Alice nearly jumped off the bus and ran to Dana’s house, not stopping until she nearly collided with the front door. She stepped back, panting heavily and looked at the doorbell. Her chest heaving, she lightly pressed the doorbell, hearing the jingle echo throughout. As she waited for an answer, Alice tried desperately to smooth down her windblown hair and fix her wrinkled shirt without the help of a mirror. She was still panting when Jess opened the door. “Hey Alice.” She said solemnly, frowning.

“Hey Jess, what’s up? Is Dana here?” Alice tried to look past the maid’s form, but couldn’t see anyone there.

Jess bit her lip. “Yeah, she is, but she told me not to let you in.”

“What? Why not?”

Jess shrugged. “No clue, but whatever you did, you pissed her off royally.”

“Jess, I really need to talk to her–” Alice started, but Jess put a hand up, stopping her.

“She said you’d say that and told me to tell you to…well…” Jess leaned closer to Alice, biting her lip again. She whispered, “I don’t want to hurt your feelings but…” She straightened up and said, “She told me to tell you to…fuck off.”

Alice’s shoulders drooped. “You’re not gonna let me in here, are you?”

Jess apologetically shook her head. She felt bad for the girl, who looked so utterly defeated, so against her better judgment, decided to help Alice out. She liked Alice. She was wacky and brought life into the usually dull atmosphere that was the Fairbanks household. She looked around to make sure Dana wasn’t nearby and whispered, “But she goes for a jog around seven, after dinner…around the block. So maybe you two can just…bump into one another.”

Alice’s face lit up like a tree at Christmas. She smiled, grabbing a surprised Jessica’s hand and squeezing it. “You’re a lifesaver! Thank you!”

Jess smiled, but her face turned to a mock firmness. “And don’t let me catch you here again.” She stated, winking at Alice.

Alice winked back, nodding. Then, Jess closed the door. Alice spun on her heels, feeling as though a weight had been lifted. ‘Once I talk to her, thing’s will be better. I’ll turn up the ole Pieszecki charm…she won’t be able to resist.’

‘Now what am I gonna to for three and a half hours?’

————————–


When Bette turned the corner doing forty, Tina knew she was mad. She figured scolding Bette for speed would be a bad idea, but she wanted to live to be able to talk things out. “Hey Bette?” She said softly and nearly flinched when Bette looked her way for a second, her eyes hard and fiery. “I-I know you’re upset and all, but killing us really isn’t going to solve any problems.” She decided to lighten the mood with a joke. “And dying young really isn’t the surprise I expected.”

Bette’s forehead creased as she frowned, looking down at the speedometer. Tina was right. She was flying, and driving fast because she was mad was a great way to get them killed. She let up on the accelerator a bit and exhaled. “Sorry Tee.” She felt terrible. Her shoulders tensed as she thought about those people…their mocking faces…taunting eyes… ‘I shoulda told them where to go. Tina saw the whole thing…and I stood there and did nothing. The whole damn mood is ruined.’

“No it isn’t.” Tina said out of the blue, making Bette whip her head toward her.

“How did you…”

“I could see it written all over your face babe. Don’t worry about it.”

Bette smiled a little. “And here I thought you could read my mind.” She turned another right.

“You don’t know…maybe I can.” Tina said coyly, opening her window.

“Oh yeah?”

“Ah-huh.”

“Well then, if you’re so psychic, where am I tak–”

“To the beach.”

Bette nearly slammed her foot on the brake as she looked at Tina. She pulled over a little, letting other cars pass her by. “Did you know this entire time?”

Tina had to laugh at Bette’s facial expression. Her eyes were wide and doe-like, her mouth curved into a pout, staring at Tina with a mixture of amazement and disappointment, upset the surprise was ruined. “No. I had a hunch that’s all. Besides, can’t you smell the ocean from here?”

It was then Bette realized how close they were to their destination. You could practically see the boardwalk from where the car was stopped. The air hung heavier, the light breeze passing carried that salty ocean smell with it. She sighed. “Well, so much for my surprise.”

“No, it was a good surprise. Hey, if you want, I’ll close my eyes and pretend to be really surprised when we get to the beach. How bout that?”

Bette laughed. “Not necessary. Besides, you still might be surprised.”

“Why?”

“You’ll see.”

Tina shook her head, sitting lower in the car’s seat. “All right.”

——————–

Carmen flipped through her record collection like one flips through a rolodex, taking out ones she didn’t think she needed anymore. She had bought a hefty collection at a thrift shop, excited about the new sound she would be experimenting with, but didn’t want to carry around more music than she needed. She wouldn’t throw the records out, no, one would never dream of doing that. She would keep them and use them whenever she was in the mood for an older mix.

As she fingered through them, picking up albums to decide whether they would stay or go, her cell phone started ringing. She stared at the screen, not recognizing the number immediately. Probably a client… “D.J. Carmen.” She answered.

