dove in love: haha we can play our game, but your gf or ex-gf better not get mad at me.

nattie89: I'm glad you like Alex and Serena. There's lots of them ahead! :D

Jessica: I don't think Casey knows what she feels right now. haha.

Alex's POV

"Alex Cabot, we are about to let you in on a top-secret ritual," Abbie tells me in a very serious tone of voice. "Do you promise to never reveal to anyone outside of this room what you see or hear during this ritual?"

"I promise," I say to her in a shaky voice. I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen to me tonight.

Abbie turns to my girlfriend, "Serena, prepare her initiation." Serena doesn't speak. She just nods to Abbie and starts setting up candles in a circle. Okay, this is seriously creeping me out now. When she is finished setting up, five candles are lit on top of a circle shaped piece of glass with a cup in the middle and five circle shaped cushions are set up in a circle formation.

"Everyone take your places," Abbie says to them and Serena, Bridget, and Olivia each sit on a cushion. Abbie turns off the lights and joins them. Once I'm told to sit down, Serena grabs my hand and gives it a gentle squeeze. After my eyes adjust to the darkness, I can see that Serena is smiling at me. Maybe this won't be so bad after all.

"Princess Serena Nicole Southerlyn, initiated October 13, 2006," Abbie says and Serena grabs a needle from the glass dish. Through the candle light, I can see her prick her finger and squeeze a single blood drop into the cup in the center of the dish.

"Princess Olivia Serena Benson, initiated May 20, 2008," Abbie announces and Olivia grabs her own needle and repeats Serena's actions.

Bridget is next. "Princess Bridget Michelle McNamara, initiated May 20, 2008," Bridget hesitantly grabs her needle and winces as she pricks her finger deep enough to draw blood.

"Now me," Abbie says proudly. "Princess Abigail Elizabeth Carmichael, initiated October 13, 2006." After a drop of Abbie's blood is in the cup, she turns to Serena. "Serena, since she is your girlfriend, you may do the honors."

Serena is smiling at me, but I can't smile back at her no matter how hard I try. I keep focusing on the fact that there is only one needle left and it's meant for me.

"Abbie and I started the Circle fall quarter of our freshman year. The sole purpose of the Circle is empowerment. Whenever you need to rid any negativity from your life, you can call upon your sisters in the Circle and we'll perform our cleansing ritual together."

"You're not going to make me drink blood are you?" I ask nervously.

"Eww!" Bridget says. "We're not a cult, Alex."

"Are you ready?" Abbie asks.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

Serena grabs my right hand and pricks one of my fingers.

"You may now place a single drop of blood into the sacred gauntlet," Abbie says.

"Abbie, isn't that a pimp cup?" Bridget asks and Olivia playfully smacks her.

Once a blood drop is in the cup, Serena continues the ritual. "You are hereby known as Princess Alexandra Vivian Cabot initiated on June 11, 2009."

Serena gives me a kiss and Bridget gets up to turn the lights back on.

It's the night of our last day of junior year and the five of us agreed to have a sleepover at my place. I thought it was going to be a typical night of girl talk and horror movies, but when Abbie and Serena are together, you never know what's going to happen.

Abbie passes out five notebooks and pens and Serena starts to explain the process to me. "Every time we do this little ritual, we take out two pieces of paper. On one of them you write down all the positive things that happened to you since the last ritual or, since this is your first time, all of the positive things that happened to you during this school year. Once you're done, you put the list in that pink box on the coffee table. On the second piece of paper, you write down all the negative things that happened and if you feel comfortable, you can share them with the rest of the circle."

It sounds simple enough. Once we are finished with both lists, Abbie suggests that I go first.

"I guess it would be when I caught Casey cheating on me," I tell them. "I moved on and I'm happier with Serena than I ever was with Casey, but it's the lying and the backstabbing that bothered me and the fact that none of this even bothered her."

"If Casey wouldn't have cheated on you, you would never have met Serena," Bridget tells me. "And the two of you are so cute together. Serena adores you."

"I adore her, too," I tell Bridget as I wrap my arms around my girlfriend.

When it's Abbie's turn, she confesses something that not even Serena was aware of.

"Billy broke up with me," she tells us.

"What? When?" Serena asks.

"This afternoon," Abbie says to us. "He said there was something very important we needed to talk about. Can you believe I actually thought he was going to lavalier me? I got dressed up for him and was expecting him to ask me to wear his letters, but instead he breaks up with me because there's someone else."

"Who?" Serena asks. "Is she Greek?"

"He wouldn't tell me, but I bet she's gorgeous."

"Abbie, you're gorgeous," I tell her.

"I don't feel like I am right now," she says through her sobs. I've never seen Abbie cry. This guy must have really meant something to her.

Serena leaves my side so she can comfort her best friend. "I love you, Raye Hino," she says to Abbie.

"I love you, too, Serena Tsukino," Abbie replies.

"What?" I ask.

"You'll find out this summer," they say in unison.

"Maybe you were just too strong for him," Olivia suggests. "You know how guys like Billy are. He's the president of his frat and you're going to be the president of your sorority. He's probably not used to being with a woman who likes to take charge."

"Or maybe he's just an asshole," Bridget says innocently and Abbie finally smiles.

"I'm liking Bridget's interpretation," she says. "Billy is an asshole for making me cry over him. I don't cry over guys. I'm going to be a senior this fall. I'm in my prime. I can do so much better than him."

Once everyone is finished, we rip our "bad" lists and toss the paper in the trash to symbolize getting rid of the negativity in our lives.

"What happens to the lists in the pink box?" I ask.

"We keep them in there and look at them whenever we need cheering up," Olivia responds.

"Can I read one?" I ask.

"Let me guess, you want to read Serena's." Abbie tells me as she pulls Serena's list out of the box.

In big letters were the words "Meeting Alex."

Of all the good things to happen to her this year, Serena considers meeting me to be the highlight of her school year. Although the ritual seems silly, it actually works. I have gotten rid of the negativity of junior year and I'm ready for my fourth and final year of college.

THE END!