"No fish and chips?" The masculine-looking woman sighed. "No, I got tired of those in England. They didn't have enough pizza." "But I thought you hated pizza," argued the younger girl. "I thought you were going half-Vegan, and eating only chicken and fish as your meat group." "I was." "But that pizza looks loaded," she observed. She bent her nose over for a good whiff, which would've offended her masculine girlfriend any other day. But she wasn't in a bad mood, just tired. The smaller, more impish woman gave out a satisfied sigh as the drifting column of meaty smells came up into her. "Mm... bacon, ham, pepperoni, sausage, hamburger... this doesn't look like a Vegan meal to me!" "So I'm abstaining from my diet," replied the other, curtly. She grabbed the slice away from her friend and bluntly bit into it, like it was some big block that required the jaws of a shark to eat. The pixie frowned, picking at her own meal, which might or might not have been edible. "Cafeteria food doth suck verily," she groused. "It has a stink and foul smell to it which no creature should have to suffer under. Yae, I say unto you, tis' not fit for the gulls or dung beetles or even thy bum cross' the lane. Tis' a disgust!" The masculine woman, in mid-bite, lowered her eyes and stared darkly at her sprightly companion. "Quit complaining," she mumbled. "It's food, right?" They both sighed. Pixie buried her cheek in her hand, puffed air into the other one, and looked around. "Look at all that," she sighed, indicating the cafeteria as a whole. "There's not an exciting thing happening. Everyone's just minding their boring old business. They haven't got a single spark of fun in them at all. It's like a graveyard in here." "But less pleasant," noted her friend, chewing. She swallowed and added, "Graveyards have flowers. This place looks like something out of a Communist regime." "True, true. Man, this place needs some fun! Hey!" she exclaimed, brightening as suddenly as a lamp being flicked on in the dark, "I got an idea! I know how we can make this place more fun!" Her masculine friend looked up, more intrigued with the scheme than the pie. She saw that same look in her friend's eye, the one that always meant trouble in some form, and was so displeased that she disposed of her prize meal and crossed her arms. "Oh no, I know that look. I know what you've got planned, and you can count me out of it! You won't bring me into it this time! I want no trouble!" "Aw, come on!" The mannish girl twitched her eye. That whiny voice again... It was brutally effective and very hypnotic, and of course her friend brought the big puppy dog eyes and exciting smile. She grunted. Why do I always fall for that stupid look? It's like a magic spell or something! Well I won't go for it this time! I'll put my foot down and-- "Pleeeease???" Damn. "You're so manipulative and evil," sighed the older girl, though anyone could tell that she was going to go along with her friend's wicked (and predictable) idea. Even her friend. She did squeal. "Yay, thanks! I knew you had it in ya!" "Yeah, yeah. You know we're going to get into trouble because of this." "Yeah. But it wouldn't be fun if we didn't." "Say that again in the Headmistress' office." "I will!" One smiled, the other rolled her eyes, but eventually she gave in. The younger, perkier girl pulled her friend's hands towards her, clasped them affectionately, and kissed her beloved's mouth twice. "I love you, honey-bunny!" she gushed. The other smiled duskily. "I love you too, pixie-pie." Pixie suddenly bolted out of her chair, clutching a handful of mashed potatoes, and screamed out loud to the entire assembly. "Hey everybody! FOOD FIGHT!!!" Al Kristopher presents The third chapter in the "All Girls School" series: "Misirlou" "So tell me about Great Britain," greeted Ana Lu to her friend, Rai Zanders. Rai shrugged, and walked down the sidewalk with Ana as they spoke. "What do you want to know?" Ana grinned, impish as ever. "What's legal there and what's not? Is it true that you can legally buy wine before you're 21?" "That's France, Ana." "Oh. Well, what is legal?" "Most everything you'd find over here is legal over there," she said casually. "England is on-and-off better or worse than the U.S. Their crime rate is way down, but their poverty level is higher than ours in some places. Guns are legal there, but you don't see some redneck carrying them in Wales or something. The Scottish aren't anything like Fat Bastard, of course, and people tend to talk more like they