Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Bitch, pleease,” Nicole whined. “I will literally die without this.”

“Bitch, you’re broke,” Emily retorted, leaning against the community college’s science building. “I don’t care how hot you are, I’m not giving you addies for free. Okay, that’s not totally true, like, I do care how-”

Nicole cut her off. “I will do literally anything. I’ll suck pussy. I’ll suck dick, Emily. I’ll literally kill myself if you don’t. Do you want me to kill myself?”

“With… or without me?” Emily put a hand on her hip.

Nicole could never really tell whether Emily was joking about that sort of thing anymore. “I’ll mention you in the note.”

“Oh my god, fine.” Groaning, Emily acquiesced, “I’m totally calling in that favor later, though.”

Swallowing one and pocketing the rest of the small handful of pills Emily had handed her, Nicole doubled down on the flattery. “You’re literally the best oh my god.”

“Yeah… Hottest bitch you know to be honest,” Emily mumbled while walking off.

“What the fuck… Jecka?” Nicole blurted out, staring at her old best friend, who seemed to have just gotten out of class.

“Nicole, what the fuck?” Jecka echoed. “The fuck are you doing at community? Shouldn’t you be out like, ‘banging hoes’ or whatever?”

“Bitch, stop making my hobbies sound lame. What are you doing at community?” She stared at Jecka skeptically. “You could make it into like, Harvard or something.”

“Nicole, how the fuck would I afford Harvard?” There was something nostalgic about talking like this with Nicole again. “Community college is like, somewhat barely affordable. Also, don’t dodge the fucking question, what’re you doing here?”

“Ugh,” Nicole groaned, looking away from the blonde. “My mom said she’d like, actually kick me out if I didn’t ‘do something with my life.’”

“Damn…” was all Jecka replied with, spacing out for a bit as the two fell into silence.

“So like,” Nicole suddenly spoke up. “Do you wanna take Adderall with me and make out?”

“Bitch, no.” Falling into their old routine, Jecka responded instantly without having to think about it. “Plus, I’m like, way out of your league.”

“Okay, rude.” Nicole scoffed, a slight smile on her lips.

“Speaking of out of your league, you seen Ari lately?” Jecka wasn’t particularly interested in the answer. She was just making small talk.

“Oh my god, yeah. I literally have a class with her.” Nicole explained, waving her hands around. “Like, what the fuck am I even supposed to say to her?”

“I don’t know, bitch, it was your fault anyway, fuckin’ figure it out!” She was starting to get genuinely annoyed.

“Why are you yelling at me bitch?! You asked! Anyway, she seemed like, pretty chill about everything, I don’t know.”

“Bitch, you know that’s just how Ari is. She probably like, cries about it at night. Or masturbates about it. Probably both. Fucking- anyways!” The blonde threw her hands up in the air.

“Oh my god, fine. I’ll say something tomorrow, just chill the fuck out.” Nicole pinched the bridge of her nose.

Did she have to, though? Why the fuck did Jecka give a shit anyway? Couldn’t she just tell Jecka they worked it out and move on? Would that feel good, though? Feel? Bitch, shut the fuck up.

At the end of their mutual sociology class, which Nicole was taking for credits and Ari was probably actually into, she approached the redhead.

“Hey, so like, can we talk?” Nicole scratched her head.

Ari glanced around a little before responding, “About what…?”

“Like… us? Shit that happened? I don’t know bitch, you know what I mean.” Already starting to get frustrated, Nicole had to stop herself from saying anything worse.

“Sure…” Ari still seemed unsure about the whole thing.

Upon exiting the classroom and finding somewhere to talk, Nicole began, “So like, are we chill?”

It took Ari a moment to respond. “Are we chill? You fucked me up! Like, a crazy amount! We are so far from chill.”

“Ok… so, like… I’m sorry?” Upon seeing Ari’s sour expression remain unchanged, Nicole continued. “What the fuck do you want from me, Ari?”

“I don’t know… Like, time? And space? Who says I have to forgive you?” After a pause, Ari realized something. “Why do you even care what I think? Have you like… actually ever apologized to anyone? Ever?”

“I don’t know! I just do or something, okay? Plus, Jecka’s being like, a real bitch about it.” She let out a loud groan. “This is so fucking stupid.”

“Oh, so like, what, she wants you to wrap things up with your ex before she’ll date you or something?” Ari was mostly trying to just piss Nicole off, but she felt like she’d actually struck a nerve.

“Jesus, you’re so fucking annoying. Do you know that? Seriously, shut the fuck up forever.”

“Make me?” Ari joked. Mostly.

Nicole let out a single laugh. “Oh I am NOT falling for that, do better, bitch.”

“Yes, Nicole…” Ari mumbled, face flushed. Falling into old habits.

Nicole stared for a moment, mouth slightly agape. Her hand twitched a little. Face still fixed in a scowl, she said under her breath, “Oh my god…”

“So when do your parents get home?” Nicole asked absentmindedly, in the middle of typing out a text.

“Uhm… I don’t know…” Ari gasped, staring at her bedroom ceiling, hair plastered to her forehead, clearly still recovering. “What time is it…”

“Almost 7.” Putting down her phone, Nicole turned to face Ari. “So like, are we chill now?”

“Uhhhh…” Ari took a while to answer. She was finding it hard to concentrate with Nicole staring at her, not wearing a shirt under the covers. “We’re uhm… we’re better. I gotta give you points for actually attempting an apology, I guess. Even if you didn’t do it for me.” She mumbled that last part, though Nicole heard it anyway.

“Damn… so round two?”

“I’m not letting you stay over, Nicole.”

“Motherfucker.” She clung to Ari’s arm, making her biggest, most pathetic eyes. “At least drive me home? It’s dark out, I might get murdered. Do you want me to get murdered, Ari?”

Ari grumbled and looked away, face flushing all over again. Nicole was pressing her chest against her, and round two didn’t sound so bad now… “Don’t do that… Don’t fuck with me…” She sighed. “Yeah, I’ll give you a ride.”

Chapter Text

“You fucked her?” Jecka screamed. “No, that doesn’t count as making up!”

“Jeez, it wasn’t like that,” Nicole tried to explain, starting to get annoyed. “She wanted to! Plus we’re like, totally chill now. She even gave me a ride home after, calm your tits.”

It took Jecka a moment to respond, staring at her best old ex-friend with her mouth agape. “Did she offer to drive you home, or did you ask? Because those are two very different things.”

“Bitch calm down, she didn’t even mind.” Nicole could quickly sense the situation was starting to slip beyond her control.

“Oh my fucking god. So you, her ex-abuser, someone she really cannot say no to, approach her out of the blue, fumble an apology, have her take you back to her house to fuck, and then beg for a ride home?”

Was Jecka always this fucking annoying? “Well I wouldn’t have even fucking talked to her if you didn’t want me to in the first place!”

“You have not changed, huh?”

Nicole threw her arms up. “Nope! Guess I haven’t! Watch out, I might manipulate you next!”

After a moment of silence from Jecka, in which the blonde only stared, Nicole scoffed and stormed off. Despite the fact that they were talking in front of her classroom. So much for her studious streak, which lasted only two days.

Even though she had her own class to be getting to, Jecka hung around for a bit. Waiting for a certain someone. Reluctantly, albeit. Just because she felt bad for Ari didn’t mean she found being around her all that entertaining.

Spotting her signature red hair from a distance, Jecka slowly approached Ari. “Heyy Ari… so uhm… how are you doing?”

Ari seemed almost uncomfortable by the question, unsure of how to respond. “I’m… good… How uhm… are you?”

Even on a first glance, Jecka could see a few bandages poking out from beneath Ari’s shorts. “No, I mean seriously; how are you? Are you okay? I know about all the Nicole stuff and-”

Instantly Ari’s demeanor changed. The nervousness was replaced with a practiced smile and a cheerily content tone. “Ohhh, yeah, that! No, we just kinda made up. I mean, all that stuff was so long ago and we’re on pretty good terms now!”

“Bitch don’t fucking lie to me!” Jecka jabbed a finger in Ari’s direction. “Even from her perspective, it sounded pretty much like she just got to fake an apology and have a quick fuck.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say ‘quick’ but-” The redhead didn’t have a chance to finish.

“Oh my god, I don’t wanna hear that. It’s just pretty clear that you’re not over her, and I really am worried.”

