Tammy's hand went between Emily's legs and cradled her right thigh. Tingles shot through her body. She felt herself blush and squirmed with a sudden, new, intense feeling of need. 

"Mmmmfffhhhh," she groaned using a mouth that shook with the intensity of this new emotion. "That feels...gooood," she lurched forward slightly. Just enough to press her boobs against Tammy's. That, too, sparked a new and exciting feeling in the web of her nervous system. Her nipples were hard, and they were sensitive. 

"I'm glad it does," purred Tammy with an expression of unrestrained and simplistic affection unlike anything even Emily's lovers and closest friends had ever pointed in her direction. The girl drew closer to her, so much that Emily's ear could feel it whenever Tammy exhaled. God, that-even that was a sort of delight her brain had no reference for. "You have gorgeous eyes, sweetie. May I stare into them?" Emily's body nodded before her brain was even done dissecting the question. 

"Y-yes Tammy. Yes mis-" Emily caught herself. Tammy had another term she liked better. "Yes Master."

Tammy's face erupted with surprise and happiness, like a dark room with a christmas tree plugged in when you flip the light switch on. "You, y-you rem-GOOOOD GIIIRL!" Tammy pounced on top of Emily and pushed her down on the bed. Her eyes shone with a hunger similar to that of the boys she'd slept with in the past-but it was a tempered, respectful version of that hunger, like the difference in the looks a sports car would get from a young engineer versus your average jock. 

Lips met hers. She let Tammy in and groaned. Her entire body relaxed on its own. Is this, wondered one of the few neurons left in her head that could still form words, what heaven felt like? One hand planted itself next to her head and another explored her body. It was slender, lithe, fit, and surprisingly powerful. Tammy clearly liked it, because her hand was very inquisitive. Emily took a small sort of pride in that. 

A buzzing to the left of the bed alerted them that Tammy's phone was getting a call. Both were happy to ignore it in favor of the other's body. 

Then Tammy's ringtone hit the lyrics. A guitar riff exploded through the room, accompanied by the most ugly-sounding human vocalization Emily had ever heard. A male voice belted out words she didn't understand in a throaty heavy metal scream that struck the ear without warning or relent. 

Both girls froze and went rigid like cats spotting a dangerous adversary. Tammy actually growled under her breath before she took off to answer it. In a pink blur she bolted from her bed to the minifridge, grabbed her phone off the charger, and muted it. A sound along the way informed Emily this hadn't been done without hitting her head abruptly on the wooden frame. She'd flinched at the noise, but less than at the music. 

"It's my dad," Tammy spewed with the darkest tone Emily had ever heard from her, "do you want me to hang up?"

"Is...it important?"

"Yeah…"

"Answer. I'll wait, okay?" Tammy nodded and left the room with her phone. Emily sat up. She waited. Minutes went by. She looked at her phone. Time seemed to slow down. Ten minutes...twenty minutes...

What…

Something was off. She was breathing heavily. Her brain felt cold and lonely. She curled her knees against her chest by instinct. Her body was slick with perspiration but it had none of the usual pleasant feeling that came with working up a sweat. Even just having sex- 

Tammy opened the door to her dorm. "Sorry." She let herself in and failed to stop it from slamming behind her. "My dad is coming by in the morning. You should probably-" she froze. Her expression changed. "Hey Emily, is something wrong?" The voice, that lovely voice, cut through the fog in Emily's head. She nodded yes. 

"I, I don't know, I just- you left, and I felt lonely, and my body's all gross and I'm sad all of a sudden and-" was she crying?

Tears were rolling down her face. Oh god, was she that clingy? Was this what happened when she liked someone?

"Hey, hey, it's okay."  Tammy put her hands out and approached. She lowered herself into bed next to Emily. "Breaaaathe. It's okay."

"No it's noooot, I'm a clingy jealous biiiiiitch!" What the fuck was wrong with her!? Why was she so-

"Theeeere, there." Tammy scootched over and pulled Emily into a hug. "You're probably just in subdrop okay?" Emily struggled to stop sniffling. Her jaw shook as her body forced her to cry harder and harder. 

"H-huh?" Was all Emily could coax out of her trembling body. Tammy gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze. 

"Subdrop. It's typically not this fast or dramatic but it happens. Especially if I just...walk out during a scene like that. It seemed pretty emotionally significant to you too. Okay?" Emily nodded. God, she felt pathetic.

"Do you like ramen? The, uh, cheap instant stuff. I got that for days." 

Emily wasn't keen on it, but she accepted the hospitality anyway. She was given a thick fuzzy blanket to wrap herself in. It was soft, heavy, it…

This was the one she woke up under after their second encounter. She pulled it closer, fondly remembering that morning. The...frankly undeserved level of kindness and generosity she'd been given. She felt so intrusive, all of a sudden. She tried to focus on just the blanket. Its smell, its weight.

"I haven't washed it for a bit, sorry. It might still smell like my girlfriend. She was the last person to use it." Tammy handed Emily a fork and a small plastic...tray...bowl...thing full of broth water and the instant ramen she'd just microwaved. 

"Th-thank you." Emily took it. She felt bad eating on the bed so she moved onto a chair before she got to work. 

She finished quickly. The food itself didn't do much for her but the gesture made her feel much better. Still not...great, though. 

"I'm...sorry." Said Emily. "For how rude I was when we met. You're very sweet."

