"Double Date" When Erica Fox told her sister she hadn't yet spoken to Amina about her feelings or any possible relationship, Alisha's eyes widened and she let out a loud "Whaaaaat?!" Then, "Why not? You like her, right? She's just your type, right? And you said yourself you'd like to go on double-dates with me, so why not? Come on! Are you a coward?" "No," insisted her younger sister firmly. "I'm just not as outgoing or confident about myself as you are. And speaking of which, what about your so-called girlfriend?" Alisha gave her baby sister a foxy smirk, rested her hands atop her head, and winked triumphantly. "Already taken care of. I just shook off some of the ol' charm, and I had her eating out of my hand in no time." "Gross." Alisha ignored her sister's grimace and resumed. "Oh, you should've seen the cute look on her face when she realized little old me was interested in her. She was pretty before, but whoa! Shy girl alert! And she doesn't even wear glasses or a skirt!" "Yeah, you'd like that," muttered Erica. Alisha heard her but pretended not to. "So how in the world did you do it? I mean, Nomi's a first-year student, and they're not usually so aware of themselves. And you're a senior. So you don't mind the age difference, the possible awkward moments, the idea that she may think of you as a friend and not... what else?" "It's all good." Erica frowned and pouted. "You suck. You really do. Well, tell me your secret." "Confidence." A pause. "And a good smile. Having something in common helps. Nomi's killer at the axe. What do you and Amina share?" Erica groaned. "I don't know—math class." "Lunch?" "I'm not sure." "You go and find that out tomorrow. I didn't specify a date for all of us, because I wasn't sure if you'd chicken out or not. Well, guess it helps to prepare." "You're awful!" Erica screamed, pushing her sister as hard as she could. Alisha laughed merrily and caught herself with ease. She thumbed her nose at her poor sibling, and got smacked in the shoulder once before she eased up and surrendered. "Okay, okay! Sor-ry!" ......... Two days earlier... Alisha Fox smiled warmly as Nomi Nakatori left Miss Johansson's music class, and joined her. Fox had borne a fondness to Nomi almost since the first day of school: she was young, smallish, a little thin, and had a natural tannish color to her skin, given to her by her ancestors, who had been natives to that country long before Alisha's family came to the states some long years ago. They shared music class and music skill: Alisha had learned to play many instruments during her youth, and appreciated most anything plucked, blown, or pounded upon—and Nomi was a guitarist. Nomi was the kind of girl who could be confident and insecure at the same time, not knowing where her path led but able to walk it all the same. She was fairly a loner—she was usually found by herself after school, practicing until her mother came by to pick her up—but if anybody paid her any attention, her nature would change into a friendly, outgoing personage. Alisha was physically attracted to her, but what she really loved was the younger girl's gifts. They had become friends early and often practiced together; now Alisha wanted to take the next step. And there she was, walking right beside her with a smile. Perfect. "Nomi," she greeted. The younger girl smiled. "Fox." She usually called people by their last names. "Been up to anything besides trouble?" "Oh, you know me." They both laughed. "Say Nomi?" "Yeah?" It was time to make her move. "You doing anything over the weekend? My sister and I want to get outside one more time before it starts getting cold, and I was thinking you could come and bring Kevin." Kevin was the name that Nomi had given her guitar. "Sure, sounds great." Nomi was smiling, which was a good thing, but Alisha knew she had to come clean with the younger girl. "Great! Oh, um, this is hopefully gonna be a double date. My sister's bringing somebody else with her." "A date?" "Yeah! What, is there something wrong?" Nomi hesitated for awhile, and for good reason. She had never gone on dates before, not even double-dates, and she had certainly never been asked by another girl. The thought disturbed her, but it was not unthinkable or even unattractive. Shrugging, she considered it wouldn't be so bad, and said there wasn't anything wrong, she'd love to, what time should she be there? Alisha said she would call Nomi as soon as her sister confirmed a good time. ......... "I didn't set a time because, well like I said, I wasn't too sure. And it looks like my hunch proved right." "A-li-sha...!" Erica whined out her sister's name, looking sad and angry and disappointed all at once. "That was terrible of you! Now I'll have to say something to Amina!" "Well, yeah, that's kinda what I was going for." "Look," said Erica gently, taking her sister's gaze