AN: Hi. I wanted to write something fluffy just for fun, and this is the idea I came up with. The story will be mostly fluff and soap, with lots of tingly feelings and very little realism. Hope you like it!

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Tripping Through the Tulips

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Chapter 1:

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The Forks Academy for Girls. Situated in a quiet wood outside a small town in rural Washington, the Academy was one of the most prestigious boarding schools in the country. Boasting a scenic campus, an advanced curriculum, and state of the art computer technology, the Academy was truly a place where gifted young women could flourish.

But none of that impressed Bella as much as the uniforms.

She was on her way to the Academy right now and she was gazing at a glossy brochure she held in her lap. The picture was intended to showcase the hallowed ivy covered hall that stood on a hill stamped against a bright blue sky but it was the girls in the foreground that Bella was staring at. They were dressed identically in pleated navy blue miniskirts and crisp white blouses and the photo was taken at a slight upward angle so that you could almost see up their skirts.

So far it was the only thing Bella liked about her new school but even the anime-esque uniforms weren't enough to actually excite her. She sighed heavily and her mother glanced at her as she drove.

"Excited, sweetie?"

Bella snorted. "No."

"No? How come no?"

"It's a new school, mom. Why would I be excited?"

"Because look at this place!" her mom said, and snatched the brochure out of her hands. The car swerved but she caught the steering wheel and straightened it out before they could ram into any of the trees lining the road. "I mean, isn't it amazing? Swimming pools, tennis courts, luxury dorms. No boys, but that shouldn't bother you."

Bella frowned and snatched back the brochure. "Who cares if there's no boys? It's not like I'd have a chance with any of the girls there. I bet they're all just a bunch of rich snobs."

"Oh Bella."

"It's true."

"Don't be silly, everybody's going to love you."

"Yeah right," Bella muttered, and turned her gaze out the window. Out there was nothing but a blur of trees as they drove deeper into the forest and she felt like some orphan being driven out into the woods by a stepmother who planned to leave her there—which was basically true.

"Just try to be nice, okay sweetie?" her mother pleaded. "You're gonna love it there, I promise."

—

It was midmorning at the Academy and a bright sun shone over the courtyard. The lanes and paths were littered with girls coming and going—some with parents and bags, most in uniforms—and there was high a din of birds and voices as old friends embraced and exclaimed how much they missed each other.

In the center of the plaza there was a large and ornate ivory fountain which featured a ring of pearl-white dolphins basking under a steady sprinkle of water. Around the rim of the fountain sat a group of athletic looking girls with short hair who had gathered there to jeer and catcall at the new girls. Several of them were wearing their winter pants instead of skirts and they looked almost like boys.

A girl they recognized was going by with the sun shining in her red hair and instantly they began hooting at her.

"Woo hoo, nice to see your back Vicky!"

"And your front!"

"And your legs!"

They laughed and jostled each other boisterously. Victoria smiled at them haughtily. She wore her blouse untucked and with a few buttons undone to reveal some cleavage and she wore her socks as low as possible to expose most of her legs.

"What's the matter," one of the girls at the fountain called out, a tough looking brunette named Leah, "didn't they have any shorter skirts?"

Victoria swaggered past her boyish admirers with an emphatic roll of her hips and said:

"This was the shortest they had, but I might have it altered if I get enough complaints."

The girl-jocks let out a whoop and almost leaned into the jets of water to watch her round the bend.

The main gates of the school were polished brass that gleamed in the sun. Bella and her mother were going up the steps that led into the courtyard, through the open gates and past the marble pillars were two gold angels stood with harps.

Bella glanced about, nervous. All the girls seemed really pretty. Her mother was leading the way with a map in her hands and mumbling about how confusing it was.

"This map doesn't even make sense, I can't even…"

"It's upside down, mom."

"Oh," her mother said, and flipped it around. "Right. Now." She looked at the map, she looked up. "Where's the financial aid office?"

They were standing in the middle of the plaza, near the fountain, and by now the girl-jocks had noticed the awkward girl standing with her mother, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, dark hair, kind of cute. One of them pointed her out to her friends and they all began to hoot.

