Not Your Average High School Experience

Returned feelings?

Elaine considered the ride to the other café quite boring actually. Elizabeth wasn't really doing much talking and that could have been Elaine's fault. What was she thinking to whisper something like that in the ear of one of her students? Maybe it would be considered wrong by some people, but Elaine found that she had no regrets about what she had done. She was sure that she would have eventually said it sooner or later and personally, she preferred that it was sooner. Soon enough, Elaine was pulled out of her thoughts when she felt the lightest tap on her shoulder. She shook her head slightly and looked over to see that Elizabeth was smiling at her.

"We're here, you can get out and go ahead and head inside if you want to. I have to make a couple of adjustments to my guitar for the song that we are most likely going to be singing. You can stay if you'd like, but it's not really exciting stuff." Elizabeth explained as she unbuckled herself and opened the door, having already parked the car and took the keys out of the ignition. Elizabeth got out, only to be quickly followed by Elaine, who was curious to watch what Elizabeth had to do to her guitar before leaving.

"I don't really mind sticking around to watch you do what you have to do. Plus, I don't want to walk in there and look completely lost, so I need someone to walk inside with me." Elaine answered while looking at Elizabeth happily as the younger girl opened the trunk and pulled out her guitar, which Elaine hadn't noticed when they were at the soccer fields. Elizabeth soon closed the trunk once again and then jumped up and sat on it while unzipping the case, soon pulling out the same sleek acoustic guitar that she had used that morning.

"So what you're saying, is that you need me?" Elizabeth asked with a smile on her face as she started messing with the tuning knobs, strumming the guitar every once in a while, most likely to test and see if it was in tune the way that it needed to be. Elaine blushed slightly at what had been said, biting her lip a little shyly before nodding her head ever so slightly.

"Yes, I need you to walk in there with me so that I don't look stupid and lost." Elaine said softly while looking down at the ground, her cheeks still flushed from what had been said not too long ago. Elaine had taken 'you need me' in a different context and that was the reason that she was currently shyly looking down at the ground rather than looking at Elizabeth directly. Elaine suddenly heard a music-like, light laugh and looked up to see that the one giving off the laugh was Elizabeth. The sound caused Elaine's heart to skip a beat and her stomach to do backflips. The sound was music to her ears and she was sure that she could listen to that laugh all day if she had the chance.

"Alright, I'll walk you inside when I go in. I'll even make sure that you have a good seat. Sound good?" Elizabeth asked, while looking down at Elaine, a smile on her face. Elaine nodded while still blushing a little bit. Elizabeth smiled a little wider before she went back to her tuning, taking a few more minutes to get her guitar where she wanted it. After about two or three more minutes of messing with the tuning knobs, Elizabeth hopped off the trunk, grabbing the case that the guitar had been in and putting it back away. Once it was in the case and all zipped up, Elizabeth slipped it over her shoulders and then offered Elaine a hand, which she immediately took ahold of.

Elaine smiled happily as Elizabeth started walking inside with her, once again opening the door so that Elaine would be the first one to walk inside. Elaine looked around the moment that they walked inside and also took a deep breath. As they started making their way through the crowds of people that were here for the open mic night, Elaine was able to smell fresh baked bread, something cooked with a fair amount of cinnamon and a small hint of vanilla, though she soon noticed that the only reason she smelled vanilla was because Elizabeth was in front of her. When Elizabeth was a little too far out to her side, Elaine found that the smell wasn't as strong and when she moved her free hand to move some hair out of her face, she found that the hoodie she was wearing smelled just like vanilla. Coincidence that Elizabeth smelled like Elaine's favorite scent? Maybe not.

"Elizabeth! You made it!" A voice called out so suddenly that Elaine jumped slightly where she was at and squeezed Elizabeth's hand a little out of shock. Elizabeth chuckled slightly and looked over at Elaine while squeezing her hand in return before looking back out into the crowd of people that were talking with friends and socializing. For a moment, no one stepped forward to see Elizabeth and take a claim to the voice, but a few seconds after Elaine was starting to think that it was just someone messing with Elizabeth, a redhead suddenly appeared in front of them after breaking through a group of people.

Elaine's first impression on the girl was that she was pretty without really trying. She had on very little makeup and Elaine though that it caused the girl to look great. Too much makeup would have made her look a little weird, but the girls choice of very little make up was a great one. Her hair was a natural red that was slightly curled and her bright blue eyes clearly stood out, seeing as the combination was one that was rarely seen. The girl, that Elaine by now had assumed was Diana, was almost as tall as Elizabeth but not quite. Diana stood three inches shorter than Elizabeth meaning that she was still taller the Elaine.

