Keeping Score - Part 4 + Full (Patreon)

Hey all!

With this post, we are officially wrapping up Keeping Score  aka Abbie/Rose part 1: the high school years.

I'm so excited for the next installment...

Alas, I've uploaded in pdf form both just part 4 if you want to jump into the last place you read up to, as well as the full doc if you want to read it all at once! Part 4 is also pasted in this post, for people that prefer to read on patreon :)

-------------------keeping score------------------

March

“Hey! Golden Hands! Over here!” Amaya waved at her from where she sat toward the back of the bus that was transporting them to their game two hours away.

It was their first game of the spring season – Abbie’s final spring season, and that reality hadn’t even set in yet, she didn’t think. Because every time she thought about it, she jolted at the very idea – and the energy on the bus was already buzzing, as soon as Abbie climbed on, as she was one of the final people aboard.

She held up a finger to Amaya to silently tell her give me a minute without shouting it over the din of their teammates, all excitedly chattering back and forth.

Walking down the main aisle, she had to hand it to Elliston – traveling in a coach bus was so, so much nicer for away games than the school bus that her old school used. Then again, as Rose loved to remind her, Elliston most definitely had the money for luxury.

And Abbie… well, she hated to admit it, but it was pretty nice sometimes.

She gave the regular nods and smiles and acknowledgements as she moved past the first couple of rows, but she didn’t have to go far before her gaze landed on her intended target.

Rose always sat on the bus the same way she sat in her seat in class: as if her posture was going to count as part of her grade.

Abbie always found it particularly amusing on the bus, though, given that the team got a little feral on the bus. Especially on the ride home, after they’d won. Girls would lay over multiple seats, they’d prop their feet up on the headrest of the seat in front of them, they’d sit or lay all over one another, sprawling like newborn puppies in their birthing box. They’d sometimes sing together, occasionally – ironically, and then… not-so-ironically – chant the school motto.

Not Rose, though.

She was always one of the first people on the bus, and always sat right here. Third row back on the left, with her hands folded in her lap, her bag on the seat next to her, wordlessly informing everyone that she wasn’t inviting anyone to sit with her. Her earbuds were in, and she stared with her eyebrows furrowed in concentration out the window. Even now, before they’d even started to pull out of the parking lot.

She must have whatever it was that she listened to already playing, too, because she didn’t respond when Abbie cleared her throat. Or when she deliberately coughed, loudly, trying to get her attention.

Rolling her eyes, Abbie simply took the easiest path forward, and dropped the bag she’d already taken out of her backpack into Rose’s lap, on top of her hands.

Rose didn’t startle, as Abbie likely would have.

Instead, she slowly dipped her gaze from the parking lot down to her lap. She didn’t move her to shift the bag or grab it or examine it further, merely letting it stay in place as she turned to look up at Abbie.

Her dark eyes were narrowed and her eyebrows furrowed low over them. “What is this?”

“Can you hear me?” Abbie asked, incredulously.

Rose seemed unmoved. “Yes, I can hear you. Obviously.”

Indignant, Abbie gestured at her ears. “Obviously nothing! I assumed you had music playing! Why didn’t you look at me when I cleared my throat at you?”

Rose grimaced. “Do you hear yourself, Lemon? When you cleared your throat at me? What am I, an animal?”

Oh, for the love of –

Abbie startled when Coach Dru’s loud-pitched whistle sounded from right behind her, and she sharply spun around. Yep, she was only about a foot away from Coach, who stood with her hands on her hips in the middle of the aisle.

“All right, Red Foxes! First game of the season, and I know that we’re ready. Yes, we’re National Champions, and we should wear that with pride as we start this year. But it doesn’t mean anything, really, if we don’t continue to play just as hard, with just as much dignity, integrity, and respect for ourselves and our opponents, as we did last season.” She clapped her hands, scanning her gaze over everyone in their seats. “I know we have it in us again.”

Abbie, along with everyone else, whistled back at her. It was a team tradition that Abbie had been taught very quickly on – Dru had a very distinct, ear-piercing whistle. She didn’t even really need the actual whistle that hung around her neck, honestly. And everyone on the team responded to her in moments like this, whistled back to show that they were on the same page. They heard her.

This close, she could see how quickly it made Coach smile in response, even as she clearly tamped it down.

“Settle in, then. We’re ready to go.” She slid her eyes to Abbie, the only person not seated. Her gaze then landed immediately on Rose right next to her, and her eyebrows inched up. “Everything all right?”

Abbie quickly nodded as the driver turned the bus on, and she felt the engine rumble to life. “Yes, Coach. Everything’s fine.”

And she wasn’t even lying this time, which felt great.

Rose quickly chimed in as well, of course. “Absolutely, Coach.”

Dru’s measuring eyes slid back and forth between them before she nodded, satisfactorily. “Good. Then, take a seat, Dalton.”

Leading by example, Dru smoothly turned and sat in the front row, diagonally from the driver.

By the time Abbie turned back around, Rose had taken her bag off the seat next to her.

She sent an apologetic look down toward the back seats where Amaya and her other friends sat, who were all giving her jokingly exaggerated frowns and thumbs-down signs in return. Even if they couldn’t hear Dru, the bus had lurched to life, and as feral as they were on the bus, Coach always drew a hard line with them not standing in the aisle once the bus was in motion.

“Are you going to sit or not?” Rose asked, without a hint of snootiness in her tone, though, which surprised Abbie. Then again, they were only feet away from Dru, so… made sense.

Abbie sent a face back to her friends, before she spun and dropped into the seat, her shoulder brushing against Rose’s.

“So… what is this?” Rose asked, and her voice was quiet – too quiet to be heard by Coach – but still holding no underlying tone.

Abbie lifted her eyebrows in question, following Rose’s gaze down, before landing on the bag Abbie had dropped in her lap. Immediately, she lit up, any disappointment at being stuck here at the front with Rose instead of back with her friends doing their pre-game gossip about their opposing team entirely forgotten.

“Oh! Yeah, they’re chocolate covered banana slices,” she informed her, an excited and proud smile tugging up her lips. “I know it doesn’t look like much, but it’s because the freezer bag kind of ruins the exterior. But I didn’t want them to get melty.”

Which was a shame, because Abbie had done a great job making the little swirl designs on the chocolate in the bag!

Rose frowned, so deeply Abbie thought it might be etched into her face forever. She stared down at the bag as if Abbie had just told her there was a freaking bomb inside of it. “Chocolate covered banana slices?” She repeated, as if the words made absolutely no sense when strung together like that.

Confused and disappointed, Abbie felt her smile fade as she looked between Rose and the bag in her lap. “Um… yeah?”

Finally, Rose shifted her stare from the bananas to Abbie, though she was still frowning. “Why?”

Faltering, Abbie cleared her throat. “Because I heard that you really like them.”

Rose didn’t respond. Instead, she stared so intently at Abbie, as if she suspected Abbie might have put a bomb in there, actually. “Who told you that?”

