a/n: And I said to myself, "What would be the weirdest travel squad?" and then this chapter happened.

"What do you know about Arden these days?" Joanna asked.

Darling pushed up, sitting back on Joanna's lap. The familiar weight grounded Joanna, and the smell of Darling's perfume even more so. The scent of herbal rose perfume, sweet, soft, and delicate, turned the ache in her chest into cotton. The sensation became saturated with vestigial turmoil, and the relief that always followed her talks with Darling. The ache, however, remained.

Joanna would never be able to get rid of that ache. It reminded her too much of how infuriating Darlene Lavier was. Her sense of loyalty was poisoned by her fierce determination to follow Arden, and therefore, follow Georgina.

Even after everything, Darling would never give up on Georgina.

Joanna clenched her hands into fists as she sat up, jaw clenched tightly. I suppose we both have a stupid sense of loyalty in common, she thought. But I always knew this.

Darling studied her for a moment, the skin around her eyes red and puffy. She sniffed again and shook her head. "I don't want to talk about her with you."

"I have to know," she insisted, voice cold.

"No. It isn't—She isn't good for you," Darling said, shaking her head.

"She isn't good for you, either."

Darling trembled, clenching the used tissues in her hands against her lap. "See? This is why I can't talk about her with you—"

Joanna ground her teeth together to silence the frustrated scream in the back of her throat.

"I don't want to talk about Georgina with you, either," Darling said, shaking her head resolutely.

Joanna never wanted to slap her so terribly before. She blamed it on the amount of time she had to distance herself from Darling and her dedication to manipulative bitches.

"Okay," she ground out tersely. "Then why are you here?"

Darling bowed her head, and Joanna registered the guilt at once. Darling's shoulders trembled as she said, "I just... wanted to see you. We haven't talked, and I don't have your number anymore."

"There's a reason for that," Joanna said.

Darling deflated, though they both knew the truth: That Arden was monitoring Darling's phone activity. That used to be Georgina's gig, but one horrendous fight later and Arden forced Georgina to hand over the controls for once. Darling's private messages were, more or less, too much for someone with Georgina's background to classify as "okay".

Arden was less biased and more straightforward with her results. As long as nothing came on the radar that had to do with A) Her Sisterhood work, B) Hindering Arden's future plans, and C) Joanna Spencer, Arden would not intervene with Darling's communications.

Joanna reached out and held Darling by the shoulders. She gave the girl a squeeze and said, voice tight, "Darling, you know I care about you, but I can't talk to you if you're hanging out with Georgina."

Darling pouted at her as Joanna dropped her hands and pushed off of the bed. Her gut strained as if her intestines were threatening to pop through her belly button. "We can still be friends," Darling argued.

"No, Darling, we can't—"

"You're too defensive."

"That's why I'm a goalie," Joanna deadpanned, and smiled at the irritated stare Darling shot in her direction. "There's a reason for that."

"But I'm safe, Joanna. Nothing's going to happen to me, and I'm not going anywhere," she insisted. "Let me be there for you—you know I won't rat you out, and you know how I feel about what Georgina's done to you—"

A shiver shot up her spine. "No, quite frankly, I don't know how you feel," Joanna spat, the venom in her voice enough to have Darling slumping away, stepping off of the bed, and closer to the door. Joanna's feet were stuck on the carpet across the room. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't stop Darling from running out of the room. "You're—! You're a good person, Darling, deep down, but surface level? You have to understand the fact that I can't trust people who associate with them. That includes you. So no, we can't be friends."

"We can't be friends, but you're still allowed to care about me?" she whispered, eyes glassy.

Joanna balled her fists up at her sides. She stared pointedly at Darling, unwilling to say it, but the air between them had shifted as it was. Darling blinked hard and turned towards the door. She opened her mouth to say one last thing, but it was gone before it ever left her lips. Darling hurried to the door and left.

Out in the hallway, Rosalie and Blake jumped at the sound of the door opening. Blake put a hand to his lips as Darling stepped out and slammed the door behind her. Her eyes were dusted around the edges with pink. Rosalie could only stare, unwilling to comfort and hesitant to care.