“Hi.” A deep, vaguely familiar voice said.

Carmen squinted, trying to figure out where she knew that voice from. Then, it hit her. Shane. But she wasn’t going to let her know that. “How can I help you?”

“It’s me.”

“I don’t know a “me.” Me who?”

“Uh…Shane. We met a couple weeks ago at a party…”

“Hmm…nope. Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“It doesn’t huh? How should I refresh your memory?”

“Dunno.” Carmen tucked the phone between her ear and her shoulder, continuing to thumb through her crate of albums.

“Well…do you remember when you said I was the best you’d ever had–”

“I DID NOT!” Carmen shouted in surprise, dropping the phone as she sat up straight. She fumbled with it, pulling it back up to her ear. “WE DID NOT HAVE SEX!”

“So you do remember.”

Carmen sighed. She’d been beat. “Yes.” Her eyes narrowed. “You know, when someone says they’re going to call later, it’s usually at the end of the day or maybe even the next day. Not two weeks later.”

“So you were looking forward to my call…”

“No. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to change my cell phone number.”

“So this is your cell phone…”

“Shit.”

Shane smirked, hearing Carmen hiss. She had meant to call Carmen on that day two weeks ago, but for some reason she couldn’t. Every time she started to dial, her hands would begin to shake and her heart started to pound. She wasn’t sure what that feeling was, but she didn’t like it at all. Plus, there were six other people in her foster home, and only one available phone. It was damn near impossible to get a moment alone on the telephone. Fortunately, everyone else was out. Her foster siblings were out doing their own thing and her foster mother was at work. “What are you doing tonight?”

“My job.”

“Where?”

“No place you’re going to show.”

Shane exhaled loudly into the receiver, frustrated. She tried to play it cool. “Well, what are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Nothing…that you’re going to know about.” Carmen smiled as another frustrated breath entered her ear. It was sort of fun teasing Shane, but she could tell if she wasn’t careful, she was going to go too far. “Are we done here?”

“I’ll call you later.”

“Later as in tonight…tomorrow…or a month from now?”

The only answer Carmen received was a dial tone. She looked down at her phone, smiling. ‘Nothing like fun conversation to put me in a good mood.’ She flipped through her records with a little more spunk, completely unaware that her mood was attributed to actually hearing from Shane…something she had been looking forward to since she knew Shane had her number.

——————

Bette pulled into a parking space and opened the door, immediately surrounded by the heavy ocean air. “You ready?” She asked Tina, taking the bag from the car floor between the seats and a blanket from the back seat. Tina nodded, and they both got out of the car. Seagulls squawked and circled above, the sound of the ocean crashing against the sand filled Tina’s ears, relaxing her. She loved the ocean. She loved the smells, the sounds, the feelings it evoked. And although she wasn’t too keen on all of the sun without lotion, she was willing to sacrifice it to be with Bette. Besides, it was afternoon sun, how bad could it be?

They walked up on the boardwalk for a ways, Tina trailing just behind Bette the whole way, wondering where they were going. A rainbow assortment of umbrellas and beach towels littered the shoreline as scarcely clad men and women roamed around, soaking up the last of the sun’s most potent rays. Smoke from food stands along the boardwalk filled the air, mixing the aromas of American and ethnic foods with salty sea. Tina’s stomach growled as she walked, and she hoped they would be settling down soon.

They soon came to the end of the boardwalk, where a bike path to a short patch of woods lay ahead. “Tell me you brought me all the way out here to sit in the woods. Bette, we coulda went to the park–”

Bette smiled, putting a hand up to stop Tina. “No. Just, follow me okay?” She started to walk ahead, but stopped when she realized Tina wasn’t following. She sighed, walking back and grabbing Tina’s hand. “Trust me. Come on.”

Tina allowed herself to be led down the bicycle path and through the woods. “I always used to wonder what was happening back here.” She thought aloud, looking around.

“You’ve never been this far down?”

Tina shook her head. “Nope. My Ma would go crazy if she knew. She thinks only deviants hide in the woods. Deviants and serial killers…you can blame that on ‘Primetime.’ After a while, I guess I just stopped wondering.”

“So, I guess that makes me a deviant huh?”

“Yep.”

Bette laughed. “Yeah, my father wouldn’t let me set foot over here either if he knew I did. I used to come here sometimes when I had a fight with my father of when Kit came home dru…when I f-fought with her.”

Tina frowned, but didn’t press further. When Bette was ready, she would talk. Hopefully. “How many secret spots do you have?”

“Just these two thank you very much.” They stopped in what looked like the middle, and Bette turned, biting her lip. “I think this is it.”

“What?” Tina looked around. All she could see were trees. Bette was somehow looking past them though, through them to somewhere else.