did in The Italian Job than in Monty Python. I mean the original." "Right." "But it's not really the stereotypes or what's legal or not; it's just the big differences. I mean, they have the same stuff we have over there, it's just got different names." "Example." "All right. Well, over here, we have a baby carriage, a car trunk, and a toilet, right? Well over there, they call it a pram, a boot, and a loo." "No way." "Yeah. They're also more polite over there, and you'd be surprised how many of them still love the monarchy. Tony Blair just doesn't pull the same influence as their old Queen--well, in some circles anyway." "I didn't know that!" "Yeah. They also drive on the left side of the road." "I knew that," said Ana, and it really was common knowledge. "So how's it like? How long did it take you to get used to it?" "I didn't drive," said Rai, "I took cabs or walked." "Didn't want to take chances, huh?" "Nope, not me!" Ana laughed quietly, and Rai chivalrously opened the door for her friend so they could both go in for their first day of school. Ana let out a squeak as Rai playfully swatted her friend's bottom. "Which room is it?" asked Ana as she and Rai began patrolling the halls. Rai looked at her schedule, a small paper that had been badly folded up. "Uh, two-sixteen." "Two-sixteen?! No thank you!" Rai jerked her head around, seeing the stubborn determination--and perhaps, fear--on her friend's face. "What?" "I'm not going into that room, Rai!" she stated. Ana had come to a full stop, her face clearly showing her concern. Rai rolled her eyes and wondered what superstition had overtaken her friend this time. "Why not? It's just a number." "It is not! It's a bad sign, an omen! It's saying that we're not supposed to go in there! Bad things will happen, Rai! Bad mojo, bad voodoo, bad juju!" "Juju?" Her face curled in confusion. "Look, why are you getting so worked up about it? It's just a bloody number!" "That's your English talking, and I'm not buying it!" she stated. Ana calmed down only long enough to try and prove her point. "Look, do you read the Bible?" "Not a lot." "Well, you should start. It's not a homophobic book, believe me--well, the Old Testament is one big long boring snooze-fest. Anyway," (she blurted, smart enough to know when she was off-track), "you ever read the book of Revelations? Last book of the Bible?" "Yeah, but I don't go for that apocalyptic stuff." "Look, here's what I mean," continued Ana, obviously too steamed up to stop. "In the Bible, they talk about the Beast, or the Antichrist, whichever you wanna call it. They say that you can tell who the Beast is by looking for a number. Now if you've seen The Omen, then you know what I'm talking about, right?" "What, you mean six-six-six? So what? It's just a number. They could've put anything in there to freak people out." "Yeah, but listen!" she blurted, too absorbed in her own rant to cease. "Any old fool can look at 666 and say there's a connection, right? But in the Bible, it says that 'those who have wisdom, let them hear' or something. Well I figure it's not really 666, but a mathematical problem that has something to do with that number." Ana stopped to catch her breath, leaving Rai with time to consider what she was saying. Obviously, this was no happy pixie or dumb blonde talking, but a real woman who had really thought about it and really believed it. She raised her eyebrows, impressed. "You've been looking into this." "I have," she agreed. "You know me. I always research my superstitions. It's really a fun habit. Anyway, I did some math problems concerning the magic number, and I came up with one that has to do with that room number. Now we had the same math teacher last year, so you should know this: what's six times six?" "Thirty-six." "And what's thirty-six times six, or six times six times six?" Rai frowned. She couldn't argue with that. "...Okay, I see your point," she murmured. Rai walked off, but slow enough so that Ana could keep up. "But still, it's just a number. I mean, what does that have to do with anything? Thirteen, seven, twelve, zero, four, five, 666, nine, three... every culture and civilization has had sacred or cursed numbers before, and they've all ended up meaning nothing when it comes to math and the real, physical world. Now grow up." "Poo on you," snorted Ana, sticking her tongue out. Rai pinched the tongue, sending another squeal chilling up her friend's throat. She sighed. "I wonder where that room is, anyway. We've been walking for awhile and