Friday passed in hopeless, near painful mundanity. As Cira sped home (praying that the local police had reached their ticket quota for the week), her mind wandered to the various things she could do to spend the rest of her evening. Her mom and dad were home, so inviting friends over was sure to be an ill-fated endeavor. Minnie's house? Minnie would probably be catching up on all the homework she had neglected over the week, though, and Cira didn't much feel like spending more time studying. Jeremy's place? Jeremy's family seemed to be in a state of perpetual chaos, however, so perhaps that wasn't the best idea. Netflix? That was always a good option, and some of the new shows had looked especially appealing. That was a boring way to spend a Friday night, Cira had to admit, but it was how she had spent so many before. Jai invited you to a party, a voice prodded at Cira. But she had told Astrid she wasn't going... What were the chances Cira would run into Astrid at a party that large anyway? And if she did, Astrid would probably be too drunk to remember the encounter. Cira wasn't going to live her life based on something she had told Astrid, she decided. She was going to that party.

"Hey," Cira said, cradling her phone between her shoulder and ear as she picked out an outfit. "Any chance you could sneak away from your homework tonight and come to Tara's party with me?"

Minnie sighed on the other side of the phone. "Is this Melody Chue's birthday party we're talking about?"

"Maybe?" Cira replied, cringing internally in preparation for the lecture that was about to ensue.

"I have already told you about six hundred billion times," Minnie began, a scowl in her tone, "that I. Hate. Melody."

"I know, but--"

"I hate her!" Minnie snapped. "A lot! I'm not going. And anyhow, I have plans."

"Doing what?" Cira wondered aloud.

"Doing something that doesn't involve fucking groveling at my enemy's feet," Minnie huffed.

Cira snorted. "Who said there would be groveling?"

"I feel it in my bones," Minnie said fervently.

"You know," Cira said, transferring the phone to her other shoulder as she held up a dress, "if you come to the party and Melody sees you, that might just ruin her special day."

Minnie seemed to perk up at this. Cira rolled her eyes internally as Minnie spoke again. "I'm on my way to your house!" Cira heard a car door slam before Minnie hung up.

Minnie arrived within minutes (they lived very close to each other), prancing up the stairs and flopping down on Cira's bed. "You're going to wear that?" Minnie asked, sitting up and making a face at the dress Cira was currently modeling in the mirror.

"What's wrong with it?" Cira asked, frowning. It was short and cute, a pastel blue color.

Minnie rolled her eyes. "Have you ever been to one of Tara's parties?"

"No," Cira confessed. "I'm always too nervous that I'll see Jai there."

Minnie snorted. "Nobody wears dresses. This isn't a dance from High School Musical 3."

"Oh," Cira said with a sheepish smile. "Oops."

They arrived at Jai's house just past seven o'clock, Cira in a pair of cuffed blue jeans ("The cuffs add spice!" Minnie had insisted) and an oversized t-shirt, and Minnie in her usual flowery, dark, boho-goth style. The party was already raging, expensive-looking strobe lights illuminating the interior of the house (it was more of a mansion, to be truthful). At the moment, it looked less like a mansion and more like a Target dressing room. Clothes and trash were strewn all about in a decidedly unclean fashion. Cira resisted wrinkling her nose at the sight. Tara opened the door for them, squealing excitedly (most likely out of drunkenness, since she didn't actually know either of them personally). "Thanks for coming!" she smiled, flashing dimples and shiny teeth as they stepped inside. Her septum piercing glittered, almost iridescent in the blue and red light. She smelled like jasmine, despite the large amount of alcohol she had undoubtedly consumed.

"Thanks for having us," Cira said politely.

"Of course," Tara replied. "Did Jai invite you? He's out back by the pool." She gestured vaguely towards the back of the house.

"Oh thanks," Cira smiled.

"Sure, sure," Tara said, patting them each on the shoulder before spinning off into the crowd. Minnie and Cira exchanged a slightly judgmental look, then shrugged in unison, almost as though they were characters in a movie like High School Musical 3.

"I'm gonna go get a drink," Minnie said, before disappearing amongst the partygoers. Cira was left alone in the entrance hall to fend for herself. She eventually found her way to the kitchen, pouring herself some "punch." There was definitely alcohol in it, Cira thought to herself as she downed a glass, then another. But she had been drunk before (albeit in Minnie's bedroom on Cira's father's prized port), so this wasn't an altogether new feeling. It struck Cira, a couple hours into the party, after several rounds of karaoke and one near fall into the pool, that she was a little bit too drunk. Maybe that's why, when she ran into Astrid, she didn't immediately turn the other way.