Ari’s smile began to falter and her posture became a bit more relaxed. “No, yeah, I’m fine, just… I mean she did kinda pressure me into giving her a ride home, but I was the one who said she couldn’t stay over, so…”

Jecka raised an eyebrow. “And why would you say she couldn’t stay over?”

Avoiding eye contact, Ari explained, “I- oh my god this is going to sound so pathetic- I was afraid I might… like… ask her to come back or say I still loved her or something like that…”

After taking a step closer, Jecka put a hand on the other girl’s shoulder and rubbed it gently with her thumb. “You really aren’t over her, huh?” Ari shook her head. Jecka continued after a pause, “Fuck, this is depressing. Being emotionally competent really works up an appetite, though. Come get Chipotle with me and we’ll call it even for the free therapy session.”

“Well I’m not really h-” Ari began, stopping once she saw Jecka glaring at her. “Sure, but you could always just go alone.”

“Bitch I’m not getting Chipotle by myself, that’d be more depressing than your whole situation.” As the two reached the campus parking lot, Ari had begun to walk in a different direction than Jecka. “Where’re you going? My car’s over here.”

“Oh, sorry, I just kinda assumed you’d want me to dri…” Ari got quieter as she went on, pausing for a second before she began to jog after Jecka.

Nicole, who had been looking for somewhere to smoke, had naturally gravitated towards Emily’s current location. She seemed to just be closing out a deal with a customer when Nicole approached.

As the customer walked off, Nicole spoke through her cigarette. “Damn, so is selling drugs at schools your passion or something?”

“No, just selling drugs,” Emily said matter of factly.

“So much so that you’d do it for free?” Nicole prodded.

“Bitch, the money is the part I’m passionate about. You trying to buy anything or are you still broke?” Emily pulled out a baggie full of smaller baggies, each with a seemingly random assortment of pills in them.

“Yeah, no, still broke.” Nicole let out a puff of smoke on a passing student, who coughed and waved his hands as he hurried to class.

“Bummer. Tell you what, if you help me out really quick, I’ll give you uh…” Emily rummaged through her baggie, pulling out one in particular and holding it out to Nicole. “These.”

Nicole squinted at the pills in the bag. “These aren’t even all adderall. Is that red one a jelly bean or some drug I’ve never heard of?”

“Bitch, you’re insulting my business to my face?!” Emily began to reach for something in her other pocket.

Leaning away, Nicole raised her arms innocently. “Jesus, fine I’ll help you with what the fuck ever.”

Hopping into the driver’s seat of her car, which was parked half onto the curb and half into a handicap spot, Emily shouted back, “Good! Get in.”

“So what’s this errand?” Nicole asked, buckling herself in.

“We just gotta stop by my ex-boyfriend’s place real quick to get back some shit he stole,” Emily said casually. Like it was just Tuesday for her to break and enter in order to steal back something. Which it was. It was Tuesday today.

“Ok… what’d he steal? Also damn when’d you guys break up?” Nicole wasn’t sure if she should sound sympathetic or congratulatory.

“Oh like forever ago. And it’s just some supply he took back when we broke up,” Emily said as she ran a red light.

“Oh, ok. This is the MS13 one?”

“Yeah, but it’s chill, don’t worry. He won’t even know we were there.” She put the car in park. “Ok, we’re here!”

Nicole was silent for a moment before responding. “Emily this is literally nowhere. There aren’t even any businesses in this strip mall. How does that happen?”

Opening the trunk, Emily pulled out a black duffel bag. “Well duh, we’re not gonna just park right in front of his house. It’s not that far of a walk, don’t even worry.”

After about half an hour of walking, the two reached what was admittedly a fairly nice house. Guess being part of a major gang has its perks.

“You’re sure he doesn’t have like, any cameras or anything?” Nicole asked, looking up and down the street to see if anyone was watching.

“No, yeah, probably not. At least, he didn’t when we were still dating,” Emily said as she pulled a mallet out of her duffel and, in one swift move, bashed in the front door’s lock.

The house seemed empty as Nicole stepped inside. “So… why am I here? You seem pretty capable of doing this by yourself.”

“I am. It’s just a lot to carry alone.” Immediately walking over to an AC vent, Emily pulled it off and began stuffing the stored drugs into her bag.

True to the house’s outside appearance, the inside was high end as well, full of laptops, phones, and a fairly new looking TV. “Do you think we’d be able to carry… a little extra?” Nicole asked, gesturing towards the electronics.

Emily glanced up from her looting. “The phones yes, nothing else though, we’ll already be carrying a lot.”

“Cool,” Nicole said, grabbing handfuls of what were presumably burners and tossing them in Emily’s duffel bag.

Once Emily stood up from the vent, she had filled her duffel bag as well as two grocery bags. She was about to speak when Nicole pulled the mallet out of her hand. Wordlessly, she began to methodically smash every remaining valuable in the house until everything was rendered unusable.

When Nicole turned back, Emily was grinning at her. “I love you so fucking much. That was the hottest shit I’ve ever seen.”

Nicole smiled as she picked up the two grocery bags, countless pills rattling around inside. “If I can’t have his shit, neither can he. I mean, wasn’t he like, a huge asshole anyways?”

“Ugh, you’re the baddest bitch I know,” Emily said as she picked up her duffel bag and took the mallet off Nicole’s hands.

Nicole held open the door for Emily. “Probably. You’re an easy second, though.”

“Bitch, I meant beside myself.”

“Uh huh,” Nicole teased, kicking the door shut behind them. It hit against the frame uselessly, slowly drifting open as the two walked back to the car.

Chapter Text

“Ari,” Nicole called after their mutual class. She hadn’t been present today either, instead waiting for Ari next to the stairs to the building’s second floor.

Ari glanced around nervously. “Oh, hey, Nicole… What’s u-”

She didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence before she was interrupted. “Yeah. So, you and Jecka have been hanging out lately, right?” Nicole paused for a moment as if to wait for a response, but continued before Ari could formulate one. “Do you think you could put in a good word for me? Tell her we’re chill now?”

“I don’t know if-” Ari began before being interrupted once more.

Nicole was pacing now, clearly already getting agitated. “How fucking hard could it be?”

Stiffening a little, Ari breathed out slowly. “No, I don’t think I can do that for you.”

Stopping her pacing all at once, Nicole stared daggers into the girl before her. Before Ari could brace herself for a screaming match, Nicole just muttered, “Fucking useless,” before walking away.

Letting out a shaky breath, Ari pulled out her phone. Maybe Jecka was down to hang out today.

“Ok, so what’s this one?” Nicole asked, pointing at a brightly colored tablet.

Emily peeked over Nicole’s shoulder. “That’s molly, the white ones next to it are Percocet.”

“Bitch I know what percs are.” The brunette had been cataloguing her rewards from Emily, eager to find the perfect combination to numb her mind.

“Ok, have fun!” Emily chirped, getting off of Nicole’s bed and walked towards the bathroom. “Hope you don’t mind if I take a shower real quick.” The blonde did not wait for a response to shut the door.

Exiting the bathroom around twenty minutes later, Emily trudged back into Nicole’s room, still dripping wet. “Nicole, do you have any tow-”

The blonde had reentered Nicole’s room to find her sprawled out on the bed, writhing slowly. The baggie of small pills, which had fallen to the floor, contained about half its previous contents.

Hurrying over to Nicole, Emily looked her in the eyes, which were distant and wildly dilated. “Nicole, do you want to die?”

Letting out a few heavy breaths, a meager, “No…” was all she could manage.

“Alright then, upsy daisy.” Putting her arms beneath Nicole’s, Emily slowly lifted the barely conscious girl and carried her to the bathroom, where she once again started the shower.

Unceremoniously, she dumped Nicole onto the shower floor- Nicole may have weighed next to nothing, but it’s not like Emily was exactly a bodybuilder- swearing when Nicole’s head wacked against the wall a little harder than she had intended. Positioning herself over the miserable little thing called Nicole, she tilted the brunette’s head forwards, brown hair covering her face. Her clothes, which Emily had neglected to remove for the sake of urgency, clung to her frail form, and Emily could see exactly how skinny she was. Emily was lucky enough to not have gotten fully dressed yet, so her clothes had been spared.

“This is gonna fucking suck, okay?” A groan was all she got for a response.

Crouching down, Emily opened Nicole’s mouth and jammed a couple of fingers down her throat. Nicole offered no resistance, gagging only a couple of times before convulsing and finally vomiting. Blocking the drain with her hand, Emily searched the puke, pleased to find that it looked like none of the pills had fully dissolved yet. She was lucky Nicole probably hadn’t had more than 3 meals in the last couple of days, otherwise they might have been harder to find.

