Girl Love Happens : Season One Read online

  Girl Love Happens

  Season One

  TB Markinson

  Published by T. B. Markinson

  Visit T. B. Markinson’s official website at lesbianromancesbytbm.com for the latest news, book details, and other information.

  Copyright © T. B. Markinson, 2016

  Cover Design by Erin Dameron-Hill / EDHGraphics

  Edited by Jeri Walker and Kelly Hashway

  This e-book is copyrighted and licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any forms or by any means without the prior permission of the copyright owner. The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Contents

  Let’s Keep in Touch

  Prequel

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Season One

  The First Time

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Gemma’s Lesbian Proclamation

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Lesbian on the Brink of Insanity

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Relationship Limbo

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Under Lock and Key

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Captives of Love

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Preview of Girl Love Happens: Season Two

  About the Author

  Let’s Keep in Touch

  One of the best parts of publishing is getting to know you, the reader.

  My favorite method of keeping in touch is via my newsletter, where I share about my writing life, my cat (whom I lovingly call the Demon Cat since she hissed at me for the first forty-eight hours after I adopted her), upcoming new releases, promotions, and giveaways.

  And, I give away two e-books to two newsletter subscribers every month. The winners will be able to choose from my backlist or an upcoming release.

  I love giving back to you, which is why if you join my newsletter, I’ll send you a free e-copy of A Woman Lost, book 1 of the A Woman Lost series, and bonus chapters you can’t get anywhere else.

  Also, you’ll receive a free e-copy of Tropical Heat, a short story that lives up to the “heat” in its name.

  If you want to keep in touch, sign up here: http://eepurl.com/hhBhXX

  Prequel

  Chapter One

  “Tegan?”

  I wheeled about with a pillow tucked under my chin, yanking up the pink rose Laura Ashley case from the bottom. The timid voice and soft expression of the dorm roommate I’d met only hours ago were no match for the energy emanating from her glorious red hair. “Yes, Gemma?”

  “I’ve heard about this place called The Soda Jerk. Apparently, they have the best shakes on the planet.” She smiled shyly, her hands shoved into her jeans pockets as she stood in the corner by the window. Sunlight made her purple and silver “Class of 1992” tassel hanging on the desk lamp dazzle like a disco ball.

  “On the planet?” I quirked an eyebrow.

  Her smile became bolder. “Now that the parental units have left, why don’t we go find out? My treat.”

  “Right now?” I glanced at all the boxes and overall moving chaos with one eye closed as if soaking it in with both would send me into a nervous tizzy.

  She shrugged. “It’s just an idea.”

  I hurled the pillow onto my unmade bed. “It’s the best idea. Get me out of this pandemonium!” I held up my hand, emphasizing the exclamation point.

  She nodded. “My pleasure. These boxes will be here when we get back.”

  “Ugh! Don’t remind me. Shall we drive?”

  “Oh, I don’t have a car.” She took a step back, nearly stumbling over one of my boxes. “I hear it’s not far, though.” From her skinny frame, I gathered she wasn’t averse to exercise.

  “I have a car.” I motioned for her to walk ahead of me. “Our chariot awaits, Gemma Mahoney,” I said with a flourish.

  In the hallway, I realized I had forgotten my car keys. “Hold on a sec.” I dashed into the room, plucked them off my desk, and then sprinted back out, colliding with a stack of flimsy containers.

  “Oomph.”

  Moving boxes toppled off a dolly, scattering onto the shabby beige carpet in the hallway. It seemed to show the faint outlines of footprints from students dating back to before I was born.

  “I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?” I searched for a body among the confusion.

  “It’d take more than an itty-bitty thing like you to hurt me.” A plain, muscular girl popped off the floor and put her hand out, grinning. “I’m Jenny. And who do I have the honor of meeting in such an historic fashion?”

  “Tegan.” I shook her hand. “This is Gemma.” I waved to my roommate, who was failing miserably to contain an I can’t believe you did that smirk.

  “Where’s the fire?” Jenny made a show of checking out the room and hallway.

  I laughed. “No fire. Milkshakes.”

  “Milkshakes?” Jenny cupped a hand to her ear, giving me her full attention. “Downstairs in the cafeteria?”

  “No, unfortunately. But why don’t I buy you one? I mean, it’s the least I can do after smashing into you and your boxes.” I bent over and crammed a backpack and some shirts that had spilled onto the floor back into a box, while Gemma busied herself salvaging towels and sheets. “We can help you get this stuff in your room.”

  “That’s awfully kind of you. My parents had to bail early. Their social calendar is more impressive than mine.” She smiled mischievously, making me wonder what kind of things she got up to. “Maybe our meeting was fate.” Jenny, with Gemma’s assistance, righted the boxes on the dolly. “I’m only a couple doors down from you.”

