Thoughts…

Title: It’s All About Love
Pairing: Alicia/ Nastia, and others.
Rating: PG
Summary: She confessed and she walked out. She found out and she wanted to know what to do. They found out and decided to do something about it.
Notes: Sequel to “What Hurts The Most” I do not own the characters whatsoever, just the plot. So… I caved the first time I wrote this and was writing the pairings you all hoped for… but things got messy and I decided to stick through it.
*Sidenote: I should be reading a novel, my history textbook and my philosophy textbook, and an essay not writing this… procrastination at it’s best!
*Sidenote on the sidenote: I made this a bit more lighter than the prequel… the angst seemed to have diminished with this one- it drained to the prequel.
*Sidenote again: This became a bit violent for some reason…
*Sidenote AGAIN: Major props to minireb123 for helping me out.
*One last note! I’m sorry if the ending sounds rushed, I’m dying to finish it lol!

The sun shone brightly through the curtains of the hotel room, seeming to have brought a better day than before, but the emotions ran the same as the week before. Alicia kept to herself all through the mornings, passing through breakfast and passing every opportunity of going sightseeing with the other girls. She, however, still decided to take a shower- by means of threatening promises from her roommate.

Despite managing to get Alicia out of her bed and into the shower, Samantha failed to get her out of the hotel room all together. She thought of attempting to trick Alicia into going into the hallway so she could shove and lock her out, but she knew the chances were slim because she knew that Alicia would either muscle her way back in or get a spare keycard; both ending with Alicia possibly even more irritated than before. Instead, she sat on her bed, looking at the older girl whose back was facing towards her.

“I know I said before that I’ll let you brood, but I really don’t know anymore,” Samantha quietly said, staring at Alicia. She could see the other girl’s shoulders faintly shudder and she could hear the other girl’s breathing attempt to even out, but she knew Alicia was crying. She deeply sighed and climbed out of her bed, making her way onto Alicia’s; sitting on the edge.

“I’m okay,” Alicia croaked, her voice betraying her. Samantha placed her hand on Alicia’s arm, gently squeezing her.

“If you’re really okay, then you would’ve answered your cellphone whenever Nastia called because you seem keen on not talking to her,” Samantha retorted back, feeling Alicia freeze under her hand.

“Did you look at my phone log? I thought you were better than that!” Alicia snapped, rolling over to look at Samantha; a look of irritation and disbelief on her face. The blonde shook her head and looked away, moving off from the bed. Alicia sat up on her bed and felt her temper beginning to flare.

“No, I didn’t look at your log, there was no reason to. Nastia called me and asked me why you weren’t answering and I didn’t know what to say. Talk to her Alicia because she obviously wants to talk to you.” Alicia looked up at her best friend and saw the concern in her eyes. She could see that all the other girl wanted to do was make sure she was okay and all that she did was accuse her of invading her privacy. She felt her guilt begin to run through her at the realization.

“I’m sorry, it’s just… I-”

“Don’t apologize, just talk to her because she really wants to talk to you,” Samantha explained, hearing Nastia’s voice run through her mind. She deeply sighed and started to turn for the door.

“Where are you going?” Alicia looked up to find Samantha halfway out the door. Samantha held the door handle tightly and her gaze turned to the floor.

“I’m going to see if there’s anyone left that I can hang out with. I really need some air. Please don’t do anything drastic,” Samantha replied back, walking out the door and closing it without giving Alicia time to answer. Alicia heard the door click and it made her heart break again.

“What’s wrong with me?” Alicia breathed, looking down at her hands.

-    -    -

Samantha leant back against the door and ran her hands over her face. She couldn’t believe she walked out on Alicia when she could be needing her.

“Damn it…” She sighed, balling her hands into fists. She couldn’t understand why she let herself walk out, but Nastia’s voice went through her mind. The sadness in the older girl’s voice made her heart pull.

“Hey Sam, is Alicia around?” Samantha kept her attention on the laptop in front of her on the bed.

“Yeah, she’s around, what’s up?” A brief silence occurred and it made Samantha question if everything was okay. “What’s wrong?” The silence remained, but a faint sigh sounded.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s nothing.” Samantha furrowed her brow and closed her laptop, leaning back against the wall of her bed. There was a tone in Nastia’s voice that made her heart drop.

“Nastia…” Samantha quietly drawled the other girl’s name out. She looked over at Alicia’s ‘sleeping form’ and closed her eyes.

“She hasn’t returned any of my calls and I don’t know what to think of it. I’ve called her so many times, but I got nothing.” Nastia sounded distressed and scared, but she remained calm.

“I’ll talk to her, don’t worry. It’s going to be okay,” Samantha answered back, hearing a sigh of relief on the line.

“Thank you Sam.”

“No problem,” Samantha smiled before hanging up.

“Sam?” The blonde broke out of her reverie to the sound of her name. She turned her head towards the sound and saw someone she really wanted to see.

