60 - Quizzes and Comic Books

Alison was feeling particularly pathetic that grim Wednesday afternoon. She had nothing to do. Nothing. She'd finished her homework, took Pepe out, ate lunch, organized her room (and to an extent, Jason's). She even considered doing some sort of self-pity rom-com movie marathon, but when she picked up the chocolate and popcorn and licorice that would go along with Sixteen Candles, she grimaced, put everything back in the cabinet, and decided that even she wasn't that desperate.

She lazily trotted back up to her room to look for something to do. Of course, she could go running or to the gym, use her free time for something that would eventually give her satisfaction, but today, she just really didn't feel like it. Her muscles were aching from practice, anyway.

When her eyes landed on the worn-out cover of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, she almost grinned in joy, but stopped herself at the very last second. Even though there was nobody around to catch her being an overzealous school girl, you could never quite know if some freak was watching you through your window. And she wasn't giving that particular creep some stock material to laugh at.

That book had been one of her favorites ever since she first read it in the seventh grade. At the time, she had blamed it on having to do a book report, but really, she just wanted to see what the whole buzz around this book was about, and she got fascinated by it rather quickly. It continued to be her favorite even after the second, third and fourth time she had read it over the years. She grabbed it off the shelf, making herself comfortable on the bed as she opened the book on page one.

She groaned miserably and hit the book repeatedly against her forehead an hour and twenty-one minutes later once she'd finished it. Damn that book for its shortened length, she thought. It didn't suffice her. And it was only half-past six.

She sighed in despair.

Alison really yearned to call Emily, ask her if she wanted to do something or just to hear her voice or talk about nothing and everything until one in the morning, a habit that was not so uncommon for them. But Alison kept in mind that Emily had a chemistry test the following day, and she didn't want to be the reason Emily failed that test. She didn't want Emily to fail in any subject. And she knew that if the roles were reversed, Emily would selflessly do the same. Besides, if the brunette were in her position, she'd probably go jogging until her lungs burn and then come home and still have time to help her mother with grocery shopping, or call her dad, or even clean the entire house - Emily was simply productive like that.

But, Alison sighed, she didn't have a mother who went grocery shopping with her, and her father wouldn't appreciate her calling him in the midst of yet another business deal that was more important than his own family, not that she wanted to, anyway. And Jason... well, she was trying to be less needy of his company lately. He was truly an adult, after all.

She wished she could've just taken a nap. She would've, but ever since she could remember herself, she hated mid-day sleeping. Whenever she'd wake up after that, she would always have to get up to check her phone in order to make sure she hadn't slept through an entire night and woken up the next morning. She hated that feeling of haziness when she couldn't exactly know where she was or what time it was. Hence, her utter contempt for hangovers.

As she thought all of this, she huffed for what felt like the millionth time, landing the thin book on her bedside table with a thump that would've earned her a screaming match had her mother been home. How was it that it was this particular day that all of her friends had something to do?

Hanna, Caleb, Mona, and Noel had all decided to have a double date on that specific day - and Alison noticed the friendship between the two girls was becoming even stronger. Spencer had dinner with her family to meet Melissa's new boyfriend and Toby had the same test as Emily, of course. Other than that, it was Ezra and Aria's usual poetry reading night - insert Alison's eye roll. She had even briefly contemplated joining them, but then, much like what happened with the movie marathon, she shoved that suggestion to the farthest corner of her brain. After the last time she went to one of those poetry readings, she was afraid PTSD would get her if she went again. Aria had been wrong - watching bearded hippies reciting poorly-written poetry about their dead cactus wasn't fun.

In Rosewood High, there had to have been hundreds of different people vying for attention from Alison who would go as far as selling their kidneys in order to hang out with her, but she couldn't agree to do that for a couple of reasons. One, Emily wouldn't like that one bit. She was surprised to find that the brunette could be very possessive when it came to situations like these, especially with guys and/or girls who were interested in the blonde. Two, she just really wasn't feeling like dressing up or preparing herself to talk to people. She just wanted to throw on some sweatpants and a tank top and be lazy with someone else. She needed to be with someone who she felt absolutely comfortable with at the moment, which meant her girlfriend, her brother, or her friends. None of which were available.