"Astrid," Cira called when she caught a glimpse of the other girl through the crowd. "Astrid!"

Astrid turned at the sound, frowning. Her eyes caught on Cira, and she smiled almost loopily. "Weston."

"Stop calling me that," Cira grumbled as Astrid walked towards her. "I'm Cira, not Weston."

"Cira Weston." Astrid looped her arm through Cira's.

"Are you drunk?" Cira asked.

"High," Astrid replied. Her pupils were slightly wider than usual, Cira noticed, the hazel color partially obscured. "How are you enjoying the party?" she shouted over the music.

"Good," Cira shouted back.

"I thought you weren't coming," Astrid said. Cira's gaze traced over the red denim jacket that Astrid was wearing over a gray hoodie, and her ripped jeans. Wow. Astrid looked really fucking hot.

"I'm glad I did," Cira said, leaning into the other girl slightly.

"Wanna go get coffee?" Astrid asked.

"Sure," Cira said. Astrid walked towards the door, Cira following behind. The night air washed across Cira's face like a wave over the sandy beach. "Can you drive?" Cira asked. "I'm way too drunk."

Astrid laughed. God, Cira loved hearing that sound. It only served to make her drunker. "I'm pretty high right now." She opened the passenger door of a red Jeep, and Cira got in. Astrid hopped into the driver's seat, setting her hands down on the wheel. "Driving isn't a good idea," Astrid informed her.

"Then let's do something else."

✮

Astrid sucked in a breath as Cira climbed over the center console, toppling into her lap. Her shoulder-length blonde hair was ruffled on one side. Cute, Astrid thought, a smirk playing at her lips. Then she felt the driver's seat slowly tip backwards. Her gaze caught on Cira's hand, stuck in the crevice between the door and the seat, undoubtedly pressing the button that was situated there. Cira leaned down when the seat was nearly horizontal, her face only a few inches away from Astrid's. The starlight outside illuminated the other girl's blown out pupils and pink lips. Astrid let her eyes trace lazily over Cira's cupid's bow, and Cira shivered, then scowled, then smirked. Astrid realized that her hands had rested, without thought, on Cira's hips.

"Kind of a gay position for a straight girl to be in," Astrid said.

"Who says I'm straight?" Cira asked.

"Literally you," Astrid pointed out, pulling back slightly with a frown.

"Shut up and kiss me," Cira said frustratedly, fingers curling in the front of Astrid's hoodie and pulling their mouths together. Astrid could taste alcohol from whatever beverage Cira had consumed at the party as their lips moved against each other. Cira's tongue found its way into Astrid's mouth. Pretty good for a straight girl, Astrid thought to herself.

Astrid caught Cira's bottom lip between her teeth and Cira inhaled sharply. Astrid flipped them over so that Cira was beneath her, hands slipping up under Cira's t-shirt and ghosting over her ribs. She grabbed the hem of the shirt. Cira shuddered. Astrid raised her eyebrows in question. "You first," Cira said simply. Astrid pulled back, resisting the urge to roll her eyes, and tossed her jacket onto the passenger seat. Her hoodie came off in one swift movement. She bent down again as Cira pulled off her own top, lips finding the skin of Cira's neck. Cira's hands slid into Astrid's hair, and Astrid repressed a smile. She was in for a fun night.

✮

Cira stood in front of the mirror in her bedroom with a pounding headache. She looked like shit, felt like shit, and was almost certain (judging by the brownish hue to her formerly-white sneakers) that she had stepped in shit. Marks were littered over her neck and collarbones - a consequence of last night's experience with a girl named Astrid. She had called up Minnie immediately after and spilled everything. Not that there was much to spill - they had pretty much just made out.

"Oh my god!" Minnie had squealed into the phone last night. "What does this mean?!"

"I have no idea," Cira had answered honestly.

She ran a hand over her face, pulling her blonde hair into something that vaguely resembled a ponytail. She had kissed Astrid last night. She had also been terribly drunk last night. Drunkenness made you do idiotic things. Cira usually regretted doing idiotic things, but this was not one of those times. How could you regret kissing a girl as hot as Astrid, after all? Especially if the girl in question had kissed you back. Cira felt tingles in the pit of her stomach just thinking of it. Astrid was (and Cira hated to admit it) a very good kisser. She definitely wouldn't mind kissing Astrid again. So what did that mean?

