Once all of the students had selected their topics, Mr. Thompson led them down to the library to begin their research. He instructed each team to share a computer and start taking notes, and printing articles, and taking advantage of any books that the school had on hand.
As Chloe manned the computer and Tori took notes, Tori swelled with happiness. She was going to enjoy this assignment more than her teacher could know. Being this close to Chloe was reason enough to do well on the assignment; the more they studied together, the more she’d get to know her.
The time flew by, and the bell was soon ringing for the next period. “So, should we meet sometime after school to research stuff together?” Chloe asked.
“Well, I have cheerleading practice almost every day until four-thirty, but after that I’m available.”
Chloe frowned. “I usually leave my house at four for work,” she said. “We could always get together on the days I don’t work, which change every week. How are the weekends for you?”
“I’m pretty available, especially now that I’m single.” Tori scowled as she remembered Aaron bragging about cheating on her. I wonder if he was cheating on me last week while I was locked up in my room. A wave of rage washed over her, and she took a deep breath to calm her racing heart.
Chloe put her hand on Tori’s shoulder. “It’ll be okay,” she said reassuringly. “At least you’ll have something to keep your mind occupied; I don’t think you’ll have any other choice with everything we’ll need to do for the debate.” She smiled sympathetically. “I usually work the mornings on the weekends, so the evenings should be fine for me.”
Tori nodded. “I can ditch practice sometimes, too, if you can’t get off work. We can plan things ahead of time now that we have each other’s numbers.”
“Definitely,” Chloe agreed as they packed their bags.
Chapter 14
Chloe sat with her friends at their normal table at lunch, but she sat next to Lisa instead of Kristen. Though she and Kristen always sat next to each, she couldn’t comprehend being that close to Kristen without losing her cool. She barely said a word during lunch, her eyes affixed to her tray as she pushed the food around rather than eating it.
Mark glanced at Chloe, his brow furrowed in worry. “Is everything okay, Chlo?” he asked, looking over to Kristen for help; if anyone knew what was wrong, it’d be Kristen. She just frowned and looked away, though, offering no assistance.
“You didn’t sit with us in homeroom, either,” Lisa added. “What’s going on?”
Chloe’s face flushed. “I just don’t feel that well, and I don’t want to get the rest of you sick,” she lied, still keeping her face downward.
“Do you need to see the nurse?” Lisa asked, putting her arm around Chloe. “If you’re not feeling well, maybe you should go home.”
“I’ll be fine,” she insisted, standing up. “I’m going to throw away my tray.”
Kristen got up as well, following Chloe down the aisle. “Hun, can I talk to you?” she whispered a couple feet from the table.
Chloe’s face flushed. “Not now,” she spat irritably.
Kristen grasped her arm gently. “Babe, we can’t keep pretending nothing’s wrong. We need to talk about this. Besides, you’re not doing a very good job with keeping up appearances.”
Chloe yanked her arm away, scoffing. “Do you think I give a shit whether or not people see that I’m upset?” she hissed in a loud whisper. “I have every right to be! You dumped me, and now you want me to act like I didn’t get my heart broken?” She shook her head in disgust. “Just leave me alone, okay? God forbid anyone notices us talking since you’re so ashamed to be seen with me!” She slammed her tray down at the drop-off and stormed away as tears began streaming down her cheeks. She rushed out of the cafeteria, bolting into the stairwell and heading to a bathroom across the building where no one would hear her sobs.
Sabrina noticed the squabble, and she immediately took advantage of it. “Oh my god! There must be trouble in lesbian paradise!” The group laughed as Sabrina stood up and walked over to Kristen. “What’d you do, cheat on your girl with another butch? Were you sick of always pretending to be the guy and wanted to be the bitch for once?” The Frosted Flakes jeered, glaring at the girl.
Kristen snarled, her jaw clenching so tight that it felt as if her teeth would shatter. She lunged forward, ready to deliver a punch to Sabrina’s pretty little face once and for all, but Mark pulled her back at the last moment.
