Saturday morning arrived. Tammy woke up late. She hadn't finished that paper. She'd requested an extension but her hopes weren't high. She'd passed on an opportunity to ask in person the previous day, after all, so what reason could she possibly have to expect otherwise? She sat up. The faint sound of merriment reached her, through her dorm's window, from two floors below. She didn't pay it any mind. She got dressed, she took her meds, she stretched. She took her phone off the charger. Two missed calls, it told her, and two text messages on top of that. The calls were from her dad. The text messages, on the other hand…

She opened her text messages. One was from her mom. It asked whether she was doing well, and how many pills she had left. She opened the not-as-secret drawer to check. A quick look inside the bottle let her know that her ADHD meds weren't running out soon. She let her mom know. "I'm doing okay, too." She added afterwards. Then she checked the other. It was sent two minutes ago. 

"Hey Tammy!" It opened. Then the sender had crafted an emoticon that resembled an irritated fox. After that, "Get your ass out here! My mom wants to see you!" 

"Huh?" Was all that Tammy, who yawned as she said it, could muster. Then it clicked: some kind of event was going on. She checked the sender. The name attached to the message was Rika. That put a spring into Tammy's step. She bolted out of her room and down the stairs. It took less than a minute for her legs to escort her to the lobby. She was out the front door in a flash. There, standing next to one of the big trees that flanked the sidewalks connecting her dormitory to the rest of campus, was Rika, the first sub she'd connected to here. 

"Hey!" Rika cried with a giant smile and a friendly wave. Tammy returned the gesture in kind, to both her sub and the girl's mother who stood next to her. Rika's mother giggled. 

"Good to see you, Tammy!" Rika's mother greeted with a warm tone and a light, lilting Latin accent. Her face was warm and gentle and sweet. 

"Lovely to see you too, uhhhhhh-" Tammy froze. What was Rika's last name again? Her face scrunched up with a bit of panic. Shit, shit, what was it again? Crap, she realized, she didn't have time to- "Hhhhhh Rika's mom!" She blushed heavily. Rika's mother giggled happily and patted the pink haired college student's head, gently. Tammy immediately relaxed. 

"That's alright, sweetheart! You forgot our last name, didn't you?" 

"I, um. Yes," a defeated Tammy admitted, "I'm sorry Ma'am. I forgot your last name." 

"That's alright!" Rika's mother laughed. "Martinez. It's easy to forget, I know, cause it doesn't match Rika's."

"It...doesn't?"

"It's a long story," Rika said with a dismissive laugh, "anyway! Look look!" She dug into a bag her mom was carrying and retrieved a tin from inside it. "Sugar cookies! Homemade! For you!" She practically shoved them into Tammy's arms. Tammy blushed. The tin felt delicate in her hands. It was beautiful, red and gold and with little painted figures on it. 

"Did…?" Tammy muttered, her voice inquisitive. She traced the lines on the tin with one thumb. 

"Yeah," Rika blushed. "My dad did that. He, uh, he still thinks we're dating." 

"Oh." Tammy said and blushed. "Well, uh, miss Martinez, tell your husband I loved it?" Tammy's eyes teared up a bit. 

"Wait, you're-!" Sputtered Rika's mother. She rushed over to Tammy and put a hand on her shoulder. "Is everything alright, Tammy?" On hearing her name uttered like that, Tammy's dam burst. She shook her head vigorously. 

"N-no, ma'am. Thank you, M-Miss Martinez, this means s-so much to me-!" Rika hugged her. She leaned into it and managed to calm herself down some. "Thank you, Rika...sorry about that." She nuzzled Rika. Rika let go of her. "So, if I may ask, what's going on?" 

"Oh, you weren't aware?" Asked Ms. Martinez. "Today the campus is holding an event with some silly name I've already forgotten. It's for the parents and family of the students to come to!" Tammy offered a shaky, robotic nod as her response. She made a note to herself: stick with these two. 

-------------

Emily was chowing down on her breakfast. It was nine AM. Her mind was flashing back to the previous afternoon at intervals, but that was okay. These were good flashes, they were exciting flashes, they were glimpses into a beautiful thing that left her stomach with butterflies in it. She was thinking about Tammy, and what she'd learned about the girl. 

