Keeping Score (sneak peak) (Patreon)

Today is Abbie's birthday! Granted, in the HCLU she is currently turning 14, and in Keeping Score she's 17, but - still fun!

A fancast had been requested in the chat yesterday, so I figured I would post it here as well.

Abbie - blonde, Rose - brunette

Abbie stared dismally ahead at the large, imposing mahogany double doors that lead into the school library. They were fast-approaching, even though she was deliberately walking as slowly as she could while still, technically, moving forward.

She dug into her pocket, sending off a text to the group thread she had with her mom and Caroline, figuring that could help her kill another few precious seconds.

Abbie – 2:57PMI’m going to be an hour or two late getting home tonight

Mom – 2:58PMEverything okay?

Caro-Mom – 2:58PMYou don’t have practice today… you going out with the girls?

Mom – 2:58PMHoney, you still have another week before you are legally able to drive anyone in your car without an adult present. Please keep that in mind.

Abbie drew up to a stop, rolling her eyes as she typed back.

Abbie – 2:58PMI’m NOT driving any of my friends. I obviously don’t want my car privileges taken away. I’m not gonna break one of Caroline’s contracts

Even though Abbie did think the law was kind of really dumb. So, she was old enough to have a license, but she wasn’t old enough to drive with anyone who wasn’t an adult in the car with her until she’d had it for six months?

Regardless. Her six months was coming up in a week, as her mom reminded her, and Abbie had literally signed the contract Caroline had drafted for her when they’d given her the car.

It was a ten-year-old used SUV and Abbie had cried when they’d given it to her.

Especially because her asshat father had tried to gift her with a brand-new luxury vehicle two weeks prior. He’d randomly dropped it by their house, unannounced, which was the only way he ever did anything. And he’d expected Abbie to be shouting from the rooftops about how he was some hero or something, for showing up two weeks before her birthday – he’d, unsurprisingly, gotten the date wrong – to give her a gift she didn’t ask for.

Well, a gift she didn’t ask him for.

And even though, yeah, Abbie had wanted to take the keys, she’d turned him away on principle. The last thing she wanted was for Michael to feel like she owed him for anything other than his sperm donation, even if he was offering her a dream car.

So, when Caroline and her mom had presented her with her baby on her actual birthday… well, she hadn’t been expecting it, and she’d been very, very excited.

The only term was that if she playing soccer, she didn’t need to do anything other than be responsible and be a law-abiding driver. Mostly because she wouldn’t have time to do anything else.

Playing varsity soccer for Elliston Prep meant three or four practices a week, depending on their game schedule, as well as traveling for away games at least one or two weekends a month. In the summers, their practices dwindled to twice a week, and weren’t technically mandatory… but generally, if you weren’t going on vacation with your family, you went to practice. Even now, in the winter, they played in an indoor league until the spring season was due to start in a few weeks.

Coach Dru’s motto was never rest on your laurels, and she lived by it.

The stipulation in the contract had a built-in clause that if Abbie wanted to leave the team at any point – yeah, freaking right – then she would have to get a part-time job to help pay for the insurance.

Caro-Mom – 2:59PMWill you be home in time for tacos?

Abbie – 2:59PMDepends… are you making them?

Caro-Mom – 3:00PMHey! I really think my skills have vastly improved in the kitchen over the years

Abbie wrinkled her nose immediately at the image that popped into her mind, of when she’d walked in on Caroline and her mom making out in the kitchen last week.

Mom – 3:00PMYou have, baby

Abbie – 3:00PMOMG you two are worse than my classmates

But… all right, she didn’t hate it. They were super mushy all of the time and very clearly still had the hots for each other, and as much as Abbie would prefer if they could be a little more low-key sometimes, it – quite simply – made her happy.

After all, they’d only gotten married two years ago. And she could still easily recall what life had been like for her mom – for Abbie and her mom, both – before Caroline. When her mom had been married to her dad, there had been so much fighting when her mom believed Abbie couldn’t hear. Yelling and threatening and it had been terrible.

And when they’d left Michael, there had been so much stress. Abbie knew her mom had done her best to keep everything normal for her, she hadn’t been an idiot even as a kid.

Caroline had made everything better, for the both of them. And Abbie never forgot that.