She had never thought she, the esteemed Queen Bee of Rosewood High, would ever desperately try to find something to do on a mid-week day, then fail that task.

Before she could drown herself in her pity over seemingly nothing, she heard the familiar buzz of her cell phone, which was propped against a pillow across from her, as if she was waiting for someone to put her out of her agony. It was only when she saw Emily's name flash across the screen that she snatched the device from its previous position and rolled over so fast, she nearly fell out of bed.

Pepe, who had been curled up snuggly at the corner of the room ever since page fifty-six, concernedly eyed his owner, whimpering as he approached the side of the bed, looking ready to help.

"I'm fine, Pepe," she grumbled in fake assurance, patting him behind the ears and smiling slightly at him. He dubiously looked at her again, but then simply hopped onto the bed, just in case.

She sprawled herself on her stomach across the mattress and with her forearms pushing into the pillow as she opened the chat, she was practically panting once she could finally read the message. The blonde proceeded to roll her eyes at herself before her eyes finally landed on the screen.

She absentmindedly ran her fingers through the puppy's fur, chuckling and shaking her head once she read: My brain hurts. I don't like chem anymore.

Her fingers danced a bit in the air in front of the screen as she thought about something to type back. She was suddenly feeling a little selfish, but she knew what she was about to do would have good consequences on both parties. Still, she felt guilty for needing to see Emily at that exact moment. Then again, Emily was an adamant student, and she wouldn't have written to Alison hadn't she really needed a break from studying.

The golden charm bracelet Emily had bought for her in Paris, which now rested around her wrist, twinkled in the corner of her eye and she glanced at it, somehow already missing Emily just from once simple gaze at the gift.

She turned to Pepe, frowning as the thoughts in her head stretched on. "Am I a bad person?" she asked finally, pouting to herself.

Pepe, bless his soul, licked her hand and wiggled his tail as if he was trying his best to reassure Alison that she wasn't. As if he really understood her.

Alison shook her head once again and cleared her thoughts. She really was going crazy.

There was only one cure for that.

Want me to come over?

XXXXX

Emily's notebook dropped with a thud on the floor as she whirled around in panic with a hand on her heart, ready to grab the nearest sharp object. Only when she saw Alison entering effortlessly through her window and landing on her window seat, her heartbeat slowed down a bit, then effectively stimulated at the sight of her girlfriend.

She bent down momentarily to grab her notebook and drop it on the bed, lifting her gaze and directing a smile at Alison, who echoed it with a little more pep than usual.

"Hey, Ali-"

Emily's words stuck in her throat, literally, as Alison grabbed the back of her neck and planted a strong kiss on her lips. There was something so urgent about it, as if the blonde's life depended on this very liplock. The bruising desperation behind it instantly sent a flame of desire down to Emily's core.

It had taken the blonde all of six minutes to get to her house, a pace that was almost inhuman, which must've meant she rushed over there. The thought of Alison truly wanting to be nowhere else, of her girlfriend needing her that much, caused heat to spread all over Emily's body.

She could feel Alison smirking against her lips as the blonde shifted her to a lying down position, but when her back wasn't met with soft sheets, rather with something firm and unpleasant, she winced and pushed away slightly.

"Wait, wait," she gasped, failing at regaining her breath. Alison hovered above her, looking at her with concerned eyes. Before the blonde could ask if she'd done something wrong, Emily merely reached out behind her and pried the hard-covered notebook out of its previous spot, trying her best not to look at the pages she was sure were now wrinkled in order not to cause her sporadical OCD to rise up.

A soft "Oh," escaped Alison's lips in acknowledgment.

Emily only leaned forward and captured her lips again, pulling her down onto her. Apparently, she needed Alison just as much as the girl needed her.

Their hands roamed all over each other's bodies like there was no tomorrow, reveling in the fact that they were in each other's companies all over again.

