Impressed, Frazer looked around. “Smart.”

“Let me see your head.”

Without a thought, Frazer let her hand drop and watched Cora’s face for the first time. She winced when Cora’s brow furrowed deeply. “That bad, is it?”

“You have a bruising egg already.”

“Awesome.”

Gentle and sure, Cora’s hands held the sides of her face as she made Frazer angle her head up so she could look at it closely under the light. “I think I just watched it get bigger.”

“Even more awesome.”

When had Cora stepped closer to her? She looked drawn, with dark circles smudged under her eyes. Had she not slept well? The fact that Frazer meant to ask where she’d been for the training flew out of her head.

Cora looked from Frazer’s now apparently oddly shaped head to catch her gaze. Cora gave an awkward smile and let her hands fall away. “Hey.”

Frazer chuckled. “Hi.”

Maybe it was the hit in the head, but Frazer felt a bit light-headed. Cora smelt nice. Clean and fresh. Without thinking, Frazer moved forward, her gaze going from Cora’s eyes to her lips. When Cora swayed forward ever so slightly, Frazer froze, snapping back to reality.

Something dark flitted over Cora’s eyes, and she stepped back.

Cora was always stepping back.

“You should get that checked out.”

And then she was gone, the door closing with a neat snick, leaving Frazer with a throbbing head and a bad feeling in her gut.

Shit. Fuck.

Rule number one of the lesbian world, especially once outside of high school: never fall for the straight girl. Never.

Okay, now she was mad.

Taking a deep breath, Frazer stormed out of the room with a vicious push of the door. She wove her way through the hallways with her fists clenched at her side. When she reached her destination, her eyes swept the room. It was empty. No one at the receptionist’s desk. She quickly turned on her heel. She didn’t want to run into Alec.

Especially right now.

Not when she was heavily dealing with high school-type feelings.

The canteen didn’t hold the object of her search either.

Frazer burst out of the hospital, shivering as frigid air surrounded her. It cooled her flaming skin but did nothing for the panic rising in her stomach. Turning a few corners, Frazer finally saw her.

Tia didn’t even look surprised when Frazer stepped into the courtyard. In fact, she didn’t even straighten from where she stood, back against the wall. For too long, Frazer stared at her before walking forward and accepting the packet of cigarettes she held out.

Cigarettes. Something Frazer hated.

But the smoke curled in her lungs and burnt out some of the heavy feelings in her chest. Wrapping an arm around her middle, Frazer stood next to Tia, one foot flat against the wall and brick biting into her back.