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When Alexa found herself dancing at senior prom with the most beautiful girl there, she wasn't surprised at all.
This girl was her best friend, the other half of her very being, Katie Cooper, and how could she not dance with her at senior prom? The thought was inconceivable, regardless of the tension brewing between them.
Katie had just revealed to Alexa that she was waitlisted at New York University, which meant that she had a chance of majoring in acting in college. Beneath Alexa's initial confusion as to why Katie had not shared this with her sooner she was obviously happy for her. Katie was a very talented actor already, and with every step she took on a stage she left behind magic and stars. If she were to get into NYU, the decision of whether or not to go was a no-brainer.
Still, having Katie follow her dreams like she deserved to meant that the distance between her and Alexa would become longer than it had ever been before. They had never had to think about being away from each other, and the longest time they had ever spent apart was two weeks when the Mendozas went to visit Lori's parents. Going to different universities would inevitably change their shared routines and patterns, and their entire lives.
Alexa looked up at Katie, becoming increasingly aware of the way her hands rested on her waist. Somehow they both knew that college wasn't the only thing bringing change to their relationship. While the way Alexa and Katie interacted and were in each other's presence was still the exact same, it couldn't be denied that the past few months had built something between them that they urgently needed to sort out. If only it wasn't so scary.
"I can't imagine my life without you," Katie whispered, and it took every ounce of Alexa's willpower to keep her from crying despite the mix of emotions she was feeling.
"Me neither."
Their bodies were so close together, which made Alexa’s heart beat rapidly.
"Katie, what are we doing?" she murmured. Katie's eyes dropped from hers only for a second as she glanced at her lips instead.
"I don't know," she replied breathlessly. They leaned closer to one another, and Alexa almost closed her eyes before pulling away and separating from her best friend. The small physical distance between them was enough to make her insides ache.
"I'm sorry, I…" she began, but couldn't find the words. She turned on her heels and bolted away from Katie and out of the gym.
"Alexa, wait!"
Katie followed her without a moment's hesitation. She found Alexa outside, standing on the sidewalk and looking up at the stars with her arms crossed.
"Alexa," Katie called out, descending the front steps of the school building, "I'm so sorry, did I- Was I-"
"No, Katie, you're perfect," Alexa said very quickly, like it was an absolute truth, "I just- I can't do this now."
Katie gave her a knowing look. "By ’this’, you mean…”
"This!" Alexa exclaimed and turned around abruptly, gesturing between herself and Katie, "Us! Whatever that was in there! It's like you and NYU, if we had kissed it would've made this real, and we can't let that happen."
"…But you wanted to kiss me."
"Of course I did!" Alexa shouted with great volume and threw her arms up in the air, "Jesus, Katie, I like you, I love you! But if we- If I kiss you now, and this thing… happens, only for us to go to college hundreds of miles away from each other, I literally will not be able to take it. Like, I'm going to fucking die inside. I would rather never do this, ever, than have my best friend and the girl of my goddamn dreams with me for a few more weeks and then lose her and everything else between us. I can't do this."
Katie was speechless for a moment and then the look in her eyes softened. She took a step closer to Alexa before speaking.
"You think I would let college and distance do that to us?" she asked, "Have you that little faith in me?"
Alexa teared up. "I'm just scared."
"I am too," Katie said and took her hands, "But that's okay - we don't have to be brave all the time. Trying is enough, and I want to try with you."
"What's gonna happen if we do?" Alexa asked quietly. Katie squeezed her hands tenderly.
"I don't know," she admitted, "But I think we could find out together. I really, really wanna be with you."
Alexa smiled through her tears. She should've known that Katie would help her feel less afraid. They were standing close to each other again, like they had a moment ago on the dance floor, and Alexa didn't feel a burning urge to run away.
"Can I kiss you now?" Katie asked softly, receiving a nod from Alexa.
"Yeah."
Katie closed the gap between them. Their height difference was perfect, with Alexa having to tilt her head up just slightly to meet Katie in the middle. They stood there under the stars and felt like no one existed in the world but them. The brightness of their grins when they pulled back from their kiss could've lit up the entire town.
"Still scared?" Katie asked with a smirk. Alexa laughed, feeling lighter already.
"Less than before," she replied, "You're amazing."
"And you love me, huh," Katie reminded Alexa of her monologue.
"What, are you surprised? You've been my best friend for as long as I can remember. I've always loved you this deeply, and now… Now it's even more magical."
"You're so cute," Katie said before turning more serious, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about NYU earlier. I know we've always talked about going to college together."
"Katie, if you get into NYU you obviously have to go," Alexa insisted, "Yeah, I'll admit it, I hate the idea of you not being next to me every day, but you missing out on your biggest dream would be even worse. If you get in and you reject NYU for my sake I will actually kill you."
"Well, I'd hate for that to happen," Katie said dramatically, "I guess I'll have to go pursue acting so my girlfriend doesn't get mad at me and hunt me down."
Alexa raised a brow. "Your girlfriend?"
"Did I say 'girlfriend'?"
"You did say 'girlfriend'."
"Do you like 'girlfriend'?"
"I like 'girlfriend'," Alexa affirmed, "I like it a lot."
"Cool, cool," Katie replied, her cheeks flushing intensely, "I am totally not freaking out about Alexa Mendoza not only being my best friend but my girlfriend too. I am a normal amount of excited."
"Uh huh, yeah, I'm convinced," Alexa said with a snicker and looped her arms around Katie's neck as she leaned in to kiss her again. They swayed to the tune of imaginary music and the distant chatter coming from inside the school.
"What are we actually going to do when there's 500 miles between us?" Alexa asked after a moment of silence, and the nervousness was back in her voice, "Like, give me big girl thoughts."
Katie chuckled. "My big girl thoughts are that it's going to be super scary but we'll figure it out together like we've figured out everything so far. I am not going to let anything get in the way of my future with you."
Alexa smiled and nodded contentedly. She believed Katie wholeheartedly and looked forward to doing life with her, no matter how intimidating it seemed at the moment.
"We should probably get back inside," she said and began to make her way up the stairs with Katie behind her.
"I guess," Katie concurred with a playful sigh, "So, how are we going to tell our parents about us?"
"You do know they've watched our friendship grow and develop from the very beginning, right? Trust me, they already know."
"Hmm, you make a good point."
"Besides, we should probably start with our friends in the gym right now."
Katie's eyes lit up mischievously. "Ooh, this’ll be good."
Alexa held the door open for her girlfriend to enter. Stealing a quick glance at the stars before following her, she held back an enthusiastic squeal. Putting her trust in Katie had never misled her before, and somehow Alexa knew it wouldn't do so now - they would be okay as long as they had each other.