When Nicole woke up, she was laying in bed, drenched, wearing only underwear and with a splitting headache. The figure to her right was in a similar state, as Emily snored softly beside her. Grumbling something that even she couldn’t make out, Nicole slowly turned over onto her side and buried her face in the crook of Emily’s neck.

Emily awoke to the feeling of Nicole’s bed shaking rhythmically, each jerk synchronized with a muttered “Fuck,” from the brunette, over and over. Lifting her head slightly to glance at the window, she could see it was still dark out, probably a little past midnight. Turning towards her bedmate, Emily became aware that each mumbled swear and shake of the bed was the product of Nicole’s repeated slashing across her legs, a razor blade in hand.

Shifting so gradually that Nicole didn’t notice at first, Emily began to crawl up Nicole’s legs, moving her now still blade hand to the side. Though she found no resistance from Nicole, Emily still moved incredibly slowly, as if afraid to scare her off. Moving her hair out of the way, she planted her mouth over the brunette’s thigh, feeling her wince as she began to lap at the blood.

She mumbled something like, “You’re dripping all over the bed,” before moving Nicole’s hand, which she still held by the wrist, towards her mouth as well, gently licking the still wet blood off her fingers. Emily winced slightly as her tongue ran along the razor blade but didn’t stop, fueled by the satisfaction of Nicole’s shudder at the sensation.

Finally seeming to have broken out of her trance, Nicole jerked back. “Emily, what the fuck are you doing?” Upon receiving no response from the blonde, Nicole shouted “Get the fuck off!” before attempting to push Emily away.

Once again so languid that Nicole barely noticed, Emily grabbed the offending arm by the wrist, instead using it to pull herself closer to the bleeding girl, until their faces were inches apart.

“Don’t fucking yell at me,” she said coldly and sternly, before once again pushing Nicole’s arm out of the way, this time using the opening to close the remaining gap and, after a brief pause, planting her blood stained lips on Nicole’s.

Ignoring a muffled grunt from the brunette, Emily pressed herself fully against Nicole, letting her tongue slip into her mouth. When she finally pulled away, Nicole was breathing heavily, her own blood mixed with saliva dripping from her lips, seemingly once again unsure of what to do.

Wiping the dripping substance from Nicole’s mouth, Emily began to caress her face. “I’ll always lick your wounds for you, Nicole.” Something about the way the blonde said her name made Nicole shiver.

Chapter Text

Unless she had something to anchor her to reality, Ari had issues keeping track of time. At the moment, the thing that anchored her was community college. It helped that most classes had the date written on the board, so she always had some sort of idea what day it was. This was not the case for weekends, however. From Friday to Sunday, time became a blur. Ari could sleep for a dozen nights before it would finally be Monday again. Or she could sleep for none. The time that comprised the weekend was variable, never the same twice. The universe trying to keep her on her toes, though she was always swept off them nonetheless. She could usually just feel herself beginning to float away by the end of those three days, reality a distant twinkle in the distance, until the coming of Monday violently snapped her back into her own body and she became conscious once more.

She was in such a state when her doorbell rang. It didn’t help her weekly dissociation that her parents were usually gone on the weekends, and as such, Ari was forced to roll slowly off the couch and towards the door, where she loathed an uncomfortable conversation with some marketer or charity worker.

To her surprise, however, none of those things were what stood beyond the door. What stood there instead was a creature sporting long, blonde hair that reached her waist, dressed in a T-shirt and shorts, despite the evening’s cold.

“Hiiiii Ariiii,” Jecka said slowly, swaying gently as she spoke. “You wanna hang ouuut?”

“Uhm… hi, Jecka?” Ari glanced out the door. “Did you drive here?”

The swaying figure shook her head. “Noooo… I just walked and waaalked and I ended up here… Can I come in?” She tilted her head slightly.

“Oh- uhm- yeah, of course.” She stepped aside to let the blonde in. After about ten seconds, Jecka still hadn’t moved, just swaying in place. A few more seconds passed before Ari reached out and put a hand on the girl’s shoulder, gently guiding her inside.

Glancing around the room, Ari realized that her non-lucid state had left it a bit of a mess, and she began to feel her face heating up. “Uhm, sorry for the mess,” she mumbled.

“That’s okay… I don’t care,” Jecka responded as she slowly trudged towards the sofa, collapsing onto it.

After walking over to the couch herself, Ari placed a gentle hand on Jecka’s forehead, which the girl leaned into. She didn’t seem to have a fever or be sick or anything like that… “Jecka, are you… okay? Were you drinking?”

“Yessss, I’m goood,” Jecka replied, eyes closed. “I had a little drink… but only to cover up the… uhm… Benadryl… smell.”

“The… smell?” The blonde nodded slowly in response.

Reaching an arm towards the ceiling to grasp at air, Jecka then slowly lowered it to point at the TV across from the couch. “Can we watch Smallville?”

Nodding, Ari walked over to the TV set, opening up her dad’s Smallville: Seasons 1-4 set and inserting the disk. Once the task was complete, she walked back to the couch, unsure of where exactly to sit with Jecka sprawled across it, before settling for a small gap between Jecka’s head and the armrest. Awkwardly positioned so as not to disturb her guest, Ari tried her best to pay attention to the show. Her guest, however, did not.

“You’re so nice, Arii…” she mumbled.

Turning her consciousness inward towards her own vile thoughts, Ari couldn’t help but disagree. “No, I’m not… I’m probably more selfish than Nicole, actually.”

Slowly propping herself up on her elbows, Jecka began to crawl closer to Ari, placing her hands on the redhead’s legs and bringing herself to eye level. “That’s not true… You’re really… so… nice…” The blonde’s gaze briefly flickered just below eye level, and she began to crawl once more, this time placing herself on Ari’s lap and facing her. Infinitely gently, Jecka raised a hand to Ari’s face, caressing her cheek. “You’re too nice…” she whined.

Watching as the blonde on top of her bit her own lip, Ari felt a blush creep up her face. Had she always wanted Jecka this badly? She was entranced as Jecka began to close the gap between the two, still caressing Ari’s face, now starting to fiddle with one of her ears as well. Ari breathed heavier and heavier, and the movement of the blonde, much like the weekend, seemed to last for an eternity. As Jecka stopped barely an inch from Ari’s face, hot air from the blonde’s slow breathing danced upon the redhead’s lips, and Ari was returned to reality.

All of a sudden, Ari turned her face away from Jecka’s, still blushing madly. “Jecka, I don’t think… you’re not in any state to be doing this.”

With a groan, Jecka flopped sideways, back onto the couch. She buried her face in the cushions, stroking the fabric of the sofa gently. “But you’re so pretty…” the blonde mumbled. “And I don’t have anyone else…”

Jecka awoke to bird calls and a sore back. She realized all at once that she was not in her own bed, or any bed at all for that matter. As she glanced down, past the blanket draped over her, she saw Ari, sitting on the floor leaning against the couch. Her head was tilted back, and a small line of drool escaped from her open mouth. Jecka smiled softly at the sight.

Reaching for the glass of water that had been placed on the table by her head, Jecka downed the entire thing. Still a little lightheaded, she rotated on the couch to rest her head near Ari’s, wrapping an arm around the redhead’s chest as she drifted back to sleep.

Chapter Text

To Nicole’s surprise, it was Ari who had waited for her after class today. As she walked out of the classroom, Ari, standing exactly where Nicole had stood the last time they spoke, gestured to the brunette. She seemed nervous about something, but when didn’t she?

“Hey, Nicole, so-” Ari started.

Nicole interrupted the redhead, as was the routine. “Bitch, spit it out already.”

So fast that Nicole barely even noticed it happened, Ari’s tone and demeanor switched entirely. She jabbed a finger at Nicole, raising her voice slightly. “Then let me fucking finish.” Ari breathed out slowly before continuing. “I think… you should talk to Jecka. Like, apologize or something and tell her we’re tolerating each other for now.”

Nicole stared at the girl standing across from her for a second, trying to figure out what Ari’s angle was here. “Literally just the other day you told me you didn’t want to make up. What the fuck changed, huh?” It was Nicole’s turn to raise her voice. “And why should I apologize? I didn’t do anything wrong!”

