Copyright 2012 

All work is property of Leah Crichton, any duplication or reproduction of all or part of the work without explicit permission by the author is illegal.

Rachel drooled as she slept. No doubt a quality Robbie must have found super charming. Alexa had stayed out late the night before thinking about how things could have gotten so much worse at the deli. She'd been stupid to try to take Sadie and Lindy out but at the time, it seemed like a good idea. Rachel was already forming a small river at the mouth by the time Alexa got home and the two hadn't spoken yet about Rachel's willingness to hand over her body to a virtual stranger.  

There was a pot of gold at the end of the rocky rainbow though; Sadie's behavior around Sebastian. His presence neutralized her psychosis and Alexa desperately wanted to ask her aunt how that was even possible...but to do so would risk being found out. Aunt Gabby would be steaming from the ears if she knew about their little day trip.  

After Sawyer had left to find Lane, Alexa spent a few minutes observing Sadie and Sebastian from a distance. It was no wonder the band was so popular. Sebastian was flirtatious just enough to make Sadie feel special. How Charlie dealt with it all the time was beyond Alexa's understanding. If that were Sawyer, it would fuel insecurities Alexa was not confident she could deal with.  

She gazed at her reflection in the mirror. The red color of her hair looked freakishly unnatural in the daylight, especially with no makeup. She couldn't wait for it to wash out. Rachel stirred, groaned, then opened her eyes.  

"You still look crazy beautiful, if that's what you're checking for," she said.  

Alexa turned. "No. I was hoping it'd be gone."  

Rachel stretched her arms high about her head. "Why? You're the girlfriend of a fine piece of man, you should at least try to look as hot as he does."  

"Sawyer likes me just the way I am-er-was," she corrected.  

"I'll buy it but it was nice to see you come out of your shell."  

"Speaking of coming out of shells, don't you think sleeping with Robbie was a bit much?"  

Rachel's eyebrows pinched together and her mouth dropped. "Why are you so convinced I slept with him?"  

"You were half naked," Alexa said. "It's a pretty safe assumption."  

Rachel sat up in bed, thankfully wearing more clothes than the last time Alexa had seen her wake up. "Excuse me but just because you think you saw something, doesn't make it true."  

Alexa leaned on her desk and crossed her arms over her chest. "So you didn't sleep with him? 'Cause it sure looked that way."  

"It's not your business," Rachel said, "but since you're being such a cow about it, no, I did not sleep with Robbie."  

"Care to explain why you were half dressed?"  

Rachel shrugged. "I'm not sure if I care to explain anything to you. Why are you being such a prime witch about this? Are you jealous or something?"  

Ha. Jealous. That was laughable. Alexa huffed. "Of you? No."  

Rachel's voice raised an octave or two. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  

She was about to tell her friend exactly what it meant when there was a knock at the door. "What?" Both she and Rachel spoke at the same time.  

Her blonde hair preceded her through the doorway, but soon after, Devin's smiling face was almost enough to make Alexa forget she was mad. "Hey," Devin said. "You ladies up for an adventure?"  

Alexa shuddered , recalling her last adventures. First her makeover and then the deli trip. "Last time I had one of those, it didn't go so well." 

Devin looked at her watch. "Come on, we've got just over half and hour. Get up. Get dressed. I want to show you what you're getting yourself into. It's going to be so much fun."  

"Where are we going?"  

Something flashed in Devin's eyes. A spark of mischief. "We," she said. "Are going for a little swim." Her eyes cast downward to her cast. "Actually you two can go for a swim, I'll soak up some harmful UV."  

"The sun is really bad for you," Alexa said.  

Rachel let out a muffled groan. "So is crossing the street and drinking from aluminum cans but you do both. You are such a downer, I swear to God."  

"Whatever," Alexa said. "Last time I was at the pool I was too drunk to take it in."  

"Oh trust me," Devin said. "There'll be plenty to take in."  

Rachel threw the covers off and headed to the bathroom without speaking.  

"She looks mad," Devin noted.  

Alexa chewed her bottom lip, not really caring how mad Rachel might be. Yeah. She does."

Sawyer woke up to an empty couch and a pounding headache. How much had he drank the night before? Not enough to forget what he'd done. Not enough to forget everything that had happened. And certainly not enough to quash the combination of pain and guilt he felt for his friend.  

He stood and rubbed sleep from his eyes. The smell of dark roast coffee permeated the apartment and he immediately knew he'd find Lane in the kitchen. He shuffled to the room, still groggy. Lane poured coffee into a mug, his eyes fixed on the counter.  