Darling stepped past them towards the stairs, taking a handkerchief from the hard-shelled pink purse at her hip. She blotted underneath her lashes as she approached the steps, only to turn back and find both Rosalie and Blake watching.

"Stop staring!" she said in a shrill, childish voice.

Rosalie turned away out of embarrassment. She listened to Darling's footsteps hurry down to the foyer and after a moment, Blake seemed to remember that he was the one who brought her here in the first place. He started forward, but not before turning back and taking Rosalie gingerly by the hand.

"My apologies, but—I have to go. Tell Joanna I'm just a call away."

"Yeah, sure," Rosalie said.

"And I hope you two have a lovely time in Seattle," he added with a wink.

Rosalie sucked in a deep breath and waved weakly after Blake. Blake jogged after Darling and disappeared out of sight and then, out through the front door. Only then did Rosalie release the air in her lungs.

***

When the Lieutenant arrived, early dawn was approaching and with it, Rosalie's mother's bitter morning attitude. Jenn Mason walked the Lieutenant up the stairs, her hands cradling a mug of coffee as she gestured to Rosalie's open bedroom door. From the foyer they could hear the bickering, and upon closer inspection, they found Joanna throwing Rosalie's clothes in the air.

"Hey—! I packed those yesterday! Why didn't you tell me it was insufficient then?!" Rosalie cried, scrambling to catch the clothes as Joanna gutted her duffle bag.

"I was incapacitated then. Had I known you were exclusively packing athletic shit I would have intervened!" Joanna said. She held up a bright purple Huskies sweatshirt, which Rosalie grabbed hold of and protected against her chest.

"Girls, girls," the Lieutenant called from the doorway, banging her fist against the frame.

Rosalie jolted. She hadn't realized the Lieutenant was there, and she startled again at the sight of her mother standing behind the Lieutenant, hardly pleased. Rosalie's insides burned to ash, and the heat from the fire flushed her cheeks with embarrassment at the state of her undergarments strewn across the room from Joanna's fury.

"We've gotta move or we'll miss the flight," the Lieutenant said, gesturing to the door.

"Right! Sorry!" Rosalie stammered, crouching down to pack her things back up.

"But you see what she's bringing, right?" Joanna said, throwing her hands out at the state of Rosalie's luggage. Joanna's bag was packed, zipped up, and ready to go at the door.

The Lieutenant put her hands on her hips. "It's only for three days. She doesn't need a ballgown," she said.

"I'm just saying—!" Joanna insisted, but the Lieutenant cut her off with a hand in the air. Joanna clamped her mouth shut only to slump with a dejected groan.

Rosalie raised her eyebrows from where she was still crouched on the ground, bundling up her underwear in her USW sweatshirt. She wondered, vaguely, if Joanna was always like this when she was on her period. She shook the thought from her head, smiling to herself as she zipped up her duffle and slung it over her shoulder, her winter coat secured and her shoes on.

With Rosalie ready to go, the Lieutenant got them in motion. As they left her bedroom, she turned off the lights and bent down to kiss Khoshekh goodbye.

"Call me when you land and when you check in at the hotel," her mother said as she stood back up.

Her chest ached, then, with the realization that she'd be on her own that weekend without her mother, on the other side of the country. She never traveled so far without her mother beside her on the plane. A tight smile strained her eyes as she nodded, unable to speak. She reached over and hugged her mother tight around the neck. Her mother's sweater still smelled fresh from the wash, and without her perfume on, Rosalie took in the aroma of home for her journey to Washington state.

"I will," she promised as she pulled away. She rubbed a hand against the side of her face, just barely stopping herself from brushing it over her eyes. The tightness behind her eyes was just a pinch away from tears.

She shouldered her duffle. She turned after Joanna and the Lieutenant, her feet carrying her on their own accord. The tension behind her eyes was nothing compared to the way her heart pulsed, thrumming in her veins, lifting her up in spurts of exhilaration. Soon, she'd be stepping foot on Washington state soil, thousands of miles away from Washington, D.C.

When they left the Mason driveway, it was in the Lieutenant's car with Joanna in the passenger's seat and Rosalie in the back. The Lieutenant and Joanna bickered and bantered through the entire ride, and their constant chatter kept the silence away and drowned out the radio playing quietly on the speakers.

