herself onto her knees, pressing herself to Root. She grinned as Root swallowed.

"Ok," Zoe started, "the key to kissing is confidence! You know the person you're kissing wants to kiss you, too, so why be scared? Just go for it!"

Root nodded and took a breath. She leaned forward, gently touching her lips to Zoe. Sameen laughed at Root's muffled cry when Zoe suddenly wrapped her arms around Root's waist and pulling her to the floor. Joss rolled her eyes at Sameen.

Sameen wasn't sure if she was supposed to watch Root kiss Zoe. Luckily, Zoe let Root go after a few seconds. Root pushed herself back onto her knees, her hair disheveled. Sameen smiled as Root tried to collect herself.

"See?" Zoe said, sitting up, "Easy!"

Joss punched Zoe in the arm. "You could have given her a heart attack!"

"Root stronger than you think she is," Zoe asserted, pulling the blanket back over herself. "Now, kiss Sameen."

Sameen squinted at Zoe, trying to figure out her game. Zoe looked back at her, innocently, eyes wide. She batted her eyelashes.

"Whatever," Sameen grumbled, shifting onto her knees and shuffling over to Root. "Let's go. Teach me."

Root ran her hands through her hair and started to tie it up. "Hold on."

Sameen rolled her eyes, glancing over at Zoe and Joss. Joss gave her a sneaky thumbs up and she scowled. These girls had probably been planning this for ages. They meddled too much for their own good.

"Leave it down," Sameen said, nodding to Root's hair.

"Ok," Root shrugged, dropping her hands to rest on Sameen's waist, "Ready?"

Sameen nodded, schooling her face, refusing to show that she might be nervous. This was just like New Year's, but with tongue. She put her hands on Root's shoulders, noticing that they were closer in height when they were on their knees. Root leaned forward, eyes running over Sameen's face.

Sameen took a deep breath and her eyes dropped to Root's lips. She leaned forward, brushing her lips across Root's, closing her eyes and taking in their softness. Root pushed harder against her, her lips sliding open to fit Sameen's.

Sameen's hands move up, caressing Root's neck and tangling in her long, brown hair. Root lightly bit her lip, and Sameen sucked in a breath, fingers tightening instinctively. Root hissed as Sameen's fingers tugged her head back.

Sameen opened her mouth, breathing against Root's, her body hot where they were pressed together. She felt like she did during the last five minutes of a workout, like scoring the championship goal, like feeling Root's always cold fingers reach for her as soon as she wakes up. Sameen had never wanted anything as much as she wanted to keep kissing Root.

Her teeth pulled Root's bottom lip into her mouth and she thought this was what space must taste like, hot and vast and wonderful. Her breath caught as she ran her thumbs across Root's cheekbones. This was too much.

She pulled back, dropping her hands and standing. "I don't want to do this anymore."

She looked away as Root swallowed, trying to catch her breath. Sameen's heart beat loud in her ears. Kissing Root made her feel out of control and she didn't like it. She didn't like that her senses were consumed by someone else.

"I don't think I'm cut out for kissing," Sameen shrugged. "Not my thing."

Root glanced at Zoe and Joss and Sameen remembered that they were in the room. She rolled her eyes.

"Wow," Zoe said, taking a breath, "you seemed pretty into it for someone who isn't cut out."

"I said I didn't like it," Sameen growled.

She stormed passed them and jumped the four steps to the second level. The wooden boards echoed under her feet as she crossed the room to look out the window, her hands clasping the windowsill, knuckles white. She had to calm down.

Sameen couldn't understand where this was coming from. Normally, hanging out with Root was so easy. They just talked and looked at the stars, or explored, or did their homework. Why was kissing any different?

"That was really mean," Joss said from behind her.

Sameen looked over her shoulder to see Joss leaning against the wall, arms crossed. She rolled her eyes and turned back to the window. Down on the ground, Zoe and Root were walking towards the house.

"Whatever."

"I'm serious," Joss straightened up, slowly walking towards her. "We all know that Root likes you. You finally kiss her and then scream that you hated it."

Sameen turned around. "I didn't want to kiss her!" she hissed, teeth bared. "This was some stupid game you guys started. Not me!"

"I didn't hear you say no," Joss countered. "In fact, I heard you tell Root to keep her hair down."

Sameen threw her arms up, exasperated. "I don't know what to tell you."