“Shawn John… you and I are having lunch, right now,” Samantha stated, quickly walking up to the other girl and grabbing her hand before dragging her to the elevator. Shawn furrowed her brow and realized she couldn’t object when she found herself in an elevator, watching Samantha press a button.

“O-Okay…” Shawn muttered, unable to figure out what was happening. She looked up at the other blonde and saw a frustration and confusion on her face. “Sam, what’s wrong?”

“Man, apparently that’s the million dollar question,” Samantha sighed, leaning back against the elevator. She shut her eyes and deeply sighed.

“What happened?”

“If I only knew Shawn John, if I only knew. All I do know is that two people aren’t talking to each other,” Samantha replied back, keeping Nastia and Alicia anonymous.

“Is it Alicia and Nastia?” Samantha opened her eyes and glanced towards the younger girl, questioning what gave her that idea.

“Do you know something I don’t?” Samantha asked, furrowing her brow. The elevator door opened and the two headed to the small in-hotel restaurant.

“I don’t know, but it seems to be the most obvious, considering I watched Nastia use her cellphone every five seconds last night and I have a feeling she was calling Alicia. Why Alicia? Alicia and Nastia were talking and Alicia came out- she looked sad and I don’t think it was because of the finals. Nastia didn’t tell me anything, but… I don’t know,” Shawn explained, following Samantha to a table. They sat across from each other and Shawn could see a very distinct look on Samantha’s face that made her know she set herself up for something.

“Shawn… there’s more to that. You can’t lie for your life because you never stop at ‘but’ and you never- you don’t do what you just did. So… they were talking… and you… did you hear them?” Shawn looked down at the table and she could hear Samantha sigh.

“Please don’t tell Nastia or Alicia I listened in because they’ll have my head!” Shawn stated, looking up at the other girl; fear stricken across her face. Samantha was taken aback from the other girl’s reaction. She smiled and reached out to Shawn, covering the other girl’s hand with hers.

“Calm down, I won’t tell anyone anything. Will you tell me what happened?,” Samantha whispered, waiting for Shawn to answer. Before Shawn could say a word, the waiter came up to them and took their orders which seemed to have happened on the fly when Samantha quickly spoke their orders without letting Shawn speak. Luckily for Shawn, the other girl happened to know what she like. As the waiter walked away, Shawn started to talk.

“Well… I forgot my keycard in the hotel room and I knew Nastia was there so I went there to get it. I walked up to the door and I heard Nastia’s voice and I heard Alicia’s. I really didn’t want to interrupt so I quickly got my keycard, but curiosity got me so I went back when Nastia closed the door. The next thing I heard was “you don’t love me like that, you love her” and I guess Alicia was referring to me.” Samantha’s jaw dropped and she leant back against her chair.

“Oh… you’re kidding me,” Samantha breathed, resting her arms on the armrests. Shawn raised an eyebrow and looked at Samantha.

“What?” Shawn, honestly, knew what happened that night, but she wanted to know that Samantha was on the same page as her.

“I don’t know if I should-”

“If it means that one of the two loves the other… I probably know,” Shawn interjected, giving Samantha a knowing look. Samantha raised her eyebrows and an understanding look completely crossed her face.

“Okay, whatever, we’re throwing caution to the wind because they’re our friends and we should try to help them. I’d rather help them now because waiting until we get back home… things might get ugly. She said she wasn’t obvious,” Samantha groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“She was very obvious,” Shawn chuckled.

“Nastia’s so subtle until we deal with love, apparently,” Samantha chuckled, shaking her head. She looked over at Shawn and saw a completely lost look on her face.

“Nastia? Wait, which she are we talking about?”

“I’m talking about Nastia… who are you talking about?”

“Alicia… I keep catching Alicia staring at Nastia with doe eyes that are so obvious making it hard not to say it’s not obvious. Why are you talking about Nastia?” Shawn furrowed her brow and saw the confusion on Samantha’s face. The blonde leant forward and propped an elbow on the table, leaning her head on her hand.

“Alicia? I caught Nastia staring at Alicia with a very big obvious crush in her eyes and she practically begged me not to tell. I bet you had the same talk with Alicia, right?” Shawn nodded and bit her lower lip.

“I bet it really killed Alicia when Nast hugged me,” Shawn sighed, picking at the table cloth. She recalled that night when Nastia hugged her and she knew that the possibility of Alicia watching as high. She started to feel bad about what happened, but before she could berate herself, she found Samantha’s hand back onto hers.

“Shawn… don’t feel bad because you didn’t do anything technically wrong. You and Nastia are best friends and best friends are entitled to hug each other whenever they want. For all I know, Nastia felt the same way when Alicia and I hug.” Shawn looked up and smiled.

“Who would’ve thought that we would be our own friends’ enemies?” Samantha chuckled and gently squeezed Shawn’s hand.

“So true, so true and we don’t even know it. I really don’t get how we never saw our best friend’s crushes. We saw our other friend’s, but- this is amazing. We have to do something about this,” Samantha half-smiled, furrowing her brow. A smile slowly graced her lips and Shawn could see a plan in her eyes.