and hand, "I want you to be happy, and I want you to go out with Nomi, so just forget about me and go by yourself. I'll only be getting in the way." "I specifically said it'd be a double date," emphasized her sister, squeezing the hand she held. "And in order for that to happen, you've got to suck it up and go talk to that girl. Erica, trust me—she'll go for it. Even if you disguise this as just an outing between friends, it'll still work." "Yeah, but—" "Just do it, okay? I'll be there with you if you need me." Erica's face darkened as she looked down. She loved her sister, but sometimes the girl could be such a bully. At least this time, though, she was bullying in a positive manner: she wanted Erica to be happy. She finally caved under the pressure, though she didn't sound enthusiastic. "Not too nearby, okay? I don't want you embarrassing me." Alisha kissed her sister's forehead. "I'll be on the sidelines, I promise. Don't worry, you'll do fine. She'll fall for you instantly." "Bleah." The next day... A few people might not have been attracted to Amina Washim because she carried a few more pounds on her frame than most girls did her age and height, but Erica thought she was very pretty. Like Nomi, she was a first-year student, and like Nomi, she had a tannish, pale-bronze color to her face—but their origins were totally different. Amina was Arabian, and she wore a shawl that covered most of her bobbed black hair during the day. She wore very plain, baggy clothes, and had small glasses that made her look as smart as she acted. The girl seemed to radiate many traits typical of a shy girl with glasses, but she had an artistic side to her that enabled her to break out of any molds and step into other realms. She was one of Mrs. Keys' best students, and Erica liked her a lot. So naturally, when a shy girl approaches a shy girl, it takes a great deal for either of them to open up. "Hi, Amina," whispered Erica to the younger girl as she sat next to her. Amina looked up from her drawing and smiled. "Greetings." "What're you drawing?" Erica politely leaned over to see what it was. Amina's skill was in a pencil: she had first specialized in still life, then gradually moved on to people. Amina's method was to first take photos of the person in the pose she was looking for, then she could take her time and draw from the photo instead of a squirming, fidgety person. She had drawings of many parts and angles of the human body, paying special concentration to feet, hands, ears, certain curves here and there... Her models were everyday people, not always skinny or "attractive", and they were rarely in suggestive or special poses, except during those infrequent times Amina wanted to get "this angle" right. "I asked Mrs. Keys to be my model today," she answered. Erica didn't share the art class with Amina, but she did share a lunch; Amina had several photos of the pretty art teacher with her. "She has a very elegant, realistic figure, quite pretty with a touch of sadness; I can see where age and a life abstaining from great physical labor affects her. Notice how thin her limbs are, in contrast to her waist and bust." Erica blinked and stared hard at the sketch. It was in its early crude form, but even then, the resemblance was uncanny. "It's beautiful." "Thanks, but I'm still a little off." Amina resumed her work, glancing at the photos she had taken every so often. Each picture was set at a different angle, some close and some far, others curved or twisted, and a few paid very close attention to details Amina knew she was weak in. Watching the young girl draw was entrancing; Erica nearly forgot why she had come. "Uh, listen, Amina," she managed, "are you doing anything this weekend? Like Saturday?" "No, not yet. Why?" "Well... my sister, uh... you see... she kinda wanted to do something with me, and she's bringing somebody with her, and she kinda... encouraged me to bring someone I wanted, and... I kinda told her I like you, so... you know... she sort of pushed me into asking you. I mean, if you don't want to, or if you've got plans, that's okay—I can just call it off if you'd like." Amina didn't say anything for awhile, mostly because she was still trying to filter out what Erica had said. "So is this like... just friends, or what?" Erica visibly winced and prepared herself for the worst. "It's... a date. A double-date. I mean, my sister's going with this girl, and I, uh..." "Oh." Amina didn't look shocked, disappointed, elated, or upset. She didn't look anything at all, except apologetic. "I'm not allowed to date until I'm sixteen. And I'm... not really attracted to women. Sorry." Bam. Like that. Stab. Erica was crushed. She whispered an apology and left, completely embarrassed. She would've kicked herself if Alisha hadn't been behind the corner, awaiting results. "Well, did she—oh, crap." The