"Tell me why you freaked out."

"I didn't…" Sameen put her hands on her hips, sighing. She closed her eyes. "I just…got…overwhelmed."

"Overwhelmed?" Joss sounded understanding.

"I'm not…" Sameen gestured vaguely, opening her eyes. "I'm not good at this."

"At what?"

"Feelings. People. Root. I don't know."

"Sameen," Joss sighed, "You don't give yourself enough credit. You've been great for Root. She's so happy."

"I can't do this. I can't…date her," Sameen shrugged helplessly. "I like hanging out with her and I want to be friends with her for a long time, but…I can't be a girlfriend like she wants."

"How do you know what she wants? Have you asked her?"

Sameen hesitated. No, she hadn't. Of course she hadn't. What, was she supposed to tell Root she had a crush on her? She couldn't do that. Root needed a friend, a support system.

"Do you really expect me to believe," Joss said, sighing again, "that you don't think Root likes you for who you are?"

"I don't know. She probably wants to go on dates and hold hands and spend all our time together."

"How is that different from what you're doing now?" Joss asked her. "How would dating change anything?"

'How would dating change anything?' Sameen took a deep breath. It wouldn't. They were already ridiculously close. Sameen thought about how they slept cuddled together. How they talked about the future and did everything together.

"I can't," she whispered. "I don't know how. I can't love her like she deserves."

Joss sighed and ran a hand over her face. "Ok. I'll stop pushing, just…" she looked at Sameen with pity. "Just think about it."

Sameen nodded and turned back to the window. She saw Root start up the rope ladder and sighed. Joss's feet padded across the floor as she went to meet them. Sameen took a deep breath, feeling the sweat roll down her back.

They'd blown up an air mattress earlier, excited to sleep in the treehouse for the first time. Now, Sameen was dreading it.

"Sameen?"

She turned around, leaning back against the windowsill, and tried to smile at Root. Across the room, Root looked terrified. Normally, only Martine or Lambert made her look like that. Sameen's stomach clenched, knowing that this time, she had caused that look.

"Hey," Sameen said almost inaudibly. She cleared and tried again. "Hi."

"Are you ok?" Root asked. She lifted a foot to step forward, but just put it down again.

"Yeah," Sameen answered, nodding. "I'm sorry for yelling earlier. It wasn't you."

Root looked away, fiddling with the bottom of her shirt. Sameen had bought it for her at Goodwill, a faded Belgian Malinois stamped on the front. Root crossed her arms across her stomach.

"Are…Are we ok?"

Sameen wanted to smile at Root, but she felt drained. How did people have feelings every day? She nodded again.

"Yeah, Root. We're ok. It's not you, really. I just…It's hard to explain."

Root chuckled softly. "You were so overwhelmed by lust that you had to tear yourself away to keep from ravishing me in front of our friends?"

A surprise laugh came out of her and Sameen shook her head. "Exactly. I was overcome by madness."

Root relaxed and sat on their bed. Her skinny legs were so long, her knees almost reached her chin. "I'm really happy we're friends. I don't know who else would put up with me."

"I don't 'put up' with you." Sameen rolled her eyes and crossed to the mattress. "I occasionally enjoy your company."

Root smiled and pulled the covers back, sliding under them. Sameen laid on the bed, pushing all the blankets onto Root.

"Hey," Root tried to push the blankets back, "What are you doing?"

"It is too hot for blankets," Sameen said, laying on the bare mattress, feeling her skin melting. "I'm sleeping like this."

She closed her eyes, avoiding Root's face. Sameen was really hot, but she also wasn't in the mood to sleep as close to Root as she normally did. If she was more awake, she told herself, she might have gone inside to sleep and avoided sharing a bed altogether.

She felt Root adjust herself on the mattress. When the movement stopped, she cracked an eye. Root was sleeping with her back to Sameen, curled into a ball, knees hanging off the bed. Sameen swallowed and opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling.

She didn't know where to go from here. She wanted to be with Root, as friends, maybe more, but if one kiss made her so crazy, what would a relationship do? Maybe she needed a distraction. Something to keep her mind off Root and her smile and her lips.

Sameen's phone light up from where she'd dropped it next to the bed hours ago. She picked it up, reading Tomas' name on the screen. She opened the text, wincing at the flirty message. Did he expect her to answer at 3am?

She glanced at Root's back and frowned.