"Diana, it's good to see you again. I told you I'd be here didn't I? When's the last time I've let you down and not showed up?" Elizabeth asked with a smiled, causing the redhead to flash a bright white smile in return. Elaine had no idea why, but something about the girl didn't make her feel right. Maybe it was the look in Diana's eyes when she looked at Elizabeth and Elaine didn't like. Elaine could see that Diana had feelings for Elizabeth to some degree and it bugged her a little bit. The thought of being jealous because someone that was actually Elizabeth's age liking her seemed crazy and she knew she shouldn't feel that way but she couldn't help it.

"You are right, you haven't let me down yet and I don't think that you ever will. Though you were starting to worry me a little. You're normally a little earlier than this." Diana pointed out while crossing her arms over her chest. Elizabeth just shrugged slightly which caused Diana to smile a little bit. It looked as if the redhead was getting ready to say something else until her eyes landed on Elaine, who looked away a little shyly because she felt that the girl was studying her. Elaine moved a little closer to Elizabeth, wanting to get out of Diana's gaze but not succeeding. After a moment, a look passed over Diana's face and she seemed to realize who Elaine was to some degree.

"Something wrong, Diana?" Elaine heard Elizabeth ask, causing the woman to look up at her. Elaine glanced at Elizabeth for a moment before looking over at Diana, who was smiling as she looked between Elaine and Elizabeth. Elaine was starting to wonder what the girl was trying to do by staring at them all day.

"No, I was just wondering something. Is she the reason you're a little later than normal? Because, if so, I don't want to take away time that you could be using to spend it with your girlfriend. You didn't have to show up early at all if you two wanted a little more time alone or something like that." Diana stated while immediately assuming that the two girls before her were together. When the word 'girlfriend' was mentioned, Elaine's cheeks flushed deeply and she started shaking her head as if to say that she wasn't Elizabeth girlfriend despite the fact that she wanted to. Wait, did Elaine finally admit it to herself that she wanted to have Elizabeth as her girlfriend? Yes, she had and the answer had caused her cheeks to flush even deeper.

"S-she's...she's n-not my girlfriend Diana." Elizabeth stammered while moving her free hand to run it through her hair a few times. Elaine looked up at her to see that Elizabeth was once again playing with her lip ring while running her hand through her hair. Seeing this, Elaine knew that Elizabeth was either being shy about the subject or nervous, she just had to find out which one. Having heard what Elizabeth had said, Diana raised her eyebrows slightly before looking Elaine over once more.

"Oh? So when a girl's wearing your clothes and holding your hand, she's not going to get considered a girlfriend? Geez, Elizabeth what are you going to call her then?" Diana asked while looking at Elizabeth expectantly. Elaine just stood there, not wanting to say anything and seem like she was suddenly jumping into a conversation. Elizabeth opened her mouth before closing it again, clearly not having a clue on how to answer that.

Just when Elaine thought that Elizabeth was getting ready to say something, both Elizabeth's and Diana's names were called out by someone that was standing off to the side of the little stage that Elaine could see in the left-hand side of the café once you first walked in. This seemed to mean something to the girls because Diana gave Elizabeth a look before walking off to where the voice had come from. Elaine heard Elizabeth give a sigh before turning to face Elaine, offering a gentle smile. Elaine felt her hand being squeezed gently before she was lead to a table that was rather close to the stage that had no one already sitting at it.

"Sit here and we'll be on stage in a few moments." Elizabeth explained as she let go of Elaine's hand to pull out a chair for the woman. Elaine was a little sad to lose the feeling of Elizabeth large, warm hand in her own but nodded as she mumbled a thank you and sat down in the seat that had been pulled out for her. Elizabeth pushed Elaine's chair in before walking off to meet up with Diana most likely. Elaine patiently waited for Elizabeth to return, and sure enough, when the girl returned Diana was with her and they were getting onto the little stage.

When this started to happen, everyone in the café started to get quite and find a spot where they could either stand or sit and enjoy the performance that was about to happen. Elaine was watching Elizabeth rather than Diana once the two were on stage and she noticed that the whole time Diana was telling the crowd who they were and what they were going to be singing, she was playing with her lip ring. Elaine couldn't help but smile at the little action, her smile remaining when she heard Elizabeth start to strum her guitar, meaning their performance of 'Masterpiece' by Jessie J was about to begin.