Her stomach tightened with a hint of embarrassment, and she interlaced her fingers tightly over her knees, trying to keep it in check. She hadn’t done anything wrong, she reminded herself. “Amaya did?” Shit, was Abbie supposed to say that? Amaya hadn’t said it was a secret or anything when Abbie had asked if she knew any snacks or baked goods Rose might like. “She said you used to like these.”

“Why were you asking about me to Amaya?” Rose asked, sounding… defensive? Definitely defensive, and Abbie was so damn baffled by it.

“Because I wanted to give you something nice, in appreciation for you kicking my father with a soccer ball and helping me out of a shitty moment,” Abbie explained, exasperated.

But, like, jeez.

She huffed out a breath and crossed her arms, leaning back against her seat. Now, because she’d wanted to give Rose the stupid bananas, she was stuck here for the rest of the ride!

A few seconds beat by before she heard, “I guess it makes sense why you didn’t get a card to do with them. That isn’t really something that you could find at the store.”

The laugh left her before she even registered that Rose was joking. She turned to face her, tentatively excited. “Yeah, I couldn’t even get one online.”

Rose was no longer frowning. She was, instead, holding onto the bag with both of her hands as she stared intently at Abbie, her eyebrows furrowed. Like she was puzzling something out.

“You didn’t have to buy me anything for that, Lemon. I told you – I didn’t want to see you be abducted.” With that Rose took a deep breath, and offered Abbie the bag back.

Baffled – because even when Rose wasn’t being mean or rude or insulting, she was still so… confounding to her – Abbie gently pushed the bag back at Rose. “First of all, I know I don’t have to get you anything, and I’m not doing this for some quid pro quo or something; I’m doing this because I appreciated what you did, and I wanted to show it.”

Abbie hadn’t realized that her hand had landed on Rose’s, as she pushed the bag back down into Rose’s lap until they were both still, and she could feel Rose’s soft, warm hand under her palm.

She coughed, pulling her hand back.

“Secondly, I didn’t buy them. I made them. Well, I mean, I didn’t grow the bananas or anything, but I cut them and melted the chocolate and everything myself.”

“Huh,” Rose hummed, staring down at her lap.

In the quiet moments after, Abbie found herself a little ill at-ease, tapping her fingers on her thighs. “So… yeah… enjoy. I hope. It wasn’t a huge deal or anything for me; I like to bake in my free time.”

Rose’s hands remained firmly latched on the bag of chocolate covered bananas in her lap as she turned her attention to Abbie. “You like to bake?”

Abbie nodded, eagerly. “Yeah! Love it. I mean, my mom does, and it’s something we did a lot together when I was growing up.”

Those intense, dark eyes stared back at her as Rose slowly nodded. “That’s… interesting.”

… okay. Perhaps Rose was a better conversationalist when she was being snippy? That’s what it seemed like, anyway, Abbie thought as quiet fell between them once more.

She waited another few seconds before pushing on, grasping for something else, something Rose might be interested in talking about. “So, Belanger really likes our first draft.”

They’d received their outline and drafts back yesterday with their teacher’s commentary, and all of it had been absolutely glowing; Abbie knew they were going to nail the project already.

Rose winged an eyebrow up, the edges of her lips curling into the smallest of smiles, one Abbie didn’t truly understand. But she didn’t care all that much, not when Rose started talking rather than freaking her out and staying strangely quiet. “It seems she did.”

“Soooooo, it seems that maybe going in our own direction with the theme was a good idea?” She tentatively teased, nudging Rose’s shoulder with her own.

Rose scoffed out a dismissive laugh. “Please. Even if we’d used my theme, we would have gotten the same feedback; it has nothing to do with the theme. It has to do with the fact that we’re two of the smartest people in that class.”

Surprise filtered through Abbie at the compliment, and she sat right up in her seat from it, giving Rose a wide-eyed stare.

Rose stared back, seemingly confused as to what Abbie was doing.

“You called me one of the smartest people in the class,” she explained, still feeling the shock coursing through her veins.

The way Rose rolled her eyes was precisely the response Abbie would have expected. “Yes, fine, I suppose being a goalkeeper isn’t the only thing you’re good at. I didn’t say you were Einstein or anything.”

“You didn’t have to,” she shot back, gleefully triumphant. Maybe she and Rose wouldn’t ever be besties, but this right here? This was more than Abbie had ever dreamed of.

“You’re ridiculous, Lemon,” Rose muttered, shaking her head.

“Ridiculous and smart.” Abbie continued to grin at Rose, brightly.

Even as Rose turned away from her and pointedly stared back out the window, she could see the way her full lips stayed curled in that small smile.

***

May

Abbie could do this.

She could absolutely ask Daniele to prom.

If she could handle a soccer ball flying at high speed right to her face without flinching, she could do this.

Only, her feet didn’t get the memo, because she was standing around the corner from the table where Daniele sat, selling prom tickets. She could hear Daniele chatting to the girl manning the prom table next to her, could hear her laughing, and Abbie could already feel herself blushing in advance.

She didn’t want to be blushing when she approached the table and simultaneously asked Daniele to prom, before promptly buying their tickets. She wanted to be… cool.

She also hadn’t anticipated that Daniele would be working the table with another person right now, so there was that.

Yeah, she wasn’t going to do this today.

Quickly, she spun around – before letting out a sharp, surprised gasp as she bumped right into Rose.

Who also gasped in shock, stumbling back a step with her hand over her chest.

“God, Lemon! What are you doing skulking around the corner?” Rose demanded, slightly breathless.

“I wasn’t skulking,” she denied immediately, because she wasn’t.

Her cheeks burned in a blush though, because Rose had seen her with Daniele before and she knew about Abbie’s crush, and she didn’t want any repeat commentary on that!

She came up with as quick a defense as she could muster. “I was waiting for you, actually.” Honestly, Abbie was fairly proud of herself for that, and she nodded with the words, affirming them to herself. “Yep. Waiting for you.”

Rose’s eyebrows inched up her forehead, dubiously. “You were… waiting for me?”

Abbie brought both hands up, grasping onto the straps of her backpack. “Sure was. It’s our final project check-in day, after all. Remember?”

Wow, this moment truly was lucky for her.

Because it was the day they’d slotted in as the final day for their capstone check-in, which was due at the end of the week. They’d slotted in this afternoon as the day they were going to go over everything they’d written in-person with one another back when they’d done their outline, over six weeks ago.

Rose’s eyes narrowed. “Of course I remember. I just didn’t assume you’d be waiting for me right here.”

She gestured around them, and Abbie… all right, she’d give that to Rose.

Abbie normally never ventured over to this part of campus, there was no reason to. Their academic buildings spanned the central area of campus, and – as a day student – that was where Abbie remained most of the time.

Currently, she was not-lurking at the left-most exist of the main building, where the student residences were located.

Abbie offered a tentative smile. “I guess I was just… in the area… and I know you live over here, so it made sense?”

Okay, that sounded thin to her own ears.

Rose was clearly suspicious herself, and hesitant, as she rocked back on her heels. “I’d assumed we’d do this over in the student lounge. Like we did last time.”