Crossing her arms, Ari raised an eyebrow at Nicole. “Uh huh… But, whatever… I don’t think that Jecka is… doing well… lately. I mean, I know things were bumpy between you two in the past-” Nicole had to keep herself from wincing at the memory. “-but I don’t want your little quarrel to hurt her any more than it already has.”

A smirk grew across Nicole’s face. “Ohhh, I get it now. You care about her. Like, really care about her.” She laughed as the red tinge in Ari’s face confirmed her suspicion. “Oh, that’s rich. You’ll solve all her problems and she’ll just beg you to get in her bed, right?” Before Ari could protest, Nicole continued, “But, whatever. That’s not my business. I don’t give a fuck who she fucks. Plus, I get my favorite time killer back. Win win.”

Was what she said, and yet Nicole spent the better part of two hours deleting and retyping her text to Jecka. It shouldn’t have been this hard. At about 2 a.m, she sighed and slammed her phone down, after only sending a text which read “can we talk tmrw?”

When tomorrow arrived, Nicole wasn’t any less unsure of herself than she was last night. Somehow, talking in person might have actually been worse than over text. She stood by the parking lot, ready for an easy escape with Emily as her getaway driver, when she saw Jecka approach.

“This better be good,” the blonde snapped.

Instantly fighting the urge to snap back, Nicole steeled herself. “Hey, so… Ari and I talked. I really do think we’re cool n-”

“Oh, yeah, you ‘talked?’ Same way you did last time?” She crossed her arms.

“Bitch, fuck you. Don’t go getting all jealous on me. Seriously, just ask her, she’ll say the same-”

“Likely fucking story,” Jecka interrupted the brunette once more. “You really expect me to believe that you wouldn’t manipulate her into going along with this?”

Damned if I do, damned if I don’t. “You sound like my fucking mom,” Nicole grumbled. Jecka didn’t try to interrupt her this time. “Well, whatever then. I’ll hurry up and get out of your life. Have fun with Ari.”

Jecka didn’t say anything as Nicole stormed off, grabbing the nearby Emily by the wrist and dragging the blonde along with her. Emily squealed and waggled her fingers goodbye at Jecka, who stood there, going through the conversation over and over in her head, trying to figure out where exactly she fucked up.

“Nicole, slow down…” the blonde, whose head was spinning, mumbled.

Emily's room was a mess, decorated with holes in the walls, piles of clothes, and an unmade bed. Pulling Emily’s shirt off, Nicole pushed her onto the bed. “Shut the fuck up.”

Emily obliged as Nicole climbed on top of her, pulling her own shirt off and straddling Emily’s waist. The blonde looked up at her with hearts in her eyes as Nicole placed her hands around her throat and, slowly at first but rising in intensity, began to squeeze. Emily sputtered and coughed as she grabbed Nicole’s wrists, not trying to push them off, but pulling them closer.

“You really are just a dumb whore.” Nicole kissed Emily, temporarily alleviating the grip on her throat.

“I love you,” the blonde breathed, pulling Nicole back in for another kiss.

Biting the girl’s lip until it bled, Nicole panted, “Shut up.”

Slipping one hand under her bra, Nicole let Emily moan into her mouth as the blonde raked sharpened fingernails against her back.

The junkie let out a shaky breath as she felt her bra be unclipped, whispering, “I love you,” over and over.

“Shut up. Get off the bed.” Emily obeyed. “Kneel. Take these off.” Emily obeyed. “Start licking.” Emily obeyed. “Fuck… Don’t stop.” Emily obeyed. “Fuck, Em…” Emily’s heart swelled as Nicole gripped her hair tighter and tighter.

When Nicole awoke, it was the middle of the night. Groggily, she realized she was still in Emily’s room, and that Emily no longer lay beside her. Floorboards creaked outside the bedroom.

“Em…?” Nicole called.

The shape that entered the room, however, was not Emily. It was tall, features hidden by a black hoodie and ski mask. Nicole heard a click, one she knew all too well; the sound of a gun being cocked. Before she knew it, the stranger was at the bed, pulling her off of it onto the floor.

She looked up to find the barrel of a pistol staring back down at her. “The fuck…? Where is she?” a deep voice demanded.

“Emily? I-I don’t know. I woke up and she wasn’t there, okay?” Nicole’s leg throbbed.

“Bitch, don’t lie to me!” the man shouted. He smashed a boot into her arm. Something cracked.

Nicole screamed. She could feel tears welling in her eyes, but she refused to cry for this man. Out of pure, animalistic instinct more than anything else, she kicked out at him, bending his knee at a strange angle and scrambling backwards as he lost his footing. It was not long before he rose again, however.

Nicole flinched, preparing for the worst, when she heard the gun fire along with the sound of wood splintering. Glancing up, she saw another figure shifting behind the first one. It held a shattered baseball bat, which it was still beating the man with. Nicole stared at Emily, who was barely dressed, as she continued to beat the intruder while he attempted to flee the house.

Running out of the room and glancing down the stairs, Nicole saw that, at some point, Emily had wrenched the gun out of the man’s grasp. She stood in the front door frame, aiming with both hands before firing a volley of shots towards the street. Nicole heard someone scream. And then sirens. More shouting, followed by the slamming of a car door.

Letting herself collapse against the stairs, Nicole shuddered as she breathed. Something wet dripped onto her foot. Oh shit… Had she been shot? Frantically, Nicole checked herself for wounds, but seemed untouched apart from her limp arm. Then she touched her face. Had she been hit in the head? But the blood that ran from her face was clear and salty... Oh…

At some point, Emily had appeared beside her. Arms wrapped around Nicole, Emily made no mention of Nicole’s sobs or the way she shook. The blonde girl just gently stroked Nicole’s back, cooing softly.

Chapter Text

The next few hours were a blur, as Emily snapped at the cops trying to ask Nicole questions. She drove the injured brunette to the hospital herself, where the doctors insisted on giving her a full checkup, which meant she’d be spending the night on the stiffest bed known to man. Emily sat at the foot of it all night, barking a “Fuck off” to anyone who dared get too close.

The cops reared their ugly heads once more that night, though they stayed out of range of Emily. Apparently, Emily’s boyfriend had meant to punish Emily and steal his stash back, though the blonde spun the story as him being upset with her for breaking up with him. Nicole made it very clear that she didn’t want to testify in court, but it took threats from Emily in order to get the police to back down.

Jecka showed up the next morning with Ari in tow, though Nicole wasn’t sure how they’d found out about the incident.

Ari sat in a chair against the wall as Jecka sobbed to Nicole. “I’b zho zhorryyyy,” was all she could manage to say over and over through sniffles and gasps for air.

Nicole took the blonde’s hand, reassuring her that she’d be fine, it was only a broken arm after all. At one point, Ari and Nicole happened to make eye contact, and the redhead gave her a nod and a slight smile. Nicole smiled back- well, it wasn’t exactly a “smile,” but Ari was certain she saw the corners of Nicole’s eyes tilt upwards a little bit.

At some point, Nicole’s mom showed up, giving Emily a glare but staying well out of reach. Arms crossed, she reluctantly paid for the hospital bill, though Nicole knew that this would be held over her head forever.

Nicole didn’t go to class for the rest of the week, though begrudgingly attended on Monday, at the “request” of her mother. For the entirety of Nicole’s single class, Emily sat beside her, ignoring protests from the professor about stupid things like “You don’t take my class” and “Stop yelling at me.”

Ari watched from the back row, smiling faintly as Emily clung to Nicole’s arm. It still made her sad to know that she meant nothing to Nicole, but at least there were people she cared about, even if Ari wasn’t one of them.

No use dwelling on that, though! Ari had a date tonight. Okay, it wasn’t a “date.” It was a hangout. Just two friends hanging out. Nothing weird happened last time they hung out! Ari definitely knew how to feel about Jecka’s intoxicated visit to her house. She wasn’t confused or a mess at all.

Jecka, in stark contrast to Ari, seemed to be completely unbothered by recent events at Ari’s house. Maybe she didn’t even remember most of it. Even so, it was obvious that Jecka’s thoughts dwelt on Nicole, and Ari swore at herself for wishing Jecka would think of her that much.

The movie was… unremarkable. Some comedy about a group of grown ass white men acting like children. Jecka seemed to enjoy it though, laughing the entire time. Ari found watching her much more entertaining than the movie itself.