"Hey," Sawyer said.  

Lane handed him the coffee. He'd changed from the night before and was in his sweats, bare chested. He'd already done his morning yoga. Guy was up with the birds."Morning."  

Sawyer rubbed the back of his neck, as if it would do any good against his monster headache and sat at the table. "Listen, about last night-" 

Lane cut him off. "We don't need to talk about it."  

Well he didn't exactly want to talk about it either but it was like when Sawyer had discovered Lane's sexuality in the first place. An elephant in the room and he wasn't stupid. Things would remain that way until something was said. "Yeah," Sawyer said, "I think we do."  

Lane hung his head and pulled out a chair like a child about to be scolded. "Fine." He made a grandiose gesture with his hands. "Let's have it."  

What was the best thing to say? He should have planned this out better, had a speech together or something. Now he was stuck pulling words and emotions from thin air. Alexa would be so proud. "I'm sorry I kissed you," he started, "Probably wasn't my smartest decision what with the obvious difference of you being gay and me being, well, me and not gay."  

Lane looked him straight in the eye. "I'm not sorry you did it. But I'm sorry the way I feel made you think you had to do something like that."  

"Alexa told me to validate your feelings somehow. To let you know that you and the way you feel about me didn't mean nothin' to me. That you matter. I wasn't sure how else to show you that."  

"You could have talked to me," Lane offered.  

"I was an asshole," Sawyer said. "I wasn't sure you wanted to talk to me."  

"You're an asshole most of the time," Lane said. "I still talk to you."  

Sawyer laughed and took a sip of his coffee. "Yeah. I know." The next part was going to be awkward at best. "So was it, like you wanted?"  

Lane smiled. "Every bit."  

"Good, yeah? That's good."  

"It was good. You know, I stayed up last night, after you fell asleep thinking."  

"Yeah, 'bout what?"  

"I've been so busy holding onto a hopeless fantasy, that maybe I've let certain chances pass me by, maybe a lot of chances. And as much as I would love nothing more than for you to be with me, I know it isn't going to happen. I've always known but I couldn't let go. What if I waited too long and I'll never find anybody?" 

"First off, you will find someone who deserves you, Lane. Second, I feel like shit knowing that I can't be the one to make you happy," Sawyer said. It was true, if he actually were into dudes, he couldn't find a better one than Lane. 

"It's alright," Lane said. "I get it. It wasn't hard to tell you weren't really into it."  

Sawyer smirked. "Sorry 'bout that. I tried to be."  

Lane held up his hand, palm forward. "Don't be sorry. I am the one who should apologize. I've been a real jerk to you lately. Especially toward Alexa."  

"Yeah well," Sawyer said. "Can't really blame you. If I had known-you know-" he couldn't quite bring himself to verbalize Lane's feelings, "I would have tried to be more considerate when she's around."  

"That's the thing," Lane replied. "You shouldn't have to be. You can't help the fact that you aren't gay same as I can't help the fact that I wish you were, but it still doesn't excuse how I've treated your girlfriend. She's good for you."  

At the mention of her name, Sawyer couldn't help but to smile. "Can I tell you something? Like as if we were just talkin' before you got all mad at me and stuff? Friend to friend?"  

Lane's mouth stretched into a grin. "Yeah," he said. "I'd like it if you did."  

"I think I might be in love with her."  

Lane's eyes widened and for a beat, Sawyer feared his confession may be too soon, but Lane recovered nicely and put on a brave front. "I didn't think I'd ever see the day you fell in love."  

Sawyer sipped his coffee. "You and me both."  

"Believe it or not, I only want you to be happy. And if it can't be me, I'm glad it is a girl like her. She's got her head on straight. She brings you down a notch."  

Sawyer chuckled. "Yeah," he said. "There's just something about her."  

"She's not the type of girl I'd picture you with."  

"I know, but I can tell her stuff. Like about Sadie."  

Lane leaned back in his chair. "You know, we're all your friends. You can tell the guys about your sister. You don't need to be embarrassed."  

Is that why Lane thought he'd kept Sadie a secret. "I'm not embarrassed by her. I'm trying to protect her." 

"From what? Sebastian's flirting or Robbie's epic dumbassness?"  

"From the fame. From the publicity. People don't like or understand what they don't know. Sadie's about as far from normal as you get. If word got out that she exists, you know those vultures," he said, referring to the press. "They'd be all over it, her, the newest story." He closed his eyes as goosebumps formed at the thought. 