"Looky here!"

"New girl!"

"Hey, cutie!"

"Take off your top, baby, that ain't a uniform!"

They cackled and elbowed each other rowdily.

"Good lord," her mother said, glancing in bewilderment at those short haired hooligans before taking her daughter's arm and leading her away, shielding her from view with her body.

Bella felt a flicker of delight and even smiled over her shoulder.

The main building was at the end of the lane and up a short flight of steps, a large brick built hall with rows of windows like an antique manor. Inside the board floors were polished so bright you could see your reflection and the receptionist was standing behind a bench of polished mahogany. There were two girls already there with questions about their classes and one of them smiled at Bella. Bella flashed a nervous smile in return.

The headmistress of the Academy was a tall woman with long black hair. She was dressed in black heels and a black business suit and she was sexier than a supermodel. She invited Bella and her mother into her office and Bella stared at the tight behind of her skirt as she led them down a corridor. A gold nameplate on the door said:

Headmistress

Sulpicia Volturi

The headmistress opened the door and held it open for them to enter, favoring them each with a smile of red lipstick. Bella's heart almost jumped out of her chest, the woman was so hot.

"Well, it certainly is nice to finally meet you, Miss Swan," the headmistress was saying as she closed the door. "Please, take a seat."

Bella and her mother sat down in the two chairs in front of the darkwood desk. Her mother had her purse in her lap and even she seemed slightly taken aback by this black-haired beauty.

"While my assistant takes care of the financial details, I thought I would take the time to get to know you a little," said the headmistress, taking a seat behind her desk. "Here at the Academy we take the care of our students very seriously. I encourage my faculty to take a special interest in each girl's individual wants and…needs."

A slight emphasis on the word needs, a mild leer in Bella's direction. Bella and her mother shared a glance. They both seemed a little confused.

"Well, that's good to know," her mother said.

The headmistress smiled at her and turned the smile to Bella.

"So, Miss Swan," she said. "Where do you see yourself in ten years' time?"

"Err, I don't know."

"Bella's never been very ambitious," her mother chimed in.

"Well, not to worry," said the headmistress. "We'll narrow her focus soon enough. Our records show she has marvelous potential. You're a very bright girl, aren't you Miss Swan?"

"Err, I guess."

"And very beautiful too," added the headmistress sultrily. "Educating you is going to be a real…pleasure."

A deep red blush was spreading over Bella's face and she shot a helpless glance at her mother. Her mother seemed to be framing her next words in her mind, perhaps a question concerning what kind of education the woman was referring too, but before she could speak there was a knock on the door.

"Hello?" chirped a girl's voice. "Am I interrupting?"

Bella turned in her chair. The door was partly open and a girl with a pixie-cut was poking her head in.

"Ah, Alice," said the headmistress, rising from her desk. "Right on time. Miss Swan, this is Alice Brandon. She'll be your roommate for your first year here at the Academy. I arranged for her to come meet you and show you around a little."

The girl had come into the office and she was smiling at Bella. She was small and gorgeous and she looked neat and presentable in her clean white blouse and pressed miniskirt. Bella floated to her feet, staring.

"H-hi," she stuttered.

The girl gave a quirky wave.

"Hey," she giggled.

The headmistress had come around the desk and she motioned with a sweep of her arm toward the door. "Well, I'm sure you're eager to get settled," she said to Bella. "It was nice to meet you, Miss Swan."

"Nice to meet you too, Miss um…?"

"Volturi. But the girls like to call me Mistress."

"Mistress?"

"Yes, Mistress. Now run along. Your mother and I have lots to talk about."

The headmistress ushered the two girls out of the room and closed the door behind them before turning back to the girl's mother.

She was sitting there with her purse in her lap, nervous. The headmistress approached the desk but she didn't sit behind it. Instead she perched her hip on the edge and folded her long white legs, one over the other. The other woman stared at them, open mouthed. The headmistress rubbed her thighs together slightly, as if to make herself comfortable, and smiled.