As they walked out of the mall, Jecka held tightly onto Ari’s hand, swinging it wildly back and forth. “Ughh that was so good. I fucking love Adam Sandler!” she half screamed. Turning to face Ari, she continued, “Did you wanna keep hanging out, or…?”

Ari blushed a little. “Uhm, yeah! I’m down. We could go somewhere, or my place, or…” she trailed off.

It was with a slight smirk that Jecka repeated, “Your place?”

The drive back to Ari’s house was silent. Jecka’s hand had somehow ended up on the redhead’s thigh, and it took all of Ari’s concentration not to crash right there. The two didn’t even make it inside before Jecka pounced on Ari.

“Fuck- Jecka- Hold on, my keys.” Ari was loath to break away from the blonde’s mouth as she fumbled with the door.

Once they were inside, Jecka took her by the hand and led Ari up to her room, as though it were the blonde’s own room. Like… as if they shared it… Pushing past the door, Jecka pulled Ari onto the bed with her, giggling all the way.

“Jecka- I- What- What’s up with you?” Ari found her sentence regularly interrupted by pecks from the blonde beside her.

Clutching Ari’s hands tightly, Jecka squealed, “I’m just so fucking happy right now. Everything is okay and things are good and I’m with you.”

Ari, whose face was so red that Jecka’s lipstick marks didn’t show up at all, found herself laughing a little as well. Maybe everything was okay. “Uhm, Jecka, I think… I really li-” Ari started.

Interrupting the redhead, Jecka climbed on top of her. “Shh, shut up. We can talk about that later. But shut the fuck up for now, okay?” She asked so sweetly that Ari couldn’t help but comply.

As the blonde took her shirt off, all Ari could do was stare. How could someone be so beautiful? How could every inch of a person’s body glow with divine radiance the way Jecka’s did? Before she knew what she was doing, Ari sat up, wrapping her arms around Jecka’s body and peppering her torso with faint lipstick marks. Taking one of Ari’s hands, Jecka guided it to her bra clip, sighing as the garment landed on the bed. Ari was even more enamored now, staring at the blonde beauty sitting on top of her, in only a pair of short shirts with pink underwear rising above the waistline to hug her hips.

“So beautiful…” Ari mumbled, and Jecka laughed.

“Let me see you,” Jecka commanded, tugging at Ari’s shirt.

Soon enough, the two lie next to each other, each wearing only bottoms as they kissed for what felt like an eternity. Ari reached a hand down, grabbing at Jecka, and the blonde gasped.

Digging her fingernails into Ari’s back, Jecka gasped, “Fuck… you’re doing so good for me.” One hand reached up to stroke Ari’s hair, and the redhead was in heaven.

For hours the two writhed in unison, dancing in place in the oldest game of tug of war known to all life, spiralling into eternity as they kissed and felt and loved and became one. Echoes of the event could be heard worldwide as all humanity knew of a great occurrence between two girls in the middle of nowhere.

Chapter Text

When Ari awoke, it was late into the morning, and Jecka, along with any trace of her, was long gone. To class, no doubt, though Ari wondered why Jecka hadn’t bothered getting her up as well. Checking her phone, Ari found no new texts from the blonde. Well, not the blonde she wanted to hear from, at least. All that was in her inbox was a message from Emily, reminding her that Ari still owed the junkie for her most recent dose of mind numbing.

With a sigh and a pang in her chest she dared not name, Ari begrudgingly got dressed. She could still probably make her afternoon class at least, not to mention the fact that she had work later.

After leaving an uneventful and unproductive class session, in which no notes were taken, Ari trudged to the parking lot where Emily usually lurked. As she approached, she spotted the junkie and Nicole chatting away with each other, though once Nicole noticed Ari’s approach, she excused herself with a wave and began to smoke a few paces away.

Emily flashed Ari a grin as the redhead began to dig through her wallet. “Jeez, you look like shit, Ari. Want some Xanax? It’s buy one get one 50% off!” She rattled a bottle in Ari’s face.

Pausing to consider it for a moment, Ari declined. “I’ll pass. I’m supposed to get paid later this week so… maybe then. That is, if I actually do get paid…” She said that last part mostly to herself, though Emily glanced up at her.

“You know… if you’re having money problems, I’ve been trying out some… alternative payment plans lately.” The blonde winked.

“I am not going to eat you out.”

Emily threw her arms up. “Why does everybody always assume that’s what I want?!”

Nicole, who was apparently listening, chimed in from her spot against the wall. “Because you’re a horny bitch!” she shouted.

Wordlessly flipping off the brunette, Emily turned back to Ari. “It’s nothing like that. Although… I mean, if you’re offering-”

“I am not!” Ari interrupted.

“Oh, so now you’re too good for me, huh? Here I am, trying to help you out!”

“Oh my god, fine, I’m sorry. What’s this ‘payment plan’ you were talking about?” Ari hoped she didn’t look as scared as the blonde made her feel.

Instantly, Emily’s tone shifted as she leaned in towards the redhead and spoke in a mock whisper. “See, I’m thinking of starting to expand the business. I could use a couple extra hands.”

“Okay…?” Ari glanced around nervously. “So what do you need me for?”

The junkie clapped her hands together suddenly, making Ari jump. “So! Kelly has this party or whatever this weekend. Some thing in the woods, I think. I want you to be there.” She jabbed a finger into Ari’s chest.

“Doing…?”

“Jesus fucking Christ I’ll get there!” Emily huffed before switching back to a low voice. “I can’t be everywhere at once, but this whole thing is a massive business opportunity. So, at least with you, I can be in two places at once. Capiche?”

“Uh huh… And what do I get out of it?” Ari rubbed her arm, accidentally making eye contact with Nicole once before looking away quickly.

“Enough of your pick to last you a month. So it’s a deal then? Good!” Emily didn’t wait for a response before sprinting off behind Ari. “Jeckaaa! It’s buy one get one 50% off Xanax today for bitches who look like shit, and boy do you fit the bill!”

Glancing behind her, Ari confirmed that Jecka was in fact there. As the two blondes spoke, Jecka and Ari briefly met gazes, and Ari quickly turned back around. Ignoring Nicole’s staring, Ari ran to her car, trying not to blush any more than she already was.

“What’s up with her?” Emily asked as she walked back to where the brunette was waiting, leaving Jecka to pack up her latest purchase.

“Dunno…” Nicole said, glancing between Jecka and where Ari had been.

“Think they fucked?”

“As if.” Nicole stomped out what was left of her cigarette as she gave Jecka a wave and a knowing smirk.

Jecka, who had heard the earlier conversation but refused to address it, took out her phone, ignoring the heat she felt rising to her face. Hovering over Ari’s contact, the blonde suddenly snapped her phone shut, unsure of what to say to the redhead.

People needed to stop waiting outside of Ari’s class. If she had a nickel for every time someone surprised her as she was walking out of class, she wouldn’t need Emily’s “payment plan.” Today, it was Jecka, who placed a hand on Ari’s shoulder, causing the redhead to yelp way too loud for a public setting.

“O-Oh! Hi, Jecka!” Ari grimaced a little, trying not to recall their night together in vivid detail.

“Ari. How have you been?” the blonde said flatly.

Scratching the back of her head, Ari avoided eye contact. “Ohh, you know! Same old…”

“Uh huh. So you haven’t been avoiding me?” She raised an eyebrow.

The redhead blushed. “I… Uhm…” She sighed. “Why’d you leave so quickly? The other day? From… my house I mean?”

Now it was Jecka’s turn to deflect. “Uhm… I-I just didn’t want to be late for class?”

“But you didn’t wake me up?”

“Uhm…” Was Jecka blushing? “It was my first time with a girl, okay?!” she whisper-screamed. “I-I didn’t know what to do! How am I supposed to talk to you normally after that?”

“Oh… But, you’re talking to me now?” Ari was still avoiding eye contact, staring at the ground.

“Yeah, ‘cuz your dumb ass has been avoiding me!”

“Well…” Ari’s face was redder than her hair now. “I don’t know how to act after that either! I’ve never had a casual hookup before, okay?” She looked Jecka in the eyes briefly before glancing down once more, rubbing her arm. “I was kinda looking forward to waking up next to you…” she mumbled.

Jecka blushed, playing with her earring. “Well… next time then…”

“Next time?” Was what Ari was about to ask before she felt another hand clap onto her shoulder.

“Planning the next ‘sleepover?’” Nicole grinned at the two of them.

“Yes, and you’re not invited!” Jecka was still blushing slightly.

