[Susan Foster]

Susan wrapped her hands and chalked them up from the pedestal nearby.

"Just like we practiced! Pace yourself!" The coach advised. "Don't fall this time."

Susan stuck her tongue out at that and threw herself onto the first - higher bar, spinning and twirling from one pole to the other in a series of expertly timed tricks, letting go at long last and landing with both feet planted firmly on the mat in front of her.

[Josh Taylor]

Josh leaned back on the bench again and kept trying to count off the number of times the bar lifted above him. For some reason he kept getting distracted. His eyes fell back on Susan again and again. Who could blame him? She was amazing up there. Now that was a true natural. Susan made it look so easy and graceful.

[Susan Foster]

Un-even bars. Floor routine. Stretching. Balance Beam. Then back to the bars.

When at last Susan was absolutely sure she wouldn't ever be able to walk again, she trashed her empty water bottles and showered off in the girls locker room, changing out of her form-fitting leotard and into one of her casual pink sundresses.

She met Josh at the bar afterwards with a bright, yet exhausted, smile. "You waited." She smirked.

[Josh Taylor]

Girls always seemed to take longer cleaning up. Josh was in and out of the showers in a hurry though. He didn't want to keep Susan waiting. In a rush he had thrown on black basketball shorts and a blue men's muscle tee. A duffle bag hung in one of his hands and a water bottle in the other. There was a towel hanging off his shoulders.

"I did." Josh returned the smirk. There was nothing wrong here. Just two friends getting really bad nutritional smoothies together.

"I've got it." He mentioned about the bill and already had his money out to pay.

[Susan Foster]

"Are you sure?" Susan asked nervously. This began to feel like something Prim and Cody would simultaneously combust over. Still...something urged her to press forward. The feelings that had cropped up over the last year made so much sense now.

It was too bad that she had to be chained to a concrete floor and seconds away from drowning to admit those feelings to herself.

[Josh Taylor]

"Yeah, I've got a job. Don't worry about it." Josh shrugged and handed Susan her smoothie.

After the first sip Josh cringed a little. "These better be really good for me." He laughed.

[Susan Foster]

"I thought dating Prim you would've been used to eating seaweed." Susan giggled.

"Actually, I thought you were well versed with all types of weed." She chattered on with her naivety as the bar manager gave him an inquisitive look.

[Josh Taylor]

Josh almost shot seaweed out of his nose and then burst out in a small fit of laughter.

He cleared his throat. "Yes, well, the smoothie kind is still new to me." He sipped at it hesitantly.

"So, how have you been?" He tried to make conversation.

[Susan Foster]

The bar tender busied himself in the kitchen.

Susan sucked on the end of her straw. "Not much. Same ol'. Same ol', I'm afraid. Listen -- this is weird. I'm going to clear the air, okay? I saw fireworks during the test kiss. That's never happened before and since then I haven't thought of Jason at all, and he used to occupy my mind constantly. You're with Prim. I'm with Cody. And I wouldn't destroy either relationship for anything. But that doesn't change the fact that when I'm with you it feels like we're painting in art class. I'm really sorry." She nodded, all in one breath.

[Josh Taylor]

Josh was surprised. He didn't know a human being could say that much in one breath. But Susan really was special. He licked his lips. Her honesty was certainly admirable.

"Don't be sorry." Josh smiled at her. "It's perfectly natural. In fact, I could say I know exactly what you mean. But like you said, Cody. Prim." He swallowed. "Still, art is definitely my favorite class."

[Susan Foster]

"Mine too." She smirked.

"And who knows, maybe I wouldn't have been so affected if it hadn't been so long overdue." She laughed.

"This feels better. Normal. Besties?" She asked as she held her pinky up for a promise.

[Josh Taylor]

"That's true." Josh laughed.

"I'm glad." A happy smile tugged at one side of his lips. "Besties." Of all the things, Josh couldn't help but feel like a fairy saying those words. Maybe it was because he was being friend zoned.

"Another life, another time." He sighed and took a big sip of the smoothie.

[Susan Foster]

"I would have saved myself some heart ache -- that's for sure. I heard Jason moved on from Des. At least he told her about it." She sighed.

"You know what? I have the rest of the day off. I want to get into some trouble. What do you think? Wanna cause some mischief?"

[Josh Taylor]

"She told me about that. Jason even had the guts to ask her to be just friends with benefits." Josh shook his head.

"Shh, did you hear that? That's hell freezing over." Josh teased. "Susan goes bad girl. Couldn't say I ever saw it coming." He laughed. "Only if it's half as much trouble as last time. My punishment for our little kiss was my worst nightmare come true. Prim and Carter kissed to get back at me." He admitted, poking holes in the melting frozen bits of his smoothie with his straw.

[Susan Foster]

"Oh no. No more kisses." Susan shook her head. "Our lips cause explosions that render me cray cray. Wow. Prim and Carter. The three of you have all kissed each other...heh. Prim actually came down on me pretty had for that. She's going to tell Cody. Hence why I'm enjoying my last few hours before there's hell to pay."

"So the smoothie was fantastic ...but now I could go for something...dryer. We could swing by your place...take a drive. It's not even dark out so it's not like we'll be tempted for more kissing." Susan replied, still somewhat naive to the ways of romance.