"Awwww, thank you~! It's fine. I get it a lot." Tammy took the tray out of the room. She moved a few yards into one of the floor's two bathrooms, emptied the broth into the sink, and came back. "Sorry to walk out again, I don't want a christmas present from my mom going moldy."

Emily nodded. She felt...like she should go. "I'll see you Thursday, I guess." She rose from the chair and moved towards her stuff. Tammy caught her by the sleeve. 

"You sure? You can stay. If you want." Emily bit her lip. She wanted to. God, she never wanted to be away if this was how Tammy was going to treat her. 

But she was only being invited because Tammy felt guilty. It was the only possible explanation. Tammy didn't want some blonde bombshell in her bed when her dad visited, that much was obvious. As for why, it didn't really matter. Emily was a guest here, one who had overstayed her welcome. 

"I'm...fine," she forced her jaw to stay put, "thank you." Tammy didn't let go. Tammy gripped her sleeve. 

"Is that an I'm fine I'm fine," Tammy pressed, "or a dismissive one?"

Emily was tired of lying. She turned to face Tammy, ready to confess. 

And then her mouth failed her. She was choking up just like earlier. Emily buried her face in her hands and started crying again. 

--------

Emily woke up. It was seven thirty AM according to her phone, and she was in a bottom bunk under a fuzzy blanket. In her arms she clutched a stuffed animal she didn't recognize. Tammy was gagging. 

"H-hey, you-"

"Aaah-uuuh," Tammy answered as she forced something down. "S-sorry. I forgot how loud it is sometimes when I gag on my adhd meds." She sheepishly blushed and closed the drawer. "Can I get you anything?" She opened a different drawer and pulled out a granola bar. A different brand than the ones Emily had consumed the day prior, judging by their wrapping paper, and chocolate chip. 

"Th-that's fine. I'll pass." Emily groggily sat herself up. "Oh. Son of a bitch!" She smacked a palm against her face and ground it in, face contorted with irritation at herself. 

"What's up?" Asked Tammy with an innocent expression. She took a bite out of the granola bar but maintained a curious gaze, fixated squarely on Emily, as she chewed and swallowed. 

"I wanted to see if you could help me with my work, like I did for you that one time. Just, you know, um…" she pantomimed swinging a pendulum back and forth. Tammy stared with uncomprehending eyes and tilted her head like a bird or a confused dog. 

"I dun get it." 

"You know...hypnotize me. Help me focus!"

"Ah, that! That I can definitely do. Probably." Tammy scarfed down her food. "I'll hypnotize you and then you can leave for the library, kay? I don't know when my dad is coming…" Emily nodded. She could work with that. She rose from the bed, stretched her back, and yawned. 

Then Tammy was holding her, arms under hers. Tammy's face was inches away, staring up at her. Tammy's eyes shone beautifully with kindness and good feelings. 

"Drop for me, sweetheart." Before she could process what was happening, Emily felt Tammy's cleavage supporting her face. A hand stroked the back of her head as she sank deeper. She snuggled into Tammy's embrace and felt a familiar warm quiet roll into her brain. "Gooood girl," Tammy purred. "Just sink deeper, deeper, thaaaat's it." Emily's thoughts dissolved and floated off. A vague sense of trust and love took their place. She forgot where she was, she forgot why, she even forgot she was being held. Tammy's soft loving voice enveloped and consumed everything. 

Emily was in the library, hard at work. 

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

"Hey," Emily shook her head. She'd been floaty all day, but for some reason she focused on and had motivation for both class and homework in spades. She realized she'd been about to walk face first into the glass door to the cafeteria and laughed nervously.

"Oh, uh," she swivelled her head a little and looked at the speaker in the corner of her eye. It turned out that they were Arella, one of her mates in the cheer squad. "Hi, Arella." 

"Hi." Arella reached past Emily and pulled open the door. "You okay? You seemed really dazed earlier."

"N-no, nothing's up. I'm fine." Emily ignored the side eye Arella was giving her and walked through the doorway. Arella followed. They went through the cafeteria and made smalltalk. It was something of a tradition, this chunk of the squad eating lunch together on Wednesdays. There were two more, who would already be chowing down at what they had basically designated as their table. 

"You sure? Wha'ever." Emily and Arella each grabbed a tray. The girls prepared themselves a salad at the salad bar and got a side bowl of pasta from the station next to the grill. Emily noticed Tammy in line for said grill, but...something was off. She was staring straight down, both hands gripping a shaking tray so hard the exertion had her knuckles bone white. Emily sort of aimlessly and inadvertently took a step closer. 

Someone she didn't recognize playfully snuck up on Tammy and went "boo!" Emily figured they must be one of her friends. Queer club, she thought she could remember Chris telling her that Tammy was part of. 

But instead of whatever she expected to happen, Tammy turned around like she'd been attacked. Emily couldn't hear what she said, but she could hear enough of Tammy's voice to know she was choking down sobs. Not...normal tears either, angry ones. She took another step forward, propelled by her subconscious, but Tammy's friend lurched away from the pink-haired girl with a look of shock and worry before they scuttled away. 

Tammy needed space, she reasoned. 

"Hey Emily?" Arella's voice reached her despite her stupor. Emily shook her head and did her best impression of herself in a less worried state. 

"Sorry Arella! I zoned out again."