It got Emily thinking; they were two teenagers sneaking into each other's houses and kissing eagerly. They were practically walking clichés.

Alison trailed her fingers beneath the hem of Emily's shirt as they continued to kiss heatedly, feeling the brunette's abdomen muscles construct under her touch, and she released a low groan into her girlfriend's mouth, an involuntary tug transpiring between her legs.

She shifted her knee so that it was pressed against Emily's core between her two thighs, and the brunette couldn't help but moan at the close contact, grabbing Alison's chin and kissing her a bit rougher, something she knew that the blonde very much liked. Alison marveled at the fact that they were both being equally as demanding.

They explored each other feverishly, all hands and lips and teeth, but what surprised them the most was how they never ceased to find a new spot to cherish and mark specifically on the other's body.

When Emily eventually slowed down her kisses, Alison allowed herself to take much needed inhales and exhales. As the brunette gathered her breath, she softly planted a kiss on the side of Alison's head, then her temple, her cheek and her jaw, and Alison couldn't get over the chills running all over her body.

"Have you finished studying for your test?" she asked distractedly as her talented girlfriend feasted on the creamy skin behind her ear.

Emily slowed her ministrations to a stop. "Not... yet," she responded cautiously.

She groaned internally as Alison crawled back quickly to look at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Emily!" Alison scolded, and the brunette merely folded her arms like a stubborn child. "I refuse to be the reason you fail your test. Especially after last time," the blonde said decisively, "in fact..."

Emily sulked further when her girlfriend jumped off the bed and began looking around. The blonde's eyes caught the green notebook on Emily's nightstand and she took it in her hand.

"I have an idea how you can finish studying without melting your brain out," Alison said mischievously. Emily looked on with interest. "How much have you got left to study?"

"I haven't quizzed myself yet," Emily answered, gazing at Alison in confusion.

Alison hummed in acknowledgment, flipping through the pages in the notebook and suppressing a smile at her girlfriend's neat handwriting, before finally fishing out the study cards she knew ahead that Emily had made.

She held them in her hand with a victorious grin before dropping the notebook back on the nightstand and taking a seat on Emily's bed, where the latter was now sitting with her back against the headboard, legs sprawled out in front of her.

"How about every time you get a question right, I have to take off a piece of clothing and whenever you're wrong you have to do the same?"

Emily's cheeks reddened as the thoughts swirled in her mind. She looked away from the girl's sinful eyes, "I-I don't know, Ali."

"Oh, come on, Em," Alison urged, inching closer. "What, are you afraid of me seeing you naked?" she teased, playfully poking Emily in the ribs in order to get her to look up. "I don't think that would even happen, 'cause you'd have to get every answer wrong for that."

"No," Emily squirmed away, giggling wholeheartedly. She took Alison's wandering hands in her own, "It's just that, my mom's right down the hall, you know."

Alison softly pulled her hands away, rising up and kissing the side of Emily's head for a moment. She walked over to the door and tugged it open, dangerously peering out into the hall. She didn't catch the way Emily's eyes widened hysterically in a horrified manner behind her. Alison looked in the direction of Pam and Wayne's bedroom, currently only occupied by Pam. The light was off inside of it, so she figured the woman was asleep. Emily's mother had such long, tiring shifts at the police station, so it wasn't out of the norm that she went to sleep a little earlier than most. Alison closed the door silently, then turned the lock and gazed at Emily, "Problem solved."

"Now," she started, sitting back down next to Emily who still looked at her like she'd grown a third head. She picked up the first card in the pile, trusting Emily for mixing it up beforehand, "Question number one: Elements that lie on the left side of the periodic table are generally non-metals. True or false?"

She glanced at the girl, who refused to leave her state of shock. Alison wisely snapped her fingers in front of the girl's face a few times until Emily shook her head lightly, replying, "False."

The blonde smirked at her, reaching down to untie her boot and taking it off. Emily grinned sheepishly at getting the right answer, waiting for Alison to ask the next question.