She tried, of course, not to overstep her bounds, yet the odd thought bounced through her brain on the subject. Back when Tammy taught her how the traffic light system worked, for instance, she'd mentioned that between her legs was off limits. Was that still true? Emily assumed that it was, but it was possible that was just a safety measure. She didn't like those thoughts. She didn't want to be a creep. 

Her phone rang. She checked the caller ID. It was her dad. She answered the call. "Hey dad," she said nonchalantly in between spoonfuls of healthy cereal, "what's up?" 

"Hello! It's dad," he said, "and I'm sorry but I can't make it today. Something came up at work. I'll make it up to you some other time." This confused Emily for a second-she'd forgotten what today was. Then it hit her. Oh, right! 

"Yeah, no worries dad! That's fine!" She said with her eyes down on her food, "No need to worry yourself over it!" 

"I know, but...anyway," said her dad. "I couldn't, but your sister could. Lana's gonna be visiting you today." Emily's face lit up with delight, even if it wasn't as though her father could see it. 

"Oh, that's awesome! Thanks for the heads up!" She said, her voice one that trembled with excitement. Her dad laughed merrily on the other end. 

"Oh I see how it is," he teased her, "You've outgrown your pops now?" Emily's father said in joking rebuke. He

had a laugh. "She'll be bringing Sir Puppington." Emily, at this point, was practically vibrating like a back massage robot. 

"SIR PUPPINGTON! YAY!" Escaped from Emily's mouth in the form of a loud childlike squeal of unrestrained joy.

"I'm glad you're excited. I gotta go now," said Emily's father, "one of my employees is calling, bye." 

"Bye dad!" Emily said, almost singing as she dismissed him and ended the phone call. She put her phone in her pocket and returned to breakfast with renewed vigor. The rest of the bowl's contents were gone in under two minutes. She placed her tray on the conveyor belt and took from it the only other food she'd grabbed: a green apple. She took a bite. It was fresh, crisp and delicious. She smiled and just about marched out of the building. 

Today was a good day.

------------

Tammy told Rika and Ms. Martinez how school was going. The three of them walked across the large grassy plain in the center of campus. Two academic buildings formed the left end and center point of a widely spaced line that crossed it horizontally, with the library serving as a point near the right end. 

"I'm...kinda struggling," Tammy admitted. The words stung at her on their way out of her mouth. "I had a paper due yesterday and I couldn't find the right page that actually explained how or what to do, so I hadn't started it until yesterday. I...I asked the teacher for an extension but at this point I'm scared to check my email and see whether they gave it." Both of the other women walking with her were nodding along. For a moment Tammy froze, expecting to be chewed out. No such thing happened. 

"Poor dear, she has anxiety!" Said Ms. Martinez, bursting with compassion from both her face and her voice. "You're doing your best, okay? If you let setbacks like this get in your head it'll only drag you back further." Tammy noticed that Ms. Martinez's accent grew thicker for a second, as it did when she was either worried or upset. A voice somewhere deep inside of Tammy tried to insist that this was proof Rika's mom was angry with her. She dismissed that voice easily. It was a bully. 

"Thank you, Ms. Martinez. I'll try," Tammy said with a gentle smile. "I appreciate it. Thank you for…"

"Oh, you thank me too much, darling!" Said Ms. Martinez. "Rika's right!" 

"Rika is…?" Asked Tammy, blushing and too stunned to actually complete her inquiry out loud. 

"Oh, um...yeah. sorry about that," Rika said, cutting in. "I talk about you a lot."

"A lot? No, Rika, you talk about her more than a lot," said a giggling Ms. Martinez. "For your entire second semester here, we couldn't get you to talk about anything else!" Both girls averted their eyes to hide that they had the same expression: a doey eyed, embarrassed smile. 

"Traitor," Rika mumbled at her mom in Spanish. Her mother laughed off the remark with ease. Tammy felt a soft, safe sense of warmth in her chest. She was welcome. She was at ease. 

"Oh, free food!" Rika piped up at the sight of a few little stands set up in the grass, giving it out. "C'mon Tammy!" She grabbed Tammy by the wrist and bounded off with her in tow. Her mother followed them at a distance, wearing a broad smile. 

-----

Emily's phone buzzed. She retrieved it. There was a text message for her: "I'm here! Meet me outside the cafeteria?" It was Lana. She shoved the device in her pocket and took off at a sprint. In minutes her body hurled itself across campus. She saw families, stands with food, balloons and at one point a bouncy castle. None of it mattered to her. She ran and ran. 