“Samantha Peszek… what are you thinking?” Shawn reluctantly asked, watching as Samantha pull her hand away as the waiter placed their food on the table. The blonde mischievously smiled and began to eat, remaining silent. Shawn could feel her heart start to race when as tried to eat.

“You’ll see Shawn John, you’ll see,” Samantha replied back, looking over at the younger girl.

“What did I get myself into?” Shawn sighed, taking a bite of her food.

-    -    -
Alicia looked at herself in the mirror and stood there, staring at her reflection. She was disappointed with herself for walking out on Nastia and for snapping at Samantha. Everything seemed to have gone down the drain for her and she really didn’t know what to do. Well, she did know what to do, but she didn’t know how to act upon her decisions.

“Alicia? Are you here?” Alicia turned from the mirror and walked over to the door, wrapping her hand around the handle. She closed her eyes and questioned if she should open the door or not.

“I’ll kick myself later if I have to,” Alicia muttered to herself as she turned the handle and opened the door. She saw Shawn standing in front of her with a small smile on her face, looking up at her.

“Hey,” Shawn breathed, looking at the distraught look on Alicia’s face.

“Hey,” Alicia whispered back.

“Can I come in?” Shawn reluctantly asked, pointing into the room. She watched as Alicia slowly sidestepped out of the way, letting her in. She walked into the room and she could feel a heavy weight rest on her shoulders.

“Is there something you wanted to talk about, Shawn?” Alicia quietly asked, remaining cautious with her tone and temper. She watched as the other girl sat on her bed, looking up at her with a look that seemed to bore right through her.

“Is there something you wanted to talk about?” Shawn retorted back, watching as the other girl smirk and shake her head.

“No, I’m-”

“If you’re going to say you’re fine, please don’t because you obviously aren’t or else you wouldn’t be ignoring everyone, especially Nastia,” Shawn interjected, suddenly noticing Alicia’s eyes flare with emotion.

“Why is it always about Nastia? The world doesn’t revolve around her!” Alicia snapped, causing the younger girl to jump in her seat. Shawn took a deep breath and prayed that what she would say next didn’t cross the line.

“But your world does! You love her!” Shawn stated, catching Alicia off guard. She closed her eyes and balled up her hands into fists as a sudden silence hovered into the room, but it didn’t last long when a loud crack rang throughout.

“Oh my- Shawn, I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean to do that,” Alicia eyes widened as she quickly fell onto her knees in front of the younger girl, seeing the reddening mark on Shawn’s cheek. She reached out, trying to cup Shawn’s face in her hands, but the other girl shook her head and whimpered.

“Alicia… you have to talk to her…” Shawn whispered, eyes still closed as the stinging pain ran through her face. She slowly opened her eyes, feeling tears slowly fall down her face from the slap. She knew Alicia was hurting, and she knew she wasn’t going to retaliate because everything Alicia did was greatly affecting her.

“Shawn… she loves you,” Alicia breathed, feeling tears fall down her face as guilt ran through her for mindlessly attacking the younger girl. She waited for Shawn to slap her back, but it never happened. The younger girl pulled her into a hug and that action alone had her crying.

“Alicia… she loves you,” Shawn breathed, hoping her emphasis would send the message across. Unfortunately, Alicia had completely broke down in Shawn’s arm and Shawn’s words didn’t register to her in the way it was meant to.

-    -    -

Sam quietly walked down the hallway, approaching a room she so hoped wasn’t empty. She continually ran through scenarios of what was happening between Shawn and Alicia through her head; all of them ending in something happy, or relatively in a positive manner.

“Hey Sam!” The blonde broke out of her thoughts at the sound of her name. She looked over to the sound of the voice and found Nastia walking up to her.

“At least looking for her won’t be too difficult,” Samantha thought as she continued to walk over to the older girl.

“Hey-”

“Can we talk?” Samantha was about to reply, but she found herself being dragged by the taller girl.

“O-okay.” Nastia pulled the other girl with her to her and Shawn’s room. The other blonde found herself practically thrown into the room while Nastia shut the door.

“Sam, did you talk to Alicia?” Samantha raised her eyebrows and nodded, feeling her heart beat relentlessly against her chest. She began to see the fierce look on Nastia’s face and she knew she wasn’t safe.

“Yes, I did,” Samantha simply answered, seeing the unfaltering look on Nastia’s face. “Huh… she beat me to it.”

“Then why is she still not talking to me? She’s blocking me out entirely, and it freaking hurts; it’s making me go insane!” Nastia exclaimed back, standing in front of Samantha; raw emotions radiating off of her, indicating her feelings.

“I know it hurts Nastia-”

“No you don’t! You’re not the one-”

“Nastia-”

“-Being shut out of-”

“Could you-”

“-Her life. Yeah, I make it look like everything’s fine, but it still hurts! Don’t you get it?” Samantha deeply sighed and tried to keep her cool, despite the other girl continually cutting her off.

