Her heart was racing, and her entire body buzzed with adrenaline. Blood coursed through her veins so hard she could feel her entire body expanding and contracting in one unified lub-dub. Her skin felt electric and her thoughts ricocheted around her head manically. She breathed steadily, seeking control, and found some, only to look in Ashley’s eyes and lose it all over again. Spencer couldn’t believe she had just snuck someone into her house. She didn’t disobey her parents often, but this would be worth it. She thought of it as “pulling a Glen”.

Ashley watched Spencer’s adrenaline high dissipate and as she came down she saw the fear start to sneak in. Spencer had a nervous habit of flipping her hair behind her shoulders and right now her hair belonged in a gymnastics competition it was getting so much action. Ashley watched, still rooted to one spot, as Spencer paced circles in her room. Walk, walk, flip, walk, flip, walk walk, flip.

“Will you take it easy? You’re going to get carpal tunnel syndrome if you keep flipping your hair like that. Nobody saw us.”

“If they catch me I’m going to be in so much trouble”

“If they catch you, you can come live with your sexxxxy girlfriend. Better than my current roommate, that’s for sure.”

“You could be living with a rabid dog and think it was better than Kyla”

“Great, I’d be going from one bitch to another.”

Spencer frowned and pursed her lips, then flopped onto the bed, crossing her legs underneath her. She reached out her hand and beckoned for Ashley to join her. She climbed onto the bed and mirrored Spencer’s position, facing her, forming a diamond space between them with the tips of their knees just barely fusing.

“I hate seeing you upset by Kyla. Or anything. I want you to be happy.”

“Are you happy?” Ashley asked, seeing the hint of something more behind Spencer’s eyes, some secret hanging like forbidden fruit on a distant tree.

“I’m with you, so yes” Spencer beamed a goofy smile that made Ashley smile in response involuntarily.

“Well, if you’re happy, I’m happy” Ashley leaned forward and kissed Spencer’s forehead sweetly. Spencer leaned back and titled her head, searching Ashley’s face for some hint of cynicism or sarcasm, and coming up empty. Ashley rested her fingers on Spencer’s knees with her palms on her own and started to lightly scrape her nails and the tips of her fingers across Spencer’s skin. While she maintained eye contact, Ashley observed slight changes take hold of Spencer. Changes that implanted themselves in her memory and made her feel like some intangible part of herself had been plucked like a string, and the vibrations resonated ultrasonically, beyond the radar of consciousness.