She arrived quickly outside the cafeteria. She came to a stop and spent a moment gathering herself. Then she swiveled her head wildly. She saw many outdoor tables, several of which had students seated at them with one or two family members each. It didn't take long for her to find the right one. 

Off fifteen feet or so to the left of the main entrance was a table with an umbrella. At this table sat a tall, fit, graceful woman. Her skin was pale and the eyes hidden by her sunglasses were an icy blue. She held a glass of iced tea in one gloved hand and a leash in the other. Emily immediately ignored the woman, with her dull yellow trenchcoat and long silver hair in a ponytail, in favor of her dog. 

"SIR PUPPINGTON!" The canine on the other end of the leash stood up. He was a great german shepherd, standing over two feet tall at the shoulder and weighing just over ninety pounds. His face locked onto Emily just in time for her to drop to his height and start scritching him behind his ears. He returned the favor by nuzzling her and licking her face...which almost knocked her over. 

"WOW. RUDE." Said Lana, feigning offense. "Nice to see you too." 

"Lana!" Emily ran over and hugged her sister too. "Hi Lana! I missed you!" Lana cracked a smile and laughed. She put her glass down and hugged her sister back. Her voice was joyful.

"I missed you too, Emily. Glad to see you so happy." The two let go of each other and Lana rose from her chair to stretch. Sir Puppington trotted over to the girls and stood dutifully by Lana's feet. She reached down and petted him gently with her free hand. "So what kinda stuff is the campus busting out for the day, do you think?" Emily took a moment to register the question because she was leaning over Sir Puppington and petting him again. Once it reached her brain she froze for a second and thought. 

"You know, I really have no idea," Emily admitted. "I've been...distracted, recently." 

"Is it...her?" Lana asked with a concoction of genuine care and mildly cruel teasing in her tone. Emily stood up and sighed. She looked like she'd seen a ghost. 

"Really wanna learn about this stuff, don't you?" 

"My little sister has a crush!" Lana exclaimed in the imitation of herself fangirling that she could do without raising her voice. "Her first! It's exciting!" Emily smiled at Lana. She hadn't...expected this kind of reception. "Tell me about her pleaaaase?" 

"Fine, fine!" Emily surrendered, flailing with her arms. "But please keep it down!" 

"Sorry, sorry," Lana said in a lower voice, "I understand. Do you want to go to your dorm?"

"Yeah, sure, that works!" Replied Emily, excited. "Let's…! Oh shit, Grendel." Lana squinted with one eye and raised the eyebrow above the other. 

"Is there like...a serial killer on campus? Is this some kind of weird college student urban myth-"

"Yes yes my roommate's name is Grendel!" Emily pouted. "Lanaaaaa this is supposed to be about meeeee!"

"Okay, alright, calm down, geez," teased Lana. She patted Emily's head and smirked down at her. "So...what? Is she homophobic or something?"

"No," said Emily, "she just...she's kinda rude to me about it. Though I think it's less the gay thing and more just…me." 

"Okay, that's fine! So...car?" Lana asked.

"Nah," Emily declined. "There's enough ambient noise here." She took a seat. Sir Puppington rested his big fuzzy head on her thigh. She squealed over him with delight. Lana, too, sat down. "So...her name is Tammy." 

"Tammy!" Lana smiled. "That's a cute name. Nice and sweet and poppy." 

"Yeah," Emily agreed, she supposed. "Anyway, she's, um...she's a hypnotist." Lana practically spat out her drink. She was grinning ear to ear. 

"A-a HYPNOTIST you say!? God damn girl, how did-"

"SHHHHHSHHHH!" Emily hissed, her arms flailing out at her sister and her face the color of an angry sunset. Sir Puppington jerked his head up and backed away. "KEEPITDOWN PLEASE!" 

"O-oh! Right!" Lana sputtered out. "Right, right, sorry. I'm sorry." She sipped her tea. "Do go on, if you wish?" 