“Can’t you look at this in her eyes?-”

“How can I if I can’t understand-”

“Nast-”

“How do you-” Suddenly, Nastia found herself looking away from Samantha with tears brimming in her eyes and a burning heat across her face.. She looked over at the younger blonde who had irritation present on her face.

“Would you wait one freaking second and let me speak?! You’re not the only one being shut out here and I’m trying to make things work!” Samantha shouted, trying to get a word in without Nastia constantly interjecting every time. She showed no remorse for slapping Nastia- it seemed to be the only way to get her to stop talking and knock some rationality back into her, of which seemed lost. Sadly, this was Nastia and Nastia was going to fight back. She saw the other girl’s eyes flare with anger and she knew that nothing she said registered and that hell was probably about to break loose.

“Don’t… slap me!” Nastia retorted back, punching Samantha across the face. The younger blonde touched her cheek and eye, feeling  the burn from Nastia’s fist, but she immediately stood up and tackled the other girl onto the other bed.

“Don’t punch me!” Samantha cried out, trying to pin the other girl down, but unfortunately, she was flipped onto her back and her entire intent was to try and defend herself. Nastia and Samantha completely lost their rational sides and began to slap, punch and beat each other out of anger. There was no valid reason for their violence; they were angry that the other hit them. The two continually rolled around on the bed, trying to gain the upper hand, but it seemed that Nastia was winning.

“Nastia? Nastia! Sam! Hey! Stop it!” Shawn cried out as she ran into the room, shutting the door with her foot, with hopes of separate the duelling blondes. She managed to pull Samantha away when she flipped Nastia over, but she ended up being on the receiving end of her best friend’s slap.

“Ow!” Shawn cried out, as she spun around, ducking and rolling away from Samantha’s punch. She stood up, trying to regain her gears, but it wasn’t too long when the only thing that ran through her was retribution. By now, Samantha and Nastia were standing, still beating on each other, but now Shawn was determined to bring the two down.

“Hey!” Nastia exclaimed, deflecting one of Samantha’s punch. Shawn growled and jumped, catching both Nastia and Samantha’s ears, pinching them.

“Stop, both of you!” Shawn shouted, watching as both of her friends began to keel over onto their knees in pain.

“Ow, ow… you can let go Shawn… ow!” Samantha winced at the stinging pain that was running through her body. Nastia’s slaps did not compare whatsoever to the pinching pain Shawn was inflicting and Nastia seemed to agree as well.

“Shawn… ow, that hurts… ow… let go,” Nastia muttered, wrapping her hands over Shawn’s, trying to pry them away, but the younger girl had no intent of letting go.

“You two are going to act like your age, right?” Shawn asked, looking between the two in her grasp, watching them nod frantically. She reluctantly let go of the two, but they broke out into a fight once again. “No!” Shawn quickly grasped the two’s ears and they keeled over once again.

“Ow… okay, okay! I think I’m going to leave, so you can let me go!” Samantha called out, feeling her ear go numb. She felt Shawn’s hand loosen up and she immediately stood up and walked out of the room, holding her ear. Nastia, however, wasn’t so lucky. Shawn kept her hold on the older girl for a few more seconds before letting go.

“Ow! What was that for?!” Nastia angrily looked up at her best friend, holding her ear. Her freezing gaze on Shawn didn’t seem to affect her, rather amuse her.

“If you think glaring at me is going to do anything, think again; I’m immune to it by now. What I’m not immune to is getting slapped by my best friend and nearly punched by my other friend. Both of you- what was that? Luckily our time in Beijing is over or else we could’ve messed up big time! Now tell me, what happened?”  Shawn stated, hands on her hips with the entire intent of figuring out what had just happened between her friends.

“Sam slapped me!” Nastia fired back, noticing the smirk on Shawn’s face.

“Why did she slap you?”

“Because- because…”

“You two were fighting for no reason! You know what, I’m going to go check on Sam, make sure you didn’t do any permanent damage,” Shawn sighed, turning for the door.

“What? You’re worried about Sam?” Nastia asked in disbelief, watching Shawn shake her head.

“Nastia, didn’t you see the bruise that’s growing on Sam’s face?” Nastia fell silent when she remembered how hard she punched Samantha across the face. Shawn walked out of the room, closing the door behind her before looking down the hall, finding Samantha sitting against a wall with her eyes closed. She quietly walked over to the other girl and sat beside her, leaning her head against the other girl’s shoulder.

“You know, you almost punched me,” Shawn whispered, closing her eyes as she felt Samantha chuckle under her.

“I’m sorry, it was reflex. You didn’t have to pinch so hard, you know,” Samantha retorted back, opening her eyes (even though one hurt more than the other) to look at the other girl. She managed to get a glimpse of the reddening patch of skin on Shawn’s face which made her heart sink.

“Those two slap really hard,” Shawn muttered, gently running a hand over her cheek.