"We'd never tell anyone if you asked us not to."  

Sawyer looked down at the coffee in his mug. "I kind of told Seabass yesterday."  

Lane sat straighter. "What happened? What did he say?"  

"Well," Sawyer said. "Sadie kind of told me she had a crush on our boy. Alexa took her out yesterday and she had an episode. I was mad as hell at you so I grabbed him instead, thinking if anyone could settle her maybe it'd be him."  

"And?"  

"I wish you could have been there," Sawyer said. "It was something else. She was acting just like any other of our fans."  

Lane blinked. "Wow."  

"Yeah."  

"So he was cool with it?"  

"I don't say this enough," Sawyer said. "Alexa thinks I should try and talk about my feelings and whatnot. So I'm lucky to have all of you. Don't know what I did to deserve it, but I'm grateful."  

"You know," Lane said, smiling, "I like Alexa better and better the more we talk."

Rachel was over her mood in a heartbeat when she saw their mode of transportation. Charlie pulled up in a red mustang convertible which was so new, it still smelled like only leather.  

Rachel perched her sunglasses on her head. "Oh. My. God." Her grin was so wide, Alexa kept her sunglasses on because she knew how bleach white Rachel's teeth were.  

"Nice, huh?" Charlie's smile matched Rach's.  

"Seb bought it for her," Devin explained. "Pretty cool, right?"  

Alexa couldn't fathom how a person could accept a car as a gift. A necklace, earrings, maybe even one day that ring that every girl dreamed of getting but a car? Wasn't that breaking some kind of girlfriend law? "Was it your birthday?"  

"Nope," Charlie said. "Just because."  

"Shotgun!" Rachel hollered.  

"Devin should ride shoutgun," Alexa said. "Seeing as how Charlie is her sister."  

"It's okay," Devin said excitedly. "I don't mind. Besides, we're team Sawyer, we can stick together."  

Team Sawyer? Was that a joke?  

"Uh, okay." As she climbed into the back, Charlie turned her body. "You ready to be officially initiated as Sawyer's girlfriend?"  

"Did I agree to a hazing?" Alexa said. "'Cause you're kind of freaking me out."  

"Oh trust me," Charlie said, "by the time we're done you might be wishing it was a hazing."  

Oh no! What did she get herself into?  

They had to park three blocks from the pool because the parking lot was so packed. Charlie put the roof up and pressed a key fob. After she'd locked it, Devin made the mistake of leaning on the hood. An obnoxious alarm began to wail as a female computer voice declared, "you are standing too close to the vehicle. Please step away from the vehicle."  

Devin's face was nearly as red as Charlie's car. Charlie took her time resetting the alarm, getting a good laugh from the entire event. She hiked her beach bag up higher on her shoulder. "Okay girls, brace yourselves."  

Alexa still hadn't a clue what she was in for until they approached the gates.  

Hundreds and hundreds of people stood jammed shoulder to shoulder in swimsuits. A large stage was set up at the head of the pool with an even larger banner for the Summer Solstice concert, which was the following day. Alexa stepped forward to get a better look but Charlie's hand pressed down firmly on her shoulder. "Wait."  

"What for?"  

Charlie smiled and nodded toward a group of four men the size of bouncers. "Them. Meet the security team for Bach's Revenge."  

Alexa gazed them up and down. Even Lane looked like a light weight next to the sheer size of the men. She looked behind them. "Is Sawyer here?"  

"No," Charlie said. "They're here because of me. Soon, if you stay with Sawyer, this might be your life too."  

If she stayed with Sawyer? Was not being with Sawyer a possibility? Her stomach churned just thinking about it. 

"Sebastian hardly allows Charlie to go to the grocery store unattended since she got shot," Devin offered.  

"Understandable."  

A hulking bald man stepped forward. "Ready Charlie?"  

"Yup," Charlie said. "This is Alexa," she motioned. "She's Sawyer's."  

For now.  

"Hi Alexa," the bald man said. "I'm Steve."  

"Hi Steve."  

The men gathered in a formation, each one standing next to one of the girls. "We didn't need a security team for my makeover," Alexa whispered to Charlie. 

"That's because your makeover wasn't a Bach's Revenge event and I convinced Sebastian I'd be fine. Didn't stop him from texting me every two minutes, though."  

Alexa nodded and swallowed, she'd do anything for Sawyer, even if it meant being initiated.