Kristie and Steph dropped the freshmen off at a restaurant near Central Park while they continued to walk farther down the buzzing streets of New York City. 

The restaurant, Hearth was an upscale Tuscan-American venue. A wall of stone covered a side of the large, open room. Families with children, grandparents and siblings were scattered around, sipping from large bottles of champagne and nibbling at dishes of baked fish, grilled quail and seaweed broth. 

A they women approached the hostess, the woman's eyes lit up. "Ms. Goodwin and Ms. Pugh?" 

"Uh, yes," Rae stumbled. 

"Your table," she said, gesturing to a small wooden table perched underneath a framed work that read "Good food, good wine, good life".

As they neared the table, Rae pulled out Mal's chair, scooting it in quickly before taking her own seat. Two empty flutes of champagne sat next to a tall bottle. Both eyed it for a moment until Mal picked it up and gracefully filled the glasses. 

A young man approaching handed the women two menus with each selection written in a beautiful cursive. 

"What's ziti?" Rae asked, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the menu. "Is it pasta?" 

Mal nodded. "I think it's like, a thick noodle with a hole in the middle. It's what my grandfather used to make me and my sister when we were younger." 

Rae's tongue passed over her lips as she smiled. "I didn't know you had a sister... How old is she?" 

"Brianna's twenty three. She plays for the Boston Breakers. A forward, like me." 

Rae brushed a strand of her curly hair behind her ear and looked up to see the waiter hovering over them. "Are we ready?" he asked, clicking his pen. 

The darker skinned girl stared at Mal for a moment before clearing her throat. "I am going to have the Potato Gnocchi, please." The man nodded, scribbling the order on his notepad and turning to Mallory. "And for you, ma'am?" 

"Uh. I'll have the Wild Fluke Crudo, please." The waiter nodded once more and turned away, ready to take the order of the couple sitting near them. 

Rae reached for her flute of champagne, clicking it against Mal's. "Cheers," she said, as both sipped. Rae's eyes lit up. "Wow."

The athlete laughed. "Wow."

-

After the girls had finished eating, Mal threw down two twenty dollar bills, which Rae frowned at. "Mallory..." 

Mal shrugged. "What?" 

"I should pay. It was my idea to come here, and I invited you technically."  

Mal shook her head. "Nope, I already paid." 

"But-"

"I already paid."

"Mal, I-"

Pressing her lips together, the forward wrapped an arm around Rae's slim red dress and pulled her outside the restaurant. Rae rolled her eyes, but the other girl took no notice, tugging her through the streets of the city with a grin on her face. 

"Mallory, where are we going?" 

The forward didn't respond, her grip around Rae tightening as if to tell her friend there was no escape from whatever she had planned. Lights danced around the edges of the city and the darker skinned girl could feel her heart speed up as every car zoomed past them. The rush of air that came with each vehicle blew her hair back and slowed down their pace. It was chilly, but not cold, warm, but not hot. Goosebumps dotted Rae's bare arms and she shivered within Mal's arm.

Mal looked at her for the first time since dinner, but didn't speak. Slowly, Rae noticed, the busy city was shrinking and the noise was quieting. Skyscrapers turned into low office buildings as the girls walked into the outskirts of Manhattan. 

This was the sketchy part of the city, piles of litter built up on the sidewalks and unshaven people walking by dressed in black and smoking pipes. Rae shivered again, this time not from the cold as a young woman glared at them from her spot on the doorstep of a building. 

"Mallory?" 

"We are almost there..."

And Mal was right, Rae realized, because only moments later, a fancy house came into view and Rae gasped, in awe of the nine stories it proudly displayed. It was so obviously different from the rest of the emptying street that pedestrians were stopped simply to gaze up at it, identical to the freshman. The outside was made of what looked to be glass, but lace was etched into the edges, giving the place almost a Victorian vibe. 

The door was wide open and couples were pouring in and out. Mal released Rae and walked into the building, Rae following automatically. "What is this place?" she asked, her brown eyes huge, standing out against her dark skin. 

As usual, Mal didn't answer, instead taking Rae's hand and walking her up two and a half flights of stairs. 

"Rae, look at the drawing on the ceiling. Doesn't it look exactly like something in a movie?" Mal asked breathlessly. 

"Yeah, it really does!" 

They turned into another room, this time covered in gold wallpaper with golden furniture scattered around. 

"Is this like the golden room?" Rae joked. 

She spun around to admire the other half of the room when a pair of soft, light pink lips collided with hers. Rae's eyes widened and she could feel her heart start to pound as she pulled away. Mallory's lips were bright red and a little swollen, and Rae was sure she looked the same from the shocked expression on her roommate's face. 

"Mal-"

Before Rae was able to finish her sentence, the other girl was gone, running down the flights of stairs in an attempt to evacuate reality. 

"Mallory!" Rae shouted, only to be shushed by a museum moniter dressed in all black. She ignored her.

"Mallory!"