Cigarettes || R+E

Chapter 12:

  "Rachel? The fuck are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing, it's two in the morning."

  Rachel took a drag of her cigarette as she sat on the curb next to her favorite gas station. "Could I possibly stay at your place tonight?" she questioned, glancing up at Harley. "I thought you were staying at the stutter's house?" Harley stated, taking a seat beside Rachel.
 
  "Yeah, I was. But, things are getting wild there. Drama," Rachel explained, getting a soft 'Oh' from the older girl.

  "It's fine if-"
"No, you can, but my mom will be coming home tonight. She won't mind, though."
"Great."

  Rachel huffed, smoke blowing out of her mouth. Harley took Rachel back to her house, which was only a five minute walk from where they were. Rachel dropped her bag, which she had luckily brought, on Harley's bed, before being lead back outside.

  Harley lit a cigarette and sat on her driveway, patting the space next to her.

"This is ridiculous. I'm going to find her," Ellie announced, getting up and heading for the front door. "E-Ellie, no! She'll be back, I p-promise," Billie called desperately. "Billie, It's been almost two hours, I don't think she's coming back."

Billie, refusing to let Ellie go alone, followed her out, leaving the rest of the losers to enjoy their "drama free" sleepover. "I don't have anything to ride," Ellie stated as Billie drug out her bike. "Hop in the b-basket."

"Are you insane?! I'll fall out!"
"Just g-get in. Y-you're the only o-one small enough t-to f-fit."
"...Okay, fine."

Ellie hesitantly climbed into the basket of Billie's bike and the two took off in search of Rachel. "You're going too fast! Slow down, I'll fall!" Ellie screeched. Billie laughed, "You're su-such a baby, E-El."

Billie slowed to a stop beside a fence and spoke up, "St-stay quiet. If yo-you see her, d-don't say a wo-word, trust me." Ellie nodded carefully.

The two girls quietly lurked through a wide alley for a few minutes before hearing a faint voice from a distance. Though, they couldn't quite make out what it was saying or who it was, yet.

They tip-toed a little closer, finally piecing it together. "-you think she told them?" the voice asked. Billie spotted the source of the voices, leaned against the brick wall, smoking. She took Ellie's hand and lead her behind a nearby garbage can.

"Shh," Billie shushed, though Ellie hadn't said anything. "I hope so," the other voice spoke up. It was Rachel. "I would sound like stuttering Billie if I had to tell El," she joked.

Ellie peeked out from behind the metal cans, taking in the sight of a tall girl, arm around Rachel, taking a long drag of a cigarette. Rachel's head was leaned against the other's shoulder, making Ellie slightly jealous. That's when she realized who the mysterious girl was.

"You heard that, right?" Harley spoke up, glancing around nervously. "It was probably a raccoon or something, chill out," Rachel responded cooly. What they had heard was Ellie audibly gasping, and Billie desperately shushing her.

"Are you in-insane?!" Billie whisper-yelled. Ellie ignored her, listening in to their conversation.

"So, are you and Ellie, like, a thing?" Harley asked, looking at Rachel curiously. "To be honest, I don't know. We've never made it official, and, well, I'm not completely sure what her sexuality is," Rachel confessed.

"What do you mean, aren't you guys pretty intimate?"
"Yeah, but she's never actually come out to me as anything. For all I know, she could just be confused."
"I guess, anyways, I'm out," Harley stated, holding up her empty pack of cigarettes, "Let's go get more. Rachel sighed, "Alright."

"Wait, but first-" Harley stepped closer to Rachel, holding her cheek and planting her lips on hers. Rachel immediately pushed her away, "What are you doing, you whore?!" Harley threw her hands up, "What! You're shocked cause I kissed you?"

Rachel shook her head in disappointment. "Harley, you know I like someone else! You're like a sister to me." Billie gasped at that, loud enough to catch the attention of Rachel. "The fuck was that?" Harley quickly reverted Rachel's attention back to her, "Does it even matter?! Go back to your dumb fairy sleepover. We'll talk tomorrow."

"I'm going to a doctor tomorrow," Rachel announced. "Fine," Harley huffed, "Here, then. Same time, tomorrow." She agreed.

Rachel returned to Harley's place and grabbed her bag, before saying goodbye to her friend and leaving. Meanwhile, Ellie and Billie were speeding back to her house before Rachel got there.

She stepped up to Billie's front door, raising her hand to knock, but paused. 'No, they don't want to see me. I've made a fucking fool of myself,' she thought.

Turning around to leave, she heard the door open behind her. "Rach, where are you going?" Ellie questioned. Without waiting on a response, which wasn't coming, anyway, she got on the tips of her toes and pecked Rachel's lips.

Rachel smiled. "Everyone's inside waiting for you. Come in, we have just a couple questions," Ellie said, quietly, rubbing her shoulders.