Exposition

D+20 (Monday)

Addie ran as fast as she could to the sports field where the others were waiting for her so they could begin their second match of dodge ball. Brienne did not look happy as she passed by with an apologetic smile. If she wasn't dressed and on the field in five minutes, they would have to forfeit the match for lack of enough players.

"Didn't you ask Mr. Heinz to tell you out early for the match?" Brienne hissed.

"He said if I could say it in German I'd even let me miss the entire class," Addie replied rather irritably.

Her school shirt was already unbuttoned by the time she reached the changing room. She haphazardly threw off her shoes, wiggling into her bloomers and top skirt.

"My shirt? Where is -----?" she mumbled, going through the mess of clothes she had created.

"This?"

She turned and there was her shirt in the hands of the Bush Baby she'd bumped into last Thursday. Addie reached for her shirts, 'thanks' tripping clumsily from her mouth but the girl pulled the shirt out of reach. Now Addie understood. The girl had stepped on her hand on purpose. Addie reached for her shirt again but the other girl pulled it out of reach, going towards one of the stalls.

"Don't!"

Addie grabbed for her shirt and it came loose from the girl's grip but she wasn't holding it.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Susan?" Brienne had grabbed the shirt and tossed it to Addie, mouthing for her to 'get dressed'.

"Aww, how sweet," the Bush Baby taunted. "Come to rescue your pet?"

Brienne put herself in front of Addie. "I'm surprised Lorraine let you off your leash after the spectacular blunder you made."

The girl's eyes flashed and her hand rose in the air.

"Girls!" the girl's coach appeared at the door. "Sixty seconds and you're forfeit."

Brienne looked back at Addie who was slipping into her sneakers. "We're coming," she replied tensely, guiding Addie out by the shoulders.

"Break a leg, girls," Susan said sweetly.

Brienne gave her a discrete finger.

The Dik Diks won their match by a large margin. In their excitement, Addie unexpectedly jumped on Brienne and they both fell backwards, Brienne getting the brunt of the fall. Addie must have been surprised that she did such a thing because she just sat on top of Brienne until the other girl told her to get off.

"Sorry," she blushed, a little too hard for just jumping on Brienne. She helped her captain up dutifully dusting her off.

"Leave it," Brienne hissed, something suspiciously like a blush creeping up her neck.

The Dik Diks took their time getting changed back into their uniforms, giving each other the play by play until Greta reminded them that they had just fifteen minutes to grab lunch. Brienne bullied Greta to buy her lunch, though the girl seemed willing to do it anyway. Soon, it was just Brienne and Addie in the locker room. It shouldn't have been awkward but it was with heavy silences and stolen glances.

"Why do you wear so much perfume," Brienne asked, wriggling her nose at the citrus/floral scent clogging up her nostrils.

Addie colored deeply. "It's 'cause you said I smelled," she answered shyly.

Brienne was trying hard to suppress a smile. "I said I could smell you, not that you smelled bad."

Addie didn't think she could blush any harder. "So you did say that? I didn't imagine it?"

They fell into another silence.

Brienne was smoothing down the frizz in her hair when Addie broke the silence. "It was pretty hot what you did earlier...rescuing me and stuff."

Brienne took a breath. "I'm pretty sure you meant to say that it was pretty cool what I did."

Addie looked flustered.

"You must know that I like you and not just in a 'let's be friends forever' kind of way. So you can't just say things like that to me."

"I'm sorry. It's just -"

Just what? She'd drawn pictures of Brienne in compromising situations and shredded them immediately. She'd had a fantasy almost came true when she found herself on top on Brienne on the field earlier. She was strongly attracted to her friend but she couldn't say that. Plus, she was confused because she had a great time with Kieran that weekend. "Well, no one's stood up for me before." She offered, wondering where she even managed to pull that out from. She didn't know if it was true but it sounded good.

Brienne was looking at her curiously and in the back of her mind Addie could feel her there.

"Stop it!" Addie snapped. "You said you won't do that."

Brienne blinked several times.

The bell rang.

Um"