It was impossible to focus on their conversations when Rosalie's mind was already at the airport. She settled her elbow on the edge of the window and put her thumbnail between her teeth. With her other hand, she twisted the strap of her duffle. Inside, excitement sent a flurry of shockwaves through her that felt like electricity as it sparked across every fiber of her very being.

It was happening.

She was going to be a Husky.

_____

ROSALIE: Where are you?

DREW: Wouldn't you like to know ;)
At the gate. Where are you?

ROSALIE: :T
We're waiting in line at security.

DREW: 'We'

ROSALIE: Joanna, The Lieutenant, and I

DREW: What.

_____

Their footsteps echoed off of the polished, marbled floors of the Ronald Reagan airport. The sun was just beginning to rise, and its golden hue cast a patchwork of shadows through the window frames. Rosalie's eyes traveled out to the airfield where the gate terminal stretched to their plane. They'd be arriving in time for first class to board, which left them enough padding to meet with Drew and figure out their seat numbers.

Rosalie looked down at the ticket in her hand as she walked alongside Joanna. The Lieutenant had an arm around Joanna's shoulders as they walked, saying things like, "I'll take a trip to the liquor store when we get there," to which Joanna would respond, "You know I quit!"

"Vodka or Malibu? Both?" the Lieutenant said, ticking them off on the hand they rested on Joanna's shoulder. The Lieutenant leant over to see Rosalie, whose eyes had been focused on their plane until that moment. "Both. Yes, agreed."

"What?" Rosalie said, blinking as a sneer twitched the corner of Joanna's lips. Rosalie grimaced and said, "What are we agreed on? I wasn't paying attention."

"Our celebratory evening," the Lieutenant said. "You seem like a Malibu girl."

Rosalie flushed as Joanna erupted with an explosive, "What gave you that idea?" Rosalie turned away to hide her snicker, which only caused Joanna to turn towards her with a sharp, "What're you laughing at?! Did you not hear her?"

Rosalie giggled into her hand and said, "Yeah, that's what's so funny!"

By then, they were at the gate. Joanna dropped her duffle to drag Rosalie to her side and wrangle her in with the Lieutenant. Joanna's arm hooked around her neck and she ducked down with another laugh, giggling as Joanna gave her a shake and said, "You can't just let people call you a Malibu girl, idiot!"

Rosalie was certain Joanna would have kept shaking her around like a rag-doll, but before that could continue, they were interrupted by an uncertain, "Uh..." sounding a few paces in front of them.

Rosalie turned her head to the side, her cheek pushed up against Joanna's forearm. Joanna lifted her head, peering over Rosalie's curly bun to where the tall, intimidating, devilishly handsome Drew Mendoza stood.

Drew Mendoza stared at them, the strap of their carryon slipping from their grasp. Their hair was pulled back by a pair of aviator sunglasses, exposing their icy eyes that were now slanted with one raised eyebrow. Their gaze slid across the state of Joanna wrangling Rosalie in a chokehold before weakly lifting one hand to say,

"Uh... hey guys?"

Rosalie ducked out of Joanna's grasp and swayed unevenly away from Joanna and the Lieutenant. The blood had already rushed to her face, and being caught in such a predicament only cemented her embarrassment. She rubbed her hand against the back of her neck as she laughed and said, "Hey, Drew... You remember Joanna, right?"

Rosalie gestured to Joanna, who straightened up and dropped her hands to her sides. The Lieutenant put a hand on her hip, still clasping onto her daughter's shoulders as she said, "Drew, huh? Haven't heard of you before, so you must be irrelevant."

"Mom," Joanna hissed.

Drew's curiosity shattered into shock. "M-Mom?" they said, recoiling from the scene. Joanna shot them a sour look before turning a glare onto the Lieutenant.

Rosalie couldn't stop staring at Drew. Drew, the devil who nearly cost them the State Finals. Drew, the person who had them cornered in the hotel pool, threatening Joanna and what Rosalie now knew was a complete guise. Drew, who caught her from slipping in front of the checkin center.

That day, for the long journey across the country, Drew was wearing a pair of plain grey joggers with black elastic hems. Their hightop basketball sneakers were dusty and scuffed, but reflected the color of their vibrant, royal purple sweatshirt.

