Grace stared down into her strawberry shake, she twirled a French-fry in the confection then shoved the golden stick into her mouth, chomping away. Nicole had to stifle a giggle at the sight, even if her reasons for being upset were just, it didn’t stop her from being a cute sort of grumpy. At least she looked good in her new shirt.

A message had arrived in the group chat from Devon, a baseless apology that meant less than the bits that made up the data. All it had done was remind the pair of his earlier actions and set Nicole back into her earlier foul mood.

Devon was definitely a prick, there was no denying that, but Nicole was determined to keep her friend’s mind off the bastard. Because that was all they were, definitely. Nicole eyed her own sundae, getting a bit of chocolate syrup on her fingertip before her hand whipped out lightning fast, and wiped it on the tip of Grace’s nose.

Her friend squawked indignantly, pulling away as she did. Nicole giggled, covering her mouth as Grace glared at her from across the table. Her little move had been superhuman, not that anyone would immediately jump to that conclusion just from casual observation.

“Of course you realize,” Grace said, pulling the straw from her shake, one finger covering the tip. “This means war.”

The straw came to her lips in an instant, then Grace blew. Ice cream shot out of the straw, aimed directly at Nicole’s widening eyes. Rather than dodge or block, a different idea came to mind as she adjusted her position in what felt like slow motion, and opened her mouth just in time to catch the entire shot.

Sweet strawberry engulfed her taste buds, delicious in every way. More so even, because it had been delivered by Grace. She pushed that thought aside, grinning smugly to hide her thoughts on eating something after her friend which she certainly didn’t have a crush on.

“I’m not sure if that was cute or just weird,” Kayla said, setting a small bag on the table. “Jeff, care to add in your own observations?”

“The nose bit was cute,” he said, taking the last seat for himself. “Not sure I can endorse whatever that was with the shake though, too obviously above human standards to do on the regular.”

“It was fun for a one off though,” Nicole said with a wink.

Dammit, stop trying to flirt with the girl that is so obviously out of your league!

Grace looked away, likely to avoid second hand embarrassment. Nicole knew in an instant that she definitely messed up with that and mentally kicked herself again for good measure. Even Kayla was shaking her head in shame at what she’d just witnessed.

Nicole dropped her head, poking at her sundae with a sudden lack of appetite. She distinctly heard Kayla mutter something about being useless, which only made it worse. Nicole ate what she could of the sundae, all while Kayla snickered. Really, did she have to be a bitch about it? It was far too close to what she went through in school for her liking, and hurt all the more because it was coming from her fellow Ranger.

“Are they both this dense?” Jeff asked in a stage whisper.

Kayla chuckled. “I think they’re worse. Fuck it, bandage removal time. Nicole! You’re up first under the uncomfortable spotlight.”

Not sure what game was afoot, she almost considered ghosting through the floor below to escape when she remembered that she could only do it while morphed. So, it was with great pain that Nicole stayed seated, straining to keep her eyes from darting every which way for an exit even as her breathing threatened to turn shallow.

“Breathe girl, I promise this won’t take long,” Kayla said, her voice soft, disarming. “I just need a straight answer.”

“Not straight,” she muttered without thinking.

Kayla rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I think everyone who has ever met you not named Grace has figured that out.”

“What?” Nicole nearly exclaimed, eyes darting from Kayla to Grace. Wide eyes looked back, staring as they did. “You didn’t know I was gay?”

“I try not to assume,” Grace said, rubbing the back of her head as she looked away. “I’ve gotten burned before, so I just don’t pry anymore.”

Nicole was all too familiar with that. She’d almost made that mistake with Becca, and if her best friend hadn’t been so understanding, and flattered, she might have caused a misunderstanding that ended their friendship. Nicole hadn’t dated since, instead devoting herself to her gymnastics, as well as her studies.

“I get it,” Nicole said with a weak smile. “I just don’t know why Kayla is bringing it up like this.”

“Seriously?” Kayla said, blinking. “Wow, dense and useless both. Okay, Grace, is Nicole attractive?”

What? Why would she even bring that up? Of course she wasn’t attractive! Nicole knew she was built like a man, with more muscle than a fucking brick shithouse. No woman would find that attractive, especially not—

“She’s gorgeous,” Grace whispered.

Nicole’s mind skipped like an old record, screeching to a halt only to double back and replay the last line over and over. There was no way, it had to be some trick, some ploy… Her brain jumped back to that evening spent on the couch in quiet comfort, brown eyes offering quiet comfort even as she bore her soul.

“Don’t,” Nicole said, her voice trembling. “You don’t have to lie. I know I’m hideous.”

