The wind blew Root's hair out of her face and she watched Sameen lazily zig zag in front of her. They were on their way to Martine's for a party. The weather was so nice that they'd decided to ride their bikes out to the new subdivision. Root pushed herself onto her toes, letting the bike swing between her legs as she pedaled.

Sameen glanced over her shoulder and slowed down. Quickly catching up, Root stuck a leg out to kick Sameen, but ended up losing her balance and falling to the side. Sameen caught her arm and pulled her upright, laughing.

"You've been riding a bike your entire life and you still can't stay vertical."

Root rolled her eyes. "You moved away from me! I'm a master biker."

"You're a master something," Sameen snorted. She looked out over the neighborhood as she sat back and pushed up the sleeves of her hoodie. "Why is Martine having a party at two pm on a Sunday?"

Root shrugged and squinted up at the sunny sky. It was mid-October, just over a week and a half from Halloween, but Martine had texted them last night and told them to come over. It was cold enough for Sameen to wear a sweater and Root had a long sleeve dress, so they'd decided to go.

"Did the text say 'party' specifically?" Sameen asked, throwing her hair over her shoulder. "There's no one here."

They rolled to a stop in front of Martine's house and Root dropped her foot onto the street to steady herself. There was only one car in the driveway and the usual pump of bass was missing. It didn't seem like a party. She pulled out her phone and opened Martine's text.

"Come over. There will be food. Hang out," Root read out loud.

"Jesus," Sameen muttered, throwing her leg over the bike, "she texts like John."

Root laughed and climbed off the bike, using a hand to hold her skirt down. They walked to the front door and leaned the bikes against the garage door. Staring up at Martine's house, Root sighed, jealous.

"Let's get a house like this when we're grown up," Root said.

Sameen threw her arm around Root's shoulders. "How about we get your old man to buy us a house in Boston for college?"

"Maybe we should rent?" Root reached up to play with Sameen's hand. "We'll want the freedom to go anywhere for grad school."

"Always planning ahead," Sameen said, pulling away and walking to the front door. "We just sent our applications in today and you're already thinking about grad school."

Root grinned as Sameen knocked on the front door. Mrs. Reese, Harold, and Grace had hovered behind them as they sent their applications in, cheering them on. Once they'd done it, their parents had pulled out college T-shirts and immediately started singing fight songs. It had taken almost half an hour to get them to stop.

Sameen winked at Root over her shoulder. "Ready to drink Martine's alcohol?"

The front door opened and Mrs. Rousseau grinned at them. Root's stomach sank. This was not a party.

"Girls!" Mrs. Rousseau stepped aside and gestured for them to come in. "I'm glad you came."

Root smiled nervously, following Sameen inside. They'd never been here during the day before, or when it wasn't packed. Martine's house was bigger when it was empty and Root felt out of place in the fancy foyer. She poked her head into the dining room as Mrs. Rousseau led them into the kitchen.

Sameen leaned close to her. "Do you think she knows we made out in the bathroom?" she asked in a low voice.

Root snickered, covering her mouth. "Think she knows you threw up all over that very same bathroom?"

She dodged Sameen's elbow as they stopped in the kitchen. Mrs. Rousseau turned around, smiling.

"It's so nice that you girls are finally hanging out with Martine. She told me you were all friends now!"

Root smoothed down the front of her dress, trying not to laugh. Beside her, Sameen's face was blank and Root wished she could control her emotions like that.

"We are friends," Root confirmed. "Yes."

Mrs. Rousseau's eyes crinkled. "I know it's a bit late to be getting close, but I want you girls to know that I fully support this friendship. Martine has always hung out with boys before, and I know it's just not good for her! She needs nice girls like you two to be a good influence on her."

"Mother," Martine's voice said from behind them, "stop talking."

Root and Sameen turned around to see Martine in the entranceway, dressed casually. Her arms were crossed in front of her, a scowl pulling her face down. Root realized this might be the first time Martine's been embarrassed by her mother in front of friends like this. It made her sad, but then she remembered Martine was mostly awful and she didn't feel as bad for her.

"Sorry, honey," Mrs. Rousseau apologized. She picked up a tray of sandwiches from the counter and pushed it into Root's hands. "A little snack for you girls."

Root adjusted her hands on the tray, smiling awkwardly. The kitchen was silent for a few seconds and Root wasn't sure what to do. Sameen still looked empty and Martine was still scowling like she was going to kill someone.

"Uh," Root tried, "want to…go…somewhere?"

Martine rolled her eyes, but she turned around and headed out into the hall. Root hurried after her, hands clenched around the tray. She expected Martine to lead them into the living room, or even some fancy tea room, but she turned right when she got to the hallway and led them upstairs. Root's knuckles turned white around the tray.

As they climbed the stairs, Root's stomach clenched. The last time she'd gone upstairs, she'd been with Hanna and the last time she'd been in Martine's room… Root glanced at Sameen as they reached the second floor. Sameen's face was neutral, but the muscle in her jaw was clenched and her hands were shoved deep into the pockets of her sweater.