“Hmm…I’m pretty sure it’s…” She looked to her left, and then to her right, squinting. “It’s been a while, but I’m almost positive…” She gripped Tina’s hand tighter. “Come on. It should be right down here.” Then, she started to lead Tina directly into the woods.

“Dragging me into the woods? Now you really are a deviant.” Tina teased, laughing and sticking her tongue out as Bette looked over her shoulder, glaring at Tina.

Sticks, leaves and fallen bark crunched under their shoes as they treaded the area, Bette pulling Tina along like an eager child would pull their mother. The sun shown dimly through the trees, flashing as the branches swayed in and out of its way.

After a few minutes, Bette sucked in some air, smiling triumphantly. “Yep, this is it.” This newfound confidence also brought some energy, as Bette pulled Tina with even more force. Not a few moments later, they stepped into a clearing, and Tina gasped.

It was a spot of the beach that looked untouched. Gentle ocean waves crashed against the short stretch of sand, that had enough room for two. Trees lined up against the back and right, while a huge rocky hill jutted up from the land to the left. The rest was just ocean, and it was amazing. “Bette,” Tina gasped breathlessly, “it’s beautiful.”

Bette nodded, watching Tina’s wide eyes roam the area, grinning from ear to ear. “Surprise.” She whispered, releasing Tina’s hand to wrap her arm around her waist.

Tina turned to Bette and gently kissed her on the mouth, saying all of her gratitudes with that one simple gesture. Bette smiled, squeezing Tina tight before letting go. She set the bag down and unfolded the blanket. “You wanna help me lay this out?”

“Sure.” Tina said, grabbing two corners.

They walked apart, spreading their arms wide, opening the blanket up. They set it down, kicking off their shoes to set at each corner. Then, they sat down in the middle, and Bette grabbed the bag. “I ordered two turkey sandwiches on wheat bread. I doesn’t sound like much, but when you taste it, you’ll think you died and gone to heaven.” She pulled the sandwiches out. “And you have to try their pasta salad. It’s amazing.” She pulled out a small container of pasta salad and two forks, two bottles of water and some napkins. She folded the bag up and placed it beneath her shoe to be used for garbage later.

They ate their food, Tina agreeing with Bette’s review of both the sandwich and the salad. When they were done, Tina stretched her legs out and Bette put her head in her lap. “So, were you surprised?”

Tina ran her fingers through Bette’s hair, nodding. “It’s really amazing Bette. How did you find it?”

“By accident. I was just wandering over here one day after a particularly rough day with my father, and stumbled upon it. I’ve been here a couple of times; I don’t think anyone really knows about it.”
“It’s an oasis.” Tina mumbled, looking around again. It truly was. She had never felt so relaxed, so at ease, and so comfortable. It was fastly becoming her favorite place, and it was her first time there. “So much better than the park and junkyard hill.”

“Yeah.” Bette released in one long breath, suddenly feeling sleepy. Tina’s fingers running through her hair made her feel more content and relaxed than she’d been in a while.

“So…how are you feeling?”

“What do you mean?”

“You were pretty mad before.”

“Was I?” Bette asked, closing her eyes, drifting.

“I take it you’re not mad anymore?”

“Uh-uh.”

“Why did you get so upset? I thought what they said didn’t matter to you.”

“Who?”

“What?”

“What who said?”

“Those idiots Alice was hanging out with. You know, ‘Prudey Porter?’”

Bette’s eyes slowly opened as she remembered. She exhaled a long, tired breath, tucking one of her arms beneath Tina’s leg. “I think I got upset because they did it in front of you, and I didn’t say anything to them.”

“Oh.”

“I should’ve told them off.”

Tina disagreed. “No. You did the right thing, walking…I mean, driving away.” She laughed a bit. “You were the better person. They’re the assholes.”

Bette smiled, closing her eyes again. “I’m over it.”

“Okay.” Tina continued to stroke Bette’s scalp, but stopped for a second.

“Hmmm…don’t stop.” Bette mumbled sleepily.

“You’re going to sleep.” Tina said, laughing.

“No I’m not.”

“Yes you are.”

“Come on Tee.” Bette whined, her face scrunching in irritation.

Tina stretched out on the blanket, putting her hands under her head as she looked up at the sky, her eyes squinting at the sun. Bette groaned and lifted herself from Tina’s lap, correcting herself so she could snuggle against Tina, throwing an arm over her stomach. Tina turned on her side and kissed Bette on the mouth softly. “Don’t fall asleep.” She whispered, smiling, but Bette didn’t open her eyes. She kissed Bette again, a little harder. “Don’t…fall…asleep.” She ran a hand across Bette’s cheek before kissing her again, this time more passionately. When she pulled away, Bette’s eyes were opened and she was smiling.

“Okay Kennard, you have my attention.”


To Be Continued…