“Bette?!” Tina winced and tried to catch her by the arm.

“What’s the matter, T-bird?”

“Don’t. Call. Me. T-bird.” She grained her teeth.

“Ahh, don’t worry, our little secret is safe with me.”

“You’re impossible, Porter.” Tina again shook her head and tried to walk in the opposite direction of that overly happy and gloating girl.

“Okay, okay, I get it. So you give me a business plan then.” Bette immediately changed her tactic and blinked her big puppy eyes at the blonde.

It was her show of whim. Tina turned around to face the taller figure, speaking unequivocally. “I will help you with school work but you’ll do exams on your own.”

“Awww!” Scold appeared and fake tears twirled in the big brown pools.

“It’s not all. Under one condition.”

“What? There’s a condition?”

“Uh-huh. There’s gonna be a ten-dollar spending cap.”

“Hey! That is not fair! It’s like buying a sandwich!”

“It’s buying ten sandwiches.”

“It’s like eating at the school cafeteria!” Now the tears were starting to seem genuine. How could she survive with ten dollars every day for lunch? She crossed her arms before her chest. “I don’t pay my chef for ten-dollar meals.”

“No, not true. School cafeteria costs seven, I checked. But since you brought that up, we might as well eat there.”

“Please don’t.”

“It’s your choice.” Smiling victoriously, Tina waved her hand and carried on her way.

With a defeated wince, Bette caught up with the girl in the hallway. “Ten-dollar spending cap. I choose ten!” As she screamed her choice, she also wondered, ‘I’d normally be so crossed by now. Nobody’s ever had the balls to tell me what to do. What’s with this blondie little bird?’

After Tina walked back to her chemistry lab, Bette ran into Shane on her way back to whatever classroom which she paid no attention to. The other brunette had a smug grin on her face. “Ten dollar spending cap?” She leaned against the hall and crossed her arms, crooking one brow.

Bette rolled her eyes at the girl, greeting her sarcastically. “Good afternoon to you too.”

“So what’s with the spending cap?” The skinny girl insisted on figuring out the story.

Bette shrugged, getting a bit embarrassed to share the specific details of their agreement. But she knew her friend was dependable, so dependable and secretive comparing to her other friend. “I’m gonna tell you but you’re not saying anything.”

“Not to a single walking thing.”

So she confessed about her fostering attraction to the blonde girl and their lately arrangement for lunch. In the end of her telling, Bette shook her head. “What the hell I just got myself into, Shane?”

“I have no idea. But it sure sounds like a lot of sacrifice on your part.” Shane scratched the invisible beard on her chin. “I thought she hated you?”

“She doesn’t. And she claims to have never hated me in the first place either.”

“Could have fooled me.”

“Yeah right? For some reason unbeknown to the universe she showed much aggression at first but see where we are now.” Bette smiled like a cat that just succeeded in stealing herself a big meal.

Shane shot up an eye brow. “Uh… where are you now exactly?”

“Friends…?” Bette curved her lips and uttered the word unwillingly. “But we’re working on it. It’s… no big deal.” Shrugging off the embarrassment, she tried to instill much confidence in her own being, convincing her friend.

“Oookay, whatever you say. Hey by the way, Grandma Porter must want to know about your little new friend? What do you plan to tell her?”

Hearing the name, Bette creased her nose and her brows. Grandmother, her intimidating, horrifying even, grandmother. “She… she can’t know. Not now.”

“Sure that’s what you want. But I bet a hell lot of people would love to report the new progress you’re making in school to her.”

“Ugh, don’t remind me, Shane. We’re just friends; she can’t do nothing about it.” The taller girl twirled around the corner of the hallway with her pout. Before disappearing into her private violin room, she poked her head from behind the wall. “Hey, Shane, I’m thinking… take her to the Planet after school. Do me a favor, don’t let Alice tag along?”

“You got it.” With a wink, the skinny brunette waved ‘good-luck’ to her friend.