“Last time, you were super annoyed by how loud everyone was,” Abbie pointed out, accurately.

When they’d done their check-in after that soccer practice last month, they’d tentatively gone near the library. But had both agreed that Gellar had given them both the evil eye the second she’d seen them coming, and they’d turned around. Sure, they’d managed to work through their drafts, but sitting in the main student hub hadn’t been ideal.

Rose set her jaw, sighing. “True.” Abbie could see the tight clenching of her jaw again as Rose drew in a deep breath. “So… you were waiting here… to go up to my room?”

For some reason, hearing it phrased like that made Abbie blush. Still, she slowly nodded. “Yes?”

In the last five weeks, they’d found themselves in the best possible place that they’d ever been in. No, Abbie definitely wouldn’t categorize them as friends, and they never hung out. But they were civil.

Scratch that – Rose was civil to her; Abbie had always been civil to Rose.

But she hadn’t made any snide or derogatory comments out of the side of her mouth during practice or when they had to work on an assignment together in class, which was a fairly frequent occurrence given that Rose’s last name started with E and Abbie’s with D.

Still, Abbie knew that they weren’t close, and that this was… weird.

She understood why Rose was staring at her like she couldn’t quite understand Abbie in this moment.

Rose drew in a deep breath through her nose, before slowly releasing it. And she nodded. “You’re right; working on the project in the lounge was really irritating. It’ll be a lot quicker if we can have privacy.”

Abbie nodded, gleefully. “Exactly what I was thinking!”

They remained standing in the hall for another few seconds, though, as Rose didn’t move to lead the way to her dorm.

Just when Abbie started to really question if she’d made up this interaction, Rose set her jaw. “All right. Let’s go, then.”

Rose pushed by Abbie, then, turning the corner… only to come to an immediate pause as soon as she saw Daniele. She arched a knowing look at Abbie over her shoulder. “Waiting for me, were you?”

With that, Rose shook her head and started to glide imperiously toward the entrance of her dorm, right by Daniele.

Abbie knew she’d been made, and she blushed furiously as she scrambled after Rose to keep pace with her.

“Abbie! Hey!” Daniele’s voice called after her as she passed by, making Abbie’s determined steps falter.

She couldn’t ignore Daniele just because Rose wasn’t pausing to wait for her!

But she also couldn’t lose Rose, or she wouldn’t know where to go; she didn’t even know what floor Rose lived on!

Torn, Abbie slowed but didn’t completely stop, looking between Rose’s back and Daniele’s cute smile. “Hey, Daniele. How’s, um, how’s it going? Selling a lot of tickets?”

Daniele shrugged, waving her hand. “Eh. I mean, we’re only a couple weeks out; most people with big prom plans bought them when they went on sale.”

Was Rose running?! God, Abbie felt like she was disappearing down the hall, and it ratcheted up this feeling of anxiety inside of her, unsure of where to focus her attention.

Still, she let her gaze fall back to Daniele. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

“I… I didn’t see your name crossed out, on the list of people that have bought tickets?” Daniele asked, arching her eyebrows up in question.

Abbie flushed. “Ha, well, that’s because if my name was crossed out, someone would have been impersonating me.” God, what was wrong with her? Closing her eyes, she shook her head. “I mean. I haven’t bought a ticket yet.”

Daniele nodded, biting her lip. “But you’re coming right? You’ll be there?”

Abbie’s heart tripped in her chest, and she finally paused, unable to make herself keep walking away. Not right now. “Um, yeah! Yes, I’ll be there for sure. Will you?”

Wow! A lot smoother than she’d have imagined for herself! Way to go!

Daniele tucked a strand of long, dark hair behind her ear. “Yeah, absolutely. Dance team, remember?” She pointed, adorably, at herself. “I’m not going to miss the biggest dance of our high school careers.”

Abbie breathed out a laugh. “Right, obviously. Duh.”

“Lemon, are you coming or not?” Rose called out to her, impatience echoing through her tone down the hallway.

Furiously blushing all over again, Abbie turned around to see Rose standing at the end of the long hall, shooting her an arched look. One that was very, very knowing.

“I – yes! Just – give me a second!” She shouted back, biting her lip as she turned back to Daniele.

Who flicked her gaze from Rose back to Abbie, obviously curious. “Lemon?”

Sometimes, Abbie forgot that things like Rose’s choice name for her were such centralized things. Of course, everyone on the team knew it, therefore just about everyone in her social circle at Elliston knew it. But Daniele – perfect, out of her sphere Daniele – didn’t know her as Lemon.

“Ha,” Abbie chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck in embarrassment. “It’s… just a nickname between us. It’s not–”

“I’ve hit the button on the elevator,” Rose’s sharp tone cut in easily, even from thirty feet away. “If you’re not down here by the time it arrives, I’m going up without you.”

“We’re working on our capstone this afternoon,” Abbie rushed to inform Daniele, almost grateful for Rose’s last interruption, because she’d had no idea what she was going to say to further explain. “And she’s… antsy to get going, I guess.”

Daniele nodded, eyebrows high on her forehead as she wore that same, considering look. “Say no more; I’ve gone to school with Rose forever.” She shrugged, biting her lip. “I have to get back to my table, anyway. But I’ll see you later?”

Abbie nodded. “Yes! I’ll totally see you later,” she confirmed, as she started walking down toward Rose.

“Bye!” Daniele called.

“Bye, back!” Abbie shouted, as she quickened her pace to a run, as she heard the elevator ding.

She hopped in through the open doors just as Rose was hitting the button to go up to her floor. It seemed her threat to leave without her wasn’t an empty one, not that Abbie really thought it was.

She’d hand it to Rose – the girl had follow-through.

“You couldn’t give me one minute to talk to her?” She muttered exasperatedly, rolling her eyes at Rose.

“I thought we weren’t supposed to talk about anything to do with Daniele,” Rose easily shot back, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder.

Her own words coming back to bite her in the ass, and Abbie narrowed her eyes at it. “But… come on, Rose. You know. We both know that.”

Rose shrugged, and even that motion was haughty. “Maybe I’d have been nicer about it if you hadn’t lied about the fact that you were waiting for me.”

Again, Abbie could only roll her eyes with frustrated dismay. But what could she say? She was, after all, the one that had told Rose she didn’t want to ever talk about her crush on Daniele. And, also to Rose’s point, Abbie had also just been caught in a silly lie of her own making.

So, she merely huffed out a breath and pushed past it.

Besides, she and Rose had been on such good terms for weeks now, and she’d much rather end their project on a good note.

The elevator came to a smooth stop on the eighth – and top – floor, and Abbie wordlessly followed Rose out. She looked curiously around as they walked, talking in the very well-kept floor lounge, where seven or eight younger girls were hanging out. Not in Abbie and Rose’s grade – actually, Abbie would be shocked if they were even technically in high school, yet, upon a closer look.

They were all still in uniform, which made sense since school had just let out, and they were chatting and giggling as they sat on the couches in the common space. A few of them immediately took notice of Rose, however, and quickly, excitedly waved at her.