look on her little sister's face was indication enough that all plans had gone awry. "Oh. Gee..." "I could've told you it would happen," muttered Erica bitterly. Alisha smiled, but not unkindly, as she took her sister's shoulder. "Look, she just needs some encouragement. Let me rephrase it for you and I guarantee we'll have that double-date." "You really shouldn't," began Erica, but Alisha darted off before she could even finish. In a moment she was at Amina's side, checking out the drawing and making idle chatter. Alisha was outgoing, and although she was dressed like a punk, she could be sweet and attractive when she wanted. In three minutes' time, she came back with a broad, successful smile on her face. Erica grimaced. "What did you tell her?" "Like I said, I just rephrased the question. In a mostly-direct quote, what we said is as follows." She held up both her hands, one representing herself and the other Amina, and moved them like sock puppets in conversation. Erica interrupted from time to time, but the gist of the "conversation" went like this: Right: Hi, you're Amina Washim, right? I've got you in my math class, along with my little sister. That's a swell drawing, Amina! Left: Oh, uhh, thanks. It's really not that good. Right: Don't be shy! Listen, word has it that my sister asked you on a date, and you said no. She's really shy, and not good with words, and she really likes you a lot, so she might've said the wrong thing and upset you. Left: Um, no, I'm just too young to date, and I don't like girls. Right: Oh! Well, that's where she went wrong. My sister meant a date as in "go out and chill with you for a few hours", along with me and a friend of mine. It'll just be us four girls going somewhere and having fun, really no pressure at all. She just said it wrong. Left: Oh. Well, I guess that sounds better. I've been meaning to get out more, and I really don't know too many people here. I'm a new student. Right: Transfer or first year? Left: First year. Yeah, sure, I guess I can go out with you guys. What time is good? Right: Whatever time's good for you. Does Saturday at 10:30 sound right? Left: Sure. Where at? Right: The park. Well, see ya there! Left: See ya. By the way, I think your sister's hot, and... I wanna have hot sex with her. "Alisha!" "What?" said the older girl. "That's what she said. It's a direct quote." "Now I know you're not saying it right!" she stated. Alisha smiled and put her hands down, then crossed them. "Look, all jokes aside, she said yes. She may not think it's a date, but as long as the two of you are together, it may as well be. Right?" "...I guess." "Do you really have to guess? Come on, big sister did you a favor. You could smile and be more grateful." Erica gave her sister a limp hug, and added without flavor, "You did good, but I wish you wouldn't interfere so much." "Hey, my intervention got you a date, sister." ......... Saturday. Ten-thirty. Alisha drove the other three girls to the park, since Nomi's mother was sick and Amina's parents were busy. She had the radio on loud, playing a heavy metal song that sounded awfully like a Tasmanian devil instead of a human. Alisha's head banged and her hands slammed on the wheel of the car wildly as the song blared; everyone else, even Nomi, winced and held their ears. They tried shouting, but it was no good, so they had to endure the noise. Nomi did not have the heart to change the station without permission. At last, Alisha's car made it to the park, where the sound died and was replaced by the delicious harmony of silence. Amina's ears, not used to such violence, rang terribly for a long time; Erica and Nomi were at least sort of adjusted to noise, and took less time to fix themselves. Alisha bounded out of the car with a smile, carrying a blanket and a few bags of food she had brought. "You play, Amina?" she asked. Introductions had barely been made before; Amina was shy in front of all the girls, and only the eldest was forward with her. "Um, no... I'm more of a visual artist than an audio one." "Oh yeah, that's right. Erica's completely tone-deaf." "I am not!" Alisha laughed out loud and spread the blanket. Nomi crossed her arms and looked between the two Fox sisters. "Are you sure you're related?" "No," moaned Erica. "We don't even look alike. I swear, one of us has to be adopted." Nomi smiled politely, and tried making friends with the younger girls. Amina brightened to her quickly, and soon they were engaged in conversation, mostly about the marriage between visual and audio art. Alisha gave her sister a raised eyebrow as she saw them smiling and chatting like old friends. "If we're not careful, they'll ditch us." To this, Erica said nothing. Once the blanket and spread was set, the girls sat down and had a quiet lunch, speaking when they were free about this and that. Amina humbly mentioned