Stanford
8:17
Mel and Christen are walking in the middle of the road, laughing their asses off.
Their night was pretty much amazing, since they stayed until the closure (6 am), and then decided to go on a nightclub, only to get on a fight with some stupid dude and then run away without any shoes. Here they are now, bare feet, walking in the middle of a freaking road near Stanford campus. Alcohol begins to vanish a little bit, and the more they walk the sober they get.
There is no ambiguity or hate. There is no awkward moments between the two girls, who just have had an amazing night. So Mel feels free to say :
"Thanks for making tonight much better"
Christen's heart misses a few beats, but she ignores that and nods.
Of course she is in love with the blonde. There is no denying it : the two girls have known each other for years now - 4, to be truthful - and even thought she hasn't admitted it for a very long time, the Latina knows she has been in love with Melissa Henderson since day one, when they met at that soccer tryouts. There are few things she doesn't like in the blonde, but even her defaults can turn into something beautiful, fragile and honest. And that's why Christen can't keep her mind off the blonde.
Understanding that the blonde is waiting for an answer, Christen coughs, before saying :
"I had a lot of fun"
Mel frowns.
"Are you okay ? You look-"
"Yes, just tired."
Oops, maybe it was a little bit too cold, Christen thinks to herself, as Mel, understanding, only looks away.
But she doesn't have the time to say anything, because as soon as she turns her head to face Mel, she realises that the blonde's face suddenly is very tensed, and that someone is coming their way. Of course it doesn't take long for Christen to recognise Carli - a girl she knows Mel can't stand.
Stange enough, Carli doesn't look like she's angry at them for once. She just is energetically walking toward them, shaking her head a little bit.
"Guys" she lets out in her Jersey accent. Of course Christen gets why some girls of the team - including Mel and Sam... well, mostly only the two girls - hate Carli. But the Latina, on the other hand, is ready to give her another chance : she could've gone with Alex and Ash in USC, but decided to stay here. So she listens when Carli says : "Shelina's waiting for you in the locker room : emergency meeting."
"Emergency ?" Christen asks, as Mel is frowning.
"What kind of emergency ?" the blonde asks.
Carli only shrugs, before leading her teammates to the locker room where the new captain gathered most of the team - minus Andi, Jessie and Kailen, because the sophomores are, first of all, too young for this drama and, also, Kailen is not here.
As soon as the brunette opens the door, the two newcomers feel like the atmosphere is tensed : and they immediately understand why.
The locker room's wall right in between the two banks where the players can sit down to tie their cleats is covered with red painting, and they can pretty easily read : 'GET READY BITCHES, YOU WON'T LAST LONG'. As Christen's hand automatically goes on her face, Mel exchanges a look with some of her teammates : some of them are looking at their feet, troubled - Jaelene, Sam and Moe - as the rest of them are just remaining silent. Only Shelina and Haley walking in circles on the room makes noise.