Besides, her mom and Caroline weren’t even old, like a lot of her classmates’ parents. Her mom wasn’t even forty yet. They deserved to flirt, she guessed.

Preferably in their own text thread, though.

Abbie – 3:01PMMs. Belanger assigned us our senior capstone today. I’m meeting my partner in the library to start working on it

Ugh, and hence… the dreaded trip to the library. Still looming ahead of her.

Caro-Mom – 3:01PMAh. Good luck, Abbacado. Can’t wait to hear about it tonight

Mom – 3:01PMLove you, honey. Be safe

She’d just finished shooting off a reciprocal text when she heard Amaya call out to her, “Hey, golden glove, wait up!”

More than happy to oblige, Abbie stopped her trudging footsteps once more as her friend emerged from the east wing hallway.

“Where are you off to?” Amaya asked as she drew up next to Abbie.

Who swept her arm out in front of them, toward the library AKA the only reason anyone sought out this specific area of the school. “Where do you think?”

Amaya rolled her eyes, shoving her shoulder playfully into Abbie’s. “Okay, duh, I get that. But… why? We still have weeks before mid-terms.”

“Why, you ask?” She dramatically tapped her finger against her chin. “Does capstone mean anything to you?”

“Does not due until April mean anything to you?” Amaya shot back, laughing.

Amaya wasn’t wrong. It was still February, and their capstone project wasn’t due for eight weeks. There was plenty of time to get it done, technically.

Abbie shrugged, sliding her hands up to clutch at the straps of her backpack. “I like to get a head start on this stuff.” Abbie pursed her lips, a zing of frustration shooting through her. “Besides, my partner ordered me to meet here as soon as the school day was over.”

“Ordered?” Amaya echoed, incredulously. “By–” She cut herself off, eyes going wide, before she slapped her hand over her mouth. “No!”

Abbie bleakly nodded, flexing her hands where they held onto her backpack. “Yep.”

“Rose? Rose is your capstone partner?” Amaya pushed, her expression shocked but unfailingly amused. “You’re kidding.”

“I wish I was.”

She really, really wished she was.

A peel of laughter escaped Amaya. “Do you have the worst luck or what?”

Honestly, Abbie had thought the exact same thing when Ms. Belanger had announced her pre-selected pairs in English class this morning.

She couldn’t believe what she’d heard. Out of all of the people in their class – granted, other than Abbie and Rose, there were only ten other students in their section of AP Senior English – Abbie was paired with the only person in this entire school that seemed to dislike her.

The only person in Abbie’s entire life that disliked her! At least, disliked her to the level that Rose seemed to.

There had been no mistaking it, though. Ms. Belanger had stated, “Abbie Dalton and Rose Elliston,” loud and clear.

Abbie had been able to feel Rose’s intense stare aimed in her direction from diagonally behind her for the rest of class. When Ms. Belanger had given them the final two minutes of class to talk with their assigned partner, Abbie had reluctantly turned around in her chair to face Rose.

Who had her arms folded over her closed laptop on her desk, the picture of serenity. Except for her eyes.

Those large, wide brown eyes that revealed a fiery storm inside of Rose.

“I guess we’ll be working together, then,” Abbie had grimly stated, trying and failing to summon some cheer.

“I suppose we will, Lemon.” Rose took in a deep breath through her nose, before she slid a neatly folded piece of paper in Abbie’s direction. “Here. Review this, and I’ll see you today in the library after the final bell.”

She’d then efficiently packed up her backpack, somehow perfectly timing the final slide of the zipper with the bell that signified the end of their class.

Amaya reached out, landing a comforting hand on Abbie’s shoulder. And it was comforting.

Abbie had been at Elliston for a year and a half, having spent her entire junior year here and now was halfway through her senior. It had been a little bit of an adjustment from the school system she’d been in her entire life up to that point, but she’d really settled in.

Several of her teammates had become real, true friends. But Amaya, as well as being the fiercest center-back Abbie could have wished for, had also become one of her best friends. The only person Abbie trusted as much was her cousin, Norah.

But Norah didn’t go to Elliston. So when it came to Abbie’s Rose-issue, her cousin wasn’t able to be all that helpful.