"Now," she said. "Where were we?"

—

The dormitories were a trio of tall buildings connected by a courtyard known as the Garden. The Garden featured gravel lanes and a large cherry tree as the center piece with pink blossoms that flaked off in the wind and in the sunlight. Under the tree was a bed of lush looking grass and two brass benches. One of the benches were occupied by a pair of girls who were comparing things on their phones and the gravel lanes were heavily trafficked by girls and their parents.

"These are the dorms," Alice was saying as she led Bella down the path, their shoes crunching in the gravel. "There's three different buildings, one for each of the houses. The houses used to be named after old teachers, but now they're named after flowers. We're in House Violet. The other two houses are House Rose and House Lily."

"Cool."

"So, today's your first day?"

"Basically."

"Do you like it so far?"

Bella looked about at the girls in their uniforms and at the butterflies fluttering above the beds of flowers and at the façade of the stately dormitory they were entering and she actually chuckled once.

"It's pretty cool," she said.

The inside of the building looked like the interior of a victorian mansion, with polished floors and heavy drapes framing the windows. The lobby was an open area with upholstered settees, cream in color, and the air was abuzz with activity like a beehive of young girls. A spiral staircase led up into the upper floor and the steps were carpeted with embroidered red and gold tapestry.

"Our dorms are upstairs," Alice was saying. "You're lucky you're enrolling in grade ten. Any lower and you have to sleep in the communal dorm with all the other girls. It's okay, but it can be pretty annoying. Everybody's up all night whispering. It's like being trapped in a hall full of mice."

The corridor they entered was oak paneled and one side was lined with bright windows. The other side was lined with doors. Some of the doors were open, revealing beds and luggage. Bella peeped a girl getting changed in one of the rooms, a flash of bra, and she blushed as she went by.

"Seniors are the luckiest," Alice went on, "they get a dorm all to themselves. It would be great to have that kind of privacy, but it's cool to have a roommate if you get a good one."

"Are you a good one?"

"I'm the best one," Alice declared and grabbed Bella's arm to draw her closer. "You're gonna love having me as a roommate, trust me. We're gonna be best friends, I just know it."

Alice was beaming and Bella had to smile too.

Their room was at the end of the corridor and Alice hugged Bella's arm right until she opened the door and entered, twirling into the room with an expansive flourish of her arms.

"And here we are," she said. "Home sweet home. What do you think? I was here over the summer so I've already decorated my half."

The room was small, with two single beds, and there were two desks with two lamps and a chest of drawers between the beds. One half of the room was bare and the other half was practically wallpapered with posters of popstars and scantily clad anime characters. Bella nodded at the collage.

"Pretty cool," she said.

Alice was looking about and nodding too. Then she turned back to her roommate and something seemed to occur to her.

"Hey, you know what you should do?"

"What?"

"Try on your uniform. You don't have to wear it today, but you might as well get used to it. Plus, they're so cute. I mean, look at me. Don't I look cute in my uniform?"

She did a quick spin to show off her outfit, so fast and graceful that her skirt flared out about her thighs like a dancer. Her legs were long and slim and her white socks reached almost to her knees like stockings. Bella caught a glimpse of panties and gulped.

"Y-yeah," she said.

"Go on, get changed," Alice said, flapping a hand at her. "You're not nervous about getting changed in front of company, are you? Cuz you're gonna have to get used to it."

"I don't mind."

"Great. Can I see your schedule?"

"Sure."

Bella handed over her schedule and Alice sat on her bed to look it over.

On the other bed, Bella's bed, there was a folded uniform. Bella was actually a bit nervous. She took off her shoes first, kicking them off with her feet, and then she pulled off her t-shirt. She was wearing a plain white bra underneath and her breasts were pretty big for her age. She felt more exposed in front of this one girl than she ever had in a locker room and she flickered a quick glance at her roommate.

Alice was holding the slip of paper in her hands but mostly she was sneaking peeks at Bella. Bella caught her but pretended not to notice. She turned aside slightly and unzipped her jeans before pushing them down, her legs electrified under the other girl's gaze. She kicked the jeans away and began to unfold the uniform on the bed. She could feel the other girl looking at her butt. It felt tingly.