The right boot was then taken off after Emily answered rightfully that proteins were made out of amino acids strung together. Alison switched to the third card, getting comfortable by sitting Indian style in front of Emily. "What are large organic molecules called? Polymers, carbohydrates, micromolecules, or macromolecules?"

"Macromolecules?"

Alison shook her head, "Polymers. Now take off-"

"What? No way," Emily snatched the flashcard from an amused Alison's hand, seeing that the right answer was indeed, polymers.

"I'm waiting," Alison singsonged, her eyes twinkling.

Emily returned the card to her, begrudgingly reaching to take off her sock. Alison muttered something that sounded freakishly close to, "Someone's a sore loser," which merely made Emily scoff.

Sometime later, Alison was starting to regret suggesting this game as she sat in her underwear and bra - after having taken off multiple layers of thick clothing - in the middle of Emily's bed as the brunette leaned the back of her head on the headboard in everything she wore before except her two socks, feeling smug. The blonde had forgotten just how competitive her girlfriend got when she wanted to be. Emily was trying not to let her eyes wander so she could stay fixated on her studies, Alison noted, but the brunette was beginning to fail miserably.

Alison pulled the second to last card in the pile, reading out loud, "What is a compound that produces hydrogen ions in solution? Base, polymer, salt, or acid?" She lifted her eyes to Emily's in question.

"Hmm," the brunette looked contemplative and hesitant. "Um... salt?"

"Sorry, Em. Acid."

Emily groaned, knowing she'd have to go over these cards again.

"Come on, babe," Alison chuckled. "Pay your fines," she playfully jabbed her finger into Emily's thigh with every word.

"Yeah, yeah," Emily dismissed in a bitter voice as she reached for the hem of her shirt.

"Watch that attitude, Em, or you might turn into me," Alison retorted playfully, but gawked adoringly at Emily's upper body nevertheless.

Emily sighed out, "Okay, last question."

Alison took the card and turned it over. "In the brain, which chemical is organic and functions as a neurotransmitter?" she read, then glanced down at the answer.

"Um-"

"Wait." Alison smirked and Emily knew it was a bad sign. "Better question, same answer. Which chemical is being released when you look at me?"

Emily blinked at her in confusion, but when recognition dawned her eyes, Alison had an anticipating look in hers, and was waiting expectantly for the answer they both knew.

Emily smiled softly, rolling her eyes good-naturedly, "Dopamine, which is the same chemical that's being released when you're in love."

Alison beamed at her like she was the most adorable puppy in the universe and Emily couldn't help but melt. "What?" the brunette shrugged innocently, "it's true."

Alison's mouth was pressed against hers the next second, and with her legs, Emily cleared the bed of flashcards and notebooks as she pulled the blonde into her, kissing her deeply. Emily knew she still needed to go over the cards one more time, to assure that there would be absolutely no wrong answers next time, but right now, as Emily felt one of Alison's hands grasping at her brown hair and the other reaching behind the blonde's back in order to tug off her own bra - after all, Emily had answered the question correctly - the brunette figured she could definitely just leave that for the morning.

In the other room, Pam turned her bedside lamp on in alarm when she heard noises coming from her daughter's room. As she considered putting an alarm system on Emily's window, she hastily realized it was only Alison and switched the light back off. When would they realize that she knew about every single time Alison "snuck in"?

Shaking her head, she inserted her earplugs and drifted off to sleep.

XXXXX

"Dude, that's not what we agreed on," Toby shook his head solemnly as he observed the object in his hand, turning it around to look at its other side.

"Is too," Emily whined glumly.

She knew it wasn't what they had agreed on. But as she watched Toby narrow his eyes at the cover of the Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #31, she couldn't help but drift back to how pathetically she had lost the bet she set up with him.

The day after their chem exam, the two friends made a bet on who would get the higher grade, only Toby put his bet on Emily and the opposite way around. She had been so close! She had only scored a point higher than Toby on the test, receiving a whopping 98, and Toby was very pleased to have gotten a good grade and win the bet.