“Rose! Hi!”

A chorus of greetings broke out among the group of girls, as they all turned to look up at Rose with wide, adoring eyes.

Abbie’s mouth fell open in shock, because… yeah. That look on their faces was total adoration!

She double-took to look at Rose, just to make sure she was standing with the correct person.

It seemed so, as Rose gave the gaggle of girls a sweet smile. Something much bigger and brighter than Abbie had ever seen on her face, that was for damn sure. “Hey, everyone. I’ll be out to talk in a little while.” She gestured at Abbie. “Abbie and I have to work on our capstone.”

“Abbie!” One of the girls on the left side of the room positively bounced in her seat, pointing at the girl next to her, who was beet-red in the face. “This is Mattie, and she’s, like, your biggest fan!”

Delighted by everything that was happening, Abbie waved at both of them with a large grin. “Hey! It’s really nice to meet you all.”

Rose cleared her throat. “If we have time later, Abbie might be able to stay and talk. But for now, we’ll be in my room if anyone has an emergency, okay?”

Everyone agreed, obediently, as if Rose were an actual, respected authority figure to them. Abbie was so mystified by it all, she had to snap herself into following Rose as she turned on her heel and started walking down the hallway to their right.

“I guess it makes sense why I’ve never been on this floor, before,” she mused, looking at the names on the doorplates as they walked by them. Confirmed, none of the girls that lived on this floor were upperclassmen. “I mean, I’ve hung out with Amaya and some of the other girls from the team in their rooms, before, but haven’t been here.”

Rose came to a stop at the door at the end of the hall, the nameplate simply reading R. Elliston, without any roommates listed. Which, she supposed made sense. She knew Rose had been a proctor since her sophomore year, which meant that Rose was an entrusted source in the girls’ residence hall, and that responsibility was rewarded with a single room.

As she unlocked her door, Rose granted Abbie an affirming nod. “Yes, this floor is for the twelve- and thirteen-year-old residents. And since I’m the oldest proctor, I stay on their floor. Ms. Hutton, our dorm supervisor, lives on the floor below. If there’s a real problem, they go there.”

Abbie shook her head, still mystified by the short interaction she’d seen. “I bet they go to you first; they, like, completely love you.”

At her own words, she studied Rose closer. Fascinated by this fun little fact she’d been made privy to.

Even more fascinating was the fact that Rose was blushing. Abbie’s mouth dropped open in shocked excitement.

Rose, however, frowned deeply as she opened her door. “Stop looking at me like that, Lemon,” she muttered, brushing by Abbie and flicking on the lights.

It was easy to stop staring at Rose when Abbie realized she now had access to Rose’s inner-sanctum. “How the tides have turned,” she whispered to herself, following Rose into her room.

Honestly, it was a little… disappointing, Abbie had to admit. When Rose had walked into her house and her room, she’d been given a real look into who Abbie was. Like, as a person. Her parents had pictures up all over the house, and Abbie’s room was painted the light blue she’d picked out a couple years ago when she’d wanted to redecorate her room after outgrowing the way she’d styled it at age ten. She had some posters on her walls, her old trophies were laying around.

Abbie’s room showed who she was.

Rose’s room was just… a dorm.

Sure, she knew that everyone living on campus received the same standard dorm furniture when they moved in, but –

“Did you expect The Ritz?” Rose drawled sardonically from behind Abbie, as she sharply shut her door.

Abbie took her time turning around to face Rose, shrugging as she did so. “No,” she answered, honestly. “But I guess I’m surprised by the fact that you have all the standard issue stuff, since…”

She trailed off, unsure of how to verbalize her thoughts without sounding like an asshole.

“Since I’m an Elliston?” Rose finished, apparently able to read Abbie’s mind.

She winced but nodded; she wasn’t going to lie. Like, was she surprised Rose had been selected to be a proctor and get a single bedroom? Of course not; she was a fucking Elliston.

“Who’s making assumptions now?” Rose asked, her tone clipped but… teasing? She didn’t sound actually annoyed – at least, Abbie didn’t think so.

Abbie drew her lips to the side, offering Rose a wide-eyed look. “Sorry?” She offered.

Rose rolled her eyes back, but didn’t get huffy. “It’s whatever; I know people think that.”

“Well, now I know better, I guess,” Abbie muttered, casting her gaze around the room once more.

Not only did Rose have all the same standard-issue dorm furniture, but she also didn’t have an ounce of herself splashed anywhere in this room. There were no posters on the wall, no pictures, no… anything. Not a single thing identified this room as Rose’s.

Her bed was made with impeccable corners, and a plain, soft-looking gray duvet. Everything was nearly organized on her desk and on her small bookshelf. Her closet was closet, and the small dresser was neat and tidy, not even an errant sock sticking out.

It could be an advertisement for a generic Elliston Prep dorm room, right from the website.

Rose cleared her throat. “You know, you can’t go to prom with Daniele, anyway.”

Baffled, offended, and shocked by the comment – like, what? And where the hell did that come from? And ouch?! – Abbie wheeled around, eyebrows knitting together deeply on her forehead. “I – just – what are you talking about?”

Rose’s full lips were pursed in a thoughtful pout, but Abbie honestly couldn’t decipher her expression. Because she didn’t look like she was trying to be a dick. “I wasn’t going to break your rule and talk about Daniele in public, but I figured I should tell you, now: it doesn’t matter if you get up your courage and manage to ask her to prom or not. So, you shouldn’t stress out about it.”

Flummoxed, Abbie lifted her hands, then dropped them heavily to her sides, unsure of what was fucking going on. “I… wasn’t…”

Now, Rose clearly looked exasperated with her, and Abbie was thankful for some familiarity. “Obviously that’s what you were thinking about before we bumped into one another downstairs. I’m not an idiot.”

Abbie heaved a sigh, blushing the slightest bit. “Okay, fine, you caught me. But… I mean, I haven’t heard anything about anyone else asking her? And she said she was going to be there?”

Was she fishing for information from the world’s most caustic source? Maybe. But she needed to understand where Rose was coming from!

Rose frowned, continuing to look at Abbie as if Abbie were being deliberately obtuse. “No, Lemon, as far as I know, Daniele is completely available.”

“Then, why can’t I go to prom with her?” She challenged, feeling her nerves tie together in a tight knot in her stomach as soon as the words left her mouth, and she quickly walked it back. “Not that I’m assuming she’d say yes or that I even know if I–”

“Oh, god. I’m going to put us both out of misery before you ramble even more,” Rose cut in, her voice soft, but exacting. She rolled her lips, studying Abbie thoughtfully, though, before she spoke again several beats later. “You and Daniele wouldn’t be able to buy prom tickets, together.”

Abbie narrowed her eyes at Rose, still not computing what she was getting at.

Huffing out a breath, Rose elaborated, “When you buy your prom ticket, they mark you off of the senior class roster,” she imitated making a little checkmark on a piece of paper in front of her. “So they can keep track of the number of people coming and whatever. And if you’re bringing someone that doesn’t go to Elliston or isn’t a senior, then you tell them you have a non-senior plus-one.”