She stepped into the miniskirt first, pulling it up about her hips and buttoning the single button. It felt scandalously short and extremely drafty about her legs. Next she shrugged on her blouse and flicked her hair out from the collar. Her heart was beating rapidly. She was blushing and her fingers were fumbling with the buttons.

"Wow," Alice said, watching her, "it already looks great on you."

"Thanks."

"Need some help?" Alice asked, rising to her feet.

"It's okay, I got it."

Bella got it buttoned and began tucking it into her skirt. Alice watched her for a moment and then reached past her and retrieved the final piece of the outfit from the bed—a red ribbon that went around the collar like a tie.

"The ribbon can be a little tricky," she said. "Here, let me."

She was already reaching behind Bella's neck. Bella stiffened. Their faces were only inches apart. Alice smiled and got the ribbon under Bella's collar and began tying it. She was watching the knot but her eyes kept flickering over Bella's face.

"Wow," she said, gazing into Bella's eyes. "You're really pretty."

"Thanks."

The knot was done by now but Alice was still holding the ribbon and still standing closely. Their faces were bright with blushes and their eyes were sparkling. Bella didn't move, consumed by how close the other girl's lips were, and after a while Alice broke the gaze.

"Hey, um…wanna sit down for a second? My legs are a little…"

She lowered herself onto the bed, almost swooning. Bella sat beside her.

"So," Alice said, shuffling a little closer. "Do you like the uniform?"

"It's okay. I'm not really a skirt person."

"Why not? It looks so cute on you."

"It's not really my style. I'm more of a…"

She trailed off. Alice had reached into Bella lap and she was arranging the pleats there, making them straight. Bella gulped and began tingling between her legs.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing," Alice whispered, gazing down into her lap. Her hand came up under Bella's skirt and caressed the inside of Bella's thigh. Bella's breath hitched. Alice smiled coyly and lifted her eyes to Bella's. They were gleaming with mischief and she caressed the soft skin there a little firmer. "Is this okay?"

Bella nodded jerkily.

Alice kissed her.

It was Bella's first kiss and it took her breath away. The other girl's lips were indescribably soft. The kiss was soft at first, just a gentle press of her lips. Then it went a little firmer. Then she opened her mouth.

Alice seemed to know exactly what she was doing but it was all new to Bella. Her heart raced wildly at the entrance of the other girl's tongue and she began making experimental movements of her own, touching them together, all hot and wet. Alice's hand was still between her thighs and Bella could feel herself throbbing. Two fingers brushed up against the front of her panties and she gasped, breaking the kiss.

She was panting heavily and the other girl was breathing heavy as well. Alice smiled and pressed the pads of her fingers against Bella's throbbing entrance.

"Do you like that?" she asked.

Bella nodded rapidly. "Hell yes."

"Wanna touch me too?"

"Where?"

"You know where."

Alice parted her legs slightly, sitting sideways on the bed. Bella reached between her thighs under her skirt and mimicked what the other girl was doing to her, stroking her fingers against softness under her skirt, rubbing her panties gently. Alice responded with a smile and a squirm of her spine.

"Mmm," she said. "That feels good."

"Yeah."

"Do you wanna go all the way?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know."

Grinning impishly, Alice slipped her fingers inside Bella's panties. Bella flinched slightly. Alice giggled and stroked the moistness there, her fingers deft and expert, as if she'd done this a million times.

"Well? What do you think?"

Bella looked at the other girl's lap. Her hand was still between her thighs but she didn't know what to do with it. She blinked and looked up at Alice.

"I don't know how," she blurted.

Alice giggled and used her free hand to guide Bella's hand against her.

"It's easy," she said. "Just do me like how you'd do yourself. Okay?"

"O-okay."

Bella's fingers were inside Alice's panties and all she could feel was softness and smoothness. She stroked it, making the other girl purr.

"Mmm," she said. "Just like that."

