The stars shone like diamonds over Royal Woods, casting light across Lori's dashboard as she read the text again: "Meet you at the spot, right?"
From Carol Pingrey. Former arch-nemesis turned... something more complicated. Strange how life works out sometimes. They'd spent years locked in a rivalry, but now Lori was ditching her usual evening routine of watching Dream Boat reruns once the TV was finally free for a stargazing date with the girl who used to make her blood boil.
The hill was their spot now, far enough from town that the stars actually had a chance to shine. Carol was already there when Lori pulled up, looking unfairly perfect in a cardigan and jeans, her blonde hair caught in a ponytail that probably took thirty minutes to get just right.
"Thought you might chicken out," Carol called out, her smile bright in the darkness.
Lori rolled her eyes, smiling and stepping out of her car.
They spread a blanket across the grass and laid back. The chirping of crickets filled the comfortable silence between the two as they relaxed, looking up at the stars. The night air was just chilly enough to make Lori grateful for Carol's warmth beside her.
"Remember when we used to try and one up each other's posts?" Carol asked, pointing lazily at a constellation. "God, we were ridiculous."
"Speak for yourself. My selfie game was always on point." Lori replied, both girls chuckling.
Carol turned her head, moonlight catching in her eyes. "You know what's funny? Even when I was jealous of you, I kind of admired you. You always seemed so... put together? Like you had everything figured out."
"Me?" Lori snorted. "I was just trying to keep my siblings from burning down the house while struggling to keep my social life intact. Literally nothing figured out about that."
"Could've fooled me. You made it look easy."
"Easy?" Lori propped herself up on one elbow, looking down at Carol. "You should see me scrambling to keep everyone in line while I'm in charge. Total chaos. Luna blasting music, Lynn turning everything into a competition, Lisa probably creating some new element in the basement..."
Carol's laugh echoed across the hilltop. "Okay, but you handle it. That's what I mean. You just... take charge. Make things work."
"In my house? Someone has to." Lori shrugged. "Besides, you're one to talk, Miss homecoming queen, somehow always wearing perfectly ironed and stain-free clothes. I've been rocking my mom's old girdle since god knows how long."
"Trust me, there's nothing perfect about me." Carol's voice grew quieter. "You know how hard it was to maintain my image? I was trying to keep up with you."
"I'm still shocked you felt that way." Lori fell back onto the blanket. "I literally spent half of high school jealous of how effortlessly cool you seemed."
"Effortlessly?" Carol snorted. "I literally had a schedule for when to post on social media to maximize likes."
They both burst out laughing, the sound echoing across the hill and their eyes meeting. Something shifted in the air between them and Lori felt her heart skip, a feeling she was just starting to get used to around Carol.
"Want to head back to my place?" Carol asked. "We could watch that terrible show you love so much."
"Dream Boat is not terrible," Lori protested, but she was already helping Carol fold the blanket.
At Carol's house, they settled onto the couch, sitting closer than they normally would have. The TV droned in the background, but Lori wasn't paying much attention. She found herself staring at Carol in the flickering TV light. She'd spent so long seeing Carol as competition that she found herself missing how beautiful the real Carol was.
"You're staring," Carol murmured, turning to face her.
"Maybe I am."
Lori's heart pounded as Carol's hand found hers in the darkness. They'd been dancing around this moment for weeks, maybe even months, both were too scared to take the final step.
But not anymore.
Lori leaned in and their lips met softly, hesitantly at first, then with growing certainty. When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathless.
"Well," Carol whispered, her forehead resting against Lori's, "That's one way to make it official-"
Lori chuckled, pulling her closer. "Shut up."
They stayed like that for the rest of the night, tangled together on the couch.