Janine Bautista felt bittersweet about it being so late in the month. Now that soccer season was officially over—championship this year went to Laudendale, which was typically more of an academic rival than a sports rival—and all those warm, weary, difficult days of April were almost behind her, she had a moment of serenity before the nightmare of Prom and the more hectic nightmare of finals came around. In a way, this weekend here was the calm before the storm (much as she hated that cliché). She wouldn't have any other opportunities to really enjoy herself. Janine had a job coming in the summer, her first, and knew that from then on out, long days of idle vacation would go out the window. "It's just like early in the school year," she mused to herself, lying flat on a bed of grass, nothing but sky above her. "We wanted to accomplish so much before we got bogged down by schoolwork, and look where we are now. We're all struggling just to have a breather. A lot has gone on." Nobody answered her, except the wind. She was alone, but by choice. As outgoing and dependent as she was, Janine sometimes needed these moments by herself. It took her mind off work, off school, even off her friends. Ah, her friends. Idiots. They all went to Lilian's pool party, and were no doubt having fun. Janine declined ferociously, saying she needed a few days just to herself. She loved her friends, but sometimes they could smother her, especially when it came to her "romantic life"—the one they had concocted. Okay, so she liked May, big deal. Why did they have to make such a fuss over it? It wasn't like they were dating, and they didn't hang around each other as much as they used to. People had started addressing them as "Maynine", squishing their names together like they did to all couples. If nothing else, this isolation gave Janine room to breathe and stretch her elbows. "Not a bad idea," she ruminated, and reached her limbs out as far as they could go. Bugs, dirt, and grass stains were the least of her worries—why else bring an older shirt and worn-out jeans to the park? Now that she was stretched out, she felt like a part of nature, sandwiched between the sky above her and the earth beneath—the ultimate middle woman. "Man is a strange creature," she murmured, shielding her eyes from a protruding sun. "Born from a union between the earth and the sky. God from the heavens came down, dug us from the soil, and breathed within our lungs a soul. We are more than people of mud, but less than those in the skies. We are in the middle. I am...in the middle, yet I do not feel compressed. I feel so free now. It's like...maybe an embrace of the elements. Earth and sky, fire from the sun and water from the stream, swirling endlessly in a dance that man cannot understand, only observe. They surround us, help us, destroy us, and continue to remind us that we are not the real masters." In response, the wind blew, trees lost their leaves, and the ground seemed to sigh. A thick cloud covered the sun; Janine sat up and cleaned her hair of grass. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them. "I," she spoke, into the heart of the world. "I am I. My eye perceives my I. My I knows my ai. I understand, aye. The ai understands the eye, aye, and I bind it all to create a new being. The beast that shouted ai at the heart of the world... Perception. Identity. Love. Understanding. The four components of man. Fire, earth, air, and water—the four components of nature. As man perceives, understands, and loves, he gains his identity. As man interacts with the elements, he is witness to nature, and the wake of his Maker. I am. I am...myself. I am Janine. And I'm...bloody exhausted from all this philosophy." "A Modest Proposal" "All Girls School" Chapter 100 by Mr. Toasty May Tramble didn't go to that pool party either. A whole lot of people were invited, including her, but she turned down the offer. Unlike Janine, she didn't go because she wanted to be alone; she didn't go because she had homework to do. With soccer behind and prom ahead, now was a good time to get caught up. She was slowly failing two courses, and pessimism and procrastination kept her from going any further. At this rate, she'd be beaten by her own little sister... Who, for all records and purposes, might've been skinny dipping right now. May had enjoyed the game, but she had no illusions about Prom. As she expected, she didn't get to keep any boyfriends for a long period of time—heck, it was a miracle she even had that one or two—and all those "lesbian" rumors