Teen Wolf 1. Salty Sweet

Erica wasn't surprised that she had been partnered up with the new girl. She had been at a doctor's appointment the day Finstock had given the assignment. It wasn't like she had expected someone to volunteer to work with her- since that stupid Youtube video had gone viral, her hopes for even the most minimal human decency had completely diminished.

She glanced at the girl out of the corner of her eye. Even with the library empty, Gloria seemed to radiate hostility. The girl was at a table by herself, scrolling through her iPod with an intense look of annoyance on her pale features. Erica bit her lip, recalling a few of the rumors about the aloof brunette. That she had been kicked out of her last school for fighting, for blinding a kid, for bringing a knife to school… _Stop it_, the blonde chided herself, trying to steel her nerves and remain positive, _you don't even know her. She's probably just as uncomfortable as you are._

Erica squared her shoulders. It was time to stop stalling. She hugged her books tightly to her chest and made her way over to her table. Maybe they could be friends. Maybe she hadn't seen the video or heard about her epilepsy. A small flicker of hope rose in her chest. Maybe she wouldn't care.

The blonde cleared her throat as she stood beside the new student. With a smile, the strongest she could manage, Erica offered her hand, "Hi, I'm-"

"Seizure girl," Gloria finished, choosing to ignore her hand in favor of wrapping the wires of her earbuds around her iPod. "I know."

"Oh." She let her hand fall back to her side. So much for getting to know the new girl.

The brunette looked up at her with stoic features, brown eyes dark and harsh in the library's bright lights. "Are we gonna do this or what?"

"Um, sure." Erica faltered under the stare, unnerved by the direct eye contact and her inability to read any amiable emotion in it. Just malice and irritation. It made the Reyes girl feel like she was being studied by the world's most disagreeable scientist as she slid into the chair diagonally across from her. "Did you have any ideas?"

Gloria shrugged, but thankfully shifted her gaze. Her heel bounced restlessly, each little click of the boot putting the blonde a bit more on edge as she spoke, "Dunno. Never really cared much for Economics."

"But you've taken the class before?"

Another shrug. Her eyes, rimmed in thick black liner, flickered around the room, never staying in one place too long before shifting again. "I never finished it."

A thousand different scenarios ran through Erica's head on why that could be. Gloria was maybe a year or two older than her, if she had to guess. When she turned that imposingly stoic glare back at her, the younger girl quickly dropped her gaze to her books. She heard the brunette give a huff of amusement, but didn't look up. Instead, Erica just uncapped her pen, "Well, we could…"

When her voice trailed off, Gloria tilted her head. In a slightly condescending tone, she prompted, "We could…?"

"We could start an online store." Erica blushed. "For whatever it was we were selling…get some sales that way."

"Hm." The brunette nodded. "Well, anything's better than going door to door."

The blonde winced as the other girl sniffed with disinterest. Biting her lip as her slender fingers fiddled with her pen, Erica explained, "Actually that's kind of a requirement…at least fifty local sales."

"I can get us fifty local sales."

Erica's brows rose with surprise, her eyes flickering over to the girl in front of her. Gloria's intense stare had shifted to her once again, her lips shifted in a malicious smirk that put the blonde on edge. In a small voice, Erica asked, "Really?"

"Mhm."

"Are you sure? I mean-"

Gloria sneered at her, baring her straight white teeth in a manner more akin to a growling dog than teenage girl. "I said I'll do it."

"Okay," Erica jotted a note down on the outline's margin. "We've got a month, so we don't have to figure out all the details right now…"

The dark haired girl arched a brow at her, "That your way of telling me I can go?"

"I… sure, if you want."

Gloria stood. She shrugged her leather jacket on, pulling her long brown hair out from her collar as she spoke, "When do you want to meet up again?"

"Um, whenever's good with you, I guess."

"Hm." Gloria grabbed her satchel and slung it over her shoulder. The worn black leather of it was just a touch lighter than her coat. "I got band practice just about every day after school."

Erica gathered her things, carefully tucking the page away in her notes before sliding her books into her backpack. "What lunch do you have?"

"Forth- and judging by the cringe, I'm guessing you have fifth." The brunette frowned.

With them both standing, and with Gloria in three inch boots, Erica felt incredibly frail. Perhaps it was the way the other girl was dressed- in ripped black pantyhose under a pair of obscenely short black denim cut-offs and her open jacket exposing a tank top that showed off the swell of her breasts. It seemed overtly sexual, almost hostile in its way and frankly it made Erica feel like a little girl by comparison. She swallowed, not wanting to be caught staring and slipped her backpack on.

"Well," Gloria went on, either ignorant to the younger girl's leering or perhaps ignoring it, "practice usually wraps up by five. We could meet up after, but my mom has a thing about having people over."

"The library closes at six…I guess we could meet at my place over the weekend," The blonde offered. The idea didn't exactly thrill her, but they didn't seem to have much of an option. She didn't exactly feel welcome in the local teen hang outs, nor were they the best place to study.

The brunette nodded, clearly just as unenthused as she was. Her eyes swept over Erica, taking in her heavy, shapeless sweatshirt and loose fitting mom jeans with a frown. Gloria glanced out the window only to find it was raining. With a sigh, she asked, "You got a ride?"

"What?"

"A ride." The girl grit out through clenched teeth as she avoided the younger girl's gaze. "Like a car or someone coming to get you?"

Erica laughed nervously, "Oh, no I was just gonna-"

"Come on." Gloria jerked her head, and crooked a finger in a demeaning, demanding way as she turned to leave.

The blonde shifted anxiously from foot to foot as her gaze went to from the girl's back to the window. It was still pouring rain and with her parents working late shifts and no money for the bus, she knew she'd either have to walk or accept a ride with the supposedly unstable girl in front of her.

The dark haired teen turned back in the doorway with an arched eyebrow and her gaze unsettlingly level as she drawled, "Well? You comin' or what, Blondie?"

Still a bit hesitant, Erica edged forward. "If you're sure, I'd really appreciate it."

Gloria seemed to falter at that, but the only response she gave was an indifferent shrug. Erica offered a weak smile in return and moved to join her. The two fell in step as they made their way through the long hall that led to the parking lot.

"So…" The younger girl fiddled with the hem of her baggie sweater. "You're in a band?"

Dark eyes flickered over to the blonde. "Yeah."

Erica didn't notice Gloria's gaze dropping to her anxious fingers as she cleared her throat. "Oh."

"How 'bout you?"

"What about me?"

Her shoulder lifted absently, tone just as apathetic and curt as it had been all day as she asked if Erica had any interests outside school. "You know," she added as an afterthought, "besides epilepsy."

"That's not really an interest." Erica scowled, her brows furrowing as they stopped at the doors. The light that shone through the glass doors was dim, but the brunette still caught the shamed blush that crossed the blonde's features.

Gloria didn't resist the urge to smirk at it. It was kind of cute. Instead of commenting, she just pulled the door open and gestured for her to take the lead. At least, she did until a thought struck her and she grabbed the blonde by the arm. Erica's whole body tensed, body jerking away from the other girl, but the brunette didn't notice. She shoved her bag against the shorter girl's chest. Erica fumbled with it, the worn leather soft under her fingers as Gloria stripped out of her coat. For a moment, the blonde was completely bewildered- did she expect her to carry it for her? Is that what was happening? But before the thought could really sink in, the satchel was snatched from her hands and slung back over the older teen's bare, pale shoulder.

"Here," Gloria stepped closer, ignoring the way Erica took a nervous step back out of reflex and hung the jacket over the girl's head in a makeshift hood. "Hold that until we get to the car."

The car, as it would turn out, was a lime green Trans Am that looked like it had seen better days (and those days had been excruciatingly long and hard on the vehicle), but Erica didn't comment, just got in. Beside her, the other girl did the same, throwing her bag carelessly in the back as she glanced over at blonde. "Address?"

"84 Donahue." Erica smiled at her, brushing some stray droplets of water from her cheeks. Her hand strayed to the black leather jacket and she blushed as she handed it back to her, "Thanks."

Gloria shrugged and tossed it in the back. It fell in a heap next to her bag. She pulled a ring of keys from her back pocket and started the engine. It sputtered a moment before it roared to life along with the radio. Erica cringed as a heavy metal song blared from the speakers, the song distorted by static and bass. The driver turned it down a touch, but not off.

"Any ideas on what we could sell?"

Erica ran a hand through her thick, frizzy hair. Her gaze flickered to the older girl, to the beads of water running down the valley of her breasts and how tightly her black tank top hugged her pale skin and she quickly righted her stare. Peering out the windshield, she fought off a blush as she answered, "I'm not sure…I know a lot of kids are making food or selling subscriptions, so maybe we could go a little further than that."

"Hm." Gloria pursed her lips, leaning back in the worn leather seat as she flicked the wipers on. "My mom's got a soap shop."

"…that's nice?" The passenger replied with a hint of amusement in her voice.

"I know how to make soap, shampoo, facial scrubs, that kind of thing." Dark brown eyes flicked over to her lighter ones. Erica was almost positive she had seen a glint of humor in them, but they didn't linger long enough for her to be sure.

"We could make brochures for the art portion…" The blonde shook her head with a huff. "It's so weird Finstock wants an art portion."

A crooked smile cracked across Gloria's face, the first one Erica had ever seen on her. The dimples were a bit of a surprise, but she stayed quiet and tried not to stare at them as the older girl spoke, "Yeah, he, uh, doesn't really strike me as the artistically inclined type."

"Must be an outlined requirement."

The brunette said nothing, just continued to smirk as she pulled onto Donahue Avenue. They drove in silence a few moments, the static crinkling over the stereo, drowning out most of the vocals to the metal song. As she came up to the house on the corner, the Trans Am pulled to a stop.

Erica unbuckled her seatbelt and pulled her backpack into her lap. Her hand stilled on the door's handle. She glanced at Gloria, who was fiddling with the radio, and cleared her throat. When brown eyes rose to her face, she smiled at her. "Thanks for the ride."

Gloria blinked in surprise, a small smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth as she drawled, "No sweat, Blondie."

Still grinning, Erica slipped out of the Trans Am and out into the rain.

**A/N: My first femslash. I'm so proud. And yes, I realize Gloria is a bit of a bitch. Still, I'd love to hear what you guys think of it.**


	2. Make It Stop

Erica glanced nervously at the girl sitting next to her. Gloria was sound asleep on the double desk they shared. Her dark hair was covering her face in a thick curtain, shielding it from the classroom's bright florescent lights. She hadn't been sleeping long; Erica was fairly sure she had been awake before Coach put on _Remember the Titans_(apparently the scene where a diner offered the team free food was rather close to the man's heart, even if it was only a brief moment in a montage), if not a little groggy. It seemed as though the second the lights had clicked off, so had the brunette.

Finstock passed by her, smacking her on the top of her head with a rolled up stack of papers as he went. The girl let out a grunt but she didn't sit up, although, she did turn her face in his direction.

"You know," the coach ignored her glare as he spoke over the class's laughter, "You might get more out of this class if you were awake during it, Spruce."

"I doubt it," Gloria grumbled, still slumped over on the desk.

Finstock rolled his eyes, but continued walking through the isles as he resumed his lecture. "Right, so who can tell me what a niche market is? Greenberg! Put your hand down, no one cares what you think!"

The brunette rolled her shoulders, slowly easing up in the stiff plastic chair. She glanced over to Erica, who smiled feebly at her, and sighed in response. "I really don't like him."

"You'll get used to him."

"I don't _want_ to get used to him."

"Well," The blonde's smile shifted into something a touch more callous, "Nobody _wants_ to get used to him."

Gloria offered a huff of laughter, but stayed otherwise quiet. She brushed her dark hair from her face, eyes fluttering as she struggled to stay awake. Finstock was rambling, going over the importance of finding a way to differentiate a product from the competitors, but it was obvious the older girl's attention had strayed. Erica blushed when she realized just what, or rather _who_, it had shifted to and looked down at her hands.

"-made a friend," a boy in a red sweatshirt snickered, "figures she could only get the school delinquent to hang with her."

His friends laughed, one of them miming a seizure, another coughing "_loser_" in to his fist. The brunette arched a brow at them, but didn't say anything. Just sniffed and looked back at the Coach. He had made his way back to the front of the class, lecturing them about the importance of having a market for their product. The clock above his head ticked away slowly, each second seemingly slower than the last.

"When do you think we're due for another freak out from Reyes?" One of the group asked in a stage whisper as Finstock turned to write their homework on the board.

"I don't know- you see that video? That shit was classic."

The boy in the red laughed, "I can't believe she can even show her face after she pissed herself."

Erica felt tears prick her eyes. Her fingers fiddled restlessly with her pen, a lump forming in her throat as she desperately tried to keep her breathing even. She licked her lips and closed her eyes in relief as the bell rang.

"I expect you all to, _at least_, have the outline done and a sample of the product for Monday's class!" Finstock called as his students began to file out of the room. "It doesn't have to be good, but it has to be something!"

Gloria rolled her eyes at him and hefted her bag over her shoulder as she stood. She glanced at Erica, but didn't comment on her teary eyes or slightly quivering lips. Instead, she popped her hood up and frowned. "You wanna meet up tonight?"

The blonde swallowed, but before she could answer, the Coach was approaching them. "Reyes." He glanced at the girl that was standing and frowned, "Mind giving us a minute there, Spruce?"

The brunette pursed her lips and gave him a curt nod. She slipped past him and out the door. Once she had crossed the threshold, Finstock turned to the blonde. At first, he didn't seem to notice her shaky demeanor, but his expression did soften a touch when he finally did.

"I just wanted to make sure things were going okay," he told her, leaning against one of the desks on the opposite side of the aisle. "With you and Spruce being partners, I mean."

"It's going fine," Erica told him, wincing as her voice cracked from the strain of choking back tears.

His gaze leveled at her, "If she isn't doing her fair share of the work, tell me. I won't take it out on you."

"No, no, she is."

The Coach looked doubtful, but nodded regardless, "Okay, well, if she gives you any trouble, don't be afraid to come to me and I'll get it sorted out, alright?"

The blonde nodded and he clapped her on the shoulder. "Good, now, get out of here. Go do whatever it is teenagers do these days."

Erica smiled tightly and slipped out the door. Gloria was waiting for her, casually eating an apple as she leaned against some lockers. The blonde noticed her knuckles were bloody and starting to swell and the embarrassment she had felt from the boys disappeared into fear as the girl's dark eyes locked on her face. Vaguely, she wondered how it was the older girl had even managed to not only get into a fight in the couple minutes that Finstock had cornered her, but had managed to _finish_ one. For a few seconds, they only stared at each other, Erica shifting anxiously from foot to foot as Gloria munched on the crisp piece of fruit in a nonchalant manner that only put the blonde more on edge.

The brunette gestured at her with two fingers. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"Are we meeting up tonight or not?" Gloria asked, taking another bite of her apple before tossing it in the trash.

Erica swallowed as she played with the frayed strap of her backpack, "If you want to…the outline should only take an hour or so to finish. I could do it myself if you're-"

"I'll see you at six," Gloria interrupted, tone final as she walked away from the girl.

The blonde faltered. Calling down the hall, she ignored the odd looks she received from the few students that still lingered, "Where are we meeting?!"

"_Your place!" _

Erica's blood ran cold. The grip on her backpack became painfully tight as she watched the leather clad brunette disappear out the doors into the pouring rain. The thought of having Gloria in her house- having to introduce Gloria to her _mom_, who would no doubt be mortifyingly embarrassing and far too excited about Erica having someone over, was enough to make her want to throw up.

Of course, the blonde could never have expected just how thrilled her mother would be when she found out Erica was having a guest over. Diane Reyes was a beautiful woman in her late forties, with bright blue eyes and clear tanned skin that her daughter would die for. But she had also been one of the most popular girls of her high school and still held several friends from those days. Diane didn't totally understand Erica's shyness, her hesitance to go out and socialize; she didn't know about the bullying and Erica figured she was happier that way, so she never told her about the Youtube video or the kids who knocked her books to the ground in the hallways every day.

"Oh?" Diane's eyes lit up with excitement.

Erica shifted on the bar stool, but didn't look up from her English homework. "Yeah, that's okay, right? I mean, it's just for school."

"Of course! What's her name?"

"Gloria."

"Gloria," The woman repeated with a smile, "A lovely name. So, what's she like?"

_Scary_, her mind offered, but of course the girl didn't, _couldn't_ say that; at least not while her mother was still giving her that heartbreakingly hopeful look. So she did the only thing she could; she bent the truth to make Gloria seem like a decent, stable person. "She's nice. She just transferred from the Catholic school."

Diane nodded, sipping at her coffee from the other side of the island. Rain pounded against the kitchen window, but neither of them paid the weather any mind. "Any particular reason for the transfer?"

"Don't know," Erica lied, glancing up at the clock. It was almost six thirty and she vaguely wondered whether she was being stood up. She hoped not. Admittedly, less for her sake and more for her mother's, who was still grinning into her coffee at the very idea of her little girl having a friend over… or maybe just having a friend in general.

The thought had barely crossed the blonde's mind when the doorbell rang. The woman across from her hopped up and with a pat to her daughter's hand, Diane all but raced to answer it. Erica closed her eyes, took a deep breath and slid off the stool. She could only hope Gloria would be civil and maybe if she was really lucky her mother wouldn't say anything too embarrassing.

"_Oh my god! Look at you!"_

Apparently that was too much to hope for.

"Come in, come in, here let me take your-"

A hoarse voice cut in, a bit irritated but not _completely_ rude, "It's cool, I got it."

Erica stepped into the hallway. Gloria stood in the doorway, soaked from head to toe in rain water with a nylon guitar case strapped to her back and her leather satchel draped over her shoulder. Diane was fussing over her, brushing her dark hair back from her wet face in a manner that clearly made the girl uncomfortable. Stunned, the blonde asked, "What happened?"

"I told you I had band-" Gloria's whole body jerked as Diane began to try to pry her out of her coat, the woman's perfectly manicured hands fluttering around from the girl's face to her bag to the zipper of her leather jacket and the teen seemed to shrink away from her. "Stop-"

"_Mom!"_

"What?" Diane looked between them and frowned before her gaze settled on the flustered brunette. "You'll catch your death like this! Come on, into the shower and you can borrow some of Erica's clothes for the night."

"But-" The two teens chorused, horrified for different reasons, but the woman would have none of it.

"No _buts!_ This is no weather to be running around in," Diane said firmly, "Erica, show her to the bathroom. Gloria, take off those boots."

The glare the brunette aimed at her would've made her daughter wilt, but Diane just pointed at them. With a begrudging sigh, Gloria dropped down and began to unlace the muddy combat boots as Erica pulled her mother to the side.

In a frantic whisper, she snapped, "Mom! You said you would be cool!"

"There's nothing _cool_ about pneumonia, Erica."

The blonde gaped at her, but didn't get a chance to reply as her eyes caught sight of Gloria, who was watching them closely. With a defeated sigh, she motioned for the brunette to follow her. "Come on, I'll show you to the bathroom."

Gloria followed, giving her mother a wide berth as she passed her by. When they hit the bottom of the stairway, Erica whispered to her, "I am _so_ sorry."

"It's okay," The brunette replied with a shrug, absently wiping away some of the eye liner that had run down her cheeks. The case strapped to her back made it a bit awkward to walk up stairs as it tended to hit her in the back of the knees whenever she bent them, but it didn't seem to slow her down any. "My mom's the same."

The younger girl smiled wanly as they reached the top. "She's just a little-"

"_Erica!"_ The woman in question called from the kitchen, _"Don't forget to get her a towel!"_

"_I won't!"_ Erica yelled back, a harsh blush coming to her cheeks.

Gloria smirked at the sight of it. "You don't have many friends, huh?"

Her blush only deepened, but the brunette didn't comment. Trying to get the focus off her complete and utter lack of popularity, Erica changed the subject as she opened the hall closet, "What happened to your car?"

"It's not my car- it's my mom's." The taller girl pushed some of her wet hair back from her face. "She's in San Francisco this weekend."

"Couldn't your dad drive you?"

"He lives in New Valley," Gloria replied as she took the plush, pink towel from her. She dabbed her cheeks absently with it, only managing to smear her makeup further. "I was only a few blocks away…I didn't realize how bad it had gotten 'til I had refused a ride from Taksa."

Erica nodded with awkward empathy. "Oh, well, that sucks."

The brunette lifted a shoulder and followed the other girl to the bathroom. When they reached the door, the blonde seemed to falter. "I'll get you some clothes. Want me to take your…guitar?"

It was the older girl's turn to hesitate. She put a hand on the neck of the case, the black nylon cold under her fingers as she nodded weakly, "I guess…you don't have any pets, do you?"

"Just a cat," Erica told her, "but he's downstairs under the couch. He doesn't like the storm."

Gloria nodded and carefully pulled it from her back. She passed it to the blonde carefully and held on to its straps a moment longer than needed before she stepped into the bathroom, satchel still slung over her shoulder. Erica looked down at the case in her hands and wrinkled her nose as some rain water dripped onto her socked feet.

**A/N: Here's the second chapter! I'd love to get some feedback on it, what you think of Gloria, whether Erica's in character, that kind of thing. **


	3. Velvet Crowbar

Erica set the change of clothes on the bathroom sink. Making a point to not look at the wet jeans on the floor, or the wet pair of boxers inside them or the lacy red underwear on inside of _them_, she cleared her throat. Of course, as soon as she redirected her gaze, it landed on Gloria's soaked black tank top and zebra striped bra in the sink. Fighting a blush, Erica raised her voice to be heard over the running shower, "I'm just going to leave these here, okay?"

The brunette poked her head out from behind the shower curtain. Her dark eye liner ran down her cheeks, her red lipstick staining her mouth as she arched a dubious brow at her. "Alright…uh, thanks, I guess."

"I'm…I'll just be downstairs, okay? My mom went over to my aunt's and she's been kind of sick lately and with the storm…"

"Erica." Gloria said sternly from the stall. She didn't seem to notice the blonde's brown eyes darting down to where the shower curtain covered her breasts from view or the way they lingered just a moment too long for the glance to be completely innocent, just that she was hovering unnecessarily. "Can we finish this when I'm _not_ naked?"

"Oh, right," the blonde blushed a faint pink and went to leave. "I'll just be downstairs, okay?"

The older girl nodded and closed the curtain tightly, "Sounds good."

Erica bit her lip, fidgeting with her fingers as she leaned against the sink. She wasn't exactly sure why she was stalling. Maybe she didn't want to leave the known criminal alone in her bathroom, or go downstairs to face an empty kitchen, but for whatever reason, she kept talking. Both to Gloria's, and her own, horror. "I'm not sure if the clothes will fit… I mean, you're a little bit taller and my hips are a bit-"

"_Erica!" _The older girl roared from the safety of the shower stall_, "Get the fuck out!"_

"Right, right, I'm going, sorry!" She ran out of the room, only to stick her head back in after a moment, "did you want me to take your bag?"

A bottle of shampoo flew out from behind the curtain, followed by a sharp, _"No!"_

"Okay! Sorry, jeez!"

Five minutes later, Erica found herself sitting alone at the kitchen table with only a vegetable platter to keep her company. Her brown eyes sharpened at it. She wasn't sure if her aunt really was sick or if her mother had just gone out to give them some privacy. Frankly, the Reyes girl didn't really care. At least with Diane in the house if Gloria snapped and tried to murder her, there was at least a small chance of her being saved. With just the two of them in a big empty house, Erica feared for her personal safety. She picked up a slice of cucumber and popped it in her mouth as she heard the shower turn off. Chewing it furiously, her gaze drifted from the ceiling to the wall where the black guitar case rested.

There was a small pouch in the front, and Erica didn't realize how badly she wanted to know what was inside until she was standing beside it. Faintly, she could hear Gloria moving around the bathroom, no doubt getting ready to come downstairs at any moment, so Erica made it a quick peek. A pale, slightly shaking, finger pulled the flap back. There wasn't anything particularly interesting inside; a soggy pack of cigarettes, some loose bobby pins and a glasses case, with a few brightly colored plastic guitar picks littered the bottom of it, but that was all. She had been expecting something a bit more exciting, considering all the rumors about Gloria. A switchblade or a pair of brass knuckles. Maybe even a gun. But there was nothing of the sort and Erica was almost disappointed. _Almost_.

"See anything ya like?"

Erica startled at the voice, snapping to a standing position as her gaze whipped over to the brunette in the door way. Gloria was leaning against the frame, her hands shoved deeply into the pockets of a pair of the blonde's sweatpants that hung low on her hips, flashing an inch or so of pale skin below the borrowed black t-shirt. The look on her face was thankfully more amused than annoyed, but just barely.

"I…let's just get started, okay?" Erica blushed furiously as she brushed passed the older girl, not liking the cruel, mocking smirk on her lips one bit. "I don't know how long my mom's going to be and it'll be easier to get this done without her here."

Gloria kicked away from the frame. Dark hair hung limp and wet around her shoulders, wetting the black t-shirt Erica had loaned her and curling in the damp air. Her eyes went from the now seated blonde back to her guitar case, but she stayed silent. She slid into the barstool across from her and eyed the vegetable platter dubiously.

When her hazel eyes lifted to Erica's, the blonde snapped at her, "I didn't make it!"

"It's cool," The brunette picked up a piece of cucumber and bit into it. Chewing, she gestured to the books laid out in front of them, "You're doing your homework on a Friday night?"

Not mentioning that it had been the other girl's idea to meet up, Erica shrugged meekly. "I just figured it was best to get it out of the way."

Gloria blinked. With a disinterested quirk of her brows, she hummed, "Huh."

"Yeah…" Erica cleared her throat. She spread the sheets out in front of her, "We have to have the outline and a sample product by Monday."

"I know." Her blank gaze seemed to narrow slightly. "I was right beside you when he said it, remember?"

The blonde's brown eyes flickered to the girl's bruised hand as she reached for another slice of cucumber. Her gaze lingered there a moment too long, but the other teen didn't seem to notice as she asked what the first question was.

Between Erica's impeccable math skills and Gloria's thorough knowledge of their product, the outline was a breeze. They had managed to hash out most of the details in under an hour without any bloodshed between them, much to the blonde's surprise. Gloria had been a bit blunt and occasionally a bit irritable, but not nearly as condescending as the Reyes girl had expected. She smiled, more genuinely than she had in a long time, and asked if the brunette would need any help making the product.

"Uh, no." Gloria rubbed the back of her neck absently. A few stray beads of water slipped down her arm, but she didn't pay them any mind. Tugging at the bottom of the loaned t-shirt, the brunette tried to ease some of the snug material from across her breasts. She shifted in her seat, hazel eyes flickering to the clock above the doorway. It was nearing eight and the sun was setting outside the window, or at least would have been setting had it been out. The girl cleared her throat awkwardly, her mouth only just opening to continue when the phone rang. Her jaw snapped shut.

Erica winced at the audible _clack_ her teeth made when they came together, but said nothing. She slipped off her stool and snatched the phone from its cradle. Answering it, she ignored Gloria's eyes on her as best she could. The gaze was unwavering, no longer holding that hint of uncertainty from moments before. The cool, utterly blank intensity from the library was back, but the blonde was able to ignore it as she answered the call. "Hello?"

"Erica? Sweetie, it's mom!"

"I figured," the teen blushed, noting the tug of a smirk in the corner of her partner's mouth. "What-"

"I think I'm gonna have to stay at Marie's tonight! I don't want to drive in this weather!"

Erica blushed. Why did her mother always have to shout when she was on the phone?! "Oh, o-"

"Tell Gloria there are a few extra blankets in the hall closet!" Her mother yelled over the line, "Better yet, put her on, I'll tell her myself!"

Bewildered, Erica asked, "Why would she-"

"Well, we can't expect her to go out in this storm, can we?" Diane asked with just a little too much glee for her to be genuinely concerned. "She'll have to stay the night!"

The blonde's heart stopped in her chest. No. _No_. Her mother was not doing this to her. Everything had been going so well! They had been civil! Gloria had only glared spitefully at her twice! Prolonged exposure would tarnish whatever unspoken promise not to beat the living shit out of her that Gloria had made to herself!

"Erica!" Diane shrieked through the receiver, "I said put her on the phone!"

Without a word, Erica did as she was told. She then got back on her stool, put her head in her arms, and tried to block out reality. Stomach in knots, the younger student listened as Gloria answered.