Ah, okay. That all made sense, Abbie supposed. She’d never bought a prom ticket – obviously – so it was new to her. But, still didn’t explain what Rose was getting at.

“And if you’re both seniors, and you’re buying a ticket for your date, you tell them, so they check off your date’s name on the roster,” Rose explained further, holding Abbie’s gaze with her own. As if she were waiting for the moment it would all snap together and make sense in Abbie’s mind.

But she’d be waiting for a while, because Abbie still didn’t see the whole picture. She stared back, expectantly. “And?”

Rose sighed. “And they don’t let two girls, or two boys buy tickets together. Obviously, that’s what I’ve been getting at.”

Immediately, Abbie felt the sharp sting of anger whip through her, and she snapped her shoulders upright. “Are you kidding me? Why the hell can’t two girls or boys buy prom tickets together? That’s – that’s discriminatory!”

She was going to be talking to Caroline about it tonight, in fact!

“It’s a private institution, Lemon,” Rose quietly rebutted. “Maybe in your holy public school, you could bring your lawyer-mom in to do something about it, but… not here.”

Abbie’s stomach churned in revolt, and she shook her head. “That’s – that’s not okay!” She insisted, taking a step closer to Rose.

She wanted Rose to understand how not okay it was! She wanted Rose, desperately, to see that this was degrading and unfair, and that Abbie’s outrage was completely warranted! She wanted Rose Elliston to do… something, other than stare at her, dismally.

Rose merely arched her eyebrows, lifting her hands in the air. “I never said it was okay. I’m not in charge here, even if my last name is on the building. Don’t shoot the messenger.”

Which… fine. Abbie stopped staring Rose down, some of the wind taken out of her sails because Rose made a good point. Whether her family was in charge or not, Rose was just an eighteen-year-old girl, just like Abbie was.

But, still. Even if she wasn’t mad at Rose, she was still mad!

“Why, though?” She asked, shaking her head incomprehensibly. “We’re in the twenty-first century, here. Gay marriage has been legal for decades.”

“It’s a Catholic school. Technically,” Rose added with a shrug.

Ugh, Abbie grimaced again at the statement. “So?” She challenged. “It’s not like we have daily mass or any prayer time or… literally anything religious that happens here.”

Abbie likely wouldn’t have come to school here – in spite of her full ride or the amazing soccer team – if that had been the case. And that was without the added commentary from her mom and Caroline, who definitely wouldn’t have been fans.

Rose was clearly growing exasperated, and her shoulders were visibly tight as she shrugged. “Luckily, the administration and the board decided to forgo all of the religious pageantry over a decade ago. But the ideals clearly remain deeply rooted.” She took in a deep breath, sharply letting it out as she shook her head. “Look, I’m not trying to get into a philosophical or human-rights conversation, Lemon. I was just letting you know that you don’t need to stress about asking Daniele to the prom, because it doesn’t really matter. Buy your own ticket, and when you get to prom, you can dance with whomever you want.”

Deflated – and demoralized and still angry – Abbie slumped her shoulders. “Yeah. I mean. Thanks for the info, I guess.”

She rolled her lips, trying to push through all of the ugly feelings twisting together inside of her.

With a deep breath, she slid her gaze back to Rose. Who was still standing a foot away, watching Abbie with an indecipherable stare.

“Are you going?” She asked before she hit her palm against her forehead. “Uh, wow. Dumb question. Obviously you’re going.”

Rose’s eyebrows crinkled together adorably. “What do you mean obviously?”

Abbie stared back at her for several long moments, before she slowly stated, “Uhhhh, because you and Nathan are the poster-couple for the senior class?”

Sure, yeah, Rose didn’t scream school spirit or give off a love of togetherness or school events.

But she was Rose Elliston of Elliston Prep, class valedictorian, the most senior proctor, and one of the best players on the most successful sports team at the school. And she’d been dating Nathan Schiff – arguably the most attractive guy in their school, even Abbie could see that as a lesbian, who was also the star of the boys lacrosse team – for almost two years, now.

Unlike Rose, Nathan did emit the love of school spirit and community events. She couldn’t imagine he wouldn’t want to go to prom.

She quirked her lips into a teasing smile. “I’d honestly be shocked if you two didn’t get named prom kind and queen or whatever.”

Rose’s eyes narrowed as her cheeks blushed, and she finally broke away from the spot she’d seemed rooted to. “Yes, we’re going to prom,” she muttered in confirmation, going to stand at her desk as she started to go through her backpack.

“How’d he ask?” Abbie couldn’t help but wonder. She couldn’t imagine that Rose loved the idea of some ornate prom-posal, nor had she heard of one.

Rose paused, before she shrugged. “He just… asked. Like a normal, civilized human being. Which I appreciated.”

Abbie chuckled, walking up next to Rose at her desk so she could actually look at her during this conversation. Honestly, she was riveted, because, “You don’t talk much about him.”

Rose’s movements froze, before she turned to give Abbie a suspicious look. “And?”

Abbie held her hands up in defense. “I wasn’t saying anything by it. I was just, you know, saying it.”

Because it was true. Rose had spent the entire night at Abbie’s house a couple months ago, and not once that entire time had Rose mentioned wanting to go and call or text Nathan in private.

He did come to all of their soccer games, though, and cheered on the sidelines, which Abbie always thought was nice. She supposed she’d seen Rose walk over and give him a hug after some of their games, if she really thought about it.

“Well, I’m not some insipid loser who’s totally lovestruck by her boyfriend and can’t go a day without mooning over him,” Rose muttered, turning her attention back to her desk as she organized her laptop and books.

Abbie took in Rose’s response with a slow, considering nod, staring intently at the side of Rose’s face.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t be able to see you being all ga-ga over someone. Makes sense.”

Again, Rose sharply turned to her, dark eyes narrowed into a glare. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Laughing, baffled, Abbie shook her head. “Nothing! I’m agreeing with you!” God, Rose really was so damn… persnickety sometimes. “I can’t imagine you losing your head over someone, being all heart-eyes. You’re too… real for that,” she decided was the right word choice, and she stuck by it the more she thought about it. “I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” she added, finding that she really, seriously meant it. “I mean, look at me trying to talk to someone I like. It’s a mess. I think it’s great that you aren’t like that.”

She watched as Rose rolled her lips, thoughtfully, before she nodded. “Well. Thank you, then. I suppose.” Finally, Rose set her notebook down on the desk and hung her bag on the hook on the back of her door – unsurprisingly, totally neat and tidy, everything in its place. “Now, let’s finish this capstone.”

***

June

Abbie was flying so high, she wasn’t sure her feet would ever come back to touch the freaking ground!

She was flying so high, that she needed to take a little bit of a break from the cacophony inside the yacht club that their prom was being hosted at, and take a breather outside by herself. Or else she might just pass the hell out.