Drew's duffle hit the ground. They pointed a finger at the Lieutenant and said, "You're Spencer's mom?"

The Lieutenant crossed her arms and gave an indifferent shrug. "Some might call me that. Others call me the Lieutenant."

Drew snapped their mouth shut, only for it to fall open, slowly, as the Lieutenant moved to take a seat as the sections were called up on the speakers. Joanna went to join her, but not without shoving her shoulder into Drew's arm on the way. Joanna was too short to reach Drew's shoulder, anyway.

The moment they were seated, Rosalie stepped up to Drew with a nervous smile. She was already getting flustered and she hadn't said a word yet, but there was Drew Mendoza once again looking flawless as ever.

Drew leant over with a hand covering Joanna's view of their mouth as they hissed, "How come you're surrounded by butch women? Where do you find them?!"

At the seats, Joanna put her foot up on the armrest and crossed her arms with a scoff. "I can still hear you, slut."

Drew turned a bright, sarcastic smile onto Joanna before turning back to Rosalie, who didn't know what else to do aside from smile back. Her excitement about Seattle on top of seeing her State rival again had her body practically vibrating.

Drew held out a hand to her. Rosalie clasped onto it and gave it a firm shake as she said, "N-Nice to see you again, Drew."

A slanted smile spread on their face, showing off their sharp canines and deep smile lines. "You as well, Mason. Congrats again on making it to Regionals."

"Thanks, I guess," Rosalie said, her smile fading a little. It was bittersweet, and no doubt painful, for Drew to offer such sincere congratulations. Rosalie imagined it was even more difficult for Drew to make it as far as State considering their situation. Being a new recruit already put Drew at a disadvantage. It was no different than Joanna making it onto the varsity team as a new student on the first day.

Their boarding numbers were called then. The line was already in formation, and when Drew turned around to lead the way, Rosalie followed after them. Rosalie glanced down at her ticket before having it snatched from her hands by Drew.

"Hey—" Rosalie started.

Drew hummed, lifting the ticket high and far from Rosalie's grasp. "Seems you weren't lying at all. I knew you were too honest for that."

"I can't say the same for you," Rosalie huffed, twisting around to Drew's other side to snatch her ticket back. She straightened the ticket out, but there was already a dent in it from Drew's thumb. "Let me see your ticket, then."

Drew fetched the slip of paper from the side of their duffle. They held it out between their middle and index finger, and Rosalie pinched it up and squinted at the seat number.

36B.

So I guess they weren't lying, either, Rosalie grumbled internally, handing the ticket back. The photo Drew sent her could have easily been Photoshoped. She glared ahead at the line to keep from focusing on the snicker on Drew's face.

Rosalie didn't realize she was glaring directly at a familiar face until she blinked, and the guy two people ahead of them in line, blinked back.

Rosalie jumped with an involuntary shriek, her bag slipping from her hands. Two people ahead of them, Lennie Pittmen turned red at the sound of Joanna screaming, "What're you doing here? Are you spying on us, you rat bastard?!"

Lennie's hand flew up to his hair when Joanna marched straight up to him and jabbed her finger at his throat. He ducked out of the way, just barely, and stepped out of line to let the strangers between them pass ahead. Joanna chased after him, oozing aggression as Rosalie tried to get a handle on her bearings.

The shock of seeing Lennie in line for the same flight was enough to render her speechless for the time it took for Lennie to explain to Joanna, "I seriously didn't know you two were going to Washington. I've had this trip planned since October."

"Since October?" Joanna seethed as she dragged her eyes up and down him like she was squaring up for a fight.

Rosalie rerouted through her mental files of everyone in their grade of whom she knew pledged their colleges. It was a little early, but there were a few set in stone and not one of them included Lennie Pittmen.

"You're going to visit a college, aren't you?" she said, chest tight. The static that had been coursing through her ceased at that moment, stilling her beating heart when Lennie looked at her then.

He has to know, she thought.

"Ray's probably going to NYU and I'm still waiting to hear back from places on the West Coast."

He glanced past Rosalie, his eyes lingering briefly on Drew Mendoza as he swallowed hard and returned his attention to Rosalie to say, "Yeah, a scout from University of Seattle Washington suggested a visit. The men's team has a home match