her sketches, and went out on a limb by bravely asking the others if she could attempt a group portrait next. She had permission, of course, but she wanted to do one later. Nomi and Alisha then struck up their instruments—Alisha brought a small keyboard—and they were lost in sound. Amina scooted over to Erica and gave her a bashful smile. "It looks like we'll be by ourselves for awhile. Miss Nakatori and your sister seem like they could get along." "Yeah. Hey, um, does it bother you knowing that my sister and I are both, um... lesbians?" Amina's face turned a little pale, but she didn't react, except by brushing her black hair away. "I've already discovered that most of Stanton High consists of gay women," she answered. "Either they already know it, or they're waiting for something to bring it out of them, or they're in denial." "Or straight," added Erica, tempted to say "like you". Amina nodded. "I guess every school has people like that—it would just be more difficult to see different-gender pairings in a school like ours. Have you ever had a boyfriend?" "No," replied Erica warmly, "I've known I was gay since I was about twelve. I've just... y'know, never done anything with a girl. Have you?" "No, silly! I told you before." Amina giggled and scooted closer. "I'm not saying I never will, since I can't tell my own future, but I'd at least like to say that I'm not interested now." "And I am." Erica looked right into Amina's cinnamon eyes, her face neutral. "And I like you. But I'm not going to pressure you. Maybe we should just stay friends." "That would be nice. And I do like you. You're much... um... more different than your sister. You're nice." Erica grinned and waved part of her hair away casually. "You should see me when we fight. I'm not a nice person. I'm actually very insecure and sensitive, so even when she teases me or says something casual, I tend to take it out of proportion." Erica gazed down at the green floor, more concentrated on it than Amina, or anything else. She meditated to herself. She looked up briefly, and was surprised to see that her sister had already managed to give Nomi a kiss. Then another. Then another. They smiled. She was parting the younger girl's hair. "How does she do that?" she whispered to herself. "Do what?" asked Amina. "That," pointed Erica, to the little romantic scene. "How does she always charm them like that? She's barely been on this little date for an hour, and already..." "So it was a date?" Erica turned her head and saw that Amina, very slightly, looked like she had been lied to. She sighed sadly. "Only for Erica. I just wanted to get to know you better. Look, it's okay if you don't want to be my girlfriend, really it is. I just thought you were nice, and smart, and pretty, and talented, and I wanted to get to know you... ...Oh, God..." "What?" Erica buried her face in her hands, kneading and twisting and rubbing until the skin nearly came off. Her eyes were bleary when she became unmasked. "This is a date!" she moaned. "It has all the prerequisites! Amina, I'm sorry—" "You didn't know?" "No! I just... I like you, Amina, and that's all, and I thought I'd like being with you—but I think maybe I already ruined it. Do you... I mean, don't you think... isn't this stupid of me? I thought... oh, shoot!" Erica snorted and shook her head, giving poor Amina a very sad look. Washim pursed her lips. Fox was right: this had been a date, and she was unaware of it. Rather, it had turned into one, but not by any fault of theirs. It just became one without their knowing it. Amina wasn't angry or hurt, but she was very apprehensive. She edged even closer to Erica and took her hand. "It's not your fault. I mean, did you want to go out with me?" Erica faltered. "Yes." "As a friend or... whatever?" "Both... I guess. But friend first." Amina smiled. "Then we're going out as friends. There's no harm in that." "You sure?" She nodded her head, and Erica immediately felt her burden cast off her chest. She gasped with relief and smiled, nearly hugging Miss Washim on the spot. "Whew! So you're not mad?" "No, of course not. But I'm also not interested. I mean, I'm interested in you—with you, not in you. I mean... I like you, I just don't like you like that, if that makes any sense." "No, but... good enough!" exclaimed Fox, grinning happily. Amina smiled too, then made a face and asked Erica to turn around. Alisha and Nomi had long ago abandoned their instruments for each other instead. Erica screamed. "Oh for heaven's sake, give yourselves some air!!!" ............ Kathlyn Parkin was in an awkward state of undress when Alexis Walker greeted her. The smile was broad and the wave was happy, and everything about Lady X suggested a positive atmosphere—but of course, the Badgers had won a crucial game. Parkin had nearly been a wall, stopping balls left and right, all the while clutching her inhaler. Alexis Walker had taken it upon herself to protect the frail girl whenever possible, and with her ferocious defense in the play, it was little wonder the opposing team scored so low. Walker had stepped into the locker room to congratulate Parkin; she caught her still changing. "Hey, Kathlyn!!" she shouted. "Awesome game out there, girl! Gimme some palm!" Katt's smile and high-five were weaker than Alex's, probably because she was nowhere near as wild or athletic, or dressed. Alex gave her a friendly shove and continued: "Man, we killed out there! Four to nothing! Best score I've seen in two years! The last time we had anything that one-sided, Fire-hands herself was still with us. You remember Fire-hands?" "You mean Fenrir? A little. She kinda bullied me." "Ah, she wasn't so bad. Killed on the field. Won MVP. She graduated way before her time; she was here only one season. Man, she was the best!" Katt merely nodded, not really into the conversation. "X" Walker intimidated a lot of people, and in spite of her upbringing, Parkin could still be flustered by a little effort. X was friendly with her, though, because she respected her as a player in spite of her weak lungs. "So, uh, you wanna go out and celebrate? I'm heading out with some of the girls, and we're gonna go to that club out there—that club for teens. No cover charge! Wanna come?" "I, uh... I dunno." "You got any obligations?" X wouldn't have been pushy if she knew Katt had other plans, but so far, Parkin really didn't have anything to do. Her parents were off somewhere, and she had completed most of her homework. The weekend was coming up, and Walker's offer would be the perfect way for her to stick to her forgotten New Year's resolution: get out more often. "No," she said with a smile, "not really." "Killer. You drive?" "I'm licensed, but I don't have a car." "Bummer. Well, I can take you." "All right. Who's coming?" "Just some girls. A few from Stanton, some from Rodgerson's, Laudendale, the works." Katt smiled impishly. "Any guys?" "A few. Why, you interested?" Kathlyn took a very deep breath, and shook herself in defeat. "I... don't... know." "Well, whatever. Any way's fine. I'm just saying. Anyway, tell me where you live and I'll pick you up. No hassle." Katt gave her instructions, slightly embarrassed about revealing the poor quality of her neighborhood. Walker didn't seem to care, and shot back up to her feet once she had her information. She left with a mischievous smirk, and just had to add, at the last second, "By the way, you look really sexy in those panties." When Kathlyn composed herself and got dressed, she walked outside and prepared herself for a more relaxing few days than merely spending time at home with her brothers. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted her teacher and coach, the woman nearly everyone addressed casually, and smiled. Whether dressed for work or play, Leena always managed to look cute and breathtaking. Her height and muscular body might've set some people into discomfort, but she was so eager to smile and lend a helping hand that the extra features gave further depth to her beauty. Katt had secretly whispered to herself her feelings towards Leena, and felt good after "admitting" to it. Her heart jumped in panic, though, as the resident school heartthrob, Abi Cerio, approached Leena. They chatted and laughed. They took hands. They embraced. Katt saw Abi take hold of Leena's adorable face and kiss it in several places. Her ribcage felt like a serrated knife was cutting through it. Leena had a girlfriend, and she was the most gorgeous woman in the whole school, probably the whole county. But then she remembered one of her favorite sayings, something she knew that separated her from all other people: there was more than one path. Alexis Walker. The wild, mildly dangerous woman had openly flirted with her. Katt smiled, easily imagining herself in Alexis' embrace. She knew from overhearing conversations that Walker was single, and looking, and she was attracted to women. Parkin had to admit, returning that kind of attraction would not be bad. Alexis Walker... and Katt Parkin. It sounded nice. Better than solidarity, anyway. She went searching for her and found her, idling around against the outside north wall, facing a tree that had been planted in memory of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, whom the school had been named after. "X!" she shouted, catching Walker's attention. The slightly younger woman was standing around with a few other buddies, but she could still hear. Katt ran over to her, shouting, "I have an idea!" "What?" "How bout' I just hang out with you until the party?" "Suits me." X gave a charming smile, and Katt found herself a little embarrassed as she joined the more athletic woman, along with several friends