"Guys!" Khloe worriedly yells from behind us. "You look really mad. He's not going to listen, if you just yell at him." neither Ava or I acknowledge Khloe's advice, though her being Khloe should indicate that what she said is worth taking into account.

We march into the glass, modern admins office. Ava storms straight past Principal Ratface's secretary, who stands up angrily. "Excuse me, do you have an appointment?" she calls after us.

I unsurely follow Ava, as she kicks open the door to Ratface's office. "What do you think you're doing?!" Ratface rises from his throne.

"No, the question is what do you think you're doing?" Ava slams her hand on his desk. This is escalating quickly, and I can tell it's only for the worse.

"Ms. Blackwell, this is your first week attending this school, and I advise you watch your tone with me." Maybe Ratface is right.

"Principal Jackson, I understand that you want the student body to be satisfied. But how can you deny someone the right to do what any normal person could? Are you, yourself a homophobe?" I didn't expect Ava to become so calm. Despite her tone that has been regulfied, her shoulders rise up and down rapidly, expressing the anger through motion and not verbally.

"That's outrageous," he glares down at Ava.

"You didn't answer the question," Ava squints her eyes back.

"I am not obligated to answer that question," he folds his arms, matter-of-factly.

"Isn't it illegal to outlaw PDA for gays in a school?" she finishes with a 'hmph'.

"Mind your own business, Ms. Blackwell. I suggest that you enjoy your two free periods, and leave me to my work. If you have any further complaints, please stick a letter in the suggestion box." he takes a deep breath, trying to control his frustration. When Ratface gets mad, he turns purple, reminding me of a plum.

"You think I care about your precious rules? I can hold a girl's hand if I want to, and you can't suspend me for it." she pivots on her heel, and diva-walks her way out of the room. I side step in the direction of the door, hoping that Ratface won't see me.

"Stay away from that one, Ms. Rowe. I don't want you in more trouble than you are." with that, he gets up, shoves me out the door, and closes it behind me.

"Khloe!" I moan, exiting the administrative office.

"What?" she cowers backwards.

"Why didn't you come inside?" I furrow my brows.

"I..." she pauses. "I didn't want him to know," she whimpers.

"Know what?" I throw my hands up, my X Ambassadors t-shirt shifting when I do.

"Nevermind." she dismisses me, turning to leave.

"Khloe?" Ava grabs Khloe's shoulder, sympathetically, but Khloe escapes the grip and runs till I can't see her.

"What was that?" I approach Ava.

"She's upset," Ava shrugs.

"About what?" I step in front of Ava, in order to make eye contact. She has charcoal colored eyes, the eyeliner a tar black, the eyeshadow a shade of obsidian. Her tank top has been cut into pieces towards the bottom, in order to make a tangled-fringe. Her dark, grey short-shorts match her chunky black boots. She is beautiful, in her own, angel-of-death-style.

"How should I know?" she looks down to the ground, and back up again. But not at me, she looks over my shoulder, in the direction Khloe went.

"Wait," I pause, a small glint of realization sparking in my eyes. "Do you like Khloe?"

"She's alright," Ava rubs the back of her neck.

"I mean, like-like."

"No." she pushes past me, and moves in the direction Khloe went, picking up pace until she breaks into a sprint, her combat boots pounding against the tile of the halls. Ava does like Khloe. But Khloe likes Josh...I think.

---------------------------

"That's fucking insane," Harper gasps, straightening her back.

"That's what I said." I scratch the back of my neck.

"They can't do that, can they?" she raises a heavily filled in, eyebrow.

"I don't know," I cock my head, trying to think back to the empty place in my brain where I store legal knowledge. "Yup, I don't know." I confirm. I should probably fill in that gap, a little.

"I can't get over that," Harper rants.

"I'm stuck in a state of catalepsy," I stare blankly ahead, focusing on the oven. "You know, the timer for whatever concoction you are cooking up in there went off five minutes ago." I point out, casually.

"Shit! Why didn't you say so?" she quickly opens the oven, to see what resembles muffins. Or are they blocks of coal? Hmm, I can't tell.

"Say, did you bake charcoal, Harper?" I inquire, true interest in my tone. She tucks a strand of short, icy blonde hair behind her ear, then grabs two oven mitts and takes out the coal lumps.

"You and your sarcasm," she spits, plopping the pan down onto the counter. She returns to the register. "Someone's got to complain to Principal Jackson," she responds.

"I'm no baker like you are, but aren't you supposed to shut the oven door, once you take the goods out?" I extend my index finger to the open stove.

"Smartass," she mumbles, as she shoves the door closed.

"Keep this up and you'll be a star baker on Food Network soon," I giggle. "You can join the Cake Boss family," I'm on a roll today. Silently, I congratulate myself, with a pat on the back.

"Shut up," she warns.

"Not familiar with the term," I shrug.

"Khloe why haven't you done anything about the matter? I mean it affects you," Harper slants her head to the right.

"Affects you?" I turn to Khloe.

