Audrey's POV

IT'S HARD. And it's going to be hard for a long time. The kids miss their dad, and I... I miss him too. He wasn't perfect. But he is, was, my husband. The father of my kids. And the love of my life. Ironically, the person that he didn't like, is the same person that's here for us now that he's gone.

He was old-fashioned. But now, I can't hold anything against him, I just have to move on...

"Claire seems to be having some trouble since your husband's death, Mrs. Williams."

"It's only been two weeks. She's coping as best as she can," I defend my daughter. Claire hasn't been dealing with this well. I'm sure she's skipped a few classes, or not turned in homework.

"I know. And we're trying to be as supportive as we can. But she's been, she's..." the principal rubs his temples, "she's been having sex in the girls' restroom, Mrs. Williams."

My breath clusters in my throat, "are you sure?" I swallow. I can feel my body almost shaking. The last thing I need is another reason to stress.

"Yes. That's not tolerated here. And I'm suspending both girls for three days."

I try to shake the uneasiness, "girls? It was with another girl?"

"Yes. We try not to discriminate. But any kind of sexual encounter is against the school's policy. They're too young to be engaging in—"

"I understand," I hold up my hand. I exhale a breath, and close my eyes. Why do I feel some sort of relief?

My biggest concern would be that she can end up pregnant. And she's too young to be having sex with boys...

I don't approve of her having sex with anyone. But the truth is, I do prefer it to be with a girl. For the sake of her not getting any sperm anywhere near her.

The serious question Is... is Claire a lesbian? Or bisexual? Or pansexual? I feel lost for words...

I just need to get through this.

"Mrs. Williams, it would be better if you had a talk with Claire. It's not my place to talk to young girls about their," he clears his throat, "sexuality, and if this happens again, there will be some serious consequences."

"I understand," I grip the edge of my seat, "it won't happen again. Who else knows about this? I mean, who saw them or caught them," I fling my hand into my hair, "you know, in the bathroom."

"Another student. I can't disclose the name. You should talk to your daughter, Mrs. Williams."

"Yes, yes, of course," it's a good thing her dad's dead, else this would be a big deal when we get home. At least that's one good thing that we'll be able to avoid.

I sigh. What am I going to do with her?

"I'll see you out."

We walk out the door, and Claire's sitting right outside. She's got her hoodie covering her face, and probably her earpods in her ears, blasting music.

"Thanks for being understanding, Principal Hahn. I'll see to it that this doesn't happen again."

He nods and walks into his office. I tap Claire on the shoulder, "let's go," she groans and stands.

"Do I have detention?" She asks as we walk down the halls, towards the exit.

I shake my head, "you'll be happy to hear that you got suspended for three days."

"Really?" I grab the car keys from my purse.

"Really."

"Oh," I get into the driver's seat, and she gets into the passenger side, "I'm sorry, mom. It's not what it—"

"You'll explain it to me when we get home. Right now, I need some silence."

"Okay," she mumbles, and doesn't say another word. I inhale a deep breath, and try to relax my mind on the drive. What am I going to do...?

Gemma's POV

I REMEMBER why I stayed at the bed and breakfast the first time back here. This house makes me sad, and the nights are the worst.

It's almost like three ghosts are haunting me. They didn't even die here. My parents were dead on the side of the road, and my grandfather died in a hospital. Did their souls find their way home?

It gives me the jitters... And I'll be stuck here for a few days. Audrey called me earlier, and asked if she can have some space for a few days. I find it odd, but I'll always respect her wishes. Maybe she's sick of me already.

I grab my suitcase, and throw it into the trunk of the car. I can use a little sunshine in my life, and I know just the place.

I slide into the driver's seat, and drive to my desired destination. All the uneasiness I feel is resurfacing, making me question if this is a good idea. Should I just drive back? No, I'm her friend. Just a friend. And that's okay. I can use a friend. And she's a good friend.

"Gemma?" Veronica seems surprised to see me. Of course, she is. It's not like I could have called, and say I'm back in town. I don't have her number. But I could've stopped by though. Damn, I'm already a bad friend.

"Do you have any rooms available?" She smiles and crosses her arms over her chest, "didn't think you'd see me so soon, huh?"

She shrugs, "Maggie told me that she saw you. I was just waiting for you to show up."

"Yeah. I've been staying at my grandpa's house. It's getting a little lonely there, so here I am."

She grabs a key from the drawer behind her desk, and hands it to me.

"You can have the same room again," she walks in front of her computer, and types something, "will that be the same card as last time?"

"Yeah," I grab it from my wallet, and hand it to her, "do I get the friends and family discount?"

She laughs, "with all that money you have, I'd think you wouldn't care about the price."

"I'm frugal," I shrug, "and I'm not rich. Why would you think that?"

"Who else inherited all of Mr. Cohen's money?" She hands my card back, and laughs.

We walk to the stairs, "okay, you caught me. But am I the only one who didn't know that he was that rich?"

She furrows her brows, "you really were gone for a long time. I heard he sold almost all of his real estate in Idaho to some bigshot Corporation."

