Reposted this chapter because I found that there was a missing piece of Hanna's dialogue during lunch... ooopsies.

So seriously, every time I set out to complete a new chapter, it never goes as planned. This again is stopping short from where I wanted it to, but I figure any update is better than no update at all. ;) If I continued until I reached the point I wanted to it'd probably be triple the size this chapter is. I can't stop myself from adding all these details. Goodness me.

We are still in the climbing phase of this story so hang in there because I promise once it reaches the top, it'll be worth the wait. I have big plans for these two. :D I just can't seem to spit out the story as fast as I thought I would have by now.

I just wanted to say a quick hello to my new followers since the last post I made. It makes me smile whenever I get a notification that someone was interested enough in this story to receive updates. So thanks for that and thanks for being awesome.

Speaking of smiling, Thank you for the continued words of support for this story. I love to read the feedback from you all. You sure know how to make a girl feel special. ^_^

Enjoy this next installment.

Emily had arrived early to chemistry in hopes of being able to say something to Paige and gauge if everything really was okay between them and that she hadn't done or said anything to upset her. She might have misunderstood the sudden departure, she was so flustered with the numerous papers scattered about the floor and her missing assignment. Then she got so caught up when they touched hands that her mind wasn't even in the right place. It was all kind of fuzzy.

Person after person filed into the classroom, but still no sign of Paige.

Where could she be? I was sure she had this class with me.

Emily looked down at her wrist watch. The bell was about to ring at any moment.

Paige sauntered into the classroom seconds just before the tardy bell rang. She took the first empty seat her eyes landed on, which happened to be located at the very front of the classroom. She didn't bother looking for Emily. In all honesty, she purposely tried to avoid showing up too early knowing that Emily shared the class with her.

Paige wanted to be okay with a friendship with Emily, but at this point it was obvious to Paige that right now, she'd never be able to block out the inappropriate thoughts and urges. She needed some time to figure out what to do. She just hoped that Emily would give her some space. The most frustrating thing was that Emily hadn't even done anything, Paige was fully aware that she was the one overanalyzing things and jumping way too far ahead of herself. But that's just how she was.

The moment Emily looked up after checking the time, Paige walked right into the classroom. Emily was sitting towards the back and Paige seemed to have taken the nearest seat she found. She looked relaxed, almost as if she had planned walking in just before the bell rang.

Class was going to feel like forever especially when all she could see of Paige was the back of her head. She'd just have to admire her beautiful reddish-brown hair for now. She'd give anything to be able to run her hands through that hair at this exact moment. Grab a handful of it and gently pull Paige just close enough to demand a kiss. She'd tease her first though and hover just slightly away from Paige's very kissable looking lips. When she closed the last remaining space between their lips she'd-

"What the hell has you so happy? You hate this class and the smile on your face could go on for miles."

Emily snapped out of her daydream.

"Huh, what? I uh, I wasn't smiling."

"No? Really? You weren't? Were you trying to bare your teeth in a sad attempt to intimidate someone? Because that whole thing…"

Spencer pointed her finger towards Emily's face while twirling it slowly in a circle.

"…needs a lot of work. That was about as cute as a box full of month old puppies."

"Oh shut up." Emily replied back while throwing her pen across the table at Spencer. The two had been lab partners since the start of the school year. Spencer dodged it and it rolled towards the front of the classroom.

Of course she'd catch me again.

"Watch it. Didn't you learn not to throw writing utensils at people back in kindergarten? Or were you too love struck with a cute red head back in the day too? You could have impaled my eye. I'd like to keep my perfect vision for the rest of my life. Thanks."

"You would try to keep a perfect medical record. Spencer you are unreal sometimes and that pen was nowhere near your face, such a shame for that matter too."

Emily knew how to dish sarcasm on a platter back at Spencer when she needed to. They'd known each other too long for her to not know how to respond to some of the things that came out of her mouth and sometimes she needed a taste of her own medicine.

"Ouch, Em. That almost sounded like you thought about aiming for my face, or maybe you actually tried, good thing you're a swimmer. Your aim is shit."

