#para20

Kurt hadn't moved from his spot on the edge of Fox Forest and he was full of adrenaline from his argument with Benji. He got out the car and slammed his door, kicking his wheel and leaning against the hood of the car, "Jumped up little twat" he spat out, talking to no one.

“...Talking to me, Kurtie?” Benji called with a smirk, walking up to him, longboard in hand. He stopped a few inches from Kurt, threw down his board, and crossed his arms. “We don’t have to do this, y’know,” he chided, getting into his face. “All you have to is agree to leave me the fuck alone. Do that, and I won’t give Doc another patient.”

Kurt rolled his neck as he heard Benji speaking and turned to face him, crossing his arms in front of him, "About you" he confirmed, "Aww, does Benji not want to dance any more?" he said, a smirk on his face, "Shouldn't be surprised... Maybe it was a fluke against Aaron".

"Unlike you, I have empathy. Figured you'd been through enough without an ass-kicking. Figured you actually wanted to resolve this stupid little spat. But, obviously I was wrong." He stared straight at Kurt and smiled. "Go ahead, Hummel. I'll even give you the first swing. Let's see if your sociopath of a brother was a fluke or not."

Kurt scoffed and stepped forward, "How courteous" he breathed out, as he got closer to the other man, "But I got a feeling that was a bad move" and he stopped, bringing his fist around and swinging it directly at Benji's cheek.

Benji rolled his eyes and ducked, sweeping at one of Kurt's legs as he did. "You saw what happened to your Monster of a brother last time, right?" he questioned, standing back up. "Like, are you serious here? At least he had a knife."

Kurt landed on his back as his leg swept from under him and he shook his head, "He. Is. Not. A. Monster" Kurt said, bringing himself back to his feet, "I don't need weapons. I know how to fight fair" and with that, he aimed his next punch at Benji's stomach.

Benji took the punch with a groan, but only so he could grab Kurt's outstretched arm with both hands once it had connected. He gripped his arm and threw Kurt's body away from him, aiming towards the ground again. "He's a fucking monster and you are too. Don't make me actually hurt you, Hummel."

Kurt groaned as he hit the floor again but he scoffed, "Don't make me laugh Karofsky" he spat out, standing once more, dusting the dirt from his hands, "And don't call us monsters" this time he aimed a swift kick at Benji's kneecap.

Benji didn't respond, focusing so he could move aside quickly enough to doge the kick. He wound up and threw a left hook, aiming square for Kurt's face.

Kurt couldn't move fast enough and felt the punch connect with his cheek, making him stumble backwards as he brought a hand up to his cheek, "Fucking ass" he breathed out, taking a moment to get his balance, "Best you got?" he spat out

"You tell me," Benji replied, roundhouse kicking twice towards Kurt's stomach.

The kicks made Kurt feel a bit sick as they hit him and he doubled over, clutching his stomach, "Fuck" he hissed out, stumbling forward. As he got within arm's reach of Benji, he straightened up as best he could and aimed a full power punch at Benji's cheek.

"Stay down, Hummel," Benji spat, blocking Kurt's punch with his right arm and throwing another hook at Kurt's face with his left hand.

Kurt was about to retort when he felt the next punch hit his cheek and he felt the warm feeling of blood on his cheek, "Or what Karofsky? Scared you'll become the monster next huh?"

Benji threw two punches, aimed straight for Kurt's stomach, in response. "Don't try to fucking project, Hummel. I'm not walking around with serial killer blood in my veins."

With each punch, Kurt stumbled backwards until he was close to his car, "You are the monster, you just don't see it" he spat, using what energy he had left to swing at Benji once more, desperate to cause a little more harm.

Benji let the punch hit his raised arm and hissed as it connected before grabbing Kurt's hand. Not letting go, he picked Kurt up and pinned him to the hood of his car, keeping him in place with his knee on Kurt's stomach. "You've got a thirst for blood that exceeds your ability to fight, yet I'm the monster. Sure, Hummel. " 

He repositioned the way he was holding Kurt's hand and stared at him. "Burt would be disappointed, by the way. Should've used a knife like he does. ...Tell me you'll leave me alone, Hummel or I'm breaking your fucking arm," Benji threatened, winding back Kurt's hand.

Kurt was moved with ease, his torso aching, his cheek bleeding and the other starting to swell but he scoffed, "I don't have bloodlust, I'm not the one who got trained to kill". When he felt the hold on his arm change, he groaned in pain, "Do it" he dared the boy, "Prove to everyone who the absolute monster is. I dare you Benji".

"Newsflash, Hummel. All I wanted to do was ballet. Paul made me get trained. Thought it was too 'gay' by itself." He rolled his eyes, "You Hummels sure do know how to pass the buck, don't you? You're not even worth a broken arm." 

He twisted Kurt's arm as far as it could go and kept it there, pinning his head to the hood of the car with his other hand. "All the pain and none of the battle scars. Figured you already had enough."

Kurt wanted to retort but the twist to his arm made him feel sicker and the pain from the knee to his stomach was not helping. He moaned in the pain, "You fucking idiot" he hissed out, his head pressed against the metal of the car, "Fuck" he said as he felt his body start to cave from the pain.

After picking Sebastian up from his house, Aaron drove straight to Fox Forest to find Kurt. And seeing his car was a good sign, until he drover closer and could see...was that fucking Benji? "Fucking hell." He muttered, and almost didn't let his motorcycle stop all the way before getting off and moving to get Benji off of Kurt, presumably with Sebastian behind him, since he wasn't actually looking back at his friend right now.

Sebastian held onto the bike as best as he could, since Aaron was driving the bike like a bat out of hell. And he couldn't blame him. With how bad Kurt seemed to have taken the recent news, who knew which crazy thing he would end up doing; and soon after he got his answer, when he narrowed his eyes and focused ahead, and saw Kurt and Benji, going fully at it. He barely got to jumpo out of the bike before Aaron practically let it fall to the ground, then ran after him to where the car was and was able to catch Kurt from hitting the floor too harshly, holding him up in his arms. "Ben, what the fuck are you doing, man?"

Benji blinked, raising his arms up in surrender. "...He wouldn't leave me alone. I told him not to fight me..." was all the explanation he had, shaking his head. He never wanted anyone else besides the Hummels to see him like this, but that was out of his control now. "He wouldn't leave me alone," he babbled, finally starting to snap out of his rage, "my mom fucking died and he still wouldn't just leave me alone..."

When Aaron pulled Benji off him, he dropped and if it hadn’t been for Sebastian catching him, he would have hit the deck hard. His cheek was still bleeding, his other cheek already bruising but it was the torso which hurt the most, that and his arm, “He calls us the monster” he breathed out, “But really it’s been him all along” he said. He didn’t know why but it was then he turned his body into Sebastian’s hold and quietly whispered, so neither of the others would hear, “Thanks boss”.

Once Benji raised his arms up and started talking, he turned to Kurt. "What the fuck were you thinking?" Aaron couldn't even believe his brother would have done something so stupid as fight Benji right now. "You saw what he did to me and I had a fucking knife! He completely kicked my ass and you thought it wouldn't end the same for you?"

Sebastian quickly pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and placed it over Kurt's bleeding cheek. "No problem. But your brother is right. Couldn't you just walk away from all this? You think you're the only one in pain, that you had to go and get down with the one person in town who is definitely suffering the same? " He then looked up at Ben. "And you too. Couldn't just let him talk and walk away? You're also a hothead, kid." He scoffed. "You both are."

"I tried," Benji stressed, "I told him if he just agreed to leave me alone, we'd be even. I told him that too," he gestured his head towards Aaron, "but he wouldn't go for it... All I want is for him to not talk about me and leave me alone. Just like I've been doing to him. Especially right now."

Kurt rolled his eyes, frustrated at being told of by both of the men, "I'm not apologizing" he said simply, holding his stomach and looking up at Aaron, "You don't get to ask me what I was thinking when you know you would have done the same if he hasn't already kicked your ass". He looked back at Sebastian, "Pride. Pride and making him realise that he isn't the only person suffering right now". Then he looked back to Benji, "You came here to me. If you really wanted to be left alone, you could have stayed at home"

With him saying that he would’ve done the same, Aaron pushed his hair back and gripped it. “I really wouldn’t have! Not now, not over this.” He took deep breaths to try and calm himself down, “Benji’s right, he did tell me that nothing would happen if you just left him alone and stupid me thought you would! When did you decide to take a page out of my book of irrational anger?” Aaron really didn’t know what to do here, he was just feeling really pissed that Kurt went to fight him. “He lost his mom, you of all people should know how fucked emotions get about that. She left or whatever happened and then instead of coming back, she ended up dead. And currently, our dad is the main suspect so of fucking course he’s angry! Of fucking course you’re angry but instead of leaving each other alone you did this shit!”

Sebastian rolled his eyes at Kurt. "Pride? Seriously, Hummel? How does your pride feel right now that you got your ass kicked, huh? I bet not too good." He put Kurt back with his feet on the ground, then shook his head. "Your brother is right. You are both going through some very difficult shit right now, and you think the proper way to blow all that steam out is to punch each other? How about you go to the gym and punch a pear bag instead?" He sighed. "I thought you were done going out looking for trouble, Kurt. If this is just about your stupid pride, then it's just a lost cause." He looked at Aaron. "We should take these two to the hospital to get checked out, don't you think?"

Benji looked down. He still didn't feel completely in the wrong, but there was no point in arguing because there was truth to what they were saying--he should've just did his best to ignore Kurt and let him have his freakout on his own. "I don't need a hospital. I'm not that hurt," he admitted. A punch to the stomach was essentially the only shot Kurt managed to get on him. 

"I just need someone to drive me home so I don't have to longboard back. That's it." He bit his lip, then finally looked up, turning his gaze to Kurt. "And even though you're not gonna apologize: I... I'm sorry for my part of this, Kurt."

Kurt nodded, "Sure, I'm sorry too but I'm not in the mood right now". He stumbled around to the drivers seat of his car but stopped before he got in, "Aaron, you went to a fight with him over drugs. I didn't come to this fight, I was already here taking some time out so you can fuck off with your high and mighty act right now". 

He looked at Sebastian and shook his head, "I don't need a hospital". He knew it was probably best to get checked out, but he didn't want to. He turned back to his car, "Don't come looking for me" he growled at Aaron before stumbling into his car and locking the door, pulling out of his spot, no intention of going home.

Aaron shook his head to answer Sebastian’s question before he even heard Kurt talking, “No, they’re fine.” He was in worse shape after his own fight with Benji and didn’t need the hospital. Registering everything his brother said, he just shook his head, “Whatever, Kurt.” He wasn’t going to look for him, not when he was so pissed about this. After Kurt got in his car, he looked over at Benji, “I’d give you a ride but I took Seb over on my bike and I don’t think you can carry a longboard on it without falling off.”

Sebastian raised both hands up when it became clear Kurt didn't want any of their asistance anymore.  He grunted and shook his head, seeing just how proud and stubborn Kurt was being about the whole thing. Seeing that was obvious that no progress would be made that night he stepped away from Kurt and let him get in his car.  If he didn't want any help it was his business. "You know what? It's fine. You should take Benji home. I'll walk back. I know these roads like the back of my hand. I'll be fine." He made a somewhat fake militar salute and turned around before he walked away. "Au revoir , gentlemen."

Benji was not expecting Sebastian to decide to walk back on his own. His gaze shot to Aaron. The last thing he wanted was to take any favor from him, but Kurt had punched him square in his stomach and as the adrenaline began to wear off, his stomach started to sting. He was a fair distance from his apartment right now and he couldn't guarantee he could make it all the way home on a board before the pain became too much. 

"My longboard has straps. I'm not gonna be carrying it," he said, looking down; he really didn't want to do this, but he didn't have much of a choice. "...please?" he whispered reluctantly.

Aaron listened to Sebastian say it was okay, “Be careful, Seb.” He called after him, now left with Benji. Which was definitely not what he was expecting to happen, but he nodded, trying to fight back the smirk that wanted to appear when he heard the ‘please’. “Yeah, not going to just leave you here. Even monsters can be human once in a while.” That was something he said after apologizing, but it seemed more like a joke at this point. “And I’m actually just a little bit more pissed at Kurt right now than you.”