"Um, yeah?" The brunette started, clearly hesitant. She watched the girl across from her knot her fingers into her thick, frizzy hair and felt a pang of annoyance go through her. It was bad enough to go through bullying at school; Gloria imagined it must've sucked twice as hard to go through it at home.

"Gloria? Sweetheart, it's Diane, Erica's mom?"

"So I gathered," The girl replied dryly, a hint of frustration in her tone. "How may I help you, Mrs. Reyes?"

"So formal! Call me Diane! Look, I know it's not ideal, but you're staying the night-"

Irritation bubbled in the brunette. "Wh-"

"No buts! It's too nasty out there! Half the roads are closed or flooded!"

Gloria's jaw clenched and her nails dug into her palms to the point of pain. "I can walk. I only live-"

"Absolutely not! It's one night and you said yourself your folks are out of town-"

"You know that." The girl said rather than asked in a blank, somewhat horrified voice.

Erica looked up from her arms and flinched at the bewildered but mostly angry expression on her face. Covering her head quickly, the blonde moaned in embarrassment. Vaguely, she wondered how long she would have to stand out in the rain before she drowned herself. Or more likely, how long Gloria would have to hold her down before she drowned in the rain. She knotted her fingers in her hair and squeezed her eyes shut against her mother's voice.

"Of course I know that! Now, don't let Erica have any sweets it breaks her out!"

Gloria stared blankly, her knee beginning to bounce anxiously as she let out a strained, "Okay. Goodbye, Mrs. Reyes."

"G-"

The brunette hung up on the woman. Her expression hard and lips pulled back in a sneer, she got off the stool without a word. Erica didn't dare peek away from her arms, but listened as the fridge door swung open. It slammed against the wall, but the blonde kept her head down. How the hell could her own mother have humiliated her like that?! Demanding the school bad girl stay the night! With no clothes, no less! Erica had made it perfectly clear to her that they weren't exactly the best of friends and she still invited her to spend the night?! That was just cruel. To the both of them.

"Hey, Blondie."

"Yeah?" Erica muttered into her arms. Absently, she wondered why it was so hard for Gloria to remember her damn name.

"Where's your frying pan?"

"What?" The blonde dared a glance up to find her classmate glaring at her. She shrunk back slightly, but apparently Gloria wasn't mad at her.

"Your mom's a bitch and we're having pancakes for dinner." The brunette cracked the Pepsi in her hand open and continued in a droll manner before taking a sip of it, "Don't worry about the acne thing. Soda does the same thing to me. Now, where the fuck's your frying pans? Seriously, the lay out of this kitchen is fucked."

A small, unsure smile twitched at Erica's lips.

**A/N: Reviews please. Also, I updated my Deucalion fic tonight as well, if you read that.**


	4. Some Nights

Dinner was…strange. Mostly because it didn't completely suck, at least in Erica's mind. It was a bit quiet, the pancakes a bit burned(but nothing a full cup of maple syrup couldn't fix) and Gloria was…very, _very_ casual. She mostly ate in silence, looking up if only to ask the blonde what was up with her bat shit insane mother(a direct quote from the brunette, who seemed to have absolutely no problem voicing her opinion on Diane Reyes questionable parenting skills).

A touch unsure of how to respond, Erica offered, "She's just…looking out for me?"

"What kind of mother leaves her daughter alone in a house with a total stranger?" The older girl wondered aloud, clearly unimpressed as she cut her pancake with her fork with just a touch more aggression than necessary. The metal squeaked loudly against the bottom of the plate. "Much less when it looks like the setting of a B-grade horror movie outside. Doesn't she know the buxom blonde always gets killed off first?"

A smile tugged at her mouth and a hint of a blush came over her cheeks, but Erica only shrugged instead of trying to repress it. "She doesn't watch many horror movies. Thinks they're a waste of time."

"She clearly hasn't seen any good ones then." Gloria lifted her Pepsi to her pale lips and raked her gaze over Erica's features. She was a pretty girl, if not a little frumpy and maybe a little too sensitive for her own good. The brunette hadn't missed the way the younger girl's eyes had misted up when she was being picked on and an unexpected bit of anger bubbled in her chest, irritated that their shitty teacher hadn't done anything to stop it. And maybe a little irritated at herself as well. Pushing it down, and the confusing emotions away, she swallowed and asked, "So. Where's your dad?"

"He's working late tonight."

"On a Friday?"

Erica lifted a disinterested shoulder in a way that didn't quite come off as aloof as she wanted it to. Pushing a piece of pancake around her plate, she clarified, "He works a lot."

"Huh." Her empathy was mistaken for judgment and the blonde looked up.

"What?" Erica's brown eyes narrowed at the brunette, sharp and cold, as if daring her to make fun of her.

Gloria shifted, uncomfortable with how much she enjoyed the defiant expression on the girl's features. It didn't sit well with her, the idea of Erica being left alone so often, but she opted to shrug off the biting comment on the tip of her tongue. It was second nature to her now, being defensive and cruel, but Erica hadn't done anything to warrant that kind of reaction. Not yet, anyway. "Whatever."

They finished eating in uncomfortable silence. Well, uncomfortable for Erica, completely normal for Gloria. She was used to people being uncomfortable around her. In the few short months since she had been expelled, it had become old hat to her; the whispers, the flinches, the stares and of course, the discomfort. As she wiped up the last of the maple syrup on her plate with her finger, she asked, "So, Blondie. What'd you usually do for fun on a Friday night?"

Erica's mind went completely blank as she watched the brunette lick her finger. It was an absentminded gesture, completely innocent, Erica was sure, but it made her stomach tighten. The blonde wondered how the usually darkly painted lips tasted as they wrapped around the digit. Her gaze flickered over the older girl's face a moment. Gloria was looking at her expectantly, but some of the intimidation was lost without her harsh eyeliner or bold lipstick. Her skin wasn't perfect, her eyes weren't as intense or piercing, but neither of those retracted from her looks. Her dark hair framed her sharp features in wet, unkempt curls. Erica swept over the pale mouth and wide cheekbones of the girl across from her. Gloria was pretty. She was _really_ pretty, actually- Even if she _was_ glaring at her. A blush fluttered over Erica's cheeks.

"What?" She stuttered out, suddenly acutely aware that she had been staring far too long for a casual glance.

"Fun." Gloria repeated, her expression no longer tight but curious.

_Fun_? What was _fun_? It was like a foreign word to Erica and after almost a full minute of just gawking at the brunette she managed to spit out, "Watch a movie?"

"Alright." Gloria grabbed her plate, then Erica's empty one and made her way over to the sink. "Sounds good. What'cha got?"

"My mom doesn't let me watch anything rated over PG13…"

The older girl turned to squint at her in disgust. "She's fucked, we've been over this."

"She's still my mom." Erica bristled. "You shouldn't talk about her like that."

"Hm," The brunette put the dishes in the sink and crossed her arms over her chest. Not noticing the blonde's gaze straying down to the swell of her breasts that were visible in the neck hole of her borrowed tee, she asked, "What did you have in mind, then?"

"Beauty and the Beast?" The moment the words were out of her mouth, Erica regretted them. Beauty and the Beast? A Disney movie? To the girl who had been expelled for blinding someone?! How lame could she possibly get?!

"Alright. I'll get my glasses."

"Really?!"

Gloria's brows rose at the girl's obvious surprise, but her features remained otherwise muted. "It was your idea."

Erica stared at her, a blush slowly rising to her face. Cheeks a dark shade of red, she cleared her throat. "Right. I'll just… go put it on."

Able to feel the other girl's dark eyes follow her as she all but ran out of the kitchen, the blonde tried to keep her composure. It was no big deal. She'd had sleep overs before- when she was about six. It'd be like that. They'd watch a movie, then go to bed. No biggie. Just because Gloria Spruce was a violent, provocative young woman didn't mean there was any reason to be scared of her. Erica's mind wandered back to the swell of the girl's breasts and how the dark material of the borrowed t-shirt hugged her like a second skin against her olive flesh and swallowed uncomfortably.

It wasn't that she hadn't noticed other girls before. She had. Lots of times. Usually it was just in passing; nothing too serious. Maybe she noticed how long another girl's legs were, or how good her ass looked in a pair of jeans. It was normal to look, right? Everyone looked. With Gloria, it just seemed…harder to look away. Erica supposed it had to do with how the older girl dressed and the prolonged exposure.

She popped the DVD in and swallowed. Erica looked up as Gloria entered the room in a pair of glasses. The frames were oversized and speckled, black and white and made her look considerably less menacing. The older girl arched a brow, as if daring her to say something, but the blonde merely took a seat on the couch.

An appreciative smirk tugged at the corner of the brunette's mouth, but she fought it back as she took a seat on the floor. Her back against the couch, she asked, "Did I miss anything?"

"Nope." Erica tucked her legs underneath her, suddenly acutely aware of the fact that she hadn't shaved and that she could see down the front of the other girl's t-shirt.

"Can I smoke in here?"

The blonde's gaze drifted up to where Gloria had a cigarette hanging from her lips. She faltered, her mind once again flaking out on her as she stuttered, "Uh-"

"'Cause I'm gonna." The older girl told her, pulling a pack of matches from the back pocket of her borrowed sweats.

"My dad smokes, so…I guess it shouldn't be a problem." Erica bit her lip and stood, "I'll just open a window."

The wind was strong and cold, blowing wildly around the small living room and earned a low yowl from the cat under the couch. Gloria blinked at it and shuffled away from the apparently quite distressed feline. She reached over and grabbed the ashtray from the end table and said nothing as Erica slipped back to her seat.

With her legs once again tucked underneath her, she rested her head on her hand and her elbow on the arm rest and tried to focus on the movie. She had seen it probably a hundred times- it had been her favorite when she was little. A small smile pulled at her lips at the stained glass opening and snuck a glance at the girl on the floor.

Gloria looked considerably more relaxed than Erica felt. Her long legs were stretched out in front of her and she had slumped down some, letting her head rest on the edge of the couch. The ashtray rested on her flat stomach, her eyes half lidded as she blew smoke from her lips. She pulled her cigarette back to speak and Erica quickly righted her gaze to the screen.

"You know," The brunette started, "The most unbelievably thing about this whole movie…" She glanced at Erica, "And yes, I am including singing cutlery in this, is that there's just this giant abandoned castle in the middle of France- up the road from this place no less and there's never been like, looters or people coming to investigate. Hundreds of people went missing and Belle's dad is the first guy to show up in ten years? I call bull shit."

Amused by the older girl's clear irritation, Erica shrugged. "Maybe it's like the Hale house."

"People think it's haunted?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of they avoid it out of respect." She cleared her throat delicately, "Have you ever been there?"

Blank faced, Gloria leaned her head back on the couch. "France?" She asked sarcastically as she peered up at her.

"No." Erica grinned. "The Hale house. I know kids sometimes like to party in the woods. Have you ever been out there?"

The older girl fiddled with her cigarette. "No. When I was in the fourth grade, I knew a girl who died in that fire." She lifted an apathetic shoulder. "Wouldn't feel right goin' back, ya know?"

The blonde nodded, "Right." There was a beat of awkward silence between them before Erica spoke again. "Are we throwing the fact that Gaston is clearly on steroids into the singing cutlery pile, too? I mean, sixteenth century France and this dude is clearly all 'roided up."

A smirk tugged at Gloria's mouth and she took another drag of her smoke before replying, "That would explain a lot."

"It would explain everything. I bet that little weasely dude's his dealer."

"LeFou does sound like the name of some experimental estrogen supplement."

Erica's brows shot up. "You know his name?!"

"Don't act like you didn't know it." Gloria frowned, shifting uncomfortably. "Everyone born in the 90s knows it."

The blonde merely grinned. Biting her lip, she returned her attention to the screen and pretended not to notice the small smirk tugging at the corner of the brunette's mouth.

**A/N: Okay guys. I want reviews. Real reviews not just 'update'. **


	5. Are You Satisfied?

"Okay, seriously, it's been two hours, _what the fuck is wrong with your cat?_"

Erica sighed from the bed. Gloria was splayed out on the floor on her stomach with her bare feet up in the air as she flipped through a magazine. She was on a makeshift bed of sheets and a comforter. Her knees rested on a pillow, and she was glaring with disgust at the open bedroom door. As if he could hear the slight against him, Jinkens' yowls became more violent and somehow more annoying, if that were possible.

The younger girl smirked. "He's afraid of the storm."

"You keep saying that," The brunette growled, rolling onto her side to face her with a huff. She shot her a frown, but her eyes fell back to the magazine as she spoke, "But it's only raining now. What is his problem?"

"I don't know. He's a drama queen." Erica replied with a shrug as she reapplied a coat of coral pink nail polish to her pinky toe. The silence fell over them once more and she swallowed. "Are you sure you don't want the bed?"

Things had been relatively calm between the girls. They had watch a few movies (_Beauty and the Beast_, followed by _Batman Returns_) before they decided to settle down for the night in Erica's room. Her cat had apparently taken this as affront to his very being and had begun to yowl in a very high pitched, grating manner without pause since their departure from the living room.

Gloria didn't look up from the fashion magazine. With her head on her hand, she stretched out on her side. "No thanks."

"We could share if you want…"

This time, the brunette did look up. A pensive frown lacing her thin lips, she arched a fine brow at her. "Am I going to have to worry about you having a fit in your sleep?"

Erica blushed bright red. "No. I don't have nocturnal seizures. I mean, not often. Not lately."

The older girl shrugged and looked back at the magazine in front of her. "I'll pass."

In truth, her excuse had less to do with Erica's condition than it did with the blonde herself. She didn't know Erica and frankly, the idea of being so close to a stranger put Gloria on edge. It was bad enough being in her house, alone no less, but she drew the line at sharing the bed with her. Especially a stranger who made her stomach tighten and her heart flutter a bit. It was an unusual feeling for her, attraction, but Gloria liked to think she was handling her first crush fairly well.

Erica cleared her throat. "I kind of forgot you'd seen the video."

"Don't worry about it." The brunette shrugged nonchalantly, tearing her gaze from the younger girl's brown eyes and awkward smile.

"I mean, how did you even find out about it?" The blonde pressed. "I mean, you don't have any friends at school either."

The older girl's features grew blank. "I said don't worry about it."

"It's just weird that you would know, I mean, unless…" The blood drained from Erica's face. "Unless it's at your old school, too."

Gloria sighed. One hand came up to rub her eyes. "Reyes. Trust me when I say you are not the one who looks bad in that video, okay? It's everyone else who look like total sociopaths, okay?" She glanced at Erica, familiar with the embarrassment playing on her face and quickly changed the subject. "In what scenario would you need six inch heels? Seriously."

She tossed the fashion magazine aside and rolled onto her back. The faint sound of Erica panting entered her thoughts and Gloria quickly squeezed her eyes shut as a broken sob left the younger girl. It was the only sound in the room aside from the rain on the windows and it made her feel a bit sick. She didn't like seeing Erica upset. She hadn't liked it in class and she hadn't liked it in the library and frankly, it made Gloria angry. Clenching her fists, she put them under her head before Erica could see them.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" The blonde snapped, wiping her tears away with rough hands.

"Tell you what? It's the internet, Blondie, it's everywhere." Rising up on her elbows, Gloria shrugged. Her nails digging into the material of her borrowed shirt, she kept her face as blank as she could. "Who cares? It's not worth getting yourself all worked up over."

"Easy for you to say!" Erica snapped at her. Try as she might, the tears continued to roll down her cheeks and she let out a frustrated snarl. "There's not a video of you pissing yourself all over town!"

Shocked by her fierce stare, Gloria froze. She wrapped her arms around her knees and awkwardly looked anywhere but at the crying blonde on the bed. After a moment, she swallowed and her features returned to their normally muted state as she spoke, "I understand why you're upset. It's just…people are going to see it. You can't change that." The brunette shifted uncomfortably under the other girl's glare. "But if they're lives are so empty that they have to mock a girl with fucking _epilepsy_, you're clearly better than them."

When she shot her a curious glance, Gloria was surprised to find that Erica was no longer glaring at her, but rather regarding her suspiciously. She had never been very good at condolences. In fact, Gloria had a habit of saying the wrong thing when put on the spot, but she had meant her words. She didn't exactly understand the teasing Erica received for her illness and it frustrated her to no end. From what she had seen, the blonde was a sweet kid. A bit meek and a little awkward, but she didn't seem to warrant the outright malice the other kids seemed to have for her and it made Gloria's blood boil to think about Erica getting teased.

The younger girl tilted her head. Voice still cracked and strained, she asked, "Did you really blind someone?"

Gloria stiffened. Her gaze dropped to the floor. As her arms tightened around her knees, she licked her teeth. After a moment, she spoke. "Does it matter?"

The blonde lifted a shoulder weakly. Sniffling, she wiped her eyes before she tightened the lid on the nail polish she had been using. "I guess not…doesn't it bother you? That everyone's scared of you?"

A smirk pulled at the corner of Gloria's mouth and she fell back on to the mess of blankets underneath her. "No."

"Don't you get sick of it?" Erica pressed with a frown. "The staring and the whispers and-"

The brunette interrupted her with a curt, "No."

"How? How do you just get over it?"

"If their lives are so empty they have to talk about me, let them." Her arms crossed behind her head once more. "I don't know. I guess I just don't care anymore."

The younger girl frowned at that and let out a scoff. "That's not a very satisfying answer."

"So I've been told by many guidance counsellors." Gloria's dark eyes rose to Erica's. "Get over it."

When Erica only fiddled with her fingers, the older girl stood. At the blonde's curious pout, she arched a brow. "I'm gonna go take a piss, is that okay with you?"

"Fine."

Once Gloria was out of sight, Erica flopped back on her bed. Tears pricked at her eyes once more as she thought of all the people who had seen her at her worst, of all the kids in school who didn't think she was even worth making eye contact with and she rolled over and turned the bedside lamp off. She didn't want Gloria seeing her crying again. Once was enough. Putting the heels of her hands to her eyes, she rubbed them roughly. Jinkens yowled faintly, filling the silence and Erica sighed.

Vaguely, the fifteen year old wondered why she cared. Why she cared what Gloria Spruce, the school freak, thought of her. She wondered if the brunette liked her. If her uncomfortable attempt at comfort had meant anything or if Gloria just wanted her to shut up and quit whining. It was probably the latter. Erica wasn't stupid. She knew they weren't friends. That the older girl was only there because of the project and that if they weren't partners she wouldn't have so much as glanced in Erica's direction. Forcing back a few harsh, frantic breathes, she rolled onto her side to face the wall.

When Gloria came back in, she feigned being asleep. She heard the brunette sigh and felt her set Jinkens down on the bed. Erica blinked as her cat settled beside her legs.

The older girl pursed her lips, waiting for the blonde to speak, but Erica stayed silent. With a weak frown, Gloria got back onto the floor. Staring at the ceiling, she licked her lips before speaking.

"I didn't blind him."

"What?" Erica's voice was hoarse in the darkness.

"I didn't blind him," Gloria repeated quietly. Tone flat and cold, she continued, "One of my rings sliced his cornea. He got his sight back."

"Uh, oh. I…oh."

The brunette glanced at her. Erica was sitting up a touch now, looking in her direction and Gloria felt irritation well in her. She didn't like explaining herself, didn't like that Erica had asked and the Gloria had felt obligated to tell her. Lips pulled back in a sneer, she spat, "Do you feel better now? Safer?"

The blonde shook her head. "No."

"I didn't think you would." Closing her eyes, Gloria exhaled through her nose. She let the back of her head hit the floor with a bit more force than necessary before she spoke again. "You still scared of me, Blondie?"

A smile worked its way across Erica's face. "No."

"Liar."

"I'm not. You haven't…done anything, to me. I mean, you're rude. _Really_ rude, but not dangerous."

Gloria didn't say anything to that. She hoped the girl was telling the truth, that Reyes didn't see her as a threat. She didn't like being known as volatile, but she _needed_ it. Gloria had promised herself she'd never be a victim again, that she'd never let anyone push her around or scare her, but she didn't want to scare Erica. She didn't want to be the bully she had hated. She just wanted some respect. For people to keep their distance….except Erica. The older girl rolled onto her stomach and put one of the pillows over her head. Biting her lip, she ignored the blonde's quiet goodnight and squeezed her eyes tightly shut.

Erica could get close, if she wanted, and the thought scared Gloria more than any switchblade or boy ever had.

**A.N: Thoughts? Opinions?**


	6. Not A Robot

When Erica woke, Gloria wasn't on the floor anymore. The room was still dark, the storm still raging outside her bedroom window and Jinkens was still pouting at the end of her bed. The cat mewed softly as she picked him up. Cuddling him to her chest, the teen sighed.

It didn't exactly surprise her that Gloria had bailed on her without saying goodbye. The night before had ended on tense terms and Erica blushed slightly as she recalled her outburst. Rubbing Jinkens head, she set him down on the bed before making her way to the bathroom. She had thought they were making progress- that they were at least learning to tolerate each other, but she supposed it was too much to expect common courtesy from someone like Gloria. She kicked open the bathroom door with a sigh and was greeted with by shriek.

"_Oh my god, get out!"_

Erica gaped at her. "You're still here?"

Gloria stared right back, her eyes wide and features pale as she snapped, "Uh- _yeah_, and I'm on the _goddamn toilet_, Reyes, so _get the fuck out!"_

It was then the blonde's gaze dropped and she realized that yes, Gloria was in fact sitting on her toilet. Her legs were tightly pressed together, her hand covering her crotch and she was glaring at her with all the spite and embarrassment a person could manage. Erica's gaze flickered down to the sweat pants she had borrowed and found that the Spruce girl had been going commando.

A blush crossed her features and Erica quickly backed out of the room. "Sorry! I'll just- sorry!"

She hit the doorframe as a roll of toilet paper went flying by her. Stumbling outside, she shut the door tightly behind her. A grin stretched over Erica's lips. Gloria hadn't left- she hadn't scared her off. She didn't think she was a complete and total loser… it fell slightly as a crash of thunder boomed outside. Maybe she was only there because of the weather. Maybe she was waiting for Erica's mom to get home to give her a ride. Erica bit her lip, moving to get changed.

In the bathroom, Gloria was completely and utterly mortified. Her face buried in her hands, she groaned. Why had she not locked the door?! When she had left the bedroom, Erica had been sound asleep with her stupid cat curled at her feet.

Gloria's toes curled on the cool tile floor as her knee began to bounce. Her clothes, or at least the clothes she had been wearing when she arrived at the Reyes house, were downstairs in the dryer and she tugged self-consciously at the neck of the t-shirt she had borrowed. In the past couple months her clothes had been a wonderful shield for her, a way to keep people at a distance with what she wore. Nobody wanted to mess with the girl in leather and lace, as her mother had said.

After washing her hands and getting her blush under control, Gloria steeled her features and went to find Erica. After checking her bedroom, the brunette made her way downstairs. The blonde was sitting at the island they had eaten dinner at the night before. Two bowls sat in front of her, along with a jug of milk. When Gloria arched a brow, Erica smiled at her.

"We only have like, two kinds of cereal. Is Special K alright?"

The brunette shrugged. Without a word, she slid on to the bar stool and grabbed the jug.

The blonde licked her lips. Resting her chin on the heel of her hand, she asked, "So, um, any plans for tonight?"

"I was gonna go to the gym, but…" Gloria let her voice trail off and lifted a shoulder. In truth, she was a little self-conscious. She had caught sight of how she looked in the mirror; her brown hair was wild, the dark circles under her eyes palpable and without her usual make up she could see every imperfection in her skin. Needless to say, she was less than pleased with the result. The older girl was also acutely aware that she hadn't brushed her teeth.

Erica nodded. Her gaze swept curiously over Gloria's arms. While the brunette was toned, she was hardly bulky and didn't exactly come across to Erica as someone who would spend time in a gym.

"How 'bout you?"

The blonde took the milk back as Gloria started eating. "I didn't have any plans."

The brunette opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by the sound of the front door opening. The girls glanced at the doorway as Diane Reyes voice flitted against the storm.

"Hello? Erica, are you up yet?"

"We're in here!"

The woman sauntered in with a wide grin on her lips. Her blonde hair was matted to her cheeks, the neck of her cashmere sweater wet from the rain. She looked between the girls, her smile widening as she entered the kitchen. "Well, aren't you two up early?"

Her daughter offered her a forced, awkward smile as Diane put a pot of coffee on. Gloria didn't even bother to pretend she was happy to see the Reyes woman. Instead, she just kept her lips pursed a moment before she resumed eating her cereal.

"So, Gloria," Diane continued to make her coffee as she spoke, not looking at the girl in question. "Any plans for the day?"

The brunette didn't look up from her bowl. "No."

"Oh. Well," A sly grin stretched across her lips as she spun to face them. It put Erica immediately on edge, but she said nothing as her mother went on, "I'm heading back to my sister's in a few minutes…perhaps you could spend another night."

Her daughter gaped at her, utterly horrified. Her face went first very pale, then very red. _"Mom!"_

"Maybe even the rest of the weekend." The woman continued, ignoring Erica completely.

Gloria didn't look up from her cereal. For a few seconds, Diane just stared at her, expectantly, until she lifted the last bite of Special K to her mouth. Then Gloria very calmly stood, grabbed the guitar case that was still leaning against the wall and left. Left the kitchen and the house.

Erica squeezed her eyes shut as the front door slammed shut. Covering her face with her hands, she sighed as her mother spoke.

"Well. She certainly is a quiet one, isn't she?"

The teen peeked through her fingers to glare at her.

It was half an hour later and Erica was once again alone. Her mother had gone back to her sister's and her father was suspiciously absent, but that was hardly surprising. Vaguely, she was aware that he hadn't come home the night before, but she didn't really care. It wasn't out of the norm for him to take 'spontaneous business trips' that involved his secretary and no one else. With a hint of bitterness, the girl picked Jinkens up and cuddled him to her chest. The ginger cat mewed, but didn't struggle in her grasp. Giving him a rub behind the ears, she set him down as the storm outside grew.

Rain had been blowing against the windows all night, but for the most part, the weather had calmed. At least, until just recently. A quiet clap of thunder could be heard in the distance, no doubt rousing another storm.

Erica had just flopped onto the couch in the den when the doorbell rang. The blonde pursed her lips, sitting up slightly as it rang again. With a hint of hesitation, she got up. It continued to ring, quick, grating dings that made the cat under the couch yowl. She peered through the peep hole and blinked in surprise.

"Gloria?" She asked, clearly shocked as she ushered the older girl inside.

Much like her first visit to the Reyes house, Gloria was dripping wet. She had switched her guitar case out for a regular back pack, and held a small duffle bag in her hand. It was neon pink in color and Erica found herself staring at it. The brunette didn't notice, or at least pretended not to, as she shrugged off her leather jacket.

Shoving it into the blonde's arms, she kicked off her unlaced combat boots and shuffled passed the blonde. "I'm gonna go get changed. Don't go through my shit. _Again_."

With a blink, Erica snapped out of her trance and looked away from the bag. "What are you going here?"

"Going to get changed," The older girl replied with a wry smirk. A fine brow arching, she asked, "You didn't think you were going to stick me with doing all the manual labor, did you?"

As the blonde gaped at her, Gloria turned away. Erica never saw the grin that stretched over her lips. Squinting at the brunette's retreating back, the younger girl pursed her lips. Defiantly, she dropped to her knees and unzipped the duffle bag. It was filled with tiny bottles and bars, a blender and measuring utensils and to her surprise, what appeared to be maybe a pound of cocaine. Erica stared at it a long moment, blinked, then stared at it some more. There was no way, no possible way, that Gloria had brought cocaine into her house. She picked up and found that it had been sitting on a scale and the Reyes girl silently mouthed, "_What the fuck?"_ to herself.

"That's citric acid, not cocaine."

Erica spun to face her. Gloria was leaning against the doorway to the kitchen, with one of her bare feet kicked up against the white trim. Her features suggested she was not at all surprised to find Erica routing through her things. The blonde stood and shrugged in what she hoped to be an incredibly casual manner. "I never said it was."

"But you were thinking it," Gloria told her, again with no judgment or bitterness in her face or voice. Eyes mute of any emotion, she lifted a shoulder. "Everyone always thinks it is. It's why my locker got illegally searched so many times." She nodded to her left. "I assume in a kitchen that large you have a double broiler?"

The blonde faltered. "I…have no idea what that is."

Gloria's expression shifted to something almost pained and maybe a little alarmed. Voice still flat, she said, "You're kidding me."

"Uh, no?"