(Example - Elizabeth Example - Diana Example - Both Singing was divided just like Jessie J's performance on The Voice with Chris Jamison)

So much pressure

Why so loud?

If you don't like my sound

You can turn it down

I got a road

And I walk it alone

Uphill battle

I look good when I climb

I'm ferocious, precocious

I get braggadocios

I'm not gonna stop

I like the view from the top

You talk that blah blah, that la-la, that rah-rah shit

And I'm so done, I'm so over it

Sometimes I mess up, I f-up, I hit and miss

But I'm okay, I'm cool with it

I still fall on my face sometimes

And I can't colour inside the lines

'Cause I'm perfectly incomplete

I'm still working on my masterpiece

And I, I wanna hang with the greats

Got a way to go, but it's worth the wait

No, you haven't seen the best of me

I'm still working on my masterpiece

Oh~ Oh~ Oh~

Those who mind don't matter

Those who matter, don't mind

If you don't catch what I'm throwing

Then I leave you behind

Gone in a flash

And I ain't living like that

They talk that blah blah, that la-la that rah-rah shit

Go with the punches, and take the hits

Sometimes I mess up, I f-up up, I swing and miss

But it's okay, I'm cool with it

I still fall on my face sometimes

And I can't colour inside the lines

'Cause I'm perfectly incomplete

I'm still working on my masterpiece

And I, I wanna hang with the greats

Got a way to go, but it's worth the wait

No, you haven't seen the best of me

I'm still working on my masterpiece

Oh~ Oh~ Oh~

I still fall on my face sometimes

And I can't colour inside the lines

'Cause I'm perfectly incomplete

I'm still working on my masterpiece

Masterpiece, masterpiece

I still fall on my face sometimes

And I can't colour inside the lines

'Cause I'm perfectly incomplete

I'm still working on my masterpiece

And I, I wanna hang with the greats

Got a way to go, but it's worth the wait

No, you haven't seen the best of me

I'm still working on my masterpiece

When all of the performances were over, Elizabeth and Elaine bid Diana a farewell before heading out to get into Elizabeth's car so that they could leave. When they had gotten into the car, Elizabeth started talking about how she planned on taking Elaine to the club rather than back to her own home because Elaine's car was still sitting in the parking lot. Elaine agreed to go even though she really didn't want to have to leave the girl just yet. She knew it was the best thing seeing as it was getting close to dinner time and Elaine needed to get home to that she could finish grading and such before school started again.

The ride to the club was spent in a comfortable silence. Elaine found that she didn't have to be talking to Elizabeth to enjoy having her around, all she needed was to be close to the younger girl and she would smile happily, which is what she was currently doing. Sadly, the ride ended all too quickly for Elaine and she didn't get to spend too much more time with Elizabeth before it was time that they head their own ways.

Elaine got out this time before Elizabeth had the chance to come and open her door. Once she was out of the car, she started walking towards her own before slowing down as she heard Elizabeth's voice as well as a slightly jingling sound. Elaine stopped and spun around just as Elizabeth was stopping in front of her and found the Elizabeth was rather close to her. Their closeness caused Elaine to blush as she looked up at Elizabeth, who was smiling softly while looking down at her. Suddenly Elaine felt a hand on hers and then felt her keys being dropped into her hand.

"You're going to need these if you plan on getting anywhere." Elizabeth said in a soft voice while smiling down at Elaine. Elaine mumbled a thank you before reluctantly pulling away from Elizabeth so that she could head to her car. After having taken a few steps something reminded her that she was currently wearing Elizabeth clothes.

"Wait-" Elaine started to say as she turned around, getting ready to walk back over to Elizabeth to at least return the hoodie that she was wearing, though she was cut short when she practically ran into Elizabeth who had been on the same thinking path Elaine was on, causing her to stumble backwards slightly. Elizabeth quickly grabbed Elaine's hips gently, not wanting her to fall from the little stumble. Elaine blushed at the contact and how gentle Elizabeth grip was while she lightly held onto the front of Elizabeth's shirt, having grabbed it when she thought she was going to fall. Elaine noticed that Elizabeth was starting to lean down and for a split second, her mind thought that maybe Elizabeth was going to kiss her, though that changed when Elaine suddenly heard Elizabeth's voice right beside her ear in a low whisper.

"Keep them, they look better on you then they ever did on me."