“Two? Nast… Oh my- Shawn…” Samantha whispered, moving away from Shawn, far enough to wrap an arm around the younger girl.

“No… I’m okay, taking you two down numbed out the pain,” Shawn chuckled, feeling tears begin to well in her eyes.

“Too bad nothing really numbed Nastia’s punch. The girl is fierce!” Samantha half-heartedly chuckled, raising her hand over her left eye, feeling it swell. She felt Shawn stir against her and abruptly jerk her head, which hit her eye unfortunately. “Ow!”

“Oh my- I’m sorry, but she really punched you?” Shawn asked in shock, noticing the growing black eye on the other girl. She saw the half-smile on Samantha’s face as the other girl tried to shield her battle wound.

“She has a mean right hook- she should be in boxing,” Samantha joked, fanning her eye. Her eyes remained closed, knowing that tears would slowly fall if she opened them. However, she did remain oblivious to the look Shawn was giving her; a look of compassion and concern. Shawn gently placed a soft kiss on Samantha’s eye, feeling the other girl pull back from pain.

“Sorry, I-” Samantha raised her hand before opening her eyes.

“Let’s hope that makes this feel better faster. I really need ice right now,” Samantha groaned, fanning her eye again as she stood up. Shawn briefly smiled and stood up as well, looking up at the other girl.

“Um… where are we going to go? My room is obviously a no go… Alicia is probably still sulking for slapping me… Bridget and Chellsie will ask what the heck happened and going to our coaches won’t be the greatest idea.” Samantha deeply sighed, realizing their options were heavily limited.

“If we can get ice for me, we can go for a walk,” Samantha suggested, watching as Shawn nod as they headed for the elevators. “And rethink this entire thing.”

-    -    -

An hour passed until Shawn returned to her room with Nastia. She was relatively calmer than earlier, but she still felt upset about the result of the entire day. She thought things would look up if she and Samantha talked with Nastia and Alicia, but that wasn’t the case. Both of the young girls ended up being subjected to physical damage, Samantha being more wounded than Shawn.

Shawn walked into the room and was glad the lights were off. She quietly approached her bed, hoping the other girl was asleep.

“Shawn?” Not the luck the younger girl was hoping for. She quickly climbed into her bed and rolled onto her side, back facing the other girl. To Shawn’s demise, Nastia flicked on the lights and approached her bed, pulling the covers off her face.

“Not now Nastia,” Shawn muttered, trying to pull the covers back over her face. Unfortunately, Nastia wouldn’t have it, so she pulled the covers away completely and rolled Shawn over to look at her.

“Shawn, I’m really sorry, but things happen and you know it. Are you okay?” Shawn sighed and rolled over again, but Nastia’s kept her on her back.

“How am I okay? I was just slapped by my friends,” Shawn retorted back. She closed her eyes and tried to ignore the other girl, but the gasp that came from her made her think twice.

“Friends? What? I was the only one who slapped you- you got out of Sam’s way… did someone else slap you?” Nastia choked out, when the entire reality of the day began to dawn on her. Tears were brimming her eyes, as she sat on the edge of Shawn’s bed, waiting for a response. The younger girl deeply sighed and pulled herself up into a sitting position, reaching out and taking Nastia’s hands into her own.

-    -    -
Samantha stood at the door of the room, praying that Alicia was asleep or else she would face 20 questions right off the bat. She slowly turned the handle of the door and carefully opened the door, cautiously poking her head through to make sure the lights were off. Luckily for her, the lights were off, but she remained far from easy.

As Samantha walked through the door, closing it behind her, she approached her bed; internally thanking whoever made her choose the bed closest to the door. Unfortunately for her, the thanks ended abruptly when the lights suddenly turned on.

“Damn it!” Samantha turned to the light switch and found Alicia leaning against the wall with a look of concern on her face which was suddenly wiped away with a look of anger. “That’s not good… Oh… help me…”

“Sam! What happened to you? Who punched you? Where is he?!” Alicia exclaimed, walking over to her best friend, scrutinizing the growing bruise. Samantha tried to turn away, but Alicia had her head in her hands; keeping her from hiding.

“I had a mishap with a wall, no one punched me,” Samantha lied, knowing that Alicia would call her lie.

“Bull, what the hell happened? No one punches out my best friend!” Alicia continued to shout, heading for the door. Samantha’s eyes opened wide, but immediately closed from the pain. She grabbed Alicia’s arm and tried to keep her from possibly starting a war that could potentially end several friendships.

“No! Alicia! Don’t!” Samantha cried out, trying to hold the other girl down. Alicia turned to her best friend and saw the tears that began to fall. Her anger started to falter when she realized that Samantha didn’t want her to go off and do something irrational. Instead, she turned to Samantha and placed her hands on her shoulders, looking at her.

“Sam… who did this? Do the others know? Does Shawn know? Chellsie or Bridget?” Alicia softly asked, watching the blonde shake her head every time. “What about… Nastia?” Alicia breathed, finding the Russian’s name hard to say. To Samantha’s dismay, her body told Alicia that Nastia knew.