"Okay.... thank you", Benji responded, shifting awkwardly as he knelt down to put the straps on his longboard and place it on his back. He didn't really know what else to say to Aaron during all this--the two of them never really seemed to get along, yet they kept finding themselves in situations like this where they ended up helping each other. The scenario was too complex for Benji to understand. "...I'm ready."

Aaron picked up his motorcycle from when he hopped off and started it, driving only when Benji said he was ready. It wasn’t a bad drive, just ignoring the weird part of Benji being the one that he’s driving for. When they got to his apartment he stopped, “I’m sorry about your mom, by the way. Mine weren’t killed but I have technically lost two so, I get it.” He told him, deciding to try to offer sympathy for once.

"Thanks. ...And thanks for the ride home too," Benji replied as he got off the bike. He started to walk up the steps, but paused at the front door and turned around. "...I'm sorry I made Kurt run off. I can tell it hurts you when things happen to him. ...You're a little less of a complete lost cause than I give you credit for." He dug his key out of his pocket, then turned to open the apartment front door giving a quiet, "G'night Aaron," as he walked inside.

Alison: smiled at Rachel when she got there. "Hey! I did, made more money this weekend and hung out with friends." When Rachel opened the door and told the blonde what room they had she immediately started walking to it. Rachel seemed nice, different from the few amount of girls she used to hang out with but it was a nice difference. Alison knew she was different from when she was in high school, more into partying and drugs and alcohol but since no one but her sister knew what kind of person she was then she'll try to be as nice to the other Ashwood students as she can.

Rachel: "That's always a good thing I'd say. One of your odd jobs then?" Rachel recalls her saying she'd work whatever came to her so she figured she was pretty versatile. "I kind of want to start walking dogs around New York but I'm not sure if I have the time or not." Rachel says with a laugh, unlocking the door to the room they would be occupying. "I really did mean what I said about you being like Olivia Benson. I know she isn't CSI but she's a pretty good fictional detective. My favorite on tv if I'm being honest." She takes her bag off her arm to pull out the sheet music to their song and her script. She'd slowly come to terms with her role and she thinks she'll end up really enjoying it all.

Alison: nodded, "Yep." It was a lie, her weekend money came from the same place all of her money comes from. Her gang. "Yeah walking dogs takes a lot of time, it is kinda fun though." Now that wasn't a lie. She went in their rehearsal room when the brunette unlocked the door and smiled hearing Rachel bring up the compliment from the day before. "And I really did mean it's the best thing anyone's ever said to me. Olivia Benson is awesome." She got her script out for the song, she's been practicing her parts by herself whenever Savannah isn't in their room so aside from the actual rehearsals this would be the first time she's playing Morticia against someone else.

Rachel: "I just love animals a lot and it would give me more of a reason to be around them. I don't have a reason to have an animal on campus and I'm sure the people who have them will get sick of me bugging them all the time to come visit." Rachel says with a laugh, though she hopes Mason never gets sick of her. She likes him a lot and she's already in love with his cat, madly so in fact. "I'm glad I could give you such a lovely compliment then. I actually had to stop watching SVU once I moved it, it made me far too paranoid." She laughs, "I guess we should probably go through our lines first and I found an instrumental version of our song which will be good enough to rehearse with for now I'd think."

Alison: "Animals are great. I can't get a pet though, even when I do end up getting my own place. I'd be way too busy to be able to actually take care of one." Alison would love a pet in theory, but it probably wouldn't be a good idea. "Oh really?" She said after learning Rachel stopped watching SVU after moving, "I've seen it all, probably watched it more after I moved." She nodded, ready to start rehearsing with Rachel. "Awesome."

Rachel: "That's extremely responsible of you though!" Rachel applauds, smiling. "There are so many owners who end up neglecting their animals even if it is unintentional because they just don't have the time for them. If I ever have animals of my own you will be more than welcome to snuggle them." She knows it won't be for a very long time from now but if they still know each other she can't see why she wouldn't allow Alison to bond with her pets. "Yeah, I've definitely seen all the episodes. I think my favorites were with John Stamos and the one with Robin Williams." Not that the girl had asked but those episodes always spoke to her and John Stamos was pretty hot, so it was easy to remember anything to do with him. She takes a peak at her script one last time as they run through their scene, Rachel pressing play on the instrumental recording she'd found, when Alison is meant to start singing. She had to give her props, she was a convincing Morticia and had a lovely voice.

Alison: laughed at Rachel applauding, sure it may be responsible but still boring to her. "I will definitely keep you to that Rachel." And she intended to, if they still knew each other and Alison wasn't arrested or something. But she wants to try still being friends with Rachel, she was nice and surprisingly not irritating. Actually Alison is surprised by how many people she actually likes at Ashwood, college really is different from high school it seem. Here she actually doesn't hate a majority of the people she interacts with. "John Stamos and Robin Williams are amazing. I had to have seen their episodes at least 50 times." Really she's seen anything with John Stamos and Robin Williams at least 50 times. They are definitely at the top of her list for favorite actors. Alison was pretty happy with how this run through had started, she did mess up on one line but kept it going. She was pretty impressed with Rachel, though she always knew Rachel was good at singing and acting she was a very good Alice and her voice was amazing.

Rachel: "Maybe I could get over my irrational fear of getting assaulted in New York and we could watch their episodes? As a refresher and to see their faces? Robin Williams is surely missed. He contributed so much to the acting world especially with his comedy and voice acting." She remembers Mrs. Doubtfire fondly and in his episode of SVU he also did voices. Rachel thinks they go through the scene, decently for the first time doing it, but they could do better. "What do you think about running through it one more time?" She raises an eyebrow, looking back to her script again to make sure she jumps into the song at the right time.

Alison: "That sounds like tons of fun. It'd be an honor to help you get over your fear of getting assaulted in New York." She fully agreed with Robin Williams being missed, she loves pretty much everything he was in and was pretty crushed when he died. Alison nodded, "Yeah sounds great." She wanted the performance to go perfectly, so she's perfectly fine with running through this more, plus it's a fun song to sing.

Rachel: "Really?" Rachel laughs, it's kind of silly, but the show had a lot of truths in it. New York is much different than Ohio, but she wouldn't want to be anywhere else but here. "I think it would be a fun thing to do and an opportunity to hang out, outside of the show." She shrugs her shoulders, happy for the distraction the rehearsing is providing. They go over it again, the second time going more smoothly than the first she thinks.

Alison: "Of course! Besides it's an excuse for me to watch it again so I'll take it." Alison smiled, she wasn't as worried about the truths of the show as she probably should be but oh well. It was New York, where Alison wanted to live her whole life so she'll take the bad possibilities. "It would be fun, and I love an opportunity to hang out with friends. If you consider us friends that is." Going over it a second time was much smoother than the first, meaning Alison didn't mess up on one of her lines this time.

The last month hadn’t been the best for Rachel and Quinn. Their summer fun was long gone, and so was the ease in which they functioned. It wasn’t so much that Rachel was a creature of habit – though she did enjoy her many routines – but she was struggling with balancing her duties of best friend while still protecting herself and her own feelings. It seemed an impossible task to do both, but it seemed that, at least for tonight, that struggle was on the back burner. Out of sight and out of mind.

And perhaps that was because today was Quinn’s birthday, and since they had arrived back to the farm, their time together was nothing but celebration. Without homework to do, Rachel had gotten started on dinner right away. Because it was a special occasion, it called for handmade pasta, and Rachel and Quinn talked while she worked, both prepping and then rolling out the dough, and then as she began to ready the ingredients for a pesto. Blistered cherry tomatoes completed the dish, and with a salad on the side, they ate once her dad returned home from work. Happy birthday was sung with the lights dimmed and a 1 and 7 candle flickering atop Quinn’s favorite coffee pie. Her fathers presented their own gifts, and then Rachel dragged Quinn upstairs. She wanted the privacy before she gave Quinn her present.

When Quinn’s birthday was getting closer, her mother asked her about a party, but Quinn wasn’t about it this year. She wasn’t quite sure why, but it didn’t excite her and she was kind of over it. Maybe she really was growing up, she didn’t know. But she felt it set a tone for her birthday, which she wasn’t so happy about it. Perhaps she offended her mother or something because they agreed upon a dinner out, but it wouldn’t take place until at least a week later. Both her parents were caught up and busy, neither had made time. While Quinn was fine skipping a party with her friends this year, she still wanted the attention from her parents.

Her birthday presents were on the table when she awoke and went downstairs for breakfast, but neither her mother nor father were there. Quinn was a disappointed and it ruined her appetite so she skipped breakfast and didn’t bother opening any of the gifts. She’d wait until at least one of her parents were around to do so. But she did grab the Starbucks gift cards sitting there and treated herself and Rachel to morning coffees.

The day picked up, even though she didn’t dress in pajamas for the day. She wasn’t wearing pajamas on her birthday to school. She wanted to look good, so she was wearing one of her nicer dresses and she was happy to get attention from her friends. Then after school, there was still cheer practice, but thankfully, they didn’t have homework so once they were home, Quinn happily watched Rachel make her dinner. This was the kind of treatment she had been expecting for her birthday. People who loved and cared about her feeding her with her favorite meals and dessert. The coffee pie was delicious as always and Quinn would have been content with that alone as her present. It made her feel really good that the Berry dads even gave her presents too.

When Rachel dragged her upstairs, Quinn was feeling pretty giddy. She had an amazing dinner, got great gifts, and had two servings of pie because it was her birthday. On top of it, she was sleeping over at Rachel’s and that was just the icing on the cake. It felt like things were back to normal between them. As soon as Quinn was in Rachel’s room, she set her gifts aside then flopped down on Rachel’s bed, grinning at the other girl. “Best birthday ever,” she told her.

“I’m glad you think so.” Rachel felt like she was wearing one of the first genuine smiles she had in weeks as she walked to her desk and picked up the slim box wrapped in navy paper with a smattering of gold stars. “And I hope it’ll get even better after you open this,” Rachel added as she stretched out her arm and offered the gift. “Happy birthday, Q.”

Rachel then climbed atop the bed as well, scooting over until she was sitting perpendicular to Quinn’s prone form. She had her hands clasped in anticipation as she watched Quinn to tear into the paper and then pop open the top of the white box to reveal the necklace within.

“Do you like it?” Rachel’s lack of patience won out. “It’s a B for Berry, of course, but also for best. And then I...” Rachel tugged at her sweater’s neck and pulled out the necklace she had worn all day, but kept hidden below the collar. “I have an F for Fabray, but also for friends.” And hers was also a heart as opposed to Quinn’s star, but Quinn didn’t need to know exactly why Rachel had chosen the heart.

Quinn sat up when Rachel brought the gift over and took it from her, a smile tugging at her lips. She wondered what it could be and quickly took the paper off the box, popping the lid to look at the necklace. It was very pretty and her finger lightly touched where the ‘B’ was. She was a little confused, however, because she expected there to be a ‘Q’ there, instead of the other letter.

Her lips parted to answer Rachel but then Rachel kept on talking, which made Quinn smile. Her confusion was still there, though, because she didn’t understand why Rachel gave her a necklace with ‘B’ for Berry, but when she saw the necklace Rachel was wearing, and heard her explanation, her confusion left her and her smile widened. “I love it. I love them. What a brilliant idea. So cute! Help me put mine on.” She took the necklace out and held it toward Rachel.

Rachel positively beamed at Quinn’s reaction, and the fact that she didn’t question the subtle, implied possessiveness of the matching gifts. Eagerly, Rachel shifted her position until she was kneeling behind Quinn, and then slower than was necessary she gathered Quinn’s long hair, knuckles purposely grazing the back of Quinn’s neck, and handed it over Quinn’s left shoulder for her to keep it out of the way. With her neck free of obstruction, Rachel dropped the necklace in place and carefully hooked the clasp. Her desire to bend down and drop a parting kiss to Quinn’s neck was strong, but instead Rachel simply brushed her thumb along the soft skin and uttered a soft, “All done.”

As Quinn waited for Rachel to fasten the necklace, she held her own blonde hair in one hand, and had a strange feeling start in her stomach. Her eyebrows drew together slightly as she tried to sort it out. It wasn’t indigestion or from feeling too full. It was a familiar feeling, but she couldn’t quite place it. When Rachel spoke, Quinn was pulled from her own thoughts and she released her hair from her grip. She turned slightly to look at Rachel. “Thanks,” she said, the word matching her volume. She still felt weird. She got up from the bed and crossed to Rachel’s mirror and observed the necklace. “It looks very nice. I really do love it.” Quinn turned and smiled at Rachel.