"W-well," Emily muttered too quietly for her sister to hear. She scratched gently at Sir Puppington's head, coaxing him back up to her. "There, there, buddy," she whispered. "I'm sorry big guy. I love you." Once she felt confident she'd made things right with him she turned her attention back to her sister. "You see, she's...I dunno, she's...honest, and sweet, and giving, and…forgiving, too,"

"Interesting." Lana's eyes were locked on. Her sister had her full attention. "That's what you like about her?" Lana's voice was gentle, warm, soft. She wasn't judging Emily. If anything she sounded proud. Emily nodded. 

"She's just so loving and safe," Emily added and hugged herself, "I feel so safe and...cared about when I'm around her. I...I trust her." Lana leaned in. Emily knew she was invested. 

"Sounds like a catch," Lana teased. "How long have you known her?"

"Not...very." Emily admitted. 

"Well...be careful, alright?" Lana warned. Emily nodded. "I trust you. You're a careful little lady. Always have been." Emily nodded. Lana smiled. 

"And she's...pretty." Emily started. "We-"

The cafeteria entrance opened. Out of it came a girl Emily had never met, a boy she'd never seen, and two men. She recognized one of them. Immediately she froze. Lana seemed to notice which group got her attention. 

"Is that girl there Tammy, or-" 

"No," Emily said without taking her eyes off of them. "Can...do you still have Fara's number in your phone from when you used to drive us home?" 

"Uh...yeah," said Lana.

"Can I borrow it then?" Emily asked. Lana nodded and retrieved her phone from a purse slung over her shoulder. Emily took it from Lana's hands and rapidly tapped at the screen. She found Fara in the contacts, clicked "send message," and then typed in "Hi it's Emily just saw Tammy's dad i guess warn Tammy maybe I'm sorry please have a nice day don't respond." She hit send, waited for confirmation that it had arrived, deleted the message she'd sent, and handed the phone back. 

"Did you...send anything?" Asked Lana, incredulous.

"Yeah it's...a mess." Emily answered dismissively. 

"What...is it okay to ask what happened between you two?" Inquired Lana, who looked worried. "You haven't mentioned her for a long time." 

"What…" Emily murmured. Suddenly her head hurt. What had trust Tammy happened with trust Fara that trust trust she could feel something in her brain, like two things that were glued together struggling to tear free. What Tammy trust had happened with feels good to "aaaa!" Something ripped. 

She remembered. 

"Fuuuuuuuck," moaned Emily. She was more annoyed than hurt, but both Lana and Sir Puppington were nonetheless standing next to looking and acting very concerned. 

"Emm? Emm are you okay?" Lana asked. She gently gripped her sister's shoulders. "Emm please-" 

"I'm fine Lana," Emily answered and waved her hand. "It's...a lot to explain. I'm fine...annoyed and a little guilty, but fine." 

"You don't...look fine," Lana said. 

"I am, I promise." Emily petted Sir Puppington and offered a sheepish grin to her sister. Sure enough, her face was rapidly looking less and less pained. She seemed to be telling the truth. Lana hesitated but ultimately chose to believe her. 

"Alright, okay, I'm glad." She crossed her arms. Emily noticed a glint on Lana's hand. 

"Lana you sly dog!" Emily jumped to her feet and took the hand in question with her own. Her fingers poked and examined the shiny object, quickly confirming what it was: a ring. "You got married!" 

"Engaged!" Lana corrected. "And before you ask...yes, that's what dad was angry about." 

"Why's that?" Emily asked.

"Well, it's not…" Lana sighed. "I guess it's no fair to shrug that off now." 

"Damn right it isn't!" Chastised Emily. "Deets! Give!" Lana laughed. 

"Well...while we're on the subject, I'm not straight either. Kinda." Emily tilted her head in confusion. 

"But…" she muttered, "but you're engaged. Is it not Gregor?" Suddenly it made perfect sense. "It's not, is it?" 

"No, no," Lana said, examining her own ring. "It's him." She took a deep breath. "I'm asexual. It's like being pan but-"

"Pan?" Asked Emily. Lana groaned. 

"It's like being gay but I don't like other girls either." 

"Ohhhh," Emily said as she nodded along."but then-"

"But I'm not aromantic."

"Ar-what?"

"Aromantic. You can have different tastes in sex and romance. I'm heteroromantic ace-ace is short for asexual-which means I like dudes but have no physical attraction to them." 

