Art class, the one class Holly dreaded. For most people it was math or science, maybe gym or history, even English got strung out groans. But Holly was good at those ones, she excelled in most of them. It was the one glass that was supposed to be fun, relaxing, that got to her. Art wasn't her thing, last time she drew the cat she'd drawn looked more like a weird abstract elephant, but the credit was needed to graduate and she sure as hell wasn't going to take music.

"Hol my hands are a mess and I don't want to make an even bigger one by walking across the room, because I have a date after class and I obviously don't have time to be cleaning everything up at the end." Her best friend, Chloe, rambled, flinging her hands around in wide gestures. All of which Holly stopped with a pointed stare. "Right. Um, could you please make me some slip? I forgot to make some before I started."

"Sure but what the hell is 'slip'?"

"Are you serious." Chloe stared at her dumbfounded. Holly nodded. "Slip is the muddy clay stuff that you use to connect the pieces together... You have been using it right?"

Holly looked down at the clay sculpture she'd been working on all week. All week not using any slip. "No." She breathed.

"It's okay. Did you at least cross it?"

"I don't even know what that means." Holly groaned and banged her head on the table. She was going to fail the class for sure.

Chloe did what she could to comfort her friend. "It's okay, really it'll be fine. I'll help you, stay after school with you until it's all fixed, and I'll even tutor you so this doesn't happen again."

"You'd do that?" She picked her head up and rested her chin where her forehead had been.

"Of course." The redhead beamed. "For the slip all I need you to do is fill this cup about a quarter up. And then you might want to wipe your face off, you've got some clay on your forehead."

Holly wiped the back of her hand across her forehead and groaned when she saw the smear on her hand. She pushed back her chair and made her way to the sink. She filled the dirty cup Chloe had given her up to where she was instructed and set it aside so she could wash her face. The paper towel wasn't in its usual spot next to the faucet, nor was it anywhere else on the cluttered countertop, so with a shrug Holly bent down and opened the cupboard to get a new roll.

Instead of seeing the expected art supplies she was face to face with a blonde girl. A very pretty blonde girl. The same pretty girl she'd been drooling over in chemistry class for months, now squished in a cupboard of her art room and all of her attention on Holly.

"Shh. I'm hiding." Gail whispered, her beautiful blue eyes roamed over Holly's face, stunning the brunette. Holly didn't know what to do, how to react, she'd never gotten direct attention from Gail and now that she was she found it difficult to breathe.

So she nodded.

They stayed there a few seconds, the longest seconds of Holly's life, staring at one another. Her heart was racing with the proximity.

"You have clay on your forehead." Gail broke the silence.

"I know." Holly whispered back and lowered her gaze to her shoes in embarrassment. Of course the one time Gail actually notices her, she's a mess.

"Do you want to go on a date with me?"

Holly's head shot up so fast she hit it off the counter top.

A hand that was not her's laid on the spot she'd hit, smoothing down the dark hair, and rubbing at the sore bump. "You're going to give away my cover." Gail teased as she retracted her hand.

Holly blinked a few times in an attempt to gather herself and the events of the past minute. Gail was hidden in a cupboard for unknown reason. Gail also had her fingers in her hair to soothe an embarrassing bump. And Gail asked her out on a date even though she was making a fool of herself. Gail Peck asked her out on a date. She met the piercing blue eyes she'd been swooning over for ages and opened her mouth to answer but nothing came out. She cleared her throat and tried again.

"I'm sorry." She managed.

"Oh." Gail was hardly audible. She dejectedly turned to her hands which were worrying a rip in her jeans, suddenly she seemed uncomfortable in the small space. "So what was it that you needed?"

"What?" That was a change from a second ago. A second ago the blonde was smiling at her, teasing, asking her out. It was a great example of hot and cold.

"You found me for a reason."

"Yeah. I um, I needed paper towel."

Gail shifted and reached in beside herself. When she pulled back she passed Holly a few sheets of the schools excuse for paper towel with a thin smile.

"Thanks."

Gail nodded.

Holly bit her lip, what to say now. "I promise to take your hiding place to the grave."

"Good. I'd have to kill you other wise." Gail's smiled, the one Holly rarely witnessed, the one that lit her whole face and couldn't possibly be faked. The sight brought a rush of butterflies in her belly.

She slowly stood, and closed the cupboard door. Holly couldn't believe any of that had happened. She grabbed the cup of water and went back to her table in a daze.

"Did you decide you like the clay on your face during the two hours it took you to grab some water?" Chloe mused.

"Damn it." Holly cursed herself. She dabbed the towel still in her hand into the water she got and wiped it across her forehead. "I got a little distracted."

"Worry distracted or cute girl distracted?" She smirked, waggling her eyebrows. Holly's cheeks flushed.

"Gail." Was all she had to say. Chloe went to burst out of her seat but Holly stopped her with a string, forceful hand on her shoulder, keeping the redhead seated. "She asked me out."

"What?" Chloe exclaimed and grabbed hold of her friends face. Her eyes bugged out of their sockets.

"Chloe!" Holly gasped and pealed the slimy, clay covered, hands off of her cheeks.

"I'm sorry." Chloe squealed, still over the moon about the Gail news. "Did you say yes? Stupid me, of course you did. I mean it's Gail, you've only been lusting after her all year. Was she excited? Did she blush? I've seen her blush once. Now that I think about it, it was because of you. She's been crushing on you for awhile now then too. That's so cute-"

"Breathe." Holly interrupted. Chloe took an exaggerated breath and then fixed the brunette with an expected stare. If she could she would have her chin resting in her hands, excitedly waiting the story. Holly's excitement burnt out the second she opened her mouth to spill the story.

She hadn't said yes.

Instead she'd said sorry and that was when the moment died, leaving Gail dejected with a forced smile, and the impression Holly didn't want a date.

"I didn't say yes." Holly said in horror.

Chloe's face matched her mood. "Tell me everything."

Holly went over everything, opening the cupboard to find the blonde to closing it in a daze. "I can't believe I fucked up my only chance."

Chloe snorted. "Only chance my ass, Stewart. You're going to stay after everyone else and wait for her to crawl out of her weird hiding place, you're going to ramble in that adorable way you do when you're nervous, and you're going to take her out for coffee to make up for the miss understanding."

And that was exactly what Holly did, clay covered face and all.