“Alright, sure.” The two blondes headed into the cafeteria, miraculously finding an empty table by the door. Each of them dug into their backpacks, finding their lunches.

“Oh my god, Tina!” A girl ran over to their table, “I heard about the whole thing with you and Bette. Congrats!” She smiled and took a seat besides the two girls, uninvited.

“Who are you?” Alice asked defensively.

“Oh! I’m sorry, I’m Jenny. Jenny Schechter.” The pesky brunette smiled, bearing a mouthful of metal.

Tina and Alice eyed each other, struggling to keep from bursting out in laughter. “We’re kinda doing a private interview here, could you come back possibly… next week?” Alice asked with a smile.

“Uhm. Alright.” The girl seemed a bit offended as she stood, only to turn and crash into Shane McCutcheon. “I’m sorry!” She quickly squealed, watching the lanky girl wipe the freezing cold liquid from her chin and shirt.

“You’d better be really sorry. This was my last clean shirt.” She growled, watching the pipsqueak disappear before she could pound her. “Oh. Uhm, Tina. Hi” Shane found herself speechless.

Tina nodded her head as a greeting, not meeting the now soft eyes that looked down at her. There was no need for a fight today, the blonde definitely wasn’t up for it.

“She’ll be sitting with us today, Bette is MIA.” Alice informed Shane.

“Alright, whatever.” Shane shrugged, falling into the seat beside Alice. She reached over, browsing through the brown bag that contained Ms. Pieszecki’s lunch. She dug out an apple, taking a large bite out of it. Through her chews she somehow managed to speak, although she wasn’t understood.

“Huh?” Tina asked, arching a brow in confusion.

The brunette laughed and swallowed the fruit, “I said nice performance the other night.”

“You actually went?!” Alice’s eyes went wide.

“Yeah.” Shane nodded with a smirk, “You and Bette are cute, not my type, but cute none the less.”

“Thanks?” Tina smiled.

“Oh and I’m sorry about all the fighting ***** I pulled before. I didn’t know you, I just assumed you were some bimbo blonde *****.”

“Way to be brutally honest, Shane.” Alice laughed before turning to Tina, “She did the same to me like, second week of school.”

“It’s okay. I think you should apologize to Bette though, I mean you did bust her lip open.”

“Yeah if she were here I would.” Shane smiled and took another bite from her apple. She muttered another inaudible sentence, and when both girls gave her the brow arch, she simply stated. “You’re not too bad, Kennard.”

Meanwhile, Bette was at home, panicking having just woke up at 1pm. Initially, she had planned on showing up late to school and avoiding all the people that would be all over her after last night, but now, she wasn’t sure she would be going at all. Seeing Tina was too painful and awkward right now, as if the guilt that her mom left her with wasn’t enough.

She pulled out her cell phone, looking through her list of missed calls. Tina, Tina, Tina, Karli, Drew, Tina, Tina, Tina. Hadn’t they figured out that she wasn’t there? Maybe she was sick. Couldn’t they get a clue.

It was then when she realized the only way to solve this problem. It would be hard, it would be painful. But it was what had to be done.

And Bette Porter knew it for sure.

TBC…