and strangers. She felt left out still, but at least she had company. Deep inside, though, her heart ached for Leena. ......... Saturday night came slowly, like any day that bore expectancy. Being with Alexis all day was a little too much excitement and trouble for poor Katt to handle, even though the younger woman tried including her in everything. The group mostly lounged, walked around aimlessly, and talked about nothing. Sometimes they ducked into coffee houses, cafes, and poetry dives, and once they ventured into an old records store where a friend of X's worked. Katt got to know a few of the wilder women in school, particularly Zane Klein and Ivory Tran, who were also on the team. "It's just about that time," said Aintzane out loud, flipping her phone closed as they walked down the street. "Love's got some new birds for us to meet. She says they're both single, one recently so. You think we could triple-date?" "I will if the kitten's game," said Alexis casually. Katt knew she was referring to her, and in a burst of courage and excitement, she said yes. Alexis grinned warmly; Zane held a thumb out. "Well, if Love's interested in one of her chicks, I can just hold onto the other. Think she'll be my type?" "Que sera," replied Ivory. "I'm not going, though." "That's right, miss Annie's down with something. We'll miss you, Ive, but you gotta take care of your bird." "She's not... we're not official." The words sounded like they were hard to say. Ivory made a face. Her phone rang, and she walked off to answer it. It was Farrah. Meanwhile, Katt spoke up again and asked what in the world everyone was talking about. "You know a girl named Hero? She's in our P.E. class. Wild chick, real sweet, got tattoos, sorta all over the place?" "Oh yeah, her." "She's bringing some friends along. The last time she brought friends to the club, Zane here got laid." "The relationship was disappointingly temporary," snorted Klein airily. "And Love was with a guy." "So she's... straight? But you said she'd hook up with—" "She's bi, totally and completely." Zane said it like it was a bad thing; Katt still didn't understand. She decided to be quiet and save her questions, because they would probably only puzzle her more. Walker was distant for the time being. Ivory hung up and called out to them. "Guys, I'm going home! Farrah needs my help on a project!" "Sucks to be you!" called out X. "But do what'cha have to. Good luck with Annie!" Tran murmured something to herself and waved farewell; the girls found Alexis' car at last and climbed inside. It had an unusual smell to it, not of leather or smoke or food, that Katt found very hard to forget. In a moment they were off, and so was the sun: evening was upon them. Inoffensive techno music throbbed and darted around the large club's dance floor, changing tempo every now and then—slow, quick, slower, quick, quicker, slow, stop. Katt had never been to a rave, nor even to a harmless weekend dance like that. There were no drugs and very little sex, just fun between people of all kinds. Men danced with men, women danced with women, men and women danced together. It was a wild, confusing, colorful place, somewhere Katt had never been to before. She felt the excitement stir in her blood, and was vaguely aware of somebody dragging her out on the floor. Zane and Alexis danced, two wild women on different sides of the alphabet, and Katt was pulled in with them where she slowly loosened and lost herself. A lot of people were making fools of themselves and loving it. Many people could not dance at all, and they smiled. Some did poorly. Very few did nothing. Kathlyn decided to let go and surrender herself—after all, whenever would she have that opportunity again? During the middle of one particularly upbeat song, Zane jumped over to her and pointed to three beautiful girls just coming in. "That's Love and her birds," she indicated. Kathlyn recognized Hero Love because, frankly, the woman could not be forgotten. She was wild and loud, but very gentle in person; she was born for fun. Her friends she knew as well, though they were both dressed much more conservatively, and they looked gorgeous because of it: Olivia Johnson and Ayanna Montgomery, if memory served her. Hero tried dancing with both, but Olivia snuck off. Zane joined them. "Yo, girl!" "Klein-o-matic!" Klein and Love bashed elbows in greeting, and brief introductions were made before they got back into the music. It was plain even that early on that Hero would be with Ayanna, who looked to be having the time of her life. Olivia limply stood off to the side, looking lonely and a little sad. Katt's heart went out to her, but Zane got to her first. She couldn't see what happened after, because Walker was already jerking her around. "C'mon! Whoa! Wahoo!" Alexis screamed and yawped; Kathlyn laughed out loud and performed