Then Alice took Bella's neck and drew her into a kiss.

Bella's eyes fell closed. It was hard to concentrate with the other girl's tongue in her mouth and her hand in her panties but she did her best. She couldn't believe she was actually touching another girl. Touching her between her legs, where it was all warm and wet.

They moaned and kept making out, perched sideways on the edge of the bed in their uniforms, legs parted, hands rubbing eagerly under their skirts, until finally their breathing was too fast for them to do anything else. They broke the kiss but kept their faces close, flushed and breathless, panting onto each other's lips. They were gazing into each other's eyes and finally they came, twisting their waists and tightening their thighs.

Alice was the first to look away. She retracted her hand from Bella's lap and stood up away from Bella's hand. She was smiling but she wouldn't look at Bella. She was tidying her clothes, although she was mostly immaculate aside from the pink hue in her cheeks.

"Sorry about that," she said, and then she giggled and covered her face with her hands. "Gosh, I'm so embarrassed. Listen, I gotta go. Sorry, I…"

She opened the door and scampered out.

Bella was still sitting there, panting, legs open, her skirt dipping in the gap between her thighs. She looked down at it, still throbbing between them. Then she closed her legs and smoothed down her skirt.

—

By the time she wandered back outside there were lots of girls saying goodbye to their parents, hugging their mothers tightly or just shooing them away so they could get back to their friends. Bella found her own mother out there too, strolling the courtyard with some woman who was pointing up at one of the buildings and explaining something. Bella went up to them.

"Hi, sweetie," her mother said when she noticed her. "Wow, look at you in your uniform. You look great!"

"Thanks."

"Oh, this is Ms Esme Cullen," she added, gesturing at the woman beside her. "She's one of your English teachers. We bumped into each other in the office and she was kind enough to offer me a tour of the grounds."

Bella looked at her new English teacher, or rather looked at her boobs. They were huge and after getting a quick eyeful of her cleavage Bella looked up at her face.

Her hair was caramel colored and she wore it in an elegant bun on top of her head with wisps framing her face. Her eyes were blue and bright behind a pair of glasses and she wore a professional looking skirtsuit, light beige in color. She looked like an old fashioned movie star.

"Oh," Bella said. "Hi."

The teacher smiled at her and extended a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Bella," she said. "Your mother's told me so much about you."

Bella shook the hand politely, already liking her. Her mother was gazing about the flower filled courtyard and shaking her head in wonder.

"I just can't get over how amazing this place is," she said. "I wish I had gone to a place like this when I was a girl."

The teacher turned to her and spoke in a pleasant voice. "Actually, over fifty percent of the faculty are, in fact, alumni. I went here myself when I was younger. The academy is a very special place. I'm sure your daughter will flourish quite happily here."

"Well, I just want what's breast—I mean, best—for my daughter."

The teacher cleared her throat and smiled at the slip. Bella gave her mother an odd look and her mother blushed, glanced at the other woman's chest, and quickly went on.

"I only worry that she might have trouble fitting in," she said. "Sometimes she's not very, well…friendly."

Bella rolled her eyes.

"Not to worry," the teacher said. "Here at the academy we have a big sister program, a tradition where one of the seniors takes one of the juniors under her wing."

She gestured at the cherry tree in the center of the courtyard to call attention to the two girls sitting on the grass underneath it. They were both blonde, one of them older, one of them younger, and the younger one was nestled under the older one's arm.

"As you can see," the teacher went on, "this is a very beneficial relationship to both the junior and the senior. It encourages a sisterly bond, which…"

She trailed off.

The two blondes had started making out.

Bella and her mother stared in shock but none of the other girls in the courtyard even seemed to notice. It was a deep kiss, very intimate, and the older one had cupped the younger one's cheek. Pink petals were drifting before them in the breeze and they looked incredibly beautiful together. Bella's mouth was hanging open and when her mother spoke it came out in a squeak.

"Sisterly?"

The teacher seemed mildly flustered but she smiled.

"Yes, well," she said. "Girls will be girls, even when there's no boys around."