"Oh my god," The brunette snapped with disgust. All but storming over to the younger girl, she snatched her duffle bag off the floor as she demanded, "What is your shit mother teaching you?!"

Erica bristled, an angry pout lacing her lips as she crossed her arms. "I know how to cook!"

"That's not at all an answer to what I asked." Gloria shook her head, clearly a bit unsettled as she jerked a thumb toward the kitchen. "Come on, Blondie. Let's get to work. You just might learn something."

At the brunette's wink, a blush painted Erica's cheeks and she only nodded before she followed Gloria in to the kitchen.


	7. Learn To Crawl

Gloria, unsurprisingly, was somewhat of a tyrant when it came to the kitchen. Erica didn't blame her- the blonde seemed to have little in the way of any kind of sense when it came to soap making. In the hour since they began, Erica had burned two batches of shea butter, dropped a bottle of essential oil and spilt a bowl full of melted beeswax onto the marble countertop.

The older girl had just stared at her. Completely unimpressed and unsurprised and maybe a little disappointed. Frankly, Erica was just glad that she hadn't expressed said disappointment with violence or by dunking her head in the hot wax.

Gloria sighed and rubbed her forehead with the back of her gloved hand. "Okay, Blondie, sit down. You can be on design duty."

"Design duty?" Erica asked, but she moved to turn the fan on as the brunette opened the window. The entire kitchen reeked of lavender; stifling and enough to gag the both of them. As it began to spin over their heads, she pulled off her latex gloves and threw them in the sink.

"You can doodle up something to put on our label. You know, like a logo or something."

Erica arched a blonde brow. "Why do we need a label? I thought we were doing a brochure for the art portion?"

"We are- I mean, you still want to, don't you?" Gloria glanced back at her curiously as she began to spoon white powder into a cup that was placed on the scale she had brought.

"Then why do we need labels?"

"Product recognition," The older girl said simply. She reached over the oven and grabbed another bowl, setting it on the counter next to the scale. "Plus, you put a name on it and people think it's legit."

Erica pursed her lips. Pulling out a sheet of paper from her binder, she wrinkled her nose at the lingering flowery stench as she replied, "I don't remember Finstock saying anything about product recognition."

The brunette shrugged, but didn't stop spooning. Erica recognized it to be citric acid, another thing she had spilled sometime prior and was banned from touching _("That shit's expensive, Reyes! Go pick an essential oil out!")_. Her gaze flickered up to the neon pink bandana that kept Gloria's dark hair from her eyes then dropped to the glasses tucked inside the front of her tank top. It was a dark shade of red against her pale skin and almost immorally tight; not that the brunette seemed to notice at all.

"It'll be part of the art portion," Gloria repeated with a tilt of her head. With an arched eyebrow, she added with a shrug, "Besides, dude, bonus marks."

At the little hint of a smile that tugged at the corner of the older girl's mouth, Erica shook her head. "You are such a nerd."

Gloria frowned at that. A very subtle blush crossed her features as she glared at the blonde. "I take pride in my work and I don't want to be responsible for an inferior product."

"So you want to make labels?"

"So I want to give you and your clumsy ass something to keep you busy while I do all the grunt work," Gloria corrected with a sharp smile and a wink.

Erica shot her a sharp look, but said nothing. For a few moments it was silent before the younger girl spoke again, "So, I guess this means you're staying the night again?"

"Better than being alone I guess."

"Couldn't you stay with your band?"

The brunette shot her a curious smirk. "They don't all live in one little hovel. They're not hamsters."

"I never said they were hamsters." Erica kept her head down and hid her smile behind her hand. Resting her face on her fist, she began to doodle; nothing in particular, just a series of random lines inside a box.

"If you want me to go, I can."

The blonde's head shot up. "I never said that!"

Gloria raised a knowing brow. Pleased by her quick reaction (and that Erica might actually want her around), the older girl shrugged. "I'm just saying, if you want me to go, I will. Doesn't matter to me."

"Then why are you here?"

"Because I figured your mom would bail on you," Gloria explained; her expression tight. It was less pitying and more angry, something Erica appreciated but she didn't get a chance to comment as the brunette went on, "And your dad seems to be kind of… _absent_, so I figured you're gonna be alone, I'm gonna alone, why not be alone together?"

Erica tried (and failed) to suppress her wince at the mention of her father. Noting how awkwardly the other girl was shifting her weight, she cleared her throat. "You said your dad lives out of town?"

Gloria added the citric acid to the separate bowl. Not looking at her, she continued to work on their project as she answered with a somewhat stilted, "Yeah."

"Are you two close?"

Gloria tilted her head from side to side as if trying to roll the right response out of her head. "I guess. I mean, we've kind of grown apart since I grew tits, but for the most part we're pretty tight."

"Oh."

She glanced at Erica. The younger girl was fidgeting with her pencil, clearly uncomfortable. Gloria vaguely wondered why. Maybe she had been expecting a different answer, or was uncomfortable with the blunt address of her breasts- ironically, much like her father was. Maybe Erica was just the awkward sort. Pushing the thought away, she went back to the double broiler. With her back to the younger girl, Gloria spoke a bit more freely, "I would've gone to Taksa's, but his dad's a bit weird about me spending the night and Dinah's out of town this weekend. I guess I could've crashed at her place, but I didn't feel like it."

"Are they your-"

"Bandmates, yes. Two of them, anyway."

Erica blushed at the interruption. "Right. Um, what should we call the store?" When Gloria only shrugged, the blonde continued, "I was thinking, maybe we could just call it _BHS_\- Beacon Hills Soaps. You know, keep it simple?"

"Sounds good to me, Blondie." Gloria checked the heat and added the cocoa butter to the broiler. She gave it a careful stir before adding a hint of vanilla essential oil.

After the somewhat disastrous force Erica proved to be in the kitchen, Gloria had decided to forego making actual soap and stick to the simpler art of bath fizzes. She could always make the other products at home (and fully intended to, somewhere safe from Erica's beautiful but clumsy hands) but since they needed a product for Finstock to inspect, the older girl figured it would be best to actually finish what they started- even if what they finished was a completely different product that what they originally agreed upon.

"Okay, how about this then? I mean, I can do it up on the computer later, make it fancier and stuff, but for a rough outline…"

Gloria glanced back at her. Her gaze drifted from the girl's pink cheeks to the paper. The design was simple, just BHS with a series of feminine little flowers and vines. Very suitable for what they were selling and who their target buyers were, the older girl told her with a small smile. When Erica beamed with pride, the brunette was quick to look away. The expression was innocent and sweet on the younger girl and something Gloria wasn't equipped to handle.

In truth, Gloria had never been very comfortable with anything even close to sex. She had never thought about boys _or_ girls- never really looked at anyone in a way that could be considered attraction. Even now, she wasn't thinking necessarily _sexual_ thoughts about the Reyes girl- just affectionate ones. She liked seeing her face light up, liked seeing her loosen up a bit around her- mostly Gloria just liked that she didn't seem so afraid of her. She hadn't been lying when she said she didn't care what people thought of her- that was entirely true. But there was a vast difference between people and a person, and in truth, Gloria wanted the particular person in front of her to like her.

Maybe even something a bit more than just like; she hadn't missed the way Erica's eyes seem to drag over her form. At first she thought she was just comparing. It seemed like a lot of girls did that with her. Gloria assumed it was because of how she dressed. It seemed like a lot of women she came into contact with had something to say about her attire. About how inappropriate it was, or how she was showing too much skin or how she looked like a slut. The thought was laughable, but Erica didn't look at her the way they did. There wasn't any judgment in her eyes, just a bit of want. Not a lot, but some and Gloria wasn't quite sure how she could get more.

She had been trying to be nice. Trying to keep her temper in check and not snap at the blonde, but restraint had never been a close friend to Gloria. Swallowing, she added the cocoa butter to the mix of citric acid, baking soda and Kaolin clay. The brunette jerked her head to her bag, "Do me a solid and put the cupcake liners in that muffin tray, will ya?"

Erica blinked in surprise- mostly because Gloria had been oddly quiet for the past few minutes. "Oh, sure."

The blonde moved to the pink duffle bag and began to route through it. The tray was at the very bottom, under a few changes of clothes and her backpack. She grabbed it and tossed it on the counter beside the older girl. Peering over Gloria's shoulder, Erica watched as she continued to work the mixture with her hands. The younger teen didn't miss how the brunette tensed as she moved to stand a bit closer.

Gloria arched a brow at her. "Can I help you?"

With a faint blush, Erica stepped back once more. "Sorry."

The older girl lifted a weak shoulder. "It's cool. Liners?"

"Huh?" Erica blinked, trying to place what she thought was an obscure insult to her person before she realized what Gloria meant. Her blush darkened. "Oh, right, just a second."

The dark haired girl smirked as the blonde went back to the bag. She added a spritz of Witch Hazel to the mixture before repeating the squeeze test. When the mixture held its shape, she looked over to Erica. "Find 'em?"

Erica didn't speak. She had simply reached into the duffle without looking and was now standing completely still.

Gloria arched a brow. "Blondie?"

Still not moving and her cheeks had gone an alarming shade of red.

The brunette faltered. "Erica? You're not having a seizure, are you?"

"N-no," The blonde cleared her throat and shook her head. "I um… you have your underwear in here?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So, I may have, um…I'm holding them. I'm holding your underwear. I am so sorry." Erica squeezed her eyes shut but couldn't manage to let the undergarments go. They were black satin tangas and felt frankly amazing in her hand. Her mind had already gone to a million different places- all of which involved Gloria.

_Like Gloria splayed out on her back in nothing but them_. They'd be almost transparent- Erica could tell by how thin the material was. The blonde shifted awkwardly, but couldn't push the image from her head. _Of how Gloria's long, pale legs out look in them, about whether her mound would press against them, of how they'd cup her ass._

"Erica. Erica, put my damn panties down."

The blonde nodded eagerly. Swallowing, she choked out, "That's a good idea."

_Gloria with her hand down the front of them; touching herself and writhing on the bed- on __**Erica's**__ bed._

Gloria pointed at her with a very stern finger. Cheeks a faint shade of pink and eyes narrowed, she reminded her, "You're still holding them."

"I know."

"Well, stop it."

"I'm sorry. I- I'm sorry," Giving the satin one last rub between her finger tips, Erica dropped them back into the bag. "I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing." Gloria winked at her. "You think they're hot by themselves, you should see how I look in them."

When Erica only gaped at her, the brunette looked away. Sarcastically congratulating herself on being super creepy and way to forward, Gloria clenched her jaw. Embarrassment ate at her and she didn't notice at flustered grin cross Erica's lips. Blowing a strand of her dark hair from her eyes, Gloria asked, "These take a couple hours to set, any idea what we could do in the mean time?"

At the quiet squeak Erica gave, Gloria looked over at her. Her hand was once more buried in the pink duffle and her blush had returned full force.

The older girl sighed at it, "You're holding my bra, aren't you?"

The blonde pulled it out. Sure enough, a matching black satin balconette bra was in her hands. She held it up to her own chest. Shock and a bit of irritation in her voice, she snapped, "You brought lingerie to my house?!"

"Um, yeah?"

"Why?!"

"They're good for my ego," The older girl explained with a casual shrug. "Like you don't have a bunch of slinky stuff upstairs, Reyes."

Erica blinked. A hint of wariness crossing her features, she asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Gloria ran her gaze over the blonde's body. "You can hide it under all the mom jeans and baggy clothes you want, Blondie, but you've got quite the rack yourself."

"No, I- well, I mean, I get by," Erica admitted before scowling at her. "But I don't flaunt my underwear around!"

"Neither do I-" When Erica pursed her lips and pointedly dropped her eyes to the swell of her tank top, where sure enough, her black racerback bra was fairly visible. At least, the top of the cups were, as well as the straps. Gloria crossed her arms defensively over her breasts. "If you don't like it, don't look- and put that down!"

Erica tossed the bra back into the duffle with a frown. A bit awkwardly, she asked, "Where'd you get all that stuff anyway?"

Gloria looked a bit skeptical and maybe a bit hurt. "What'd you mean?"

Erica bit her lip, not liking how the older girl was regarding her now. She was clearly on edge, her guard was up and the blonde felt a twinge of disappointment. "I mean, this isn't exactly the kind of stuff you buy with your mom."

"It's not?" Gloria blinked in surprise. She pulled off the latex gloves and grabbed the cupcake liners from the bag with only a quick glance in her direction. "My mom's always been cool about stuff like that."

The younger teen's brows rose with surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, didn't your mom ever take you bra shopping?"

Erica shrugged, fighting the heat in her cheeks. "Well, yeah, but I never bought anything like that."

"Why not?"

"I don't know- no one to wear it for, I guess."

As Erica rubbed the back of her neck, Gloria stepped forward. She swept her gaze over the blonde's form once more, taking in her oversized sweatshirt and baggy yoga pants as she spoke, "So? You don't have to wear anything for anyone. Sometimes it's nice just to feel sexy, ya know?"

Erica shifted her weight from foot to foot, but didn't meet her gaze. At least, not until Gloria was only a foot away.

"You wanna try them on?"

The blonde's brown eyes widened as they snapped up to the brunette's mild features. "What?"

"They're clean, I swear." Gloria swallowed her anxiety down, a little bit embarrassed that she was even asking. The thought in Reyes in something other than mom jeans was making her feel a bit strange, making her a bit restless and warm. The thought of her in her underwear- in _Gloria's_ underwear, was making her downright hot. Licking her lips, she picked up the bra. "We're about the same size. They'd probably fit you okay…I mean, if you wanted to."

"Y-yeah?" Erica faltered. The older girl's gaze wasn't hard or assertive. In fact it was shyer than she had seen it and the blonde shifted a bit closer to her. "I mean…we are pretty close, huh? In size, I mean."

"Yeah, well, my hips are a bit broader, but you should be fine." Gloria clenched her jaw a moment, looking over the blonde's shoulder to distract herself from her earnest stare and the curious glint in Erica's brown eyes. The older girl licked her lips as she looked back down at the blonde, only to find her biting her own plump bottom lip. Gloria's gaze snapped back to the wall. "I mean, I… you could just throw your clothes on over them. No one would know, I mean, if your parents came home or whatever."

The blonde smirked, enjoying the slightly flush on the brunette's pale skin. Shifting a bit closer to her, Erica grinned, catlike and provocative. "You'd know. You'd know I was wearing them. Your panties."

"Well, yeah, but…" The older girl dug her nails into the palms of her hand and met her gaze. "No one else would have to know. Just us."

"Just us?"

Gloria nodded, but didn't tear her gaze away from Erica's brown eyes. "Yeah. Just us." When Erica bit her lip, her hazel eyes dropped to her mouth. Ignoring the heat pooling in her abdomen, the brunette shrugged. Her tone wasn't quite as aloof as she wanted it to be as she told her, "But it's up to you, Blondie. No skin off my back."

Erica took a deep breath. With a wicked smile, she took the bra from her. "Well, I mean, there's no harm in trying, right? No one has to know."

"Right." Gloria swallowed again as the blonde reached down and grabbed her black satin panties from the duffle.

Without another word, Erica left the room, only tossing the stunned brunette a wink as she went. The older girl stared after her. She couldn't really understand why her stomach felt so tight or her skin so hot. Mostly she couldn't fathom the change in Erica- not that she didn't like it. Mostly that she had gone from meek to wanton in a flip of a switch. It was a little disconcerting, but Gloria had to admit…Erica wore confidence rather well.

_**A/N: Sorry for the wait! Don't forget to review! **_


	8. Do The Panic

Erica stared at the skimpy garments laid out on her bed.

The lingerie was of high quality and obviously expensive, and she felt a bit foolish standing there in her white granny panties and matching cotton bra. Shaky fingers picked up the satin panties. Sure enough, when held up to the light, they were see-through. The blonde's eyes widened.

Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. She chanced a look down at her legs; shapely and long with a hint of tan to them thanks to her natural olive skin tone, but also unshaved. Erica grimaced at that. She briefly entertained the thought of hopping in the shower. Just for a few minutes to shave them…but where was she supposed to shave to? Her mom said only strippers shaved above the knee… plus what about her pubic hair? Did Gloria expect her to be completely shaved? Did she expect her to go that far? Did she expect sex?

Erica didn't know the first thing about lesbian sex. Most of, okay _all_, her experience came from the internet, and she hadn't really trailed too far into that corner of the 'net. A lot of it had seemed…aggressive. Not to mention painful, if the fingernails in those videos were anything to go by. The blonde swallowed and shook the idea from her head.

Gloria was a bit…rough around the edges, but she wouldn't force Erica into anything she wasn't comfortable with. At least, the blonde was fairly sure she wouldn't. A frown pulled at the young teen's lips as she thought back to the kitchen, to the brunette's nervous gaze and pink cheeks and realized that Gloria might not be expecting anything. She might not even be gay. She might just have been trying to make friends- albeit in an incredibly awkward and suggestive way.

Still worrying at her bottom lip, she set the undies back on the bed. The word _gay_ stuck out in Erica's mind as she reached behind her to unclasp her bra. She had remembered the kids in school gossiping about which girls were gay. Which ones _played for the softball team_ and _munched carpet_. About how _butch_ they were and how you couldn't be friends with a girl who was _gay_ because they'd fall in love with you. The blonde frowned and picked up the bra.

There was nothing butch about Gloria. Erica blushed at the thought of her tight clothes and lipstick, of her dimpled cheeks and how she always tried to hide her smile. Adjusting the straps, the blonde shifted from foot to foot. Gloria wasn't gay and if she was, she didn't act like it- whatever that meant.

That made Erica pause. _She_ was the one attracted to another girl- she was the one fantasizing about seeing Gloria half naked, but Erica didn't feel any different. She didn't feel like she was suddenly more masculine or any less of a woman, well, girl, for liking Gloria. She didn't feel like anything in her had changed- just like another piece of the puzzle had been put into place. She'd had crushes on boys before, lots of them, but it was her first time feeling anything other than fear for another girl.

Sliding the bra on, Erica noted it was a bit tight, but not terribly. It also made her breasts look freaking _fantastic_. With an ill suppressed smile, she ran her fingers over the cups of the bra, enjoying the sleek feel of the satin. The underwire made them more defined and well, _higher_, but didn't pinch like her mother had warned her. It made her feel a bit giddy and that giddiness turned to arousal when she remembered that it belonged to Gloria.

That it had held her breasts, that she had worn it before her and liked how she looked in it enough that it made the aloof girl feel sexy. That she looked hot in them and that Gloria thought she, Erica Reyes, the school spaz, had a nice body- a body that she had _noticed_.

The fact that somebody noticed her made Erica grin. Usually if someone looked twice at her it was because she was making a fool of herself, but after the previous night the blonde didn't feel like Gloria was judging her. At least, not for that stupid Youtube video.

As she stepped out of her cotton panties, she thought over what the older girl had said. About being _better_ than the people who mocked her. It didn't seem possible, but Gloria seemed to think she was. Maybe had just said it to shut Erica up, but it didn't feel like it. Not anymore, anyway. The brunette wasn't the ice queen she pretended to be- that much was becoming obvious to the younger blonde.

Erica slid the satin underwear up her legs. The material was smooth against her slit and she shuddered slightly at the feeling. Her fingers slipped over the top of her mound and Erica felt her stomach flutter knowing that the material touching her had clung to the same intimate place on Gloria. Swallowing her nerves and fighting her blush, the blonde shook her head. She pulled her hand away and did her best to ignore the tingle between her legs.

The young woman walked over to the mirror in the corner of her room. She typically kept it covered, used it more as a coat rack then a mirror, but she wanted to see how she looked. A slightly quivering hand yanked a grey sweatshirt from it.

The first thing Erica noticed was the flaws in her skin. She scowled at them, at the inconsistencies and redness. Then she noticed how wild and mangy her hair looked, frizzy and blonde. The girl smoothed it down with a frown. It didn't cooperate, but then it never did. Slowly her self-esteem began to dwindle as she began to fuss over her hair, over the bags under her eyes and how her stomach wasn't perfectly flat. Sighing, her brown eyes flickered over the bra -too tight- and the panties –too loose- and she bit her lip. The girl looked as awkward as she felt and with a hint of frustration she grabbed the sweatshirt and pulled it on, covering her offensive body from her sight.

Downstairs, Gloria was very seriously considering sticking her head in the oven. She vaguely wondered if it would kill her, but she was fairly certain it was electric and thus not a proper means of suicide. The brunette glared at it through her fingers. Her blush had only grown since Erica left the room and frankly, it was beginning to piss her off a bit. With a huff, she hopped off the counter she was sitting on. Gloria still wasn't sure just why she had asked Erica to put on her underwear- the girl probably though she was some kind of pushy pervert and complied out of fear.

Then she remembered the mischief in the younger girl's brown eyes, the wickedness in her smile and Gloria swore as her blush grew darker. She didn't feel any of the dread or discomfort Erica did about whatever it was that was happening between them. Mostly Gloria was just surprised it was happening at all. She had expected to go her entire life without ever being attracted to, well, anyone. Her doctor had assured her that it was perfectly normal, that some people simply never had those feelings and there was nothing wrong with that. Her mother had suggested she was a late bloomer, but accepted whatever she decided to identify as and her father was just happy she wasn't getting pregnant anytime soon.

Her apathy towards sex hadn't gone unnoticed at her old school and had even caused her some trouble there. Gloria felt her stomach churn and her chest tighten. She could admit the idea of sex still scared her a bit. Vaguely, she hoped Erica didn't expect anything from her. The brunette clenched her jaw and wondered if she had led Erica on. She liked Erica. She didn't want the younger girl to be mad at her if she…couldn't perform.

Gloria was still in the midst of her own thoughts when Erica crept down the stairs. She eyed the brunette from the doorway of the kitchen, puzzled by her tight posture and nervous expression.

"So," Erica cleared her throat. She had put a baggy sweater on over the other girl's undergarments and a pair of pajama pants. When Gloria's gaze whipped over to her, she didn't miss the disappointment or utter _relief_ in the older girl's gaze at the sight of her. The blonde's stomach turned and she dropped her gaze to the floor. Clearly Gloria thought she was repulsive too. Licking her lips, she rubbed the back of her neck. "What'd you want to do now?"

Gloria frowned at the sight of her. Erica had been cocky and flirty when she'd gone upstairs. She was holding herself differently now; shoulders hunched and expression meek in a way that made Gloria feel a bit sick. She had pushed her- she had made the younger girl uncomfortable and she felt like shit for it. The last thing she ever wanted to do was make Erica uncomfortable.

Shaking off her disgust, Gloria offered, "I brought some movies." She forced a grin. "None of which are PG-13, I swear."

Erica returned the expression as best she could, but couldn't shake the image of how relieved Gloria had been from her mind. "That sounds great. Which ones?"

"Carrie. And the sequel, but not the remake." Gloria pointed at her. "I know you have no point of reference, but that movie was absolute shit."

Erica smiled at her attempt at levity and the older girl suppressed a real smile. The blonde could tell by the dimple in her cheek. Relaxing a bit, the younger girl nodded. "Okay, sounds good."

"Awesome, but-"

The pair stiffened at the crash of thunder. The lights flickered overheard, but didn't go out as Jinkens let out an enraged yowl. Gloria sighed at it. The blonde snickered at the older girl's frustration but merely nodded toward the den. "Go on, I'll make some popcorn."

"Cool," The brunette all but chirped, "I'm gonna go kill your fucking cat."

Erica rolled her eyes as Gloria slipped out of the kitchen. She popped a bag of microwavable popcorn in and sighed. The blonde wasn't sure whether or not she should be thankful that Gloria had lost interest in her- assuming she ever had anything akin to attraction toward Erica in the first place. She supposed the older girl could've just been looking to experiment- she was probably straight, Erica reasoned. Probably just trying to be nice and make the school basket case feel a bit better of herself.

She was only there for the project. Erica wasn't stupid or naive enough to think the brunette could ever really like her. She knew Gloria would be gone soon enough and she would be back to being the school loner. Or rather, they would both be back to being the school loners.

The microwave dinged and she threw its contents into a bowl. Sucking in a deep breath, she moved into the den. Gloria had set up the movie and was now sitting on the floor with an ashtray on one leg and Jinkens on the other. Both the girl and the cat looked woefully unimpressed with the situation, but neither moved as Erica entered. They both just looked at her.

"Why doesn't it realize I don't like it?"

Erica shrugged and dropped to the floor beside her. "He doesn't like the storm."

Gloria chuckled, letting her head fall back against the couch as she raised an unlit cigarette to her lips. Talking around it, she joked, "You keep saying that, Blondie. It's gettin' a little old."

Erica forced down a smile at the nickname and looked at the screen.

It was filled with naked women. Just… nothing but naked women. Naked women in the shower. Naked women getting changed. Naked women in towels. Nothing but naked women.

A blush crept up the younger girl's neck and she snuck a peek over at Gloria. The brunette didn't seem particularly bothered by the gratuitous amount of nudity. Erica resisted the urge to sigh, noting that there was no flush on Gloria's cheeks or interest in her eyes at the sight of the women. She was probably straight, the blonde reasoned, a hint of a frown tugging at her lips. Leaning back against the couch, she swallowed down her disappointment.

"So…" The older girl cleared her throat. "How'd they fit?"

Erica blinked. "Huh?"

"The clothes I loaned you." Gloria met the blonde's shocked gaze. A bit embarrassed herself, the brunette barely managed to keep her expression cool and neutral as she let her head fall back on the couch. A bit of her dark hair fell from her pink bandana, framing her cheek as she peered over at the Reyes girl with what she hoped was coming off as curiosity and not eagerness.

"Oh, well, uh…" Erica bit her bottom lip before deciding to bite the bullet. With a shrug, she told her, "The bra's a bit tight and the underwear's a bit big."

Hazel eyes widened. "You're still wearing them?!"

Cheeks painted a painfully flustered red, the blonde began to stammer and sputter. "I- You- but- wasn't I suppose to keep them on?!"

"I'm just surprised." Gloria fought a grin, but the dimple in her left cheek gave away how pleased she was. "I mean, you put your old clothes on so I thought maybe you changed your mind."

"Oh. No, I'm wearing them."

"Okay." The brunette nodded and pointedly looked back at the screen. If she didn't, she'd no doubt rake her eyes over every inch of the blonde's form, imagining what was underneath her frumpy clothes and make the poor girl even more uncomfortable than she already was. "Sorry they didn't fit like I thought they would."

Erica lifted an awkward shoulder. Not wanting to think about how she looked, how disappointed the brunette would be in how Erica looked in Gloria's expensive lingerie, she looked back at the screen. "My body's never been very co-operative."

"Do you mean the epilepsy or the fact that _someone else's_ underwear didn't fit you?" When Erica didn't answer, Gloria continued, "I didn't expect them to fit like a glove or anything, Blondie. I mean, we're similar in size but it's not like we're identical. There's nothing to be self-conscious about. I'm sure if I tried to fit into your panties, they wouldn't fit either. It doesn't mean anything." A wicked smile curved over the brunette's lips. "Well, except that you have bigger tits than me. But there's nothing wrong with that, Reyes."

Erica smirked softly at her. Her brown eyes fell to the older girl's mouth as she raised her cigarette once more to her lips. Biting her bottom one, the blonde shrugged, "Yeah, I guess."

After a moment, Gloria let the smoke from her lungs slip past her teeth. Arching a brow at how intently Erica was watching her, she told her, "I don't want you to be uncomfortable. I mean, if you're uncomfortable, you can change."

"I'm okay."

"Are you sure?"

Erica nodded firmly.

Gloria smiled at her. "Okay then."

**A/N: No offense intended with Erica's gay panic stereotyping. **


	9. Cherry Bomb

"Ugh."

"What?" Erica looked up from her magazine curiously.

Gloria was splayed out on the floor atop a makeshift bed once again, but this time one thing was very different from the previous night. Jinkens was seated on the older girl's chest, apparently completely unaware of Gloria's distaste for him. Erica smirked as the brunette gently pushed the cat away, only to have it crawl back on top of her. When she rolled onto her stomach, Jinkens followed, settling between her shoulder blades and yowling his irritation for her new position directly in her ear.

"Get him away from me!" The brunette yelled at the blonde, her menace slightly dampened by both the cat and the fact that her words had been muffled by a lacy pink pillow adorned with kittens.

Erica grinned crookedly. Teasing, she offered, "He likes you. Get used to it."

"Fuck this," Gloria grumbled.

