DISCLAIMER: I'd The Facts of Life and its characters are the property of Columbia Pictures Television and Sony Pictures Television, no infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Cramming for an Exam
By Ann
Making my way up to the third floor of the library, I finally find a nice secluded spot at a table next to the medical reference books. All the other business students have staked out the tables on the second floor so that they can be close to the business textbooks. Personally, I don't need any more references; I just need a quiet place to study.
Satisfied that the medical students must not have an upcoming exam, I spread out my notes across the table and begin to study. It's kind of nice being the only person on the floor, and I can only hope that no one else discovers my safe haven.
My solitude doesn't last long as footsteps can be heard on the nearby stairs. Damn it, I knew this was too good to be true. Maybe whoever it is will keep going and move on to the next floor.
"Hey, Jo. Fancy meeting you here," Blair greets me with a huge smile.
"Blair, you know I have a huge test tomorrow, and you know I was coming to the library so you shouldn't be surprised to see me here. I, on the other hand, am very surprised to see you," I respond as I fold my arms across my chest and clinch my jaw to keep from saying anything further.
As usual, Blair ignores the warning signs to stay away and plops down in the nearby chair. She moves my papers to the side and places her books in the now empty space.
"Hey, this is my spot. I found it first so you just take your things and find another floor," I cry out in protest.
Smiling smugly, Blair responds, "Actually this is my floor so you're the one who needs to leave if you don't want to share a table with me."
I start to open my mouth to let her have it when I notice a large framed photo hanging on the wall behind Blair.
Crap, it's Mr. Warner, Blair's dad. I guess this really is her floor after all.
Dejected, I begin to pack my things in hopes of finding another quiet location. Blair's hand on mine stops my actions.
"Jo, you don't have to leave. There's plenty of room at this table for both of us, and I promise to be as silent as a church mouse," Blair softly offers.
Looking down as her hand caresses mine, I nervously swallow as I slowly remove my hand from hers. I reorganize my notes on my side of the table and promptly begin to study. From the other side of the table, I notice Blair's beautiful smile before she opens her book to read.
Several minutes later, my concentration is interrupted by Blair's laughter. I glare at her with my patented 'don't mess with me look,' and she quickly apologizes as she mimics zipping her mouth. If that would only work, I'd take personal possession of the key.
Silence once again prevails as I go back to studying the effects of supply and demand.
Not two minutes later, Blair actually laughs aloud. I put my notes down on the table and rise from my chair.
"What is so damn funny?" I ask as I walk around the table to get a glance at Blair's book.
Blair quickly closes the book and tries to hide it under the desk. I try to wrestle it away from her, but she turns her back to me and holds the book close to her chest. Reaching around her, I attempt to pull it free without success.
Standing here on the far end of the third floor of the library, I realize one of my fantasies has come true; I have my arms wrapped around Blair Warner. Too bad, it's not in the same context as my dreams.
Blair turns her head to look at me, and we both freeze in place. All I would have to do is lean slightly forward, and her lips would be mine. She stares at my lips and actually begins to tilt her head.
Coming out of my stupor, I take advantage of her temporary loss of sanity and grab the book from her hands. I release her from my arms and turn the book over.
"Gray's Anatomy? You're reading Gray's Anatomy? What in the world are you doing with this book? You're not even taking an anatomy class," I explain in a loud whisper.
Before she can answer, I notice a bookmark sticking out from one of the pages. It automatically opens to the marked page, and I focus my attention on the text.
I can't help but chuckle when I see a detailed view of the male genital organs. Embarrassed, Blair tries to pull the book from my hands, but I hold on tightly and gain the advantage as I rip it from her grasp.
Walking back to the table, I notice a second bookmark and quickly flip the book open to the spot. Imagine my surprise when the female genital organs are on display for all to see, and it appears these two pages have been turned to quite a bit as the corners of the pages are worn with use.
Glancing at the previous mark, I note the pages are pristine as if they have only been referred to on a few occasions. My detective skills are interrupted by a soft, pleading voice.
"Jo, please don't tell anyone about this."
I look up at Blair to see tears streaming down her face. Oh man, I was just playing around. I didn't mean to upset her.
Placing the book on the nearby table, I slowly make my way to a very upset Blair. How in the world am I going to fix this? What can I possibly do to make it better?
My arms are quickly filled with a sobbing Blair, and I can only hold her tightly and whisper words of comfort. Her body molds into mine as she grasps onto me.
I can't help but feel guilty, and not just because I upset Blair with my teasing. No, even worse is that I am enjoying the feel of her body against mine. If only this could be under different circumstances.
Finally, Blair's sobs stop, and she lays her head on my shoulder. I didn't even realize that I've been slowly swaying us back and forth to try to calm her. If anyone were to walk up now, we would give the appearance of a couple dancing.
With those thoughts, I immediately stop the swaying and slowly pull away from Blair. I duck my head to look into her beautiful eyes to find the sadness still present.
"Oh Blair, it's okay. At some point, everyone is curious about human anatomy. There's nothing to be embarrassed about," I calmly and softly state.
"Yeah, but I'm sure most of them were in high school and not in college," is the quiet reply.
I take Blair's hand and lead her back to her chair. Squatting down in front of her, I say, "Princess, there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. You went to a girl's school, and you've led a sheltered life. Your curiosity just took a little longer than most."
Pausing, I add, "I do have a question, but I don't want to upset you anymore than you already are."
"You want to know about why I was looking at the female stuff, huh?" Blair asks in a whisper.
Before I can nod or respond, she looks at me and takes a deep breath.
"Jo, I'm pretty sure I like girls. The thought of being with a guy makes me sick. Does that make me a pervert or something?"
She said it, she actually said it. Okay, relax Jo. Act normal. Don't scare the poor woman.
Once again, I've taken too long to respond, and a dejected Blair looks over at her father's portrait.
"All my life, I've been trained to marry a wealthy man and always be the best socialite ever. It's all been a lie. I don't want to marry a man," Blair sadly confesses.
Her next sentence is spoken so softly I'm not sure I heard her correctly.
"I want someone like you, Jo."
My head snaps up as the words finally filter through my brain, and I take both Blair's hands in mine.
Looking into her eyes, I ask "Do you mean it, Blair?"
She merely nods her head as I pull her into a tight embrace. The two of us block out the rest of the world as we hold each other near.
Endless minutes later, I release the woman of my dreams and softly caress her cheek. I lean forward and very gently kiss her lips. When I pull away, we are both smiling.
"Hey Blair, let's go home," are the next words out of my mouth, and even though I've said those words countless times before, the meaning is totally different now.
"Let's," is her one word reply as we both begin to gather our belongings.
We pick up our books and notes off the table, and I hold my hand out to Blair. Without hesitation, she takes my hand in hers as we begin to walk toward the stairs. After a few steps, she suddenly stops and turns toward me.
"Oh, I completely forgot. Don't you need to study for your test tomorrow?" My beautiful princess asks.
Smiling, I reply, "No. I already know all the material. I just was going to look over it one more time. I can cram at the last minute tomorrow."
When we get to the last row of medical books on the way to the stairs, Blair stops and slides the "Gray's Anatomy" book into an empty slot.
As we walk off, Blair looks over her shoulder and says, "Good thing I did all that studying. Now I'll know what do to."
Stunned, I walk into a very large stone support column. The fact that it was painted red didn't seem to help as I never saw it coming.
The End