circling around her certainly didn't help. Guys liked you if you were a gay girl, sure, but get serious about the whole thing and it's goodbye. May wasn't serious—at most, she was slightly curious—but that didn't do anything to silence those rumors. Well...maybe she was more than curious. Hadn't she admitted an attraction to somebody before? Didn't she just have the smallest, teeniest, tiniest crush on a certain someone? DIDN'T she? "I can't do this," she groused, stopping homework just to complain. "I can't let my mind drift. I have to focus." She turned on some music, and her thoughts were tuned out. May was productive again. But all things had their place, even ridiculous Sapphic considerations. She vowed to think it over, maybe even discuss it with Janine, as soon as her homework was finished. It wasn't procrastination. It was just being responsible. Two hours later... "Hiya, May!" They both smiled, though separated by distance. It was Janine who called, and she knew May hated being called "Hey May". "Hey ‘Nean. I was just thinking about you." "Oh, really? I hope it wasn't anything bad." "No, nothing of the kind. Listen, you doing anything?" "Nope, got my whole day ahead of me." "You didn't go with the others?" "Nah, I wanted some time to myself. But I'd like some company now. Are you free?" "Free as a bird. Guess you wanna do something together." "Yeah...I figure without the goon squad hanging around us, we'll actually pull off something like a normal life." May laughed, and the two agreed on a place to meet. They said their farewells and hung up—then a thought just occurred to both girls. Had they just asked each other out on a date? ...Nah, couldn't be. It was just a meeting between friends. Just somewhere to go, something to do, and somebody to do it with, that's all. ............ Meanwhile, Abigail Keeping had definitely asked her lover Hitomi Madsen out on a date. They were going to meet in a nice little restaurant called Anima, a place that served both Mexican and Italian dishes. Abby said that it would be a formal date, so she and Hitomi were going to play dress-up again, just as they had done on their first date, so long ago. Gosh—had it really been five months since they started seriously dating? It seemed longer. Maybe the whole thing had been stretched out by their friendship of two years. Yeah, that felt about right: two and a half years. It was, and it was not, quite a long period of time. Lots could happen in that span. Abigail knew her "Tomi-chan" would be rendered speechless no matter what she wore—or did not wear—but she wanted to look extra nice for tonight anyway. She thickened her long lashes, shaved and waxed her legs artistically, had her nails manicured, applied that special lilac-scented lipstick "Tomi-chan" liked kissing so much, and pinned her long, wavy black hair up, giving her Romanian face a slightly more western look. She wore a stark-white blouse that zipped (buttons were so aggravating during foreplay), her standard black skirt (this one rode just a bit higher), and put little emerald jewels in her ears to match her eyes. A dab here, a touch-up there, a big breath in between, and...showtime! R-ring! Rr-rring! That was her. When Abby opened the door, though, she was shocked. "Oh my Lord!" she exclaimed. "Tomi, oh Tomi! What on Earth have you done!?" "What? You don't like it?" Abby pouted and cautiously reached out to cling the horribly sheared remains of her Tomi-chan's hair. "You cut it!" she wailed, combing through the short strands delicately. "God, Hitomi, that hair was your prize! Why the heck did you do that, sweetheart?" "What?" said Madsen with a chuckle. She reached up and smoothed what her lover had weaved through, and gave her a coy expression. "Abs, relax; it's just hair. If you miss it that much, I'll grow it out. I just...felt like a change was in order." "But you no longer look so Japanese," pouted the psychology teacher, more disappointed than she was sad. Madsen laughed and hugged the poor woman. Cutting her hair short was her decision, and she thought she looked spiffy. She didn't realize that her lover, a woman who herself sported an impressive mane, would be so upset about this change. She calmed down, though, smiled sadly, and focused on Hitomi's eyes instead. "Sweetheart, you know I'll always love you no matter what, it's just that..." "...Just that what, dear?" Abby blushed, now taciturn. She looked away and whispered her dread to Madsen. "It's just that...when we make love, your hair won't tickle my chest anymore. And I liked