"You're asking for it Spence. I wasn't smiling and the pen went exactly where I wanted it to."

Emily stood up from her table and started walking up the aisle way towards her pen that was still on the floor. Her pen happened to end up right next to where Paige was sitting.

Perfect aim.

Emily smiled to herself.

Their chemistry teacher hadn't started the class yet. People were still lost in quiet conversation and she figured this would be her chance to say something without making it too obvious that she was purposely trying to talk to Paige.

Paige was lost in her own thoughts when suddenly she noticed a pen sliding across the tile just slightly past her desk. She wasn't surprised to see it, but she was surprised to see who followed after the pen had come to a hault.

Emily.

She watched as Emily walked slightly past her desk and bent down to pick the pen up. She gracefully turned around on her toes and was now facing Paige smiling her sweet smile.

It was obvious to Emily that Paige had been watching her when she retrieved her pen. Emily couldn't help but feel happy that her plan was working so far. Being noticed was the first step.

Paige immediately started to blush as soon as she had been caught staring at Emily.

Crap.

She shouldn't even have been bothered about seeing that picture in Emily's locker, but it was almost like a hard hit to her chest when she connected the dots. Almost like self-inflicted pain. She let her imagination get the best of her too soon. The fact that she had allowed herself to let her thoughts wander about the possibility of Emily being interested in her frustrated her more than anything. She'd tear herself apart if she didn't figure out how to go about their relationship in the right mindset. It would be dumb to separate herself from Emily completely because Paige could see a good friend in Emily regardless of how she was feeling. She just needed some time to be okay with that. The fact that the idea was gone left her feeling slightly empty and hopeless. And she hated herself for feeling this way about it.

"My pen missed Spencer's face. But I guess I can't complain too much, even though she deserved to be hit."

Paige looked at Emily with a polite smile and curious gaze.

"Never mind." Emily said while feeling awkward all of a sudden.

She realized that Paige probably didn't know Spencer well enough understand what she meant.

"So how were your other classes?" Emily asked.

"Umm, they were super thrilling. Advanced World History and Pre-Calculus like seriously, I'm trying to contain my excitement right now. Don't get me started I won't be able to shut up."

Emily laughed softly.

She's joking with me, maybe we are fine?

"Well I don't know about you, but pre-calc can kiss my ass. I hate it and it hates me."

"Damn, sounds like an unhealthy relationship you should get out of."

"Oh I wish it was that simple. I struggle so hard to maintain a decent grade in that class. I'm surprised I have any hair left on my head and I haven't ripped it all out by now. Thank gosh for Spencer, she's my go-to for tutoring help."

"I hope she's still willing after you attempted to throw a writing utensil at her face."

"Oh shoot. See what I mean when I said I do things compulsively sometimes? I didn't think about that. Damn. I really need to think about the consequences of my actions sometimes."

"Well, what fun would that be? Don't your impulsive actions leave you pleasantly surprised sometimes and the complete opposite of regretful?" Paige asked.

Emily's eye's narrowed, contemplating what it would mean if she thought more about things before she did them. Maybe it wasn't a bad thing. She hadn't overstepped people's boundaries too many times even though she worried numerous times that she had made Paige uncomfortable. Sometimes doing things on impulse really wasn't a bad thing.

But she wasn't really sure where Paige was going with her question, and was tempted to ask more about it because she was curious as to what Paige would say, but then Mrs. Burns asked the class to quiet down and Emily realized she needed to return to her seat.

"I'll catch you after?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, sure." Paige replied.

Not really sure if she meant it, and hoping that Emily wouldn't be fast enough.

Class finished up quicker than Paige had expected. She thought her hand might fall off after all the notes she had written during the class period, but she knew that there was no escaping them. She'd need them later to work on her homework. She quickly packed up her belongings and came to a stand from her table gripping her still unzipped backpack in both of her hands. Zipping it up she began to walk towards the door. She started to walk with a purpose in an attempt to avoid the mass chaos that was about to take place in the halls after everyone emptied their respective classrooms.