“Leave me alone, you stupid whore!” she screeched as Sabrina’s eyes widened. Her friends pulled Sabrina behind them, guarding her with terrified faces.
The cafeteria buzzed with murmurs as everyone watched the scene. No one else in the cafeteria came to the Frosted Flakes’ aid, and the guard was nowhere to be seen. All anyone could do was stare in amazement and admiration; someone had finally stood up to them.
“Kristen, these skanks aren’t worth the suspension!” Mark insisted. “Let’s just go.”
Kristen growled as she reluctantly backed away from Sabrina. She sprinted out of the cafeteria, whispers about the fight echoing down the hall behind her.
Tori returned to her seat, observing the aftermath. Everyone was buzzing with excitement as her friends consoled and fawned over Sabrina. Tori wanted to tell Sabrina that she would’ve deserved it, but then she’d have to admit she’d warranted the same fate every time she picked on someone. Tuning out the cacophony, she wondered what had happened between Kristen and Chloe that caused her to lash out with so much hostility.
* * *
Chloe wasn’t in the mood to go home. If she went home, she’d have to think about Kristen and how they’d usually spend time together after work. Sitting alone would only make her depression worse; instead, she sat in the library, researching the debate to keep busy until her it was time for her mom to get home.
Tori walked past the library on her way to practice. She spotted Chloe inside, and she took a detour to say hi. Smiling as she approached, Tori got Chloe’s attention as she sat next to her. “Hey there,” she greeted.
Chloe’s eyes widened as she looked up, surprised to see Tori. “Hey!” she replied, glancing down at the clock. “Don’t you have cheerleading practice?”
“Yes, but I saw you in here and figured I’d say hello.” She looked at the screen and saw an article about same-sex marriage. “You’re working on our assignment?” Tori frowned, worried that Chloe didn’t trust her to do her part.
Chloe nodded. “Yeah. I’m just trying to kill some time before my mom gets home. I don’t feel like being alone today.”
“I understand,” Tori said, relieved. “My parents are rarely home, so I usually just hang out alone in my room all evening.”
Chloe raised her eyebrow. “I thought you’d be out all the time with your friends or something.” Like at the mall, for instance, tormenting people who need to work for a living.
Tori scoffed. “Oh, no, I rarely hang out with them after school, except when we go to the mall, of course.”
“Gotcha.” Though Chloe was still aggravated over the mall incident, she also pitied Tori. She never thought that someone so popular would live such a solitary life. “Well, what are you doing after practice?”
Tori shrugged. “I don’t have anything planned.” Her heart pounded, hoping Chloe was also free.
“Me neither,” Chloe said. “Do you maybe want to meet afterward and work on this? The library should be closed by then, but we can go down to the Rabbit Hole.”
The Rabbit Hole was the local coffee shop that boasted its creativity and individuality with its eclectic mix of flea market finds—mismatched chairs and tables, gaudy lamps, old books, used games, and a wide variety of coffee mugs and teacups. It was a proudly open-minded venue with its comprehensive vegetarian and vegan menus, exotic herbal teas, and flyers for local demonstrations and environmental causes. The coffee shop also had a small arcade section, a stage for local
bands, and free wireless internet access.
Tori nodded. “That works for me,” she agreed. “It’s been a while since I had a chai tea latte.”
Chloe’s eyes brightened. “That’s my favorite drink!” she exclaimed. “They have the best vegan chocolate chip cookies, too, that go so great with it!”
“Vegan chocolate chip?” Tori repeated, an eyebrow raising. “What’s the difference? I mean, obviously there aren’t any eggs or animal products or anything like that, but what makes them so good?”
Chloe shrugged. “Well, I’m assuming the chips aren’t milk chocolate, either, but other than that I got nothing.” She smirked. “They’re really good, though, trust me. You’ll have to try them.”
“Okay,” Tori agreed, imagining sipping chai as they sat close to each other while discussing homework. She looked at her watch, noticing that she was almost late, and jumped out of her seat. “I have to go to practice. Do…do you want me to call you when I’m done?”