  We tagged along. Jenny’s room was in disarray—even more so than Gemma’s and mine. A blonde girl in a white tank top and Mom jeans straight off the set of Beverly Hills 90210 sat on a bed rifling through a box in a lackadaisical I wish I had servants manner.

  “April,” Jenny’s voiced bounced off the walls in the tiny room. “Meet Tegan and Gemma. They live on our floor. Watch out for Tegan. She packs a wallop.” Jenny smirked at me.

  “What happened to me being an itty-bitty thing?” I jutted out my lower lip.

  “You are, Tiny T—that’s my new name for you.” She winked.

  April hopped off the bed, plastering a smile on her face that made my skin crawl. “Hi!”

  “We’re going for milkshakes. Come along.” Jenny’s enthusiasm was contagious, and I almost forgot April’s presence until the blonde met my eyes with an icy glare that conjured up an image of a scorpion with its tail raised. Girls like April should have to wear signs that read: I take what I want by any means necessary.

  “Oh my God, this place is a trip.” I scouted the fifties-style ice cream shop, half expecting Elvis Presley to appear in the corner, crooning “Blue Suede Shoes.”

  “Reminds me of home.” Gemma studiously scanned the milkshake options on the board behind the counter.

&nb
sp; “Can I help you lovely ladies?” An older, plump man smiled from behind the counter and tugged on his red suspenders.

  “What’s good here?” Jenny gaped at the seemingly endless menu options.

  “Everything.” He chuckled. “But I own the place, so I may be biased. I’m Wilbur.” He snapped his suspenders.

  “Nice to meet ya, Wilbur. I’ll have the peanut butter and chocolate shake.” Gemma stepped to the side, motioning for me to order.

  “That’s what I was going to get,” I whispered out of the corner of my mouth.

  “You still can. Great minds—”

  “And roommates.” I laughed and turned to order. “Ditto for me, Wilbur.”

  “Heck, I can’t argue with shake logic. Same for me,” Jenny said much to Wilbur’s amusement even if the statement wasn’t exactly logical.

  April pursed her lips. “Do you have frozen yogurt?”

  Wilbur’s smile dimmed somewhat. “Only chocolate and vanilla, miss.”

  “Vanilla, please.” April smiled sweetly, but I wasn’t buying her act. Everything about her, from her perfect makeup, bleached hair, and tanned skin came across as someone trying way too hard.

  “Chocolate sauce on top?” Wilbur asked, widening his eyes.

  She shook her head.

  “Okey-dokey. Find a table, ladies, and I’ll bring your shakes out to you.” Wilbur barked our order to his shake prep team, which consisted of one scrawny teenage boy with acne.

  After taking seats at a table near the entrance, I turned to Jenny and April. “Did you two know each other before today?”

  “Nope. Hopefully the computer system didn’t royally screw up.” Jenny grinned from ear to ear, her perfect white teeth nearly blinding me.

  It was odd, comparing roommates who were sitting next to each other. Jenny the jock and April the beauty queen. Gemma wasn’t exactly my twin, either. Her Cornhusker football fan T-shirt was testament to that. However, from the short time I’d known her, I sensed we’d become great friends.

  “We didn’t know each other either.” I scootched back for Wilbur to set our milkshakes down.

  “There you go, ladies. Give me a holler if you need anything.” The older-than-dirt owner tottered to the table of two next to us and dished their ice cream concoctions from a tray.

  I raised my glass. “To making new friends.”

  Gemma and Jenny clinked their glasses to mine, while April squished her nose in a way that suggested someone had once told her—probably when she was five—that expression was adorable. Unfortunately, this particular spoiled brat expression had an expiration date and didn’t suit an eighteen-year-old.

  “Where are you from, Gemma?” Jenny spooned a bite of swirled peanut butter into her mouth.

  “Nebraska. You?”

  “Denver.”

  Gemma studied April. I was sure she was going to ask her where she was from, but April’s pinched face stopped Gemma cold.

  Jenny swiveled in her chair and faced the girl she was now living with. “What about you, April? Seems silly I didn’t ask earlier.”

  “Littleton.” Her clipped one-word answer somehow made Jenny smile.

  “Ah, we’re neighbors,” I said. “I’m just west of you, behind the hogback.”

  “Odd, most people want to be on top of me.” April’s face confused me since it contained the leer I was used to seeing on dudes. Before I could give it more thought, she spun toward Gemma. “Looks like you’re the odd man out,” she said with a cold blaze of victory in her face. From my experience, people like April were always seeking ways to exclude somebody to make themselves feel powerful. Picking on the quiet one in the group was a natural fit.

  Gemma’s face pinked, and the only word that came to my mind was adorable—maybe a result of the ice cream freezing my brain.

  Jenny laughed. “Ouch, April. This is college; we’re expanding our minds as we speak.” She stretched her arms outward as if willing to embrace every new experience on the horizon.