haven't found it." "Now you want to find it?" "Just like Mordor," sighed the blonde wearily. "The last place we wanna be, the one place we're trying to reach, and the only one we can't seem to find. ...What? Don't tell me you've never read or seen Lord of the—" "Yes, I have," sighed Rai. "Anyway, you shouldn't ask me. I'm not the architect." "But we're both Stantonites, Rai-chan!" argued Ana, using one of the many pet names she knew her counterpart disliked. "Well, sort of. This is my second year here, so I have an excuse. I don't know my way around! But why don't you know? You're older than I am. You've been going to this school for three years. That summer break in England surely couldn't have wiped your memory out!" "I'm not a Stantonite," stated Rai dully. "This is really my second year, too. I went to Vermont High for two years, then I transferred, then I went to England for vacation, and then I came back here--so I really don't know my way around, either." "Ohhh," groaned Ana, clearly tired of walking and searching for a room she never wanted to find, "just great! And it's not like we can ask for directions! We'll look like a couple of freshmen--or fresh women, whatever." "Greenhorns," suggested Rai. "Yeah, that's it. We'll probably be told to take the purple elevator past the swimming pool or something." "Well we do have an eleva--" Rai suddenly stopped herself, both in speech and movement, as a thought came to her. Ana slowed down and looked back. "What is it?" "...I just thought of something," said Rai softly. She murmured the room number, then looked at rooms all around her. She then sighed in disappointment, covering her face in shame. Ana asked what was wrong a second time, and got her answer. "We're on the wrong floor," sighed her friend in defeat. "We're on the first floor. Two sixteen is on the second. Two sixteen, floor number two." "OH YEAH...!!" Ana made a face and covered one of her eyes, looking both embarrassed and amused at the same time. "Gee, we're a couple of dolts. Well, now we'll know." "We'd better hurry," suggested her friend, or else they'd be late. Ana followed at the faster pace, up the nearest flight of stairs (thankfully, to their unusual fortune, it was close), and found all the doors on the second floor did indeed start with 2. They were close to 249, so they went down the hall until they came to 244, 234, 224, and slowed their haste directly at room 218. Their destination (Ana shuddered and took her friend's hand for support) was just a step away. Rai gave her friend an assuring smile, and opened the door for her. Inside, their teacher was quietly reading a book. The classroom was fairly empty, save for two others that wanted to come early, so Ana and Rai gently snuck inside, trying not to disturb the hush. Their teacher looked up from her book but said nothing. Originally, the two girls wanted to sit together, but that was impossible as every desk had the name of a student taped on, arranged so that it was in alphabetical order by last name. They frowned at each other and went to their assigned seats: Ana Lu in the midsection, Rai Zanders in the back. There they waited, five whole peaceful minutes, for class to start. Their teacher, they noted, was anything but the Beast or the Antichrist. That was a relief. ---------- "Coming!" Ana Lu, a year younger, sprinted after the chime coming from her front door. She skipped down the stairs and looked through the peephole, wondering a bit who was there. She anticipated it would be her tutor: after spending a few months slipping in her grades, her parents and teachers suggested further instruction for her outside of the class. Ana had heard from her friends that her tutor was supposedly a young, studly, gorgeous thing of a man, which was certainly all the better. Peeping through the hole, though, she really couldn't tell. Ana twisted the knob. "Hi!" she exclaimed in greetings. She got an eyeful of her new guest a second before he answered, and what a view! The boy wasn't too tall--a plus for 5'4" Ana--and he seemed just the right, muscular, huggable weight. He was a staggeringly attractive J.D., complete with a black leather jacket, white tee, shades, and flowing, exotic long hair dyed a tint of deep blue. Ana nearly swooned, and hoped that her tutor wouldn't notice the drool or hearts swimming in her eyes. "Ana Lu, right?" spoke the dream. "I'm Rai. Can I come in?" "Ah... sure!" Ana quivered aside, letting Rai--what a name!