her best—secret dance moves she had invented during private times. X cheered her on and tried copying the simple movements. Out of the corner of her eye, Parkin saw Zane and Olivia dancing, though Johnson really didn't seem to be in it. The song changed and became intimate. Walker gave her a very seductive stare. Katt sucked on her inhaler. Breathe, girl. In a move that was completely out of her character, Zane shyly backed away from Olivia. The younger woman looked grateful for it, and sidled off to get a drink. Zane yawned and waved her shoulders back and forth in a mild dance—she was now occupied. Olivia did not return to Klein's side; she found herself lost in the crowd and ended up dancing with a group of strangers. Breathe. Hero Love gyrated, twisted, and waved hypnotically. Ayanna's caramel-colored face lit up as she smiled and turned. The girls were rubbing up against each other; now they were waltzing, holding each other; now they clasped hands and moved with slow speed; now they wiggled up and down, closer and closer, smiling like drunks. Hero cheered. Ayanna suddenly lashed out after her and forced their faces to crash, the impact softened by their lips. Hero was visibly surprised, but she returned the kiss eagerly and held Ayanna close. Olivia did not see it; Katt did, and the merge of pale and dark skin, two women, was unbelievably arousing. Breathe, girl. Alexis Walker was now caressing her face, looking deep into her icy-blue eyes. She shivered, though the club was steamy with body heat. She felt a rough hand caress over her short, spiky hair, passing red and black strands; it touched her cheek, her jaw, and Alexis' eyes met hers again, asking whether or not she could go on. Breathless, Kathlyn nodded her head, and felt Walker embrace her in her first kiss. She lost her mind and herself in the haze; the night continued without her knowing it; everything went away into blissful hiding. She moaned and felt her own tongue take the initiative. ............ Corona looked up from her art project to see Alexandra Blair storm in, looking like an angry bull bent on avenging itself upon many matadors. She scanned Mrs. Keys' art room for a few seconds before lashing out with a curse. Her face was anger and Anger, like a madness beyond insanity that had settled upon her and transformed her, all the way to her physical appearance. It was animal rage—Corona had seen it in the lower species when they were especially provoked—but seeing it on a human, her own classmate, was a terrifying experience. Ancelin Yi was home sick. She was not in art class. Furious Hail was mad enough to kill. A little tiny virus had been the only thing that stopped her. Corona bit her lip and tried to get the infuriated woman's attention. The teacher beat her. "Looking for something, Haley?" she asked. Hail calmed down a fraction, but crossed her arms defensively and looked away. The hate made her look hideous. "Yeah... but it's not here." "Well, you can look for it after class. Sit down." Hail complied mutely, but was still stormy. Corona gave her a sad look that went unreturned. She knew that feeling very intimately, as if she had been born with it. She could already read Hail's thoughts and feelings, from so far and so near away: she was experiencing heartbreak beyond human endurance—and such hatred! A Holocaust survivor would've sooner forgiven Hitler than Hail calming down and forgiving whoever had offended her so, but in this direction, Corona Marcos' skills could not go. She edged towards Hail and tried a reconciliation. "What's wrong, Alexandra?" she asked politely. Few people, if any, called her by her birth-name, and those that did were usually beaten or, at best, stared at hotly. "Fuck off!" she snapped, not even bothering to turn her head. Marcos jumped from the sudden attack and took a second to gather herself. "Alex?" "I said fuck off, bitch," she growled, her voice low like a rabid dog's. Corona's heart trembled. Hail's pain was overwhelming; she could physically feel it from that distance by now. She cleared her throat. "Listen... if you want—" "Don't you hear right?" snarled the other woman. That was it for Corona—she had tried her best and failed. She blinked and shook her head, surrendering. "All right, I'm sorry. I'll leave you alone." "You better." She backed off. But the pain was still there; she could even feel it the further she got. Hail looked ready to bite somebody's head off if they so much as brushed by her, but Corona knew that inside, the woman was wailing in misery. She knew that feeling, too. And she wanted to help—but how? It seemed hopeless, but if anybody could help the poor young woman ascend into the light, it would be the only other person who had ever been that deep into the darkness—but she herself had yet to emerge.
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