I'm confused. My grandfather owned property in Idaho? I really know nothing about him.

"Oh. Right," I mumble, "I need to get my stuff from the car. I'll be back."

Everyone seems to know about him more than I do. I'm going to have a better look at all that paperwork in his office. What else don't I know about?

"Let me help," Veronica walks behind me and towards the car, "how is Audrey doing? I gave her a call, but she was very... vague?"

"Yeah. It's been rough, for sure. But she's handling it better than I could ever," I pull my suitcase by the handle, and drag it onto the ground.

"Not sure what I'd do in a situation like that. Especially with two kids to depend on you."

I grab the retractable handle of the suitcase, and we walk back inside.

"Speaking of kids, do you have any?" That's kinda weird of me to ask. I don't think that she does. But who knows, she might've had a kid with her ex-husband. And the kid would probably be a teenager by now. Or a grown adult.

"Do you?" She grabs the bottom of the suitcase with her two hands to help me take it upstairs. It's heavier than last time. And I brought some of Dickins' friends along too. I'm prepared to spend quite some time back in town. Nothing's waiting for me back on the west coast anyway.

"Nope," we make it to the top of the staircase, "other than a beanie baby. I'm basically a spinster."

Veronica laughs, "beanie babies, huh? My mom's been obsessed with those since the nineties."

We walk towards the room, as I tug along my suitcase. Fiddling with the keys, I unlock the door and head inside. It's the same as when I left it. I wonder if anyone else slept in here while I was gone. Probably. It's been a few months.

"Home sweet home?" She laughs, "I'll let you get settled in. What do you fancy for dinner?"

Veronica flips her hair over her shoulder. I've forgotten how beautiful she is, that my heart skips a beat.

"You're cooking for me?"

She nods, "thought I'll give you a grand welcome. Missed you while you were gone, Gem," she playfully nudges my shoulder, before stepping back.

Yeah, it's still a bit odd between us, ever since I tried to kiss her that day. I'd like to have the courage to forget all about that, and have us be good friends.

Friends can last a lifetime. A relationship barely lasts a few heartbeats.

And I'd like her to be in my life for a long time. She's got that irresistible personality. A ray of sunshine. I need someone like her in my life.

"Yeah. Anything you decide. I'm not allergic to anything, uh," I pick up and throw my suitcase onto the bed. New sheets, I like it.

"It'll be just us. Is that okay?" She leans the side of her body against the doorframe, "I'm thinking steak?"

"Sounds good. You need any help?"

She shakes her head, "nah, you rest. I'll be fine. But thanks."

I sigh, "okay, thanks, Veronica. You're the best."

She smiles at me, "I know I am."

Veronica's POV

HAVING DINNER with Gemma is quite awkward. We don't seem to have much to say to each other. I want to hear about what she's been up to. It's been a few months since she's been gone, and I bet a lot has happened.

"How's work? Anything interesting?" She looks up at me. I give her a comforting smile, and she smiles back.

"It was good. I was working on a new blockbuster horror film, uh, Harway City."

"Oh, wow. Must be amazing. When's the movie being released?"

"Sometime next summer, I think. Personally, I wouldn't watch it. I've got a pet peeve about teenagers running around in the night."

"Oh, really? The movie sounds interesting already," I tease, "would be a great first date—"

I press my lips together. That might not be something I should talk about. I mean, I know Gemma has a thing for me. Is that what they call it? A thing? Or is it a crush?

I wouldn't insinuate that it's a crush. Her feelings for me are surely not that developed. I'm just someone who she wants to have some fun with. That's all, I think.

It's unlikely that she wants to date me. Right?

I clear my throat, and shove a slice of steak into my mouth. Gerald tried to ask me out again. I hope Gemma isn't as redundant as he is.

Do I want her to ask again? She seems to have too much going on with her life. Not to mention her seemingly crazy ex-girlfriend. I wonder what the story is between those two. It's gotta be interesting.

"How's business been?" Gemma asks. Our conversation is so dry. Ugh.

"Good. Good. It picked up a few months ago. Now, it's a little slow again."

She tilts the glass of wine to her lips. I find myself looking at her full eyelashes. I wonder if she got extensions, or if they're real.

"I guess the universe wants us to spend more time together," she bits on her bottom lip, "as friends I mean."

"Yeah. I know what you meant."

"Anyone special in your life yet?" Gemma asks, as she looks patiently at me.

"Nothing serious. It's hard to find someone who wants to settle down. All the women my age seem to either be in committed, long-term relationships, or they're batshit crazy."

She laughs, "I guess I'm batshit crazy then."

I laugh too, "me too?"

"No, you're the most sane person I've ever met," I narrow my eyes, "I'm serious. You seem to have it all figured out."

She stretches her hand across the table, and places it onto my palm.

"Gemma, I—" I look at our hands, and feel a sudden tightness in my chest.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to ask you out," she sighs, "or try to kiss you," I could almost blush, "but, just know that you're normal. And a normal, nice woman will find you someday."

I needed to hear that. It reminds me that there's still hope. I want kids. And someone to share my life with. Someone dependable. Someone who loves me, regardless of my annoying flaws. Someone who'll laugh at my jokes, even when they're uncomfortably not funny.

