Playing it Straight

Chapter 16

The rest of the semester was a blur. Finals were coming up, and everyone was making plans and preparing for the holiday break. Two weeks away from school always felt like a lifetime and also not enough time. Lily thought about how hard it would be to be away from Charlie but how nice it would be to see her family. She didn't know exactly what they were, but they were spending almost every night together. Charlie allowed her to explore parts of herself that no one else ever acknowledged. There was never any pressure to move faster or do anything Lily wasn't absolutely comfortable with. It was amazing. Lily had never had a relationship like this before.

Lily and Charlie were in Lily's room Sunday night studying for finals. Lily was at her desk, and Charlie was on the bed surrounded by note cards. Lily had her study schedule in front of her. She was meticulous. She had two exams on Wednesday, one on Thursday, and one Friday, so she came up with a system to allow her to maximize her time studying for everything. 

Lily glanced over at Charlie and smiled at the realization this wonderful girl was here, with her. 

Charlie caught her, "what are you staring at?"

Trying to be flirty, Lily responded, "just this super hot girl I know, who happens to be in my bed."

"You dork. Come here," and Lily crawled on the bed showering Charlie with kisses. When they broke apart, they both fell back on the bed. Charlie propped herself up on her elbow to look at Lily. "It sucks that most of your finals are all on one day."

Without even thinking, Lily agreed. Then she sat up, "what did you say?" Panic started to fill her. 

A strange look crossed Charlie's features. "I said it sucks that most of your exams are on the same day. You have three on Wednesday."

Lily stood up and rushed to her calendar. She had written anatomy and English on Wednesday, Spanish on Thursday, and Human Growth and Development on Friday. "What are you talking about?" breathing a sign of relief, she reminded Charlie, "Our Spanish exam is Thursday."

Charlie stood up and walked over to her. "Oh babe, that's for the people who want to improve their speaking grade. We all have the opportunity to do another speaking presentation that day, but the actual exam is Wednesday."

"Wednesday? Are you sure?"

"Yeah babe, we talked about it in class as people were packing up."

"How could I miss this?" Lily muttered to herself. She had started pacing and was rambling to herself. "Your schedule doesn't work anymore. There isn't enough time for everything. You only have two more days to study for everything. You'll never be able to do it." She didn't realize, but every thought she had was coming out of her mouth, and it just continued to spiral. "You're going to fail. You've never failed a class. What are you going to do? No one will want a nurse who is a failure..." Eventually, she ended up in a heap on the floor, sobbing and muttering to herself. 

Charlie sat on the floor and pulled Lily into a hug. Charlie rocked her back and forth as she rubbed soothing circles against her back. "It will be okay. I promise it will all be okay," Charlie assured her. 

"No! It won't be okay!" Lily sobbed. "I had a plan, and now that plan doesn't work!" She tried to push Charlie away. "I can't do this; I need to study!" But Charlie wouldn't let go.

"It's okay, baby." She took Lily's hand and pulled her up. She tucked Lily into bed against Lily's protests. She climbed in behind her and held her tight. Charlie stroked her hair as she whispered reassurances in her ear. She reminded Lily that she knew what she was doing. Told her how smart and prepared she was. "You've already been studying for a week for these exams. One day doesn't change anything. You're brilliant." Charlie continued to whisper words of encouragement as Lily's breathing slowed and the panic eased.