Prom was loud and a little chaotic and people were everywhere, and the inside of the perfectly decorated hall felt like it was at least twenty-degrees warmer than it should be, with all of the dancing.

She’d followed Rose’s advice a few weeks ago and bought her own prom ticket, without asking Daniele. At the very least, it had taken the pressure off, and Abbie had managed to have a full conversation with Daniele while purchasing her ticket without making a fool of herself.

And, also true to Rose’s word, she was dancing with whomever the hell she pleased. She’d started the night with Amaya, the two of them lost in a group of their soccer team, all dancing together and having a fucking blast doing it.

Then…

Then she’d turned, in the middle of dancing super closely with Amaya, only for her breath to catch in her throat as she’d found herself face-to-face with Daniele. She’d been so grateful that her body hadn’t caught up with her mind, as she’d still continued to dance – with rhythm, not even making a fool of herself – as Daniele moved even closer to her, their bodies brushing.

Her body had been on high-alert, even as she’d managed to breathe through it and finish the song. After all, the dance floor was a mass of dancing bodies; maybe Daniele hadn’t realized who she’d ended up essentially grinding with?

But, as one song flowed into another, Abbie hadn’t been able to maintain even the possibility of that idea.

Because Daniele stayed right there with her, only moving closer and closer, her eyes intently on Abbie’s.

And then – then… there had been the slow dance. Where Daniele and Abbie both stopped their fast-paced movements, and Daniele arched an eyebrow at her. “Do you want to dance? With me?”

Abbie’s heart had tripped in her chest and her cheeks had flushed, and she’d nodded so quickly, she felt embarrassed by it immediately. “Yes. I’d – I’d love that.”

She’d freaking slow danced with Daniele Garcia! She’d felt Daniele’s hands wrap around her back, tentatively, and Abbie… Abbie had her own hands on Daniele’s hips and her waist, and…

She gripped the cool, metal railing in front of her with those same hands, willing them to stop this warm tingling.

Daniele had kissed Abbie’s cheek after, and told her that she really needed some water, but, “I’ll be back? Later?” And her voice had been all low, and Abbie –

She blew out a deep breath, feeling her heart kickstart in her chest all over again, the same way it had when Daniele had spoken those words to her, like, twenty minutes ago. Because maybe Abbie was a total idiot around girls she liked, but she wasn’t actually an idiot.

She understood the look Daniele had given her. She understood the intent of the way Daniele had pressed a kiss to her cheek – only an inch or two away from her lips. Abbie had seen enough romcoms to know what a moment was, even if she’d never experienced one, herself. Hell, she’d helped her mom and Caroline get together because she’d witnessed their moments together!

So, she knew for sure – mostly? – that she’d had a moment with Daniele.

Were they going to kiss later?! They were going to kiss, later. Tonight.

Maybe.

And Abbie was in a tailspin over the very idea.

And so, here she was. Staring out over the dark water while standing alone on the lowest landing of the stone patio. There’d been a handful of people out on the well-decorated stone patio area, right outside the doors. The place that was clearly intended for prom-goers to hang out on, when they wanted some fresh air.

Abbie had explored farther, finding the stone staircase that led to the water’s edge. It wasn’t blocked off, but it clearly wasn’t where they were meant to be. Hell, there wasn’t even a light down here.

But, it was calm. That was what she’d needed. A true moment of peace and calm, to gather herself.

She startled, her heart jumping in her chest, when she heard a throat clear behind her. Immediately, she thought she was in trouble, and she turned around with an apology on her lips.

Only to see Rose standing there, staring at her intently. She looked just as surprised to see Abbie down here as Abbie was to see her, dark eyes wide.

Relieved, Abbie’s breath escaped her in a whoosh. “God, I thought you were someone that worked here and that I was going to get, like, kicked out or something.”

“Alas, I don’t hold that power,” Rose shot back.

Abbie’s lips ticked into a smile, and she unthinkingly dropped her gaze from Rose’s face.

Rose’s look had very little fanfare to it, which didn’t surprise Abbie. Because Rose didn’t need it.

She’d always wondered if Rose knew how much she looked like she belonged in old-fashioned Hollywood, but this moment confirmed for Abbie that Rose very much did know that about herself.

The dress she wore was dark, inky black, all simple lines and so incredibly flattering to her figure. It was sleeveless and haltered, and Abbie had no idea what kind of bra someone would wear with that dress, but she knew Rose had to be wearing one because her breasts looked fucking amazing. It cinched in to accentuate her curvy hips, before falling down to her ankles with an artful flourish.

Abbie didn’t realize she was holding her breath until she trailed her gaze back up to Rose’s face, and expelled it on a long exhale. Rose’s long, dark hair that she always wore pulled back was perfectly curled, falling over her shoulders and down her back, and…

“Wow,” she breathed, blinking widely as she returned her eyes to meet Rose’s. She gestured toward Rose. “You look… wow.”

Something low in her stomach tingled with just how wow.

“I honestly am not sure if I should take that as a compliment, Lemon,” Rose’s tone was a cross between amused and disdainful, something Abbie could only imagine Rose pulling off.

She shook her head, vehemently. “Of course, it’s a compliment! What else could I mean by that?!”

Objectively, Rose was probably the most beautiful person here, Abbie could admit that. Which was saying something, as they were spending the night in a sea of people that had dressed up to look their very best.

“Well, you sounded so shocked by the idea of my looking good. Very flattering, truly, given that you’ve seen me every day for two years,” she answered, dryly.

Flushing, Abbie rolled her eyes. “Come on, that’s not – you know what I mean.”

Rather than let her off the hook, Rose simply hummed.

Exasperated, Abbie tossed her hands in the air. “You’re always pretty, Rose, don’t be stupid.”

“Wow,” Rose echoed Abbie’s previous tone, sarcastically. “Best compliment I’ve ever received.”

Abbie dropped her head back with a groan. “Whatever. Take it or leave it.”

She turned around once more, bracing herself on the railing and staring out at the water. After a few seconds, she felt Rose approach as well, before Rose stood next to her. Their bare shoulders brushed, as Rose settled in, and she shivered.

“You look wow, too,” Rose murmured.

Abbie scoffed, even as a pleased warmth spread through her. She’d picked out the short, red dress she’d decided to wear with the very deliberate thought of not wanting a traditional prom dress. Nothing floor-length or poofy or anything like that. She’d gone simple and fun, and it had pockets, and she loved it. She’d left her hair down when she’d done pictures with her parents, but it had gotten tossed into a ponytail amidst all of the dancing. She definitely didn’t have the classical beauty look that Rose did, that was for sure.

“Gee, thanks. Should I needle you until you say whether or not you think I’m a troll in everyday life?”

“Only if you want me to answer truthfully.”

Abbie decided she didn’t need that, rolling her eyes as she shook her head. “I’m good.”

Quiet fell between them for a few moments, and Abbie couldn’t stop herself from turning to look at Rose, undeniably curious.

Rose wasn’t looking at her, but out into the dark water. Her jaw was set and her eyebrows were drawn down, and Abbie couldn’t for the life of her even hazard to guess what was on Rose’s mind.