She tilted her body until the cat slid off it(growling and clawing at the girl's tank top before landing on the floor a mere six inches away), then hopped to her feet. She grabbed her blankets and pillow and threw them on the bed beside Erica. The blonde looked concerned, or maybe a bit affronted, as she crawled on to the mattress beside her.

The Reyes girl pursed her lips as the brunette settled against the wall. "Is this your way of telling me you want me on the floor?"

"No. This is my way of telling your cat to go fuck himself," Gloria replied, twisting around in an attempt to get comfortable. She glanced over at the blonde as she arched her back. "You don't have to go anywhere."

A faint blush filled the blonde's cheeks. "Oh. Okay, cool."

Jinkens glared at them from the floor. There wasn't enough room on the full bed for him and he began to yowl. Erica glared at him and petted the spot next to her feet. The ginger tabby looked displeased, but joined them on the bed. Settling between his owner's ankles, he glared at the Spruce girl begrudgingly. Gloria stuck her tongue out at him before leaning against the blonde's white cavendish-style headboard.

The room was sparsely decorated with shades of whites and pale pinks. Very feminine and admittedly, a little immature for a girl of fifteen. Gloria supposed that was Diana's doing, so she said nothing on the matter. It was really no surprise that Erica hadn't been exposed to skimpy underwear, Gloria thought. That was rather unfortunate. It might've been something to help make her feel a bit more comfortable in her own skin, made her feel a bit more like a young woman and not a little girl. She snuck a glance over at her. Erica was looking down at the fashion magazine with interest, but was clearly not actually reading it.

The brunette felt the overwhelming need to snatch it from the blonde's hands. It occurred to her that the younger girl seemed to have a lot of those magazines lying around and vaguely wondered if she was comparing herself to the girls in them. The thought irritated her, but Gloria didn't comment. Instead, she just shuffled down to lay on the bed.

Erica glanced at her. Gloria had slipped out of her bra and what was once covered with black cups was now bare, exposing an expanse of clear pale skin beneath her maroon tank top. She didn't linger on it, or on how tight the thin cloth was or how she could see the slight swells of the older girl's nipples or how the bottom of the singlet had ridden up, flashing a few inches of her stomach and hips, showing off even more of that wonderful skin. Swallowing thickly, she closed her magazine tightly.

"Maybe we should get some sleep."

Gloria blinked in surprise. It was only ten o'clock- basically evening to the Spruce girl, but she supposed Erica had to stick to a certain routine for her medication, so she brushed it off without comment. "Alright. Keep that animal away from me."

The blonde offered her a tight smile and set her magazine on the table next to her before turning out the lamp. Darkness descended over the room and the cat gave one last mew as his owner settled down. Body tense and mind rattled, Erica laid down on her stomach next to the brunette, facing into her room and away from her classmate.

For a few seconds, neither said a word before Gloria broke the silence. She cleared her throat. "You're okay with me being up here, right?"

"Yeah, of course."

"I mean, you offered last night." A concern crease formed between her hazel eyes as she felt Erica shrug. "I just assumed the invitation still applied."

Amused by the older girl's almost formal wording, Erica smirked into her pillow. "It's fine."

"Okay. Well, night."

Her smirk fell. Weren't girls supposed to stay up during slumber parties? Gossip and tell stories? Maybe she'd been reading too many magazines, but Erica couldn't help but feel a little put out. She hadn't turned off the light to shut Gloria up, just out. At least, how she looked and how she made the blonde _feel_, out. Licking her lips, Erica chanced a glance over her shoulder at Gloria. She was still on her back, with one hand under her head and from what she could tell with the minimal light, the Spruce girl was still wide awake.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Hm?" Gloria looked over at her.

Erica shifted, moving to lie on her stomach. She peered at the older girl with curiosity, but her cheek still rested on her pillow as she asked, "Where'd you learn all that stuff?"

"What stuff?"

Erica shifted on the bed, tucking her pillow under her chin as she elaborated, "That craft stuff."

"After I got expelled it took a while to find a school that would take me." The brunette lifted a shoulder and moved to put a hand under her head. "Me and my mom spent a lot of time together. I worked in the store for a bit and ran the kiosk she has in the mall."

"You two are close, huh?"

"Yup."

The younger girl smiled at her in the darkness. "I wouldn't have pegged you for a mama's girl."

"You would've pegged me as a criminal."

Erica's stomach fell at Gloria's emotionless tone and watched with a frown as she turned, rolling on her side to face the wall.

Voice stiff, the brunette ended the conversation with a stiff, "Goodnight, Erica."

"Goodnight," She murmured in reply, voice meek and chest tight as she stared at the older girl's back. Biting her lip, she forced down a sigh before she got settled.

Eventually, the two did fall asleep.

In the morning, Erica was first to rise. She had rolled onto her back during the night and was surprised to see that Gloria had shifted as well. The brunette was still rather close to the wall and there were a few inches of space between their torsos, but one of Gloria's hands was draped over Erica's stomach. Erica's _bare_ stomach. Her night shirt had rolled up a touch in her sleep and now Gloria's hand rested just below her ribs on the side closest to her. The blonde blushed and chanced a glance at the older girl's face, but it was clear she was completely out. Carefully, she went to move it. The moment she touched her wrist, Gloria's fingers twitched and Erica bit back a moan as the calloused skin of her fingertips raked over her sensitive skin. As much as she wanted to keep that hand exactly where it was (and her mind went to several places she would like it to be), Erica really had to pee, so with as much care as she could muster, she eased it gently onto the bed beside her.

Swallowing, she peered down at the older girl. Gloria looked a lot different when she slept. A lot less menacing, obviously, and a lot more her age. With no harsh make up and no scowl, the girl looked almost peaceful. Of course, Jenkins had to ruin the mood by crawling onto the sleeping teen's back and pawing at her loose dark hair.

Erica quickly retreated from the room before she could be caught staring. She made her way to the bathroom and quickly went pee, then washed her hands. Plucking her toothbrush from its holder, the teen sighed at her reflection. Her hair was a mess; frizzy from sleep and she debated hopping in the shower. Not completely comfortable leaving Gloria alone in her bedroom for too long, the blonde decided against it. She brushed her teeth and washed her face, grimacing slightly at the dark bags under her eyes, before she opened the medical cabinet. It had been a while since her last seizure… Staring down at the little yellow pills in the container, she shrugged and put the cap back on them without bothering to take one.

When she got back to her room, Gloria was awake, but barely. The brunette was propped up on one elbow, petting the ginger tabby that was curled into her side with a frown on her lips. She stopped once she realized she was being watched and Erica smirked slightly at the hint of embarrassment on the older girl's face at being caught.

"Morning," the blonde greeted. She moved over to her dresser and grabbed a change of clothes.

Gloria nodded at her back, still a bit sluggish from her restless night's sleep. "Morning."

"Are you heading home today?"

The brunette shrugged and raked a hand through her messy hair. "If you want me to."

"Well, there's no rush or anything," Erica assured her. She turned to face her, making sure to keep her eyes on her face and not at her chest. "If you don't have plans, that is."

"What time is it?"

"Nearly ten."

"Hm. We should check our soap." Gloria kicked her legs over the edge of the mattress.

Erica faltered slightly at the dismissal of her offer. Her grip tightened slightly on the socks in her hands, but she nodded none the less. "Yeah. Okay, just let me get changed."

"Okay." The brunette raked her hands over her eyes. Still a bit dazed, she asked, "You have a bathroom downstairs, right? I left my duffle bag down there."

"Yeah, right beside the laundry room."

"Cool." Gloria stood. She extended her arms over her head and let out a moan, listening to her bones crack and groaning at the feel of her muscles stretching after a long night's rest. Not noticing Erica's gaze slipping to the exposed bit of stomach, she rocked up on her tiptoes. "You mind if I throw a load in? If I'm spending another night I'll need something for school."

A grin broke out across the blonde's lips before she could stop it. When the older girl glanced at her, she tried to suppress it. She failed. Biting her bottom lip, the Reyes girl ran a hand through her frizzy hair.

A hint of a blush flitted over Gloria's cheeks before she left the room. Erica smirked to herself and began to get dressed.

Downstairs, Gloria made a beeline for the kitchen and came across a very surprising sight. A man of about forty five sat at the island, sipping a coffee and reading a newspaper. He didn't look up as he spoke, "Morning, Sweetie."

The brunette gawked at him. Her hazel eyes flickered to the pink duffle bag was on the floor a few feet from him and she debated whether or not to speak before she moved to grab it. Without a word, she walked over to it.

This time the man did look up. His jaw dropped at the unfamiliar young woman and he quickly raked his eyes over her form- taking in her wild brown hair and tense features, her tight fitting clothing and short basketball shorts before he managed to stammer out, "Wh- wait, who the hell are you?!"

"Maybe you should ask your wife," Gloria growled at him. She rolled her eyes and threw the bag over her shoulder as she stalked to the half bath.

"_Excuse me?!"_

At the sound of her father's voice, Erica froze. With a horrified flush, she quickly yanked on her sweatpants and t-shirt before she all but ran down the stairs.

Her dad was banging on the bathroom door, his voice loud and stern as he demanded the young stranger come out.

"Dad!" Erica shrieked. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"Erica, go back upstairs!" Paul Reyes shouted, still banging on the door with one fist. "I'll handle this!"

"Dad!"

He blinked in surprise as his daughter grabbed his arm and forced him away from the door. "Erica!"

"Gloria," A low voice joined with sarcasm through the door.

The blonde began to shove her father back. "Dad, leave her alone!"

"You know her?!" He snapped, clearly shocked and maybe even a bit irritated.

"She's…a friend from school." Erica explained, rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly.

His eyes widened as he asked with wonder, "You have friends?!"

His daughter blushed faintly. "Dad."

"Sorry- I just…didn't know we had company over."

Gloria piped in with a snide, "Maybe you would if you had been home all weekend."

Paul shot the door a dirty look, but at Erica's pleading features, didn't comment. Instead, he asked if Diana knew about their visitor. When his daughter confirmed she did, he sighed. Rubbing his forehead, the man asked, "Well, when are her parents coming to get her?"

"Mom's going to drop us off at school tomorrow," Erica replied meekly. "We're doing a project together."

The man pursed his lips as Gloria opened the door. She was dressed in a black tank top and the very top of the cups of her zebra striped bra could be seen. Her pants were tight and dark, clinging to every inch of her legs. Her dirty clothes in one hand and duffle bag in the other, she looked at Erica first before raking her gaze over her father with distaste. With a hint of a sneer, she looked back to his daughter. "Where'd you say the laundry room was?"

Erica nodded behind her. "Come on, I'll show you."

The brunette nodded and sidestepped Paul Reyes with only a dirty look. The man clenched his teeth, but merely glared after her. It darkened further at the marijuana leaf emblem on the back of her top. With a shake of his head and a roll of his eyes, he made his way back to the kitchen.

As Erica led her into the laundry room, she shut the door tightly behind her. "Sorry about that."

"I may have instigated it." The brunette opened the front loader machine and frowned at her. "He didn't even look up to address you."

The blonde shrugged and hugged herself. Leaning against the small shelf of laundry products, she admitted, "Yeah, we're not close."

"I picked up on that." Gloria grabbed a bit of detergent and looked away as she asked, "Any particular reason how come?"

"He works a lot…I think my, uh, illness, kind of puts a kink in his job."

"Well, how dare you," The Spruce girl teased, glancing over her shoulder to wink at Erica. "It's not like it's completely out of your control or anything."

At the tiny smile that pulled at the blonde's mouth, Gloria went back to doing her laundry.


	10. Closer

When Gloria emerged from the laundry room, Paul and Erica were speaking in hushed voices. She could hear them in the kitchen, talking about her- about her clothes and her 'attitude' and Paul seemed pretty adamant about it not being appropriate she spend another night. Gloria rolled her eyes at that- _if he was really so concerned about who was in his house, he would actually spend time in it_, the teen thought bitterly.

"On Sunday we have family dinner," He whispered. His tone harsh and irritated, he continued, "She's not family."

"Mom said it was fine."

"Well, mom's not here, is she?"

"Neither were you!" Erica shot back. At his shocked silence, she swallowed before letting out a huff. "She's been here all weekend and you didn't even know! You didn't even look up when she came in! You thought she was me!"

Paul faltered at the girl's expression. Her eyes were sharp and her mouth tight, her rage as plain as he'd ever seen it and he found himself fumbling for an excuse. "I- she- I was busy with work, sweetie."

"So?" His daughter sneered at him. "You couldn't pick up the phone? Couldn't text me and ask me what I was doing?"

Outside the door, Gloria smirked with pride. She grabbed her pack of cigarettes and some matches from her duffle bag. After moment, she shrugged and took her cell phone too before she moved out to the front porch. It was still raining out, but just barely. The air was cool and some of the mist from the drizzle had dampened the porch swing, but the brunette didn't mind. All but falling onto it, she threw one arm over the back of it and peered out into the street.

Erica lived in a rather nice, if not overly quiet, neighborhood. She had a two car garage and her lawn was meticulously well kept. Gloria slipped one of her cigarettes out of its pack and placed it between her lips. Lighting a match with one hand, she lit her cigarette and took a long drag. She shook it out and tossed the used stick into the bushes. The smoke burned her lungs and the taste was disgusting, but the teen felt a little more in control, a little calmer as she held it in. Her head fell back against the seat as she exhaled.

With her toes, she rocked the swing. Her foot bounced absently, making the swings' movements jerky and rough. Plucking her cell phone up, she quickly checked her messages. She had several from her mom (who she had called from her own home when she had gone home to shower the previous day) and a few from Taksa and Seth. Gloria sent her mom a quick text confirming that yes, she was fine and no, she hadn't snapped and slapped Erica's shitty mother yet and that she _may_ be considering doing such a thing to Erica's shitty father.

She had barely hit send before her mom called her back.

"Don't you dare," Kathleen greeted, much to her daughter's amusement. "At least wait until I get back so you have an alibi."

"I'm just considering it."

The Spruce woman hummed with just a hint of doubt. "I bet. What's his deal?"

"He's an ass who doesn't appreciate his family." Gloria sighed. Tucking her legs under her, she settled on the swing as it swayed in the breeze.

"Sounds like you."

Indignant, the teen huffed. "I appreciate my family!"

"Really? Then why wouldn't you come to San Francisco with Dinah and me?" Kathleen asked, her voice bright and warm; something Gloria appreciated in the wet weather. "We could've had a girls' weekend and then you flaked out on us."

There was a teasing "_Yeah, Glory_" in the background from a familiar voice and with a smirk, Gloria rolled her eyes. "You know, most moms don't take their kids' friends out of town with them on business."

"Most moms can kiss my _ass_," The woman replied with a cackle. "We're having an awesome time, aren't we, Din?"

"Totally," Dinah confirmed over the line.

"Am I on speakerphone?" Gloria asked with furrowed brows and a hint of trepidation. "You know I hate that."

Kathleen seemed completely unconcerned with her daughter's feelings. "I have to put you on speakerphone because I'm driving."

"Don't talk to me while you're driving!"

"Technically, I'm holding the phone," Dinah told her. "And who's Erica? I thought you were doing the _bad ass loner_ shtick at your new school?"

Gloria blushed and took another drag off her smoke. "Well, I wouldn't say it like that."

"Mhm." They both hummed over the line.

Gloria could practically see them sharing a doubtful, somewhat condescending look while they drove down the highway. Frowning, she told them, "I gotta go."

"Yeah, I bet you do," Kathleen teased. "We'll see you tonight, alright?"

"Uh…"

"_Uh?"_ Her mother repeated warily. "What _uh_?"

Voice purposely blank, she fiddled with her cigarette, "I kind of told Erica I'd stay another night."

"Really?!" Dinah squeaked, the older teenager absolutely ecstatic at the prospect of Gloria making friends outside the band.

The brunette blushed and looked pointedly out into the rainy street. "Yeah. I mean, her parents' kind of suck, so…I don't wanna stick her with them."

"I know what that means," Dinah sang playfully.

Gloria hung up on her. Two seconds later a text popped up that simply read "_rude :P_"- it was promptly deleted. Rolling her eyes at her best friend's (and her own mother's) immaturity, she quickly checked her other messages. Seth and Alex had just texted to see if she wanted to go to the movies and Taksa wanted to know if they were still going to the gym Sunday night. She sent them all the same message (_can't. busy. see you mon. for band_) and then turned her phone off. No doubt Dinah would have sent them all messages gushing over the fact that the reclusive girl had made a friend (all by herself no less) and she wasn't about to endure teasing from all of her bandmates.

The young woman sighed and leaned back. The mist from the rain was cool, but she hardly noticed as she took another drag off her cigarette. For a few moments she swung contently, staring out into the rain. It wasn't until the front door swung open that she looked up. Face a blank mask, she met Erica's gaze.

"Hey." The blonde winced as she gestured over her shoulder. "Sorry about that."

Gloria shrugged and lifted her feet onto the swing. Tucking them under her, she replied with a brisk, "No biggie."

With a sheepish smirk, the younger girl approached the swing. She fell onto it with a heavy sigh. With her head against the backrest, she moved the both of them with her tiptoes. "He says you can stay."

"Is that right?"

Erica's cheeks colored slightly and she tossed a nervous glance Gloria's way. "If you still want to that is."

The brunette lifted a shoulder. "Yeah, well, it's not like I've got anything better to do. My mom won't be home until tomorrow anyways."

"Okay, cool." Sitting up a bit, the Reyes girl told her, "I checked our soap. It's stiff like you said it would be."

Gloria hummed. "We should probably ice them."

"Yeah."

Neither of them moved to get off the swing. Erica continued to swing them gently, both girls completely content to simply enjoy the rain. The younger of the two was a bit intimidated by the silence, by the fact that Gloria hadn't so much as glanced at her in the few minutes they had sat there, but she stayed quiet. She didn't want to annoy the Spruce girl any more than her father already had.

Finally, Gloria snuffed out her cigarette and tossed the butt into the bushes. Standing, she jerked her head toward the house. "Come on, Blondie, let's get this shit done."

Erica smirked and pulled herself out of the swing. She followed the brunette into the house. She passed by the mouth of the living room where her father sat watching football without so much as a glance inside.

It took them roughly an hour to finish their samples. This was mainly because Gloria took pity on Erica and decided to let the girl help. She should not have let the girl help. Erica was henceforth banned from helping, in every way- from measuring to frosting to even offering assistance, for all future soap making meetings.

Pouting, the Reyes girl continued to tick away on her laptop. Since Gloria was doing the grunt work (and Erica had to admit, the bath fizzes were rather cute and smelt fantastic, much to her annoyance), she took it upon herself to make a rough draft of the brochure to staple to the outline. Adding another row of vines around the border of their logo, she glanced over at Gloria. The brunette had an icing bag in hand, meticulously twisting it as she sculpted a pretty pink rose atop one of the fizzes. A few strands of dark hair hung in her eyes and Erica smiled to herself. For once, Spruce hardly looked intimidating. There was just too much pink. It was rather hard to be even slightly frightening with a pink smudged apron (and plastic gloves) and with a bright pink bandana wrapped around her forehead. She had none of her regular make up on and Erica found herself staring.

It wasn't often Gloria looked content. The blonde had suspected the natural setting on the older girl's face was blank, but if it was, she must have genuinely enjoyed what she was doing. Her eyes were soft and her fingers delicate and Erica remembered how they'd felt on her stomach. The light scratch of callouses, the fleeting touch against her bare skin and Erica felt her cheeks heat up. Biting her lip, she looked back down at her laptop.

Diana Reyes came home just as Paul was reaching to order the three of them a pizza. He frowned as the door closed and his wife's voice, cheery and just a little too pleased, called out to their daughter in greeting, "Erica?"

He followed her into the kitchen and frowned as Diana greeted the girls. They had been working in relative silence since coming in, purposely ignoring him when he checked in on them.

"Gloria! So glad you came back," Diana breezed with a smirk. It fell when she realized when the brunette was doing. "I thought I said no sweets?!"

Erica rolled her eyes as she closed her laptop. "Chill, mom, they're just soap."

"Oh, how cute!" Her mother gushed. She picked one up and held it between perfectly manicured fingers as she asked, "Can I have one?"

The Spruce girl blinked at her. "You got two bucks?"

"Gloria," Erica reprimanded lightly. Paul smirked at that, but said nothing.

"What?" A crease formed between Gloria's eyes. "That's a discounted price."

The younger blonde shook her head ruefully (earning a hint of a smile from the brunette) as she teased, "It's sad you think that's being nice."

"I'd be happy to be your first sale, girls." Diana sniffed the small fizz with a smile. "Oh, yummy. You made these?"

When the woman directed her attention at the Spruce girl, Gloria visibly stiffened. Hands clenching and unclenching subtly at her sides, she nodded. "Uh, yeah. Erica helped."

Her mother looked incredibly doubtful of that, but didn't comment. Instead she asked, "Will you be joining us for dinner?"

It was then Paul spoke up. Irritation clear in his voice, he looked to his daughter, "I thought you said she was spending another night?"

"What a wonderful idea!" Diana beamed at her husband, for the first time in months, Paul noted with a hint of frustration, but said nothing as his wife continued, "I could drive the both of you to school tomorrow, if you like?"

Gloria lifted a brow at the exchange between the Reyes', but merely shrugged. "Alright." She gently took the bath fizz from Diana's hand and put it back with the others. "These need to sit for a couple hours."

"Oh, alright."

"Then you can have one," the brunette added a bit awkwardly. "For free. Because you fed me for two days. Kind of. And housed me. And let me use your washing machine."

_And mostly because I didn't have to put up with you for the past forty eight hours_, she thought with a hint of malice.

"Come on," Erica reached around her mother and grabbed the other girl's hand. "We can work on the brochure until supper."

"Dinner," Her mother corrected. "We're not eating out of a can of beans, Erica."

The younger blonde rolled her eyes and tugged Gloria's hand. The brunette gave the Reyes woman a large berth and her husband an even larger one. The parents didn't even wait for the girls to be at the stairs before they started arguing.

"You left them alone the entire weekend?! We don't even know this girl!"

"She's a friend of Erica's! What was I supposed to do- turn her away?!"

Gloria cast the girl beside her a glance and gave her hand a careful squeeze before dropping it. "You got a DVD player on that thing?"

Fighting off her embarrassment, she nodded. "Sure, why?"

"Because I know you've got a copy of the _Little Mermaid_ in your room." At Erica's blush, Gloria winked and gave her hip a playful check, "You think I'd miss you holdin' out on me, Blondie?"

Eyes twinkling with mirth and gratitude, Erica smiled at her. It was a soft expression that made the older girl incredibly uncomfortable and incredibly proud as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Is your mom really not home?"

"Does it matter?" Gloria shrugged with her hands in her pockets. When the blonde kept staring at her, the girl merely stared back. Her gaze was blank once more, but not hard or hateful. Just blank and Erica couldn't get a read on her.

With a hint of a pout, the blonde nodded toward her room. "Come on."

Gloria followed a few paces behind her, unsure of why the younger girl was suddenly displeased. Awkwardly, she hung back in the doorway and watched as the Reyes girl began to route through her drawer for the DVD. Rubbing the back of her neck, the brunette slipped into the room. After a hard swallow, she confessed, "She's home."

Erica glanced over at her with a crease in her brow. "What?"

"My mom. She got home about an hour ago."

The blonde blinked and straightened up. "Oh."

As she raked her bangs away from her eyes, Gloria tilted slightly toward the door. "I can go if you want me to."

"I didn't say that." Erica frowned. Why did Gloria always put words in her mouth?! Why couldn't she just let her get her thoughts together so she wouldn't make a complete fool of herself? Why did she have to make it seem like she was hanging off her every fucking word one minute and like she couldn't give less of a shit the next?

"Oh."

Approaching the older girl carefully, Erica closed the door behind her. Voice low, she eyed the Spruce girl's posture. It was tight and defensive, but Erica wasn't afraid of her like she might have been on the previous Friday. Instead, she got even closer, until she could brush her fingers over Gloria's hip in a quiet, unobtrusive touch. "I'd like you to stay."

The brunette's entire body went stiff as she watched the girl out of the corner of her eye, distrustful and a touch frightened. It was an expression that made Erica feel both powerful and just a little sick.

A hint of a sneer pulled at Gloria's lips, flashing white teeth as she spat, "To play referee with your folks?"

"No." Erica shook her head earnestly. "I'd like you to stay for me. _With_ me. If you have nothing better to do, I mean."

Gloria shrugged. She couldn't imagine anything better than staying another night with Erica. She canted her body away from the shorter blonde and dropped onto the bed. Arching a brow, she nodded to the laptop beside her. "Are we gonna watch the _Little Mermaid_ or what, Blondie?"

Erica only smiled at her and joined her on the bed.

_**A/N: Sorry for the wait!**_


	11. Family

Gloria pulled a cigarette out before returning the pack to her back pocket. Never taking her eyes off the screen, she asked, "You think Ursula gave Ariel the internal plumbing too, or do you think it's all superficial?"

"What'd you mean?"

"I mean, like, she clearly has a vagina," Gloria told the girl beside her. The two were sitting on the bed with their backs against the wall and the laptop between them and had been for nearly an hour. Flipping her bangs from her eyes, she continued in a disturbingly nonchalant manner, "Because that maid chick probably would've noticed her packing something other than a vag during that bath and I doubt intersex people were accepted in the…1700s?"

Erica nodded but didn't look away from the screen. "That sounds about right."

"But that doesn't mean that she's rocking human reproductive organs. Like. Internally. She wished for legs- and that's _all_. I mean, if Ursula really wanted to be a dick she could've skipped out on the lungs and made her legs all scaly and shit."

The blonde squinted at her. "You mean, does she still have, like, fish parts?"

"Yeah. Like, they just rush into marriage without taking her new Oprah Winfrey," The older girl gestured to her pelvis with the two fingers that were holding her cigarette, "For a test drive. What if she still lays eggs an' shit?"

"I'm pretty sure if she laid eggs there wouldn't be a sequel." Erica shook her head. This was becoming alarmingly similar to the _Belle was secretly into bestiality_ conversation they had a few nights prior. Admittedly, the Reyes girl had been the one to instigate that one, so it was slightly comforting that Gloria was taking the lead on this one.

The older girl lifted an apathetic shoulder and pushed her glasses up her nose. "They could've had a surrogate or a concubine or something. I mean, Melanie looks nothing like her."

An amused smile tugged at Erica's mouth. "You know their daughter's name?"

"Like you don't?" Gloria shot her a pointed look, but the dimple in her cheek gave away her mirth.

"Shut up."

The pair chuckled as the door opened. Erica quickly grabbed Gloria's unlit cigarette and shoved it under her leg. The older girl stared at her, surprised and irritated as her mother spoke.

"Girls, it's time for dinner." Diane looked to Gloria, only noticing the glasses perched on her face and not the scowl on the brunette's lips as she asked, "You don't have any allergies, do you, sweetie?"

Spruce found her term of endearment condescending and almost didn't respond to it. It was only when Erica glared back at her that the older girl heaved a sigh and looked to the older blonde woman in the door way. "No. I do not."

"Good." Diane smiled, rapped on the doorframe with her knuckles and disappeared from sight.

Gloria stared at the space the woman had vacated while Erica paused the movie beside her. With a hint of a frown, she told the younger girl, "You owe me a cigarette."

"Yeah, whatever," The blonde replied absently. Her fear had apparently completed diminished and Gloria couldn't decide whether she should be pleased or annoyed by this new development. Erica scooched her way off the bed and offered the taller girl her hand. "Come on, let's get this over with."

With a roll of her eyes, Gloria accepted the gesture. Erica gave her fingers a squeeze and shot her a wink before the brunette had a chance to complain. "I promise I'll make this as painless as possible."

The Spruce girl gave a huff of frustration, but let Erica lead her out of the room. The younger girl's hand was warm in her own, her fingers soft in a way Gloria's weren't and the brunette could admit she was a little reluctant to let the blonde go as they made their way down the stairs. Eventually they came upon the mouth of the dining room and they parted without so much as a word between them.

Diane looked up from where she was setting a bowl of spaghetti on the table and beamed at their arrival. Paul was already at the head of the table. He eyed Gloria's provocative outfit with distaste (and her glasses with amusement), but said nothing as his wife quickly seated the girls. Dinner was filled with ideal chatter from Erica and her mother, the former trying desperately to steer the latter's questioning away from the brunette seated beside her.