It was almost as if a spell had sort of settled over them, the softness of touches and their words, and it was exactly broken the moment Quinn stood and crossed the room. Because Rachel felt a pull to follow and didn’t stop until she was directly in Quinn’s personal space. She wrapped her arms tightly around Quinn’s torso, and only spoke once her face was pressed again Quinn’s chest. “Thanks for spending your birthday with me, Quinn.” It meant a lot that today was just their day, and this moment was just theirs as well. “And for being my best friend,” Rachel added after a beat. And then after a squeeze and a mixed emotion sigh, Rachel pulled back just enough to tip her head to catch her lips against Quinn’s cheek. “I love you.”

Quinn hugged Rachel back and held her tightly a moment. It felt really good to have a place where she felt safe and loved, not only by Rachel, but her dads as well. She laughed softly. “I should be thanking you, Rach,” she told her. “Much better than anything that would have been at home.” Which would have been a big fat nothing. But Quinn hadn't even mentioned any of that yet. She only mentioned a few days ago that she was free on her birthday because her parents were taking her out another night but she didn't mention the slight feeling like there was a falling out and how no one had been home this morning. She realized she had started to let Rachel lead conversations. It kept them in neutral territory.

“We're best friends for life,” Quinn replied and she smiled, though Rachel's kiss, and the ‘I love you’ struck her in an odd way that it hadn't before. Was this weird behavior for best friends? No, because friends told each other they loved them. True friends did that. And kisses were signs of affection. They were simply that sophisticated. Right? “I love you too.” Quinn kissed her head and then released her from the hug because she suddenly felt kind of trapped, which was weird so she busied herself with getting her pajamas together to change as if that had been the reason she stepped away all along.

Rachel was left standing at her dresser, a slight furrow collecting along her brow. The hug wasn’t short, but it had ended in a manner that was... Abrupt really wasn’t the right word, but there was a feeling lingering in the air that Rachel couldn’t quite place, but it did set her slightly on edge. She did her best to shake the feeling off as she joined Quinn in putting on sleepwear and going about her before bed routine. Just because Quinn was sleeping over didn’t mean they could treat the evening as anything different than a school night.

When her teeth were brushed and her face washed, Rachel retreated to her bed and crawled under its covers. Normally she’d rearrange her position, scooting until she was closer to the middle of the queen bed, but the feeling from earlier remained and so did Rachel in relation to her side of the bed while she waited for Quinn to join her.

Once Quinn had changed, she brushed her hair and washed her face and applied cream to any spots that looked like they might break out. When she had finished, Rachel was already in bed so Quinn slipped in beside her. But she wanted comfort because she was thinking about home and that bummed her. Sometimes she wished she lived at Rachel's. She scooted closer to the other girl since Rachel was over more on her side of the bed and cuddled in.

Quinn’s sudden closeness was unexpected, but certainly not unwelcome. Arms open, Rachel allowed Quinn to curl into her, savoring both the warmth and of Quinn pressed into her side. One arm looped to loosely drape across Quinn’s middle while the other weaved her fingers into Quinn’s hair, seeking out that same spot she had touched earlier. Gently Rachel scratched her nails along the path from the base of Quinn’s skull to the nape of her neck, the intimacy of the gesture not lost on her, but at least at the moment Quinn didn’t seem to mind.

“Mmm…” Quinn hummed softly and closed her eyes, letting Rachel cuddle and comfort her. She was so lucky she had Rachel as her friend. Even if things were kind of weird right now with the Puck thing, Quinn knew she could still count on Rachel. They were best friends and they loved each other. They had an incredibly strong bond. “I'm gonna come live here,” she mumbled, eyes still closed.

Rachel’s light laughter filled the otherwise quiet room, and her chest shook just so in her amusement because, “You kind of already do, Quinn Fabray.” If her dads hadn’t turned the guest bedroom into her dad’s study, she’s sure the space would have become Quinn’s room. “Let’s see. You have your own hook in the mudroom, your own seat at the kitchen table. A favorite mug for coffee. Waffle weekends are because of you. Your picture is on the wall nearly as much as my own face. Toothbrush, other toiletries. Do I need to continue?”

Quinn started to laugh lightly as well as Rachel listed off all the ways in which Quinn already lived there. “No,” she said softly with a shake of her head. “You’re right, I already kinda do.” She shifted on the bed and scooted in even closer, resting her head on Rachel’s chest. She kept her eyes closed still. “Can we get up a little extra early tomorrow so we can do waffles?” she asked extra sweetly because she didn’t want Rachel to say no.

Of course Rachel couldn’t deny Quinn, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t have a little fun with this question and keep the mood light. “Hmmm,” she feigned deep thought, index finger tapping lightly against Quinn’s head. “But are you special enough for waffles on a weekday?” she teased. “Because I’m not quite sure I’m convinced.”

Now, Quinn opened her eyes and she looked up at Rachel. She was not about this game right now. She needed the promise of waffles, though she knew Rachel was teasing. “Of course I am,” she answered, keeping her tone sweet still. “Pretty please?” And then she put on a sad face, complete with a pout.

“We’ve talked about your pout, sweetheart,” Rachel continued to tease, but then her expression and tone grew serious. “I’d do anything for you, Quinn. I do hope you know that.” She waited a beat, and then smiled again, resisting the urge to lean in and kiss away Quinn’s forced pout. “And that includes waffles tomorrow morning.”

“Yes…” Quinn said with a pout still on her lips before she drew it back. Her eyes locked with Rachel and she nodded. “I know. I'd do anything for you too, Rach.” She offered a small smile which then turned into a grin because she was getting waffles. She placed her head back down on Rachel's chest. “Yaaaay waffles.” She slipped her arm over Rachel's waist and gave a squeeze.

This was perfect, having Quinn snuggled close and using her like a pillow while they simultaneously held each other. If Rachel closed her eyes she could imagine that this was their future. Two years from now when they were off at school in whatever city they chose, living the apartment Quinn’s dad financed, and though it had two bedrooms, the second was only for show. Because they never wanted to be apart more than their daily schedules required, and they both loved each other in the same way, too.

It would be so easy to pretend, but before Rachel lost herself in flight of fancy, she forced herself to be happy with what she had. Quinn in her life, Quinn who loved her in the way she could, Quinn who would do anything for her, and really Rachel couldn’t ask for more in a best friend. She was lucky, and she should be happy. So with a final rub to the back of Quinn’s head, Rachel allowed her hand to fall and settle comfortably at Quinn’s hip, and then whispered, “Love you, Q. Sweet dreams.”

Jaxson: had not been in a pissy mood since her dad sent her to London and that was almost three months ago. But she was quick to get over that having met some really chill and nice people. ​Now​, however, she doesn't know how long until she gets out of this funk, she was overall pissed off but after each hour passed since what happened earlier she's been feeling more hurt and sad than angry. She never thought that Ezra would ever call her something like ​that​, a... a ​slut​. And for what? For sleeping with someone else? He can't possibly think he's the only she hooks up with because she knows for a fact that she isn't the only one ​he​ hooks up with. It's not like they're even together for him to say that. But of course, she had then only realized when he was walking away from her and through the stinging she felt in her eyes of threatening tears that she ​likes​ him, she actually despite they're small spat at each other. She felt terrible and resorted to making herself a drink until she realized how pathetic it is to drink alone and sulk over a boy. Boys are stupid. Hence why she was here, outside of Andrea's dorm, late at night, dressed for a night out and knocking on her door and hoping she isn't asleep to practically beg her to go out with her and completely and utterly wasted.

Andrea was miserable; she'd had probably the shittiest week and honestly the only person she could really blame was herself. She fucked up things with Evan by dating Spike, made things worse by throwing his coke out the window (she didn't care if he was irritated, she still doesn't forgive him for saying what he said), single-handedly ruined things kind-of-on-purpose with Spike, and then argued with Evan more. Now she was sitting in her room by herself with no one consoling her with some stupid playlist that Evan made her playing that was just making her cry harder. She looked up upon hearing a knock, debating on not answering it because she looked like a train wreck probably, but she was way too lonely to not. So she took a deep breath, wiped her eyes and pushed herself to her feet to open her door. "Oh, hi Jaxson." she sniffed, looking down in embarrassment because the blonde always seemed so happy and Andrea was obviously so... not. She invited her in though, sniffling and trying to wipe the smudged makeup from her eyes.

Jaxson: flattened out her skirt while she waited for Andrea to open up, she hopes the girl is in because then she'd have to go alone and whereas Jaxson has no problem chatting up new people she'd much rather go with someone she knows. "Heeey- oh." Jaxson blinked twice because Andrea seemed to be... crying. She quickly walked into her room but stopped halfway to turn around to look at her, "Um, is this a bad time?" She probably should have asked that at the door but it was too late now and whereas she wasn't nosy about people's feelings or asked questions because she usually finds that uncomfortable and not her cup of tea but she can't help wonder why Andrea was crying and seemed well, upset obviously. "Are - are you okay? Because I could come back another time if you want." she said, giving her a worrisome look, this time fidgeting with the rings on her fingers. She also hasn't seen someone this upset in a while, well besides herself but she only lets herself feel upset or mad for a while before locking those feelings up and pretend as though everything is fine. Today it didn't work and it seems like her and Andrea could be on the same boat.

Andrea laughed bitterly, looking down at her makeup smudged hands and shaking her head. "No, I haven't felt this shitty in years, probably." she wiped her hands on her jeans, sighing heavily and pulling her hair down from its lopsided bun. "But it's okay. I should probably stop the pity-party." it was then that she noticed that Jaxson looked... dressed and ready to go out. Which, well, Andrea had been doing earlier until her shirt had gotten fucked up. "Going out?" upon suddenly remember Jaxson's criticism of her clothes she started going through her closet - not because she expected Jaxson to invite her out but because she was still wearing the stupid stained shirt and realized she needed to get out of it.

Jaxson: frowned, she's never seen Andrea like this but then again she doesn't know her enough to see her like that, not that she'd ever want to see her in this state, it's not very nice. "You're good." she shrugged lightly, it's not a pity party she thinks, she just came at the wrong time and the girl is clearly upset, was upset before she even got here. "What? Oh! Yeah, that's uh that's why I came here." Jaxson nodded, rocking back and forth on her heels, she still wants to ask Andrea to go out with her but maybe she should just leave her alone, tell her it was nothing but ​she's upset​ and the only reason Jaxson was even going is because she's upset too and to forget about it if only for a couple hours. "I was going to ask if you wanted to go out with me for drinks but now I know my answer and you ​are​." and with that, the blonde girl walked over to her closet, humming and pushed through her clothes, sometimes Jaxson doesn't have boundaries and tonight is one of those nights as she started pulling out clothes, "Hm, this is nice, ooooo with those shoes." She spun around, holding the items with a smile on her face, "Put this on and brush your hair."

Andrea rugged her shirt up and over her head, throwing it into the hamper and shrugging her shoulders. She hoped Jaxson wouldn't say anything to Ezra - she doesn't know why she would, but she hopes so anyways - because the last thing she needed was another person rubbing everything wrong with Spike in her face. "Huh?" she rubbed her eyes as Jaxson went through her closet, not really sure if she wanted to go out again. It was probably an awful idea because Andrea had an awful habit of overdoing things when she was upset, but fuck it. She took the black mini-dress and heels Jaxson held out to her, sighing as she pushed her jeans down and off before pulling the dress on. "I know I didn't say no, but I feel like I need like ten energy drinks to actually be up to this." she muttered, grabbing her brush to pull it through her hair and going over to the bathroom so she could look at herself in the mirror. She looked like shit. She continued to brush her hair with one hand, the other rummaging around for her make up.

Jaxson: is very happy with her choice of outfit and helped put everything she got out back into the poor excuse of a closet. She thinks that's the only thing she dislikes about dorms but then again back home Jaxson's closet ​is​ the size of a dorm or well less but ​still​. At least it gave her reason to sit down and arrange her clothes to what stays and what gets donated. She plopped down on Andrea's bed, looking around, "We can stop for a coffee but I mean, a couple shots of whiskey should wake you up plenty." She sighed and stood up again, feeling a bit restless sO she decided to help Andrea. "Here, just - stand still no actually sit down, gotta clean your face up first." she picked up her purse from where she left it on the floor near the door and found some of her makeup wipes. "It's all smudged, ever heard of waterproof mascara?" Jaxson smiled lightly, trying to make a joke of it while she stood in front of Andrea, leaning down a little, "close your eyes."