--inside. She got an even better glimpse when Rai brushed beside her; the touch was brief and chillingly nice. Ana tried not to stutter as she asked, "Y-you wanna drink?" "Okay. What do you have?" "Uh, kitchen's upstairs." Ana then watched, eyes wide open and nose nearly ready to spurt, as Rai walked up the stairs to the kitchen. His bottom wiggled hypnotically, so much so that poor Ana didn't hear his question. "Huh?" "I said 'where are your cups'?" "In... in the cabinet," she pointed. Rai reached to get it and handed one to Ana. She raided the fridge and pulled out a full bottle of grapefruit juice. "You mind?" "Uh... go ahead," managed Ana, unable to stop from staring. "I don't like that stuff anyway. My mom drinks it. She won't mind!" Rai shrugged and poured himself a drink. He didn't linger or take the seconds as they were jewels; it was all business with him. Ana almost swooned again as he drank it all down. She never knew watching somebody drink could be so enjoyable. "So you ready to get started?" "With tutoring, right?" Rai nodded. "I didn't come here for pleasure. Let's go." Ana suddenly frowned sharply as Rai's cold side suddenly turned. Yeaowch! Cold as ice! ...Still hot, though! Ana followed her tutor into her living room, and invited him to sit. "You have your books, right? "Huh?" "Your books," he repeated. "How do you expect to learn without them? Where are they?" "...In my room," she squeaked. "Get them, please." Ana flushed and rose. At least Rai wasn't rude. A bit cold, but polite. Ana returned with her books, staggering under the weight. Not one inclined to study, she was less than stellar in many fields. Rai made a surprised face when she saw the load. "All those books? You're doing poor in all those classes?!" "Hey, it's really hard stuff! I got thrown in a few advanced classes by mistake!" Rai frowned and took a few out of Ana's arms. "Well, I guess you made the right decision by getting a tutor. What are you having the most problems in? I'm good in music and writing." (Another plus, Ana had to note: he was creative) "I suck in everything," moaned the poor girl. Rai nearly rolled his eyes. "We'll start with English lit first. Open up and show me where you are." Ana cracked the heavy book and flipped through to chapter two. Despite how indifferently Rai was treating her, Ana still found herself immensely flushed and taken with the taller boy. She shuffled a bit closer, hoping to brush past his frame a few times. She could smell his leather and clothes, and just the smallest hint of soap from a shower. "You're a sophomore?" asked Rai suddenly. Ana smiled shyly, noticing herself closer to Rai than she thought. "Yeah. You can tell?" "I had these same lessons when I was your age," she said, pointing to the text. Ana brightened. "Good! Then this should be easy for you!" Rai simply nodded and, in his own handsome, charming way, went through the studies with such care and delicacy that even Ana, dear sweet absentminded Ana, found herself paying strict cruel attention. Rai's voice was deep and rich with a slight trace of girlishness, suggesting delicacy behind the tough façade. Perfection! Ana's pulse went high each time she brushed up with Rai's skin or clothes, and smiled shyly each time their eyes met. Rai had such beautiful, hypnotic dark eyes... "You want more?" she asked, seeing her tutor's empty cup. Rai nodded and Ana scurried along, getting more grapefruit juice (yuck) and returning it. Study, study, study--but Ana was hooked on Rai. She knew it was silly to fall for a boy at first sight, but this was really a sight! If Rai wasn't already attached to some other floozy who didn't know how good she had it, that would quickly change! "Hey Rai?" said Ana, several lessons under her belt. "You wanna take a break?" "Best to get this all out of the way." "But I'm tired!" "Don't whine," he sighed. He frowned, but the discouraging look on his pupil's face convinced him to be lenient. Rai sighed and decided to compromise. "One more problem, then we can rest." "Thanks! You know," she added saucily (hoping that her naughty scheme would work), "you can take your jacket off. It's pretty warm in here." "I'll keep it." She frowned. Foiled! "You sure?" Rai snorted. "All right, if you'll stop whining." Ana smiled and Rei sighed as the jacket was shed. Despite his frosty demeanor, Ana couldn't help but stare lustfully as the gorgeous Rai unveiled himself. Her eyes bulged in expectation of sheer white over washboard abs and pecs--and stayed bulged as two noticeable mounds came out of the murk. Rai had frigging