It didn't work. It didn't work in the slightest.

Diane smiled slightly as her daughter prattled on about their project and how strange it was that their teacher, who was the coach of the lacrosse team, Erica had added in an effort to stall, wanted an art portion. After hearing this for the third time, she shot the young woman a pointed look and turned to the brunette, who had been eating in silence. "So, Gloria. What do your parents do?"

She didn't look up from her plate; too busy swirling her noodles on her fork to make eye contact. "My mom runs a soap shop."

"Is that where you two got the idea for your project?" The woman asked as she nursed her second glass of wine.

The brunette shoved the noodles in her mouth in an effort to avoid any more questions. "Mhm."

"And what does your father do?" Paul cut in before his wife could speak. He too shoved a forkful of spaghetti into his mouth and ignored the frown Erica shot him.

"He works in a garage." And that was the truth. Curtis Spruce did work in a garage- full time employment was a stipulation of his parole. Gloria took a swallow of her orange juice and prayed for death.

"Are your parents still together or are they divorced?" Paul lifted a brow. "Assuming they were ever married at all, that is."

Erica glared at him. "Dad."

"What?"

The brunette smirked slightly and replied with a brisk, "They're together."

"They are?"

Gloria frowned at Erica's surprise. "Yeah."

The young blonde leaned closer to her. Voice low, she started, "I thought you said your dad-"

"So how long have you two known each other?" Diane cut in, ignoring Paul's sneer and seeing only Gloria's thankful glance.

"About a week," Erica answered. She pushed her plate away from her and stole a glance at the girl beside her's plate. It was mostly empty, with only a bite or two left. Looking back at her mom, she asked if they could be excused.

Diane hesitated then made to agree when her husband interrupted, "Of course not, Erica, don't be rude."

"We really should be getting ready for bed…" Erica bit her lip. Fiddling with her fingernails in her lap, she shuffled restlessly in her seat. "We have school in the morning."

He arched doubting brow at her. "It's only eight o'clock."

"Yeah, but-"

"If you two need to shower, why don't you go first?" He feigned a smile and looked back toward Gloria. "So we can get to know your little friend here."

"That's a great idea!" Diane gushed. "It'll give us some one on one time."

Erica faltered. She spared Gloria a glance, but the brunette didn't notice. Her features were back to their naturally neutral setting. With a sigh, the blonde stood. She didn't notice the panicked glance the older girl sent her and was out of sight in a manner of seconds.

Paul didn't waste any time. Linking his fingers, he set his elbows on the table (an action that earned a glare from his wife) as he addressed the young woman his daughter seemed so fond of. "So, Gloria…how old are you again?"

"Seventeen."

"And you're in Erica's grade?" He pressed with a hint of judgment. "She's only fifteen, you know."

"I figured," Gloria lifted her shoulder in a dismissive, somewhat insolent manner and took another sip of her juice.

Diane scowled at her husband. "Paul."

"Not exactly appropriate for the two of you to be spending so much time together, given the age gap." With a tilt of his head, he asked if she had failed a grade.

"Paul," Diane growled through clenched teeth.

Gloria barely blinked at the accusation. "No. I didn't. I switched schools in the middle of a term; it set me back a bit."

"How come?"

"Because I couldn't focus on the material and had some trouble adjusting to my new environment," Gloria told him with a tight mouth and an arched eyebrow. "My guidance counsellor recommended I take Econ because it's an easy pass."

The man rolled his eyes at her. "I meant why did you change school?"

Gloria bit the inside of her cheek. "Personal reasons."

"And those reasons are?"

"Paul!" His wife snapped at him. "That is enough!"

The man blinked innocently at her. "I'm just showing an interest."

"Careful, Diane, from what I hear this is a rarity." The teen took another gulp of her orange juice and ignored the way Erica's father gaped at her. "We should probably enjoy it while it lasts. Maybe document it in a scrapbook or journal."

The man all but jumped to his feet. Knuckles bracing against the table, he pointed a finger at the aloof girl. "You know what-"

"Gloria, sweetie, do you mind giving us a minute?" Diane cut in, eyes fierce and angry as she glared at her husband.

The brunette tossed her napkin onto her plate and slunk out to the porch. Rage ate away at her and she took a few deep breaths from her diaphragm (just like her counsellor had taught her) to steady herself. Her hands clenched and unclenched as her back pressed against the house's cool exterior. It was cold on the skin of her shoulders and she gave her the back of her head a light bang against it.

Sighing, she pulled a cigarette out of her back pocket and made her way out to the curb in front of the Reyes' house. The cement was slightly damp from the previous rainstorms, but Gloria didn't mind. She stretched her legs out into the street and stared blankly ahead of her. Her glasses slipped a touch down her nose, but the young woman ignored them. She really hadn't meant to snap- to give into the Reyes man's goading so easily. She didn't want to cause any problems for Erica, but quite frankly, she just didn't like him. Where she could at least see the attempt on Diane's part, there seemed to be no such attentiveness to be found in Paul. As she pulled out a pack of matches, the brunette huffed around her cigarette. While her own father had been absent the past couple of months, they still kept regular contact. He still made an effort to call her every few days and check in- on both her and her mother. Gloria would have done just about anything to have her dad out of that halfway house and back at home and the thought of Paul Reyes having access to his family and willfully neglecting them infuriated the young woman somewhat.

The brunette lit her smoke and threw the match into the road. Inhaling deeply, she tried to think of the mantra her counsellor had given her, but couldn't focus on it. As she perched her glasses on the top of her head, she vaguely wished she'd brought out her cell phone…and maybe that she hadn't taken Erica up on her offer to stay another night. Gloria should have hightailed it out of there the minute she realized Paul Reyes was home. But something in Erica's sheepish smiles and utter lack of fear made her stay and Gloria felt a bit like some lovesick idiot for wanting to stick around.

She pulled her smoke back and licked her teeth. With a sigh, she glanced back at the house. She wondered if the Reyes' were still fighting- Gloria supposed they were. She wondered if Erica could hear them; she supposed she could. Staring at the ember of her cigarette, the brunette fisted a handful of her hair. The teen wished she had kept her mouth shut. That she had just lied and smiled her way through the awkward questions and wished she had been able to do just that. Avoidance had always been a good friend to Gloria, but it was hard to avoid something when it was questioning you directly, baiting you, trying to evoke a response and Gloria inhaled another drag of her cigarette. She kept going until it was down to the filter and her lungs burned before she exhaled.

Stomping the butt out on the curb, the young woman sighed. She stood with pursed lips and steeled nerves. At a deliberately slow pace, Gloria wandered back to the house. Her hand had just reached for the doorknob when it swung open. She was greeted by the glaring eyes of Paul Reyes.

Neither spoke for a moment before the man sidestepped her. He let out a scoff and raked his gaze over the young woman's form as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of the inside pocket of his jacket. "I don't know what they see in you."

"Well…" the teen closed the door and stuck her hands in her back pockets. "Apparently Erica likes me and your wife likes that Erica likes me."

He frowned at her, rolling his cigarette between his fingers. "You're dressed like a tramp."

"So?"

"So I don't think you're the best influence for my daughter," Paul told her as he dropped onto the porch swing. His scowl faltered a moment. "Erica's…delicate."

Gloria perked a brow up with doubt. "You mean the epilepsy thing?"

"Of course I mean the epilepsy thing!" The man sneered at her. "What else would I be talking about?"

The young brunette just stared at him. Shaking her head, she shrugged. "Dunno."

Silence hung in the air a few moments. With a frown, Gloria turned back to the door and left the man in the cold.


	12. Bloom

The inside didn't feel much warmer. The brunette passed by the kitchen, noting that Diana was seated at the kitchen island and nursing another glass of wine, but she didn't pause. Instead, she grabbed her duffle bag (which was still sitting where she left it at the foot of the downstairs bathroom) and made her way upstairs. The shower was still going, so she slipped into Erica's room to wait for her.

Jinkens looked up at her and meowed as she shut the door. Hazel eyes narrowing at him, Gloria told him to get off the bed.

The cat merely yowled and stretched out on his back. With a sigh, the young woman sauntered over to the bed and took a seat beside him. After a moment, she let out a groan of her own and flopped back next to him.

It took Erica ten minutes to finish showering.

Gloria was still on her bed. Now on her side, the brunette was flipping through one of Erica's many fashion magazines, circling various points of Photoshop and unrealistic elements in the photographs with a red pen. Her glasses were still perched on top of her head when the younger girl sauntered in.

The blonde arched a brow at her, eying the pen cap between the older girl's pale lips with interest. Tugging her robe a bit closer to her wet frame, Erica smiled at her. "Bathroom's free."

"Bitchin'," Gloria replied. She capped her pen and dropped it between the pages of the magazine. Rolling off the bed, she asked, "Save me any hot water?"

"Uh, yeah, there should be some left." Erica blinked as the brunette grabbed her bag. "How'd things go with my folks?"

Gloria lifted an apathetic shoulder before she left the room. The blonde stared after her a moment, unsurprised but still a little annoyed by her lack of response. Closing the door, the girl quickly stripped out of her robe and got into her pajamas. She towel dried her hair, trying her best to make it look at least somewhat managed before Gloria returned.

Although the shower only took ten minutes, it was nearly twenty before Gloria returned to the room. Standing in her underwear, she had rifled through Erica's medication with interest. Intrigued and a bit disturbed by the sheer amount of pills the younger girl was prescribed, the girl frowned. She made sure to put everything back where she had found it and dressed quickly.

When Gloria came back, Erica was fiddling around on her laptop. She offered the younger girl a smirk and dropped her bag at the door before kicking it closed. The blonde shifted, moving Jinkens from her lap as Gloria asked her if her parents had been up.

"Uh, no, why?"

The brunette shrugged, her hands tucked in the back pockets of her baggy sweatpants. "Just curious."

The blonde swallowed, eying the older teen's breasts through the thin material of her tank top with a hint of discomfort before her gaze dropped back to her screen. Licking her lips, she ignored the heat between her legs and crossed them tightly as she spoke, "So, excited for school?"

Gloria chuckled as she moved to sit beside her. "No?" She grabbed the cat into her lap and ignored the purr of satisfaction it gave as she pulled it into her lap. "Are you?"

"Not even slightly," Erica replied grimly. She moved to set the laptop between them, but Gloria was too close. Their knees were touching, just barely, and it looked like the brunette had no intentions of moving.

Patting Jinkens side, the older girl pursed her lips. "They don't know about the bullying, do they?"

The blonde blushed.

Gloria sighed, but didn't comment. Instead, she reached over and clicked _play_, putting their Disney movie back on. They watched mostly in silence, the cheerful air from the afternoon having dissolved throughout dinner. When the movie ended, Erica wordlessly put another one on.

They were halfway through Mulan when Diane poked her head in to tell them it was time for bed. The girls didn't argue, merely bid her goodnight and turned the movie off.

Gloria slipped off the bed to put her glasses in their case. Back to the blonde, she cleared her throat. "So, did you want me on the bed tonight, or should I sleep on the floor?"

Erica blinked. She hadn't considered Gloria sharing the bed with her again. Butterflies swirled around her stomach as she remembered the calloused fingertips on her stomach and she found herself nodding in a way she hoped wasn't too eager. "The bed."

The brunette smirked to herself, thankful her back was still to the other girl as she nodded. "Okay, cool."

Erica laid back as Gloria put her glasses in their case. She bit her lip and watched the elder teen twist her hair back into a top knot, exposing the length of her neck. As Gloria stood, Erica quickly righted her stare to the ceiling.

The Spruce girl didn't notice. She shut the door, crossed back over the bed and waited for Erica to shift. When she didn't, the brunette sighed crawled over her- or at least started to. Erica stiffened as Gloria swung a leg over her. The older girl frowned at her, her tone biting and sarcastic as she rolled her eyes, "Thanks for moving over, Blondie, I really appreciate it."

A strand of dark damp hair hadn't made it into her bun and Erica reacted before she had a chance to think the action through. Her fingers brushed the brunette's face. Gloria flinched, but the girl kept her touch gentle as she carefully slid the cool, wet strand behind her ear. Erica pulled her hand back and offered the brunette a forced smile, a bit unsettled by Gloria's blank expression and tense posture.

After a moment, the older girl fell onto the bed beside her. Twisting to get comfortable, Gloria shook her head with what she hoped came off as affection. "You're so fucking weird, Reyes."

Blushing a fierce red, Erica was quick to turn off the lamp beside her bed. She stayed on her side, her stomach in embarrassed knots as she closed her eyes. Swallowing, she pulled the blanket up around her shoulders. She was such an idiot. Tears pricked at her eyes, but didn't fall as she let out a quiet, "Goodnight."

"Night." Gloria frowned and pursed her lips. She eyed the younger girl with confusion, wondering why she was suddenly so closed off, but didn't do anything to remedy it. Rolling onto her stomach, Gloria let herself smile as she remembered the light brush of Erica's fingers on her cheek.

The next morning, the girls woke to the faint _beep_ of Erica's alarm. The blonde sighed, but didn't move to turn it off. Instead, she tightened her arm around Gloria's waist and buried her face in her hair. Her brown eyes snapped open, startled as the older teen cleared her throat. Her fingers twitched and her touch was met with smooth, firm skin.

Gloria shifted her hips, a bit disturbed by how close the Reyes girl was, but made no move to push her away. Erica's arm was tight around her waist, her hand slipped inside her tank top and those same soft fingers that had brushed her cheek the night before now rested delicately on her sternum. Her front was pressed to Gloria's back, warm and nauseatingly solid, and the brunette was acutely aware how the blonde's long legs framed her own, the blanket that had once been between them now tangled between their bare feet.

Erica licked her lips. She could vaguely smell some kind of soft shampoo coming from the other girl's dark hair, something tart and citrusy. The blonde realized she was pushing every boundary but not pulling away. Still, she didn't move; just waited for Gloria to shove her away, to cuss her out and call her a dyke- maybe even hit her.

But the older girl didn't. Gloria just lay there, staring at the wall. After a few seconds, her hand reached up and took Erica by the wrist. The blonde went to pull away, to apologize, but Gloria didn't let her. Instead of shoving her hand away like Erica expected, the brunette simply pulled it out of her shirt. She let it rest on her stomach, a few inches below where it had been. Things between them were quiet, only the quiet sound of the alarm to be heard.

Until Diane knocked on the door, anyway. The girls lurched apart as the Reyes woman opened it, "Girls. It's time to get up."

"O-okay, Mom, we'll be right there."

"No rush." Diane smiled, not noticing how awkwardly the two were sitting, or how closely. "Breakfast will be ready soon. You've still got about an hour before school."

Erica forced a smile and sighed with relief as Diane shut the door. She sent a glance Gloria's way. Rubbing her legs through her thin cotton pajama pants, she spoke quietly, just in case her mother was listening, "I am so sorry about-"

"Don't worry about it," The brunette interrupted, slipping around her bedmate to get off the mattress.

"I just-"

A bit more harshly, Gloria cut her off again, "I said don't worry about it, okay? You were asleep, it didn't mean anything."

Erica forced a smile at her. Dropping her chin to her knee, she bit her lip.

When the older girl noticed, she rolled her eyes. Grabbing her duffle bag, she dropped it on the bed at the blonde's feet. "You're still worrying about it."

With a hint of meekness, Erica shrugged. "Sorry."

"Dude, copping a feel in your sleep doesn't make you gay, alright?" Gloria grabbed her undies out of the bag and dropped them on the bed. They were quickly covered with her day's outfit and with a bit of mirth in her voice, she jerked her head toward the door, "Now can you get your ass in gear before your mom blows a gasket? She seems like she might be a bit of a stickler for being on time."

Erica masked her anxiety with a smirk. Her whole body had stiffened at the word _gay_, but Gloria didn't notice. She already had her back to her, was already striping out of her basketball shorts and Erica felt a bit sick.

Gaze locked the satin panties that framed Gloria's ass, the younger girl managed a quiet, "I gotta go to the bathroom."

The brunette didn't so much as spare her a glance as she shrugged out of her tank top. "Whatever."

She dressed quickly, not particularly caring what Diane Reyes might think about her outfit. The Spruce girl, did, however, wonder whether or not Erica would like it. She turned to the side, admiring how her ripped stockings clung to her legs before frowning at how thick her thighs were. She knew it was petty, that they were muscular not flabby, but Gloria was still a bit disappointed. She shrugged off her self-consciousness and turned to face the mirror head on. Giving one of the smaller holes on her knee a rip, she smirked at the freshly exposed skin. She then righted her black tank top and adjusted her tits in her bra so they were a bit more pronounced (she had noticed Erica eying them on the couch a few nights before and although she wasn't sure if it was in distaste or approval. Either way, they had caught the younger blonde's attention, and that was a good enough reason for Spruce to put them on display). The blue leopard print was striking against the black cotton and her pale skin, and Gloria debated whether or not to put on her make up before brushing her teeth. She decided against it, instead putting in her contact lenses and tying the left part of her hair back in a braid. The rest she left messy.

There was a light knock on the door before Erica poked her head inside. She smiled sheepishly, her gaze flitting over the brunette's bare feet and tight faux leather skirt before resting on her face. "Bathroom's free."

"Awesome." Gloria grabbed her bag and went to breeze past her. "Meet you downstairs, Blondie." She paused and pursed her lips as she came to a stop beside the younger girl. Erica looked up at her curiously, and maybe with a hint of eagerness, but her expression fell as the brunette warned her, "Don't make me wait too long with your bitch mother."

"I won't."

Gloria nodded and left.

Erica sighed and sighed again when she caught sight of herself in the mirror. Her blonde hair was frizzy, even though it was pulled back tightly in a ponytail. She could see a hint of redness in her skin, residue side effects from the medication she was no longer taking, and the dark bags under her eyes made her cringe. The girl dressed quickly in a pair of baggy jeans and a white t-shirt. She almost left it like that, enjoying the way the cotton clung to her bra, but chickened out and threw a black sweatshirt over top.

By the time she got downstairs, Gloria was already in the kitchen. She offered the brunette an apologetic smile, but the brunette didn't notice her entrance.

"They're just so cute," Diane gushed as Gloria continued to carefully set the bath fizzies into a cardboard box. It looked like a cupcake box, Erica noted, with sectioned off parts for each individual fizzie. "I can't believe you made them without any help."

The brunette didn't look up from the box. "Erica helped."

"I'm sure she did."

"She's a good kid."

Erica's stomach dropped. _Kid_. Gloria thought she was just some stupid _kid_, someone she had to look after, someone who just followed Gloria around like some six year old and she hugged herself tightly a moment. Neither her mother nor the older girl seemed to notice her cringe.

Gloria carefully closed the lid and taped it shut. Lips pursed, she pulled another flap of cardboard out of the duffle bag. She made it into a box with quick, nimble fingers and grabbed one of the stickers Erica had made the night before on her laptop. She plucked the bath fizzie Diane had admired the night before, eased it inside and sealed it with the sticker.

She handed it to the woman with a blank expression. In truth, Diane was a bit thrown by the quiet girl and a bit unsettled by the often hard edge in the young woman's features. They seemed amplified by the girl's harsh make up, by the side plait in her purposely mussed hair and bawdy outfit. Still, she took the box from the girl with a smile, or at least tried to.

Gloria held tight to it, her ripped nail contrasting with Diane's perfectly manicured fingers. Clearly her throat, the brunette said, "You should be proud of her."

Diane blinked in surprise, a bit thrown by the sudden softness in the girl's eyes. It disappeared before she could comment on it and her smile became a bit more forced. "I am."

Gloria doubted that, but stayed quiet as she finished loading her supplies into her duffle bag. When she turned back around, she was visibly startled to find Erica sitting at the island. A brow arched at her as she slid across from the blonde. Erica looked a bit worse for wear, but Gloria chopped that up to some left over embarrassment from their little incident that morning. Grabbing an apple out of a bowl of fruit, she ignored the eggs and bacon and simply stared at the girl across from her.

Erica met her gaze head on, a bit confused by what Gloria had said. She tilted her head and swallowed as the brunette calmly lifted the apple to her lips and took a bite of it. Their eyes stayed locked as Gloria licked her lips and Erica was fairly certain she was experiencing the single most erotic moment of her life- and her mom was in the room.

With a hint of a smirk tugging at the older girl's lips, she fixed her lipstick with her thumb.

**A/N: this chapter, like my last chapter, is unbetaed. Anyone know a beta who takes femslash fics?**


	13. Creep

The ride to school was one of the longest both Gloria and Erica had ever experienced. With Diane in the driver's seat and the girls in the back, they both did their best to avoid eye contact as the woman tried, desperately, to make small talk. It was a futile attempt.

Glancing in the rear-view mirror, the Reyes woman asked, "So, Gloria, are you enjoying your new school?"

"Not really."

"Oh, well, that's too bad…" Diane blinked at Gloria's blunt response. "Any particular reason why?"

The young brunette shrugged half-heartedly. "People suck and I've done most of my classes already."

"Oh." Diane tightened her grip on the steering wheel and tried and failed to keep her awkward smile in place. After that Mrs. Reyes just let conversation die.

Erica was thankful for that. She cast the girl beside her a side long glance. Gloria had taken the lull in conversation to get her phone out. The blonde watched her type out a message and listened to the quiet '_swoosh'_ sound that meant the message had been sent. Less than five seconds later there was another chime, quickly followed by several more.

When Gloria noticed Erica's staring, she quickly typed out another text to her band mate. It was a short one to confirm that she would be needed to be picked up at school before they headed to the gym and slipped her phone in her pocket. She turned to Erica, who quickly pretended to be looking out the window. At the younger girl's feigned nonchalance, Gloria rolled her eyes and did the same. Her cell phone chimed insistently in her pocket, but she ignored it.

Diane cast the girl in the backseat a curious glance. In all honesty, she wasn't entirely sure what to make of the young woman. Gloria was dressed more like a hooker than a schoolgirl, with her low cut tank top showing a good portion of her leopard print bra and her skirt that barely reached her mid-thigh. The Reyes woman let her gaze shift over to her daughter. Erica looked incredibly young by comparison to the brunette beside her; with her faintly blushing cheeks and make up free skin. Diane frowned slightly, wishing her daughter could be a bit more like herself; a bit more confident and a bit more outgoing.

With a hint of the frown, she pulled up to the school. Before she could so much as open her mouth to bid them goodbye, her daughter had already thrown the door open.

"Thanks for the ride, mom."

Gloria muttered her agreement and quickly followed Erica out of the car.

Diane sighed and pulled away from the curb.

The brunette teen frowned at the mess of students outside the school. Hiking her duffle bag up, she kept her head high as they took note of their appearance. She jerked her head toward the entrance. "Come on, Blondie."

Erica smirked and nodded. She fell in step with the older girl, staying close to her side but making sure not to touch her. Swallowing, the blonde chuckled nervously as the crowd parted for Gloria. It was clear she had quite a bit of pull in the school already, although it didn't seem to be popularity like Lydia Martin had or a friendly reputation like Allison Argent. It was more like fear. People seemed threatened by her, with no one meeting her gaze, even though they whispered fiercely behind their hands. Teenagers weren't exactly known for their subtlety after all.

"_I heard she blinded a guy-"_

"_That she slept with three of her old teachers-"_

"_Stabbed him-"_

"_Tried to bring a gun to school-"_

Erica frowned at their words. Her eyes flickered over to Gloria as she paused in front of her locker.

The brunette could hear their words just as clearly as the blonde, but she didn't seem at all upset. In fact, a hint of a smirk pulled at her darkly painted mouth. When she caught Erica staring at her, she shot the younger girl a wink. When her only response was a blush, Gloria asked, "So, any idea when we should start sellin' these bad boys?"

"Oh, um, whenever you want is fine with me." The blonde shrugged and leaned against the locker as Gloria began to put in her combination. "I mean, it's not like I have a full schedule or anything."

Hazel eyes flickered over to her curiously. "No doctors' appointments?"

"_No_," Erica replied with a bit of indignity. "What is your obsession with my epilepsy?"

Gloria bristled and unzipped her duffle bag. "I'm not obsessed."

"You keep bringing it up."

"Well…shut up, Reyes."

Erica grinned at her and did as she was told. When the brunette scowled at her (or maybe pouted would have been a better word) she bit her bottom lip. With her smile barely contained, she watched as Gloria carefully put the two boxes containing their Economics project on the shelf. Erica leaned her head against the locker, enjoying the nearly invisible blush on the brunette's cheeks.

"Quit it."

Erica beamed once more. "Quit _what?"_

"Starin' at me." Gloria pursed her lips and rolled her shoulders restlessly. "And smiling like that."

The younger girl's grin only widened. "Like what?"

"Like _that_\- knock it off."

The blonde shook her head and rolled her eyes. As Gloria began to empty her duffle bag (taking out everything from the essential oils to the citric acid and placing them carefully behind their project), Erica told her, "You think Finstock's going to like it?"

"I think we'll probably be the only ones there with something to show for ourselves," Gloria admitted with a hint of a scowl. "So he damn well better."

Chuckling, Erica righted the bag on her shoulder. When the brunette noticed how she was favoring her bag, she arched a dark brow. "You don't have to stick around you know."

Cheeks a fiery red, the teenager cleared her throat before dropping her gaze. "Oh. Right."

Cursing herself for thinking they could be friends, that Gloria might actually want to spend time with her- that Gloria might not mind being seen with her, Erica turned to leave. A rough hand on her arm stopped her. Her brown eyes snapped to the older girl's hazel; they were as hard as she had ever seen them, sharp and angry, but all Erica could focus on was the sudden silence thorough out the halls.

Gloria ignored the eyes on them, but the blonde couldn't. Erica quickly pulled her arm from the girl's hold and ran off, pushing the other kids whispers and taunts out of her mind.

The brunette watched her go with a cold pit in her stomach. She hadn't meant to scare her off- she had _meant_ to say that she had gym first period. That she had to get there early to change and that Erica didn't have to hang around if her bag was too heavy for her to handle it. Ignoring the frustrated tears that pricked at her throat, Gloria ignored the way her peers were looking at her, the way they seemed to be waiting for some kind of comment or justification as to why she was speaking to Erica Reyes of all people. The young woman kept her features steeled and shoved her duffle bag into the locker.

One of the bags of citric acid fell to the floor. She picked it up without second thought, dropping it onto the top of her school books as she grabbed her gym bag. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, Gloria put on her best glare and stormed through the mass of students.

When final period rolled around, Erica was welcomed to the Econ classroom by an empty desk. She frowned at it, but slid into the chair anyway. With her books on the table, she waited patiently for Gloria to arrive.

After forty five minutes slowly ticked by, it became obviously apparent the brunette wasn't going to show. Finstock had gone around to check the projects and Erica realized Gloria had been right; there were only three other pairs with a finished product. When the teacher stopped at her desk, the blonde kept her head down.

"Erica." Finstock frowned, shooting the empty desk beside her a pointed look. "Where's Spruce?"

"She…I saw her this morning, we had a sample, but-"

"But she cut out on you," the Coach finished with a sigh. "Okay. Well, come up with something for tomorrow like everyone else and it won't affect your grade."

"But we really do have something done!" Erica snapped, defensive and irritated by the man's accusation.

Finstock looked doubtful, but merely nodded. "Okay, calm down. I'm here for an hour after class before lacrosse practice. If you can scrounge up Spruce and your project by then, you'll get the full grade, alright?"

As soon as the bell rang, Erica was on a rampage. Her blood boiled in her veins as she stomped through the hallway, heading in the direction of Gloria's locker in hopes of catching her. What she saw when she got there made her stop cold.

Three police officers stood around Gloria's locker. It had been pried open and was covered in police tape and while a few students shot the men curious glances, most of them were too busy getting ready to leave to pay much attention.

Squaring her shoulders, she approached the officers and tapped the nearest one on the shoulder. The man glanced down at her but merely let out a stiff, "Move along, Miss."

"Where's Gloria?"

Blinking, the officer tilted his head at her. "What?"

"Gloria Spruce," Erica repeated with a sneer. She nodded to the locker and to the books and papers that still spilled out on the floor after being searched. "This is her locker and all her stuff. Where is she?"

The man shrugged. "Last I saw heard the Sheriff was going to meet her in the principal's office."

"Thanks." Erica wasted no time getting there.

The blonde slipped behind some lockers, just close enough to the office to where she had a view into the large picture window. She could vaguely see Gloria sitting inside, her expression a mask of indifference through the blinds. Another uniformed officer stood behind her, frowning with his hand on his hip as they listened to the principal speak.