“Ouch. Top ten things 8 year olds cry over.” She winked. “Welp, have fun you two. See you at Kelly’s party, Ari.” Nicole did a 180 and whispered to Jecka before departing, “Ari likes when you rub behind her ears.”

Seeing Jecka blush, Ari asked, “What was that?”

“Uhm, nothing! So, you’re going to Kelly’s party? The one in like, the middle of nowhere?”

“Oh, yeah. Emily’s conscripted me into her ‘operation.’”

“Damn, so you’re her newest mule?” Jecka pulled out her phone, scrolling through the calendar.

“Well, when you say it like that it doesn’t seem so appealing…”

“Eh, relax!” She clapped a hand on Ari’s shoulder. The redhead was getting tired of people doing that. “I’ll be there, so I’m sure it’ll work out. See you Saturday, Ari,” Jecka said with a wink before trotting off.

“Saturday…” Ari mumbled to herself, blushing even more than before.

Chapter Text

Friday was part of the weekend for Ari’s community college. But, on this particular Friday, she did not lose her sense of self or time. The whole day was occupied with a mixture of apprehension and excitement.

Tomorrow was Kelly’s forest party. Excitement. She’d spend much of the time as Emily’s co-dealer. Apprehension. Jecka would be there. Excitement. Nicole would be there. Apprehension.

For the many hours between the end of school on Thursday and the party on Saturday night, Ari swiveled between these two feelings like some sort of anxiety-riddled metronome. Eventually, after much stressing, she was able to send a simple “excited to see u tmrw!” to Jecka before the redhead fell asleep Friday night.

What sort of outfit does one wear when they’re trying to be slightly sexy but mostly cute but also signal that they have drugs to deal? What would Jecka like? Why did Ari even care what Jecka would like… They were just two friends! Who had sex. Once. She settled on torn black stockings and shorts, a simple orange shirt, and black sweater. Was it too much? Or not enough? Would Jecka think it’s- ENOUGH ABOUT JECKA!

“Hi, Jeckaaa,” Ari chimed as she approached the blonde.

Jecka wasn’t wrong when she said that this party was literally in the middle of nowhere. Ari had to park at a nearby Burger King and then walk through 10 minutes of serial killer ass woods before she even heard the music and chatter of the party. The “venue” was nothing more than a couple of tables, some bowls of probably not punch, and speakers in each corner, blasting shitty dance music.

“Hey, Ari.” Jecka smiled at the redhead. She was wearing a black skirt dress, a pink sweater, and pink leg warmers on top of her black boots. Ari couldn’t help but stare. It wasn’t her fault the blonde was so pretty… “You look good!”

“Oh!” This startled Ari. She tried not to blush too visibly. “Th-thanks! You do too!”

Ari yelped as she felt a hand grip her by the waist. “Sorry to interrupt your flirting, but we have business to attend to.” Emily smirked from behind the redhead.

“See you in a couple!” Ari waved, the junkie still guiding her by her waist.

Dressed in a black button-down shirt, a loose red tie, and pants that were more hole than denim with fishnets underneath, Emily began handing Ari some baggies of pills.

“Ok, we got percs, Xanax, addies,” the blonde spoke rapidly, pointing at several different pills in quick succession. “Your job is to stand somewhere noticeable, like by the tables or something, where people can easily see you.”

“Sounds simple enough,” Ari said, gathering her baggies.

“You calling my job easy?!” Emily’s eyes dug into Ari.

“N-No! J-Just uh…”

The blonde laughed sharply, way too loud to sound natural. “Nah, I’m just fuckin’ with ya.” She put a hand on Ari’s shoulder and clutched a little too tightly. “Happy hunting!”

Most of the next half hour passed uneventfully. Ari would distribute various pills, pocketing the cash and handing it off to Emily whenever she came around. At some point, Ari saw Nicole strutting up to the tables she was standing by, and tried not to stiffen too noticeably.

“Hello, Ari.” Nicole smiled at her. “Whatcha got?”

Ari went through her usual spiel, if with a few more stutters than normal.

“Bullshit prices…” Nicole mumbled, still going through her wallet anyways.

“W-Well, I’m not the one who set them… maybe you could talk to Emily, you guys seem pretty close late-” Even before she was interrupted, Ari knew she shouldn’t have said that.

“Yeah? Like you are with Jecka?” The brunette smirked when she saw Ari blush.

“I hope you’re not being too mean to my employee.” Emily, who had silently stalked up to the two, hung off of Nicole’s shoulder and grinned at Ari. There was something about Emily’s smile… The way it felt like her teeth should be sharpened to points, even though they were flat. How… carnivorous she looked when she grinned at someone. How it made you feel like prey. The grin got wider. “You’re staring, Ariii. What, you have a thing for blondes or something?”

Ari was thankfully saved from responding as yet another blonde hugged her from behind. “Ari! I’m sooo glad you could make it!” Kelly sang cheerily.

“Y-Yeah. Thanks for having me.” The redhead grinned nervously.

Kelly squeezed tighter. Ari laughed, glancing at the other two girls for help. The hug didn’t end as Kelly sighed contentedly. All of a sudden, the girl’s hold on Ari relinquished. “Well! See you around.” Kelly sauntered off with a smile.

“Maybe I was wrong,” Emily teased, smiling that smile once more. “Maybe blondes have a thing for you.” Ari tried not to shudder as the junkie licked her lips.

“Asshole didn’t even say hi to me…” Nicole mumbled.

“Uhm, well! I’m gonna… go find Jecka! You got the tables, Emily? Yep?” The redhead awkwardly walked off.

“Toodles!” Emily waved.

“Who the fuck says ‘toodles?’” Nicole said, barely within Ari’s earshot.

Ari found her favorite blonde standing in a fairly secluded corner of the party area, near one of the speakers, slowly sipping on not punch. Jecka perked up when she saw Ari.

“Hey, Jecka!” Ari waved.

“Hey, Ari. Finally off the clock?” She had such a sweet smile…

“Yep! Though, uh, it’s buy one get one 50% off for bitches who look hot as fuck, and boy do you fit the bill!” She did her best Emily impression.

Jecka laughed, spitting out some of her drink. “Yeah? Then together we’ve got a whole 100% off.”

Ari laughed, blushing as she went to stand next to the blonde. “Would you uh… be interested in smoking?” she asked, pulling out a joint she had pre-rolled. “I know Nicole isn’t a fan of it but… would you be…?”

“Yeah, fuck it. I could go for being even more fucked up right now.” She flashed that smile and Ari swooned. When Ari passed her the lit joint, Jecka took a hit before grabbing Ari by the collar and pulling her in for a kiss, shotgunning the smoke down her throat.

Coughing uncontrollably, Ari tried to convince herself the blush was from struggling to breathe, and not anything else.

Jecka laughed, and Ari couldn’t help but laugh as well in between coughs. “I thought you were supposed to be a stoner? Can’t handle a little smoke?” the blonde teased.

“You… just surprised… me.” Ari hammered against her own chest a couple of times. “That’s no fair, you know…”

“Well, too bad!” Jecka stuck the joint in Ari’s mouth, still grinning at the redhead. She motioned to the speaker a few feet away. “Now c’mon. I love this song and if you don’t dance with me right now I’m literally never kissing you ever again.”

“Okay, okay,” Ari laughed, taking a hit. “But I will be bad at it.”

“Good.” Jecka pressed herself against the redhead. “I get to dance with a pretty girl and feel better at it than I really am.”

By this point, the Xanax she had taken earlier on top of the few sips of spiked punch and half a joint had Ari feeling more than a little out of it. It didn’t bother her, though, as she knew Jecka largely felt the same way. After a couple of songs, she wrapped her arms around the blonde, hugging her from behind. The two barely even noticed as they toppled to the ground together, laying on the soft detritus of the forest floor.

Chapter Text

“Toodles!” Emily waved.

“Who the fuck says ‘toodles?’” Nicole smirked, pushing the blonde off her shoulder with her good arm. She hadn’t really gone all out for her outfit tonight, though she never really did. The brunette only opted for torn black jeans, a blue T-shirt, and the cast on her arm, decorated with assorted doodles from Emily.

“Me, bitch,” the blonde retorted, jabbing an elbow into Nicole, who winced.

After a few seconds’ silence, Nicole spoke up, “So, Ari, huh?”

The junkie let out a snort. “What, are you jealous? Afraid I’m gonna get all up in your territory?”