“How the fuck do you figure that?” Jeff interjected, pulling out his phone for a moment, fiddling with something, then he spun it around to reveal an image of a girl that made her squirm at the mere sight of her flexing muscles. “I don’t know how you haven’t noticed, but you are the literal embodiment of the muscle girl thirst meme.”

“You constantly have people checking you out,” Kayla confirmed with an enthusiastic nod.

She gestured across the food court where a group of guys all immediately turned away from them. They were all squirming uncomfortably, as if they had been caught doing something wrong. Obviously they were checking out Kayla and Grace if they were looking at anyone, definitely not her…

Rolling her eyes, Kayla then gestured just off to her side. “Your most frequent admirer is sitting right across from you.”

Nicole blinked, then looked back at Grace whose face had turned almost crimson. There was no way, but… She could do so much better! There was no reason for someone as awesome and amazing as Grace to take an interest in her.

Was there?

“Grace, stop thinking of that time her shirt slipped up and showed off her ridiculous abs,” Kayla snapped. Grace nearly jumped out of her seat, only to glare at their fellow Ranger. “Better. Now, tell this poor girl, who has zero self esteem, exactly what you like to look at on her. Don’t be shy and spare the details either. If you like the way her ass flexes when she squats, I want to hear you say it.”

“Stop picking on me,” Nicole said, her fists balling tightly in her lap.

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“It does look nice when she does that,” Grace said, glaring at Kayla. Nicole sucked in a breath as Nicole’s words struck out with the fire of conviction, of a truth being spoken for the first time. “Her body’s like a work of art, okay? She’s put so much effort into honing her every muscle into being a tool to her will. She’s intimidating to watch what with the way she moves with purpose, even if she can’t see it. I nearly had a heart attack when I flirted with her at the Renfaire. I don’t even know where it came from, it just slipped out…”

That… Where was Grace getting that from? Sure, Nicole knew she was intimidating, but in the same way that a buff guy about to kick your ass was scary. She’d figured out that when she punched out Tiffany between classes. The Nair prank was taking things too far and the mutual suspension had been well worth it. It’s why they started to focus on name calling over her looks rather than anything physical, it made it so much harder for her to justify taking action against them.

“Perfect,” Kayla said smugly. “Same question to you. What about Grace gets your engine revving?”

“The fuck is wrong with you?” Nicole demanded, eye twitching even as her face threatened to turn redder than her hair.

“Nothing,” Kayla said with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “Completely sober for once since I was the driver today, and let me tell you, I do not recommend it.”

“Being our driver?” Jeff asked.

Grace snorted even as Kayla said, “Sober. Now, Nicole, tell us what about Grace has you all flustered. ”

Nicole could feel her eye twitching as she glared at the obnoxious hippie. She wanted nothing more than to throttle her for making a big show out of whatever farce this was. It wouldn’t be the first time someone attempted to make fun of her like that and she was trying desperately to push Tiffany’s smug face out of her mind.

Fine, she would play along, for now.

“She is the personification of her name,” Nicole said, anger coloring her words. “And I don’t just mean that physically either. She’s sweet, and kind, and so much more. She’s the first friend I’ve made in almost five years that has felt genuine and I am absolutely terrified that this is all some game and the rug will be pulled out and—”

Strong arms pulled her close, she hadn’t even noticed the tears until they began to dampen the shirt she was now pressed against. Grace’s shirt. That just made her cry harder, and she took comfort in those strong arms. Nicole knew they were making a scene, but she couldn’t find the energy to care.

“You really don’t see it, do you?” Grace whispered into her ear. “Just how amazing you are.”

Nicole shook her head vehemently. “I’m nothing special!”

“Bullshit,” Grace said without missing a beat.

Frustration bubbled up within Nicole, and the words came unbidden. “I had one friend in school, and she only gave me the time of day because nobody else would give her the same courtesy. Everyone would be better off if I was gone.”

The words had slipped out before she realized it, the words she never dared speak to another. Nicole would never say she was suicidal, but she didn’t care if she continued to live or just happened to die. She’d rushed in to face the Sylan because of that, a death that saved someone more worthwhile would have been something she would have been satisfied with.

“Nicole,” Grace said softly, not an ounce of scorn in her voice as she pulled back so she could look into her eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

“Exactly what it sounds like,” Nicole said, forcing a smile. “I wish I’d gotten to go with my parents. My life hasn’t exactly been all that great since they died. I don’t have any plans to help things along, but at least I’ll probably die defending others. I’ll die as a Ranger.”

Grace blinked, tears trailing down her cheeks and to her chin where they fell in drops to her lap below. That same lap where Nicole had laid her head just last night following their battle with the Sylan, and that painful encounter with Maraline. She wanted to take it all back, to spare Grace the truth, but the damage was done now.