Andrea hummed, turning to face Jaxson as she continued to brush through her hair, plopping onto the closed toilet lid as requested. She scrunched her nose up at Jaxson's comment, shutting her eyes as requested. "I have some but it sucks to take off so I never use it..." although she probably should, with the amount of crying she's done while at Austen's. And the amount of smudging her makeup she's done.

Jaxson: shook her head, gently wiping away all the smudge, "There's special wipes for waterproof mascara, trust me I know." There was a time where Jaxson didn't know but that's why she had her friend Ella to teach her all these things because she had sisters who taught her and Jaxson was an only child who didn't know the first thing about cosmetics. She misses her friend a lot now that she thinks about it. "Okay there, now we need - hm." she turned around to go through the girl's makeup, avoiding her mascara completely she can use some of hers. Maybe a little bit of eyeshadow, natural colors so her eyes can pop out more. "Don't move, once I'm done it'll look like you never shed a tear." she got to work on her, applying it just how she was taught and making sure it wasn't too much. A couple minutes later she finally pulled back, tilting her head sideways and studying her handiwork. "Alright, you can look now."

Andrea puffed her cheeks out, really feeling like an idiot because even though Jaxson wasn't poking fun at her she felt reall incompetent anyways. She opened her eyes once Jaxson stopped wiping her eye makeup away, watching the blonde rummage around her makeup bag. Then she was shutting her eyes again so that Jaxson could redo it. Once Jaxson was done Andrea leaned to look in the mirror; yeah, okay. It looked way better than before and better than she'd ever done it. "Thanks..." she sighed, resisting the urge to rub her eyes as she pushed herself to her feet. She went back into her room and sat down to get her heels on, wiggling her feet into them before standing up again. "Ready to go?" she ran her fingers through her hair, grabbing her phone case that had pockets for her cards and slipping it onto her phone.

Jaxson: "You're welcome." Jaxson replied before checking herself in the mirror, ruffling her hair a bit and felt pleased. She spun around, picked up her purse, closing it and nodded. She was definitely ready for a night out and headed straight for the door, no boys tonight at all - well, no going home with boys just enough flirting and touching for free drinks before ditching them. It's a girls night. "Oh, I called a cab they should be here by now." she advised, glancing over her friend.

Andrea grabbed her keys, giving herself another once over in the mirror. Okay... she hasn't looked this good when going out in what felt like weeks. "Oh, we should probably go then." she flipped some of her hair over her shoulders before opening the door and letting Jaxson out first before closing the door behind them. "Any particular reason you wanted to go out?" did she need to be a wingwoman? Did they have some kind of mission? Andrea didn't hang out with girls very often, and when she did it really wasn't to go out and get drinks.

Jaxson: walked out the door, waiting for Andrea so they could walk side by side. "Yes and no," she replied, walking down the hallway, it was mostly a yes but the reason was so pathetic she would like to pretend that it wasn't it entirely, but she elaborated a bit, "boys are stupid and besides getting smashed is always fun if you're doing it with the right person." She paused, raising her eyebrow at Andrea, "You ​can​ hold your liquor right? I don't need to drag you home after three drinks?" Because that would be a bummer but she would bring her home and tuck her in bed anyways. They were near the entrance, cab right across the street probably as she opened the door to let her go out first before following after, taking a deep breath of London night air. "Our carriage awaits." Jaxson extended her arm dramatically towards the cab, bowing a little for extra effect before bounding over there.

Andrea didn't comment on the vague answer; it was a good enough one for her. But then Jaxson was elaborating and yeah, she agreed that boys are definitely stupid and she can agree that being smashed is fun. She wondered if Jaxson had a specific reason for saying that, but again, decided not to ask for an elaboration. "Well, it depends on entirely on what I'm drinking but-. Even after three drinks you shouldn't be dragging me home." not after the past couple weeks she's had, at least. She followed Jaxson out of the building and to the cab, snorting and climbing into the back and making herself comfortable.

Jaxson: gave the cab driver directions to her favorite bar, it should be pretty filled up with people it being a Friday night and all. "Good, then we'll definitely have fun." Jaxson can hold her liquor, it runs in the family, she's sure her grandpa can drink a whole bottle of scotch and recite the first ten amendments of the constitution, course it would be a terrible idea with his age and all but when he was younger her grandma told her that he could. Then there was her dad, who probably can't recite the amendments but looks as though he didn't have a drop of whiskey and talk without his words slurring. It's a nice family trait she thinks. Upon arrival she got out of the cab and leaned over the drivers window to pay him and thanked him for the ride. "Time for drinks." she beamed, practically skipping towards the building, music and chatter could be heard from outside. "What's your poison?" Jaxson snickered while she opened the door, letting the noise flood out while she looked at the girl beside her.

Andrea hoped they'd have fun; she was going to try not to be too much of a fun-sucker and try not to mope. But she had a bad habit of letting things spill once she's had alcohol so honestly it wouldn't be surprising if Jaxson knew all of her secrets by the end of the night. She climbed out of the cab after Jaxson, about to get out half the cab fair but Jaxson had taken care of all of it already. "Thanks..." she trailed off, having to run a little to keep up with the blonde. She followed her into the bar, looking around curiously and shrugging her shoulders. "I'm a priss. I like martini's and margarita's and stuff like that." she shrugged; stereotypical. "What about you?"

Jaxson: led them towards the stools, luckily finding to open seats next to each other and plopped down. "Margaritas are very good though." she snorted and then shrugged, "usually straight from the bottle, but Jack on the rocks, Bourbon neat and Brandy." He drummed her fingers on the counter and took a look around when she saw him. The guy from last night who apparently had no protection on him whatsoever and if it wasn't for him she wouldn't have had her funny story that wasn't so funny anymore when Ezra decided to be a jerk -- no, nope, no Jaxson refuses to think of him right now and instead ducked her head before the guy looked over and she waved the bartender over to them. "I'll pay first round." she said, smiling a little, "You want a martini or a margarita first?"

Andrea nodded her head in agreement. "I like strawberry ones the most." she took a seat next to Jaxson, having to hike herself onto the high stool and finding her footing on the rail. "Oh. You like it raw, then." her eyebrows went up in surprise. Maybe she shouldn't have been surprised - she did hang out with Ezra a lot and it was hard for Andrea to hold a candle to him, but he must have ​someone​ that can keep up with him. Maybe it was Jaxson. When the bartender came over she ordered a margarita, making a mental note that she'd have to pay Jaxson back somehow; make her food if she couldn't ​actually​ pay her back. She tapped her thumbs against the counter as she looked around. "What's on your mind?" she asked, because she didn't want to talk about herself and Jaxson had seemed to grow a little quiet earlier.

Jaxson: hummed, "Strawberry one are very good, but the piña colada ones though." Those were her favorite, also because when she first had one she chose that one because it's also her favorite slushie flavor and she figured it would taste the same, it almost did only a bit better. "That's one way to put it yeah." she laughed and raised her own eyebrows to match Andrea's when talking about her choice of drinks, "you look surprised there, pal." Once the bartender came over, Jaxson pulled out her wallet to get her card out, handing it to him, "I'll have a Jack on the rocks and put it on my tab, please." She refuses to keep paying drink after drink and this is much easier. She placed her wallet back in her purse, continuing to drum her fingers against the counter, almost matching Andrea's beat with her thumbs. "Hm?" Jaxson blinked, and then bit her lip and shrugged casually, "Not much really." But she doesn't want to be boring because Jaxson ​isn't​ boring so she spun around her stool and motioned for Andrea to do the same, she looked around and her eyes finally found the guy from last night. "See that guy over there? The one with the black hair and he's wearing a white shirt with the jean jacket? His name's Xavier and I hooked up with him last night, funny story though..." and she sprouted into the whole condom fiasco thing and how he didn't have one and she told him it was fine because she was ready to be a mom, "Should've walked out on him but I mean ​look at him​." She was giggling now and the bartender had their drinks ready and she spun back around, thanking him while she swirled her drink with the little black straw.

Andrea tilted her head to the side. "I've never tried it. Maybe that's what I'll get next." she hummed to the song playing over the speakers, continuing to look around. She made eye-contact with a cute guy sitting on the other side of the bar, and she'd just given him a smile when Jaxson grabbed her attention again. Her eyes lingered on him as she turned around to look at the guy she was pointing at. "Oh, he's cute." she muttered, leaning into the blonde so she could hear her over the noise of the bar. She scrunched her nose up - not because the idea of Jaxson hooking up with someone was gross, but because well, Andrea knew she hooked up with Ezra. And it was weird thinking about her hooking up with someone else; obviously Jaxson could do whatever she wanted, but she kind of had this little picture in her head of Jaxson and Ezra getting together and it completely screwed the picture up. It was none of her business though, and it might be kind of dumb. "What's funny about it?" she asked, turning back around to grab her drink once the bartender had set it on the counter. She pushed the little umbrella to the side, swiping her finger over the sugary rim and glancing over at the guy she'd looked at earlier. It took a nudge from his friend for him to look over at her again but when he did she stuck her finger into her mouth to suck the sugar off, smirking at the flustered smile it set on his face before returning her attention to Jaxson. "Did you get his number?" she asked curiously.

Jaxson: peeked back over to Xavier and sure he was cute, a little stupid but cute all in all. She sighed, taking a sip from her drink, he was also good conversation but it was mostly about well, who they were, what they were doing, their majors, what he wanted to be ( a journalist for the New York Times - no one even reads the Newspaper anymore ) and so on. It felt serious for the most part but the more drinks they had the lighter the conversation got and the quicker they called a cab to leave. There wasn't any fun talk about silly things like conspiracy theories, or childhood stories, or about music and upcoming concerts, not like with Ezra. She scrunched up in distaste at how easily she keeps thinking about him. She pushed the straw out of the and brought the rim up to her lips, deciding to just drink as much as she could in one go. "I told you the funny part - oh." she tore her gaze from the ice cubes in her drink when she saw Andrea looking across the room to a very flustered looking guy. She snorted lightly, shaking her head. "I did yeah but I threw it away, nice guy, though I'm not really into aspiring journalists." She didn't even glance at it, she just kept it in her hand until she got back to her dorm, throwing it in the waste bin without a care and now she hopes he wont notice she's here.

Andrea sipped away at her drink, turning to look at Jaxson like a deer caught in headlights - she'd definitely been caught staring at that guy. Oh well. "A journalist? I don't know, maybe he could be a news anchor or something." she shrugged, throwing another glance over her shoulder at the guy. He seemed to be having a very intense conversation with his friend over something but he kept glancing over his pal's shoulder at her. "Well, let's hope he doesn't notice you're here or else that'll be awkward." not that she'd care that much - she'd just step into role of jealous possessive girlfriend or something and maybe he'd back off. "What kind of guys are you into, then?" she asked, leaning against the counter and raising an eyebrow at Jaxson curiously - pretending to be completely oblivious to the guy who seemed to be inching his way closer and closer to her.

Jaxson: shrugged, she waved the bartender over and this time asked for two more drinks and then replied to Andrea, "Would you want to be with a news anchor?" She figured they were just boring, but then also depends what kind of news they're delivering but still. "Hope he finds a nice person who's into that though." she nodded because well he wasn't exactly a bore, a small smile appeared on her face, definitely not in bed. She doesn't know if it'll be awkward, oh who is she kidding, of course it will be. "What's ​your​ type?" she re-countered, completely avoiding the question directed towards her.

Andrea downed the rest of her drink, trying to play catch up with Jaxson since she already ordered her another drink. "I don't know. I think some of them are kind of funny." she shrugged, thinking back on all the news she's watched. Now that she thinks about it, she usually watches the comedic news programs; maybe that's why. She scrunched her nose up, thanking the bartender when he passed her another drink and licking around the rim. "Assholes." is all she replied with, putting the glass to her lips and downing about half of it in one go. "Guys are all stupid."