“Sure,” Chloe replied. “I’ll see you then.” Tori nodded shyly, saying goodbye as she rushed to practice.
She likes chai? Chloe thought. I can’t believe we have things in common. And she can be nice, too, when she wants to be. Maybe there’s more to her than I’ve seen over the years.
* * *
Tori couldn’t wait to be done with practice. All she could think about was sitting next to Chloe in a quiet corner of the Rabbit Hole. It was obvious that she wasn’t focused; she had made more mistakes in one practice than she ever had in all of her years of cheerleading combined. After her coach commented on it, though, she got herself together so that the time would go faster. She figured that her coach would attribute her errors to devastation over her breakup with Aaron, anyway, so she wasn’t too worried about it.
Leaving the field an hour later, she noticed that Aaron had stopped to chat with Sabrina before heading to their respective locker rooms. A pang of suspicion twanged in her gut, but she quickly shrugged it off since they had been friends long before she and Aaron had broken up. Sabrina didn’t know that Tori wanted to be with a woman, so there was no reason why she’d ever betray Tori by sleeping with Aaron.
Chapter 15
Tori went home to take a shower and to change into casual clothes before she called Chloe. She’d never been so nervous about meeting someone to do homework—not that she’d ever met anyone to do homework before. She wanted to make sure that she looked attractive for the meeting, but she didn’t want to look like she was purposely trying to impress Chloe by looking overly dressy. She wore hip-hugging flared jeans, a low cut V-neck tee shirt, and leather sandals. Her hair twisted into an updo with a clip, she applied natural-toned makeup and nervously studied herself in the mirror. She looked sexy, yet casual—just the look that she desired.
She took a deep breath, dialing Chloe’s number as her heart began pounding.
“Hey there, Chloe,” Tori said, her voice shaking.
“Hey,” Chloe greeted. “All done with practice?”
“Yes,” Tori replied. “I’m all ready to meet if you are.”
“Okay. I’ll head out now. See you in a few?”
“Sure,” Tori said as she grabbed her car keys. “See you soon.”
They hung up as Tori got into her car. After parking down the street from the Rabbit Hole, she walked into the coffee shop and bought herself a large iced chai. She scanned the shop for Chloe as she waited for her drink, locating her getting settled at a table in the back corner where they could research and discuss their assignment in peace.
Chloe greeted her with a smile, trying not to gawk at her. Tori looked quite attractive in her casual attire—she looked so much better when she wasn’t trying so hard—and Chloe couldn’t help but watch her hips sway as she approached. She stood up and let Tori get settled next to her before they got started. They both chuckled as they put their cups of iced chai next to each other, their notebooks side by side as Tori set up her laptop.
At first, they researched the assignment separately on their computers, working in near silence. Once they got a little more comfortable with their surroundings, though, they began collaborating on ideas and data they had found. Eventually, they found it easier to just use one computer and work together, so Tori leaned over to look at Chloe’s computer as they bookmarked relevant websites and notated any information that they deemed important. After an hour and a half, they decided that they’d worked hard enough for the first night, but they stuck around to socialize.
Tori smiled, handing Chloe another iced chai and a vegan chocolate chip cookie as she returned to her seat. “You were so right about these cookies!” she declared.
Chloe leaned into Tori, their knees almost touching. “I told you!” she boasted. After a moment of eating in silence, Chloe glanced at Tori as she anxiously chewed her bottom lip. “So, I have to ask you. Why do you do it?”
Tort’s brow furrowed. “Do what?”
“Why do you fake it all the time?” Chloe asked. “Why do you pretend to be…well, less intelligent than you actually are…when you’re in school?”
Tori chuckled. “Well, intelligence isn’t cool, and like you said, I’ve always wanted to be the cookie-cutter version of what the societal norm says we should be,” she replied with a twinkle in her eye.
Chloe grinned at Tori’s recollection of their mini-debate in class. “Why do you work so hard to be like everyone else, though? Why don’t you just be who you are instead of what everyone wants you to be?”
“You know, I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. I guess I’ve just gotten used to being one of the popular girls. I like to be known and noticed, you know?”