“Oh crap… relax… relax!” Samantha felt Alicia’s hands tighten on her shoulders. She knew her body suddenly tensed at Nastia’s name and she knew that Alicia would figure everything out.

“Nastia knows? Does she know who did it? Sam, look at me,” Alicia whispered, trying to get the other girl to answer her.

“I’m so sorry…” Samantha looked up at Alicia and she knew right then and there that her eyes conveyed the entire truth. Her heart sank when she saw Alicia’s eyes grow wide in shock and understanding; she knew that everything was about to change.

“Sh-She punched you, didn’t she?” Alicia muttered more to herself than to Samantha, but the other girl silently nodded, tears cascading down her face.

“It was an accident-” Alicia immediately turned around and ripped the door open, stepping out into the hallway, all of her intent to talk to Nastia. No one punched her best friend without having to deal with her. Samantha started to run after her, hoping to stop her before anything drastic happened.

“Nastia, wait! It wasn’t on purpose!” Alicia heard Shawn’s voice loud and clear, watching as Nastia leave her room and enter the hallway as well; her demeanour completely dark, with Shawn fearfully following behind her.

“You!” Nastia and Alicia called out simultaneously. Shawn and Samantha stopped walking and looked at each other across the hall with fear completely striking them still.

“How dare you slap my best friend!” Nastia shouted, stalking towards the older girl.

“How dare you punch my best friend!” Alicia shouted back, growing ever closer to Nastia. The other two girls started to panic internally, knowing the two were capable of fighting each other.

“How dare I? Sam slapped me first!” Alicia growled at Nastia’s retort and shoved her back, turning to point at Samantha.

“Shawn looks fine doesn’t she? Look at Sam, she’s got a black eye!” Nastia retaliated by shoving Alicia back, pointing back to Shawn.

“I fought back, but I’m sorry! You slapped Shawn for no reason! What kind of friend are you?” Alicia stepped back, unable to comprehend Nastia’s words.

“What kind of friend am I? You punched Sam, what kind of friend does that?”

“Says the girl who punched her friend and knocked him out- try again!” Nastia called out, taking no prisoners. Alicia growled and walked over to Nastia, glaring at her.

“What are you trying to say, that I’m not a good friend?” Alicia strongly whispered, stepping into Nastia’s space. Nastia glared back, trying to gain an upper hand.

“Are you really a good friend? Hurting everyone who loves you?” Alicia felt an internal trigger and raised her hand. A loud clap ran through the hallway and Shawn and Samantha froze. A second crack rang through the hallway and the two younger gymnasts saw Alicia falter back. They saw Nastia holding Alicia’s left hand with hers, while her right was crossed in front of her.

“Don’t you dare slap me because I’m saying what’s true! You need to wake up Alicia!” Nastia cried out, looking at the stunned look on the older girl’s face.

“Oh… crap…” Samantha whispered, noticing the growing broken look on Alicia’s face. She looked past the two older gymnasts and looked at Shawn; complete shock had overtaken her features.

“I’m sorry…” Alicia murmured before pulling her hand out of Nastia’s and running off down the hallway, past Shawn.

“Alicia! Wait!” Samantha cried out, running after the older girl, as she grabbed Shawn’s hand to make her follow her. Leaving Alicia alone now, that was not the smartest idea at all.

Nastia remained frozen in her spot; the sound of Alicia’s voice cutting through her like knives and the destroyed look on her face made her feel even worse. “Why did I just slap her? Why the hell am I still standing here?” With that, Nastia bolted after the other girls; her main intent to fix everything.

-    -    -

Alicia rushed down the stairs of the hotel, tears cascading ruthlessly down her face, partially blinding her vision. Her heart felt as if it was haphazardly glued together, but broken into pieces once again. She believed her heart was healing after that night, but it didn’t stand a chance this night. She couldn’t believe Nastia slapped her, but it was justifiable unlike her failed attempt.

“Yeah, so smart- slapping her?” Alicia continued to fly down the stairs, without caring who could possibly see her.

*    *    *

Nastia managed to catch up with the other two girls as she bursted through the door for the stairwell. She started to jump most of the stairs, but then she slowed down when the other two appeared in front of her.

“Damn it! Why did she have to run so freaking fast?” Samantha breathed, grabbing onto the handrail as she turned for the next flight of stairs.

“She runs faster than Wall-E, what did you expect?” Shawn grunted as she jumped a few steps, to the landing.

“Less talking! More running!” Nastia called out as she started to jump most of the steps asides from running down them.

“Says the girl whose the reason for this whole fiasco!” Samantha retorted back, continuing her flight down the stairs.

As the three broke through the door to the lobby, they all halted to look for Alicia; turning in every direction. Luckily for Nastia, her small height advantage was useful. She somehow managed to spot Alicia right when she was running through the door. Immediately, her feet started towards the door.

“Nastia!” Shawn called out, watching her best friend run off. This time it was her turn to grab Samantha’s hand, dragging her with her.