Root leaned into Sameen. "If you make out with Martine for revenge, I'll have to kill you," she joked, quietly. "I just want you to know."

Sameen glared at her, but her jaw unclenched. "I'd rather be tortured with a hot iron than kiss Martine."

"Good!" Root said, grinning at her.

Martine stopped in front of her room, hesitating. Root watched her face, but it stayed carefully blank. A second later, she blinked and pushed the door open.

"Don't make fun of my room," she ordered over her shoulder. "My mom won't let me change it."

Root smiled. As much as she tried to block out that night, Martine's pink walls and pale cream carpet were fixed in her brain. Root could remember lace curtains, too. They walked in and Sameen whistled. It was twice as big as Sameen's room, and even Root's room at Harold's.

At the far end of the room was a large desk covered in books and papers. That was why Martine was third in their class, a messy desk was good to no one. Root walked across the room and set the tray on Tess of the D'Ubervilles.

The room was silent as Root stared down at the sandwiches. They'd never hung out with just Martine before. Normally, Gen and Lionel were with them and both of them were talkative enough to pick up the slack. Even when Root wasn't there, Sameen and Martine had the soccer team as a buffer. Root was almost afraid to look over her shoulder and try to act normal.

Sighing, she picked up a ham and cheese sandwich and turned around. She laughed out loud. Martine and Sameen were standing three feet apart in the middle of the room, hands shoved in their pockets. Root put her free hand on her hip and raised her eyebrows.

"This doesn't have to be weird," she said. Root gestured with her sandwich. "Talk about something."

Sameen scoffed, but her shoulders relaxed a little bit. She looked around the room and moved to sit on the small bench under the window. Root took a bite of the sandwich and watched Martine drop heavily onto her bed.

"So…" Root started, her mouth full, "how's soccer going?" She leaned back against the desk. "Make any goals?"

Martine crossed her legs under her, her body tilting from side to side as she got comfortable. "Your girlfriend didn't tell you?"

"We mostly just make out," Sameen answered. "Not a lot of talking."

Root snorted and moved to sit in the desk chair. She lazily spun herself, taking another bite. "Your mom's a great sandwich maker, Martine. My compliments to the chef."

Martine leaned back on her hands. "She's been making sandwiches for long enough. They better be good. Why do you want to know about soccer? Sameen's the captain."

"Oh my god," Root said, shaking her head. "I'm being friendly! I'm pretty sure you don't actually like anything, but I know you play soccer. Jesus, your last group of friends were super shitty."

"Don't talk about Lambert," Martine shot back, leaning forward. "He's off-limits."

Root frowned and looked at Sameen. Sameen just shrugged and nodded towards the sandwiches, silently asking for one. Stretching across the distance to hand her one, Root glanced at Martine. Her face was drawn down into a frown and Root thought about how weird it was to see someone so tough look upset.

For a moment, she wondered what made Martine and Sameen so different. They were both stoic, athletic, silent types. Sameen had never been as mean to her as Martine had, though. She'd never insulted her mother or pretended to like her. Root smiled at Sameen and pushed the thought from her head. Sameen was so much better than anyone on Earth and Root would never have gone for Martine.

Sameen took the sandwich from her, winking, and sat back in her chair. "The lady asked you a question, Rousseau."

Martine rolled her eyes, but her lips quirked up with the hint of a smile. "Soccer is going just fine. It seems dumb to join a team when we're so close to graduating, but I did get to punch someone last week."

"Did I tell you about that?" Sameen asked, putting a foot on the bench and rested her elbow on her knee. "She almost knocked her teeth out." She smirked at Root. "It was pretty hot."

"Gross," Root mumbled around her sandwich. "Sorry I missed it."

"Where were you?" Martine asked. "Aliens hosting a conference?"

"Close!" Root answered, making them snicker. "Science bowl."

Martine climbed to her feet, heading for the sandwiches. "That's cool. I would never, but someone has to do it."

Sameen swallowed her mouthful, glaring at Martine. "It sounds like you're being rude to your captain's girlfriend, but that can't be right."

Martine rolled her eyes, picking up a sandwich. "I mean it. I'm the athletic type, but grades are important. You two know that."

"Well, I do," Root laughed. She stuck her tongue out at Sameen. "Sameen is second in our class."

"Oh, fuck off," Sameen snorted. "When I get into Harvard, we'll see who's laughing."

Martine took a bite of her sandwich, glancing between them as leaned on the desk. "You're applying to Harvard? So am I."

"Nice!" Root cheered. She swallowed the last of her sandwich. She picked up another and leaned forward to give it to Sameen. "We can be study buddies."

"Whatever," Martine shrugged. "I'm going to be busy with MMA stuff."

