"Good idea." She slid her own underwear off and kicked them over to where the rest of her clothes were lying. Bette ran out back and jumped into the pool. Within five minutes the pool was filled with naked, rich, drunk, and horny teenagers.

With Dana and Alice too busy making out and not really caring what the straight kids were doing, Bette and Helena took this time to tease each other. Bette held Helena against the wall of the pool, sliding her hand between Helena’s thighs to cup her mound.

"I want to fuck you in front of everybody." Bette whispered against Helena’s lips, "Right here, right now."

"I dare you to."

And Bette did.

****

The Day after the Funeral

Bette came in the house from a meeting with her board of directors at her art gallery at seven that evening. Alice had invited her to come out with her that evening to get drinks at The Planet. With Tina having dinner at her parents, Bette knew it would be easier to get out of the house. She called Tina, and left her a message, telling her she’d be with Alice and if she needed her to call her cell phone. She stripped out of her work attire—black tailored slacks, stilletos, and white blouse—and showered. She threw on a pair of tight-fitting jeans, a form fitting t-shirt, and a pair of flat sandals.

She arrived at The Planet and walked inside. She saw Alice, but Alice wasn’t alone. Helena was sitting beside her. She could’ve sworn she had stopped walking, but her body ended up at the table anyway. It was a gravitational pull between herself and Helena. No matter how hard she pulled away, she ended up beside her anyway.

"Hey, Bette." Alice said as Bette began taking her seat at the table.

"Hey."

"Hard day?" Helena asked, taking both Alice and Bette by surprise. Helena hadn’t said a word to Bette in the few days that she had been in Los Angeles. It even surprised herself.

"I guess you can say that." No emotion in her voice, nor her face. That was unusual for the expressive Bette Porter, but she had taught her heart in these years to steel itself against women, particularly Helena. Helena noticed and steeled herself against an attack. Her heart couldn’t take the looks on Bette’s face—the pain, the anger, the hurt.