Cira had never had any desire to run around kissing girls before, but the idea was becoming more and more appealing as the seconds passed and she relived her brief stint in Astrid's Jeep over and over again. Was Cira attracted to Astrid? Probably. Was Cira going to do anything about it? Maybe. Could she think of anything to do about it, at that moment in time, as she stared at her hickey-covered self in the mirror? No. First, she had to figure herself out. It was Saturday, so she met Minnie at the mall. They walked through the bustling place in silence. Minnie could clearly sense that Cira didn't want to talk about the situation.

"Ci," she said as they perused the women's section at PacSun.

"What?" Cira asked, holding up a pair of pants and frowning at them.

"I know you don't want me to bring this up, but what's going on with you and Astrid?" Minnie asked, a guilty smile gracing her lips.

"There's nothing going on," Cira replied, because she honestly didn't know where she and Astrid stood.

Minnie looked at her for a long moment. "You guys really have the whole enemies-to-lovers thing going, huh?"

Cira raised her eyebrows, glancing at Minnie. "We aren't lovers."

"Yet," Minnie grinned. "Plus, you guys kissed last night. That definitely means something."

"Maybe," Cira shrugged. "I feel like Astrid's the type of person who kisses a lot of people, though."

Minnie appeared unconvinced. Cira rolled her eyes internally. "Do you like her?"

Cira sighed, putting the pair of pants back onto the rack. "You can't like someone you just met."

Minnie laughed. "Jeez, Ci, don't go all Queen Elsa on me."

Cira offered up a half smile. "Well anyhow, I don't know. I thought I was straight until I met Astrid."

Minnie beamed. "That's so cute!"

"It's not cute," Cira shot a glare at her best friend. "This whole thing confuses me to no end."

Minnie's excited expression softened into one of sympathy. "Just... see how it goes, I guess," she replied.

"I guess," Cira agreed.

"You know, I'll be here for you no matter what," Minnie said, taking Cira's hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Thanks," Cira smiled. The words warmed her heart. She wasn't ever really alone, so long as she had Minnie. Cira tossed a flannel shirt into the basket Minnie was carrying. "Let's go."

Minnie raised a single eyebrow. "Whatever happened to 'I'd be caught dead wearing flannel'?"

Cira grinned. "I thought I'd be caught dead kissing Astrid, too, yet here we are."

✮

The rest of Saturday was spent eating ice cream and watching Friends episodes at Jeremy's house. His family was, thankfully enough, busy with an elementary school Walk-a-thon. "I remember this episode!" Minnie shrieked as they flipped to the next one. "This is the part where--"

Jeremy clapped a hand over her mouth. "You remember all the episodes. We don't."

"Yeah," Cira agreed. "No spoilers."

Minnie huffed, punching Jeremy hard in the arm so that he would pull his hand away. He did (with a pained hiss). "Fine," she sighed, drawing out the word. "I'm gonna go get some chips from the pantry. You guys want anything?" she asked. Cira and Jeremy shook their heads in unison.

"So," Jeremy began after a beat of awkward silence, "Minnie told me about you and Astrid."

Cira kept her gaze on the TV. "Yeah. I was gonna tell you today," she said, by way of apology.

Jeremy waved her off. "Are you--" Jeremy started, then stopped. "Does this mean... So you're gay now?"

"Um, I don't know," Cira said, feeling her cheeks heat a little. This was painfully awkward. She desperately wished she could sink into the ground.

Then Jeremy said something that surprised her. "You know... I don't really know either. About myself, I mean."

"Really?" Cira asked, glancing at him curiously.

It was Jeremy's turn to stare pointedly at the TV. "Yeah. But don't tell Minnie," he said quickly.

Cira frowned. She hated keeping things from Minnie. "Why?"

Jeremy tugged at one of his tight curls. "I just don't want her to know right now."

"Okay," Cira said slowly. "Fine."

Minnie walked back into the room a few minutes later with a cheery smile on her face and a bottle of Fanta in her left hand. "Couldn't find chips, but guess what I found instead?" She shook the bottle around.

Jeremy facepalmed. "Now it's gonna explode everywhere when you open it, stupid."

Minnie stopped dead, hanging her head. "I forgot soda did that." Cira laughed. "Your mom's gonna kill me if I get Fanta on her furniture," Minnie said, glancing around at the very expensive interior of Jeremy's house. "I'll open it outside, I guess."

"You do that," Jeremy nodded. Minnie left, and they lapsed into silence once more, the occasional "could that be any more" from Chandler Bing breaking the quietness.

As Cira, the last to leave (as usual) exited Jeremy's house a few hours later, Jeremy leaned against the doorframe. "If you ever want to talk to me about your," Jeremy waved a hand awkwardly, "sexuality, you can."

