CHAPTER 18
The next morning, Tasha slowly awakened. Carefully scanning her environment, she gently sat up and held her head as a wave of slight dizziness overcame her
"Where am I?" she whispered
A buzzing sound of voices were coming from outside her room then a few moments later, Yuri came in with a cup of hot chocolate drink and a blueberry muffin
"Good morning" Yuri greeted, pulling a chair next to Tasha's bed and sat down, "How are you feeling?"
"Foggy and kinda groggy" Tasha answered, hand in her face, "Where are we?"
"The infirmary" Yuri answered then handed Tasha the muffin and placed the chocolate drink at the nearby table, "you should eat something first"
Tasha took the muffin as she was feeling hungry herself. She quietly ate as Yuri sat and watched her
"Stop staring at me while I eat, it's making me conscious" Tasha commanded as she took a bite of the muffin
Yuri scoffed then turned away, "You know, what you did last night was pretty idiotic"
"Excuse me?" Tasha stopped eating, signaling Yuri to continue
"You already knew my drink was spiked and you still drank it. That was really stupid and reckless"
"Would you rather have been threatened at knifepoint and be forced to go with those shady men?" Tasha rolled her eyes, "You know, a simple thank you would have sufficed"
"No it wouldn't"
Yuri stood and sat next to Tasha on the bed. Without hesitation, Yuri gently but tightly wrapped her arms around Tasha in a gentle but meaningful embrace
Tasha, on the other hand, was taken by surprise as she felt the other girl's arms wrap around her but did not dare move a muscle
When Yuri pulled away, she meet Tasha's confused gaze, "Thank you" she smiled genuinely
Tasha could feel her heart beat loud and fast as she stared deeply into the dark brown eyes of the girl closely in front of her. For some reason, she couldn't look away; she doesn't want to look away. Tasha was completely entranced, leaving her clueless as to what to say or do next
Thankfully, a nurse peeked in and asked to speak with Yuri
"I'll be right back" Yuri stood then left the room
Tasha took a deep breath as she placed her hand on her chest, "oh shit..."
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Tasha sat still, unable to continue eating after the realization she just experienced moments earlier.
The creaking sound of the door opening startled Tasha. Her eyes quickly shifting at the doorway, looking to see if it was Yuri. When she realized that it was Amber, she felt instant relief
"Hey" Amber smiled as she entered the room, "feeling better?"
Tasha smiled back and nodded
"Good, you really had us worried Tash. I wasn't able to sleep well at my dorm last night"
"I know and I'm sorry for worrying you" Tasha briefly stopped, "Wait a sec, did you say you slept at your dorm last night?"
Amber nodded, "only one person was allowed to stay with you and Yuri insisted"
"Yuri stayed here with me all night?"
Again, Amber nodded. Upon knowing that little tidbit, Tasha can't help but smile at the sweet gesture.
Recalling the feeling she experienced earlier when Yuri embraced her, Tasha felt shy but also doubtful about what it actually meant.
Being that her friend is currently in a romantic relationship, she turned to Amber, "Hey, can I ask you something?" hoping that she'll be able to at least clarify a few things
But before she could continue, Yuri stepped into the room, quickly silencing Tasha. Amber and Yuri then greeted each other
"So the nurse told me you could leave after lunch since the roofies would have been out of your system by then" Yuri said
"So the drug in her drink was roofies. No wonder you got so drowsy and passed out" Amber added as she looked at her friend
Tasha, on the other hand, just nodded while subtly avoiding eye contact with Yuri
"Um hey Amber, is it okay if I leave you with Tasha? I have class in about an hour" Yuri looked at the Tasha who was still looking the other way, "it's our Physical Ed. class"
"Of course, you already stayed the night anyway, I'll take care of this girl and make sure she's okay" Amber answered, "Are you coming back later?"
"I think I won't be able to, I have another class after Physical Ed. and Gretchen's game starts after lunch and i promised her I'll watch her play" Yuri explained, "but do you want me to come back?"