“No, I’m not jealous.” Nicole hated how irked she was. “Just don’t want you getting my sloppy seconds when you could do so much better. Besides, you know what she’s like as a partner.”

Emily reattached herself to Nicole’s side, wrapping her arms around the brunette this time. “You know I didn’t mean it like that. Plus, there’s only one person I’m interested in.”

Nicole stared straight ahead, trying to ignore the way Emily’s eyes bore into her. How it made her jaw quiver, the shiver it sent down her spine. The two spent most of the party lounging by the spiked punch, with Emily occasionally making a sale, but sitting on Nicole’s lap most of the time. Eventually, the town’s local bottle blonde made a reappearance.

“Hey again!” Kelly sang. “Still enjoying the party?”

“About as much as one could enjoy sitting in the middle of the woods.” Nicole smirked a little. “So, what happened to ‘it’s not love, it’s just lust?’”

Kelly blushed a little at the memory. “I have no idea what you’re talking about! Ari and I are on perfectly fine terms nowadays. We were just… under a lot of pressure back then!”

“Uh huh… So you weren’t just totally feeling her up like, 20 minutes ago?”

“Of course not!” The bleach blonde stamped her foot. “She just… can’t always make it out to these parties! So it was nice seeing her!”

“Oh, I’m sure you had a very nice time ‘seeing’ her.” Nicole grabbed one of Emily’s hands, which had slowly navigated its way to the brunette’s chest, holding it away from her between her pointer finger and thumb, as though it had just come out of a sewer.

“Welp! I’m off, then! Gotta go uh… wrap things up here. Just about time for everyone to go home and uh… I’m sure you two could use some alone time,” Kelly mocked, in a desperate attempt to salvage some pride.

“Didn’t we just get here, like, two hours ago?” Nicole asked as she watched Kelly walk off.

“Huh? Did we?” the blonde responded absentmindedly. Nicole slapped a hand away from her chest once more.

Nicole and Emily found Jecka and Ari in one of the furthest corners of the party. As the music from the speakers stopped, Nicole kicked the redhead off from on top of the blonde beneath her. Ari rolled off with a groan, upset to have her makeout session interrupted, while Jecka just sat on her back, staring at the stars above them.

As the four walked through the woods, Jecka rubbed her shoulders. “Are you sure this is the right way?” she mumbled.

“Pretty sure. I think that’s the Burger King up ahead,” the redhead responded, pointing to a light peeking through the trees.

“Do you guys hear that?” Nicole stopped walking.

“Hear what?” Yawning, Emily looked around.

“Shut the fuck up and listen.”

Ari perked up, hearing it as well. “Is that music? Didn’t Kelly already stop the party?”

All of a sudden, Nicole resumed walking, towards the soft glow in the distance, the others hurrying after her. As they approached, it became apparent that the light in the woods did not come from the neon glow of an isolated roadside Burger King. It seemed more like fire, the light waning and flickering, jumping out at the girls occasionally. It also became clear that the music was entirely vocal, more akin to chanting than an actual melody.

“We’re so getting murdered…” Jecka whispered as the group navigated the underbrush.

“What the fuck…” Nicole whispered, coming into a small clearing.

In the middle of the clearing, on a large, circular rug, stood a small group of about a dozen people. Each person was dressed in makeshift robes, red cloth tied around their figures, with only a slit for the eyes. A circle of candles was lit around the group, casting shadows from every direction on a small cage in the center of the circle, in which a small finch fluttered helplessly.

The group seemed to have noticed Nicole’s utterance, and all turned to face the girls in tandem. One member of the circle wore large circular glasses over his eye slit, and wielded a sizable kitchen knife.

“Yo, it’s Jeffery!” Emily suddenly chimed, pointing at the bespectacled figure. “I guess they were right when they said DND is Satan worship…”

“N-No, it’s not me! I mean- I’m not Jeffery!” A small voice came out of the robe.

“This has got to be the lamest fucking cult I’ve ever seen.” Nicole gestured at the group. “You guys aren’t even sacrificing people! What did Tweety Bird do to deserve this, huh?”

One figure glanced around nervously. “Well, we figured we’d work our way up from something smaller…”

One of the members of the circle began to approach the girls, then another, and soon the entire group was slowly stalking towards them. As the four began to back away, Emily suddenly turned around and broke into a sprint, the rest of the girls quickly following suit. When Nicole glanced back, she saw that one of the members had tripped over the cage, crushing it and presumably either killing or releasing the bird in the process. The last thing she saw was candles toppling and a cheap rug beginning to be engulfed in flame.

As Kelly trudged back to her car, pulling behind her a dolly with four speakers stacked in it, she caught a smell on the breeze. At first it was pleasant, sort of like… pumpkin pecan waffles scented candles from Bath and Body Works?! But there was something else behind the joyfully fragrant autumn smell… Ash. Genuine fire. Glancing around, Kelly eventually spotted a soft glow from between the trees. Before she could react, however, a small group of robed figures was upon her, and a dolly of speakers was left abandoned in the woods.

Chapter Text

Ari never looked for trouble, it just always seemed to find her. Though, it probably doesn’t help that she hangs out with people who eat, sleep, and breathe trouble.. Her friends seemed to exist on a spectrum of disruptiveness; ones like Nicole and Emily being near the extreme side, with ones like Kelly being near the tamer side. Which was unfortunate, because with Kelly unresponsive, the redhead had little choice but to spend time with her more disruptive friends. And also Jecka, who sat somewhere in the middle.

Unfortunately, she was not with her favorite blonde today. She was with her… second? Third? She was with another blonde. A blonde whose unique skillset she required.

“Ari, lock the fuck in,” Emily snapped. “We’re here. You still wanna do this, or are you chickening out?”

“No… Yeah, I think we need to.” Ari counted on her fingers. “I mean, it’s been what, like, 4, 5 days since the party? Don’t you only need to wait 48 hours to file a missing person report? We’ve got double that.”

“Shouldn’t her parents be doing that? Why did it get left to us to take care of this?” Emily said, already unbuckling her seatbelt.

“Well, from what I understand, Kelly and her parents aren’t exactly on… good terms lately?” Ari stepped out of the car, turning to face the house they had stopped in front of. “I mean, why do you think the party was in the middle of the fucking woods instead of her place like usual?”

Emily sighed as she stomped up the steps. “You’re lucky she’s one of my best customers and also that I’m really, really nice, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing this.”

“I know it’s gonna be hard, but just tough it out.” Ari knocked.

“Uhm, my mom said not to talk to any strang- Oh, hi Ari, Emily!” Jeffery’s tone changed instantly.

“Oh my god, I already want to kill myself,” Emily mumbled.

“What was that?” He pushed his glasses up slightly.

“Nothing!” Ari chimed in. “Would you be able to talk for a moment?” She glanced past Jeffery into the house. “Erm, outside, preferably?”

“O-Oh sure… So what’s up?” Jeffery asked, shutting the door behind him.

“So, uh… I see you’ve got some new friends? The uh… the ones you were hanging out with in the woods last weekend?” Ari dared not make eye contact with him.

The thing called Jeffery squirmed as he spoke, sweating bullets and constantly wiping off his glasses. “N-No! That wasn’t me- I mean, I was home last weekend! N-Not home alone… I had uh… I had friends over! Not new ones though… That’s not to say I haven’t made any new friends but-”

The junkie had pulled out a knife at some point. “Cut the bullshit, bitch! What the fuck did you and your greasy little friends do with Kelly?”

“I-I don’t know! I don’t know where she is! Mr. B- I mean… The Father said he needed her for the next… W-Well, I haven’t seen where she is yet. We only meet on Saturdays!”

A unique skillset indeed. Instantly, Emily flicked her knife closed, turning away and walking back towards her car as Ari followed.

“W-Wait, what was that?!” Ari shouted as she jogged to catch up with the blonde. “We didn’t get anything!”

Emily spun on her heels once more, and Ari could see that she was grinning widely. “Are you kidding?! We got plenty. Any more and he would have ruined the fun. And probably also his pants. Come on, who would Jeffery call ‘Mr’?”

“A teacher…” Ari nodded slowly.

“So, we go find out which teachers were busy Saturday! Or, which ones will be busy this Saturday.” Emily smiled that carnivorous smile.

“Ah, but… today’s Friday, and I have work in like, an hour…” The redhead thought out loud.