Jaxson: thought about any news anchors she's seen but then again, Jaxson hardly watches the news so she can really only picture women in colorful dresses and old balding men and no thank you. Her eyebrows furrowed while she was sipping through her straw and looked back at Andrea, pulling back, "Assholes?" That was not exactly what she expected but to each their own she guesses. "I'll drink to ​that​." she huffed, continuing her drink before pulling back again, "Like they're so fucking dumb and clueless and get annoyed for no reason. You know cause at least we have reasons when we're annoyed but theirs are usually petty or have no reason at all."

Andrea snorted, shrugging her shoulders. "I mean, not on purpose. But like, I like them and then they end up being assholes and it just always ends up being that way. Horrible at picking them out, I guess." she sighed. Although, she'd known about Spike being an asshole - he was about the only exception. She thought she could probably handle it if she already knew, but nope. She blinked in slight surprise; apparently her and Jaxson were going through the same kind of issues. "Or they're just mad no matter what and it's like you can never say the right thing." she sighed, slouching in her seat and bringing her glass to her lips to drink more. It was then that the guy she'd been looking at finally made his way over and asked if he could buy Andrea a drink. She felt kind of bad - because now she was completely engrossed in her conversation with Jaxson and she didn't really want to talk to him anymore. "If you'll buy my friend a drink, too." she nodded her head towards Jaxson, giving him cute smile. He seemed to be completely tripping for it - it made her feel even more guilty, but whatever. After asking what each of them were having he ordered them and put them on his tab. Andrea turned to wink at Jaxson as she downed the rest of her drink so she could have the one the guy was ordering for her.

Jaxson: wrinkled her nose and sighed, "That's just terrible luck then." She doesn't think she's been with an asshole, okay that's a lie, there was Manny from highschool but he was your typical obnoxious-football-playe​r boy and well she can't really speak ill of him because even though they've broken up many times and got back together they've had their good times and she guesses that's why they always got back together. Then there was almost recently, except it wasn't a relationship, well Jaxson didn't know that but he was the biggest asshole she was with. "And then they act like the victim." she sighed, shaking her head and swirled her drink again before finishing it. The glasses are always so small but then again Jaxson doesn't use glasses often. She had hardly noticed the guy that seemed very into Andrea and almost laughed but hid it behind her hand, setting her glass down on the counter. Right, they were here to get free drinks off guys but well, Jaxson is suddenly not feeling it but maybe a couple more drinks later she might. This time she gave him a different order, a Bourbon neat and she probably shouldn't mix what she's drinking but well, she has the Cooper trait in her so she can stand her ground just fine.

Andrea did nothing else but nod in agreement, because yeah; she definitely had terrible luck. She needed to keep some kind of list of warning signs so that maybe she could avoid this shit in the future. "Always! No matter what you say they're always the victim of the situation. It's so stupid." she huffed. But then the conversation was no more because the guy was clearly trying to flirt with Andrea. And it was working - if she had been here by herself she might've gone home with him even, but she wasn't here for that tonight and she wasn't going to leave her friend hanging for a random hook-up. She entertained him for a bit, giggling every time he tried to be funny (he was most of the time, but even when he wasn't she thought it was cute) and leaning into him whenever the volume around them got too loud. But then she said "girl's night" and "can I get your number though?" and he seemed perfectly okay with leaving her alone after they'd exchanged numbers. "Okay, sorry." she turned back to Jaxson, sipping away at her drink. It didn't seem like Jaxson was feeling anything but Andrea was definitely starting to feel buzzed.

Jaxson: should slow down how fast she's drinking this bourbon but she can't. She completely zoned out from Andrea's conversation with the cute boy who wanted to get into her pants. She looked around again but spun around quickly when the boy from yesterday looked up at the same time, her ears were burning and she pulled out her phone instead and she should put it away because she came here to flirt with boys and get free drinks out of them not check her phone and for what? She's not expecting anything from anyone. Maybe lowkey though but it was futile and she chucked her phone back in her purse. Jesus, maybe not being a lightweight was more of a curse than anything if she can't get buzzed as quickly as others. "It's fine." she replied, a sheepish look on her face, "It's part of why we came out though isn't it?" She shrugged, finishing up her drink, "How're you feeling?" she asked, a smile tugging the corner of her lip as she studied the other girl and then asked the bartender for..."How do you feel about shots?" shots always help she thinks, straight tequila or whiskey shots should get her more hyped than she is but she didn't wait for an answer because she asked for a round of them, split between both which was a terrible idea but those were the only ones Jaxson had tonight.

Andrea hummed quietly, shrugging her shoulders. "A little buzzed, but that's it. Probably because I ate a lot..." she pursed her lips in thought. Then Jaxson suggested shots - which was probably a bad idea but it ​sounded​ like a good idea when the blonde had pitched it, so of course Andrea had agreed. But then she'd had so many shots she'd lost count and they'd gotten so rowdy they'd attracted an audience and people to take shots with and at one point Andrea might've given a lap-dance to some guy who had just turned legal and the party was just get started when-. "Nooooo..." she protested weakly, trying to rub the red X's marked on her hand fruitlessly. It was no use, but the bartender was done with her for the night and kept telling her he'd give her water but she didn't ​want​ water. You don't go to a bar to drink water. "Jaxson!" she whined, stumbling through the crowd of people that had accumulated on their side of the bar due to the excitement to look for her blonde friend. She was so wasted she could barely walk straight (or at all) and she was seeing about three of everyone she looked at.

Jaxson: had started feeling the buzz after the second round of shots her and Andrea had earlier. After that, Jaxson felt so fuzzy and warm that she forgot she was upset and instead started flirting with people around her, she thinks she might have even flirted with the bartender at one point. But from there on she was chatting people up and the louder she and Andrea got the more they got noticed and Xavier ​saw​ her and instead of ducking away from him she gave him a little knowing smile and he actually came over, asking her if she didn't call because of some three day rule or something but the point is she got free drinks from and more shots and next thing she knew there was a lime in her mouth and he was sucking whiskey off her collarbone and well, it was nice but then he started leaving hickeys and she shoved him away when he asked if she wanted to get out of there because no, she just wanted his free drinks and a good night out with her friend. Which she lost for a bit but it's okay because she was approached by this tall boy with curly hair and deep brown eyes and that's how she got a bit of what he was drinking and Jaxson was still standing straight, balance in tact but her words were slightly slurred and she was tingling all over. So two drinks from him later and one fruity pink drink from a ​girl​ she was completely wasted. Of course the fact that she was standing straight and not stumbling which was a miracle because she was wearing heels didn't get her marked. At least not yet. "An-drea!" she beamed, words slightly coming out in a slur, she spun around from talking to this English mayor with an expensive taste for Scotch when she heard the girl she came with call her name. She spotted her instantly and strides over to her, not loosing her footing once, "What's up? Where we're you? Did -did you give that kid a lap dance?"

Andrea gripped onto Jaxson's arms when the blonde came over. "What? Oh, yeah. It's his birthday. One of his friends said it was his birthday too and he was probably lying but-. I gave him one anyways." once she felt stable she released Jaxson's arms; alright, she could stand upright at least. She was still seeing three of Jaxson, but at least she didn't feel like she was going to fall over. "What did I come over here for?" she couldn't remember until she brought her hand up to scratch at her face - ​right​. The X's. "I got marked." she pouted, resuming trying to rub it off with her hand. It was making her skin raw but she was too preoccupied and drunk to really notice. "Can you get me another drink? Pretty please? I really want a lemondrop martini." she begged.

Jaxson: stumbled a little this time because she was caught off guard when Andrea gripped on to her arms. Only lasted a second so she was fine and laughed, head thrown back, "Seriously? Bet you gave them a boner, five bucks they left to the bathroom the moment you left." It was funny and she rubbed her face, when - "What? Already? That's so soooooon." It probably wasn't, she doesn't know how long they've been here only enough that she had given her bag to the bartender to hide behind the counter. "You'll get your martini and all the drinks you want because the night isn't over." and with that she grabbed the girl's hand and led her to the bartender, forgetting the fact that she was talking to someone. "Excuse me, uh George right? Listen I think you accidentally marked my friend when we just got here." the man looked between both of them and gave her a look, "No you didn't, you two ladies got here almost three hours ago." Jaxson blinked and shook her head, leaning over the counter, "Well then can I just have a lemondrop martini please?" The bartender cocked an eyebrow and she isn't marked so he can't deny her a drink but Jaxson's breath smells heavily of alcohol, all sorts mixed together and her face was flushed and even though she appears to be find he can tell she's very much drunk and he's noticed what she's had so he shook his head and marked her hands that we're placed on the counter. "Time for you to go lass." he grabbed her bag and handed it to her, also giving her back her card after charging her drinks. "​What​?" she screeched, pulling her hands away so quick, she hissed as though her hands had been burned on the stove, "You have go to be kidding me!" She turned to look at Andrea, giving her an incredulous look because no, "He's kidding right?"

Andrea blinked, stumbling after Jaxson as she made her way over to the counter because she was ​way too drunk​ to be moving so fast. She plopped down onto the bar stool as Jaxson tried to get her another drink, because she couldn't very well act okay to drink if she was wobbling around in her heels, but the jig was up. She pouted as the bartender handed Jaxson her purse, but didn't really protest much. They could just go somewhere else and get drinks; it wasn't like this was the only bar in London. "It's okay. Let's go." she slid off the bar-stool, linking her arm through Jaxson's and giving the bartender a curt nod. "Mr. Bartender. Thank you." and then she started walking towards she ​thinks​ the door is. And when they get outside the air feels fresh and Andrea is kind of relieved they're there. "Oh my gosh, it feels so good outside. I didn't realize how hot it was in there." she slurred, running her fingers through her hair and glancing up and down the street. "Wanna go find somewhere else to drink?" she asked, shifting her feet around in her heels because they hurt but she refused to take them off.

Jaxson: left with a huff but still mumbled a "Thanks, George." under he breath because she wasn't that rude and he did take care of her purse so. She let Andrea lead the way and when they were outside the cool air hit her and it made her slightly dizzy bUt it felt so nice she thinks she could definitely take off her shirt right now to enjoy it but she won't, at least not yet. "More drinks sounds amazing!" she replied loudly, "I like how you think." She thinks there's a pub down the street to the left, not as exciting as this one but with alcohol and lots of it. "Lets go." nodded Jaxson, heels clicking noisily with Andrea's along the pavement, "We'll get your lemonhead martini and I want Rocks on the Jack or is it the other way around? Who cares lets gooooo."

Andrea grinned, walking alongside Jaxson and trying hard to contain her giggles because she ​knew she was wasted​ and it was obvious that Jaxson was, too. "Good! We'll be the life of the party." she hummed happily, pursing her lips thoughtfully. "​And so I cry sometimes when I'm lying in bed just to get it all out; what's in my head and I. I am feeling a little peculiar..." she sang under her breath, walking along to the beat going on in her head. Then louder; "And so I wake in the morning and I step outside. And I take a deep breath and get real high and I scream at the top of my lungs; WHAT'S GOING ON?" she wasn't even singing by the time she got to the last phrase, she was shouting and laughing and she thinks she probably doesn't need anymore drinks but she sure does want them.

Jaxson: ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back against the cool breeze. She's glad she chose a skirt over jeans, it mad it flutter about a bit and she giggled trying to flatten it down but it didn't work so she just let it be. "What?" she leaned her head next to the girl to hear her better and wait, she knows this song and she suddenly feels so very ​happy​ hearing it. There's something about that song that makes her want to stand on top of a building and just yell out the lyrics. "And I said hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, I said hey what's going on!" Jaxson sang the lyrics back, except her words were a tad slurred but she didn't care because it was a good song and Andrea knows it and it's a wonderful night that she just started shouting the lyrics more than singing them, "and I try, ohmygod do I try, I try all the time! IN this institution!"

Andrea ​"And I pray. Oh my god do I pray. I pray to save the day. I pray every single day! FOR A REVOLUTION!!​" she screamed, jumping up and down and then... a police siren whooped in the distance, and then a car pulled up to the curb. The rest was a blur to Andrea, but all she remembers was protesting because "​you can get arrested for being drunk??​ and then her and Jaxson were being handcuffed and told their rights and put into the police car. And all she knew was that the cell she was in with Jaxson was cold and she just wanted another drink or maybe to pass out or maybe to throw up. She'd never pouted harder in her life.

