"Who the fuck was that guy?" Piper was still in shock after Alex had grabbed her wrist in a painful grip and pulled her after her in the abandoned bathroom on second floor.
A few people had turned their heads when Alex rushed by them with Piper in tow but most of them seemed to think that this was just another torture scene by one of the Nichols, something to be best ignored and so they kept their heads down.
Piper rubbed her red hurting wrist.
"Fuck, Al, that hurt!" she said with a slight layer of anger in her voice. But Alex didn't even acknowledge it, her facial expression was raging angry.
"You're escorted by some random guy to school now or what, you're kidding me right?" there was so much aggressiveness in Alex's voice that Piper couldn't believe this was still the same person that she had shared so much tenderness with less than 24 hours ago.
"Who was that?" Alex crossed her arms and stood threatening in front of Piper, who felt more intimidated than she should, considering that this was her own girlfriend.
"That was Larry, okay? And he has only picked me up because my car was still here and I needed a drive." Piper tried to come to her own defense but she didn't really believe what she was saying herself. And Alex wasn't buying it either.
"Why the fuck is your car here. How did you come home yesterday?"
Piper knew she was screwed, she should have texted Alex, tell her how tired and devastated she had been and that Larry had been so kind to offer her a ride home. Maybe then it wouldn't have been that bad.
"He... " Piper considered running but she knew she had to save her relationship if she didn't want to hate herself for the rest of her life. "He drove me home after ..." Pipper stopped herself before saying it.
"Oh right." Piper hadn't seen Alex this hurt yet and she was close to apologizing but then she remembered how often she had felt shitty because of Alex. And in that moment she just wanted to hurt her, hurt her bad.
"Yes and so he picked me up and we went for breakfast before school." her icy voice was shocking herself, all the hurt feelings floating out of her in that second. Larry had listened to her whining about her parents a whole hour this morning and he had been all nice and understanding. He really liked her and Piper couldn't stand the thought that he seemed to like her more than Alex did.
"What the fuck, Piper." Alex bumped her flat hand against the wall only inches next to Piper's face. Piper jerked, Alex could be intimidating and for the first time Piper could really imagine Alex and Nichols being sisters. But the hate disappeared from Alex face in the matter of seconds.
"Why are you doing this?" Alex voice was only a whisper now, she sounded so weak all of a sudden and Piper hated herself for it but she couldn't help herself. She should apologize, tell Alex she loved her and only her, but she couldn't.
"Because HE listens." she said half sad, half angry.
"Oh listen, that's what it's called now? So tell me was he a good screw? Better than me?" the weakness in Alex was gone, being replaced by cold sarcasm. But Piper wasn't going to give in, not today.
"It isn't all about sex, you know. When he found me devastated, he decided to offer me a ride home and listen to me instead of screwing me." She knew how unfair she was but she couldn't believe Alex really accused her of cheating and she needed to hurt her back.
"Fuck you Piper!" Alex pointed her finger into Piper's face only an inch away from her eye and she leaned in as for a kiss but of course didn't kiss her. Instead she hissed: "You don't get to blame me for that. You wanted to be laid. Hell, you begged me to fuck you! And you fucking loved it." Then she backed off a few meters towards the door.
"But hey if you wanna go back into the safety of liking dick. Fine with me!" and with that she left the bathroom, kicking the door shut behind her.
Piper felt good, well not good but she felt like she had finally stood up for herself. And that was a good feeling. It took exactly one hour and thirteen minutes until it stopped feeling good. For the first time Alex didn't ignore her during break, instead she threw her icy cold glances, not fully able to hide her hurt feelings. And Piper felt shittier and shittier at that sight. She even understood that Alex didn't come to her defence when Nichols kicked her in the knee pit, making her fall and the whole group laughed at her lying on the floor. Alex just passed the scene as if none of these people had something to do with her.
By the time school was over, feeling shitty was the understatement of the year. Piper felt so horrible and guilty that she could as well have slept with Larry, it couldn't have been much worse.
Sitting in the prop room she almost started praying that Alex might appear. She didn't knew why Alex should, they weren't going to have a nice afternoon together, or going to make out, or even going to have sex. Maybe never again. Piper forbid herself to even think about it, threatening to tear up at the thought.
Alex's steps on the stairs sounded so much more careful and slow than usually and when she had finally reached the top of the stairs, she looked miserable and angry at the same time. But she was here and that was all that mattered to Piper, who immediately bursted out in tears.
"You're here." Alex stated rather surprised as if she hadn't expected to see her here and Piper realized that Alex didn't come here to see her, she came because that was what she used to do after school, hiding here to pretend she was taking lessons.
"Yeah, I ... I don't want to fight with you." She wanted to reach out to Alex but she was too afraid to do so, remembering the aggressive look in her girlfriend's eyes ealier.
"Oh come on Piper, you don't know what you want." Alex's words sounded bitter, but not as angry as in the morning. It hurt but Piper knew Alex was hurt too and that it was on her to explain herself, it was on her to do the next step.