that part." Madsen laughed out loud, gave her lover an embrace, and kissed her cute pouty lips. "Well then, I guess you'll just have to be on top for a few months." "It's not the same," she murmured. Hitomi smiled sweetly and gave the dear a more deeper kiss. "Well, I'm sorry. I really thought you'd like it. Guess I still have a lot to learn about you, don't I?" "Yes," she answered, "but all the days of our lives to do it." "Ugh, no soap opera references, please. The school's nutty enough as it is. So, you ready?" "Of course. Lead the way, you sexy little skinhead." Hitomi giggled, and yelped just a bit as Abby gave her a whap on the bottom. Oh, was she going to have sweet retribution for that! ............ Blue skies, depth of God's fathoms Slinking by like the graves of lost angels Withstand another mighty thunderbolt, Know that beauty and deceit are one Filtering the sky with black binds of softest wind. Keep you there down by the bay of whistling words, Gulls flock south, fly over, sit down. There is a place I know, full of light and sorrow Where troubles go to be intertwined with their destinies. Form and shape of the mind, six strings on the highway Everlasting truth, marching forth with an axe To carve up the remains of what we all once knew. Red, the color of violence. Green, the color of life. Breathe in me the Yuletide flavor, and Let ambivalence take care of the rest. Situation is now in hand. "And you wrote this by yourself?" said May, looking over the paper. Janine smiled. "Yeah. Course, I don't know if it's deep or just nonsensical. I was really going for a ‘blah' kind of feel to it, like I was going crazy." "It's kind of beautiful," admitted May as she handed it back. "Want to read mine?" "You brought it with you?" "You brought yours." "Yeah, well...I wanted you to read it." She was flustered, May could tell. Pride bound next to anxiety. May smiled and gave Janine her poem. I think I shall go to the store I pray to myself it's no bore Proud as I am of my fitting tie, I know in my heart it can only lie My feet move with independence yet, The train of thought is still not set Will it derail, I fear, before I reach my goal? Or will it come safely to the station and oh, I wish some things went faster: my feet, Their speed succeeds over my mind, defeat. I go through the door, wonder where I should go, Infinite places, but only a second to choose. "I call it ‘Confusion'," Tramble announced. Janine made a face. "I can see why." "Give me that!" she snapped playfully, yanking the paper away. Bautista laughed, then sighed. There, in the back of her mind—a twitch, a twinge, a twist if you will. Take your shirt off. You silly fool, you wore your bikini just in case you changed your mind. It's a warm enough day, so why not? May's practically ogling you anyway. Give her something she can really drool about— "How much time did you say you had?" asked Janine, who'd do anything to think of something else. May shrugged. "All day. But I can't stay out late." "Yeah, school." Twitch-twinge-twist. May all of a sudden wanted to kiss Janine. Stop it, I'm not gay. Sigh. "It's not that bad, is it?" said Bautista, noticing her friend's long face. May cringed. "Uh, no, I wasn't thinking about school. I was actually, uh...thinking about the elephant that found its way into our room." "The what?" "You ever heard the term ‘the elephant in the room'? Where people will talk about everything except the obvious? I think it's time we mentioned the elephant." And with that, a flicker of bravery: May held Janine's hand. They both knew what that meant. "Yeah," said Janine, drawing in a deep breath. "But not here, okay? Let's go somewhere else." "Private?" If it was possible, Janine might've blushed mentally. A private place with May? She was afraid she'd do something...inappropriate. Afraid...and excited. Stop it, I'm not gay. And neither is she. "Oh, um, not a good idea? Well...I'm sure you don't wanna hang around a public place either. I really don't want this conversation to be overheard." "Yeah, me neither. Let's sit over at that bench." May noticed an isolated part of the park that had several empty, worn-out benches adorned here and there. It looked a little too secluded for her taste, but at least they wouldn't be tempted to do anything...improper. Her hand lifted itself up from Janine's grasp, and the two made the journey across endless fields of grass, now fully awake from their long cold slumber. ............ There was a piece by Bach trickling through the restaurant as Abby and Hitomi wove their way to their seats, but neither woman could identify it off the top of their heads. It was certainly no fugue, at least. "Sarah would know," Abby stated as they sat down—or rather, Hitomi pulled out a chair for her. Keeping grinned and sat, staring not at her lover's cleavage as she was sometimes prone to do (hey, even she had her weak moments), but her shortened hair. As Hitomi sat, it ruffled a little around her ears. Abby grew a soft, kind smile, and tilted her head to look at her beloved in a new light. "You know, now that I really look at it, it does make you look good. I can't quite say if it's sexy or cute or pretty, but it's nice. I like it. But that doesn't mean I won't be happy to have that long luscious chest-tickling hair of yours back either." The two chuckled softly, and called up glasses of water and a bottle of Chardonnay. Then they skimmed their menus, peeking at this and that idly, like cows deciding which plot of land to chew up. Abby checked the low-fat section—she wasn't exactly the lean mean figure she once was, and wanted to hold onto this reasonable, womanly weight as long as possible. Wretched Hitomi, on the other hand, could have anything she wanted and not feel guilty. The little fox barely tipped 100 on the scale. "I really wish I had your body," Abby sighed longingly. Without peering away from the menu, Hitomi showed utmost intrigue. "Oh? And do you mean that physically, or...sexually?" "Both," Abby giggled. "Tomi-chan" grinned. "We'll get to that later. I think I'll have...the Tuscan Salad with the soup of the day. You?" "I'm still deciding." But inwardly, Damn! That sure does look good! She's got really great tastes. I can't order what she has...can I? It's a special occasion; I should have something sensible. ...Hmm, Santa Fe chicken. All right, I'll bite. What the hey; you're only in this position once. When they were ready, they placed their orders and smiled at each other, savoring that great golden period between the time of ordering and the time of receiving. Ahh, the joys of conversation... About eighteen minutes passed, and with it the music. It was now Mozart. "Tomi-chan," Abby said as she sipped her water, "I have to pull a Mia Wallace on you and powder my nose. Will you be a dear and wait to eat for me if the food should come quickly?" "Of course. I wouldn't be a lady if I didn't." "Thanks." Abby smiled and toddled off to the women's restroom, where she stopped in front of a mirror for a long time, contemplating herself and her relationship with the beauty called Hitomi. Two years...and five months of dating, not counting that dry spell of theirs. Was she ready for the next step? They had overcome friendship, overcome romance, overcome sex, even the brief separation and reunion. Now they were solid, and Abby thought that this was the time, just before May and the end of the semester, to bring things up to the next plateau. She had asked Hitomi to come to Anima for a reason—now she was going to fulfill that reason. As she made sure everything looked all right, another lady came out of one of the stalls, a slightly older blonde who looked serious and intellectual. She gave Keeping a civil smile and started washing her hands. Abby ignored her and sighed deeply. "I'm a little nervous," she said out of the blue. The blonde gave her a smile of support. "About what?" "I came all this way for a special moment in my life. I'm with my sweetheart now, and we...we've been strong together for quite some time now. I told myself that I would do something extra special today, and so I'm a little nervous." "Oh." She looked faintly interested, like if Abby had told her she won fifty dollars in the lottery. "Well, it happens. The important thing to do is just to do it." "Yeah, I know." Abby then grinned, faced this total stranger, and told her the secret. "Um, actually...I'm going to ask my lover to marry me tonight—right here in this restaurant." "Oh really!" This brightened the blonde's mood, and she gave Abby a sweet smile. "That's really wonderful, and so romantic! It's refreshing to see a woman asking a man to marry her." Abby grinned bashfully, not quite sure how to break the news to this nice lady. Best to just be honest. "Um, actually, I'm not asking a man to marry me. My lover's another woman. Uh...I hope you don't have any problems with that!" The blonde's smile froze, then faded just enough that Abby could tell she did. But then it returned, and the enthusiasm along with it. "...Oh. Oh. Well, uh, I'm sorry for assuming, but...you know." "It's all right, I