The brunette glared at the man in front of her, ignoring his stumbling apologies and awkward stutters.

"I- I mean, you have to understand with your reputation." The principal swallowed. Adjusting his tie with one hand, he offered the young woman a weak smile. "And how seriously we take all drug accusations."

"You said she'd have a fair shot here." The Sheriff scowled at the sitting man. "You gave me your _word_, Henry."

The portly man huffed. "Well, you have to admit, it didn't exactly look good for her."

"Then why didn't you just ask her about it? And why the hell would a seventeen year old girl have a locker full of cocaine anyway? Does that make any sense at all to you?"

"You know how this town is-"

A hoarse laugh escaped Gloria before she could stop it. "This town is a suburb. If anyone's strung out on coke it's probably one of the teachers."

The Sheriff gave her chair a subtle kick and shot her a look that suggested she was not helping. Still, it wasn't as irritated as it had been when centered on the man in front of them and Gloria appreciated that. Mostly. The fact that the Sheriff still felt the need to defend her against bullies was a little degrading, but she knew his heart was in the right place.

"I expect her absence won't go on her record?"

"Of course not!" The principal looked to the brunette seat across from him. "I really hope you'll accept our deepest apologies, Miss Spruce."

"Whatever." Gloria rolled her eyes. "Does that mean I can go now?"

"Um, if the Sheriff is done with you-"

The man behind her nodded. "I am. And I expect I won't get any more of these call unless something serious happens, right, Henry?"

The principal merely offered a waned smile. The teen ignored him and pulled herself out of her chair. Not bothering to cast either of the men a second glance, the young brunette held her head high as she left the office.

The Sheriff followed close behind her. With a careful hand on her shoulder, he offered her a small, sad smirk as he nodded down the hall. "Come on, let's see if the boys left your locker in one piece."

The teen nodded but only sniffed in reply. Vaguely, she was relieved she had the good sense not to bring her knife to Erica's. The last thing she needed was the school having a legit reason to kick her out. Her innocence had been easily proved; cocaine didn't tend to fizz when exposed to water after all, no matter what it was cut with. She didn't notice Erica duck behind a locker when she passed by. All she saw was her homework thrown around the hall and how her lock had been cut away. Gloria stepped over the mess of papers. With blank features, she touched the side of her locker that was mangled from being pried open. Apparently they hadn't thought to cut the lock away until _after_ they failed to get in.

Her gaze landed on her and Erica's project and she eased it off the shelf. The boxes of bath fizzes had been cut open but were thankfully untouched.

Behind her, she could hear the Sheriff talking to his men. Once they were dismissed, he came back to the young woman with a sigh. He eyed the box in her hands with curiosity, but didn't comment. Instead, he moved to start picking up some of her scattered belongings.

A bit callously, Gloria pushed his hands away from her text books. "I got it."

The man stared at her a long moment as she bent down to gather her things. Her eyeliner was starting to smudge with tears and the Sheriff felt rather helpless as he watched her swallow. Still, her eyes were fierce and angry, and knew that her pride wouldn't accept any form of comfort. Least of all from him.

With a shake of his head, the man replied, "I know you do. You take care of yourself, okay Gloria?"

The girl didn't meet his gaze, just nodded. When he walked off, she cast him a glance behind his back. It was then she noticed Erica peeking out at her from behind a locker. Gloria stayed where she was, her cheeks going hot from embarrassment and she began to carelessly shove things into her locker.

The blonde approached with caution. Fiddling with her hands, she bit her bottom lip and waited for the older girl to speak. Gloria didn't. When Erica's brown eyes fell to where the brunette's purse had been ripped open, she bent down to pick up Gloria's signature dark red lipstick. The Spruce girl snatched it out of her hand without so much as a word.

It was then Erica noticed the slightly tremor in Gloria's hands. How stiff her movements were and how red her cheeks looked. The blonde moved to put a hand on her shoulder, but Gloria jerked away like she'd come at her with a knife.

Her gaze snapped to Erica's and was disgusted to find pity there. Sneering at her, the brunette snapped, "What the hell are you looking at, Reyes?"

The blonde just shook her head and moved to pick up a few of the Spruce girl's discarded papers.

Gloria frowned. With a hard swallow, she took the papers from Erica's hands and stuck them in her duffle bag. It didn't seem to make much sense to try and salvage the locker. With every crammed in her bag, the two stood. The brunette held out the boxes of their project to Erica. When the younger girl reached for them, Gloria held tight.

"Sorry I stuck you with Finstock."

Erica blinked in surprise. Less at the apology and more at the quiet sincerity in Gloria's usually hollow tone and maybe a bit at the hint of wetness in the corners of the brunette's eyes. The blonde shrugged. "It's not your fault."

Gloria let go of the box and turned to leave.

Erica grabbed her arm. The brunette faltered, but didn't look back as the shorter girl slid her hand down her wrist and then to tangle their fingers together. After the briefest squeeze, Erica let go. Clearing her throat, she kept her voice steady as she told her, "Finstock said he'll give us the full grade if we meet him…meet him before lacrosse practice starts." Erica winced as she stuttered, but it hadn't entirely been her fault.

Gloria was staring at her again; just as guarded as she had ever been. She regarded Erica skeptically, but nodded. "Okay, Blondie. Lead the way."

Erica moved to do just that, and would have continued passed her if Gloria hadn't grabbed her hand again. The brunette thumbed the back of her knuckles and offered Erica a quiet smirk before she let go.

**A/N: first of all, shout out to my lovely beta _TeenThor;_ She was a great help ^.^ Also, _funnygirl00_ has a petition going around for FF to allow authors to remove reviews that involve bullying or the like. If you're interested in hearing more about it, check her out. **


	14. Stupid

The girls were dismissed after failing to stop Finstock from biting into one of their bath bombs. Had he not been so incredibly condescending and sarcastic about Gloria's brush with the law, she may have tried to stop him. Instead, she elbowed Erica in the side when the blonde tried to warn him and subtly shook her head.

"Oh god, _why?!" _The coach snapped at them, scraping his tongue with his fingernails as they shared an amused glance. "Okay, fine, you've made your point! Full marks! Now get out of here!"

With a smirk pulling at the corner of her mouth, Gloria turned to leave. "Come on, Blondie."

Erica followed without complaint. Biting her bottom lip, the younger girl stole a glance at the brunette. Gloria didn't notice, just hiked her duffle bag higher on her shoulder. Erica fiddled with her fingertips as she cleared her throat gently. When Spruce looked her way, she asked, "So…are we going to meet up again? To make more soap?"

"We should have enough for now." Gloria noted the slight blush on Erica's cheeks, and (not wanting to have the blonde make a quick getaway like she had that morning) grabbed her by the hand. Voice rushed, she continued, "But we'll need to sell them, like, _soon_."

The blush stayed on Erica's cheeks, but it wasn't from embarrassment. Entirely too pleased at the prospect of spending more time with Gloria (time that would be spend away from her parents and hopefully out of her bedroom- at least for now), the shorter blonde fought against a grin as the brunette gave her fingers a squeeze. Erica nodded a bit too eagerly and tried to suppress her smile.

Hands still entwined, the pair made their way out of the school. The blonde cleared her throat, her eyes darting around the empty halls nervously. When she caught sight of Lydia Martin and Allison Argent at the end of it, Erica pulled away from her

Gloria pretended not to notice. "Just gimmie a day and time," she told her. Running a hand through her messy hair, the older girl sniffed and feigned disinterest, but she understood why Erica had pulled away. Gloria ignored the two girls coming down the hall and held her hand out expectantly, "Here, you got your phone?"

Erica nodded and began to rifle through her overstuffed bag. Beside her, Gloria shifted awkwardly. She watched Lydia and Allison out of the corner of her eye, annoyed by their presence and Erica's reaction to it. Hand clenching and unclenching at her side, she pursed her painted lips and scowled as the girls passed them by without a second glance. Well, without a word. Allison offered them a quiet smile and Lydia sniffed with disapproval, keeping her strides steady so the other girl wouldn't pause.

Sneering at the redhead, Gloria popped the door open and stepped out onto the school steps. Erica followed, head down and still searching desperately through her bag for her phone.

Despite the bright afternoon sunlight, the air was brisk. It was expected, given they were midway through October, and Gloria felt like an idiot standing there in a tiny skirt and ridiculously thin tank top… especially when she was in a tiny skirt and a ridiculously thin tank top just to catch the attention of a girl who was _probably straight_.

Worse, it seemed like Erica might not only be straight, but ashamed to be seen with her. Irritation and anxiety welled in her as she thought of how quickly the blonde had let her hand go at the sight of Allison and Lydia. She thought about how Erica had ran from her in the hallway and how she had been so horrified at the thought of merely _touching_ her- even if it was something completely innocent. Subtly trying to pull her skirt down, Gloria noticed a familiar _Peugeot 205 GTI_ creeping into the parking lot. With a sigh, she glared at the two boys in the front seats as they beamed at her from the passenger window. The driver leaned forward and made kissy faces at the scowling girl as his passenger offered her a small wave. The brunette glared at them.

With a triumphant grin, Erica finally found her cell phone. "Here."

Gloria blinked as Erica passed her the phone. She took it from her and gave the shorter girl her own. As they began to type in their numbers, the hatchback honked. Once, twice, three times- each one making the blush on Gloria's cheeks darken a bit more, going from a light pink to a deep scarlet.

The blonde arched a brow. Looking from the older girl's muted features to the Peugeot, Erica asked, "Do you know them?"

Gloria didn't look up from the cell. Just shook her head firmly and replied with a stoic, "No."

"_Gloria!"_ Taksa sang from the driver's seat. His voice was loud and obnoxious and painfully embarrassing. He bounced his fist off the horn a few more times, relishing in both the brunette and his passenger's blushes. As the boy beside him covered his face in shame, Taksa screamed, "_Gloria Spruce!"_

Erica smirked, looking incredibly doubtful and incredibly smug. "Are you sure?"

Gloria didn't look up from the phone. Just kept her expression blank as she shook her head. "Positive."

"_Is that Erica?!_" Taksa screamed, leaning over Seth (ruffling the passenger's auburn hair in the process) and beaming at the girls.

Erica blushed. Pleased and a bit curious, she chanced another glance at Gloria, hoping for an explanation. She didn't get one. Instead, the brunette handed the phone back to the younger girl and shrugged the bag up on her shoulder. "See you around."

Disappointed, Erica`s shoulders slumped. Fiddling absently with her fingernails, she forced a weak smile as Gloria stomped down the steps. "Bye."

"_Hey!_" The driver yelled, ignoring the menacing glare on Gloria's face in favor of the lone blonde teen on the stairs. "_Hey, __**Erica!**_ _Do you want a ride?!_"

Both girls blinked in surprise. Hazel eyes wide, Gloria's hand stilled on the door's handle as she waited for a response from Reyes. Nervous, she glanced at Seth, who smiled softly at her before shifting his gaze back to the girl on the steps.

Behind her, Erica shifting her weight from foot to foot. She supposed them to both be around Gloria's age and no younger. She knew she shouldn't- getting into a car with a couple of strange older boys was probably a bad idea, but she was curious about the type of people Gloria hung out with. The type of people Gloria liked, so she nodded and made her way down. "Sure."

Gloria suppressed a grin that did little to suppress her dimples as she opened the door. Seth got out and popped the seat up. The brunette crawled into the back and kicked the back of the driver's seat. Irritated, she hissed at him, "You're dead to me, Tambe."

"Great!" Taksa motioned to the blonde through Seth's window. "Come on, girlie, get your ass in gear!"

Blushing, Erica slipped into the back seat beside the dark haired girl. When Gloria didn't meet her gaze, she redirected her attention back to the driver. He was attractive- really attractive, with dark brown skin and shoulder length black hair that was pulled back in a short ponytail. His smile was wide and showed off straight white teeth. He was quick to offer her a hand.

"I'm Taksa," He told her with a grin. His fingers were adorned with a couple thin silver and onyx rings. He nodded toward the other boy as he adjusted the seat and got back in the car. "This is Seth."

The passenger turned in his seat. He was cute. His smile was more boyish and coy, his white uniform dress shirt a bit more ruffled than Taksa's. A faint blush lined his pale cheeks and she noted that much like Gloria, he had a dimple in his right cheek. He lifted a hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you."

Propping an elbow up on the driver's headrest, Taksa grinned at her. "You must be Erica."

Beside her Gloria rolled her eyes and did up her seat belt. "Shut up, T."

Taksa didn't take his eyes off the blonde. They glittered with mischief and mirth and Erica noticed they were lightly rimmed with kohl liner. He spoke in an almost wistful tone, "Don't tell me to shut up, Gloria, I'm making friends."

Seth turned back around in his seat and began to fiddle with the radio. Taksa rounded on him, slapping the boy's hand away. "Don't touch my baby!"

"Your _baby _has been blaring static for the past two blocks," Seth replied. His voice was soft and gentle and he let his hand fall without a fight. "Can we put in a tape?"

"Sure." Taksa shrugged and looked back at the couple in the back seat. "Glory, you mind passing my bag up?"

Embarrassed by his antics, Gloria shook her head. Still, she reached down and pulled a thick canvas bag out from under the driver's seat. She handed it to Seth as she told them it was time to go.

"Fine." Taksa rolled his eyes. "Erica, do you have a preference?"

The blonde looked to Gloria, who looked incredibly bored. A bit worried she had overstepped her bounds by agreeing to the ride, Erica bit her bottom lip. Leaning against her door, she shook her head and looked out the window. "Um, no."

The driver picked up on the change in mood immediately and would have none of it. Propping the handle beside his door up, he slammed his seat back into Gloria's legs.

"_Goddamn it, Taksa!_"

"Stop ignoring your girlfriend!" the brunet told her in a sing-songy voice that only seemed to enrage her more. "It's rude."

"_So is breaking my goddamn knees!_" Gloria screamed at him. How loud and shrill her voice was in the confined space did little to quell her embarrassment.

Taksa merely let out an unimpressed hum. "Yes, well, you don't need knees to make nice."

Pushing his seat up, Gloria let out a shriek of rage as he pressed back against her. "Okay! Fine!_ Fuck!_"

The driver grinned and shrugged his shoulders playfully. "Good." He fixed his seat and popped in a tape. As the beginning of _Alien Ant Farm_'s_ Smooth Criminal_ cover began to play through the battered speakers, he glanced at Erica. "So, Glory spent the weekend with you, huh?'

After a long moment of staring at him, the Reyes girl replied with a brisk, "Yeah."

"And you survived!" The boy chuckled and quirked his chin up. "Good for you."

Brown eyes squinted at him. "Thanks?"

"She must really- what?" Taksa paused mid-sentence as Seth shot him a stern look. "What'd I say?"

Instead of answering him, Seth glanced at Gloria. They shared a weak smirk before he turned back around. The exchange didn't go unnoticed by Erica, who suddenly felt very uncomfortable, very young and _very_ stupid. Cheeks warm, the girl held her backpack tighter to her chest.

Gloria cleared her throat and looked back at the blonde. "So. Erica. This is Taksa and Seth. You can just ignore them if you want."

Erica smiled, but it was half-hearted and fake in a way that made Gloria's stomach knot.

Restless, the older girl twitched in her seat. "They're in the band."

The blonde pushed some of her frizzy bangs from her eyes. "What's it called?"

"V.D and Lemon Slushies," Seth told her with a simper.

Taksa's expression was hardly so subdued. Beaming, he glanced back at her as they pulled out of the parking lot. "But we're thinking of changing the name."

Gloria rolled her eyes. Rubbing her face, she sighed through her fingers. She was so sick of that goddamn joke.

"We're having a show on Halloween at the Distillery," Seth told the blonde with a quiet smile. "You should come."

A grin stretched over Erica's lips, but before she could speak, Gloria answered for her. Blunt and irritated, the brunette told him, "She can't."

The boy blinked in surprise. "Why not?"

"Because I fucking said so, that's why." Gloria sneered at him, glaring through dark liner and too much mascara. Seth frowned, but shrugged wordlessly as he turned back in his seat.

Erica felt tears scratch at the back of her throat. Embarrassed, she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip and kept her gaze on the back of the headrest in front of her. Clearly Gloria not only didn't want her around, but she also seemed ashamed of her. It made sense, really; of course she didn't care about being seen with the freak at Beacon Hills High, but around her friends? Her _real_ friends? Why would she want to babysit the stupid little sick girl then? Stomach in knots, Erica swallowed.

"That _is_ a good reason," Taksa agreed sarcastically. "We should answer all innocent questions with that tone. Especially around new people. Erica, baby, where'd you say you lived?"

"Oh, on Donahue."

"Oh, sweet, you're only a few blocks from me than." Taksa winked at her over his shoulder. He didn't seem at all put off on the Spruce's girl's sudden hostility. "We can gossip our about Gloria's mood swings some time."

"Sounds fun," Erica breathed with a hint of sarcasm.

Taksa chuckled, but said nothing.

Gloria on the other hand, was in complete hell. Hands clenching and unclenching at the material of her skirt, she clenched her jaw and prayed that Taksa would crash. Her fingernails buried in the thin fabric of her leggings, Gloria sighed. It wasn't that she didn't want Erica there. She did... kind of. The idea of playing to Erica made the older girl a bit uncomfortable for a reason she couldn't quite explain. Still, that wasn't the reason she had told them no.

"Well?"

The brunette blinked, looking up in surprise. Erica stood outside the car, looking at her with expectant eyes and a slightly hurt expression. "What?"

"Aren't you going to say goodbye?" Taksa pressed.

Gloria blinked and nodded. Glancing at the blonde, she offered her a brisk, "Goodbye."

Erica's features fell even further. Voice weak, she said, "Bye…" before she shut the door and all but ran into the house.

"Well." Taksa pulled out of the driveway. Voice a bit cooler than it had been, he told the young woman, "That was brutal. Even for you."

Gloria looked out the window. "Hm."

"I thought you liked Erica?" Seth asked with a hint of passive curiosity. "I mean, you spent the weekend with her."

Taksa smirked. "Men have died for less."

"I do. I _do_ like Erica." Gloria shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Pulling her short skirt down a bit, she rolled her shoulders in a restless manner. "I think."

Seth blinked, his dark eyes soft and understanding as he tilted his head. "Then why bite my head off when I mentioned our show?"

"Because you invited a girl with epilepsy to a rave!" Their female guitarist growled at him, "You can't invite a girl with epilepsy to a rave!"

"I didn't know that!"

Taksa ignored Seth's horrified expression and asked a question of his own, "Why didn't you just say that?"

Gloria fiddled with one of the holes on the knee of her leggings. "She doesn't like when I talk about it. I didn't want to embarrass her."

The boys shared a look. Shaking his head, Seth told her, "I don't think that's how she took it."

"I don't really give a shit how she took it," Gloria lied, crossing her arms defensively. "She can't come. End of story."

"No, _not _end of story." Taksa told her, locking the doors as he pulled up in front of his house. "Just explain to her what's up. You have her number right? Shoot her a quick text and we'll pretend we don't know about it next time we see her."

Gloria paused. The boys, and really all of her friends, had always been better at reading people than her. "You think she's that upset?"

"Yes!" The boys snapped in unison.

After being greeted to an empty house, Erica had sought refuge in her room. Teary eyed, she sniffed as she remembered how angry Gloria had been, and how she had ignored her during the ride. With her pillow clutched to her chest, the blonde lightly banged her head against her headboard. She was such an idiot. Of course Gloria didn't want her hanging out with her friends. She was just the sick kid everyone either pitied or hated. Sighing, Erica closed her eyes and fell onto her side.

A light chime roused her from the bed. With a frown, she sat up. It was probably her mom, texting her to tell her she'd be late or that dinner was in the oven. She flipped it open and blinked in surprise at Gloria's name.

_You can't come bc it's a rave. Rave + Epilepsy = bad time_.

Another text chimed through and the blonde opened it eagerly.

_I shouldn't have yelled. Sorry. See you at school, Bunny_.

Another chime.

_Shit. My phone autocorrected Bunny to Bunny_.

The cell phone chimed once more and Erica beamed.

_BLONDIE. SEE YOU AT SCHOOL, BLONDIE_

Tears dry, Erica leaned back against the headboard and typed out a quick message of her own: _Next time just say so. Don't bite my head off_.

There was a brief lull before Gloria replied with _ok_ and nothing else.

Smirking, the blonde shook her head and dropped her phone on the bed.

**A/N: Special thanks to my beta, DarkAngelz200! Sorry for the wait, guys and dolls**.


	15. My Prerogative

After a work out session that went on longer than Gloria would have liked (because her friends were bastards), Taksa finally took her home. She bid him goodbye and wasted no time cutting across her lawn. The girl righted one of the fake tombstones and fixed the fake cobwebbed that lined the bushes along the front of the bungalow before darting inside.

"I'm home!"

"I'm in the living room! How was the gym?"

With a yawn, Gloria dropped her duffle bag to the floor. She took the lone cigarette from behind her ear and made her way toward her mother's voice. As she fiddled with the filter, the younger Spruce stepped into the living room. "Fine."

Kathleen glanced at her from the couch. She was stretched out in her favorite flannel pajamas, looking incredibly comfortable and quite content as she went over the books for her business. Her thin rimmed glasses were perched on the edge of her nose and a warm smile graced her lips. "You're home late."

Gloria sighed before she face planted into the adjacent sectional of the couch. With her face buried in the plush cushions, she muttered, "I got busted at school today."

Her mother chuckled at the younger woman's dramatics. "What?"

The teen turned her face just a touch so she could be heard. "I got busted at school today."

Kathleen bolted up in alarm. Her book clattered to the floor as she spun to face her daughter. "Oh god, they didn't find your knife, did they?!"

"No." Gloria frowned. Turning her face to her mom, she ignored the relief on the older woman's features as she continued, "They found the citric acid I brought to Erica's and thought it was drugs so they called the cops." The teen grabbed a throw pillow. As she covered her head with it, she closed her eyes. "They wrecked my locker."

The woman sighed and moved to sit on the edge of the couch. Hand gentle on the younger brunette's back, Kathleen frowned. "Babe. Why didn't you call me?"

"I didn't want to bother you…" Gloria shuffled away from her mother's touch and deeper into the pillow. "Or for Dad to find out."

Hazel eyes fiery, Kathleen growled, "Those sons of bitches. The Sheriff said-"

"I know. He straightened them out."

"Good."

Gloria bit her lip and let her voice drop. "Erica saw."

The woman's eyes widened. Her hand stilled a moment before she moved to tug the pillow from her daughter's head. "Oh?"

Gloria huffed and held tight. "She probably thinks I'm some kind of fucking hood now."

A smile stretched over her mother's lips. Yanking the pillow away from Gloria's head, the woman forced her expression to something a bit more neutral. "I'm sure she doesn't." Kathleen pushed some of Gloria's dark hair from her stormy eyes and ignored the blush on her daughter's cheeks. With a cheeky grin, she told her, "Taksa says she seemed to really like you."

With a sigh, the girl sat up. She wanted to be annoyed that her friends had, once again, been gossiping about her with her own mother, but in reality she was just thankful it saved so much time.)A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth but she didn't say anything. She didn't have to- her mother was happy to fill the silence.

Sliding off the couch, Kathleen teased, "He seems to think she might even have a bit of a crush on you."

"Maybe." Gloria lifted a doubtful shoulder. "I've never been very good at reading signals. Or sending them." She thought back to how hurt Erica had looked standing outside the car and felt her stomach knot. "Whenever I try to be nice to her I screw it up and end up making her mad." The young brunette shrugged with a scowl. "It doesn't matter anyway. The doctor said I wouldn't feel that way about anyone."

"No, the doctor said sexuality is fluid." Kathleen eyed her with a frown. Watching as Gloria wrapped her arms around her knees, she bit her lip. Her mother swallowed and took a seat on the edge of the armrest. "I know you're Ace…but maybe you're having…romantic feelings for her. Not sexual."

"It doesn't matter what I'm feeling." Gloria's cheeks turned red as she moved away from her. Pushing herself off the couch, the girl rolled her shoulders. Arms crossed over her chest, she shifted her weight from foot to foot. "It just needs to stop."

"Why? Why does it need to stop?"

"Because I'll fuck it up!" Gloria screeched and ignored how her mother's eyes softened at her as she began to rant, "She'll want something from me and I won't be able to give it to her because Cordell fucked me up for anyone who wants me!"

Kathleen's eyes widened. "Gloria!"

"I'm gonna go take a nap." She turned and left the living room before her mother could say anything.

"Gloria, you get back here!" Kathleen yelled as she chased after her.

The young woman flinched as her mom grabbed her by the shoulder. She let herself be spun around, but kept her face down. Kathleen grabbed her by the chin and tried to force her to meet her gaze, but her daughter refused to look at her.

"You know that's not true, right?" She pressed, fussing over the girl's long dark hair and trying to ignore the shake of her daughter's shoulders. "You know you're not tainted or dirty or damaged just because of what happened to you?!"

Gloria swallowed before she lied, "I know."

She knew that just because she was a _victim_ didn't mean there was anything inherently wrong with her. Physically there was wasn't. Still…it felt like she had been carrying around a defensive weight on her shoulders since _it_ happened. And it _had_ tainted her; it had tainted her innocence and taken something she couldn't explain. It had damaged any future relationships she would ever have and just knowing that Cordell and his stupid fucking cronies still had that power over her was emotionally exhausting.

Not wanting to upset her mom any further, Gloria forced a smile and lifted a weak shoulder. "It just feels like that sometimes."

"It's gonna get easier, kid." Kathleen pushed some of her daughter's hair back and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "It just takes time. And if Erica doesn't understand that- hell, if anyone doesn't understand that, they're not worth your time, you hear me?"

Gloria nodded. She accepted her mother's embrace and even returned it, but her stomach was still tight. When Kathleen asked if she was hungry, the girl turned her down.

"Just tired," her daughter replied with a shrug. "I think I'm gonna hit the shower and go to bed."

The older Spruce eyed her skeptically, but nodded. "I ordered pizza earlier. There's some in the fridge if you want it later."

Gloria offered her a weak quirk of her lips. "Thanks."

Kathleen pressed another kiss to her daughter's forehead before she let the girl go.

By the next morning, Gloria had more or less gotten over her anxiety. Her mother was right; if Erica couldn't handle her baggage, she wasn't worth getting upset over. After a hot shower and some cold pizza for breakfast, the girl was feeling pretty good. Not great, but not terrible. Hips swinging in a strut, she grabbed a chain for her bicycle and headed off to school.

The moment she stepped through the doors, the last person she wanted to see was by her side.

"Gloria! Hey, uh, how are you? You look good, I mean, you look normal, well, normal for you, like _scary_ normal, ya know?"

Stiles fucking Stilinski.

Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, she prayed for his death. Gloria didn't pause her long strides as she moved through the mess of students toward her locker. Stiles stayed glued to her side, talking a mile a minute as he asked about how she was, what she was doing, how she was liking the school.

After a full minute of his attempts to create a dialogue, the brunette had enough. Grabbing him by the collar of his flannel shirt, she slammed him into a locker. With a sneer, she stuck her forearm over his throat and growled, "Look, kid. I get that your daddy probably put you up to being my babysitter after what happened yesterday, but I'm _really_ not in the mood for that stalkery shit you like to pull."

"St-stalkery shit?" The boy squeaked. He swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing against the leather of her sleeve. "What stalkery shit?"

"That crap you pull with Martin and that kid you're always hangin' around with. You're kind of obvious." Gloria shrugged her arm off him and turned away. Flipping her messy hair over her shoulder, she thumbed her nose and sniffed to show her disgust.

As she began to walk, Stiles once again followed. Close at her heels, he snapped, "I was just being nice! And yeah, my dad _did_ ask me to check on you! See how you were fitting it, so what?"

At the sight of Erica leaning against her locker, Gloria felt a blush come across her cheeks. Teeth grit together, she managed a low, "I'm fine."

"Oh really?" The boy shrugged up the strap of his backpack. "Because you got arrested yesterday and half the school is talking about you."

Erica beamed at the sight of her, but faltered as her eyes fell to the boy. Curious, she looked between them. Still, she said nothing as Gloria brushed her out of the way of her locker. As the brunette's fingers spun the dial of her lock, the younger girl greeted the boy. "Hi, Stiles."

Stiles offered her a pleasant, if not puzzled glance. "Hey."

Erica's smile brightened, but fell once he looked back to Gloria.

