Fallout

Callie pulled away from the studio and headed toward Dakota’s apartment. The city lights slid past the windows as the car hummed along. Dakota’s phone buzzed again in her lap. Another frantic text from Jess: Just heard from Lauren. You're seeing someone? Who is this other girl? What is happening?

Dakota’s stomach twisted. She could still see Lauren’s sad, angry face from outside the studio. The guilt sat heavy in her chest. And then there were the messages from Jess — frantic, worried, demanding answers. She was anxious about the confrontation waiting at home, about trying to salvage whatever was left of that friendship. But her mind kept drifting back to the kiss. That incredible, soft, amazing, magical kiss. Maybe bi? The thought flickered through her head before she shoved it away. If she had a dime for every straight girl she’d kissed during her short, chaotic college stint, she’d have enough money to throw away Victoria’s Secret panties every night.

She glanced at Callie, who was watching her with quiet concern. The dashboard lights caught the curve of her cheek, the loose strands of hair that had escaped her ponytail, the steady focus in her eyes. Callie was hot. Like, really hot. That much was undeniable. But she was also really cool. Dakota wanted to get to know her. And she realized that if she was too busy trying to avoid falling for her, then she would miss her chance to be friends with her. And that would be stupid.

Dakota reached over to put her arm on the armrest and accidentally brushed Callie’s hand as she reached for the stick shift. She jerked back. “Oh, sorry about that.”

Callie grinned. “You ever drive stick before?”

Dakota laughed, a little embarrassed. “I can barely drive an automatic. Maybe you can teach me sometime, Professor.”

Callie’s grin widened. “No time like the present.”

She took Dakota’s hand, placed it on the stick shift, and covered it with her own. “Okay. This is second gear.” She pushed it in, the engine revving as the car picked up speed. “This is third gear. And now we’ll push it up to fourth gear.” The car accelerated smoothly, the low rumble of the engine changing with each shift. Dakota’s heart raced faster than the engine itself.

“You know, it’s really easy once you get the hang of it,” Callie said softly.

Dakota swallowed, trying to focus on the feel of the gear shift rather than the feel of Callie’s hand over hers. Before she knew it, Callie was pulling up to the curb again.

“And now back down to first… and here we are. Door-to-door service.”

Dakota hesitated, one hand on the door handle. “Well, I’d invite you up, but it’s really messy up there. Maybe another time.”

Callie nodded, her expression soft. “See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Dakota said, a little too quickly. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

They exchanged quiet goodnights. Dakota stepped out into the cool night air and watched as Callie pulled away, taillights disappearing down the street. She was halfway to the door when she realized she was smiling from ear to ear. Fucking ninjas. She stood there for a moment, steeling herself, then turned toward the building and the mess waiting upstairs. ***

Dakota’s smile faded as she rode the elevator up to her floor. The high from the day with Callie was already crashing against the reality waiting for her. She thought about the reckoning that was coming, about how she had snapped at Taylor, and about Jess, who had introduced her to Lauren. Jess, who had given her a place to live and a shoulder to cry on after the relationship with Lauren ended. She owed Jess more than just an apology. She owed her an explanation.

When she opened the door, Jess and Taylor both looked up. Jess threw her arms around her, pulling her into a tight hug. Dakota could only manage a weak hug in response.

“I need a minute,” she said softly, gently pushing Jess away.

She crossed to the bathroom and shut the door behind her. She turned on the light and stared at her reflection. The bruise had gotten darker. She gently touched the area, sucking in a sharp breath as she winced at the tenderness. “Fuck,” she muttered. That was definitely going to be noticeable at work tomorrow.

She left the bathroom, crossed the apartment without meeting anyone’s eyes, and shut herself in her room. There she changed out of her clothes, put on a pair of dry underwear and her comfy t-shirt, then flopped onto her bed. She lay there staring up at the familiar water stain on the ceiling, the same one she always found herself looking at when everything felt like too much.

It wasn’t long later when there was a soft knock at the door. Jess’s voice came through, gentle and worried. “Dakota? Honey, are you okay? Can you please just talk to me? I’m really worried about you.”

Taylor’s voice followed, quieter. “Come on, babe. We agreed to give her some space.”

Dakota took a deep breath. “No, wait. Come on in.”

The door opened. And all hell broke loose.

“Jesus fucking Christ!” Jess shouted.

Dakota didn’t know what had startled her more — the string of curse words or the raised voice. Both were exceedingly rare from Jess. Jess’s hands flew to her mouth, eyes wide as if she had surprised herself.

Then she launched herself at Dakota, sitting down on the bed next to her and throwing her arms around her neck, half-strangling her in a fierce hug.

“What?” Taylor started. “Who?” she continued. “Lauren?”

Jess and Dakota said at the same time, emphatically, “No.”

Jess said, “Lauren would never.”

Dakota said, “Not even on her worst day.”

Dakota added, “It was a customer at work.”

Taylor’s hands balled into fists. “Babe, get the bail money because I am going to fucking jail tonight.”

Jess said lovingly, “Honey, why don’t you go get some ice?”

Taylor nodded. “Yeah. And a shovel. I’ll be right back.”

When Taylor returned with the ice, Jess took it from her and pressed it gently to Dakota’s face, fussing over the angle until Dakota stopped trying to help.

Dakota surrendered to Jess’s ministrations. She knew better than to argue when Jess was in full mom-of-the-house mode.

She explained what had happened at the shop — the woman hitting on her friend, refusing to take no for an answer, the confrontation outside.

Taylor said, “Sounds like Luna.”

Dakota looked at her. “Yeah, how’d you know?”

Taylor shrugged. “She’s known for having a thing for straight women. If toxic femininity had a face, it’d be hers. She is the final boss of internalized misogyny.”

Dakota chuckled despite herself.

She asked Taylor, “Do you mind if I talk to Jess alone for a little bit?”

Taylor nodded. “No problem.”

She stepped out and shut the door behind her.

Dakota took a deep breath, her hands twisting in her lap. “You know how things with Lauren and I started, and you know how they ended. But it’s time I told you what happened in between.”

Jess looked at her worriedly, leaning back a bit. “Okay. Tell me. Tell me everything.”

And so Dakota did. When she started, it just all tumbled out of her — the control, the makeup, the dresses, all of it. The words came faster than she expected, as if they had been waiting years to escape. As she spoke, she watched Jess coming undone with each new detail. The emotions crossed her face — shock, anger, disbelief — ultimately resolving into deep sadness and sympathy.

By the time Dakota was finished, Jess was completely undone and in tears. She took both Dakota’s hands in hers, squeezing them tightly.

“Oh honey, I am so, so sorry,” Jess whispered, her voice cracking. “I can’t believe I tried to push you back to her.”

Dakota said, “How could you know? I never told you. I did that to myself by never telling you.”

Jess sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m pretty angry with Lauren right now. But she’s still my friend. She’s not off the hook yet.”

She leaned in and hugged Dakota tightly, the warmth of her arms wrapping around her like a blanket. “You can tell me anything. I’m sorry that this happened to you. I’m sorry that you’ve been holding onto this alone.”

Dakota said, “It’s okay. I did it to myself.”

Jess pulled back just enough to look at her, still holding her hands. “Well, I hope you know better now.”

Dakota chuckled softly, the sound a little shaky. “Yeah, I know better.”

Jess wiped her eyes again. “So wait. Who is the girl that Lauren saw you with? She said she was your girlfriend?”

Dakota said, “Yeah. About that.”