"Shit," Harper puts a hand to her frosty, bubblegum lips.

"Nice, Harp." Khloe shakes her head, and runs out of the store, dashing up the block, before I even have the chance to say a word she is out of sight.

"What just happened?" I turn to Harper, confusion fusing every thought I have into a giant ball.

"So you didn't know?" Harper looks to the ground, her hair falling in front of her clouded, blue eyes.

"Didn't know what?" I adjust my tshirt.

"She's bisexual." Harper responds.

"Why is she so ashamed of that?" Nothing about the way I think of Khloe has changed? Did Khloe think this would change things? "You're an out lesbian, shouldn't that encourage her if anything?" I squint, trying to relieve the brain fart in my mind.

"No, if anything it's discouraging. Our parents kicked me out, you know that." she winces at the memory.

"Yeah I know..." I sigh.

"They're coming around, they still pay for my tuition that I now don't need, but I can't go to them for anything now. I can't ask Dad to help me get published, and I can't ask Mom to lend me a couple bucks, or get me a macbook to get my work done. I can't tell I dropped out, because then that'd be it. They hate me, Adriann." she looks back to the dreaded oven, and smirks. "They won't let me starve to death, and they want to see me, but they're never gonna love me like they used to."

"She could've told me," I explain. "It wouldn't change anything. She has a boyfriend anyways."

"She's scared," Harper reassures me.

"Does Ava know?" I ask, biting my lip.

"I don't know," she shrugs, lying.

"You two tell each other everything. Does Ava know?" I raise my voice, slightly.

"Yeah," she pauses, "Khlo felt more comfortable telling someone who likes girl too."

"How does Khloe know I don't like girls?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Do you?" Harper folds her arms.

"No," I huff.

"It's hard to explain these kinds of things to people who aren't going through it." Harper sighs.

"Yeah I guess," I purse my lips. "Is she gonna be okay?" I ask, worrying where Khloe might've gone.

"Yeah she will, we'll see her again soon." she reaches into her computer bag, and takes out her old macbook. "Now watch for Dylan, while I get some writing done. She'll be pissed if she catches me working again, but this place is dead, so..." she opens up the laptop and begins to type, her fingers dancing rapidly across the keys.

I peak out the window of the store, trying to spot Dylan, till I remember, "Uh, Harper?"

"Hm?" she asks, taking a sip of her coffee.

"I don't know Dylan," I smack my head, feeling stupid for forgetting that one important detail.

"Oh yeah," she laughs a little. "Damn," she shoves her laptop back into her bag. "Here. Instead of writing." she grabs two cookies from the display, and hands one to me, keeping the other for herself. She pressed a perfect, skinny finger to her lips. "Keep this quiet."

"I will," I bite into the cookie, clearly crafted by a baker, and not by this disastrous chef.

"She should be back soon, her break ends in two minutes." Harper cautions. "Also, fair warning, she's strikingly beautiful, so don't be shocked." A bit of pink rises to the surface of Harper's cheeks.

"Oh my gosh. You like this girl, don't you?" I lean in, examining the color in her face.

"What, no..." Harper pfts.

"You do," I smirk.

"Okay yeah, I really like her." she smiles a little, tucking her hair behind her ears, yet again.

"So," I begin. "When are you going to ask her out?"

"Woah there, slow down." Harper giggles.

"You're nineteen, ask the chick out." I grin.

"I don't have any good date spots right now," she rolls her eyes.

"Take advice from, me, the fifteen-year-old. Ask her to a movie or something, just ask her out."

"You don't even know Dylan," she chuckles.

"Hey," the door opens. "You two talking about me?" A quiet voice peeps. Dylan smiles a little bit. I stumble backwards when I see her. He layered, straight brown hair falls past her shoulders, twinkling in the sunlight. Her sea green eyes, look like stained glass, sprinkled with blue. Her pale cheeks are dusted with milk chocolate freckles, and her thick lips form a natural pout. She wears a long sleeve black shirt, striped with white. The only makeup she wears is mascara, as far as I can tell. It was an understatement when Harper called this chick breathtaking. She is astonishing, mesmerizing.

"Who's this?" Dylan looks from me to Harper.

"This is Adriann Rowe, my little sister's best friend." she points to me, and I give a slight bow, unaware of what to do in the presence of such a goddess. I hate her for her beauty.

"Hi there," I wave, awkwardly.

"I'm Dylan," she pauses, "I bake the things that make it to the display cases," she giggles shyly.

"So I've noticed, I didn't think this one could do that." Harper looks down at her feet, when I make my comment.

"I'm going to go find Khloe, she can't have made it too far." I head for the door. Now I can find my best friend, and give these two some alone time.

"Alrighty, leave her be if she wants you to," Harper calls after me.

"You know I won't!" I yell, closing the door behind me. And with that, I leave, gone with the wind on a search for Khloe.

********

Let me know what all of you think of Dylan and Harper together? Should they end up as a couple, or not? Should Khloe come out? Vote and comment if you enjoyed, thanks so much for reading!

-PaintMeAPicture