Cira smiled. "Thanks. And vice versa!" she called, walking backwards down the long driveway. Jeremy stood in the doorway until she got into her car. The Corolla started with a sputter (it was like a yearly cough that got worse and worse as the winter months approached), and Cira drove down the long street. Some two minutes later, Cira's phone beeped. She glanced down, turning it on (dangerously) as she drove the car around a corner, then looked up and slammed on the breaks.

Astrid was standing there, looking vaguely bored, in a pair of loose blue jeans and her leather jacket. "What the fuck?" Astrid asked, annoyed, as Cira rolled down her window.

"I could ask you the same," Cira snapped. "What were you doing in the middle of the road?"

"I was crossing the street, idiot," Astrid rolled her eyes. "You could've killed me."

"If only I'd had the pleasure," Cira muttered.

Astrid ran her fingers through her hair, tucking it behind her ears. Cira noticed (with a spark of interest that she loathed herself for) that Astrid was wearing hanging earrings today, and a multitude of bulky silver rings. Astrid walked around to the passenger side of Cira's car, opening the door and sliding in. Cira scowled. "Don't look so dismayed," Astrid said, hazel eyes glittering. "I'm not gonna kiss you again. Wait, wasn't it the other way around?" Astrid smirked.

Cira ground her teeth. "Get out of my car."

"No can do," Astrid replied, putting her (dirty) shoes up on the dash and leaning back. She slammed the door closed with one hand, turning on the radio with the other. "Where to?"

"I'm on my way home," Cira said after a beat of silence during which it became clear that Astrid wasn't going to be leaving her alone anytime soon.

"I don't think I should meet your parents so soon," Astrid said, her shit-eating grin growing wider by the moment.

"Fuck off," Cira grumbled

"You're the one who kissed me," Astrid pointed out.

"And that's all it was," Cira replied with a sniff.

Astrid shrugged. "That's what I thought. But your twelve voicemails on my phone said differently."

Cira's cheeks turned rose-red. "What?" she squeaked.

Astrid snickered. "You were really drunk, weren't you?"

"Yeah," Cira said, feeling vaguely unsettled about the whole thing. "Never doing that again."

"Getting drunk or kissing me?" Astrid asked as the car pulled into Cira's driveway.

"Both," Cira replied, rolling her eyes.

Astrid's hand reached out suddenly, curling around the back of Cira's head. She brought their lips together for a slow, easy kiss that Cira made absolutely no move to pull away from. Cira's eyes popped open as Astrid moved away, opening the car door and stepping out. "We'll meet up in a week for vodka, then?" Astrid asked, eyebrows raised.

Cira glared at her. "You kissed me that time," she told Astrid.

"And you kissed me back," Astrid said. With a curl of her fingers that vaguely resembled a wave, Astrid pushed the car door closed and strolled casually down the driveway. Cira waited for the nervous butterflies in her stomach to cease before she, too, got out of the car. She locked it, entering the house and climbing up the stairs to her room in twos.

"Hello?" Jeremy asked into the phone after a few rings.

"Hi," Cira said breathlessly. "Astrid kissed me again."

Jeremy was silent for a moment. "So do you like her?"

"I don't know," Cira frowned, fiddling with her hair. "I mean, I guess so. Is that crazy?"

"No," Jeremy said. "It's not." He was quiet. Cira chewed on her lip. "I like someone too."

"Really?" Cira asked, surprised. "Who is it?" Could it possibly be Minnie? Cira felt excitement bubble up in her chest for her two closest friends.

"I... I'll tell you later," Jeremy replied quickly. "I have to go. Bye!"

"Wait--" Cira began, but Jeremy had already hung up. It was definitely Minnie. Why else would Jeremy act so weird about it?

Cira flopped onto her back, attempting to slow her heart rate (still racing from the kiss) down to something healthy. What could this mean? Did Cira really like girls? And if so, how had she never known? It didn't seem like something you just randomly discovered about yourself, the way you might discover a secret affinity for baking, or a deep love for cartography. But if she didn't like girls, why was she counting down the seconds until she saw Astrid at school on Monday? And if she didn't like girls, then why had it felt so damn good to kiss one?

---

there you have it, folks, the first kiss (or two) ;) the thought occurred to me that i could've pulled a mamma mia while writing this and wrote the book around the girl in red songs that i used for the chapter titles rather than the other way around, but oh well... maybe i'll do that some other time :)

i'm beyond thrilled that falling for astrid made it through round 1 of ONC. i'm crossing my fingers that we get through round 2!!