"No need!" Tasha interjected, her words covered with snark "I'm sure your Gretchen will be mad if she finds out your taking care of another girl, so no thank you, I can manage on my own"
Yuri's eyebrows shot up, surprised by Tasha's sudden outburst but then again, Yuri has seen Tasha like this before so it wasn't a total surprise
"O-kay, looks like you feeling better since you're back to your old snarky self" Yuri stood then made her way to the door, "I'll see you guys later" then left
Amber turned to her friend, a "what-the-hell-was-that-about" expression written all over her face
"What?" Tasha reacted, acting as if her actions didn't mean anything
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Yuri went straight to her dorm to get a quick shower then headed to her class.
Turns out, this particular P.E. class is the last one where there is actual topic discussion. At the end of the class, they were told to start practicing their dance routine that they will present at the end of the semester and will serve as their final exam and requirement. In short, this dance routine pretty much determines whether they pass this class or not.
"I guess we should start practicing as soon as Tasha feels better" Yuri thought as she walked towards the cafeteria. Having two 2-hour classes straight sure made her hungry
As soon as she arrived, she saw Summer reading a book, patiently waiting for her to arrive
"Hey" Yuri spoke as she sat down
Summer peeked up from her book and noticed that friend looked like she had trouble falling asleep last night
"Hey, slept well?" Summer asked, "And how's supergirl doing?"
"Supergirl", the nickname Yuri used when she described Tasha last night via text to Summer
Last night, Yuri had trouble falling asleep and so ended up staring intently at the girl who was sleeping soundly, still looking beautiful as if nothing happened. She was snapped out of her trance when her phone started to ring
"Hey, how's she?" Summer texted
"She's looking better" Yuri texted back, "can't believe it. She was pale looking and puking everything earlier and now she's fast asleep as if nothing happened. This one's a supergirl"
"Sure is. She saved our butts back there, especially yours"
"Yeah, she's kinda my hero"
Yuri smiled, "She's back to her snarky self actually so she's so much better"
"Good to hear, I guess" Summer closed her book and placed it back inside her bag, "so, should we go grab something to eat"
"Shouldn't we wait for the Adams Duo?"
"Nah, Kristen texted me earlier, said she and Toby have a lunch date with their dad today" Summer stood and motioned Yuri to get up as well
Yuri nodded in response and the two went to go check out the lunch menu for the day
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"By the way, Brenda still doesn't know what happened to you Tash" Amber spoke as she pushed the buttons on the remote control, changing the channel on the TV, "the only thing she knows is that we went out last night, that's it
"Good, make sure she doesn't find out what happened" Tasha replied coldly
Amber looked at her friend, eyebrows scrunched together, "what the hell are you doing to yourself Tash?"
Tasha sighed in defeat, "Oh no, you're gonna scold me aren't you?"
"Damn right I am!" Amber answered with frustration, turning off the TV "You know that cocktail was drugged and you still drank it! Dude, you just got off your meds and you're risking your health again, all for a stupid revenge plan! Do you want to go live in a hospital bed again?!"
"Of course not! What happened before was a one time deal! I know my limitations Amber! I can do what I want with my body!"
"Your body already rejected your heart before Tash!, That was not a one time deal, it can happen again if you don't get your shit together and there is a chance that you won't be so lucky, so stop this bullshit and stop being such a bitch!!"
Tasha bit her lower lip, holding in her anger, "get out" she simply stated, avoiding to have confrontation with her best friend
Amber, feeling frustrated with her friend, stormed out of the room. The door shut loudly and Tasha buried her face in her palms, "I don't think this is about revenge anymore..."
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After finishing lunch, Yuri and Summer decided to walk around campus for a bit to kill time before Gretchen's game starts and also enjoy today's calming weather
"Oh by the way" Summer started as she turn to her friend, "you and Gretchen?" then made a "scissoring" motion with both of her hands, and I don't mean the school supply kind
Yuri laughed at her Summer's antic, "No we're not!" she answered, "pervert"
"Takes one to know one" Summer grinned, " but why not though?"
"You know why Summer"
Summer nodded slightly, "But it's been over a year now, don't you think it's time?"
"I can't" Yuri said, her face frowning with sadness, "I still don't want to let go"
Summer smiled comfortingly as she placed her arm on her friend's shoulder, "got it and it's okay to feel like that"
Moments later, they bumped into Amber who was walking fast. A look of frustration covers her face so much so that she didn't even look nor apologized when she bumped into Summer and Yuri
"Amber!" Yuri called out
Hearing the familiar voice, Amber instantly spun around, "Yuri, good thing you're here"
"Yeah but why are you here? Shouldn't you be with Tasha?"