Root looked at Sameen, smiling as her eyes lit up. Now, they were going to spend all day talking about fighting. Root knew Sameen well-enough to know that she could talk about professional fighters all day long. Root picked up a sandwich and settled in for the long haul.

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Sameen stared up at the screen, trying to ignore Root's shifting. Bishop was playing The Wizard of Oz in the park and, since they'd been so busy with friends recently, they'd decided to come out, make fun of the locals, and watch a movie. They rarely went on real dates and Root had made it clear she wanted individual attention.

Considering they were in the middle of the park, surrounded by almost everyone in town, 'individual' was a loose term. Sameen looked around, spotting Harold, Grace, and Mrs. Reese on a blanket a few rows in front of them. The movie was loud enough that they could sit near the back of the crowd and still understand what was happening. Root wiggled again, and Sameen glared at her.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked. "I thought you loved this movie."

Root pulled their blanket tighter around herself. "I'm cold! It's like 55 degrees!"

Sameen rolled her eyes, but opened her legs and let Root press her back against Sameen's front. Wrapping the blanket around them, she shifted her head to the side and rested her chin on Root's left shoulder, wrapping her arms Root's stomach. On the screen, Dorothy poured oil in various rusty joints.

"We were almost the Wizard of Oz gang for Halloween, you know," Root said, relaxing into Sameen's arms. "Stupid Lionel."

"What? What did Lionel do?" Sameen stretched her legs out. "Oh. His lion outfit?"

Root nodded. "Yup, I wanted be Dorothy and you would have been the scarecrow."

"Seriously?" Sameen scoffed loudly. She threw her ponytail over her shoulder. "I guess John would make a better tin man than I would."

Root laughed and scooted even closer. "It's nice to get some alone time that doesn't infringe on our sleep schedule. I'm getting tired and it's not a good look for me."

"I don't know," Sameen said. "You look pretty good to me."

Root turned over, her face inches from Sameen. "Compliment me again! I'm vain and I need it."

Chuckling, Sameen fell backwards, pulling Root with her. The blanket fell to the ground and Root shivered in the cool, evening air. Sameen tangled her legs in Root's. She was glad for the cold weather, but their pants prevented skin to skin contact and she found herself missing it. Root pushed her hair from her face, glaring down at Sameen.

"Sameen!" Root pouted. "Compliment me again."

Rolling her eyes, Sameen craned her neck up to press a quick kiss to Root's lips. "You're very pretty, Root, and very smart."

Root hummed and dropped her head onto Sameen's chest. She reached out awkwardly, her arms at odd angles as she tried to wrap the blanket around them. Her interest in the movie had disappear and it seemed like she just wanted to cuddle up to Sameen.

"I think people are watching us," Sameen said, not bothering to look around. "Control is probably going to yell at us for being indecent."

"Let her," Root replied, finally succeeding in cocooning them. "I'll remind her that we're the top of our class and we're going to be the first people from Bishop to go to an ivy league school."

Sameen just tightened her arms around Root and closed her eyes. After their rough summer, she was looking forward to living together under better circumstances. They'd be somewhere with an actual winter. Sameen would be there when Root saw her first snow. They had their whole lives in front of them.

Before Root, Sameen had never really thought about her future. Sure, she knew that eventually she'd go to college and get a job, but who knows what she would have become without Root. She could have become like Martine, just angry and alone. Root was good for her, even if Sameen couldn't fully appreciate it.

"Eww," a girl's voice came from above them, "get a room!"

Sameen cracked an eye open to see Gen's face staring down at her. Lionel and Martine were with her and Sameen groaned loudly.

"These guys just won't quit." She tried to sit up, but Root didn't move. Sameen leaned closer and realized that she had fallen asleep. "Well," she said, lowering her voice, "you can sit, but we're laying down."

Gen giggled and sat on their blanket. Sameen stared up at the stars as they all got comfortable. Orion wasn't fully above them yet, but she knew that behind her, he was peeking over the horizon. If I Only Had A Brain floated to them from the screen.

"Root's kind of ok," Gen said from Sameen's left. "She's still annoying, obviously, but she helped me spy on Mr. Greer. Her tech skills make up for her weirdness."

Lionel snorted. "She's definitely weird, but I think she's pretty cool. She's almost got a six-pack, you know."

"Whatever," Gen replied. "A lot of people almost have a six-pack. I almost have a six-pack." Sameen turned to glare at her. Gen held her hands up defensively. "I'm trying to be nice! I said she was ok."

"You said 'kind of ok,'" Martine laughed from somewhere beyond Gen. "That's not the same."

Sameen tuned them out, closing her eyes again. It was nice that Gen was starting to come around, but Sameen couldn't bring herself to care. She focused on Root's even breathing, sliding her hands over Root's back. They were warm this close, the blanket wrapped around them, and the smell of Root's hair in her nose. Root wiggled in her sleep, rubbing her face on Sameen's neck. Sameen relaxed and let herself drift off.