"I know it must feel like it. But I know what I want, I want you, I want you more than anything I have ever wanted before. And when I met Larry yesterday all I wanted was for him to be you. I wanted you to be the person who takes me home but you weren't there and he was." Piper had walked towards her girlfried who stood leaned against the railing, arms crossed, eyes sad and angry. "Oh and next time you want sex and he's there and I'm not, you just..."
"No!" Piper closed the gap between them and stood now close enough to kiss her on the lips, theoretically. "I would never, OK? I just couldn't drive home alone, I've had an accident already lately and by the way I fell asleep in his car so that's it, not more not less." She took Alex's hand, carefully and she was more than grateful when Alex didn't pull away.
"And why did you go for breakfast with him?" Alex's voice still sounded bitter but there was also something else in it. It seemed almost like she was begging Piper to have a good explanation.
"I ..." Piper knew she was walking on thin ice and she really didn't want to screw everything up. "I just felt obliged to say thank you. I needed a ride back to school and I didn't want to feel so much like using him." That was true, she just kept silent about the part where she felt like Larry's presence was making her feel special and understood.
"Can we forget this, please?" Now Piper was the one begging, she needed Alex and her to be ok again so badly, she needed Alex, a fact that scared the shit out of her. When Alex didn't answer, Piper leaned in carefully, brushing her lips over Alex's and when Alex didn't pull back Piper put her hands in Alex's neck, pulling her in for a deep kiss.
When they lay naked on the couch afterwards, Piper couldn't help herself. It was as if that fight had set her lose and she asked what she had wanted to ask for weeks.
"Al?" Piper turned around in Alex's arm so that her face was fitting perfectly into the space between Alex's neck and shoulder and her arm lay across her girlfriend's stomach.
"Hm?" Alex was stroking up and down Piper's arm with the tip of her finger while her eyes were closed, her face relaxed again after everything that had happened today and Piper knew she was about to ruin this peaceful athmosphere.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Hmm." Piper took all her bravery and courage in this question. She knew it was risky, it had always been a risky topic between them.
"Why do you never stand up against your sister?" her voice was only a whisper. She expected Alex to get angry, to pull back but Alex didn't even move, for a second Piper thought she hadn't heard her.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, without the slightest sign of anger.
"You always let her get away with anything!" Piper was still feeling like talking with a grenade, that could explode every moment. But Alex was still calmly stroking her arm as if her sister had never been a difficult topic between them and it encouraged Piper.
"I am not responsible for her."
"But she is your sister, don't you feel responsible when you see her torturing all those people ... And me?"
There was a pause, Piper didn't dare moving, too afraid of waking the sleeping lion. Minutes passed and Piper already thought Alex wouldn't answer anymore at all.
"She is not a monster, you know." Alex's voice sounded deep in thought and full of sadness and for the first time Piper realized how hard it must be for Alex to always stand between her and her sister. "To me she is." Piper whispered.
"I know" the sadness was drooling from those words like rain water in a downpipe. "But you don't know her. Her life hasn't been easy."
"Why?" Piper rolled around, now lying on top of her girlfriend to see her face better. She held herself up with her lower arms on Alex's chest. What could possibly explain becoming a monster? Alex wrapped her arms around Piper, placing her hands on the small of her back.
"I don't think she would like if I told you." she said, still thoughtfull. But Piper actually had to laugh, the first time in hours and it was freeing.
"Al, sorry to break it to you but I guess if she saw me lying naked on top of you, you telling me something about her would be the least of your problems. Or if she saw me doing this." Piper let her left hand wander up and down Alex's body, letting her thumb brush Alex's nipple while kissing her way down her neck.
"No, Nicky wouldn't like that at all." Alex whispered while her breath was getting heavier. Piper started kissing the skin of her girl's belly, wandering lower inch by inch.
"You want me to stop?" Piper teased, hiding how nervous she was. She had thought about doing this ever since she had fallen for Alex but it also scared her like hell. "Don't you dare." Alex moaned, grabbing the armrest behind her head.
"I wanna taste what you taste like." Piper whispered against Alex's soft skin, taking in the caramel scent. Alex moaned and took Piper's face between her hands and pulled her back up to kiss her hungrily. The black white leather bracelett tickled Piper's cheek.
Alex left her again after sex, at least this time she suggested to come over after work to talk. But Piper didn't want her to, she didn't want Alex to meet her drunken mother and of course she couldn't come over to Alex's place although she would have loved to meet Alex's mum. Piper couldn't imagine how hard it must be for Alex to work everyday after school. Alex was never at home before 8 in the evening.
"You won't date Larry again now just because I have to work, right?" Alex had asked before leaving and Piper would have to lie if she claimed that she didn't like Alex being a little bit jealous.
"I'll call you after work." Alex kissed her goodbye and Piper started missing her the second the door fell close.
So what do you think about chapter 17?
I guess at least they started talking about things, finally. And for all of you who started panicking after the last chapter: No matter what happens on the way Vauseman is endgame, so trust me, I know what I'm doing ;)
Please keep reviewing and making me happy. I wish all of you a lovely week XXX