Nastia blasted through the door of the hotel and was lucky enough not to barrel anyone down. She, however, was hit with a torrent of rain that blinded her vision, but she immediately wiped away the water in her eyes and she continued to run.

Shawn and Samantha also bolted through the door and were both pelted with rain.

“It’s raining and they’re still- ah!” Shawn screamed when a bolt of lightning crossed the sky and a crash of thunder occurred. She clutched onto Samantha tightly, ducking her head into the taller girl’s shoulder. Samantha stumbled back when Shawn grabbed onto her.

“Okay, we obviously can’t leave them in this weather-”

“Okay, let’s go,” Shawn shuddered, slowly pulling away from the older girl. Samantha looked at the younger girl and saw the fear in her eyes, but there was still a determination still evident.

“Are you sure? I don’t-”

“Our friends will need us, now come on,” Shawn breathed, taking Samantha’s hand into her own and pulling her to the direction Nastia ran off to.

*    *    *

Alicia continued to run, passing through everyone she approached and shoving through everyone who tried to stop her. Unfortunately for her, the rain blinded her vision so she had no idea where she was running to, but it didn’t matter to her; she needed to get away.

“Alicia!” Suddenly, a crash of thunder rang through China as well as a blaring car horn.

“Shawn! Watch out!” Samantha cried out, pulling Shawn back towards her as a car sped by in front of them.

Alicia hit the ground square on her back with a heavy weight on top of her. She felt all of the air in her gone and a throbbing headache when her head hit the ground. She opened her eyes and saw Nastia lying on top of her, eyes closed.

“Why did you do that?” Alicia muttered, ignoring the pelting rain on her face. She was entirely fascinated as to why Nastia saved her from a possible car accident after telling her off. Nastia slowly opened her eyes and looked at the other girl.

“What kind of friend would I be if I let you get hurt. I’d rather die than see you get hurt,” Nastia whispered back, looking straight into Alicia’s eyes. She knew what her eyes conveyed, but she needed to speak.

“Nastia, Alicia, are you okay?” Samantha asked, with Shawn beside her, as they ran up to the two girls on the sidewalk. Alicia and Nastia slowly stood up, turning to the other two.

“Yeah, we’re okay,” Nastia breathed, wiping the excess water and hair from her face. Alicia cleared her throat and nodded. As the two older gymnasts started to regain their composure, they noticed the changing looks on Shawn and Samantha’s faces.

“Okay, you know what! You two are coming back with us to the hotel and we’re locking you in a room, got that!” Shawn clearly stated, taking Nastia’s hand while Samantha took Alicia’s.

“And you two are going to talk in a civilized manner like the women you are, okay!” Samantha added, dragging Alicia with her as she followed Shawn in front of her. Suddenly, another crash of thunder rang through the streets of Beijing and Shawn instantly let go of Nastia’s hand, spun around and clung onto Samantha once again. Alicia and Nastia looked between the two before glancing at each other.

-    -    -

As the quartet of girls headed back to the hotel, they all returned to Nastia and Shawn’s room. Shawn and Samantha shoved Nastia and Alicia into the room and held onto the door handle, making sure no one walked out or in.

Alicia and Nastia stumbled into the room and fell into a silence. They looked at each other and reluctantly sat on a bed in front of each other. Both of them were dripping with water head to toe, but they didn’t care whatsoever. They occasionally looked at each other, but constantly looked away after because of fears and nerves. It took several minutes until they managed to suppress their nerves long enough to talk.

“I’m sorry…” The two girls simultaneously stated as they looked at each other.

“No, go ahead,” They simultaneously stated once again. The two deeply breathed, chuckling.

“Okay… I’ll go first. Alicia, last week, when you told me about your feelings for me, you didn’t have to walk out,” Alicia was ready to interject, but Nastia gave her a glare that made her stop. “You may have felt the need and want to walk out, but you didn’t have to- you shouldn’t have. You shouldn’t have left without letting me speak and explain. Yes, I love Shawnie, but as a best friend and nothing more. Damn it Alicia, I love you! Not just as a friend, but I have this big crush on you that’s apparently really obvious to Samantha. I had to beg her not to tell you or anyone, but I love you and I started to die a little inside every time you ignored me. I would have died entirely if I didn’t get you out of that car’s way. Alicia Sacramone, if you love me as you say you do, you have to be able to talk to me- you can trust me like I trust you.” Alicia looked at the other girl and nodded, looking down to the floor. She felt horrible when she started to relive the entire night in her head. She walked out of frustration and anger without rationally thinking any of her actions, but then again, can you rationally think anything in that state of mind? She felt tears running down her face and she was about to wipe them away when she felt Nastia’s hands on her face; her thumb brushing them away.

“I’m sorry when I did that, I was so… I felt like a failure and I felt that I failed you during the finals. I wanted to say how much I was sorry, but then I said I love you, but I don’t regret it. I love you, but coming from my perspective, do you know how hard it is to stay level headed? I love you Nastia, but I jumped to conclusions and I’m sorry for walking out. I’m also sorry for slapping Shawn,” Alicia replied back, noticing the understanding look on Nastia’s face.