I look into Gemma's eyes, and almost tear up.

"Thanks," I pull my hand away, and look away. Why am I becoming emotional?

"You okay?"

I nod, and stand up. I grab my plate, and head into the kitchen. Placing it into the sink, I inhale a deep breath.

"You wanna watch some more episodes of the show with me? There's another season that was released," I say.

"Sure," Gemma brings her plate to the sink, "I'll do the dishes. You can refill my glass of wine."

"Okay. What do you think about popcorn?" I grab the bottle of wine.

"Perfect dessert, in my opinion," she turns and looks at me, as I refill our glasses, "I'm a good listener, Veronica. If you ever want to—"

"Thanks. But I'm fine. Same here. If you ever want to talk about—"

"Okay. Sounds like a good friendship to me."

I'll wait patiently for the day when she'll tell me about Sabrina. I heard a mouthful when they had that argument that night. Probably more than Gemma would ever tell me willingly.

I guess I would like for her to open up to me.

"Really though, Gemma, friends can tell each other anything," Gemma turns the pipe on, "I mean it."

"I appreciate it," the loudness of the water pressure gives us both some time to be silent.

I grab a bag from the box of popcorn, and put it into the microwave. Popcorn's the only thing that I'll make in the microwave. I don't even do leftovers, so that's all the microwave is for.

I've tried making it on the stove, but it's too much work with the same result. So I have an appliance dedicated to just popcorn. Unless, any of my guests want to use it to heat up anything. That's for them to decide.

Gemma turns off the water, and grabs a dish towel to dry her hands.

"If you're going over to Audrey's tomorrow, I'd like to come with you," I tell Gemma. I haven't had a chance to have a proper conversation with Audrey, since her husband's car accident. And I wasn't invited to the funeral.

I heard that it was just a small family gathering. And I hold no hard feelings. But I feel the need to give Audrey my condolences in person.

"She asked for some space. Not sure why. But I'll head over there in a few days, whether she likes it or not."

We head into the living room, and I turn on the tv, "okay, let me know when. And I'll let you know if I'm not busy."

"Sure. No problem," she slips her hand into the popcorn bag, "Audrey told me that we went to school together. Why didn't you tell me?"

I look at her hand, filled with popcorn, slip out of the bag, "uh, slipped my mind?"

Gemma nudges my shoulder with hers, "I think I'm getting Alziemers. First Penny, now you. I have a hard time remembering."

"It's okay. We didn't know each other very well."

"But we did know each other?" I shrug and stuff my face with a handful of popcorn, "Veronica, I remember Penny only after she explained that we had Biology together. Don't take offense, please?"

"I'm not offended. I just don't think it's relevant."

I turn on the show, hoping that the conversation between us will be over. Gemma sighs and stays silent for an hour or so.

"Come on, fill me in. I'm too old to be thinking this hard," Gemma begs. And when I thought she'd been paying attention to the tv.

The popcorn is finished. And I'm conflicted whether to remind her or not. It's definitely not a good idea.

"It's nothing, really. You were one of the popular girls. Everyone knew of you."

"Popular?" She laughs. She grabs the remote, and pauses the show. I have a bad feeling about this, "I was the senior lesbian that was outed in the girl's locker room, after Helen Fletcher caught me staring at her ass."

I can't help but laugh too, "you're still holding a grudge for Helen?" I wasn't there when that incident happened, but if I remember correctly, the entire school heard about it.

Gemma scoffs, "she's the reason I learned how to be subtle with my staring."

I laugh even louder, "you're still not subtle, Gemma."

She narrows her eyes. And I can see that her cheeks are becoming pink. She's blushing. It's so cute.

"Whatever. But Helen is my least favorite person in this town. Right after all the boys I hate from highschool."

"You hate a lot of people from highschool, huh?"

She shrugs, "teenagers are assholes. And they grow up to be self-righteous bitches."

I'm sure highschool couldn't have been too easy for her. Back then, coming out wasn't as great of an experience as it is now. And even so, it's still hard to this day.

I hated the boys in highschool too. All that most of them cared about was getting in as many of the girls' pants as possible before graduation. Sure, it was mostly peer pressure. And some of them have grown up to be good human beings. The rest, well, they are either in jail, or some of the biggest assholes in the country.

"Yeah, highschool sucked," I clarify.

Gemma leans back, "I'm still trying to remember you. You do look familiar, I've thought so for a while. But it's not clicking."

"Maybe I wasn't memorable. Highschool was so long ago, Gemma. Let's just unpause the tv and relax."

She closes her eyes, and seems to be in deep thought. I sigh and unpause the show. Let's see if she can figure it out. Doubt it.

I prop my elbow onto the arm of the couch, and rest my head on the palm of my hand.

After another episode, the screen begins to blur. And my eyes are heavy. Without realizing it, I think I fall asleep. Because when I feel a blanket gently falling on top of me, I notice Gemma's fluttering eyelashes.

But I'm too groggy to do anything but close my eyes, and drift off again.