Then she turned to the two blondes and started clapping her hands at them, like you'd do to naughty pets.

"You girls! Stop that at once! This is a school, not a night club!"

The two blondes broke their kiss and gave the teacher a dry look. Then they went back to the textbooks in their laps.

Bella and her mother shared a look. The teacher sighed and turned back to them.

"Nevertheless," she said, "I'm sure your daughter will fit right in."

"Yes, I'm sure she will too."

"Well, I should leave you two alone. It was nice to meet you, Bella," she said, extending her hand once more. "I look forward to our first class together."

Bella shook it and nodded at her chest.

"Yeah," she said. "You too."

The teacher gave them both one last smile and then strolled away.

Bella let her eyes roam over the woman's stockings and then looked at her mother. Her mother watched the teacher go and then spun back to Bella with a scandalous blaze in her eyes.

"Did you see that?!" she hissed quietly. "Those girls were kissing!"

"Yeah."

"Boy," her mother breathed, shaking her head incredulously. "Maybe you're not gonna be as lonely as you thought, hm? By the way, where's your new friend Alice?"

"I don't know."

"She seemed like a nice girl. Do you think you're going to get along as roommates?"

A smirk tugged at Bella's mouth.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe."

"Oh, Bella," her mother sighed. "I worry about you sometimes. Just promise me you'll be nice to everyone and make some friends, okay? I don't want to go away thinking you're going to be miserable here."

Her mom gave her a hug. Bella hugged her back and over her shoulder she saw the two blondes had started making out again. She smiled and said:

"Don't worry about me, mom. I think I'm gonna like it here."

—

It wasn't until later in the afternoon when she went back to the dorms. She was hoping she might find her roommate but the room was empty.

She knocked on the bathroom door, just to check. She opened it up and looked inside. It was the tiniest bathroom she had ever seen. There wasn't even a shower, just a toilet and a sink with a mirror. The communal showers were down the hall. The bathroom was shared with the room next door and she went through and knocked on the other door. A voice behind the door said:

"Yeah?"

Bella opened the door and peeped into her neighbor's room. It was occupied by a tall brunette who looked very nice and a small blonde who looked kind of mean.

"Hey," Bella said. "You guys must be the suitemates."

"Yup, that's us," said the brunette. She had a top in her hand and she waved it about to say hello. "I'm Angela, this is Jessica. You must be Bella, right?"

"Yeah."

"Nice to meet you. We were wondering when you were going to show up. Where's Alice, have you seen her? I haven't seen her all day, she hasn't even said hi."

"I saw her this morning, but that's it."

The brunette nodded disappointedly and the small blonde snorted. She was reclining on the bed and she gave Bella a skeptical look.

"I'd watch out if I were you."

"Why?"

"Alice isn't as innocent as she seems."

The brunette flapped the top at her roommate as if to dismiss her. "Oh, don't listen to her," she said, "she's just jealous. Alice is the nicest girl in the whole school, you'll love her."

Bella smiled to herself.

"Yeah," she said. "Probably."

"Hey, we were about to get something to eat in a few minutes. Did you wanna come with us? The cafeteria's closed but the kitchen's open all night."

"Nah, I'm tired. I'm just gonna relax."

"Okay. Well, we'll see you later."

"You too."

The brunette turned back to the chest of drawers to continue unpacking. Bella nodded goodnight at the blonde on the bed and the blonde tossed her chin.

"Later, new girl."

Bella stepped back into the bathroom and closed the door.

It was late at night by the time Alice returned to the room. Bella was sitting cross-legged on the bed with a bunch of textbooks scattered around her, flipping through them idly. It was all much more advanced than at her last school. She looked at the clock on the wall and let out a loud yawn. She closed the book she was reading and had begun to pack them up when there was a soft knock on the door.

The door opened and Alice popped her head in.

"Hey," she said. "Sorry, I was…"

She gestured vaguely. Bella didn't know what it meant. She was entering the room sheepishly and she laced her hands behind her back.

"Listen," she said. "I really need to apologize."