Jaxson: doesn't know how it happened or why because one moment she was spinning around and jumping about with Andrea singing and shouting and screaming the lyrics to the 4 Non Blondes and then she was being handled into the back of a police car with her hands behind her back and she knows she said something along the lines of wanting to speak with her lawyer and asking who snitched on them or something like that. And now she's in a cell and she kicked off her heels and was currently running her hands through her hair while sitting on the floor wondering how they got here. She honestly doesn't know how much time has passed. An officer came by to tell them they're being held for at least four hours and she just dropped her head in between her knees because foUr hours or not if her dad finds out he's going to kill her. "I'm sorry." she finally mumbled, words still a bit slurred her head was still resting between her knees, "if -if I wasn't sad and weird I wouldn't have wanted to go out and we wouldn't be here."

Andrea looked up from where she was resting her head against the cool tile of the cell, rubbing at her eyes and - shit her make-up. Oh well, at least the night was officially over. Getting arrested for being too drunk in public was not the kind of thing Andrea thought would end her night. Jaxson had been sad? Well... two sad girls determined to get wasted was probably not the best combination. "It's not your fault. Why were you sad?" it really wasn't Jaxson's fault. Knowing Andrea she probably would've gone out eventually anyways. Might've even gotten arrested anyways, too.

Jaxson: bit her lip and looked back up, fiddling with a strand of her hair and wondered whether she should tell Andrea what was making her so upset. Because she knows the girl is good friends with Ezra and she doesn't want to like say anything but. "I like Ezra like I like-like him," the words came tumbling out of her mouth before she could give it a second thought and this is the first time she's actually admitted it to herself and said it out loud at the same time and suddenly her eyes are stinging and she doesn't know why the hurt ia coming back down on her likes waves and the next words were quiet, "and-and he basically called me a slut." And she's pulling her knees up to her chest because it really does hurt and she's never been called that, at least not to her face and especially not by a friend, someone she really cares about.

Andrea watched Jaxson and waited for her to say something, toying with the ends of her hair. Then Jaxson was admitting that she liked Ezra and well, Andrea kind of knew that so she didn't have it in her to pretend to be shocked. But Jaxson doesn't seem at all happy about admitting it and - is she about to cry? What kind of person is Jaxson? Is she the kind of person that doesn't want you to acknowledge they're crying or is she the kind that wants a hug? ​I'm going to punch Ezra...​ she thought but it might've come out of her mouth. She groaned and pushed herself to her feet before plopping herself back down next to Jaxson, resting her head on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. That's gross." she'd been called a slut probably way too much in high school, all thanks to Hayden. But whether Jaxson ​was​ one or not you still don't call someone that. "You should pee on him." she muttered drunkenly. And well, some guys might be into that but she doesn't see Ezra as that kind of person at all. Unless there was something he wasn't telling her. She should probably stop thinking about Jaxson peeing on Ezra now.

Jaxson: feels really, really dumb right now crying over a boy again. She told herself she wasn't going to that here that she wasn't going to go around getting crushes on people and put herself out there like that. She just wanted to have fun, she was in another ​country​, miles and miles away from home but no. She meets a boy and they hook up and they do it again and they made basically a vow of not getting feelings for each other but then he's really nice to her, he buys her food, he goes camping with her and small concerts and they get high together and cuddle and here she was breaking their deal. "Please do." he let out a watery laugh, she kinda wants to punch him to but she also really wants to kiss his stupid cute face and it's messing her up. Jaxson shrugged and smiled a little when Andrea came to sit down next to her. Maybe she deserved it, she shouldn't have told him about what happened the night before but it's not like she's never done that before but he's never reacted like that. "Now ​that's​ gross." she snorted, wrinkling her nose and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, "I'm sorry, I'm not usually like this I - he doesn't know please don't tell him."

Andrea hummed and nodded. "I will." honestly, Ezra seemed like he might be the kind of person to punch her back. Maybe she shouldn't. The thought of punching him for Jaxson sounded nice, though. She nodded. "Yeah, that's the point. He'd hate it. And call him a slut while you pee on him too." she needed to stop talking about pee. Maybe it's because she drank a lot and honestly she feels like her bladder could burst. "It's okay to be sad." Andrea cried a lot, she most definitely was not going to judge Jaxson for being sad and crying, especially when they were both smashed. "I won't say anything to him." but she kind of thinks Ezra might like her too, so she might try to wiggle her way into things to get them together.

Jaxson: smiled, she new Andrea wouldn't punch him because even Jaxson wouldn't do it but it was the thought that counts. This time Jaxson did laugh, raising her eyebrows, "You need to go the restroom or something? Because you sure do talk a lot about pee." She sighed, she knew it was okay, she just didn't like feeling it. It made her feel icky. "Thank you." she mumbled, she won't tell and Jaxson doesn't think she will either, ever, but now she doesn't know if she wants to talk to him anymore, at least not for a while. "Do you think four hours have passed yet? I'm hungry." she said after a while, head turning to look outside the cell and she hopes someone comes in to get them out.

Andrea scrunched her nose up and nodded. "I have to go pee so bad." she whined, picking her head up off of Jaxson's shoulder to crawl to the bars of the cell and peak between them. "I don't know. I hope so. I'm cold and sleepy." she sighed, banging on the bars with one of her heels and waving at the officer on duty at the door. "Hiiii, can I go to the bathroom?" she must've still looked like a hot mess because his hard exterior cracked and he looked like he was about to laugh. He said to give him a moment and he left, and Andrea sighed, pressing her face between the bars and watching him as he came back with the keys. Then he was unlocking the cell door and saying "You're free to go." Andrea pushed herself to her feet. "Thank you thank you thank you." she skittered out the door barefoot, rushing to the bathroom.

Jaxson: watched the other girl grab the attention of the officer, almost breaking out into fresh giggles because she looked funny. But then were free to go and she's never been more thankful, she should probably also go the bathroom but she doesn't really need to pee, at least not right now. So she put her heels back on and stood, heading towards the front desk. "Um, is there anything I need to sign? Is there a court date?" she asked and the man who arrested them shook his head, they already have their names and prints and since it's first offense there is no need for a court date but their names are now in the system so if there's a next time then they'll go on trial. He also gave her purse back and Jaxson then sighed, nodded and said "Thank you." She's still going to need to call her dad and she was not looking forward to that. She went to go sit on the bench near the door while she waited for Andrea, rummaging through her phone and checked the time, it was around six in the morning and she looks like shit.

Andrea sighed as she emerged from the bathroom, slipping back into her heels reluctantly and going up to the front desk to grab her phone and keys, thanking the officer behind the desk before turning to go to Jaxson. "I feel like death. I can't believe it's light outside." she groaned, walking out of the police station. "Do you want coffee or something? I'll treat you." she pushed a hand through her hair. She really owed Jaxson for paying for all those drinks, and while buying a coffee wouldn't cover it it was definitely a start.

Jaxson: yawned, hiding it behind her hand and stood up once Andrea came back. "I ​know​, I feel like Dawn of the Dead." agreed Jaxson and it felt nice being outside and out of that cell but not nearly as much because it's six in the morning and they were still far from Austens and she kinda wants to lay down on the sidewalk and sleep but she'd probably get arrested for that too. "Yes, please." she nodded eagerly, coffee sounds really good right now and she could use about a million extra shots of espresso. She looked around the street, some people were jogging, some walking their dogs and other arriving at work. And here they were, probably still looking drunk with bloodshot eyes and in serious need of a nap.

Andrea sighed, looping her arm through Jaxson's like she had the night previous and walking down the street. There was a coffee shop at almost every corner, and when there wasn't there was a corner store that probably had coffee, and so she waited until they got to the end of the block to walk into the corner store and stepped inside, looking around. The coffee was in the back, and after filling up her cup (she just needed it black, she didn't care at that moment) she went to look around the random things they had at the store. She grabbed a cinnamon roll then continued looking and-... hair dye? She raised an eyebrow, because that was super random, but then again corner stores did usually have really random things. She looked at the selections of color, then she saw it - the bleach. She chewed at her lip, tapping the edge of her coffee cup and staring at it for a moment before grabbing it. She waited for Jaxson before paying for everything, still tapping the sides of her coffee cup.

Jaxson: let Andrea lead the way, her heels hurt and she considered stopping to take them off but decided to tough it out until they got a cab to go back. Jaxson loves coffee and when they were finally inside the store she fixed up her cup, with lots of cream and sugar and she wrinkled her nose when she saw Andrea only get pitch black coffee but shrugged as she swirled the ingredients together before putting the lid on it. It was hot and she might've burned her tongue trying to get a sip but she went to glass case were the donuts are and stood there debating which one to get before grabbing a sugary one. Its less messy than a chocolate one anyway, after Jaxson made a beeline to the register where Andrea already was and set her coffee down and donut that already had a bite off it. Her eyes scanned over what the girl had and, "Is that bleach?" She blinked and picked up the box before setting it back down, "You're dying IN your hair?"

Andrea shrugged her shoulders, even though she ​knew​ it was bleach and there was no reason to shrug her shoulders. But still. "I need a change." She'd told her therapist that she felt stuck in a rut, and her therapist had said to start trying to change things - start small and then maybe move bigger - but she doesn't think this is what she meant. Still, Andrea was feeling impulsive and still a little drunk. She grabbed the bag the cashier handed her, stepping out of the store and standing at the curb so they could hail a cab - they needed to go back so Andrea can collapse.

Jaxson: nodded, she understood change and change usually started with hair. "Thanks, Andy." she mumbled, for the coffee and donut and followed after her outside. She lowered the wrapper around her treat and bit into again, waiting for a cab to pass by. But then she handed her donut to Andrea, "Here, hold this please." She stepped off the sidewalk and a little bit onto the street to whistle down a cab because even though it was morning, more and more people were coming out and grabbing cabs or getting off them and they ​need​ one. Finally a cab came over and Jaxson beamed, stepping back and prying her donut out of Andrea's grasp and motioning for her to go in first before climbing in after her, letting out a sigh in relief for finally sitting down again.

Andrea blinked owlishly, taking Jaxson's donut and resisting the urge to take a bite out of it as the blonde hailed a cab. It took a lot of self-restraint but she did it, and once they were in the cab she told the driver to take them to Austen's and started to eat away at her cinnamon roll. "I don't know about you but I think I need to sleep for like, a couple days." She still can't believe they got arrested; in hindsight it was kind of dumb. Getting arrested for being too drunk in public? Although now that she thinks about it she really doesn't remember much of what happened. Maybe there ​was​ such a thing.

Jaxson: "That sounds just about right." replied Jaxson over her cup, finally taking a sip to make sure it wasn't as hot as it was. She was definitely going to pass out but after a shower because she feels as gross as she probably looks so. They were finally back on campus and Jaxson got out of the cab, kicking her heels off here and picked them up, her donut was long gone and she shoved the wrapper in her purse. "Are you gonna want help with your hair?" she asked, she knows that bleaching alone isn't exactly the best idea so that's why she's offering.

Andrea climbed out of the cab after Jaxson, passing over the fair to the driver before following Jaxson's lead and taking her heels off. She followed her inside, twirling her keys around her finger and nodding her head. "Yeah, probably... will you help me?" even though Jaxson hadn't even answered yet she started making her way to her room, because she assumed if Jaxson offered she was willing to help. And even if she wasn't, she was fine with Jaxson passing out in her bed while she did it by herself. She unlocked her door and let Jaxson in first, following her in and downing the last of her coffee before throwing it into the bin and pulling the hair bleach out of the bag.

Jaxson: scratched shower out of her mental list because she is going to help Andrea bleach her hair and then pass out on her bed -- or use her shower and maybe steal some of her clothes, she thinks they could maybe be the same size. She set her coffee down on her desk, followed by dropping her purse on the floor and her heals and immediately headed towards the bathroom to splash her face with cold water. She pulled her hair up into a bun with the hair tie that was on her wrist and spun around, hands on her hips, "Okay, lets do this." And she was actually kind of excited to help Andrea with her hair that it sobered her up a bit which was good because being drunk and dying hair could end up terribly.