jugs. "Y-you're a girl!" Ana gawked in surprise. Rai should've been offended by the remark, but instead he--she--just chuckled. "If only I had a dollar for every time I heard that." "But... I thought..." "It's okay," she shrugged casually. "I get that a lot. It doesn't bother me anymore." "I'm sorry," sighed poor Ana. "I thought you were--" "I said don't worry. Now how long is this break going to last?" Ana paused for a moment to think--but not on the break. She couldn't believe it! She had been attracted to another girl! There were lesbian vibes all over her now! EW!! But then again, Rai was still disturbingly beautiful. Woman or man, she was attractive. Ana blushed and smiled meekly. So she had been attracted to a girl! It was an honest mistake, and only briefly! It wasn't her fault at all! Rai helped Ana with her studies for the next hour, while Ana fluctuated between feeling awkward and strangely comfortable in her tutor's presence. She tried to get the long-haired woman to open up, but it was like cracking a coconut with a plastic straw. Once 5:00 came around, Rai announced her leave, and told Ana she'd return the next day if her services were still needed. "Oh yah!" she squealed. "I'm dumb as a brick here! I may need you, like, every day! Hey, you should just pool with me so we don't waste any time!" "Good idea," Rai said. "You drive?" "Um, no, I take the bus." "I drive," she stated bluntly. "When your last class is over, meet me in the student parking lot and I'll take you home, then I'll stay until about five or so." "Why don't you stay for dinner?" asked Ana merrily, giving her most charming smile. Rai finally became flush, a bit, as her oceanic eyes crossed against Ana's lighter blue. She didn't really like Ana that much--it was nothing personal, just a lack of knowing who she really was--but that smile... that smile... It was annoying, unnerving, idiotic, simple, childish, and--damn--gorgeous. "You mean tonight?" "Tonight and every night, if ya want." Rai frowned in doubt, looking away with surprising shyness. She felt her stomach squirm, the kind reserved for signs of attraction beyond normalcy. This was not how she normally acted. "I don't want to impose..." "Aw, you won't!" sang the younger girl. "My mother always makes too much, probably on account of me not being a piggy eater. I'm picky, not piggy!" Rai suddenly let out a snort, not quite a laugh but very close, and loosened a stiff smile. Ana giggled. "Hey, you laughed! This is the first time I've seen you smile! It's cute!" Poor Rai. She couldn't reply to that. "...Not tonight," she managed, shuffling her jacket back on. "I'm busy. Some other time." "Okay, tomorrow." Rai swallowed. The girl just didn't know when to give up. She sighed and caved in. "All right, tomorrow. It doesn't matter what you make, as long as it's not anything too meaty. I don't eat any meat other than poultry and fish." "Got it! Well, I guess I'll see ya tomorrow!" Ana practically sang her farewell as Rai turned around and left; not a second passed in privacy before both girls sighed. What was that? She was so... happy. Wow... even as a girl, she's gorgeous. Jeez, I hope I'm not turning gay or anything! ...I need a shower. I need a shower. And pie. ---------- MS. RAULSON. That was the name she wrote on the board, and that was what she expected to be called. Tall, dark, skinny, and Indian from the looks of it, Ms. Raulson looked as beautiful as she was firm. A few girls--obviously those not quite on the straight and narrow--ogled her dress suit. She had stunning dark green eyes and long hair as dark and rich as tar, going to her waist. Mira van Dijk, wearing a Utena shirt, thought she looked a bit like Anthy, glasses and all. "You're seated this way so that I may learn your names and take roll quicker," said Ms. Raulson after "introducing" herself. "If I find that you're not in your assigned seats, you will be counted as absent. Today I would like you to introduce yourselves to me; tomorrow I'll issue you your books and we will begin class. We'll start in reverse-alphabetical order, since I have a personal sympathy towards people whose names lie at the end of the alphabet. Speak clearly, please, and stand up." "Rai Zanders. I'm 18, creative, and studious." "Ancelin Yi. I'm top student in the kendo class, and one of the top in phys ed." "June Tramble. I'm in orchestra and... I like George Harrison!" "May Tramble, June's twin sister. I have a good sense of direction and I love music from the 80s." "Nomi Nakatori. Um... I'm not