"Ohhh," said Emily. "Is that what...you were talking about on the phone? When-"

"Mhm." Lana placed a hand on her sister's shoulder and kissed your forehead. "I'm sorry, Emily. If I knew your situation I'd have come out to you first." An emotion Emily didn't fully understand went off inside of her like a bomb.

"Th...thank you, Lana. I love you." 

"I love you too, Little Miss." The two shared a gentle hug for a moment. 

-------

Rika's phone beeped. It was a slightly higher beep than usual, which meant the message was from the groupchat. She idly checked. 

"Her dad's here, UGH." Said the first new message. It was from Fara. Within seconds it prompted another.

"Where?" Asked the next message. That one was from a girl named Valerie. 

"Don't know. Ugh."  Read the third, which was from Fara again.

Rika scowled at her phone. This was bullshit! This was supposed to be a good day, damnit!

"Is anything the matter, sweetie?" Tammy asked her. Rika shook her head. It wasn't a lie, either. Nothing was wrong. Yet. "Why the look?" 

"Oh...just…" Fara smiled. "Fara being...Fara. She'll be okay." 

"I hope."

"Hey! You two!" Ms. Martinez yelled for the girls' attention. They turned to her. "Do you have any family visiting, Tammy?" 

"No." Tammy answered with almost upsetting immediacy and an equally off putting lack of care. 

"Oh...well then," Ms. Martinez added, "I actually do have to get going now." This, on the other hand, did seem to upset Tammy. She smiled. Rika's mom was fooled, but Rika wasn't. 

"It was lovely seeing you," Tammy said looking down at her tin of cookies. "Thank you and your husband, for...these."

"My ex husband." Ms. Martinez corrected Tammy.

"Oh!" A painfully long pause. "Thank you and your ex husband for these." Tammy awkwardly restated. Ms. Martinez practically doubled over laughing. She howled and slapped her leg as a torrent of noise exploded from her mouth.

"Oh! Oh my god, oh my GOD," Ms. Martinez sputtered out, "Jesus my sides! Oh, sorry, hahaha, sorry," she said as she stood and wiped at one eye, "You're a good kid, Tammy." She smiled a warm, soft smile. "Goo'bye. Take good care of Rika, you hear?"

"I will!" Tammy said with a sparkle in her eyes, "You have my word!" Ms. Martinez laughed, waved, and left. Once she was out of sight, Rika grabbed Tammy's arm. 

"Alright, come on," Rika purred, "Let's get that tin of cookies to your room." Tammy nodded awkwardly along and the two scurried back across campus. 

------

Rika and Tammy entered the latter's dorm room. Tammy set down the beautifully painted tin of cookies for the first time since it had been handed to her. She placed it on her desk with a sort of gentle reverence that Rika was not used to seeing out of her. 

"W-wow," Rika said with a satisfied look on her face, "that-that seems like it meant a lot to you." She was watching Tammy, but as she did she used her peripheral vision to let the group chat know where she and Tammy were. Once that task was completed, she returned the phone to her pocket. 

"Y-yeah," Tammy answered, "I suppose so. It's...beautiful. your dad made it?" 

"My dad didn't...make it." Said Rika, "Not the tin at least. He painted it and he made the cookies."

"Well...thank you. Thank all of you," Tammy said. The air hung heavy. "You seem...on edge, sweetie. Is it-"

"It's not my parents," Rika reassured. "Fara...saw your dad here. She warned me about it." Rika twiddled her thumbs. Tammy did a sad sort of laugh. 

"What, and you wanted to protect me?" She asked with a sly smile. 

"Yes!" Rika pouted, "Especially after Wednesday!" Both girls sat in the weight of that memory for a moment. Tammy sighed. 

"Well...thank you. You're a good girl," Tammy said, grinning. She walked up to Rika and stroked the girl's face with the back of her hand. Rika smiled. It was warm and full of care. Tammy smiled back. 

"Well?" Rika teased. "We have my parents' blessings now. Whatcha gonna do with me?" Tammy giggled. She took Rika in her arms, spun, and pressed her gently against the back of the bunkbed's post. Rika offered no resistance, only soft welcoming smiles. 

"I thought we had them already," Tammy purred seductively in Rika's ear. Rika groaned pitifully and her body squirmed. Tammy's breath, hot and shallow, brushed at the outside of her ear. She was weak. She was comfortable.

