It doesn’t come as much of a surprise to Alex Ryan when she finds herself falling head over heels for Connie O’Reilly. How could she not? There isn’t a person alive who wouldn’t be drawn to the irresistibly beautiful and charming Connie. It seems impossible she could reciprocate -- not when Alex is so awkward, so timid, so very much a girl -- until what starts as a sweet friendship blossoms into something so much more than Alex could have dreamed of. Alex knows what they have is a momentary thing, not enough to be called forever. Connie’s the most popular girl in the school, wealthy and admired. She’s going to go to Trinity, maybe marry a lawyer. She’s going to have everything Alex could never give her. She isn’t stupid, after all. Status and reputation might mean nothing to Alex, but to Connie they are everything. The only out-lesbian they know is ridiculed by everyone she meets, and it’ll be a cold day in hell before Connie lets that be her. But when rumours spark and new faces enter the picture, they’re both set to discover that, while it may be easy to walk away, it’s a lot harder to move on.

The Night Belongs to Us

“Alex,” she murmured in the dark. I turned my head around to face her. “S’lucky to have you.”


“You’re the best. In the whole wide world.”


“Thanks for not bringin’ me home,” she whispered, a trace of fear in her voice. “I really didn’t wanna go. I didn’t wanna—”


“Con, hey. It’s okay, alright? Tell me tomorrow, hmm? Just go to sleep now.”


A short moment passed by before she answered. “Yeah. Night, Al.”


When I finally stirred awake Connie was sitting upright next to me with her head in her hands. I groaned into the pillow, stretching out my arms until my shoulders popped. Stealing a glance at my watch on the bedside table, I saw that it was nearly noon. I sat up with a yawn and rubbed at my eyes before throwing Connie a cautious glance.


“Morning,” I said tentatively. She grunted in response. “How’s the head?”


Chapter 24