Stiles arched a brow at the Spruce girl and bobbed his shoulders. "So I'd say you're not really _fine_. More like a deviant. So my dad's probably right to worry about your mental state, I mean, trying to start a drug ring in a high school, really?"

Exasperated, the brunette shoved him hard. "Will you fuck off already? Don't you have balls to chase or redheads to worship?" Gloria asked, tone biting and eyes hard as she realized with a hint of dread that Erica's eyes were still on the boy. That her gaze was approving and a little flustered and Gloria wanted to die.

Not only did Erica clearly have a crush on a boy, which really was bad enough, but she had a crush on a boy who was absolutely _nothing like her_. That stung. Stiles was a chatty, annoying little shit- but he was also rather expressive and animated. As he muttered something about rudeness and stalked off, Gloria hid her disappointment by shoving her bag in her locker.

Erica watched the skinny dweeb as he retreated and leaned casually against the locker beside the brunette. "A drug ring, huh?"

"Shut the fuck up, Reyes."

Amused, Erica glanced at the older girl. Gloria wasn't wearing her usual high top boots, but rather a pair of running shoes that put them at almost the same height with inch advantage being in the Spruce girl's favor. Her hair was down, leaving it a jumble of frizzy curls. With a smirk, she let out a quiet, "Mhm."

"Is there something you wanted, or were you just hanging around my locker in hopes of getting a piece of that hot Stilinski action?" The elder student asked, her gaze hard and lips peeled back in a snarl that Erica didn't deserve.

The blonde blushed and averted her gaze. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, I bet you don't," Gloria muttered under her breath. Grabbing her gym bag from her backpack, she asked, "Well? What is it?"

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to get some sales tonight." Erica crossed her arms over her chest with a frown. Refusing to be embarrassed or shamed by the older girl, she swallowed. "When did you become friends with Stiles, anyway? I've never seen you two talk before."

"We're not. Don't even say that." A tired hand raked over her face as the taller teen sighed. "He's just checking on me for his dad."

"Oh." Not wanting Gloria to know she had seen her with the man, Erica played dumb. "You and the Sheriff know each other?"

"Yeah," Gloria let out a grunt of humorless laughter. "We got _real_ close after he arrested my dad."

Erica's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything as the older girl slammed her locker shut. She didn't say anything, just frowned as Gloria stalked down the halls, slamming her shoulders into anyone who didn't get out of the way fast enough.

**A/N: Special thanks to my beta, DarkAngelz200! I can't guarantee that canon characters will be in every chapter (because Erica's backstory centers around being ignored) but I will make a point to have them show up more often. Sorry for the wait, guys and dolls**.


	16. Jenny

Gloria spent the rest of her day annoyed. She wasn't annoyed with Erica. It was pointless to be annoyed with Erica. The Reyes girl couldn't help her sexuality any more than Gloria could. So she opted to be annoyed with herself. It was stupid of her to get her hopes up. Just because someone batted their eyelashes at her and paid her the least bit of positive attention didn't mean they were attracted to her.

Her heel jerked up and down as she waited for class to end. The pretty little blonde had shot her a few glances, had tried to make conversation, but all Gloria could think of was getting out of there. Every technique they had taught her in anger management was failing her. Not just because of the revelation of Erica's preference but because Stilinski had been right- most of the school was talking about her.

Which was fine, really. She could handle that. Gloria had been handling that since she first transferred to Beacon Hills High. What she couldn't handle was the odd student who had the audacity to come up to her and ask her if she was holding. The brunette licked her teeth and sniffed. She had never liked being the center of attention. Especially not when that attention was coming from burn outs or boys. Pen tapping against her binder, Gloria thumbed the cap of it.

"What's wrong?"

She shot the girl beside her a glare. "Nothing."

Erica frowned at her. Voice low, she set a hand on her jittery knee, "Tell me."

Gloria's entire body stiffened. Shying away from the touch, she slapped the blonde's hand away. "Don't."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No!" The older girl hissed at her. Cheeks pink, Gloria crossed her ankles under her chair and dropped her face to her binder. She wanted a cigarette. A cigarette, some personal space and maybe a punching bag. Vaguely, she could hear a couple boys whispering about her (_junkie slut_) and Erica (_spaz_) and decided that if need be, they would do in a pinch. With her nails digging into her palm, Gloria sat up once more.

"Are we meeting up tonight?"

The brunette's brow knotted as the bell rang above their heads. Around them, students began to gather their things and Gloria stifled a relieved sigh. She stood and raked a hand over her face.

Erica was still watching her. Brown eyes earnest and features drawn, she pressed, "Well? You said we had to start selling soon and I know you don't have band tonight."

"I can do it myself." The brunette grabbed her binder and shoved it in her bag. "Don't worry about it."

"No!" Erica slung the strap of her backpack over her shoulder and stood as Gloria did. "We're supposed to be partners! I want to do my share of the work!"

The older teen rolled her eyes. She didn't bother to answer, just made her way out of the classroom, but Erica stayed hot on her heels.

"Quit ignoring me! You've been ignoring me all day and I want to know why!"

"I've just had a bad day, god, get off my dick about it, Reyes."

"Don't call me _Reyes_." Erica swallowed. Everyone in school called her that- the kids, the teachers; it was impersonal and aloof, and the last thing she wanted to hear from the girl in front of her. "You only call me that when you're mad at me."

Gloria licked her lips and hiked her bag up. For a few moments, she was silent. She just let them get herded along with the crowd out the front doors. In the cool October sunlight, the Spruce nodded toward the bike racks. "My mom said we can use her kiosk at the mall, but I can't drive us."

The blonde's features didn't change. Still tense and wary, she demanded, "Tell me why you're mad at me."

With a hint of a whine in her voice, Gloria rolled her restless shoulders. "I'm not!"

"Then why are you treating me like crap?" Erica worried her bottom lip. Voice a bit lower than it had been, she leaned a bit closer to the brunette, "Is it because of Stiles? Because I-"

Gloria scoffed at her. Throwing her dark hair over her shoulder, she snarled at the younger girl, "I don't give a shit who you wanna fuck, Reyes, you're not that important."

"Stop being mean to me." The Reyes girl grabbed her by the arm. To her surprise, the older teen didn't pull away- but she did flinch. It was a sharp, sad action and some of the angry ebbed out of Erica. Thumbing the crook of Gloria's elbow, she eased forward. "I'm sick of you always being mean to me."

"I'm sorry." And she was. Gloria didn't want to be a bully. Just a bitch, but not to Erica. Still, she couldn't completely help it. All the bile from the day had just come spewing out before she could help herself. Shrugging a limp shoulder, she reached into the pocket inside her motorcycle jacket. "It just weirds me out."

"What?" Erica raised her brows and couldn't resist the urge to sneer. "That I might like someone other than you?"

Gloria didn't say anything to that as she jerked her arm away. Just tapped a cigarette out of the carton and stuck it back in her pocket. With a sniff, she put the smoke between her painted red lips and scratched her eyebrow with her thumb. "I can't pick you up."

Erica scoffed at her. "I'm not letting this go. Tell me."

"Why do you even like him?" The Spruce girl couldn't look at her. Instead she busied herself with a pack of matches and pretended not to notice the pleased smirk on the young blonde's lips. "He's such a total fuckwagon."

"Fuckwagon?" Erica repeated with amusement. "Haven't heard that one before."

Gloria sniffed and lit her cigarette. "Whatever. You could do better than him."

"Really?" The blonde grinned, wicked and wide. "You think?"

The taller teen didn't reply to that. Just threw her match away and told her, "I'll swing by your house for four. I've got to hit my house up and get the stuff."

Erica rolled her eyes at Gloria's attempts at indifference, but let her walk away without another word.

True to her word, Gloria showed up on Erica's porch at four. Well, four thirty, but that was close enough, the brunette reasoned. She had her pink duffle bag slung over her shoulder and was dressed…oddly. At least, oddly for Gloria.

Erica stared at her. She took in Gloria's khakis and dark pink cardigan and the camisole covered in little pink roses. Her makeup was light (with the exception of her dark lipstick) and her hair pulled back in a high, valley girl style pony tail. It was…cute. Adorable even, despite the scowl the elder teen was wearing along with it.

"Shut up," Gloria warned her as Erica opened her mouth to speak. She wasn't completely comfortable in her new, well_, old _get up. She hadn't worn the tank or trousers since freshmen year and both were a little tight; the tank top she could live with, but the khakis were making her hate her stupid thighs and frankly, they chaffed some rather delicate areas she didn't want to talk about. "You're next."

"I'm next?" The blonde repeated with a hint of trepidation. "What do you mean _I'm next?_"

Gloria raked her gaze up and down Erica's form. Her clothes were shapeless and her hair messy and while she didn't personally mind the look, the brunette knew the public wouldn't. "You ain't gonna sell anything dressed like a homeless person, Blondie."

The younger girl blushed, but stepped back inside to let Gloria pass. "I don't look homeless!"

"Come on, you look a _little_ homeless. I mean, it's cool, it works for you, just not right now." The brunette slipped her hand around Erica's hips and spun her around. She urged her toward the stairs. "Is your mom home?"

"No."

"Good. That means I don't have to talk to her."

The two made their way up to Erica's room quickly. The Reyes girl licked her lips and gently shut the door behind them. She thought of how jealous Gloria had been, of how she had snapped at her about how she could do better than Stiles and swallowed. Her fingers fiddled with the hem of her baggy sweatshirt.

Curious, she stepped up to where Gloria was spreading out the contents of her duffle bag on her bed. Erica sunk her teeth into her bottom lip at the sight of the clothes. There were only a few outfits, but they weren't anything like she usually wore- or admittedly, anything like Gloria usually wore either. Beside them were about a dozen unmade cardboard boxes and some ribbon.

"I printed up the logos," The blonde told her as she reached out and touched one of the cardigans on the bed. It was wool, fuzzy and warm and a bit more fitted than she was used to.

"Awesome." Gloria eyed the girl's inspecting fingers and told her, "If you want I could look through your clothes- you don't have to wear any of these, I just thought they could give you an idea of what professional looks like."

The blonde arched a playful, teasing eyebrow. "Professional looks like a bunch of cardigans and khaki?"

The elder girl chuckled, a husky sweet sound that went straight between Erica's legs. "Well, I googled it and everyone was in blazers and button ups, but I don't have any of those."

The blonde's fingers moved to the hem of Gloria's pink sweater. "And these are just what you had on hand?"

The Spruce girl shrugged. "Me and my mom."

"Huh."

"So?" Gloria pressed, tilting her head around the blonde. "Should I look in your closet or do you like any of these."

"I don't think the pants will fit…I mean, your underwear didn't."

Gloria blushed faintly at the memory. Clearing her throat, she reached into the bag. "I brought a belt."

"Oh. Good." Erica took the thin brown leather strip from her. "And you can look. Most of my clothes are in there other than like socks and stuff."

The brunette perked up an eyebrow, but said nothing. Just stepped around her and moved over to the closet as Erica took a seat on the bed. Rubbing her crossed legs, some of her uncertainty was ebbed away as she noticed that Gloria was in a clunky pair of spiked black boots. Her amused smirk turned a bit more sober as her gaze swept from her feet up the tight khakis the brunette wore. Gaze locked firmly on Gloria's ass, she almost missed her words.

"Some of this stuff will work just fine," the elder girl held up a sapphire blouse Erica's grandmother had gotten her for her birthday. "Does this fit? Because you could wear this with a pair of jeans and a cardigan and we'd be good to go."

"Oh, I don't really wear that. It's kind of tight." She motioned to chest.

The brunette gave an understanding nod and tucked it back into her closet. "Too bad. With your skin tone and eyes that color probably looks fantastic on you."

A smile bloomed on Erica's lips. Sitting up a bit straighter, she asked, "You think?"

"Sure." Gloria glanced back at her. Her expression was passive. Not totally understanding the sudden glow the girl on the bed seemed to have, she explained, "With beautiful brown eyes like yours, I bet you can wear lots of bold colors."

"I didn't know that." Erica bit her bottom lip and moved to stand beside her. Diane had only ever told her what she should avoid wearing; what would emphasize her acne or her stomach, without telling her what she should. Hoping to learn a bit, she slipped her hands in her back pockets and looked hopefully at Gloria.

The brunette glanced down at the younger girl. A bit puzzled as to why Erica was looking at her like that. Arching a puzzled brow, Gloria decided to turn back to the task at hand. She flipped through the mass of baggy sweaters and mom jeans before she stumbled upon a pair of dark trousers and a pale lilac tank top. "Got a problem with either of these?"

"Um, I mean if I put on a sweater they should be fine."

The Spruce girl shook her head but kept her annoyance to herself. Instead, she grabbed the unmade boxes and ribbon and nodded toward the door. "I'll be in the living room. Come down whenever."

"Oh."

"What?"

"I just thought...I thought maybe you wanted me to…"

Gloria chuckled. "What? You thought I was gonna hang around and watch you change? What kind of pervert do you think I am, Blondie?"

The younger girl faltered. Clearly embarrassed, Erica dropped her gaze.

Licking her lips, the brunette shrugged. "I mean, if you wanted me to stay for like...a critique or whatever, I could."

"You don't have to if you don't want to." The blonde shook her head. The action was quick and almost frantic despite the smile in her voice.

With a shrug, Gloria fell onto the mattress. Hazel eyes dancing just a touch, she nodded to the clothes in the blonde's arms. "Well, go on then. We ain't got all night."

With a lick of her lips, Erica pulled off her slouchy gray sweater and promptly began to panic. Her t-shirt was too small; it showed off the swell of her stomach and the way her bra bit into her skin, making visible bumps and lumps and without thinking she quickly yanked it off. It fell to her feet as a thought struck her. Shit, had she shaved her underarms?! Keeping her arms tight to her sides, Erica kept her head down as she fumbled out of her jeans. They caught around her knees and the blonde quickly covered her crotch with shaky hands. She still hadn't even attempted doing anything with her pubic hair. After a few seconds of silence, she shot Gloria an equally uncomfortable smile.

To her surprise, the brunette's features were muted, if not a little annoyed. Her lips pursed and her hazel eyes narrow, she asked, "Are you freaking kidding me, Reyes?"

Erica flinched and bent one knee to cover herself better. Cheeks hot, she asked, "What?"

"You've got legs like a friggin' Barbie!" Gloria declared in a voice that was too loud to be completely apathetic.

"Oh." Her shoulders relaxed a little. A small smile tugged at her mouth. Proud, she cleared her throat delicately and reached to put her trousers on. They were tighter than she usually wore, but not skin tight like Gloria typically preferred. The blonde tugged idly at the wing of her bra where it dug into her side.

The elder girl got off the bed, crossed the room and spun her around. Her fingertips were calloused and her hands warm on her hips, but the caress only lasted a moment before she began to adjust the straps of her bra for the blonde. Cheeks a dark red, Erica chanced a glance at the full length mirror on the back of her closet door. Gloria's expression was mute and her eyes as soft as her touch.

Nimble digits began to ease some of the pressure from her bra strap. "Have you ever had a bra fitting before? I think you're wearing the wrong size."

A bit sheepishly, the girl shook her head. "Um, no, I haven't."

Gloria raised an inquisitive brow. The bra was _way_ too tight. There was no way it wasn't painful and she felt a hint of pity for the shorter teen. "Well, what size is this?"

"A 34 A."

"An _A_?!" The elder girl shook her head. "Babe, I'm a 36 B cup and you could barely fit into mine- how is this not cutting off your circulation?!"

"It's not that bad." Erica's shoulders twitched defensively. "I've always worn an A. I'm an A cup."

"Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this, Blondie, but the Puberty Fairy has blessed you." She snapped the younger girl bra strap and shot her a pointed look in the mirror. "And she has declared you buxom."

Blushing, the Reyes girl shook her head. Gloria nodded firmly back. As her fingers went back to fixing her straps, she shook her head. "We'll get you some new digs at the mall."

"I can't, I mean-"

"Babe."

Erica quieted as Gloria tried to wedge a finger into the wing of her bra. She flinched away from the prying touch. "_Don't_."

"This isn't healthy."

The young woman's blush darkened. "It's just baby fat."

"What? No, your body is _not _the problem here, Erica. Your clothes are." Gloria shifted closer, letting her chest brush the teen's back as she pulled at the bridge of the white material that clung too tightly into Erica's breastbone. "You've got a great body-"

The brunette faltered as the blonde spun to face her. Erica's cheeks were red and her brown eyes narrow as she sneered, "You don't know anything about my body! You're completely in proportion! If I wear anything even slightly fitted I look a like a total tramp."

Gloria blinked. Face blank, she told her, "Being busty doesn't make you a tramp and neither does wearing tight clothes." Brushing some of the yellow hair from the girl's tan shoulder, she gave it a squeeze. "And I'm not saying you have to get a whole new wardrobe. But you need a bra that fits. You're quad-boobing."

"I'm _what?"_ Despite her frustration, Erica choked out a laugh.

"Quad-boobing. One, two, three, four." She tapped the two swells that spilled over the bra, then each cup and reaffirmed, "Quad-boobing."

The Reyes girl just gaped at her.

"What?" The brunette furrowed her brow. "That's what it's called!"

With a roll of her eyes and a fierce flush, Erica pulled on the lilac tank top. She snatched the cardigan out of the taller teen's hands and shrugged it on. She scowled at the sight of her breasts and crossed her arms over the exposed skin.

Gloria shook her head. "If it makes you uncomfortable, don't wear it."

The younger student ripped the sweater off and threw it to the floor. At the Spruce girl's sigh, she swallowed and covered her flushing face.

"Look at me."

Annoyed, Erica did. Gloria's expression was surprisingly open and understanding and it was her turn to hesitate as the taller girl fluffed her light hair.

"If you don't want to go to the mall, I'm not going to make you and I'm not going to make you dress in any way that makes you uncomfortable. It was just an idea." The brunette tucked a piece of straw blonde hair behind Erica's ear. "But you should still get new bra. If not with me than with your mom."

With a hard swallow and a lick of her lips, Erica asked if maybe they could work on the boxes before she decided. Gloria offered her a slight smirk and a nod before she pulled back too offer the blonde her hand.

With a bright smile, Erica took it.

They grabbed the boxes (and some snacks) and made their way to the living room down stairs. With Casper playing on one of the local channels, the two of them settled on the couch to begin the tedious task of ribbon striping. Jenkins joined them, drawn in by the strange noise of scissors against plastic string. He stretched out across the armrest closest to his owner.

Gloria glared at him, but merely continued to make boxes. Used to making them for her mother's store, she was able to make quick work of them and turned her gaze to the television. A scowl crossed her lips at the scene on the screen. "You know, there used to be a time when I thought that _can I keep you_ line was romantic. Now it's just creepy."

Erica rolled her eyes at her melodramatics and scratched Jenkins behind the ears. "It's just creepy because he's hovering over her while she sleeps. I think it's kind of sweet."

"Being possessive is sweet?" The older girl asked with a sneer.

The blonde shrugged. "Being wanted is."

The brunette's hackles rose at that. Gloria had been wanted before and it had ended badly for her. Her temper flared as she turned to face the blonde more directly. "Being a stalker isn't the good kind of wanting, you know that right?"

"What?" A curious chuckle left the younger girl. "Yeah, I mean, of course. It's just a movie, Gloria."

Gloria's features remained tight and almost anxious. Jaw clenched tight, she dug her nails into her khaki pants. "I just don't want you glorifying that kind of relationship."

Brown eyes squinted at her, but Erica's fingers never paused. "I'm not?"

"It's just...people aren't prizes, you know? You can't just keep them. It shouldn't be like that, especially if you care about someone."

Curious, Erica snuck a glance at her. "Have you ever been in a relationship before?"

The older brunette inclined her head awkwardly. "Well, no, but-"

"Then how do you know?" Erica pressed. At the girl's huff, she went on, "I don't think there's anything wrong with a little jealousy or possessiveness."

Unsure how to defend herself, Gloria shrugged. "I just think there should be more to it than that."

"I know." The blonde slipped her hand over Gloria's and tangled their fingers together. At the faint flush of the older student's cheeks, she went on, "I saw how you were with Stiles today...was that jealousy?"

"No. That was hatred. And a bit of irritation because of your bad taste."

The smile remained on the girl's lips as she replied, "I don't have bad taste."

Hazel eyes leveled at her in disagreement. "You have a crush on Stiles Stilinski."

With a giggle, Erica shifted a bit closer to her. "It's not like I can help it." Swallowing, she glanced down at their entwined fingers and stroked the back of her hand. "Hasn't anyone caught your eye?"

A cryptic smirk tugged at the Gloria's mouth. It was still painted a fierce red, despite her otherwise conservative outfit. "Nope."

"Really? There's no special guy or girl?"

The older girl shrugged and looked back at the television. The hint of eagerness in Erica's voice didn't go unnoticed, but it did go ignored. "I don't really know anyone besides you."

The blonde's shoulders slumped. "Oh, well, I'm sure you'll find someone you like."

"I'm not really looking." The omission earned a curious frown from the Reyes girl. "I'm not into all that sex stuff."

"Oh." Erica blinked with genuine surprise. "I just thought, with how you dressed and everything..."

"I give it up for anyone who give me a second glance?" Gloria sneered.

Worse, under the facade of rage, the blonde could see the hurt in her eyes and it made her stomach turn. Latching on to her arm, she shook her head. "No! No, Gloria, I never said that!"

The brunette shrugged her off and got off the couch. "You didn't have to."

"Why do you always do that?!"

Gloria faltered. Unsure why Erica was upset when _she _was the one who had been insulted, she asked, "Do what?"

"Whenever I try to say something you jump to the worst possible conclusion! And it's always about you." Frustrated tears lined Erica's brown eyes as she stood. Bending to catch the older girl's lowered gaze, she asked, "You really think I would spend so much time if I didn't like you? I'm not judging you, now will you please stop being so defensive?!"

"Well, damn, Blondie. There's no need to fall apart over my dramatic streak." Gloria reached out and tenderly thumbed away her tears. "I thought you just put up with me 'cause we're partners."

Erica leaned in to the touch with a sniffle. "How can you think that?"

"I'm sorry I put you through so much shit." The brunette stroked her cheek, her jaw, before she smoothed the shorter girl's light hair back. "I shouldn't and I _know_ I shouldn't. It's not fair of me to unload my crap on people all the time."

The younger student shrugged. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. Please don't say that," there was a hint of a plea in Gloria's voice as she shook her head, "Sometimes you just need to tell me to shut the fuck up, okay? Because I don't do it to hurt you, I just...I always end up lashing out at the last people who deserve it…" She thought a moment before her hazel eyes sharpened. "Except Stilinski because seriously, fuck that kid. You could do so much better than him."

"Shut up."

Gloria faltered. "What?"

"I said shut up," Erica told her with a smile.

The older girl flinched. "But I- I was being nice? I mean, not to Stiles, but-"

"Gloria, you're the only person I know who can make me feel so worthless one minute and like the most important person in the room, you know that?"

Gloria lifted a shoulder. "You're always the most important person in the room."

The blonde's smile grew, warm and bright just like her brown eyes before she fought it down a bit. "I am?"

Gloria nodded.

The shorter girl wrapped her arms around the brunette's shoulders. She stiffened, but Erica didn't mind. As long as she didn't push her away, Gloria could be as stiff as she wanted. Her fingers found the taller girl's dark hair. Voice quiet, the blonde asked why she was so mad all the time.

She got a shrug and a stilted, "lots of reasons," in reply.

Keeping her hands on Gloria's shoulders, Erica pulled back a bit. With a subtle shake of her head, she pressed, "but you get mad about everything; things that don't even make sense. Like when I tried to help you pick up your stuff and you take every joke I make so personally."

"I know." The Spruce girl sighed and rubbed her brow. "I just...when you make jokes like that… I worry you believe them."

"What?"

"When you talk about me dressing like I'm cheap or thinking I'm some kind of hood." She swallowed thickly and rolled her shoulders. Erica was too close and too unfamiliar and it was hard, having her touch her so much. It was hard _wanting_ to touch her so much. "I get mad because I'm not." Her hazel eyes returned to the brown in front of her. "And everyone thinks I am, but I hate them," the words were delivered with a simple, unfeeling cadence, "so it doesn't matter. I don't want you to think that I am."

"You are what?" The blonde pried gently.

Her voice broke, "What everyone thinks I am. I want you to like me for _me_ not because you think I'm some tough slut, ya know?"

"I know, and I do like you for you." When the brunette only offered her a skeptical frown, Erica teased, "Mama's girl and all."

A shy smile broke over her painted mouth and before the young girl could really fathom the consequences, Erica kissed her.

**_Apologies for any mistakes, this and the new chapter of Dog Teeth are both unbetaed._**


	17. Weak and Powerless

**A/N: this is mostly unbeta-ed. And I would like to dedicate it to spud329, who got me off my ass to finish it.**

For a few moments, the girls were still.

The kiss was gentle and unobtrusive, not even deep enough for Erica to feel anything other than the slick of Gloria's red lipstick. She had never kissed anyone before, but she had fantasized about it a lot. About the stupid grin that would cross the boy's mouth (usually Stiles) and how they would sweep her up in their arms and spin her around.

Gloria didn't do that. She didn't smile or blush or even pull her closer. She was still and quiet and Erica forced her eyes to open. The brunette's expression was almost pained, screwed up tight and her body stiff, and Erica felt dread swell in her stomach as she pulled away.

It was Gloria's first kiss- or at least, the first she had even consented to. She could feel phantom hands bracing her from behind as another pair spread her knees and felt her stomach lurch. Her hazel eyes opened to find Erica looking back at her. The younger girl's expression was hopeful and anxious, and a small smirk tugged at her lips. Gloria couldn't stop staring at them. They were stained with her dark red lipstick, tainted by it. Tainted by _her _and the older girl couldn't look away from them.

"So…that was…something." Erica smiled and moved to push a strand of Gloria's dark hair from her cheek, only to have the older girl flinch away. "Gloria?"

The brunette stumbled back. Her pale cheeks flushed and throat tight, she hiked a thumb over her shoulder as the walls began to close in on her. She had to go and she had to go _right now_ before she ruined Erica's first kiss with a panic attack. Heart pounding, she swallowed and moved to grab her duffle bag. "I gotta go."

"What?" The blonde's face dropped. "I mean, did I-"

Gloria sniffed and wiped her eyes. When the Reyes girl went to touch her arm, she jerked away from her. "I just have to go, okay?!"

"Oh…kay."

The older girl was gone by the time the words were out of her mouth and Erica felt tears prick her eyes. She was such an idiot. Of course Gloria didn't like her. Why would she? And now she had ruined the first friendship she'd had in years over some silly crush. Out of the corner of her eyes, Erica caught sight of her reflection. Feverishly, she rubbed at her mouth, trying to rid her lips of the residue from their kiss. From her first kiss- with a girl who probably couldn't stand the sight of her anymore. A few tears slipped from her lashes and she let out a huff as she fought them down. How could she have been so stupid? Just because Gloria was nice to her didn't mean she was in love with her.

Erica paused at that. No, she wasn't in love with Gloria, she couldn't be. She wouldn't let herself be. Erica wouldn't make an even bigger fool of herself by being in love with someone like Gloria. Someone so aggressive and mean. Someone who liked to flaunt her sexuality with no intention of sharing it with anyone. Especially not a loser like Erica- the school spaz. The blonde took a few deep breaths.

Fighting down her embarrassment, she thought of Gloria's expression; how it had been calm and even a bit intrigued before it tightened. Before fear flashed in her hazel eyes and she ran. Confusion bubbled in the Reyes girl. She thought of how Gloria had called her beautiful, she thought of how she had blushed and offered her underwear and felt annoyance replace her confusion. It wasn't fair. If Gloria wanted to reject her fine but she shouldn't have ran. Shouldn't have taken the coward's way out and left without an explanation. Disgusted, she shook her head and squared her shoulders.

The girl looked up as the door opened, but her shoulders fell as her mother's voice greeted her. Erica faltered and fell onto the couch, not bothering to answer. Crossing her arms over her suddenly upset stomach, she licked her lips. It wasn't exactly fair of her to push her feelings on Gloria either. Maybe Gloria was just sorting her feelings out. Hopefully she would still want to be friends.

"I picked up some soup from that little bistro on Third." Diane poked her head into the living room and offered her daughter a curious smile. "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

She could confront the Spruce girl in the morning; maybe they could pretend like it never happened. Erica shook her head and stood.

