"Well, I think today
was a productive day," Rachel said as she set her shopping bags on the
floor by her desk. "Sidewalk sales at the mall are always a dream come
true."
Cassie placed the only
bag she'd gotten at the mall on Rachel's desk. "I think they're closer
to being nightmares."
"Oh, come on, Cassie!
Admit it, you were just as happy as I was when you found that swimsuit,
in exactly your size and the perfect color, for 75% off."
"I don't know why I
let you talk me into buying that. It's indecent! My underwear covers more
than that thing does."
Rachel shook her head.
"It's a bikini, it's not supposed to be modest, but it's better than some
of the stuff they have out there now. You know, the suits that are little
more than strings? I didn't even have you look at those, did I?"
"Okay, there's the
one thing I have to be thankful for today."
"So now that we've
got you the perfect swimsuit...we just need to arrange the perfect date
for you."
Cassie stared at her
best friend. "No. Rachel, don't even think about trying to set me up on
a date with Jake. We're doing just fine as it is."
"Mm-hmm, I'm sure,"
Rachel said. "Did you two even end up going to the last dance together?"
Cassie's face reddened,
"Well, we were going to, but then Jake had that family thing--"
"Spare me, Cassie.
You're entire romantic life is nothing but a string of lame excuses. I
know you like him, and he definitely likes you, so the only thing that's
stopping the two of you is your own inability to get over your shyness
complexes. Which is where I step in."
Cassie looked at Rachel
skeptically. "Right. And like your romantic life has been such a string
of successes."
"What in the world
do you mean by that?"
"Your idea of a romantic
date with Tobias is spending an evening flying. You can hardly go to dances
together without one of you getting paranoid."
"Now that's not fair!"
Rachel protested. "Tobias and I can't exactly catch a movie and dinner."
"If you really thought
it through, you could. Have Tobias make a bathroom run sometime during
the movie, refresh his morph, and voila, he's good for another two hours.
He can do that at dinner, too, if he needs to."
Rachel wanted to protest,
but Cassie's reasoning was too sound. So instead she laid down on her bed
with a sigh. "Men. Can't live with them, can't live without them."
Cassie laid down next
to her. "Amen."
Rachel propped herself
up on her side with one arm so she could talk to Cassie. "I wonder, are
our boyfriends prime examples of the male species, or are we just lucky
enough to end up with two of the worst?"
"You're the one with
the gaggle of male followers, you tell me."
Rachel rolled her eyes.
"They aren't an example of anything except teenage boys with too many hormones.
Jake and Tobias seem to be able to keep those in check...but they make
up for it in absolute stupidity when it comes to dating."
Now Cassie sighed.
"You know, it's times like this that almost make you understand where lesbians
are coming from."
Rachel nearly choked
from holding back her laughter. "What?!"
"Seriously, think about
it. Date enough guys who are idiots, get fed up with them, and turn to
people who you'll be able to understand better: women."
Rachel nodded slowly.
"I think I see what you mean. Girl meets boy. Boy is an idiot. Girl dumps
Boy. Girl meets Girl. Girl likes Girl. Girls get as close to hitched as
they can. It's the classic story with a contemporary twist."
"Too bad I love Jake,
faults and all, otherwise I might just be tempted to take a part in that
story."
"How'd you know that
was exactly what I was thinking?" Rachel asked.
"Seriously?"
"As serious as I've
ever been."
"Do you think you could...."
"Could what? Betray
the only guy I've ever loved? Scare the hell out of my parents and all
my friends? I don't know. But it might be something to try sometime. How
about you?"
Cassie thought about
it for a moment. "The same. But I'll probably have an insatiable curiosity
about it until I ever get a chance. If I ever get a chance."
Rachel laid back down,
lost in her thoughts for the moment. What would it be like, to kiss another
girl, let alone go a lot farther? She was telling the truth when she said
Tobias was the only guy she's ever loved, she'd never even had a date to
a dance before him, yet she felt sure she loved him. The Animorphs had
all grown incredibly close as a group, and she'd definitely drawn closest
to Tobias...except for maybe the possibility of Cassie. Yes, they were
polar opposites on the battle field, but somehow she felt that had drawn
them closer. Cassie may not always be the first person she turned to when
she was in need anymore, but she was still Rachel's closest friend, the
closest friend she'd ever have.
"Rachel --"
"Cassie --"
They looked at eachother
and giggled nervously. "You go ahead," Cassie said, "I was just going to
comment on some frivolous wanderings of my mind."
Rachel took a steadying
breath. Now or never, girl, she told herself. "Okay, I really wouldn't
blame you for absolutely hating me and never wanting to see me again for
saying this but...now that we brought the subject up, I've got to admit
my feelings are a bit confused, and I need to get them settled once and
for all...."
"I'm there with you,"
Cassie said solemnly. She sat up and faced Rachel. "And we'll both never
be satisfied unless we know so...."
Rachel sat up and faced
Cassie. "Yeah." She took another deep breath and hesitantly leaned forward.
Cassie leaned forward, too, closing her eyes, relying on whatever instinct
she may have had to keep her from making an idiot of herself.
Hesitantly, the girls'
lips met. Rachel's first instinct was to pull back immediately, experiment
over, but Cassie wasn't making any move to pull back. They held the position
for a moment longer before they both pulled back, not making eye contact
with eachother.
"Well?" Cassie asked
finally.
Rachel shook her head.
"Now I'm more confused than ever. I think I still love Tobias...but I don't
think I can deny I have...feelings...for you, too."
Cassie nodded. "I feel
the same." She sighed and moved closer to Rachel and hugged her. "But you
know what? I think it's okay to be confused. We're 17, we're allowed to
not know exactly who we love, so...why don't we just go with it for now?"
She smiled slightly. "If Tobias does turn out to be an unredeemable idiot,
at least you know there's someone here for you."
"Same with you," Rachel
said. "Anytime you need someone because Jake's an idiot, I'm here. And
I'll always be here."