understand. ...She is a really wonderful lady." "She must be," mused the blonde, "if you're telling a perfect stranger about it." "I know!" Abby laughed, then showed her "new friend" the ring. With her salary, it was a miracle she could afford the box, let alone the jewel. But Hitomi was worth it. A few extra words of support and best wishes later, Keeping parted ways with the blonde, walked out of the bathroom, and made her way to her table, where Madsen was patiently waiting for her. The dinner, unfortunately, was not. "Sorry," Madsen shrugged. "Unlike Mia Wallace, your food was not here for you when you arrived." "It's okay, I don't mind." I had something much better here anyway. ............ "Look, let's be reasonable about this," spoke May after a thick, awkward pause. "I mean, I'm going to be eighteen soon, and you're sixteen. We're not kids, so let's handle this like adults." "Right." "No running away, no denial, nothing of that sort. And if we get scared, well...let's wait until we're comfortable to confront the problem again." "Agreed. So should I start?" "If you want." Janine took a deep breath. It was such a beautiful day... "I'm scared, May," she admitted. "When I'm around you as a friend, I enjoy myself. We haven't known each other long, but you're already as close to me as the others are. I think of you as one of my best friends. But...when we get...intimate, it scares me to death. Like...when we kissed for the school musical, and every other time following that. I mean, I've got no problem giving you a little peck here and there, it's just that...when it lingers...I get scared." "Do you...I mean, are you afraid you might become gay?" "...It's not that," Janine whispered. "I don't even think I would really mind if it were just that easy. But it's not. It's like, every time we're intimate, I feel a part of my own identity is being lost. Like I'm trading part of my soul for all those kisses." "So...is that why you're scared?" "A-huh." Janine gave a watery smile and rubbed her legs, feeling the roughness of the denim. She had never told anybody that little secret except May—the rest of her friends thought she was just in denial. "Plus," she added bashfully, "when I was a first-year student at Stanton, this older girl came onto me in the worst way. I don't like to admit it, but I think a part of me enjoyed it. I mean, yeah, it was a sensual experience, but...it was with a girl. So I got scared and ran off, literally. I think after that moment, I would just get frightened if I saw other girls doing that. And lucky me, enrolling in an all-girls school." She chuckled dryly, but looked so depressed that May wished she could comfort her friend without it feeling weird. "May I ask a question?" she said. Janine nodded. "Did you ever think...you might be scared of it because you enjoyed it?" Janine looked over, silent. She expected this one to pop up, but May spoke with kindness, not in the lewd tone her friends usually carried. "The thought did pass my mind," she admitted. Her voice was now tight, strained, unsure. Not-Janine, in other words. "Sometimes I thought I did. I...think I was afraid to be gay, like you said, but I was also afraid of losing my identity. If I...turned out to be like that after all, and not the great straight little girl I thought I was, then...I don't think I could've handled it. You know...homosexuality isn't received very well in this world. But it's not even that. Aside from all the names, all the stereotypes, all the mocking and the leering, I was afraid of the mystery of it all. I didn't know what made people do that, and I didn't know why so many people thought it was wrong, and I didn't know why, to this day, some people shudder or wince just by the name of it. If I tell someone I have a boyfriend, they smile. If I tell them I'm gay, they give me that look. You know the one." Yes, May did. She knew the look well. June got it all the time. But she seemed happy even with her lot in life, and whether being a lesbian was really inherited through genes or a decision of hers, she seemed content no matter what—truly "gay" in the ultimate sense. But Janine wasn't June, and May wasn't June. Nobody was June except for June Rhea Tramble, so Janine and May could only account for themselves. They had to figure things out on their own. "Janine," said May quietly, "I think I better say something too. Over the months we've known each other, I have grown fond of you. I didn't think I'd have any friends in my senior year, but I guess fate and Miss Madsen had different