Andrea shimmied out of her dress, pulling on a pair of loose shorts and an old t-shirt so she wouldn't ruin her dress. She hummed and skipped into the bathroom, opening up the box and setting out everything and opening up the instructions. She grabbed her phone to turn some music on, setting it aside so that bleach wouldn't get on it before she put the gloves on and started to mix everything up. She gave Jaxson a pair of gloves too, so that she could help her put it on her hair.

Jaxson: put on the gloves, wiggling her fingers around in them before grabbing the instructions to give them a one over. She knows what has to be done but one can never go wrong with making sure. She hummed along to the music and set the sheet down, wrinkling her nose already at the smell of bleach. "Okay, we got this." she started opening up her drawers in search of hair clips to divide her hair up, she gathered a few and some hair ties to help a bit. She set them on the counter and went back out to grab her desk chair, pushing it into the bathroom. "You need to sit down, pal." she nodded so she could portion her hair up evenly.

Andrea helped Jaxson separate her hair, chewing at her lip and dancing slightly to the music as she did so - she realized belatedly that it might've made Jaxson's job a little bit harder, but too late then. She hummed and plopped herself into the desk chair, swinging her legs and gagging because now she was closer to the smell of the bleach. "Ermagerd." she pushed it away from her face, putting her arm over her nose.

Jaxson: was a huffing mess because Andrea kept moving but they managed to arrange her hair evenly and then she got to work. The smell was gross bUt woke her up and she grabbed the brush out of the bowl to start applying the mix on Andrea's hair. She did it slowly at first, eyes squinting at her hair before she went a little faster but not enough that it would be considered reckless. When a song she knew came up she sung the lyrics under her breath and continued brushing the bleach and separating hair and she hopes Andrea has Febreeze so they can spay away the sour smell after.

Andrea tried not to squirm to the music too much as Jaxson spread the bleach onto her hair. Every time Jaxson finished a section Andrea pulled it back up onto her head so that Jaxson could keep going and it'd get done faster. It seemed to take forever, but then finally her hair was all blue-ish white from the bleach. She was starting to feel nervous as she looked down at the instructions telling her to leave the bleach on for about thirty minutes. She sighed once her hair was put back up, stepping into the shower to open the bathroom window and doing the same to the window in her room so the bleach smell would leave the room. She grabbed her phone and set an alarm, putting a shower cap on her head so she could lie around lazily as she waited.

Jaxson: was finally done and took a step back to admire her handiwork even though technically it was nothing special besides just applying bleach. Still, she slipped off her gloves and dumped them in the trash bin, throwing away everything they used because they pretty much used everything and washed her hands before making her way to Andrea's bed. She plopped on it and fell on her back, sighing loudly because, "Tonight was actually fun, minus getting arrested but technicalities." She waved it off because she actually did have fun tonight or last night but she wont be repeating that for a while.

Andrea plopped back next to Jaxson, resting her hands on her stomach and humming in agreement. "It was fun. I don't think I should drink for a while though, unless I wanna get my stomach pumped." she scrunched her nose up. Who was she kidding? She was probably going to go out and drink more after she recovered from this incident, she wasn't even fooling herself. "I think I have alcohol sweats. I need a shower." she sighed.

Jaxson: wrinkled her nose, "My friend got his stomach pumped once, he's dumb." It was also during eight grade and it was terrible, she cried a lot that day. Jaxson pouted, she wants a shower too she's gonna go after Andrea that is if she doesn't pass out on her bed by the time she comes out. "You do that." she mumbled, throwing an arm over her eyes, she was really tired so she's resting her eyes for a bit, maybe.

Andrea 's eyebrows pulled together; she really hope she doesn't get to the point where she had to get her stomach pumped. It looks absolutely awful. She sighed. "You go first. I'm need to hop in the shower and rinse all this off once it develops anyways." she tapped the showercap on her head.

Jaxson: pushed herself off her bed and sighed, grateful for the chance of taking a shower first because then she'd wake up feeling grosser than ever if she passed out without a shower. "Okay, do you have a shirt I can borrow or something?" she asked as she took her own off making her way to the bathroom, turning on the water for a short and quick shower and stripped completely before jumping in. She hissed a little because it was cold before it turned a little warm. It was a short, about ten minutes and she might have stolen a bit of the girl's shampoo and then she grabbed the towel that was hanging from the rack to make her way out, wrapping it around herself and walked back into the room, "I might have stolen a bit of your shampoo, but in my defense it smells nice."

Andrea hummed and nodded. "Yeah, you can borrow whatever you want." It wasn't like her and Jaxson weren't living in the same building; if she needs something back she can just run over to Jaxson's and ask for it back. She just sat there, dozing off and waiting for her alarm to go off when Jaxson came back into the room. The bathroom was leaking the smell of her shampoo, and made Andrea long to get in and get the bleach out of her hair. "It's there for a reason. No worries." she smiled, scooting over and continuing to wait for her alarm to go off so she could get in the shower too. Finally the alarm went off, and Andrea hopped to her feet, more than anxious to rinse everything out of her hair and get clean so she could sleep.

Jaxson: grinned then and proceeded to go through her closet, finding a nice comfortable shirt and hoping the girl has extra pajama bottoms. Which she did and she's very thankful for. She changed quickly, pulling the bottoms and throwing the shirt over her head before wrapping the towel around her hair and plopping back down on the bed. She was sleep and tired and she should maybe head back to her own dorm but she doesn't really want to be alone right now. Andrea is already in the shower and it be rude to walk out on her right now. So she plopped back on her pillows, scooting over to the wall and sighed. It was nice to get the Ezra thing off her chest and she felt a little better after her adventure with Andrea. She closed her eyes briefly, trying not to fall asleep but only five minutes later she passed out on top of the girl's sheets.

Parker had never thought of herself as someone who was physically weak; one of the few things she prided herself on was her ability to stay in shape and being stronger than the norm. As she struggled to get Shade back to the dorm though, she realized that meant very little when you were dealing with dead weight. The cab driver had helped her get him in and out of the car but, of course, the man wasn't permitted to enter the grounds of the school and she was forced to endure the rest of the walk alone. A nervous glance was spared at her boyfriend as she fumbled to slide his keys out of his pocket. Shade was pale and clammy and although he seemed to be awake, he was far from coherent. It had been obvious what had happened as soon as she had seen the reaction on his face at the club; he had stumbled upon the place where someone had died, and Parker couldn't believe she had been stupid enough not to realize that it would happen if they left the Academy grounds. That was her mistake and it was one that she was going to agonize over for a long time but in that moment, all she could think about was making sure that Shade was alright. After getting him in the room, Parker heaved him on the bed as best as she could, knees buckling under his weight as she made sure that he was in a position to be able to breathe.

Shade flopped onto the bed with little to no recollection of how he'd gotten there. One minute they were having a good time, and the next he felt like his head was being ripped in two as new things were crammed inside of it. It'd all happened so fast, and the panic and pure terror that coursed through his body as he relived someone else's last moments wasn't something he would ever forget. As he halfheartedly tried move both of his legs up onto the bed, it was those feelings that he still couldn't shake. If it wasn't for Parker and the surprised barking of Cleo as they'd entered the room, he wouldn't have been entirely sure he was even alive. After all, the life that flashed through his eyes hadn't been his own, but it felt that way, and it'd certainly ended. He couldn't tell where he stopped and the other person started. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, to try and find a sense of normalcy, but all his managed was a muffled groan as he squeezed his eyes shut tighter for a moment in hopes it would take away his headache and everything else along with it.

Parker cast a nervous glance down at Shade as he moaned at meeting the bed. There was a morbid curiosity in her as she wondered what he had seen; even at the beginning, walking into the places where other people had died had only ever made her violently ill, at least if there was only one person involved. The more people that had died in a particular spot, the more difficult it was to handle the situation. It had her picturing everything from a gang fight gone wrong to burning buildings, even as she pulled the covers over his prone body and scooped Cleo up out of the way. She was hesitant to leave the room, to leave Shade even for a second. His wan skin and his disjointedness scared her in a way that she had never been before. He almost looked like, well, like he was dying and she was worried that that was what was happening, despite having his light memorized even without her powers. Parker stalled for another moment before letting Cleo back on the bed so that he would have some sort of presence while she stepped into the bathroom. She worked quickly, wetting and wringing out a washcloth, and filling a small paper cup up with water before hurrying back into the room and lifting his head onto her lap.

Shade reached his hand up to his face as he felt the passing tickle of fur as Cleo sniffed around to try and figure out what was going on. He didn't know himself, and he hadn't since the moment before everything came crashing down at the club. Feeling his world move as Parker set his head on her lap, he swallowed hard to try and combat the queasiness in his stomach. "What'd I take?" he finally asked with is voice gruff with effort. "I'm I OD'ing?" Trying to put the pieces of his night together was proving impossible. There was alcohol, he knew that much, but then there were flashes of pills and needles and powdered lines. The sense of panic began to take over again as he feared death. He normally loved that thrill of adrenaline as he tempted fate, but he knew this was different.

Parker breathed in a sigh of relief that she didn't know she was holding as Shade spoke up. The last thing she wanted was to have to take him to a hospital, where hundreds of people had died simply walking through the doors, knowing that he would of had to battle his way out just like she had. "Y-," her voice caught in her throat and she cleared it, only realizing then that she was crying. "You didn't take anything," she finally managed as she put the washcloth to his forehead. The coolness always helped her, at least in the area of nauseousness that she knew he must be fighting. "That wasn't you. It was... I don't know who it was, I've never seen that spot before. But it wasn't you."

Shade tried to let Parker's words soak in and ease his fears even a little. It wasn't him. He wasn't dying. Shade repeated the words to himself over and over. It didn't take away all the feelings, but combined with the wet cloth she'd put on his forehead, it at least stopped him from adding a panic attack to the mix. "It feels like me," he admitted as he peeked open his eyes to look at Parker. Even though the light didn't help the pounding in his head, he needed to see her and know she was really there. "It's like I'm there on the floor. Everything's spinning. No one noticed me." He took a breath as he managed to somewhat convince himself that he was okay. He wasn't alone, and even with the confusing mess in his head, he knew he trusted her. "So scared and lonely and full of regrets." Shade closed his eyes again as the tears formed in his eyes to match hers. His own fears mixed with the final moments of someone else was too much to handle. "I don't know how you do it," he said softly.

Parker hummed her agreement, trying desperately not to agitate his headache anymore. It was hard to resist the urge to not pull away when his eyes blinked open, remembering the feeling of snapping out of someone else's life only to be faced with someone else's light directly in her face. That was maybe the part she hated most, the constant reminder of the complete frailty of human life. She forced herself to stay still though, instead dabbing lightly at his forehead. "I know it does," she whispered back. "It's always like that... Like you and the person are one entangled entity." It sucked so much that she was now forcing the person she loved most to endure the same thing that she went through on a daily basis. The knowledge that this had been done to them didn't matter in that moment; it was her power that Shade had gotten in the switch and she had been too busy fighting with him lately to warn him of what was to come. Death spots honestly hadn't even crossed her mind because Shade had been locked up from the moment of the switch and then she had been so excited, so excited to finally get a night out with him that she had simply forgotten. "It wasn't you," she repeated firmly as she tried to push down her feelings. "Whatever you saw was someone completely separate from you." Parker arranged the washcloth so that it would stay by itself and then moved the tips of her fingers down to his temples, ghosting small, soothing circles over them in attempt to ease his pain. "The end is almost always bad," she admitted. "But everyone has some good in their lives too. You get to see it all. I try to focus on the things that made the person's life worth living."

Shade tried to do what Parker suggested, as he sifted through everything to try and focus on the good parts instead of the end. No matter how powerful those last moments were, she was right. There was much more to their life than just that. Birthdays, a first kiss, first love, the fleeting high that they'd often felt on any number of drugs. "It doesn't feel separate." He knew that he didn't need to explain it to Parker. She'd lived with it for years and had countless lives mixed with her own. She was no stranger to any of it, and he hated even more than ever that she'd been so alone when dealing with it herself. It was the soft caress of his temples, the washcloth on his forehead, and her soft understanding tone that was holding him together. It was all her, and he didn't want to think how he would be if it'd happened without her. "He was nineteen," Shade said in hopes that telling her would somehow give him some distinction between himself and everything new. "Wade. He wanted to move to New York. He liked watching reality shows. He was going to go to rehab. He knew his friends were worried, but he thought he still had time." It wasn't easy to focus on the good parts of his life when the reminder that it was over loomed so large, but Shade knew he had to try. "He won a spelling bee in third grade."