She hated being bumped into as if she was invisible. The medley of slamming locker doors was one of her least favorite sounds. Couples that held hands as they walked side-by-side down the hall always seemed to be begging her to play red-rover with them, even though with every fiber in her being she always ignored the urge. There was always at least one person walking down the wrong side of the hallway, tricking her into dancing an awkward box-step of sorts, when she found herself trying to predict their movement just as they attempted to predict hers. It never failed that she'd move to the same side as the person blocking her pathway and when she stepped back they would step forward. She always walked away feeling mixed emotions of embarrassment and annoyance. She always made a note to just stop in place the next time that it happened, but the same choreography always seemed to find its way back to her whenever that same situation took place again.

Paige was looking for a place to be alone, she was feeling overwhelmed. It was only the first day she'd been back in a public school environment in a while and she was feeling slightly suffocated.

Paige had still been seated just before Emily turned her attention to gathering up her own belongings and sliding them into her beg. But as soon as she looked back up to where Paige was seated just moments before, she was nowhere to be seen.

Puzzled by how quickly Paige managed escaped the classroom without her realizing it, Emily quickly threw her bag over her shoulder and decided she would make an attempt to catch up with her in the hallway. Stepping just outside of the classroom doorway she peered to the left and then the right. There was no sign of Paige down either side of the hallway.

Well, I guess that was wishful thinking.

Emily decided she'd head for the cafeteria and meet with her friends like she always did.

Paige had packed her lunch so she was able to avoid the cafeteria altogether. She was weighing her options of where the best place to eat lunch would be. Ultimately she decided on what she believed would be the one place no one else would be during the lunch hour. The one place she could just sit and think. Meditate. Enjoy peace and quiet.

She was headed in the direction to the pool.

She knew she couldn't swim laps at the moment, but if she wasn't able to swim, then next best thing was to be able to sit next to the pool and think about swimming. So that's what she did. She grabbed a spare towel from her swim locker. Folding it up underneath of her, and she took a seat on it and sat by the edge of the pool. The strong smell of chlorine and the heavy feeling of the humid air made her feel like she was right where she belonged. It was her sanctuary. It was the one place where she could forget about everything going on and feel like she had control over at least one thing in her life. Swimming.

These days, she swam for herself and at the end of every race the only person she felt like she had to answer to was herself. Any less than her best wasn't good enough. It wasn't about winning for her. She didn't swim to win. She swam because she loved it and it felt like a part of her being. But if she didn't push herself a little each time, even when she felt like she couldn't be pushed any further, then she was letting herself down.

She was good. She knew that. But she stayed humble about it. And if she happened to win, then that was just a bonus. She won a lot. She knew that too. But in all honesty, she figured each win was the universe's way of keeping her father off her back about the one thing she loved that she didn't want him ruining for her.

Each win meant she didn't have to hear a long drawn out lecture from him. The only time he seemed to show any interest in her anymore was when she was doing something wrong or not living up to his standards. She couldn't remember the last time her dad had said he was proud of her. Sometimes she wondered if continuing to swim after Mark had passed away brought up too many emotional memories for her parents. They hardly ever came to her meets anymore. If it wasn't for Mark, she didn't know if she ever would have discovered her passion for swimming. So, not only did she swim for herself, but these days she swam for him too.

She finished her food as quickly as possible, knowing that she might be hassled by someone if they caught her with food near the pool. As soon as she finished the last bite of her apple, she stuffed her trash into her brown paper bag, stood up and tossed her trash into the nearest wastebasket. She still had about 20 minutes to kill, so she returned to her towel and started to slip her shoes and socks off while carefully rolling her pant legs up.

"Em what has you so quiet today? I don't think I've heard you say a single word this entire lunch time."

Emily looked up from her lunch tray. She had been pushing around the peas leftover in the circular cutout spot of her tray. She hadn't managed to spot Paige from the time she had entered the cafeteria. Something told her Paige was eating elsewhere and she wished that she could have been wherever it was that Paige was. She honestly hated just how much Paige already consumed her thoughts. It was hard to tell sometimes if Paige really did want her company or if she was being polite. After hearing her comment from earlier, Emily couldn't tell if she was unknowingly smothering Paige. Or making Paige feel obligated to talk to her. She was one of the captains on the swim team. Maybe Paige was intimidated.