ideas. And when you say we're close, I agree. I really love you, in the sorority sense. And at times I thought I was even attracted to you. I'll admit," she added with a chuckle, "sometimes I did enjoy kissing you. I thought I was gay, like my sister, and if that sort of thing is genetic, I guess I really am. I say it's a choice, but...what do I know? I'm no expert. I just......yeah, it's confusing. A lot of nonsense. Why anyone would want to choose that way of life is beyond me, but...again, what do I know? "I've got a point," she noted—"somewhere." The two laughed quietly, and May took Janine's hand in her own again. They didn't do anything else, they just held onto each other's fingers quietly. "We sure do have a lot of things to sort out, don't we?" "Yeah, definitely! But...it's good we can talk. I'd hate to feel awkward around you. Maybe I was also scared of that. Look at me, a big coward..." The two laughed—Janine could poke fun at herself without feeling glum about it—and purely on impulse, May kissed Janine's cheek. The two were silent afterwards, not knowing whether they had ruined or strengthened their relationship with that gesture. Janine turned her head around to face the older woman, and for a moment, her mind was clear. She leaned over and, by her own free will, pressed her lips softly against May's mouth, keeping them there for a good four or five seconds. When they pulled away, there didn't seem to be any friction—yet. "Well," managed a nervous Bautista, "I think we've made progress. Or maybe we've just went around in circles. What's the status of our relationship again?" May laughed out loud, and gave her dear friend a hug, blessed fool. "Oh, best friends, at the least—at the least!" "Sure, why not?" Janine whispered, her face very close to May's. She smiled tenderly and rubbed her nose against the older girl's cheek, until both their noses were together and kissing softly. May sighed dreamily, closed her eyes, and leaned forward to take Janine's soft heavenly lips into her own; her hair was just as soft, delicate and smooth. But Janine pulled away soon, a little red in the face. "Sorry," she breathed, "I didn't mean..." "No, sorry, it's my fault. Once again we get carried away." Bautista rolled her eyes and sighed, placing her head on her friend's shoulder, feigning agony. "We're not dykes, are we?" May giggled and shoved her friend back up. "No, of course not! At least I'm not. I'm not so sure about you, missy!" "Me?! You're the one who rubbed my nose! I was just gonna give you a little peck on the cheek!" "Well, yeah, but......you started it!" "Nuh-uh!" "Yuh-huh!" A pause. Then, laughter. "Yeah, we're really acting like adults here." It was getting late, so May volunteered to drive Janine home. The younger woman thought there was still some issues they needed to cover, so she didn't quite get out of the car just yet. May parked out by the street, next to the Bautista mailbox, and rolled the windows down before shutting the engine off. The late April night air was a bit cool, but hardly unbearable. The two girls made their way to the backseat so they'd have a more comfortable place to speak. "Something on your mind?" said May. Janine looked over and took a breath. "Ahh...no, not really. I just thought we had some other problems to go over, but we can do that another time. It's late." "Oh? You don't strike me as the procrastinating type." "Well, usually I'm not," she smirked. "But sometimes!" The girls grinned—and that seemed to be it. Their conversation was effectively dead and buried. Nothing to do now but...nothing? Janine couldn't just sit in May's car all night and do nothing, but she stayed behind, as if something was weighing her down, keeping her there... "Janine?" whispered May, looking directly at her. She could feel her heart thudding nervously, and her palms started to sweat. Uh-oh. That was trouble. "Yeah?" she whispered back. Scoot, scoot—May was closer. "Um...can..." She didn't go any further than that. Just...dead, right there. She raised her hand and placed it on the younger woman's jaw, and two pairs of brown eyes stared at each other across the tiny chasm. A bridge was soon formed, first from a timid blossom, then into a beautiful flower. Janine closed her eyes and touched May's face, brushing back the long dark hair she had grown out (now effectively making her resemble her twin all the more), and let their bridge linger, strengthen, and solidify. The kiss was long, deep, and too meaningful to have been fake. This was no act; that had been a real