  “And our waistlines.” To emphasize my point, I crammed a fully loaded spoon into my mouth.

  “Another perk to college. No parents telling us what we can and should eat.” Jenny clapped a hand on my shoulder. “And now for the question we’ll be asked over and over for the next four years. What are you studying? You first, Tegan.”

  “Nursing.”

  “Right on. You’ll come in handy, I think.” She rubbed her chin thoughtfully as if weighing how my future nursing skills would help. “Gemma?”

  “Economics.”

  Jenny slapped her thigh. “Awesome. I can never balance my checkbook. April?”

  April blinked. “I haven’t declared my major yet.”

  Jenny bobbed her head thoughtfully. “That’s good. I like someone who prefers to sample different things before settling down.” She whispered something in April’s ear that warranted another seductive grin from the she-devil, making my head spin. Jenny patted her chest. “Me, I’m thinking of sports marketing.”

  Gemma perked up in her seat. “I would love to do that.”

  And Gemma and Jenny were off. They huddled their heads together, dropping names of teams, players, and places so fast my head spun. It was the first time I had witnessed Gemma without a trace of nervousness since meeting her earlier in the morning. I wasn’t a sports nut, but their excitement was catchier than a cold in a preschool, which I knew from firsthand experience. April, though, chewed on a fingernail as if she hadn’t eaten anything for days. She’d only taken a few bites of her plain frozen yogurt before abandoning it.

  “Would you like to try my shake?” I offered in hopes of getting her to soften her bitchy face. It was giving me a headache; I couldn’t imagine how it affected her.

  Her face lit up, and she pounced on my shake with a vengeance. Whoa, Nelly! Stay out of this one’s way when there is chocolate involved.

  Gemma met my eye as if to communicate, You weren’t done with your shake, were you? I shook my head. She casually shoved her half-full glass toward me, whispering, “I’m done if you want some.”

  I did want some, and I loved that she got me within hours of meeting me. This was, hopefully, the start to a beautiful friendship.

  Chapter Two

  That night, the four of us decided to hit the town. First up, dinner at Applebee’s. The town of Alfrid was much smaller than what I was used to, and Applebee’s was the best option, unless a person wanted Taco Bell, which I secretly did but didn’t have the cojones to admit. Not with prom queen April in the group.

  As I hummed along to “Save the Best for Last,” Jenny snatched a fry off my plate.

  “Hey! Hands off my fries.” I laughed.

  “Or what?” Jenny playfully crossed her arms and cocked her head.

  “Or—” I brandished my spoon instead of my knife.

  “You’ll spoon me to death? Most pretty girls want to spoon with me, not kill me with one.” She crinkled her nose.

  Spoon with her? What did she mean by that?

  Jenny bumped her arm into Gemma, who turned paler than a sacrificial virgin about to be flung into a volcano.

  I attempted to get Gemma’s attention to furtively ask if she was okay, but she kept her eyes downcast on her half-eaten chicken tenders, her face turning greener than Kermit the Frog’s. A few drops of perspiration dotted her forehead. Had the fried goodness made her ill? I glanced at my plate that contained remnants of the same thing. Fingers crossed I didn’t get the skitters, as my grandpa was fond of saying. Unlike Gemma, I hadn’t touched the honey mustard dipping sauce. Honey and mustard—blech! Maybe my aversion for the abomination would save me from worshipping the white throne on my first night of parental freedom.

  April jolted up in her seat and asked, “What’s the plan tonight?”

  Jenny tossed an arm over the back of her chair. “One of my school buddies who graduated the year before me is hosting a welcome to college bash at her house. I should warn you her shindigs are epic. Back in high school, sh
e threw a party, and I woke up the next morning on a golf course with a lawn sprinkler spraying my face.” She acted out getting sporadically hit in the face.

  I gazed at Jenny to determine if she was serious or not. If that really happened, I didn’t want to miss out. “I’m in.”

  “Ha!” Jenny waggled her finger. “I knew from the moment you crashed into me we’d be soul mates.”

  “Just as long as you don’t steal my fries.”

  Jenny made a move, but I blocked her with my spoon, which I still had a firm grip on.

  “Is that Brad Pitt?” she said in a careless way, making it clear she didn’t give two shits but thought I’d be interested.

  I glanced over my shoulder. “Where?”

  Gemma’s laughter clued me into the fact that I’d fallen for the most obvious trick in the book.

  By the time I whipped my head back to defend my fries, only three remained. The rest of the approximate dozen I’d had were now dangling out of Jenny’s mouth.

  “You owe me dessert now.” I gave her the stink eye.

  She swallowed forcefully. “For what?”

  “Eating my dinner!”

  “Phooey. I was helping so you would have room for free beer.” Jenny smiled.

  “Uh-huh. Do people really fall for that?” I scowled at her, folding my arms over my chest.