"HHmmm? Oh sorry Aria, I just have something on my mind." Emily answered.

"I think she meant to say someone. She has someone on her mind." Spencer chimed in.

Emily shot Spencer a glare.

"Ohhh Em has a new lady friend? Do tell us the dets, no holding back."

"Okay, Hanna, I've told you this before, shortening words of the English language should never have become a thing and it certainly will not be tolerated when speaking to or around me. Furthermore, Em has a newfound obsession with a new girl who happens to be a sophomore as well as have a spot on the varsity swim team. Emily doesn't want to admit it, but it's written all over her face whenever she is thinking about her. And by the way Emily," Spencer now turned her gaze upon Emily.

"..don't think I didn't notice when that pen ended up by Paige's feet in chemistry. Turns out your aim isn't total shit, I just misjudged who you were throwing that pen at." Spencer smirked and shot a narrow eyed look back at Emily.

At that moment all of the girls were staring at Emily, waiting for her to respond to Spencer's accusations.

"I don't know what you're talking about. And as much as it pains me to break this news to you Spence, but realizing this is what friends are for, there is something you should know,… you can't always be right all of the time." Emily shot back.

"Oooh buuurrn. Need some Neosporin for that Spence? She got you good. That was like a first degree." Hanna blurted out excitedly.

"Uh, Hanna, hate to burst your bubble hun, but Neosporin won't do anything for a first degree burn, not to mention it's actually recommended to not put ointment on any type of burn for that matter." Aria stated.

"Ookaaaaay Dr. Phil." Hanna emphasized with a hint of sarcasm to the best of her ability.

Emily, Aria, and Spencer all shot each other looks full of unspoken understanding. And they all burst into laughter. No one had experienced as many "Hanna" moments as these three girls had throughout the many years they had all known each other. They would never tire of hearing her mix-ups. Correcting her became second nature to them. But sometimes they let Hanna live in her own little world. It always kept them on their toes anyways. The things she said should have been written in a quote book that could be sold to the public.

Hanna looked at the other girls with a slightly puzzled look on her face.

"You guys are weird. I don't know why I continue to bless you with my presence. You don't even let me in on the inside jokes sometimes." Hanna pouted.

"Hanna you're right, and we're all sorry, I'm sure. But you're the one telling the jokes. You just don't even realize it sometimes." Emily reassured Hanna.

"Oh. Really? Damn, well with how much you guys laugh I could totally be the next Ellen Degeneres."

"No way, I don't need any more competition Han. You'd be a tough match. I need all the girls looking my way, not yours." Emily joked.

"That's right Em, I've got brains and a hot bod. You better believe I'd be your competition with the ladies."

"Body Hanna, you've got a hot body. Not bod. Use proper English for the sake of what's left of my sanity. Please."

"See? Even Spencer agrees." Hanna said happily.

Emily and Aria chuckled in amusement at this last statement while Spencer wore a face full of irritation.

"Wow, well I'll let you three continue to enjoy this rather enthralling conversation. I, on the other hand, am excusing myself from the table. I need to make a phone call."

"Oh, is that what you call it these days?" Spencer asked.

Aria glared at Spencer before resting her hand on Emily's shoulder and telling her,

"Good luck with this mystery girl."

Emily laughed and shook her head before calling to Aria as she started to walk away from the table and said,

"There is no girl! Spencer is in a state of delusion!"

With her back still turned to Emily Aria raised her right arm up and made a shooing motion with her hand.

Emily could tell Aria knew she was bluffing. Emily's friends knew her too well. But she'd still put up a front. She didn't want anyone to know how hard she'd already fallen for this girl before she knew if her feelings could even be acted on and hopefully, maybe even returned. Until she was sure of that, she'd deny anything about being the slightest bit infatuated with Paige.