But she had trouble saying goodbye to her favorite comic book, The Amazing Spider-Man Vol 1 #300, so she had brought along a different one in hopes that her friend wouldn't notice. But he was as much as obsessed with the series as she was, so she knew her chance of getting it past him was slim to non-existent. She wasn't surprised when he called her out on it, but she was disappointed for actually having to give him the real comic they had bet on, now that he knew.

She wouldn't call herself a collector, per se, but her father had handed her from a very young age his own old comic books and it quickly became a thing that she was fond of because it reminded her of him.

She pouted, all the wind leaving her sails. She found herself mumbling, "I'll get it to you tomorrow."

Toby then grinned wide and bright in satisfaction, placing the comic book in his hand carefully inside Emily's locker - it was kept in Mint condition, after all - before giving her a hug and walking away to his class.

She scowled as she closed her locker and proceeded in the direction of her own next class. Well, she thought, at least she could still read the comic occasionally if Toby kept it in his possession, which he planned on doing.

She shook her head to herself, thinking it was oddly hilarious how their group of friends, currently the most popular kids at their school, were complete and utter nerds, at least in her eyes.

Alison, as much as she didn't want people to know, was a literature nerd, as well as an academic perfectionist. So were Spencer and occasionally Aria, who was also the artsy nerd of the group. The guys were addicted to video games and comics, and Ezra was also immensely invested in literature, much like his girlfriend. Hanna, who would never admit it, loved herself some thriller and crime novels, and was very smart on her own even if she didn't outwardly show it all the time. Noel was also very into video games but less into comics, and Mona was just a plain genius and a criminal mastermind, and the one who usually supplied her friend with all those thriller and crime books.

Rounding the corner, Emily spotted Spencer and Alison heading into the library with a pile of books in each of their hands, having trouble balancing their dose of literature. She figured they were finally returning all they had borrowed from the library since the beginning of the year, which made for a lot of books. She joked to herself that they might as well had been holding Harry Potter wands and exact mini-replicas of the closet from Narnia.

She snorted, "Dorks," before heading to help them carry the pile of novels, biographies and poetry books.

XXXXX

Alison waited restlessly in her room, glancing every now and then at the clock all while deluding herself into thinking that she was doing homework. She couldn't wait until Emily got there. The brunette had promised to have a movie night with her after her swim practice, and Alison could admit she was excited. Her mermaid was always glowing and happy after swim practices, and Alison - admittedly, a bit selfish - wanted all that attention to be directed at her. Besides, the house was unsurprisingly empty, so it wouldn't be so out of the norm if their innocent movie night turned into a little something else.

Before getting lost in her suddenly steamy thoughts, the doorbell rang in her ears and she rose from her little white-leather armchair, happily abandoning all of her school supplies.

She opened the front door, smiling affectionately at the girl who was holding three microwaveable bags of unpopped popcorn. Emily instantly returned her smile, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. Alison didn't allow herself to linger on that thought as she greeted her girlfriend and led her up to her room. Emily went straight to her bed, plopping down heavily, and the blonde chuckled moving to occupy the space next to her.

Emily didn't give her a second to adjust before she was already snuggling up to the blonde, her head coming to rest in her chest.

"Em, are you okay?" Alison asked with a hint of amusement as she got comfortable.

"Mmhm," the response was muffled against the fabric of her shirt.

"Seriously, babe, are you alright?" the blonde found herself asking softly when the girl didn't even raise her head.

"It's just... this practice really kicked my ass," Emily grumbled truthfully. "Paige won the little race we did at the end of practice, even though I put so much effort into it. I hate being second place when it comes to swimming."

Alison cooed gently as she caressed Emily's hair, understanding why the brunette was a bit saddened at the door. "Sweetie, it's okay to not win one silly race at the end of practice," she assured, trying not to throw an insult or two at Paige, not out loud anyway, as she pulled out the remote, handing it to Emily, already knowing the girl was going to put on some gruesome horror movie. Today, though, she didn't mind it - if it was going to make Emily feel better then she wouldn't object.