"Yeah well, we had a little discussion" Amber frustratingly sighed, "Anyway, can you go instead and make sure she goes straight to her dorm room?"
Yuri nodded, "Alright, I'll go right now"
"Ok thanks" Amber manage to give a smiled before walking away
"I wonder what happened" Summer said
"Whatever it is I hope they work it out soon, guess I have to go" Yuri replied, "oh hey, if you see Gretchen, can you tell her I'll be a little late for her game? Also tell her our movie date is still on"
"Movie date?" a surprised Summer said, "are you sure you two aren't-"
"No we're not, you dirty schmuck!" Yuri chuckled then gave her friend a pat on the butt
Summer chuckled, "Yeah sure I'm the pervert, said the girl who just touched my ass!"
Yuri laughed and the two parted ways, agreeing to meet again during Gretchen's volleyball game. Yuri then made her way to the infirmary to go see Tasha
She entered the building and soon enough, saw Tasha filling up some papers.
Tasha looked up and saw Yuri. Instantaneously her heart beat fast and her stomach felt like dozens of butterflies were flying all around. She was definitely happy to see Yuri again but at the same time, she still has major doubts on what she thinks she feels about her
"What are you doing back here?" Tasha asked in an almost sarcastic tone, trying to hide her somewhat growing infatuation towards the short-haired girl
"Wait, this isn't the cafeteria?" Yuri joked
Tasha rolled her eyes in a not amused manner as she looked back at the paper she was writing
"Geez, where did your sense of humor go" Yuri walked towards Tasha, "or maybe I'm just not that funny"
Not being able to stop herself, Tasha gave off a remark, "the latter"
"Ouch" Yuri smirked
After handing the papers to the nurse at the front desk, Tasha again turned to Yuri
"Shouldn't you be at your girlfriend's game?" Tasha asked, arms crossed
"She's not my- Seriously, do we really look like we're dating?" Yuri sighed, "I came to accompany you back to your dorm"
"I can manage on my own" Tasha then walked pass Yuri and was out the door within a few seconds
Tasha walked so fast that Yuri had to ran to catch up to her. The volleyball game already started so there weren't many students on campus
"Boy, you're a fast walker" Yuri said as she caught up with Tasha
"You should see me punch someone who keeps following me then you'll be even more amused" and Tasha kept on walking while Yuri tried to keep up
"Okay, wait a sec." Yuri stopped and grabbed Tasha's right wrist
With that simple gesture, Tasha's heart beat louder in her chest so much so that she grew afraid that Yuri might be able to hear or feel it herself. How could the girl she once despised have this effect on her with just a simple touch?
Tasha glanced back and tried to pull away her wrist from Yuri's grasped, "Let me go."
Yuri shook her head as she looked straight at Tasha, "chill first"
Tasha can't help but stare at Yuri, as her mind scrambled on what to say next
The close proximity didn't help Tasha's situation either, her eyes wandered from Yuri's eyes to the curves of her lips as the urge to kiss the girl in front of her grew immensely
"C'mon, I'm walking you to your dorm, it's the least I could do" Yuri said, sliding her hand from Tasha's wrist down to her hand, holding it gently
Yuri started to walk, slightly pulling Tasha but the other girl remained unmoved
"You seriously need to tell me what's wrong" Yuri said as she glanced back, "Tasha? You ok?"
"No" Tasha answered, finally unable to control herself
With a swift move of her arm, Tasha pulled Yuri towards her, placing her right arm around the other girl's waist. With her left hand, she cupped Yuri's cheek as she gently placed her lips against Yuri's, taking in her feather-like softness. As they continued, it slowly turned passionate, so much so, that Tasha had to forcefully pull away to keep it from going further
When Tasha pulled away, Yuri stared at her, dumbfounded by Tasha's actions and at her reaction as well
"I told you to let me go" Tasha was almost breathless. but quickly walked away to avoid any further awkwardness
Yuri just stood and watched Tasha disappear from her sight
As Tasha made her way back to her dorm, the doubt in her mind was gone. She touched her still tingling lips, recapping the kiss in her mind. There's no doubt anymore, there is only one thing that could describe that overwhelming desire to taste her lips. She's falling in love with Yuri.