"Oh? When's your birthday?" Georgia asked, digging through her backpack's side pockets. She had pulled out a little note.

"December. December twenty-second." Theo raised a brow as she took the note from Georgia's hand. "What's this?" 

"I don't wanna stress you out, but I wanted to give you a kiss after I walked you to class. So, the note." 

Theo unfolded the note and smiled tiredly. "You're so stupid." 

The note read: 

*Kiss*

Georgia shrugged. "Yeah, but you like it." 

---------

Georgia had navigated her way to Annabelle's first period, dipping into her class, unnoticed. 

"Yo, Belle." Georgia whispered. She ignored Annabelle's cries of surprise. "Can you get your little gossip circle to find out which lunch Yana has? Theo's ex, black hair, tanned skin." 

Annabelle cut her eyes at the blonde. "What are you, a stalker? Why do you want to know her lunch?" She feigned a face of disgust. "I'm friends with a stalker!" 

"Can you do it, or not?" 

Annabelle smiled. "Yeah. I can do some searching." 

Georgia hugged her quickly. "Thank you. I'll buy you ice cream at lunch." 

"You better!" 

--------

Georgia was packing up in the last few minutes of third period when Annabelle had messaged her. 

[A: C lunch. Usually sits in the back, by the stairs.]

Georgia smiled. 

[G: Thanks, Belle. I owe you.] 

[A: Hell yeah you do! Because of you, I've got to do Clarissa's anatomy homework tonight. I expect a gallon of ice cream. >:P] 

Georgia rolled her eyes, sighing as she stuffed her folder and spiral deep into her backpack. She slipped her worksheet somewhere between some folders, not at all concerned she was never going to see it again. 

"Whatcha sighing for, Georgia?" 

Georgia raised a brow as she realized it was Theo's head hovering over her shoulder. 

"Nothing." She turned to face the ginger. "What are you doing in my class?" She asked, curious. 

Theo shrugged and looked around. "I was passing by, and the door was open. I snuck in. Wasn't that difficult."

"Well, you might want to leave before Mrs. Glien catches you. She's a grumpy one." Georgia smiled. "She'll report you to the principal~"

"Eh. Wouldn't be the first time he's seen my face." Theo leaned against Georgia's desk. "You have A lunch, right? I was just about to eat lunch. You coming?" 

"But you don't eat lunch, remember?" Georgia smirked. 

--------

C lunch had rolled around and Georgia had to come up with some lame excuse as to why she had to ditch in the middle of class. 

"Sorry, but I really need to go to bathroom." She feigned a little squirm as everyone in class looked at her. 

The teacher squinted at her, but turned back to the whiteboard. "Sure. But no more outbursts in class, understood?" 

Georgia nodded and hurriedly grabbed the bathroom pass. "Yes, ma'am!" 

She rushed down the hall and down to the first floor. She had one goal in mind, and one only. 

To get to Yana. 

That's something she thought she would never even dream of. 

She poked the brunette in the back of head, leaning down to speak into her ear. "What's up, buttercup? I need to talk to you real quick." 

She ignored the gossiping going around the table, and focused on Yana's angry face. 

She'd be pretty if she didn't make such ugly faces all the time.

Ignoring Yana's glare, she smiled. "I'm supposed to be in the bathroom, so I need you to get moving." 

--------

Yana held a scowl until she leaned back onto the bathroom wall. She crossed her arms across her chest, obviously irritated. 

"What do you want?" 

Georgia pulled her phone from her pocket and scrolled through her camera roll. "It's Theo." Georgia turned her phone around to show a video she took of Theo the night before. 

Yana's face fell and she turned away, any anger once held had disappeared. 

"Nightmares." Georgia continued. "That's what she calls them. It seems more like PTSD dreams to me." Her gaze flickered to Yana's pained face as the cries from her phone echoed through the bathroom. After a few seconds, Georgia cut her phone off, leaving the bathroom in silence. 

"I want you to tell me about them." 

Yana grit her teeth. "It's none of my business anymore. If she wanted you to know, she would have told you." She breathed in deep. "I've got nothing to do with her anymore. I'm tired of licking her wounds for her." 

Georgia frowned. "What wounds, though? If you tell me, maybe I can help, or at least understand." She watched. As Yana fought herself. "You know you still care. There's no way you don't." 

Simple beats of silence followed. 

"It's her mom." Yana confessed. "She died when she was ten. I was her friend, then. To be honest, I had no intention of liking her. Even when we started dating, I did it for her. She needed someone. Anyone." She paused, pinching her arms. "The first time I stayed over, she had that kind of dream. I felt bad..." 

Georgia's voice shook with anger. "So you lead her on? For six years, you never actually liked her. She thought you loved her, Yana. She loved you." Georgia's fist tightened around her phone. 

"I know. That's why I stayed. For her." She shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, she's a great person. I wouldn't have slept with someone I didn't like even a little bit. I'm not like that. It's just, my feelings are more rooted in friendship than they are romance." 

"Then why did you blow up on her that day? When you saw her with me?" Georgia's voice quivered. 

Yana eyed Georgia carefully. "It pissed me off. I was there for six years, and she burnt me out, not even noticing. No matter how much I cared, I could only handle so much. Then, when I had finally put myself first, she had ran to you. So fast, that it hurt." She shrugged. "Of course, I still care. It's just for the first time in six years, I'm putting myself first." 

Georgia said nothing, so Yana continued.

"I thought for a while, I could do it. I thought I could grow to love her like she loved me. I thought I could devote myself, but once it felt like she was getting distracted, focused on things other than us, when I was trying so hard-" She choked. "I just couldn't handle it anymore." Yana looked to her, curiously. 

"What makes you think you'll end up any different than me?" 

"I actually really like her. In more than a friendship kind of way." Georgia smiled. 

"Do you love her?" Yana blinked. 

Georgia slowly shook her head. "No. Not yet. I still kind of need to figure out what that means. I've never done anything. Just this year I had my first kiss. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm working on it." 

Georgia cleared her throat when Yana had made a face. 

"So you really won't tell me, huh?" Georgia asked, cocking her head to the side. She thought for a moment once Yana had shook her head. "Do you know anyone who would tell me?" 

"There's this girl," Yana began. "Her name is Taylor, she's on the basketball team. She used to be really good friends with Theo up until her mom died." She rolled her eyes. "She'll talk about anything with anyone. She can't keep her mouth shut to save her life." Her face grew serious. "But, Theo will be pissed once she finds out you went snooping through her life without telling her. I don't suggest it. Seriously." 

Yana walked past Georgia and towards the bathroom door. "You go ahead. My time in her life is over. Take care of her for me, though. Good luck, bubble blonde."