Bette and Tina looked at each other at the same time and nodded. Ms Ferrer wrote the assignment on the blackboard and handed out some copies. Bette soon found out that Tina was a genius at English Literature, so much that it was almost scary. 

They had most classes together and both of the girls were relieved about that. At the end of the day, they were walking towards the parking lot together. They had lunched together as well and had had a lot of fun. Bette had been very glad that Alice had had to go across town for one particular task. She hadn’t talked to her best friend very much, wanting to savor every moment with Tina. She would explain later.

“So, I was thinking,” Bette started. “Since I reckon your car won’t be fixed overnight, you’ll drive with me again tomorrow?”

Tina smiled. “That’d be great. Yeah, I’d like that very much.”

“So if something happens – you run late or I do – we’re going to need each other’s cellphone numbers, right?”

They had reached the car and Bette was glad she had the distraction of looking for her keys and opening the door for Tina, because she was sure she blushed – for the first time in ages.

“You know, that’s true. We really need that.”

They exchanged their numbers by handing each other their cellphones. When Bette had saved her number into Tina’s phone, she noticed her wallpaper – two women in a passionate kiss. Lovely. She decided not to mention it, though.

When Bette had dropped Tina off, she had waved at her extensively. She found it very hard to say goodbye, even if she would see her again in the morning. The weekend would surely kill her. She had waited until Tina had gone into the house and then drove home. Once her car was on the driveway, she shouted: “YES! Yes, Yes, YES! You’re great, Porter. Very smooth. She’s a keeper.”

At first, Bette was confused by the last sentence she had uttered – had that actually been her? She looked around her to be sure, nobody in the neighbourhood. Holy crap! She hadn’t been thinking about someone like that in how long? Four years? Slowly, a grin appeared on her features. She pumped her fist into the air and got out of her car, mustering all the self-control she had to stop herself from dancing. She entered the empty house and rushed to her room, where she grabbed her guitar, but then decided she’d rather play the piano. Maybe she could make a song for Tina? Not that she was going to sing that to her anytime soon, she didn’t want to scare her away. 

Her father came home very late and her sister would probably show up by the morning, having spent the night at a friend’s house. It was long after her father had arrived that she yawned and put down her instruments. The music didn’t bother her father, he couldn’t care less. His only sign of the fact that he knew about Bette’s passion was to express regularly that she better not turn out like her sister and become a useless, good – for – nothing musician. 

She checked her Facebook one last time before going to sleep and almost jumped a whole in the roof when she saw that Tina had sent her a friend request. Bette immediately accepted it and looked at all the pictures of the pretty southern blonde. There were a whole bunch of them, but Bette truly couldn’t care less. She put her computer off and went to bed with the lovely thought that she’d see Tina the next morning.

This was going to be one hell of a senior year.