Amaya, on the other hand, was very supportive and always had some guiding advice for Abbie on how to handle Rose. After all, Amaya had been attending Elliston with Rose since they’ve been thirteen, they both lived on campus as well, and they’d played on the team together for years before Abbie had arrived.

“Look, there is a silver lining here. Sure, Rose is a little prickly.”

Abbie’s eyebrows shot up as she aimed a look at Amaya.

Who quickly amended, “Pricklier to you than most, totally agreed. But she’s also a straight-A student. Bare minimum, you know she is going to take this project seriously, and you’re definitely going to ace it.”

Abbie would take comfort in that, except she, too, was a straight-A student! She didn’t need Rose for that.

Before Abbie could say anything, the loud, dramatic clearing of a throat behind her cut in.

Abbie heaved a sigh, even before she slowly turned around. Because she already knew who it was, just based on that throat-clear alone.

Lo and behold, Rose stood several feet away, her arms crossed over her chest.

Her dark brown hair was done in an intricate French braid, as it nearly always was, and her movie-star quality face was drawn with impatience.

Not a current movie star, Abbie errantly thought. But like one of those old-timey ones.

“I thought you were going to meet me in the library when classes ended?” Rose asked, winging a perfect eyebrow up in question.

“Um… I am…” Abbie volleyed back, feeling like she was stating the obvious. “I’m, like, five feet away from the library.”

“Well, the final bell rang almost twenty minutes ago, Lemon. No matter where you’re coming from on campus, it doesn’t take that long.”

Amaya cleared her throat, drawing both of their attention to her amused face. “I think I’ll take my leave. Goalie, Striker – be on your best behavior. Represent the Red Fox name with pride.”

She parroted the words that Coach Dru often stated at the end of practice, leaving both Abbie and Rose staring after her. Abbie missed her already.

Not that she was afraid to be alone with Rose in any way, but she sure as hell never looked forward to it.

“Come on. I already have our table set up,” Rose informed her, before spinning on her heel and gliding back into the library.

Rose always walked like she was gliding. Abbie sometimes wondered if it was why she was able to run so quickly and make it look so seamless.

Grudgingly, she followed.

Rose had, admittedly, picked the same table Abbie liked to sit at whenever she came here to study. Close enough to the windows for natural light, but not so close that they caused a glare on her laptop screen. Far enough from the door that you couldn’t hear everyone passing by in the hall, but close enough that you still had everything in view.

Abbie hadn’t even sat down yet when Rose already settled herself into her seat and stared up at Abbie, expectantly.

As if she’d asked a question and Abbie was already missing the point.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” She asked, as she slid her backpack off.

Rose rolled her eyes. “Because, Lemon, I’m waiting for you to respond to the note I gave you in English so we can get started planning our project. Assuming, of course, that you read it.”

Abbie’s irritation flared, as she gripped the back of her chair and stared down at Rose. “Yes, I read it. But I’m not okay with you unilaterally deciding what we’re doing our capstone on. I don’t want to spend ten weeks writing about literature in the Middle Ages.”

Rose didn’t blink. “It’s not my favorite topic, either. But Ms. Belanger loves literature in the Middle Ages, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“I’m not deaf and blind,” she retorted, because Ms. Belanger spoke often and passionately about her favorite course material. “But I don’t care about what Ms. Belanger likes; I care about what I like.” She stared Rose down, conceding, “What we like. This is our project. It’s not like Ms. Belanger is only going to give us an A if we use her favorite topic.”

“No, but it makes things simpler,” Rose countered, iron in her tone. “Can you please sit down?”

Abbie brought her other hand up to grip the back of the chair tightly, refusing to pull it out and sit down, as Rose demanded. Sitting down next to Rose right now felt like she was inherently agreeing to go along with her plan, and Abbie wasn’t going to do it. She was going to stand her ground. Literally.

“I’m going to stand here until you agree to work on a different theme.”

“I guess you’re going to be standing there for a while, Lemon, because I’m telling you – this is the best idea. Trust me; I was at Elliston for a long time while you were at your public school.”

Abbie’s annoyance went from a simmer to a boil, and she narrowed her eyes. “My grades are just as good as yours are, and at least going to a public school meant I didn’t turn out to be such an elitist asshole.”