"I know," Emily shrugged a bit, sorting through movie titles on the screen, refusing to admit that she was a sore loser, because she simply wasn't, even though anyone who knew her would testify differently, "but still."

Alison smiled gently down at her but then grimaced when she saw that Emily had picked 'Nightmare On Elm Street' for them to watch. Great.

"I'm sorry that I'm spoiling the mood," Emily uttered quietly, Alison's vanilla scent comforting her deeply.

"Hey, no, don't say that," Alison hugged the girl closer to her, kissing the top of her head. "You want something to eat or drink?"

"I'll go make the popcorn," Emily suggested, shifting to sit up, but immediately winced as she moved.

"What? What is it?"

"My back, it... it hurts," Emily flinched as she tried to stretch her back, almost groaning at the sharp pain. Must've been the extra effort she had put today or some kind of wrong move she had made.

"Here, lie down," Alison watched her concernedly. It must've been a very grueling practice, she figured.

Emily did as instructed, her face resting on Alison's pillow as the rest of her body sprawled effortlessly along the mattress. Her nose was greeted once again with the everlasting smell of her girlfriend's perfume and she subtly buried her face in the pillow, the movie she'd picked out all but forgotten.

She felt Alison straddling her back, and she frowned, "Ali, what-"

"Shhh, Em," the blonde instructed softly.

"But-" she lifted her head slightly.

"Stop. Tensing." Alison commanded in a delicate yet authoritative tone, not leaving room for negotiation, and Emily sighed as she let her head drop once more to the pillow.

Alison bent down to kiss the back of Emily's head, then placed her hands on the top of the brunette's back, beginning to move her fingers meticulously, massaging the girl's skin.

"Mmm," the soft moan escaped Emily's mouth without her noticing, the feeling of the blonde's hands on her skin never failing to make her feel absolutely amazing.

"That's right, Em, just let go."

Emily couldn't but think there was a devious undertone to Alison's words but the thought quickly fled her mind the second the blonde pressed her fingers a bit harder against her skin, releasing all of the built-up tension, making Emily's sore muscles feel pleasanter.

"Thanks for doing this, Al - mmm," Emily marveled in the pure bliss for a moment longer.

"How are you so good at that?" the brunette breathed in wonderment, her eyes dropping to a close.

"After countless massages at the country club, you sort of pick up on what the masseuses are doing," Alison replied smugly, glad she was helping her girlfriend somehow. The brunette seemed absolutely peaceful at the moment.

Alison expertly freed the knots in her back, the brunette making all sorts of muffled sounds of appreciation, unknowingly channeling Alison's concealed libido as she felt Emily squirming under her, moving right against her core which was pressed to Emily's back.

The blonde then leaned down, her mouth reaching directly next to an unsuspecting Emily's ear, who had already shut her eyes serenely minutes ago.

"You're so tense, Em," she purred in Emily's ear, her fingers stopping their ministrations. Her husky tone sent chills down the brunette's back as she opened her eyes lazily. She let out a harsh exhale when Alison suddenly bit her earlobe and ran her tongue along the shell of her ear. "You need something to really... loosen you up."

Her breath hit the wet skin of the brunette's ear and Emily so much as shuddered all over.

"What do you suggest?" the swimmer surprisingly quipped in an equally hoarse timbre, making Alison's saucy smirk widen at her boldness. The blonde loved how they were finally at the point in their relationship where there was no more occasional, lingering apprehensiveness, they could just flirt and proposition back and forth. Emily was relaxed around her and was successfully out of her shell, especially in the bedroom.

Emily moved her head to watch as the blonde moved off of her back and sat on her knees on top of the bed next to her. Her gratitude towards Alison was momentarily clouded with her rapidly growing desire as she witnessed her favorite blue eyes turning shades darker.

"Hmm... Well-"

Emily cut Alison's sentence off by grabbing her around the waist, pulling her down to the mattress next to her and pinning her on her back. The blonde only managed to giggle a bit in shock before Emily brought their lips together in a heated, messy kiss.

Luckily, her back wasn't hurting anymore.