good with introductions. I'm Native American, if that counts as anything..." "I'm Corona Marcos. If everyone's having a good day, that's fine. Uh, I'm also creative, but if you want anything different, I like animals--more than people." "Hi!! My name is Ana Lu! I'm Rai's contemporary barnacle, I'm ultra superstitious, and I had a pop-tart for breakfast!!" "Good morning, everyone. My name is Usha Krishnan. I am from India, and this year I will run as senior class president. I have many issues and thoughts on my mind, so I shall do my best to convince you all to vote for me. As I stand, I am currently a leading member of the GSA here in the neighborhood, a member of the debate team, a United Nations hopeful, and founder of the UDCB." "Uh, hey girls. The name's Vai Knox, or Vairocana if ya wanna get technical. I think it makes me sound like some kinda virus--whaddya think? Anyway, um... I act like a Vegan but I'm not, and... I have two mothers. Yeah." "Bonjour, guten tag and hello! Name: Aintzan Rikke Klein, but I like being called Zane by people. I have been called many words relating to weird, but all because I am unlike that normalcy. I make my own clothes, and, for respect to time, I am a big fan of Cookie Monster!" "Um... hi, everyone. I already met a few of you in Miss Madsen's class. I'm Vicki Grissom, no relation to the CSI character. I guess if I had to say something about me, I'd say that I have very bad timing. And I tend to blurt out weird things." "My name is Mira van Dijk. I'm Dijk by name and dyke by trade. My favorite programs are anime and South Park, and I read Terry Pratchett." "Thank you, girls," said Ms. Raulson after the intros. "Well, I'm Ms. Raulson as you know, and one of my vices is gambling. I'm not very rich, per se, and I must warn you that I do become emotional when I am stressed. I do love history, hence my presence here. We will learn, if nothing else, that history does indeed repeat itself: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce. If you learn nothing but that, I've done well." ---------- Ten months earlier... "Hi, Rai!" Rai Zanders smiled wearily. No matter how she acted before--tough, withdrawn, antisocial, creatively conflicted, or just plain sour--Ana, that damned Ana, with her damned happy smile, could always seem to make her feel better. She was an unwelcome leech that sucked out the muck that built up over the days and hours, apparently starved for the company of the brooding, distant Rai, and eager for her audience. She was still irresponsible when it came to her studies, and for that she continually called on Zanders' help. "Ana," she answered curtly. She decided to go down a more complex route and added plainly, "I can't help but think you're doing poorly on purpose so you have an excuse to drag me over here." "Y'mean you don't like coming here?" Rai sighed and shuffled her hands around. She hated it when her pupil trapped her like that. Damned if she did, damned if she did not. "I just suspect that you prefer my company to better grades." "Wow!" she exclaimed. "You really got my number!" Rai blanched. HUH? "You mean I'm right? You're purposely doing poorly just to see me?" "Well... I like you," she said shyly--though knowing Ana, it might've been an act. "I mean, as a friend. I wanna get to know you better n'--" "Ana, this is serious!" snapped Zanders poisonously. "If you don't improve your grades, you'll fall back! This is about the lowest, stupidest thing you could do! What are you thinking?!" "Aaah, don't yell at me!" she sang. "I'm sorry! I just... I mean... I really like you," she squealed, showing absolute genuine sadness and desperation. She frowned and pouted with sincerity, but Rai didn't buy it. Ana just cried wolf too many times. "Rai... I wanna get to know you. I really like you. You really made me interested in you when we first met." "I'm just your tutor." "Well you can be my friend too, right?" Rai sighed grudgingly and rolled her eyes. "What if I don't want to?" "That would make me sad. Very sad. And I would want to, since I still need your help." "It seems my help isn't enough." "I'm sorry," she whispered, clearly injured. "I... I don't know what to say, except..." A pause, suspenseful and baiting. Rai wished she hadn't taken it. "Yes?" "Wouldyoupleasegooutandhangwithmeasafriend?!" Blink, blink. "One word at a time, Ana." "Would you please go out and hang with me as a friend?!" "No." "Why not?" "I don't like you," she stated flatly, arms crossed and deep-blue eyes sharp. "And I will never