Rose’s mouth fell open, her eyes glittering up at Abbie. “Yes, and I can clearly see that you learned a lot of class there. Or was that at home?”

Abbie swore she saw fucking red.

She knew this would happen. She’d known the second she was paired with Rose that this was how it would go.

Because, “You have jumped down my throat since the literal day I started at Elliston, and I’m so fucking sick of it. How can we work on a project together for two freaking months when all you do is treat me like dirt?”

It felt good to demand the answers, to not bite her tongue.

Even though it was clear that Rose had an issue with Abbie, they’d been lucky, up until now. They’d never been forced to be partners 1:1 in a class, and when they were on the field, their differences didn’t matter. Mostly because Abbie was in the goal while Rose was playing offense. Even during practices, though, Rose generally ignored Abbie and simply focused on training.

Typically, Abbie only had to put up with Rose being a snide bitch to her in brief moments of time.

Those moments, she could handle. She didn’t like it, but she could handle it.

“I’m not going to be some doormat to you during this project just because it’ll make everything easier for you.”

Rose’s eyes widened, and she glanced around them sharply, before glaring up at Abbie. “What are you even talking about? I haven’t done anything to you!”

Was Rose deliberately gaslighting her?!

“You won’t even call me by my name!” She snapped. “All you do is call me Lemon, and you won’t even tell me why.”

“Because of the Lemon Law, if you’re so fucking curious,” Rose hissed at her, eyes narrowing. “Because when Coach Dru announced to us that you were joining the team, I wanted to know if the Lemon Law came into effect – could we return you if you turned up to be defective?”

Abbie’s mouth fell open in surprise and… yeah, it hurt. Even though she’d obviously known Rose didn’t like her, that comment still hit her like a slap in the face. “What is wrong with you?”

“Nothing, Lemon,” Rose annunciated. “Nothing is wrong with me. Except for the fact that Ms. Belanger assigned you as my partner for this project.”

“No,” Abbie disagreed, vehemently, shaking her head. “No, if there was nothing wrong with you then you wouldn’t act like this.” She rolled her lips, a victorious feeling sliding through her as she played her winning hand. “I think that what’s wrong with you, is Tessa.”

Whatever retort Rose had already came up with, ready to fire out, withered in her throat. Her face paled, before her cheeks rapidly turned red. “What did you just say?”

Her voice was so quiet, so low, but it wasn’t a whisper. It sounded nearly… dangerous, and it made Abbie shiver.

But she wasn’t backing down. Not when she and Rose were having this out, after such a long time coming. She angled her chin down at Rose. “I said, I think Tessa is your issue with me.”

Rose put both of her hands flat on the table, holding them there as she slowly rose from her chair. She drew up to her full height – a couple inches shorter than Abbie – as she growled, “You have no clue what you’re talking about. You don’t even know Tessa.”

“I don’t need to know her.”

Really, Abbie didn’t need to know a lot of information firsthand when she was surrounded by a group of high school girls. Not everyone on the team loved to gossip, of course, but enough of them did that Abbie was well-informed of all of the highs and lows, triumphs and failures – and past teammates – of the Elliston Red Fox Girls Soccer Team from before her time.

Not much was said about Tessa, if she was being honest. Amaya had informed her that their previous goalie was Tessa McCrane. She was a year older than they were and had been on the team since she’d come to Elliston in eighth grade. Tessa was nice enough, Amaya had said. Kind of reserved. Friendly with everyone on the team, but only seemed to be really good friends with Rose.

“I know that you’re bitter and resentful because your friend – as far as I’ve ever heard, your only friend – not only left the team but left the entire school. Left you. Which sucks, and I would have been empathetic to you. But all you’ve done is treat me like I’m the enemy for replacing her on the team, so I’m fresh out of empathy.”

The truth was that Abbie knew if Rose broke, here and now, and confessed that she was sorry, Abbie’s empathy reserves would likely be restocked. But she didn’t see that happening.

Especially not as Rose’s muscle in her jaw ticked, her breathing becoming shallower. “You – how dare you?” Her expression morphed into a sneer. “And you’re barely a replacement for her.”