“Ugh, so you’re ditching me for your lame ass job?” Emily grunted, rolling her eyes at Ari from the other side of the car. “Bitch, tomorrow’s Saturday. It has to be today.”

“W-Well, I don’t really have a choice! Do you want me to be able to buy shit from you or not?”

“Oh my god, you’re so fucking lame. Fine, I’ll figure it out.” The blonde flipped open her phone. “But you owe me for this. It’s your little project anyways.”

Working at Hot Topic was almost never eventful, and when it was, that usually wasn’t a good thing. Ari was surprised, however, to see Nicole strut into the dimly lit establishment, and by herself, no less. Before the redhead could say anything, Nicole yelled from across the store, glancing around casually.

“Hey, where do you guys keep those little pins with overtly gay phrases on them?” she asked, looking through the belts.

“Oh, uh, they’re right here.” Ari pulled out a large tub, full of countless pins with phrases like ‘raging homosexual’ printed on them.

The brunette approached the counter. “Sweet. How much for all of these?”

“A-All of them? What do you need like, 300 pins for?”

“Competitive tire popping. Don’t worry about it.” Nicole absentmindedly sifted through the pins.

“Sure… That’ll be uh…” Ari eyeballed the tub. “$200.”

“Damn, no employee discount? I thought we were friends,” the brunette sneered as she pulled out her wallet.

Ari sighed as she put in her employee discount. “Were we?” she muttered. Before Nicole could respond, Ari continued. “So, uh, no Jecka today?”

“Nah, she’s doing some thing with Emily.” The brunette tapped her foot as Ari rang her up. “So are you guys like, not chill anymore or something?” Ari glanced up from the register, confused. “You just haven’t hung out since the party,” Nicole continued.

“Oh, no… just… haven’t had a chance. What about you and Emily?” The redhead went back to typing on the register.

“What about us?” Instantly Ari could tell she’d hit a nerve somehow. Before the cashier could try to de-escalate, Nicole was already getting wound up. “We’re fine, she’s just a nice source of pills. Surprised you’re not all sad that Jecka’s hanging out with someone other than you, though.”

It was hard not to get defensive with someone like Nicole. Getting under your skin was what she lived for. “She’s allowed to do whatever she wants. We’re just friends.”

“Oh, sure, though we all know you don’t see it that way.” Nicole swiped her card through the reader. “I mean, you know she only hangs out with you out of pity, right? That’s just one more thing you can thank me for.”

Before Ari knew it, she was shouting at Nicole. “Bitch, of fucking course I know that. How could I not? Not when she’s obviously so obsessed with you.”

Nicole, who was already taken aback by Ari’s sudden outburst, was even more startled by that last part. “What do you mean, ‘obsessed with me?’” she asked, demeanor suddenly more inquisitive than aggressive.

“There’s no way you don’t know.” Ari scoffed. “Fuck, I mean, I pretty much spelled it out for you when I told you that she missed you. God, what I wouldn’t give to have someone think of me like that.” The redhead waited for a response that never came, Nicole too deep in thought to formulate one. “Get out, store’s closing.”

Temporarily snapped out of her daze, Nicole squinted. “Bitch, it’s like 6:00?”

“I said the store is closing.”

Chapter Text

“I really thought I’d never have to come back here…” Jecka mumbled, staring up at the imposing figure of her old high school.

“Weird, I never left,” Emily replied as she walked towards the entrance. At Jecka’s confused stare, she elaborated, “High schoolers are still just as addicted as we were.”

“Ah…” Glancing down at herself, Jecka pulled her cardigan a little tighter. “And you’re sure it’s absolutely necessary that I wear something… low cut?”

“Relax, you’re an adult now, so half the teachers here are no longer interested. Besides, it’s easy on the eyes.” The junkie smirked as she held the door open for Jecka.

Jecka sighed as she carried her cardigan over her arm. “Welp, Mr. Katz and Lorre got their fill, and gave zero useful information, who’s next?”

Emily consulted a short list written on half a napkin. “Uhh… I think that just leaves Mr. Burleday. Hope he’s still here this late. What’s he have going on, gotta hurry home to the wife?” The junkie jabbed an elbow into Jecka, grinning while the other blonde sighed again.

“Jecka, Emily! What a… pleasant surprise it is to see you again!” Mr. Burleday said unenthusiastically as he saw the pair of blondes enter the room. “What can I help you with?”

Exhaling slowly, Jecka allowed all the remaining pride to leave her body. “Mr. Burledayyy, it’s just been sooo long and we missed you!” She chimed. Emily seemed amused. “Would you… wanna hang out sometime this weekend? Maybe Saturday? Your place?”

“Oh my! That doesn’t seem very school appropriate. But, well… you aren’t students anymore…” The teacher mumbled to himself as he adjusted his collar. “Ah, but Saturday won’t work, how about Sunday?”

Jecka leaned over his desk. “Ohhh, too bad! Saturday’s the only day that works for us. Whatcha have going on?”

“A-Ah, nothing! Just a little uhm… book club! Book club meeting.” He looked anywhere but Jecka.

“Ohhh, I always knew you were well educated even outside of school, Mr. Burleday!” The blonde winked. “Why don’t we come too?”

“W-Well, you haven’t read the book! Plus, the other members are a bit… uncomfortable around newcomers…”

“Shame!” Emily suddenly butted in, grabbing Jecka, who yelped, by the collar and yanking her towards the door.

“O-Oh, well… You t-two get home safe now!” Mr. Burleday waved awkwardly before muttering something to himself.

Once they were out the door, Jecka half whispered to her fellow blonde, “Please tell me that was everything we needed…” She shuddered, slipping her arms back into her sweater.

Emily patted her shoulder. “Seemed like it to me. You did half alright, Jecka! Next time, try using your arms to push your boobs together.”

“There will not be a next time.” Jecka said coldly.

The junkie put on her best puppy-dog eyes. “Not even if it’s just us two?” she pleaded.

After a few grumbles, Jecka muttered, “Whatever…”

“Woo!” Emily let out a joyful cry as she pushed through the front doors of the school. Jecka couldn’t help but grin to herself just a little.

As Emily drove the two away from the concrete monument known as their high school, Jecka gazed at the sky absentmindedly. It had already started to become a deep orange decorated with streaks of red, and each cloud glowed its own shade of gold. The blonde was so lost in thought that she hardly noticed when Emily brought the car to a sudden stop.

“Emily…” Jecka finally saw where they were as she slammed the car door behind her. “Why are we at your house? You’re my ride home, remember?”

Mocking a bashful tone, Emily led the way to the front door. “Well… you promised that… when it was just the two of us-”

“I said no such thing.” Jecka sighed as she followed Emily through the doorway. “You better drive me home later…”

“Emily…” Jecka said, painfully slowly. “Are you gonna be able to drive if you’re high as balls?”

“Of course!” Emily responded cheerfully, rolling back and forth on her bed, voice becoming occasionally muffled whenever she happened to be face down. “I drive better when I’m high anyways.”

“Okay…” Jecka mumbled, watching the other blonde roll around.

Emily’s rolling came to a stop as she turned to face Jecka. “Thanks for helping out today, by the way.”

Emily’s blue eyes really had a way of piercing into you… Looking away, Jecka waved it off. “It’s fine… It was Ari’s thing anyways, right?”

“Yeah, but you came when I called.” The junkie smiled as she kicked her feet.

“Don’t worry about it…”

“So, are you gonna sit over there the whole time, or are you gonna join me over here?” Emily patted the bed next to her.

Jecka let out a series of incomprehensible mutterings as she slowly lifted herself out of the chair before slamming down onto the bed next to the blonde. Immediately, Emily let out a cheer as she wrapped her arms around Jecka, kicking her feet excitedly. Jecka tried to ignore the way her breath hitched at the sudden contact.

All of a sudden, Emily’s kicking stopped, and she seemed lost in thought before speaking up once more. “They really are better up close…”

“What?” Jecka mumbled as she glanced down, seeing the junkie staring intently at her chest. “Oh my god, you’re literally no better than a man.”

Emily gave a toothy grin. “They stared at me first, can you blame me?”

“Literally yes.”

“Aww… You can stare at mine too, if you want.” Emily attempted to push Jecka’s head down towards her own chest, but gave up halfway, leaving her hand on the back of the other blonde’s head.

“When have I ever indicated that I want that?”

The junkie let out a raspy laugh. “You’re literally staring right now.”

“Oh…” Jecka was staring indeed. “Can I…?”