"About what?"

"About what happened. I shouldn't have, you know. Come onto you like that. Not so quickly, anyway. Truth is, I already have a girlfriend."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Actually, I have several."

Bella raised an eyebrow.

"Several?"

Alice shrugged a shoulder coyly, a pretty blush moving over her cheeks. "Yeah," she said. "Basically. They're not actually girlfriends, they're more like girls who, um. You know. Like to fool around sometimes? And, you know. I'm kind of popular, so…"

She trailed off, standing there with her hands behind her back, partly ashamed, partly proud, waiting for a reaction. Bella swallowed and scratched her head.

"Oh," she said. "Well, um…I like to fool around too."

"You do?"

"Sure."

"So you're not mad at me?"

"Of course not."

Alice fluttered with relief and came forward to hug Bella. Bella was standing by the chest of drawers between the beds and the force of the hug backed her into them.

"Thanks," Alice said. "I was so worried. I thought we were going to be enemies for the whole year. I'm glad we can be friends."

"Yeah, me too."

Alice released her, smiling. Bella blushed.

"So, um," she said. "How many of these girlfriends do you actually have?"

"Oh, only a couple right now, but I'm always eager to meet new people. Hey, wanna see something?"

"See what?"

Alice opened the top drawer and took out a small square box. It was a keepsake box of polished redwood with gold hinges and a gold clasp and a gold loveheart embellished into the surface of the lid.

"This is my conquest box," Alice said, lifting the lid. The inside was lined with velvet and the only thing it contained was a little nest of red ribbons like the ones that were part of the school uniform. "I collect a ribbon from every girl I've been with," she explained. "Some of them were just kisses, but lots of them were more."

"Wow," Bella said, gazing into the box. There were dozens of ribbons in there, so many she couldn't even guess. "That's a lot of girls."

Alice giggled and lifted a pinch of the ribbons. "Mmhm," she said. "And I'm only a junior. By the time I'm a senior I might need a whole new box."

"Wow," Bella repeated. "Did you want a ribbon from me too?"

Alice had been about to close the lid but now she looked up in delight.

"Really? That would be so awesome. I was afraid to ask you."

Bella was already untying the ribbon from around her neck. She handed it over and Alice took it, smiling and adding it to her collection.

"Thanks," she said. "I can buy you a new one tomorrow, if you want. They're pretty expensive."

"Don't worry about it, my mom bought me spares of everything."

Alice was still smiling as she closed the box and latched it shut and then she turned the smile to Bella. She was a few inches shorter and she had to stand on her toes slightly to place a kiss on the corner of Bella's mouth.

"Thanks," she said.

Bella tried to be gallant and failed miserably.

"Y-your welcome," she stuttered.

Alice tucked the box back where it came from—on top of her underwear—and closed the drawer.

"Well," she said, "I guess we better get to bed, huh? It's pretty late. It's not going to be weird getting changed in front of each other, is it?"

She was already unbuttoning her blouse. Bella smiled and reached for her own buttons.

"I think it'll be okay," she said.

They undressed together, openly sneaking peeks at each other's bodies, and got changed into their sleepwear. Alice had pink pajamas and Bella just had a t-shirt and shorts. Alice flipped off the light and Bella switched off the lamp before they both crawled into their beds.

And then they lay there. In the dark. Not whispering. Flashes of bras and panties were fresh in their minds and Bella's lips were still tingling from where Alice had kissed her. The darkness between them seem to crackle with sexual tension and finally Alice spoke.

"Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you sleep?"

"Not really."

"Me neither."

They fell silent. Bella blinked in the dark. Alice giggled once and whispered:

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Um, I don't know. What are you thinking?"

Alice giggled again and hopped out of her bed and came crawling into Bella's. Bella felt a warm softness brush up against her body as Alice settled against her.

"I was thinking we might as well just do it."

"I was thinking that too."

"I know you were," Alice said, touching Bella's face in the dark to find her lips. "We're going to be perfect roommates, aren't we?"

Bella opened her mouth to answer but Alice was already kissing her.

—