“You really think nobody cares if you live or die?” Grace asked, an undercurrent of steel to her voice so strong that Nicole had to look away. “You’re wrong, because I fucking care. You don’t get to just drop into my life like that then decide you don’t matter. You matter to me, dammit!”

“We’ve known each other for barely a week,” Nicole muttered.

The attack on the Renfaire had been on a Sunday, so less than a week really. They had just one more full day off before classes would resume and life would return to some bastardization of the word normal.

“In person, sure,” Grace said with a shrug. Right, the emails about the blades, but those were business and rarely turned even remotely personal. “Funny how going through a few life or death situations can make time irrelevant. It feels like we’ve been in each other’s lives for a lot longer than that.”

“It’s a well documented phenomena, how crisis situations can bring people together,” Jeff added, then grunted as Kayla kicked his shin under their table. “Right, ruining the moment, I’ll shut up now.”

Nicole snorted, which promptly shot a glob of snot from her nose that proceeded to dangle for all to see. She froze, eyes wide in horror as Grace looked down from her nose, to the long string of clear fluid, then back up. Then she was sniggering in barely contained laughter that she promptly tried to hide with a single hand.

Huffing, Nicole snatched a napkin from the dispenser and wiped up the snot before Kayla had a chance to snap that picture she was trying for. Only once the offending mucus was cleaned up did Nicole stick her tongue out at Grace.

She most certainly did not pout after, no matter what photographic evidence might be provided by a fellow Ranger that shall remain unnamed. If nothing else, her embarrassing moment had managed to get all the attention off her own apathetic outlook on things. She still didn’t see why Grace was making a big deal about it. Nicole was a Ranger now, and would one day die in the line of duty.

That was just how things worked out.

Nicole wasn’t even disgruntled that fate had handed her a death sentence, but Grace appeared to be genuinely upset that Nicole had such an outlook on things. Was it really that big of a deal? Everyone died, it was just a matter of how one departed the world that differentiated things. She supposed that a person could have an impact while living, but up until she had become a Ranger, there just wasn’t much she could do with her life that might accomplish that.

The realization hit hard, because Nicole did have the means to impact lives now. It wasn’t even limited to those on her team either. How many people might have died in the attacks if she hadn’t become a Ranger? Sure, others would be better suited to it, but she was the one who decided to go out and work with fire and rescue. Those lives she had saved were people that would have died otherwise. Then there were the kids in the hospital, whose eyes glimmered with light at the sight of genuine Rangers coming to visit them.

In barely a week, Nicole had managed to touch so many different people in a positive manner. How many more could she manage going forward? Staring blankly at her melted sundae, Nicole knew that number would only grow the longer she clung stubbornly to life in the face of the coming doom that the Sylan represented.

She wasn’t alone either, she had a team to back her up. Just because Devon was a complete dick didn’t mean the others were. They were all seated at a table with her and not wherever the homophobe had fucked off to.

“Had enough introspection for all of that to sink in?” Kayla asked, pulling her from her own… That. Before she could glare at Kayla for how perceptive she was being, the girl continued. “If not, we can keep going until we get it through that thick skull of yours.”

“I’m good,” Nicole said, sitting back in her seat. “Never thought I would have a potentially life changing revelation in a fucking food court.”

“Life can be a bitch like that,” Kayla said, smiling softly. “If it wasn’t clear, none of us here want you to leave our lives anytime soon.” She then hooked her chin towards Grace. “That one especially.”

“Damn right,” Grace said, her arms crossed. “I want more fun times. I want more quiet moments. I want to get to know you, because you’re the first person I’ve felt comfortable enough with to actually open up about what happened to me. I want you to feel safe opening up to me the same way.”

Nicole swallowed heavily, because that sounded awfully like Grace wanted to date her.

That couldn’t be true though, could it?

Slowly, Nicole nodded, her hands wringing atop the table. “Okay… I can… I can work on that.”

Grace reached across the table, taking one hand into her own. “Every journey has a beginning. I hope you’ll let me accompany you on this one.”

“I think,” Nicole said, voice hitching as she did, “I would like that very much.”

A wide smile split Grace’s face and Nicole found herself mirroring it. They squeezed each other’s hands, savoring the moment.

“So damn gay,” Kayla said, shaking her head with a warm smile.

Nicole and Grace kicked her shins in unison, eliciting a pained squawk from their friend before Jeff’s laughter cut in.

“Karma’s a bitch!” he said, laughing.

Nicole couldn’t help sharing in his mirth, and soon Grace had joined her. Kayla glowered at them for a moment, but her steely facade cracked, splitting into a smile before she too was laughing right along with them.