"You know," Allie began, sipping calmly on the steaming mug of hot cocoa in front of her. "That's actually a good idea."

Kelley rolled her eyes, allowing an easy smile to expand upon her freckled face. "Of course it is," she teased, laughing. The girl bit her lip, her lips tinting pin at her own comment. Did it sound to self-centered? Would it upset Allie? Obviously, the blonde was laughing as well, so it didn't,but that didn't stop the former athlete from wondering. The two girls were out eating lunch at the local Chinese restaurant, which luckily, served hot chocolate that provided much comfort from the City's windy weather.

It had been about two and a half weeks since Alex and Kelley had broken up, and Kelley could say they were making good progress. No full conversations had been held between the two after the breakup, but a nod or a smile while passing worked well enough. They had been able to sit together with the gang at their usual breakfast and dinner table without the awkward silence that had been present the first few dinners since.

Allie took another sip of the beveridge, looking around the restaurant for any sign of their dessert. They had already consumed their chicken lo mein earlier, but (thankfully) had room for more. Looking back at the white mug in front of her, the midfielder could feel her friend's gaze resting on her. She forced herself not to look up, but that didn't work out too well. When the temptation became too much, the blonde cast a quick look at Kelley, catching her eyes with a smile. The freckled one's nose was bright pink, the cold tip having not changed color in the time they had been seated in the war room.

Odors of different dishes floated around the restaurant as waiters and waitresses scooped up plates and scribbled down orders in Chinese characters. The young man that had delivered the two's main course swooped back into their vicinity, clutching two smaller plates that were topped with Youtiao, also known as Chinese Crullers that were fried breadsticks. Just looking at it made Allie queasy and feel fat, but Kelley had been so enthusiastic- she still was- about how good they tasted, so the blonde couldn't resist. She tore off a bite tentatively, and had to admit they weren't bad.

On the other side of the table, Kelley was shoveling the food into her mouth, and Allie had to hold back a laugh at her friend's childish antics. A little bullet of nerves erupted inside of Allie's stomach as she stared at the freckled girl, her face blank of expression except for longing.

Kelley paused her shoveling to glance at her roommate, a smirk resting on her face.

"You like?" she asked, pushing her round sunglasses farther into her hair.

"Oh, yeah," Allie chuckled. "I do like. A lot."

Kelley raised her eyebrows before returning to her food.

"You look great," Allie blurted out, before realizing what she had said and blushing. Only Allie would say that about a girl who was wearing ripped jeans and a dirty sweatshirt, her messy hair covered by a bright green jeans and Youtiao crumbs dotting her nose and mouth.

"Thanks," Kelley whispered back, her ambiguously-colored eyes watching the blushing blonde with a combination of affection and confusion.

The young man reappeared with the bill and two fortune cookies. "One for you, miss, and one for Miss O'Hara," he smiled, placing them on the table with grace.

Kelley frowned. "How does he know my name?" she asked, a little bit creeped out by the sudden gush of attention. Allie shrugged, biting back a smile, as she cracked open her cookie and peeled out the paper fortune.

"What does yours say?" Allie asked, scanning hers over.

Kelley didn't respond. Allie looked up, a grin on her face. The freckled girl's eyes were wide with hope and happiness as she stared, frozen, at the slip of paper in her hand.

"Kelley, what does it say?" Allie asked, fighting to keep a straight face.

"Are you serious?" Kelley finally asked, her lips twitching into a smile.

"Of course I am!"

Kelley laughed, standing up and moving to give Allie a big, tight hug. The blonde wrapped her arms around the other in response, holding the other girl as close as possible. Allie kissed the top of the shorter girl's head, laugh-crying to herself.

"Thank you," Kelley mumbled into Allie's chest, pulling away and wiping her eyes. Kelley picked up the slip of paper once more and read it, before placing it in her pocket for later.

Will u b my grlfriend?

                           -Allie

-

Opal's eyes were shut, dried blood cracking on her lids as Christen stared down at her, her mouth parted open in shock. The Asian wore a thin black dress, ripped along the knees and spotting a large hole in the shoulder. The senior had passed out on her squeaky bed in the apartment that she shared with Christen, exhausted after such a long night out. When the forward had walked into the older one's room to say goodnight, she was shocked to say the least at the sight before her.

Christen knelt down beside the Asian, touching her side hesitantly. No obvious sign of breath escaped out of Opal's mouth, and Christen went cold at the thought of the captain being dead. The forward bit her lip, standing up and observing the situation. Finally, she decided, it would be best to take care of it right away. Christen lifted the older girl off the bed tenderly, carrying the heavy lump onto the long couch that rested in their living room. She grabbed a washcloth from the bathroom dampening it slightly and wiping the crust from her eyelids. Opal's eyes fluttered, but she didn't wake. Christen sighed with relief.

Yanking an old soccer jersey and a pair of shorts from her closet, the forward proceeded to slip of Opal's dress, cringing at the dark purple bruise prominent near her spine. Once the older one was dressed in Christen's clothes, she placed a glass of water on the side table and laid a blanket over her, kissing the older girl's forehead gently.

"Goodnight, Opal. Let good dreams guide you in your sleep," Christen whispered, slipping in her own bedroom and shutting the door with a soft click.