"He said that paper was one of the best out of the class," I brag to Layne as we exit NCT's parking lot.

"Congrats, Babe," she grabs my hand over the console, "I'm proud of you."

I turn to her and beam. Today had been a good day for me. No Dr. Harvey. No Graves. The accolades from Mr. Cook. Rarely did I have good days like this, and I honestly didn't want it to end.

"I'm feeling ice cream," I say aloud.

"Kaylie Jane it's forty degrees outside," Layne replies.

"We can get coffee? Hot chocolate?" I try to read her expression.

She smiles, "Is this you saying you don't want to take me home yet?" she smiles even better, "Awn do you like spending time with me?"

"Shut up," I pull into a Cold Stone parking lot. We head into the ice cream shop and she grabs my hand, "Just say it back. I like spending time with you Kaylie Jane."

"I like spending time with you sort of," I mumble, before ordering, knowing what I want. Every time I order the same thing--- Cotton candy ice cream with gummi bears and marshmallows mixed in. I wish that I didn't want the same thing every time so I could have something to distract me. I can feel her smiling even without looking at her.

We get our ice cream and take a seat. Layne stares at my childish creation, in awe, "You're eating diabetes in a cup."

"I've been ordering the same thing since I was six," I shrug.

"I can tell," she jokes, "I mean--- Cotton candy is just sugar. You're eating sugar flavored ice cream."

"Don't kink shame me," I smirk, "My mom invited it for me as a kid and I've never switched up."

At the thought of her, my heart aches and suddenly I'm a little kid again. Memories of her presenting me with the sweetly toxic treat fill my mind. After I'd lost a peewee basketball game. After I'd had a bad day at school. When I'd gotten all A's on my report card. Both the treat and the ice cream shoppe meant a lot to me.

"You don't mention your mom a lot," Layne notices.

"It's not something I like to mention," I state, "Dead moms aren't really good topics of conversation."

"Wait you're mom's dead?" she jumps.

"I don't want to talk about," I leave the conversation right there.

She changes the subject, "So... You like 'us' right?" she questions.

"What do you mean by that?" I swallow, suddenly nervous.

She looks up at me, "You know what I mean, Kaylie Jane."

"If you're asking why we aren't official?" I ask, "Cause if you are--- It's because this is easier for me."

"It's easier?" she raises an eyebrow, "This is easier for you? The whispering is easier? The hiding in plain sight is easier?"

"Yeah," I stick with my decision.

"Do you like someone else?" she questions, "Is that why?"

"You know I don't like anyone else," I exhale, "Which is why I don't see why this is coming up?"

"Because when I talk about you I hate calling you my 'friend' and I don't feel like I have permission to call you my 'girlfriend," she replies, "That's why this is coming up."

"Stop talking about me and that solves that," I wise crack, taking another bite of my ice cream.

She takes a breath, clearly getting frustrated, "I talk about you because you're all I think about. Don't you get that?"

"You think about me? Awww," I tease.

"Fuck you," she collects her things and exits the store, finishing her ice cream outside.

We watch each other from the window, with her being too petty to come back in and with me being too petty to join her outside. Eventually I finish my ice cream and head outside, "Aren't you cold?"

"No," she states before shivering, violently.

"Come on," I take off my jacket and putting it around her shoulders, "Bring yo petty ass on."

She stands up and I open her door, before circling back to my side. I start the car, turning the heat up to defrost my not-girlfriend.

"Want to start this conversation over?" I ask.

"No," she turns, looking out the window. I start to put the car in reverse, but she places a hand over mine, "Wait. I just wish you took shit seriously for once," she mumbles, "Like that's not even relationship stuff that's just being a decent human stuff."

"You say that but that implies that I know how to be a decent human," I joke.

She  hits me, "Kaylie Jane!"

"Okay! I'm sorry," I apologize, "Do you forgive me?"

"Only if I can grab your titty," she smiles, letting me know the answer is 'yes.'

"Now who's not being serious?" I push her shoulder lightly.

"I get it from you," she pushes me back. I laugh, glad we're back to normal, "Can we leave now?"

"Not yet," she smiles at me sheepishly, "I'm still kind of cold."

"Okay," I take my hand of the shift.

"You know what'll warm me?" she leans closer to me.

"I can turn up the heat---" she hits me again. "What?"

"Just c'mere and let me kiss you, dumb ass," she pulls me in by my shirt collar and I let her. Her lips meet mine, still chilled from her sitting outside.

As the kissing intensifies, she lets my collar go, placing her hands on my neck. Eventually she lets me go, "Now I'm ready. Where to next?"

"Anywhere you want to go," I respond, "I don't have work for another two hours."

"Your house," she answers confidently, "I've never been in it."

"You're always in it?" I laugh, "Every night."

"I mean the rest of your house. I want to see it during the daytime," she pleads with me, "I want to meet your parents."

"Um? No you don't," I scoff, "And the fact you just said that makes me want to bring you home even less."

"Kaylie Jane," she hardens her voice, "Do you want to be in trouble with me? Cause you're about to be in trouble with me?"

"Ughhhhhhhhhh," I groan, turning into my driveway. I stop the car, putting it in park, "I need you on your best hetero-normative behavior, a'ight? No gay shit."

"Got it," she moves to kiss me and I move away. I stare at her and she sighs, "Right."