“But these people care about what you’re doing for all the wrong reasons,” Chloe argued. “They only care about what you’re doing because they want to see you fall on your face. I didn’t see a single one of them check up on you today or make sure you were okay after the breakup; that alone shows what you really mean to them.”
“Not all of my friends are fake, Chloe,” Tori retorted, slightly annoyed. “I have a few friends that I can almost consider genuine.”
Chloe smiled. “Almost consider genuine?”
Tori grinned. “Yeah, almost. I know they talk about me, and I’m pretty sure one of them is banging my ex behind my back.”
Chloe sighed. “Yeah, I know,” she muttered, thinking of Sabrina. Chloe wasn’t sure if she was close enough, or the right person, to break the news to Tori, so she kept silent. She looked at Tori, pausing nervously before she spoke. “Um, I know it might be too personal a question, but why weren’t you having sex with Aaron?”
Tori’s eyebrow raised. “How did you know about that?”
Chloe’s eyes widened, realizing she’d overheard it from Sabrina while she and Aaron were making plans for their affair. “Um, it was one of the rumors I heard.”
Tori sighed. “There’s just something about it that doesn’t interest me. The thought of us having sex made my stomach turn, though I know that probably sounds stupid considering I was dating who most consider the hottest guy in school.” Her face flushed. “To be honest, I…I’ve never had sex with anyone before.” She chuckled as she realized that she was pouring her heart out to a near stranger.
Chloe’s eyes widened. She had heard vastly different rumors about Tori—some involving her and several of the football players all at once—but it seemed that the rumors were just that. “Did you just not have a chance with anyone before Aaron?”
Tori shook her head. “The whole idea of it doesn’t appeal to me at all. I’m just not into guys all that much, not even Aaron, even though I know I’m supposed to be.”
Chloe nodded. “I’m not much for them, either.” She blushed, unsure if she could trust Tori enough to tell her about her interest in girls—then again, Tori had pretty much just said that she didn’t want to be with men, either.
Chloe’s argument in the cafeteria with her friend flash
ed through Tori’s mind. “While we’re sharing stuff, what’s up with you and…Kristen, did you say? You guys got into a pretty nasty fight during lunch, and you didn’t sit next to her in homeroom, either.”
Chloe frowned. “Well, the easiest way to explain it is that we had a falling out,” she responded, hesitant to delve into details about their romantic relationship. She rested her chin on her palm, a sad sigh escaping her lips. “It’s so weird not having her around; we’ve been friends since Kindergarten and haven’t been apart much ever since.” She held back tears as she took in a deep breath.
“That’s a long time to be friends to just stop talking. I’m sorry to hear about that.” She paused for a moment, unsure of what to say.
Chloe shrugged. “Nothing I can do about it.”
Tori nodded. “I know, but still. It sucks that you’re in pain. So am I, so maybe we can help each other get over it together?”
Chloe smiled. “I would like that.”
Tori slurped the last of her chai as she glanced at her watch. “Oh my god! It’s almost nine! Where did the time go?” She started packing up her laptop and notebook. “I probably should get going.”
Chloe nodded as she put away her belongings. “This was fun.”
Tori nodded. “I had a great time.”
They left the coffee shop together, pausing on the sidewalk before heading to their cars. Tori shuffled her feet nervously. “So I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then?”
Chloe nodded. “See you first thing in the morning.”
Tori sat in her car, trying to still her racing heart. Chloe’s so awesome! she thought happily. She’s great to talk with, and I love how she gets so animated when she discusses topics she’s interested in. Not only that, but we actually have a lot in common, and we click really well. She also said that she didn’t like guys; I wonder if that means what I hope it does…
Chloe’s thoughts were practically the same as she drove back home. I can’t believe how down to earth Tori is outside of school! She’s so smart, and she’s so easy to talk to. We hit it off so well, and we seem to have lots in common. I’d almost say she’s datable, though I’m not sure I trust her completely yet. Still, she’s already said she’s not interested in guys, so if this works out I might just get over Kristen after all…
Our New Normal Page 8