"Well, I guess, sorta," Rika moaned. "I was just-I'm not good at the whole-"

"Dirty talk? Flirting?" Tammy giggled. She pushed herself gently against Rika's body. Rika's boobs were bigger than hers but smaller than Emily's. Her body was soft, round, and huggable. Her face was squarish in a way that Tammy found very pleasant. Rika's skin, smooth and stretchy and a shade of sepia-like brown, was beautiful in the light of this room but Tammy knew it was far more beautiful in the loving rays of the sun. "Come now darling, we both know that's selling you short." Rika blushed. 

"I-if you insist, Mistress." She admitted. Tammy gently wrapped one hand around the back of Rika's head. Her hair was soft, sprizzy and springy, but Tammy took care not to touch it too much. Instead she put her hand around the base of Rika's head where it met her neck. She pulled gently and guided Rika's mouth to hers. She shared a deep, wet kiss. Rika moaned. 

"Gooood girl," Tammy said in between bouts of sucking on Rika's mouth. "Is that lip gloss new?"

"Uh-yeah, it is," Rika nodded weakly. "How could you tell?"

"You taste different," Tammy giggled. "Texture's nice too." 

"The-the texture?" Rika laughed. Her body wriggled against Tammy's. 

"Yesss," Tammy jokingly whined. "Your lips are glossier and slipperier than usual."

"I think you're making that up." Rika teased. Tammy giggled. 

"I might be." She took her hand from Rika's head and-

Snap!

Rika was floating. Her mouth hung open in a giddy blank smile. Her mind was full of pink clouds of dust and mist. Every breath that she took poured more and more of it into her brain. Each time she inhaled she felt lighter and looser and...gigglier. 

"Aaaaa," she squealed, "that feels so GOOOOOOD!" She kissed Tammy's face repeatedly. "So soffffffft!" 

"Mmmhm," said Tammy. Her other hand took one of Rika's breasts and clutched gently. Rika's whole body quivered with delight. "Gooood misty girl." Rika squealed at the top of her lungs as a blast of the lovely stuff enveloped her mind completely. Pink coated everything. Soft friendly sparkles covered her thoughts, her memories, her skin. 

"I ammmmm, I AM a good girl!" She parroted with delight. "I'm Tammy's sweet girl!" Tammy squeezed sharply. Rika's knees wobbled and almost gave out. "I love you Tammy, I love you I love you so much!" She grabbed her shirt in one hand and lifted it up over her chest. Tammy laughed and helped her get it off. 

"So sweet and friennnndly," Tammy hissed. Rika nodded. 

"Mhmmmm yup Tammy that's me!" Her bra was plain and white but her boobs were absolutely beautiful. 

"May I take off your bra?" Tammy asked mischievously.

"Yes Mistress, absolutely!" Rika was grinning as wide as she could. Tammy reached around her in an effort to get it off. She struggled with the band's hooks. Her fingers shook and fumbled a few times but she managed to undo it. The bra fell. Tammy took each of Rika's boobs in one hand and pounced her into bed. They were squishy, round, and had fun weight. The two girls clamped their mouths around each other and sucked. Tammy started dry humping. Heat built in Tammy's crotch. She squeezed the beautiful mounds in her hands, shoved down with her whole body. Rika responded in kind. 

The glitter that covered Rika's mind got sparklier and comfier with each thrust of her pelvis. The fog got thicker and sweeter and more intoxicating. She giggled and grinned and ground on Tammy as delight and love and happy built and built and heat swelled inside of her and wetness started to seep into her panties. 

"I love you!" Cried Rika, drunk on the lovely feeling of the sparkles. There was nothing inside her but glittery bliss. "Tammy I love you-so-MUCH!" Tammy orgasmed; shuddered, and rolled over on her back. Rika continued helplessly humping the air. This prompted a giggle. 

"There there," Tammy whispered. She pulled Rika close. She put her arms around Rika's upper torso and her legs around Rika's knees. She was panting. "Be a doll and finish." 

"Ah-!" Cried Rika. Her waist attacked the air with rapidly increasing fervor. "Ah, ah, AH!!" She trembled violently as wave after wave of devastating pleasure rippled across her nervous system. She collapsed and panted. Her head started to empty of the pink. She slowly, steadily, came to. She was safe and comfy and loved. Tammy's head was pushed up against the side of her neck.