I get out and Layne follows me to through the front door. Inside, my house is its usual mix of tense and quiet. I cut on the TV in the living room, giving Layne the shortest tour possible of our small one story house.

"It's cute," she takes a seat on the couch and I head to the kitchen.

"Need something? A soda? A snack?" While I fake rummage in my kitchen, I glance out the window, checking for Mindy's car.

"Water?" she calls back. I get down some glasses, returning with drinks and snacks.

"Is your house always this quiet?" she asks, taking a sip of her water.

"Why do you think I'm always at yours?" I hook up my game system, tossing her a controller, "Racing or shooting?"

"Shooting. I'm feeling dangerous."

I pull up Black Ops II and set us up in Nuketown. After assassinating Layne for the fifth time in a row she gets angry.

"You're such a cheater!" she tosses my controller on the couch and crosses her arms, "Fuck you."

"I'm not cheating! It's not my fault you suck," I fall over laughing. She turns red, illuminating her many freckles. I compose myself, "Okay. How about I don't use any guns?"

"Fine," we restart the match and as promised I immediately put up my gun, stalking the streets of Nuketown with nothing but my baby knife. I glance at Layne's screen on the bottom and see her trying to set up in one of the bedrooms to snipe me, stealing my previous tactics. I sneak in effortlessly and appear behind her, slitting her throat.

"Aaaahhhh!" she tosses her controller down again, "Fuck you!"

"C'mere," I reach for her and she moves away from me, teasing.

"No," she giggles, "You aren't about to kill me thirty thousand times and then put the moves on me."

"Oh, I'm not?" I slide over, putting an arm around her shoulder, "Who's stopping me?"

Definitely not her. She accepts my kisses with no protest at all. As we kiss, she moves her legs, swinging them onto the couch to give me better access. Feeling adventurous I slide a curious hand up her side, feeling how soft she is. She doesn't stop me, going as far to lift her hips, making it easier for me to push her shirt.

The game forgotten, our kissing gets heavier and she pulls me even closer. I kiss her neck, nibbling gently on it, her sweet scent in my nostrils from her hair. My hand moves higher, feeling her small chest. I try to replicate what she did to me the other day, but know that my hands are much clumsier and inexperienced.

"Kaylie Jane..." her breath comes out just a whisper of a moan.

"Yes?"

"Was that your garage door?"

"Shit." I jump away, suddenly aware of the low vibration of it going up. Or coming back down?

"Oh," Layne covers her neck with her hand, "What the fuck? You bit me."

"Word?" she moves her hand for me to see that at my previous surprise, I had accidentally bitten her. You can still see my teeth marks.

She hits me and I hit her back. Suddenly, I hear the footsteps of a new person in the house and move back to the other side of the couch while Layne fixes herself, flipping her hair over to one side to hide my damage. I restart the match, trying to appear as normal as possible. Mindy emerges from the basement, "Kaylie? Is that you?"

"Yes ma'am," I pause the game, calling on my acting skills.

"Do you have work tonight or--- Oh," she falters at the sight of Layne, "I didn't know you had company."

Layne stands and I do as well, "This is Layne, from up the street. Layne this is my dad's wife, Mindy."

"Hm," they shake hands, "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," Layne smiles her girl next door smile, putting on a mask of innocence.

Mindy lets their hands drop before staring at Layne for a prolonged amount of time. It's like she doesn't trust her, and they've just met.

"Well it's about time I get ready for work," I say, breaking the tension, but only barely.

"Okay. Make sure you clean up this living room," she says, before finally leaving the room. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding in. Mood ruined, Layne helps me clean up before following me to my room.

"No offense but she's kind of scary," she whispers, looking around to see if Mindy can hear us.

"Her bark is worse than her bite," I say, pulling off my t-shirt and grabbing a work shirt instead, "Trust."

"I don't like the way she looked at me like that," she shivers, "Like she knows."

"Its nothing. I promise," I grab my backpack, "Ready?"

She nods and we get back in my truck, "I can't believe you bit me."

"Considerate a love mark," I tell her.

She scoffs, "I'll considerate a fucking bruise. Idiot."

***

I come into the house quietly, the easy shift having been a good end to my good day. I click the lights to my room, Mindy sitting on my bed.

I jump, dramatically grabbing my chest, "Jesus, Mindy. What are you doing in here?"

"That girl... Are you two just friends?" she puts an unnecessary amount of weight on the word 'friends.'

"Yeah," I hope my voice sounds steady enough, "You waited for me to get home to ask me that?"

"I saw you two kissing," she states.

My heart starts to race and I try to think of a response. Is it better to deny it?I don't do anything with this mouth but praise the Lord? What are you talking about? Or to just flat out claim it? Yeah I made out with her. It's my new hobby. Problem?

Of all the possible responses I go with, "Huh?"

"I saw you guys at the ice cream shoppe today. The one across the street from my doctor's office? You gave her your jacket," she explains, "Don't bother denying it."

"It's a crime to give someone a jacket?" I get defensive.

"It was more than just giving her a jacket," she persists, "You were.... Tender with her. And she's clearly sweet on you."

"That's not my fault. I'm not hearing that I've done anything wrong," I say, "So if we're done here, I'd like to go to bed."

We stare each other down for a few minutes longer before she backs down first, standing up, revealing our height difference. I stand still, forcing her to edge around me in order to exit the room. 

Before she leaves, she pauses, "I'm telling your father."