kiss. Another began as soon as this one ended, sweet and soft—then another, two mouths inhaling the scent and flavor of each other. Another, another, another, several passionate ones in succession. They could no longer find the strength or willpower to stop themselves, so absorbed were they in the rosy embraces of each other. They continued—kiss, kiss—until slowly, they—kiss, kiss—drifted away, their russet eyes burning gently. There was no fear. "Hey May," Janine whispered, forgetting her friend hated that. She ignored it. "Yeah?" "Remember what we did at New Year's?" "...Yeah." A cute, shy smile came. "Y'wanna do it again?" "...Sure." For awhile, nothing happened. They were lost in the auburn labyrinth. Then, their lips met again, opening slowly to gasp the moistness of each other. A slick tongue crept out, touching another; the two interacted and felt one another, sensing for danger or...companionship. Janine slid her tongue through, past May's lips and into her mouth, invading with a welcome moan. May's tongue embraced the slippery moist pink dart inside its home; it curled around, touching and tasting until it decided to softly fight back, and slipped through its defenses into Janine's mouth. The tender pink explorer touched the damp cavern with utmost serenity, and was pulled back to safety by the original inhabitant, where the two embraced again and, in little time, made sweet love together. In short, Janine Bautista and May Tramble Frenched each other stupid. Without ever realizing it, Janine put her hands beneath May's short-sleeved shirt and had lifted it off in a moment. But even then she was uncontrollable, and went after the older girl with a renewed frenzy, now feeling naked skin and the delicate undergarment clasped over it. Her head swam with dizziness as she felt her own shirt being removed, and the two resumed kissing, touching, sighing softly with a single breath, their bodies now touching with a new, sharp, electric feel. Janine finally let May have some air, but only to briefly pin her down. There was now no question: she leered at the girl with lust in her eyes. May had girl's khakis on, but not for long, and soon Janine was in her underwear as well. After that...oh, after that, a labyrinth became the least of their worries; they were soon totally lost in the maze of Other, of Not-Me, of something else too wonderful to abandon. May held Janine and left no boundary uncrossed—and tumbled most ungraciously when she attempted to gain a dominant hand. Janine's head bumped up against the door's handle, shaking her out of her madness. She grunted and let out a soft laugh; May just beamed. "Oh, sorry! Did you hurt yourself?" "Yeah, your...doors are vicious!" She smiled merrily and rubbed her wounded noggin—then, as if waking from a dream, noticed that she and her friend were almost naked. And they had been making out rather passionately. Oh dear. "Wow, we really fogged the whole place up," said May, noticing the ghostly residue on her car's windows. She smiled at her companion, heedless to her own semi-nudity, and added, "Good thing I rolled down the windows, or we'd suffocate!" "...Uh, yeah..." Uh-oh. May knew that look. Janine was starting to get scared. She smiled sadly, cursing her ineptitude. They had been so close to... Wait a minute! Am I regretting the fact that we didn't go all the way?!!? Oh my gosh...am I really a... "Sorry," she whispered. "Did I break our moment?" "...Yeah," answered the other, smiling softly. "But that's all right. I'm glad. We shouldn't have done that. ...Sorry." "It's okay. Uh...here are your clothes." "Thanks." They stiffly dressed, not saying a word. They had to struggle to fit into their jeans and khakis, but the awkwardness of the moment made everything ten times more unbearable. They said nothing as they both got out of the car, but May knew she couldn't leave it like that. "Hey, Janine, uh...just out of curiosity, were you scared at any time?" Bautista frowned in thought. Could she really be honest with herself, or with May? "Right now? Yeah. I was frightened back then. But not while we were kissing. I wasn't scared then." ............ They had just finished their main course, and dessert would be along shortly, so now seemed like a good time. In front of the entire Anima clientele, Abigail Marie Keeping knelt down and gave a modest proposal. "Hitomi Leah Madsen, will you marry me?" And, through tears and choked words, Hitomi managed to answer her love. "...Yes!!!"
Back to All Girls School Index - Back to Original Fiction Shoujo-Ai Fanfiction