“I’m sorry for punching Samantha… she slapped me, I just… fought back,” Nastia sighed, brushing the stray piece of wet hair out of Alicia’s face. She saw a lighter look grow on the older girl’s face and she pulled her into a hug.

“So we basically love each other and never saw it?” Alicia whispered, pulling away. She heard Nastia laugh and nod.

“We never saw it, but Sam obviously did.”

“And so did Shawn, considering she caught me staring at you,” Alicia chuckled, turning away when she felt her cheeks begin to burn.

“So basically, those two knew we were obsessed with each other and they never told us?” Nastia furrowed her brow, looking at Alicia.

“Yeah, I know right? Sam talks to you, Shawn talks to me- aren’t our best friends supposed to tell us?” Alicia smirked, realizing how much their own best friends kept from them.

“Well, they did what they did. Too bad they got caught in the crossfire, right?” Nastia whispered, remembering the amount of violence that occurred in one day. Alicia groaned and nodded, rubbing her cheek where Nastia slapped her.

“I’m sorry for nearly taking out Sam… and you,” Nastia whispered, gently pressing her lips on Alicia’s cheek. When she pulled back, she saw the other girl blushing.

“The two took a serious beating because of us, huh?” Alicia whispered, trying to keep her relentless heart rate down.

“Yeah… punching, slapping, beating… I’m glad they’re still our friends,” Nastia replied back, looking at the door where the other two were potentially standing behind.

“I’m glad we’re still friends,” Alicia said, looking over at Nastia. She watched as the other girl turn back towards her, a soft smile on her face.

“Are we just friends?” Nastia asked, raising her eyebrows suggestively. Alicia smirked and stood up and straddled Nastia’s lap before cupping her face and pressing her lips against Nastia’s. The kiss was chaste, but the two were happy with it. They looked at each other and smiled, hugging each other.

“We should check on the other two…” Alicia whispered, pulling away and stepping away from Nastia, extending her hand towards the other girl; who gratefully accepted. They headed to the door together and opened it, finding a surprising scene.

There sat, in their wet clothes, against the wall opposite of the door, were Shawn and Samantha. They were leaning against each other, asleep, but their hands were entwined together. Nastia and Alicia looked at each other and smiled.

“You know… these two have been pretty close lately,” Nastia whispered, noticing the other girl nod.

“They’re secretly together…” Alicia quietly giggled, trying to keep herself silent.

“Have you seen the way they look at each other?” Nastia bit her lower lip to keep from laughing.

“Should we get them together?” Alicia asked, knowing the answer. Nastia nodded in reply and walked over to the sleeping beauties.

“First off, let’s get them dried off,” Nastia whispered, gently prodding Shawn’s shoulder as Alicia poked Samantha. The two immediately jumped awake and looked around, finding their best friends looking at them with smiles on their faces.

“You two civil?” Samantha sleepily asked, rubbing her decent eye.

“Yeah, thanks to you two,” Alicia answered, helping the blonde up while Nastia did the same with Shawn.

“I’m just glad we’re all happy,” Shawn yawned, as she was led into the hotel room with help from Nastia.

“So are we, but I think we’ll all be happier if we weren’t all soaking wet,” Nastia smiled, as she watched Shawn collapse onto the edge of the bed. She turned around and found Alicia leading Samantha in as well, seating her beside Shawn.

“You two are going to change into these clothes and sleep, okay?” Alicia quietly stated as she caught a pair of clothes from Nastia, throwing them over to the sleepy girls who lazily caught them and slowly changed into them. She also caught clothes for herself and changed into them as well did Nastia. When Nastia and Alicia changed into their new clothes, they turned to the other two and saw them lying on the bed, snuggling with each other.

“Shall we take after them?” Nastia muttered, looking over at Alicia who smiled and nodded. They both rounded the empty bed and climbed in and under the sheets, lying beside each other; snuggling. Nastia laid her head on Alicia’s shoulder and wrapped her arm around the other girl’s abdomen, feeling the other girl’s arm wrap around her.

“I love you, Nastia,” Alicia whispered, looking at the other girl who looked back up at her.

“I love you too, Alicia,” Nastia whispered back, placing a soft kiss on Alicia’s lips. She moved her head back and closed her eyes, feeling Alicia press her lips against the top of her head.

Now, Alicia felt her heart begin to piece back together. She was happy that things turned out in the end, despite all the unnecessary violence and heartbreak. She felt every ounce of sadness begin to lift off of her and she was glad for it. Now, a grin crossed her face and a fuzzy feeling went through her. She was in love and it turned out well in the end.

“Everything is perfect… everything is perfect.” Alicia smiled and pressed one last kiss on Nastia’s head before closing her eyes and pulling the covers closer against them. Tonight would be the starting point for a new life for not only two people, but possibly four.