Parker nodded despite the fact the Shade's eyes were closed. Trying to separate someone's life from your own was difficult, especially when you had the entire length of their memories jammed into your brain at once and you only had a fraction of the memories that other people had built up. Parker kept notes on her phone to help remind her of who she was and to give her clues on how to sort through everything: a note about her age, so that she could disregard anything past that point, a note about the lights and how the absence of them usually meant they weren't her own, a reminder that she was female and supposedly a superhero. They were all things that kept her someone grounded, though she was sure she had mixed things up along the way. "I know," she repeated. Parker continued her attempts as soothing him, stopping only to pull the blanket around him up further before letting her fingers drift back up to run through his hair. It broke her heart that his first- and hopefully only- experience with the death spots had been somebody so young. When people died of old age, it wasn't so bad, almost like drifting off to sleep. You got to see families grow up and the person themselves become better people. Young deaths were tragic and overdoses were some of the worst to endure, though she was glad he hadn't gotten a murder victim or someone who had been the victim of abuse. "Wade sounds like a nice kid," she said sadly.

Shade leaned into Parker more, taking comfort in the familiarity of it. Even with everything, he still felt like it was where he belonged. "He should have lived longer." There wasn't anything she or anyone else could do about it, but he still hated it. He hated feeling it, seeing it, knowing that it would happen to everyone, there was nothing good about it. "How do you do this?" he asked without opening his eyes again. He knew she was there, and that she'd knew what he meant. One life and he was ready to throw the towel in with her power. Actually, he'd been ready to even before that. Seeing the lights the first second the switch happened had been more than enough. "Feel all this stuff, and know what's real and what's really you?" He shook his head and took a deep breath. He no longer felt like he would throw up at any second, but he didn't dare risk moving from where he was. "I'm sorry you ever had to do this stuff."

Parker laughed humorously and wiped away a stray tear from her cheek. "They almost always should have lived longer. The only peaceful deaths are the ones that go when they're eighty or ninety in their sleep. Everything else is just..." Parker sighed deeply and cut herself off. She could get into the unfairness of the children who died too young from cancer, or the women that were raped before they were murdered, or any number of things. Things that would only scare Shade even more than he already was, things that Parker relived time and time again whether through various people or in her own nightmares. There was nothing in that rant that could make anything better and she swallowed the words down before they came spilling out. "I don't know. I just... do. It's been my life for two years now. I've figured out small ways to cope, to be able to sort through things. I'm not sure though- that all my memories are actually mine. They probably aren't." It was just the way things were. Not for the first time, Parker had the feeling that they were given their specific powers for a reason. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. You didn't do this to me."

Shade nodded his head slightly in understanding. Even though he wasn't responsible for it, and didn't even know Parker when she first encountered her power, he still hated knowing that she dealt with it constantly. It almost made him feel guilty for wishing that he could give it back. He just didn't want to have it anymore. It was too much, and he knew he wasn't strong enough to deal with it. "Your power sucks," he said as he turned his head to let it rest more comfortably. Reaching up to his forehead, he pulled the washcloth over his eyes to block out some of the red glow he could see through his eye lids. "You're so much stronger than me. I can't do this." Quitting wasn't exactly an option seeing as they were at the mercy of the Academy just like they always were. The powers could stay switched for as long or as little as the people in charge wanted, and there wasn't a thing they could do about it. "It's too much. Knowing what it feels like and seeing how long everyone has..." Shade let his voice trail off as the tears filled his eyes again. "I can't do it."

Parker continued running her fingers through his hair as he lay there with his eyes closed and she couldn't fight the guilt that was coursing through her. If she could count on anything, it was the Academy's ability to ruin everything for them. "Yeah," she agreed. "It really does. I'm sorry that you have to deal with it. I never wanted anyone else to have to deal with this." They never had found out who had gotten her power in the last switch and she had managed to convince herself that they had dealt with it just fine. That was an impossible feat this time, as she had been forced to an endure a loneliness she hadn't experienced since getting her power. "I'm not stronger. Just a different kind of strong than you are." Parker moved her hand to rest on his head, adding weight to the top of where his wash cloth was, hoping that it would help him block out some more of the light. "Hopefully they'll go back to normal soon. It's been a long time already, they have to go back to normal soon." Parker wasn't sure if she believed that but she could only hope that her words were true. "You can do it a few more days. You're doing good."

Shade knew that Parker was trying to help even though no one ever knew what the Academy had planned for them. He'd assumed the suffering was going to only last a weekend, and when that came and went, he thought a week would be their new deadline. That proved to be wrong as well. Any hope he had of things getting back to normal was fading away more and more with each passing day. "What if it doesn't change back?" He hated even thinking it, but the longer things stretched on, the more often it popped into his head. "I want to give your power away. I don't care if they make me leave. I mean look at me." With his eyes covered by the cloth, he had no idea where she actually was looking, but he felt like their current situation was more proof of how bad things could be. "We can't even have one night out together without them messing it up."

Parker didn't think that this could last much longer. If her theories were correct about how their powers were scrambled, then the strain of keeping them swapped would be too much while the school was shut down. "They're going to go back," she said firmly in her belief. "I still think they're using someone who can manipulate DNA. Once we all leave for the winter holidays, it's going to be impossible to keep a hold on all of us. I doubt their powers would stretch that far because not everyone is from Jersey. Besides, just think of what will happen if everyone goes home with different powers than they left with. A lot of parents wouldn't stand for that." Of course, their own parents wouldn't be worried at all which was upsetting but Parker figured they were both used to that. "School ends on the nineteenth for winter break. I think we'll definitely have our own powers back by then." She sighed heavily and stopped moving, staring up at the ceiling. "I should have remembered about the death spots. That's my fault. I was just... So excited to not be fighting with you and to get to spend time with you that I didn't even think."

Shade sighed as Parker shot down his idea. Logically he knew that she was probably right, but that didn't stop him from wanting things fixed instantly. Even a few more days felt like too long to have to wait. Hearing what she said next, he reached up to take the washcloth from over his eyes so that he could look at her, even as her light made it hard to do so. "What?" he asked even though he'd heard her. It was more from surprise that she'd thought she was to blame for any of it. "This isn't on you, Parker. You didn't do this." Shade took Parker's hand in his and looked at their fingers together so that it wasn't as bright. "I wanted to go out. I'm sick of this place and I hate not being with you. You aren't the one that made our powers change. None of this is your fault."

Parker knew that her solution of just waiting wasn't one that would please him but she didn't know what else to do. He could get rid of his power, sure, but how would that fare when the powers were back to normal? Would her power come back to her or would that be the power that was blinked out of existence while Shade got to keep his dream manipulation? They still didn't know the side affects of getting rid of their powers anyways and waiting it out seemed like the simplest solution. The only one that would actually work. "I know you wanted to go out but I could have warned you... Told you about the risks." Parker ran a shaking hand through her hair as she tried to explain to him how it could have been prevented. "If I had been thinking, I would have known that a club was a bad idea. There's always ODs or heart attacks or seizures. There's always something. You could have avoided this if I had thought about it." It had been selfish of her, not stopping to realize the risks. She had just wanted a nice night with her boyfriend after their fights and they hadn't even managed that.

Shade shook his head as he listened to her. "I wanted to go, and I didn't think about it either. I've seen you dealing with this power for what, around a year now? It's not your fault that I happened to walk over the wrong spot." Not only did he hate how her power made him feel and what it caused him to see, but he also hated how it'd kept him away from Parker. He'd effectively locked himself away to try and deal with it, even as she'd tried to be there for him and ease him through it. He refused to let her take the blame for wanting a night out. "None of this is because of you. You make dealing with this power seem so easy when you do it." Shade shook his head as he played with her fingers in his. "You probably would have just taken a second and been fine again."

Parker saw that this was going to be one of those times where no matter what either one of them said, they were never going to agree in the end. It happened a lot with their stubborn natures but it was usually over things that were less important than what they were dealing with now. Like pie, for example. "About that time," she agreed as she mentally decided to stop fighting. There had been enough fights since Thanksgiving and frankly, Parker didn't want a repeat. "But I've also dealt with the power for a lot longer than you have. I've had time to adjust, to get used to how things work. You were just thrown into this unwillingly." She laughed softly and shook her head. "You mean I would have thrown up first before saying that I was alright, while actually feeling nauseous the rest of the night. Gotta say, I'm impressed at your ability to not puke under pressure."

Shade smiled when he heard Parker laugh. It was one of the many things he'd missed about her. Hearing her laugh or seeing her smile just wasn't the same when it was through a computer screen. "I've never been much of a puker." It wasn't the most glamorous bright side to look on, but there hadn't been many, and he was willing to hold on to what he could. "So you're saying I need to get better at lying about it?" he asked with a teasing hint in his voice as he chanced another look up at her. "I'm just really glad you were with me. I don't know what would have happened if you weren't. How did I even get back here?" It was the first time he really took notice of the fact that there were memories between the club and his dorm that were lost among the mess of everything else. "I'm glad they didn't take me to a hospital."

Parker nodded seriously as she looked down at him; she appreciated that he was putting in the effort to look at her, even though she knew what it was costing him. "The lying definitely needs some work. I don't think you had anybody fooled back at the club." The corner of her mouth quirked up in a tiny smile as she joked back. There was really nothing humorous about the situation but the huge relief that came from knowing that Shade was okay was still bringing some happiness to her. "I carried you. Well, the cab driver kind of helped me get you up and then we stumbled our way up here." Thinking about it now, she probably could have asked a security guard to help her. No one ever asked for her ID anymore and with the power swap, she was sure they were used to students turning up in poor condition. She had been panicked though and scared and the thought hadn't occurred to her. "They wanted to. I wouldn't let them. There was no way I was going to let you deal with that horror."

Shade brought Parker's hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it. No matter how bright her light seemed or how awful he felt, he didn't want her to go anywhere. Not tonight, or ever if he could figure out a way to handle it. After all, keeping her away certainly hadn't helped him completely either. "My hero." Shade glanced up at her with a tired smile. "All those extra training sessions must have really paid off. It's a good thing that you didn't have to lug me around a few years ago. I was fat." It felt like it was true, and he had memories of being teased, but a look at any childhood pictures would have shown it was actually Wade who'd struggled with his weight before. "Can you stay tonight? At least for a while."

Parker smiled and turned her palm so that it cupped his cheek, trailing her thumb lightly over the line of his cheekbone. The weeks that had occurred since Thanksgiving had been awful and lonely, and despite the events of the evening, she was happy that they were together. It was one of those moments that made he realize just how much she really loved Shade. "And I'm not even offended by those words," she teased. "And I highly doubt that with all of the jet setting you used to do." In fact, she knew that he had always been on the slim side. Her time spent with Sugar had introduced her to pictures of Shade when he was younger and Parker was sure that he was just feeling the after effects of his run-in with someone else. Correcting him completely would only lead to more confusion though. It was hard sorting through the memories of others and she didn't want to puzzle Shade even more. "I thought you would never ask. I can stay as long as you want me to."

Shade let his eyes fall closed as he focused on the soft feeling of Parker's hand against his cheek. "Maybe it was all the foreign food that did it," he said without giving it much thought. He no longer felt like he was going to die or puke or have his brain somehow pulse completely out of his skull, which was about all he could ask for since the power swap. "I want you to stay forever," he admitted as he nuzzled his head into her lap. "Keeping you away just made me miserable in different ways. I kept thinking about you and how you were out there with your light getting just a little bit dimmer every second. I can't avoid it no matter what." Shade took another deep calming breath as he was doing a slightly better job of focusing on one thing at a time without being overwhelmed. "I want you to stay."

Parker hummed softly at his words, thinking that that theory sounded more accurate than the one about him being fat. Still, she knew that his stories might get mixed up now that he had two lives crammed into his head and she vowed to try to keep a look out to help him in the future. "Maybe." Parker leaned down from her position to place a kiss upon his forehead and pulled the blanket up even more around him. "Forever is something I can manage. That's always been the plan, hasn't it?" She didn't want to admit that she had been miserable as well because that wasn't going to help either one of them. She was sure it was obvious anyways, the way they had been fighting over stupid things. "Then I'm staying."