On Abbie’s mind, though, was… Rose.

She breathed out a quiet laugh, shaking her head softly. “I began my time at Elliston with you, and here I am – ending it with you, too.” Inhaling slowly, deeply, she continued to study Rose. “You know, for better or worse, you’ve really made an impact.”

“We did close out this soccer season with a win. And we got an A on our capstone. So, overall, I think it’s for the better,” Rose said, thoughtfully, and her words just about bowled Abbie over.

Eyebrows lifting high on her forehead, Abbie was incredulous. “You do?” She demanded to know. “You think that me coming to Elliston was for the better?”

Rose worked her jaw, shooting Abbie a look of sheer exasperation. “Well, as I said, everything we had to team up on turned out okay, didn’t it? It’s not like I said you were the second coming.”

“I mean, yeah. But still,” Abbie insisted, still surprised by the sentiment.

Rose hummed back, but didn’t say anything right away, continuing to stare out over the water with that pensive expression.

“I can’t believe it’s over.” The words escaped Abbie without her even thinking of them too much, but… it was the truth. Even though Rose had spent the better part of the last two years as a thorn in her side, everything they’d done together – albeit, forced to work together on – had turned out really, really well. And now… it was all coming to an end.

Their classes had officially finished a day ago. Their graduation was scheduled to take place less than a week from today. And that was it on Abbie’s high school career, the book was closing on her time spent with Rose. After all, Abbie intended on staying in touch with Amaya and some of her other friends as she went to Duke and everyone else went their own ways, but she couldn’t imagine she and Rose would speak again? “Elliston is… over.”

Wow. So weird to think about.

Rose made another quiet sound in her throat, still not turning to return Abbie’s gaze. “It’s not over for everyone,” Rose’s comment was so quiet, Abbie could hardly hear it over the gentle lapping of the water against the rocks below them.

Confused, she lightly bumped her shoulder against Rose’s as she turned to fully face her. “Why do you say that like you aren’t graduating or something?”

Abbie knew that very obviously wasn’t the reality; Rose was going to Viddell University next year, a small but elite private college in Vermont. She’d been accepted early admission, months and months ago; everyone knew it.

Rose drew in such a deep breath, Abbie could see her back and shoulders shift as her lungs filled. After a few seconds, Rose released the breath, shaking her head. “But I’ll always be an Elliston.”

There was something in her voice, an honesty, a rawness that Abbie didn’t understand fully. She nodded, though, taking it in. “I guess that’s true?”

She supposed it made sense? Rose wouldn’t ever truly leave Elliston behind in the way Abbie was, because, well, it was her family’s institution. She got that.

Rose shut her eyes with a tight, humorless smile curling at her lips. Only for a moment, though, before she turned to face Abbie as well. She arched a look up at her. “So, why are you standing out here, Lemon?”

“Why are you?” Abbie shot back, leaning against the railing.

Rose frowned incredulously. “I asked you, first.”

“And I was standing here, first,” she returned, enjoying the back-and-forth.

She’d hand it to Rose – no matter what, she was never boring.

“I mean, you’re here with your boyfriend, and you were just named prom queen. Shouldn’t tonight be, like, the ultimate prom night?” She asked, running her gaze over Rose’s face, as it was the face of someone that didn’t look like they were living the ultimate dream.

Rose snorted. “Yes, because I am that person, who’s dreamed of a high school dance her entire life.”

Abbie shrugged, fighting off a grin at Rose’s acerbic tone. “Where is your crown, anyway?”

Abbie had watched Rose’s coronation with her own eyes, but there was certainly no faux-tiara resting on her head, now.

“Celine wanted to wear it,” Rose answered with an eye roll, referencing one of the girls on their team.

“And you gave it to her?” Abbie couldn’t help but laugh, because… well, that was Rose, through-and-through. Not giving things away out of altruism, but because the idea of being prom royalty clearly was beneath her.

“What do I care? It’s going in the trash tonight if I take it home,” Rose informed her with a scoff.

Yep, that sounded about right.

“Now you,” Rose turned the question back on her without missing a beat. “Why are you down here? I saw you dancing with Daniele; figured all of your prom dreams were coming true.”

Abbie didn’t miss the haughty tone that entered Rose’s tone, but she honestly figured it would happen at some point in their conversation; it always did.

Feeling a little… well… shy, Abbie kicked her converse-covered toe at the ground. “What, are you watching me?” She returned, rather than answer the question facing her.

Rose’s dark eyes rolled so incredibly hard, Abbie was sure they saw Rose’s brain. “Yes, Lemon. I’ve spent the entire evening staring at you, wondering how much you were going to fumble with Daniele Garcia.”

Her cheeks heated with a blush and Abbie dug her teeth into her bottom lip, trying to keep in the words that – shockingly – were trying to escape her.

But Rose was the only one here. Abbie didn’t even have her phone with her, it was on one of the tables inside! So it wasn’t like she could text Amaya to get out here or emergency call Norah for advice.

And maybe they weren’t friends, but Rose always told Abbie the honest – sometimes blunt and painful – truth of what she thought…

“Okay, yes, so you saw us dancing, right?” Abbie bounced up onto her tiptoes with the excitement those words caused to spiral through her. Just as quickly, though, her nerves cut right through it, making her land heavily on her heels. “But I think – um, well, I think she might… want to… do more… later?”

Rose’s dark eyes were luminous, seeming just as endless as the water next to them, as she stared at Abbie, nonplussed. “All right? And?”

Abbie tossed her hands in the air, because – of course that was all the support she got, here! “And, I don’t…” She rolled her lips, nerves spiking through her as she lowered her voice to a cautious whisper, “I’ve never…”

“Had sex,” Rose finished, flatly, even as she wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Did Daniele seriously tell you that was her intention for tonight? Because that’s disgus–”

“No!” Abbie lurched forward, closing the distance between them so she could press her hand over Rose’s stupidly full lips, needing to cut her off right there. Christ, Abbie’s face was on fire!

She stared at Rose, absolutely baffled as to why she’d jumped all the way to sex.

“Why did you go straight to sex?” She demanded, unable to stop herself. But she didn’t want Rose’s answer, because she was sure it was going to be disparaging, and she hurried to explain herself; it was too late not to, now. “She didn’t say anything, and definitely not about sex.”

Her words were firm as she held Rose’s gaze with her own, needing Rose to not get anything crazy in her head.

Rose’s eyes were wider, now, her cheeks flushed – or they simply looked that way as a change in reflection in the moonlight? Abbie didn’t know.

What she did know was that her palm tingled as Rose’s lips brushed firmly against her skin as she said, “Okay?”

The word was muffled against Abbie’s hand, and she couldn’t contain the small gasp that escaped from her throat as she yanked her hand away from Rose. She stared down at her palm for a moment, unable to grasp how her hand didn’t have some sort of mark or imprint on it, based on how strongly she’d felt that.

She turned her baffled stare to Rose as she rubbed the fingertips of her other hand over her palm, trying to massage away this weird feeling.