Diane blinked with surprise. "Are you wearing lipstick?"

The younger woman gaped a moment before she managed to stumble out a lie. "Gloria...loaned me some of hers, but I didn't like the color. So I rubbed it off."

"Oh." A smile lit up her mother's face. Diane didn't seem to notice Erica's discomfort as she went on, "If you want to start wearing makeup, I could buy you some." She shot the girl a playful wink. "I'm sure all the boys would chase you if you put a little more effort into your looks."

Erica's expression became tight. "Yeah."

"Mhm. How about we go to the mall this weekend? Get you some new clothes, too."

"Okay, Mom. Sounds great."

A few streets over, the brunette couldn't breathe. She could still feel the hands on her, still hear husky laughter and hoots that had haunted her for the past eleven months. Her nails raked over her scalp as she rocked back and forth. Her harsh panting made the air in the dirty garage seem too thin. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she wasn't ashamed of them. Gloria didn't have it in her to care about how she looked. About how her lipstick was smeared or how her delicate eyeliner had started to smudge. All she cared about was getting it to _stop_.

Taksa swallowed as he watched his best friend tremble. She was curled up small in the corner, her knees tucked up to her chest and her khakis dirty from the concrete floor. His fingers shook as he typed out a message to Kathleen. She would know what to do. She always knew what to do when her daughter was past being verbal. There was a brief pause where the only thing to be heard was the girl's whimpers and Taksa cringed when she jumped at the sound of his text chime.

_I'll be right there. _Her mother wrote_. Try to get her to focus on something else. Don't freak out. It's going to be okay. Tell her that. Get her to repeat it. Do NOT try to touch her._

With a nod, the boy slowly approached the cowering brunette. With a deep breath, he slowly settled a few feet in front of her. Gloria was pale and her breathing harsh and Taksa felt a pang. She had been doing so well. It had been months since her last panic attack. Clearing his throat, he ignored her flinch and asked if she was okay. "Physically, I mean. Did something happen?"

Gloria's features twisted a moment before she nodded.

"Something bad? Like...like last time?"

Her hands covered her eyes. With a frantic shake of her head, she tried to explain, "Er….Eric...Erica, she- she…"

"Did something happen to Erica?" Taksa asked. His tone was light and his features passive. He had dealt with this before and now that the initial panic of _oh god it happened again_ had past, the boy remembered what to do.

"She…" Gloria swallowed and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. She took a few deep breathes, reminded herself that she was safe, that no one was going to hurt her and tried to stop shaking. It didn't work. "She kissed me."

Taksa blinked with surprise. "Oh. Um, yay?"

She shook her head.

"I mean, boo, that sucks?" He offered with a puzzled squint.

Gloria shook her head again, the movement more frantic than it had been before.

"Well, damn Glory, you're gonna need to gimmie something to work with here," The Tambe boy teased.

The girl let out a bark of a laugh. At the sound, the boy slowly stood and fetched her a bottle of water. He offered it to her before he lowered himself back to the dirty concrete floor once more. Her hands shook too hard to open it, so he did it for her.

As Gloria took a few cautious sips, Taksa crossed his legs. His jeans were old and already oil stained, so he was hardly concerned with how dirty they were getting. He pretended not to notice when some spilled on her sweater and tank top and instead asked, "Is the water okay? It's not warm is it?" His friend shook her head and continued to nurse it. "Are you sure? Because my dad said that the mini fridge has been on the fritz lately."

Gloria sniffed. Holding the bottle to her chest, she told him, "It's fine. _I'm_ fine. Sorry for being such a freak."

His brown eyes stayed soft. "Wanna talk about it?"

Her fingers fiddled with the paper label. Burying her face in her knees, she took a few harsh breathes. She could still see Cordell's face in her mind, see his sneer and hear his friends jeering and she thought she was going to be sick. "I just wanna go home.

"I called your mom. She said she'd be here soon."

"She's gonna be so sad," the Spruce girl whispered. Closing her eyes, she ignored the sting of tears in them as she sniffled.

"No, she won't." Taksa shifted a bit closer, but paused when the mere sound of his sneakers scraping against the floor made her wince, her whole body jerking away from the sound. Sitting back, he told her, "She just wants you to be healthy, babe. And keeping all that shit bottled up all the time ain't healthy."

Gloria swallowed. She felt lightheaded and tired. "I just wanna go home."

"It's going to be okay, Glory." Her hazel rose to his at his voice. They were bloodshot and not quite focused and Taksa tried to put on a smile for her but failed. With a swallow, he leaned back from her.

The two waited in silence until Kathleen showed up. The woman wasted no time, immediately letting herself into the Tambe's garage. Taksa stood, wiping his hands anxiously on his dirty jeans, but stayed quiet. Her mother crouched down and at her sudden appearance, at her understanding, sad features, Gloria started sobbing all over again.

"Oh, sweetie, it's okay," The older brunette cooed and wrapped her arms around the girl as she began to bawl. "Let's get you home, okay?"

The teenager nodded and let her mother pulled her to her feet. Kathleen nodded to Taksa on the way out, but Gloria couldn't. She wasn't steady enough to stay on her feet, choking and whimpering at how she had screwed everything up again. For everyone. For her mom, for Taksa, for Erica, for her dad, for the band who would no doubt hear about this. Hand covering her eyes, the girl barely noticed when her mother put her in the back seat of the car. She curled up in a tight ball, fighting for air as the door shut behind her.

She couldn't remember the ride home, or being put to bed. Morning rolled around, then afternoon, before Gloria decided to venture from her room. She didn't have the strength to shower, still exhausted from her fit of hysterics and too worn down to care. Her glasses were slightly askew on her nose, the temples of them tangled in her messy hair, but she hardly noticed.

At the table, Kathleen was typing away at her laptop when she slunk into the kitchen. Her gaze rose and a weak smile lined her lips at the sight of her daughter. "Hey, sleepyhead."

Gloria grunted as she reached into the fridge for a carton of orange juice. For a few moments, she busied herself by collecting a glass before she confessed, "Erica kissed me."

The woman gaped at her before a smile blossomed over her lips. "Oh, sweetie, that's wonderful!"

"No, it isn't."

The woman face fell. "It isn't?"

Guilt made the teenager's stomach tight. Focusing on her juice, she refused to look back at her mother. "I was a bitch to her."

"Why? I thought you liked Erica?"

"I just…" Gloria shook her head with a sign. "I had to get out of there."

"Was it because of…?" Kathleen let her voice trail off. It wasn't judgemental or sad, but simply kind, as it always was. It would have infuriated the girl if it was coming from anyone else, but Gloria appreciated the tone.

"Yeah."

Her mother took a long inhale through her nose before she let it out. She stayed where she was, as to not impose on her daughter's personal space, just as the doctors they had seen recommended, but she wanted to. She wanted to sweep her fierce little girl up and rock her like she was a baby, like she had the night before when she was all but catatonic. Still, if Gloria was up and moving and better yet, talking, that usually meant the worst was over; but that didn't stop the flash of lethal, maternal rage Kathleen felt at the fact that even after so many therapy hours and restraining orders that something as simple as a kiss- a kiss from someone she was actually attracted to, was enough to cripple Gloria.

She watched her slide into the seat across from her and it was almost like looking at a stranger. Before..._before_, Gloria had been a bright, vivacious young woman. Always out and about, friends with half the school and always busy with something; from everything from chess club to cheerleading. Now they had to push her to go out, even to band practice or the gym, something she had always rushed to do before. The dark circles under her daughter's hazel eyes (the same shade as her father's, Kathleen thought fondly) felt like a punch to the stomach. So did the shake in her hands and the perpetually blank look on her little girl's face.

Softly, the woman asked, "Have you told her?"

Gloria's gaze sharpened behind her glasses as it lifted from her mug. "No."

"Maybe if you explained…" Her mother tried, voice gentle but when the teen shook her head with a hint of mania, she immediately dropped it. "Okay. Whatever you want, baby."

Swallowing back the sting of tears that itched at the back of her throat, the teen cringed as her voice cracked, "She'd look at me different."

"If she looks at you different than she's a little cunt."

Despite her fear, a laugh escaped her. "She's not. She's nice." Her expression sobered to something a bit contrite. "She's really nice."

"Why don't you text her? Tell her you weren't feeling well?"

Gloria lifted a shoulder.

Kathleen watched her shift uncomfortably a moment before she stood. The noise seemed to spook the girl, but she schooled her features quickly enough. Tucking her glasses into the neck hole of her t-shirt, her mother smiled. "You really like this girl, huh?"

"Doesn't matter." Gloria took a harsh gulp of her orange juice. "She's straight. She has a thing for the Sheriff's kid."

"I hate to tell you this, but straight girls generally don't go around kissing other girls'."

Since Gloria couldn't argue with that, she just scowled.

"Maybe she's bi."

"Maybe she's latching onto the first person to ever give her any attention," the young woman argued. Crossing her arms over her chest, she fought back a blush. She could still see Erica's smile, still feel her hand touching her cheek and couldn't decide whether she wanted to die or not. The idea of Erica using her, even unknowingly, to fluff her own ego made Gloria feel sick...but she had seemed so sincere. Pushing back from the table, she slipped around her mother. "I'm going back to bed."

"Glory- ah, god damn it," Kathleen muttered as she heard a door slam.


	18. Keep Me Warm

The next day, Gloria wasn't at school. Or the next. Erica supposed she should be worried, but mostly she was just mad. Mad that she was being blown off and mad that she was so relieved she didn't have to see her and mad that even when she wasn't there, Gloria found a way to make her completely crazy. Glaring at the empty seat beside her, she didn't notice the people talking about her, didn't notice that Finstock had called on her twice now and got no response. All she could think of was the piece of her mind she was going to give Gloria the next time she saw her.

If she wanted to bail on their friendship, fine, whatever. But avoiding her? That was just petty.

And if Gloria wanted petty, Erica was damn well going to give it to her.

"Reyes!" The man at the front of the classroom snapped.

Her head snapped up as a balled up piece of paper bounced off the back of her head. She thought about turning to glare at who threw it, but given how unimpressed her teacher already looked, she didn't want to risk it. "Huh?"

The class around her erupted into laughter.

"Alright, alright, shut up, you've all zoned out be- _damn it_," Finstock growled as the bell rang above them. "Fine, go! Get out of here you hormonal little bastards! Don't forget to read- hey, don't you walk faster! Pages 57 to 65 and answer questions one through eight! I see you, Greenberg! Don't you run away from me!"

With a sigh, Erica gathered her books and made her way to her locker. She kept her head down and quickly gathered her stuff before she began the walk home. Technically, she was supposed to take the bus, but after the fiasco that was her economics class, she really didn't want to risk dealing with anybody.

She was saving her rage for Gloria.

The October air was chill, whipping around her cheeks until they wind stung and pink. Her blocky sweater kept her body warm, but her face and hands were near numb by the time the young woman reached her street. She was in such a rush to get inside her house Erica almost didn't notice the slip of paper taped to her door. It wasn't until she was pulling her keys from her backpack she noticed it. A scrap of notebook paper with her name written on it in big, block letters in black ink.

Ripping it down, Erica let herself inside and let her backpack fall from her aching shoulders. After shutting and locking the door, she opened it.

**ERICA **

**GLORIA SPRUCE LIVES AT 198 SMITHSON CRESCENT. THOUGHT YOU MIGHT WANT TO KNOW.**

**-TOTALLY NOT TAKSA** _or seth._

Smirking with a hint of amusement at the added sentiment, Erica hummed. After a moment's consideration, she reached for her bag and pulled out her cellphone.

Her mother picked up on the fourth ring. "Erica? Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine, Mom. I was just wondering if you could give me a ride to Gloria's?"

"Oh, well-"

"She missed school today and I'm supposed to bring her some homework. Please?" Erica asked, forcing a bit of a plea into her voice.

"Okay, sweetie, I'll be home in about an hour, alright?"

"Okay."

"Alright, bye."

Erica huffed as her mother hung up.

The hour had passed, and Diane was nowhere to be seen. Then another. By the time she pulled into the driveway, the teenager had finished her homework. She had also ate dinner (okay, it was two bowls of cereal, but she was still full so it counted), showered and fed the cat.

After some flowery excuses and a half hearted apology, Erica was finally at the Spruce home.

Diane hummed with distaste at the sight of the little bungalow. With it's cheap Halloween decorations and unkempt lawn, it was hardly a proper home. No wonder the Spruce girl had such an attitude problem. Her eyes flickered over the neighborhood as she asked whether her daughter wanted her to wait for her. "Or you could call me, or I could give you some cab money."

"Um, maybe the money? I'm probably going to be a while." At the curious brow Diane raised, Erica explained, "We still haven't finished our project and since she missed class, we're a bit behind."

"Oh, well, here." The woman pulled a couple twenties from her purse. Erica pocketed them with a quiet thanks as her mother continued, "Try not to stay out too late, alright?"

The teen nodded and slipped from the car. "Alright. Bye."

She shut the door a bit harder than necessary. Before her daughter reached the door, Diane had pulled out of the laneway and was already halfway down the street. Glaring after her, Erica licked her lips and knocked on the door.

The woman who opened it was not at all what the blonde had been expecting. With her Harley Davidson tank top and acid washed jeans and delicate glasses, she was at least ten or fifteen years older than her own mother. She wasn't exactly what Erica had been expecting… This was, after all, Gloria's mother and the little punk had to get it from somewhere. But given how traditionally feminine her business was, Erica had kind of assumed the woman would be the same.

After a moment of gaping at her, the young woman stumbled, "Um, hi. Is- this is Gloria's house, right?"

"It is." The woman arched a brow and flashed a dimple in her right cheek as she smirked. Crossing her arms over her modest chest, she leaned against the doorway. "You must be Erica."

A bit struck by the fondness in the brunette woman's eyes and voice, the girl could only manage a nod.

"Well, she's out with Dinah, but she should be home soon…" Kathleen nodded into the house and opened the door a bit wider. "Why don't you come in out of the cold and have a cup of tea with me? Kill the time?"

"I…"

"It'll be fun." She chuckled and pushed her thin rimmed glasses up her nose. "You can tell me all about the shenanigans my lovely daughter has been getting up to."

A bit thrown by the warm welcome, Erica blinked. "I don't want to impose."

"You're not. Anyone Glory likes enough to talk about is welcome here."

The blonde's cheeks went a fiery red as she tentatively stepped inside the bungalow. "She talks about me?"

"More like gushes," the woman told her, squeezing her shoulder affectionately before leading her deeper into the house.

Erica followed her, gaze flickering around to take everything in. The house was...very different from her own, to say the least. With the distinct scent of sandalwood incense, she was surprised to see a few tapestries on the walls. Each one seemed to vary in theme, from a family crest of some kind to a_ legalize it_ flag with a large marijuana leaf to a depiction of Ed Roth's Rat Fink in full garish color. The entire place seemed lived in and a bit messy, but it was warm and welcoming and so was the woman in front of her.

"Taksa seems to think she's rather fond of you, seeing as how she introduced you to him." Kathleen glanced back at her as she slipped into the kitchen.

Unsure whether she was looking for confirmation or perhaps denial, Erica shrugged. "Um, yeah, she did."

The brunette woman's smile brightened and she nodded. Moving to put the kettle on, she told her to take a seat before she continued, "I'm glad. She's been pretty closed off since she got expelled. It's nice to see her at least trying to open up to someone outside her little group."

The young blonde ignored the woman's suggestion and began to fiddle with her nails. Voice low, she dropped her gaze and admitted, "I don't think she likes me anymore."

"Oh?" Kathleen lifted a brow and suppressed the knowing smirk she so desperately wanted to give. Instead, she offered the girl Gloria's favorite Oscar the Grouch mug and put a crease in her brow. "Why's that?"

"I screwed up." Erica bit her lip. Swallowing, she prayed for her voice to be steady but didn't quite make it. "I don't think we're friends anymore."

Maternal instinct kicking in, the woman's features softened. "Gloria's always been moody…" or at least, she had been for the past eleven months or so, Kathleen thought to herself. "But since she got kicked out of school, she's been downright unpredictable." Kathleen turned, grabbed a tea bag and dropped it in Erica's cup. Her features were pensive and a bit sad. "She's not violent. Not like people say she is. Not without reason." The woman lifted a shoulder with a sigh. "But sometimes she says things, does things, without thinking. I don't think she means them, it's just a defense mechanism."

Erica tapped her nails anxiously against her mug.

Kathleen put another bag in another mug and picked up the kettle as it began to chime. Features open and a bit smug, the brunette woman offered the girl's shoulder another squeeze. "She likes you."

"She does?"

"Mhm. If she didn't she wouldn't be pouting in her room."

The teen's brown eyes narrowed as Kathleen began to pour the boiling water into the mug in her hands. "I thought you said she was out with Dinah?"

"Did I?" Kathleen smiled impishly, flashing the same dimples as her daughter, before she pressed the other mug into Erica's free hand. "I must have misspoke. Why don't you go see her?" She nodded, a subtle jerk of her head over the girl's shoulder to the hall. "Her's is the last door on the left. It's got a Sublime poster on it, makes it kind of hard to miss."

Turning to go, Erica hesitated. "She's straight, isn't she?"

The woman blinked with obvious surprise. "She didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?"

Kathleen shook her head and reached for another mug. "Not my place to say."

Casting her a wary glance, Erica didn't reply to that. Just gripped the mugs a little tighter and left the kitchen. The hall was short, if it could even be called a hall, and plain. The exception being the gaudy poster that hung on the door to the left. Frowning, the young woman gently tapped her foot against it.

There was a brief pause before Gloria's husky voice radiated out of it. "It's open."

After struggling somewhat vainly with the handle, Erica managed to get inside.

Gloria was laying on her stomach on the bed, but that wasn't the first thing that caught the blonde's attention. No, it was the wall to her left, which could long be described as a wall of lava lamps. Over a dozen of them, all turned on and swirling different colors in the relatively dim room. After blinking at them, her gaze returned to Gloria.

The brunette was gaping at her. It was a bit striking, her lack of makeup (almost more so than her adorable penguin pajamas), but Erica didn't address it. Instead, she simply set the mugs down on the tiny nightstand next to the bed and looked expectantly at her. When Gloria didn't speak, and in fact only returned her attention to the textbooks spread out in front of her, the blonde accused, "You've been avoiding me."

"I just haven't been in school."

"You haven't answered any of my texts." Clearing her throat, Erica's gaze flickered around the room. An electric guitar sat on a stand beside an archtop one, both blue (the former a soft shade of Carolina, the latter a darker shade of sapphire) and displayed proudly before the lava wall.

Closing her book, Gloria sat up again. "I lost my phone."

"You lost your phone," the blonde repeated, clearly unimpressed with the lie.

The girl on the bed bristled. Tugging the bottom of her white shorts down a bit further on her thighs, she shrugged. "I had it turned off. I didn't want to deal with-"

"Me?"

Gloria resisted a wince. "The band. They've been pretty up my ass since...well, you know."

Erica frowned and fiddled with her fingertips. "Since I kissed you?"

"Since I totally freaked out over it, yeah." Her hazel eyes fell to her lap.

The blonde licked her teeth. A bit nervously, she took a step toward the trundle bed. "Was it bad or something?"

The older girl rubbed her legs with a hint of awkwardness before she shook her head. "No."

"Then it was me?" At Gloria's sigh, Erica pressed on, "Your mom said you weren't telling me something."

The brunette's whole body went rigid.

The blonde noticed and softened her voice accordingly. "Something about your sexuality."

Gloria relaxed. She should have known her mom wouldn't tell.

Irritation flared in Erica at Gloria's smirk. Unable to help herself, she snapped, "Are you straight? Or gay or bi or what? Just give me a straight answer! If you do like girls and it's just me, I'll understand, I just-"

"Erica, I'm Ace."

The blonde blinked. Puzzled, she frowned. "You're what?"

"Ace, Asexual," Gloria repeated, not quite firm as she shook her head. "Or I thought I was."

Hands clenching the front of her baggy sweater, Erica bit her lip."I don't- I don't know what that is."

"It means I don't experience sexual attraction," She heaved a sigh and resisted the urge to fall back on the bed and cover her face in her hands until the younger girl went away. Instead, Gloria pulled her book into her lap to hide some of the skin of her legs. When that didn't work, she covered them with her flannel blanket. "Or I thought I didn't. I like you, but you're the first person I've liked...that way. My th-doctor," Gloria corrected with a swallow. "Said that probably means I might be demisexual or greysexual but it's weird for me."

Cheeks flushed a light pink, Erica took a step closer to the bed. When the brunette shied away from her, she paused, but couldn't keep the pride from her voice. "You like me?"

Gloria offered her a curt nod.

Puzzled, the blonde frowned. "But you don't want me...like that."

"I don't." The older girl rubbed her face. The movement was quick and jerky as she began to fidget on the bed. "I didn't. Sexual attraction...it never fit." Her gaze flickered to Erica's brown eyes and she wanted to drop her stare, but the blonde looked so...hopeful. And eager. And a bit desperate and Gloria couldn't look away. "You're the first person I've ever looked at like that." At the girl's wide, warm smile, the brunette rolled her shoulder and blushed. "I guess it's just taking a lot of adjustment."

"But you _do_ like me?" Erica repeated. There was a hint of smugness in her voice now, but her expression fell as Gloria looked away from her.

"Yeah, but I thought you liked that Stilinski brat." The _and I thought you were straight_ was left unsaid, but still seemed to linger between them.

With a hint of a frown, the blonde slipped onto the bed. She sat on the very edge of it, but Gloria quickly shuffled back to give her more space, or perhaps to put more space between them, but Erica didn't let her get very far. Taking her shaky hand in her own, Erica fumbled slightly over her words, "I do- I mean, it's different with you."

"Because I'm a girl?" The older teen asked with a surprising amount of empathy in her voice. She even thumbed the back of her hand for good measure, which for Gloria, was going above and beyond when it came to comfort.

"Yeah, but it's more than that." Her index finger stroked over Gloria's thumb. "More intimate."

Gloria twisted away from her. All but jumping to the other side of the bed, she snapped, "I'm not ready for sex!"

"That's okay."

The older girl eyed her suspiciously. Erica seemed passive enough, but that didn't stop her from warning, "I might never be."

"Oh." The blonde rubbed her jeans absently. "Maybe we could take it slow. If...something happens, great and if it doesn't, that's fine too."

"I don't want you to resent me."

"I won't." Tentatively, Erica reached over and smooth a bit of Gloria's long hair back from her cheek. It was fluffy, her curls loose and soft. The brunette flinched, but didn't pull away from the touch. "Your panic attack, it really wasn't because I kissed you?"

Gloria lifted an absent, almost embarrassed shoulder. "Well, it was, but it wasn't like I didn't like it. I just don't know if I'm wired for sex."

"Who said anything about sex?"

Lips pursed with a hint of judgmental amusement, Gloria scoffed. "You're a teenager, Erica, you think about sex."

Erica gave the older girl's shoulder a shove. "So are you!"

"Yeah, but I only think of how to avoid it."

The young blonde's gaze grew pensive. She thought of how Gloria flinched when she touched her, how she got uncomfortable whenever they got to close and of course, about the anxiety attack… Voice soft, she ran her fingers through Gloria's hair, "Something happened. Something bad?"

The teen stiffened, but didn't deny it. "Yeah, I don't-"

At Gloria's shaky shoulders and tense features, Erica was quick to rub her arm. "You don't have to explain yourself."

"Thanks." The brunette offered her a wane smile and slipped her hand over the blonde's.

Fingers entwined, the two were quiet a few moments. Gloria shifted a bit closer to her. Shoulders brushing against the younger woman's she clenched her jaw as she gently rested her head against Erica's. With a swallow, she forced herself to relax.

Smiling to herself, the Reyes girl wrapped her arm around the brunette's shoulders. When Gloria slipped her face into the crook of her neck, Erica bit her lip to fight back a grin. "Would you, maybe, like to go out with me?" At the older girl's curious glance, she clarified, "Like on a date. A real one?"

With a small nod, Gloria smiled. "Okay."

"Really?!

"Yeah." Her smile widened at the unbridled joy in Erica's pretty face. She was beautiful, bright and exuberant and the brunette chanced a kiss from her. Just a peck, a quick innocent little touch that made Erica giggle as she nodded against her mouth. "I'd like that."

Clearly proud of herself, the blonde nodded. "Cool."

Gloria swallowed and leaned back a touch. Ignoring how Erica's brown eyes flickered down her tanktop, she squirmed. It wasn't that she was uncomfortable (or at least not terribly), but she didn't like being vulnerable and what she was about to ask wasn't easy for her. "I know you can't come to the Distillery, but-"

"Yes?"

"We have another gig on Saturday. It's at a shitty little country bar, but you could come." Her husky voice came out rushed and a bit tight. "You could tell your mom you're spending the night and come with us."

"Really?!"

A bit thrown by the younger girl's obvious excitement, the brunette blinked. "Yeah. I told you I didn't want you to come to the Distillery just in case it triggered your epilepsy, not because I didn't want you there. I just wasn't sure if you were light or sound sensitive."

Her brown eyes squinted at her. "Have you been researching epilepsy or something?"

"No!"

Her tone was a bit too flustered to be completely innocent and her cheeks a dark shade of pink. Pressing a quick kiss to one of them, Erica chuckled.

As the blonde pulled her close, Gloria smiled to herself. "So, do you want to? I mean, we can't drink or anything, but we'll probably hang out for a bit."

"You mean your band? You want me to meet your band?"

Gloria pulled back, a bit unsure if the wide eyes were a good sign or bad. "If that weird? Is it to fast? Because-"

"I want to." Erica bit the inside of her cheek. She was smiling too much.

"Okay." The brunette smirked at her, but it faltered. "Will your mom be cool with us...you know?"

"She doesn't have to know. Not right now anyway. I'll ease her into the idea."

Gloria nodded. "Okay."

Erica hesitated at the nonchalant reply. "That's okay, isn't it?"

"Sure, take all the time you need, Blondie."

Erica bit her lip as Gloria offered her knee a squeeze. "When you ran I thought I might've grossed you out of something."

"Not you. You're not the problem, Erica. It's just my baggage, okay? I shouldn't have ran, I didn't want to-"

"Kiss me?" The blonde offered. It was careful and understanding and the way she stroked over her shoulders incredibly calming.

"I didn't want to wreck your first kiss by freaking out." The brunette winced and sighed. "I guess I kinda did, huh?"

"We could try again." Erica tilted her chin up. Gloria's hazel eyes were a bit anxious, but not scared and definitely not adverse to the idea. "We could go as slow as you want, okay?"

"Alright."

Gloria kept her eyes open and Erica did the same. It was slow, and soft. Very soft, little more than a caress. The brown of the blonde's eyes were a comfort that helped Gloria ease closer, they made it easier for her to chance parting her lips, just a little, to taste the fierce quiet girl she had fallen so quickly in love with. The thought surprised her, but she didn't waste any time thinking about it as the careful press of Erica's tongue against her own drew a moan from her.

Pride burst in the blonde's chest. She had done that, she had earned such a genuine, sweet sound from the aloof girl. Lazily stroking the dimple in Gloria's cheek, Erica resisted the urge to lean in. To deepen the kiss further and run her fingers down her neck. It was too soon for that, it might always be too soon for that, and while the thought saddened her, she wasn't about to give up the way Gloria was looking at her for anything. So reverently and warm. No one had ever looked at her that way before. Breaking away from the brunette's mouth, Erica bit her bottom lip. It was flushed and sensitive.

"Was that okay? I mean, did I do it right?"

A bit frantically, Gloria nodded. "Yes. I mean, I think so."

Stroking the dimple in her cheek, Erica beamed and nodded, a bit smugly. "Good. I'm glad."

"I'm glad you came over."

Her brown eyes softened. "Me too. Are you gonna be in school tomorrow?"

"Yes, I mean, probably. I still get a little...it's different being with you than it is in a crowd."

"Want me to bring your homework over? If you don't end up going?"

"Yeah, I'd like that." Gloria's fingers slipped through her blonde hair. Teasing the wavy strands, she bit her lip. "Thanks for being so cool to me. Especially since I've been such a dick to you."

Erica shrugged. "It's okay."

"No it's not. I meant what I said, Reyes." Hazel eyes earnest, the brunette told her, "Don't let me disrespect you. I don't mean to, my mouth just gets the better of me sometimes."

"I won't."

"Good."


End file.

Teen Wolf, Romance