like you." I love you too, pixie-pie. "...Until you change your grades," she added after a pause.. "And no faces. Now--I'm going home and leaving you to study by yourself. I've instructed you to the best of my abilities, so you should be fine on your own. When I see your grades improving, I'll go out and do whatever you want. I may even... be your friend," she muttered grudgingly. Cold, yes--cruel, perhaps--strict, definitely, but fair and reasonable. And damn it, somewhere deep down, she had wanted to say Yes. "But not until then," she concluded hazily. Ana swallowed, and knew that no act could save her. Rai was serious. Two months later... "SEE, see?! A B minus! I told you so, I told you so!" "All right, all right! A deal's a deal! Just stop bouncing around!" "NEBBER!!!!" Five weeks and 12 outings later... "Thanks." Rai smiled as she closed the passenger door. So sweet of her, really, to open the car door for her "new friend". Well, Rai really hadn't undergone the miraculous transformation that so many of her type go through in films; she was just in a good mood. Ana had passed a tough test and promised to treat her as a reward; Rai was concerned how much attention she was getting. She had given her word for one outing, "as friends", but that had turned into a dozen. Ana was warming up to her, and God forbid, liking her. Rai shuddered. "What's wrong?" she asked. Rai sighed and frowned, pressing her back against the car. "Do you like me?" "Sure. I told you that already." "You must really like me," she said, closing her eyes and crossing her arms coolly, "to lavish me with such admiration and generosity." "Well, you helped me." Ana smiled shyly and kicked at the ground. "I think... I really think that bein' mean to me was better than bein' nice. I guess I hafta apologize an' all. I mean, if you had been my friend and not... not my friend, I wouldn't be better off. All right, I admit it. Sorry, I was being childish." Rai smiled and chuckled a little. Ana blushed and returned the grin. "Well, do you like me?" "Yeah, I... I like you, Ana. You're all right." "Thanks," she said, sweet and sarcastic. "So... how much do you like me?" Rai rolled her eyes. "Enough." "Poo on that." Rai snorted, but dear Ana just laughed. "Hey, Ana?" "Hi, Rai." Zanders gave a genuine smile. "You asked me awhile ago how much I liked you, and I answered poorly. I said 'enough'." "Eh, don't worry about it." "I'm not worrying, I'm just making up for my rudeness. I said I liked you enough, but that was kind of a lie--a rude lie. To tell you the truth, I like you a lot. I don't want to use any clichés, but you've really helped me kinda open up and feel a bit better about things. Ana..." "Cliché alert!" she sang. Rai chuckled. Then she kissed Ana, from out of the blue, right on the mouth. ----- One smiled, the other rolled her eyes, but eventually she gave in. The younger, perkier girl pulled her friend's hands towards her, clasped them affectionately, and kissed her beloved's mouth twice. "I love you, honey-bunny!" she gushed. The other smiled duskily. "I love you too, pixie-pie." Even that one, so long after the first, felt as a thrill. That was Ana for her--a superstitious thrill an hour, even when she knew she was going to get busted. Such a bad influence on me, lamented Rai, chucking her beloved pizza alongside beloved Lu. Why did you do that? You kissed me. Are you in love with me? I mean, I kinda felt lesbian vibes when you took your jacket off, but— Ana, please. I have something else to say. I'm going away for a very long time, and I won't be back until just before next semester. Oh? Where are you going? England. My family's taking me on summer vacation. Oh. Why England? I dunno. I think my grandfather was there during World War II or something. Anyway, I'll be gone for a few months, and... I wanted to say good-bye. So you kissed me? Well... yeah. And I wanted to say... I'll miss you. Actually, I'll miss you a lot, Ana. Rai... oh, Rai! I love you so much! I'll miss you too! Ana—ow! Ugh! Okay, I get the picture! Say you love me, Rai! Say you love me, pretty honey-bun! I... ugh... you little...... All right, all right! I love you too, pixie-pie. Jeez! Haha, pixie-pie! I like that name! So wait, are you leaving soon? Tomorrow, Ana. I'm leaving tomorrow. Oh. Rai... I'm really gonna miss you. Yeah, but... you've got something to remember me by. Give me another!! Hmm? Another what? Something to remember you by! Please? ......All right.
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