Jesus. Okay. Weird.

Rose – also weirdly – didn’t have any smart remarks, apparently, as she’d rolled her lips tightly together as soon as Abbie had moved, and she remained that way, her lips drawn into a firm, thin line.

“Uh…” Abbie had to clear her throat, pushing herself to remember where they were. “It’s – I think she’s going to kiss me.” She cringed at herself; no, she didn’t like the way that sounded or how it made her feel. “I think we’re going to kiss.”

Yes, that felt better.

Rose exhaled a slow, long breath through her nose, before she arched a searching look at Abbie. “I repeat: okay…? And? Isn’t that supposed to be your dream? It was all over your notebook.”

There was that snide tone again, and huh. Hearing it actually made Abbie feel a little calmer. Like, yeah, this was just Rose Elliston, giving her shit, because that was normal for them.

Cheeks burning even hotter, Abbie bit her cheek so hard she was worried it might bleed. Then, she immediately released it – what if she did kiss Daniele tonight?! Her mouth couldn’t taste like blood!

“Yes, I obviously want to kiss her,” she hissed quietly, tossing a look over her shoulder to make sure they were still alone down here.

They were.

“But I’ve never…” She trailed off, trying to get the gumption to make this confession in the face of Rose’s intense gaze.

She didn’t need to, apparently.

Because Rose’s eyes went wider than Abbie had ever seen, shock visibly coursing through her as her mouth fell open with it.

“You’re never kissed anyone.” Rose didn’t ask it; she stated it. That same surprised expression remained on her face, even as confusion edged in with it.

Abbie dropped her head back on a long, mortified groan, as she admitted, “No, okay? I’ve never kissed anyone.”

“But – why?” Rose asked immediately, and it seemed bafflement had taken over the shock, now.

“What do you mean?” Abbie pressed, because her own confusion at Rose’s confusion blessedly cut through some of her embarrassment.

“I mean just that: why haven’t you kissed anyone?” Rose’s eyebrows furrowed as she stared critically at Abbie. “You don’t look like a troll, even when you’re not dressed up for a special occasion.”

“Thanks,” Abbie dryly responded. She reached up, pressing her hands against her cheeks in hopes that it would help the blush go away. “And… I don’t know?”

Helplessly, she shrugged.

“Who am I supposed to kiss? When I was fourteen, I realized I had a crush on my cousin Norah’s best friend, Mira. And that lasted for a while – until the beginning of last year – but then I stopped hanging out with her all of the time and she got a boyfriend, and I was spending most of my time here at Elliston and I met Daniele.”

The confession left her in an unexpected ramble, but Abbie wasn’t embarrassed by it, because she genuinely wanted an answer.

“And you’ve obviously seen how things have been going between me and Daniele, which is that up until literally tonight, nothing has ever happened. So, I repeat: who should I have kissed?” She challenged, crossing her arms over her chest.

Rose’s eyebrows were lifted so far up on her forehead, obviously incredulous and… amused? As she answered, “Kissing isn’t that serious, Lemon. You’re really overthinking it. You don’t need to be ready to pounce into a relationship with someone just because you kiss them.”

“I obviously know that,” she muttered, cutting Rose an exasperated glare. “But why would I approach a girl at a party or – or whatever, and try to kiss her if I don’t like her? What’s the point of that? I’d still be having to go through the learning process of figuring out how to kiss someone, and I’d be doing it for someone I don’t even like?”

That made absolutely no sense to her, hence why she’d remained un-kissed!

“And then, what if I’m bad at it? What if I’m bad at it, and the girl wouldn’t even tell me – or worse, she’d go around telling people I’m bad at it – because we don’t mean anything to each other?” She continued listing off her romantic concerns to Rose.

Who was shaking her head against everything Abbie was saying.

“It’s not that serious,” Rose repeated, firmly. She gave Abbie a look as if she were insane. “You realize that, right? That you’re putting in way too much time into thinking about something so ridiculous, it’s stopping you from enjoying the fact that the girl you like might like you back?”

Abbie rocked back on her heels, embarrassed all over again as she sighed and dropped her gaze to the ground. “Oh, I know,” she muttered, hating the fact that she did know it, very well. “But… I just really like her so much, that I’m worried–”

She didn’t get another word out.

She, truthfully, didn’t even remember what she’d been about to say.

Because Rose’s hands were on her jaw, soft and steady and firm, as she angled Abbie’s head down and tugged her forward, as she pressed herself up, and –

They were kissing.

She was kissing Rose Elliston.

Nothing made sense, and Abbie vaguely heard and felt a sound vibrate from the back of her throat and she gasped with it against Rose’s lips.

Rose’s very soft, very warm lips, that were on her own.

The tingle she’d felt on her palm had nothing on this, she dimly registered, feeling that same feeling only about a hundred times more intense on her mouth. Her thoughts were spinning to the point that her mind was totally blank, and Abbie just – she leaned into the feeling.

She rested her hands on the curve of Rose’s hips, feeling the hot exhale against her mouth that Rose breathed out as soon as Abbie touched her.

The hands that remained cupping her jaw gripped tighter, pulling Abbie more firmly against Rose as Rose slid her tongue along Abbie’s bottom lip, before sliding slowly against Abbie’s own.

She whimpered at the feeling, flexing her hands against Rose hard, as she followed along with all of Rose’s movements. Wanting, eagerly, to lean into this feeling that was coursing through her entire body, now. Something hot and wanting, and the movies were all right?! It could feel like this, and Abbie had been so nervous about this?!

Abruptly, Rose pulled back. Not only was her mouth gone from Abbie’s, but her hands dropped away from her face, and Abbie’s own hands fell limply to her sides.

When Abbie rapidly blinked her eyes open – confused and wanting in equal measure – Rose had already taken several steps away from her.

Rose used one, elegant finger to swipe over the plush center of her bottom lip and… Abbie’s mouth fell open on a rasping breath at the sight, in a way she absolutely had never experienced before in her life.

Abbie wasn’t a total prude or anything; she’d explored her body, to borrow from her mom and Caroline’s phrasing when they’d talked about sex when Abbie had become a teenager. She knew what it felt like when she wanted.

But… doing something to herself, with only a theoretical idea was very, very different from the way it was in real life, she was realizing at this very moment.

“What–” She started to say, unsure of what, exactly, she was going to ask, but she just – she had so many questions!

“I told you, Lemon, it’s not a big deal. Now, you don’t have to worry about your first kiss. Or being a bad kisser, for the record.” With that, Rose turned on the high heel she was wearing – the only reason she’d been nearly eye-level with Abbie – and turned away.

Abbie could only stare, tingling lips still agape with shock, as Rose strode up the stairs as if she’d never even been here.

“What the fuck,” she breathed.

Coming back to earth, Abbie reached up and ran her fingertips over her lips.

At the very least, the shock and bafflement she was left with now was a much more fitting conclusion to her relationship with Rose, she supposed.

.

.

.

.

.

.

spoiler prevention

.

.

.

.

.

.