Abbie scoffed out a laugh, crossing her arms over her chest. “Oh yeah? Remind me… when did the team win Nationals? I think it was last year, when I was in the goal. Not the year before, when you came in second – by one point.” She twisted her lips in mock-thought. “Then again, maybe that wasn’t Tessa’s fault. The goalie doesn’t deserve all the blame. Maybe it was because the lead striker wasn’t up to snuff!”

Abbie was honestly shocked that Rose hadn’t tossed the chair to the side and literally tackled her as soon as the words left her mouth. She was shocked she’d actually said them!

“You–”

“Girls! That is quite enough,” Mrs. Gellar’s sharp, exacting tone – exactly what you’d expect from their librarian – cut Rose off.

Both flushed and breathing hard, they turned to look at the older woman, who stood several feet away, her arms crossed. She glared up at them from behind her glasses. Even though she stood at barely five feet tall, she cast an imposing shadow.

Abbie felt her stomach clench in embarrassment. “Sorry, Mrs. Gellar.”

“Very, very sorry,” Rose immediately added on, her tone as repentant as if she were in a church confessional.

Mrs. Gellar clicked her tongue at them. “Sorry is not going to cut it. If you can’t be respectful to the other students and staff, then you cannot work on your project in the library. Pack your belongings up.”

Suitably chastised, Abbie hung her head and reached for her backpack. At least she hadn’t unpacked yet.

Even though Rose had unpacked, she quickly and meticulously returned everything to her bag, as Mrs. Gellar spoke again, “You’d both better see to it that this doesn’t happen again, or I will be informing Coach Dru.”

Abbie’s eyes widened in alarm. Coach talked nonstop about teamwork and unity and respect; there would undoubtedly be a lesson she’d want to teach Abbie and Rose. And Abbie was petrified in this moment that the lesson would be benching them in a game.

“And Ms. Elliston.” Mrs. Gellar turned her attention, her reprimanding stare, solely to Rose. Who stood, still as a statue, after sliding the straps of her backpack over her shoulders. Her hands were folded in front of her, as she awaited whatever words were coming. “You’re a proctor. You’re supposed to be setting an example for the younger ladies at this school. Instead, you’re fighting in the library and causing a disruption. With a teammate no less.” She pursed her lips. “I expect much, much more from you, and so will your father.”

The mere mention of Rose’s father, the headmaster of Elliston, sent a thread of anxiety twisting through Abbie’s veins. She’d only met the man twice – once at her admissions interview and again at the end of year convocation last year.

He looked like he’d never smiled a day in his life.

Rose hung her head, dark eyes trained on the floor in front of her feet. “I understand, Mrs. Gellar. Apologies. It will never happen again.”

Mrs. Gellar sharply nodded. “See that it doesn’t.” She half-turned, gesturing to the doorway, a silent dismissal.

Abbie latched onto it, her feet shuffling forward as quickly as she could manage without running – which she was sure would count as another demerit against her.

She only managed to take a real, deep breath when they’d left the library, and her knees felt like jelly. “God, that woman is way scarier than she has a right to be.”

Though she meant that sentiment from the bottom of her soul, her tone was hesitantly joking.

No, she didn’t think she’d said anything inherently nasty to Rose, but… she didn’t have to say everything she’d said, either.

With that thought in mind, she sighed, her shoulders deflating as she turned to Rose, who’d been right on Abbie’s heels as they’d fled the library. “Look, Rose–”

“We can pick another topic,” Rose muttered, pushing past Abbie. She was so close to hitting Abbie’s shoulder with her own, but didn’t quite make contact. In fact, it looked as though she flinched away from even brushing against her.

“What?” Abbie felt dumb as the word left her mouth, but… what? They’d just gotten kicked out of the library after having that ridiculous right and Rose was just – just fine with them changing topics now?!

Rose didn’t slow down or turn to face Abbie again. She kept her head facing forward and her shoulders drawn up rigidly, as she headed toward the south side of campus, where the dorms were.

“Just… send me your top three topics tonight, and I’ll review them and pick one.” Rose’s voice barely carried to her, as she continued walking straight away from Abbie.

She blew out a deep breath, staring in utter bafflement at Rose until she was no longer in sight.

.

.

.

.

.

.

spoiler prevention

.

.

.

.

.

.