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Chapter Text

It had been a few weeks since Trini and Kim had started dating. They had gone public after going back to school so, at this point in the year, they were old news and people had tired of yelling slurs every time they saw the pair. After the first biology lesson, Mr Vaus had to move Kim back to her old seat because she ‘focused more on Trinity than the work’ and 90% of their study sessions were spent not studying. But apart from that they were doing okay.

Bonfire nights had temporarily been suspended due to the cold but they had resumed as soon as possible. To Zack’s disapproval, Trini had ditched the hideous deck chair he had bought her to sit on the floor with Kim. Kim laid in her lap whilst Trini played with her hair.

“So, have you guys told your parents yet?”

“Yes,” Kim said, not bothering to sit up. “Or rather they walked in on one of our ‘study-sessions’.”

Zack sniggered as Trini cringed at the memory of awkward introductions and dinner that had followed. Kim’s parents hadn’t really minded but had made sure to knock before entering Kim’s room again.

“What about you Trini?” Billy asked.

“No.”

Everyone looked at her, waiting for an explanation.

“I don’t know how they would take it,” she began. “My mother is so eager for me to marry a strong, god-fearing, Mexican man.”

“But how do you know what she’ll think?” Billy asked.

“I don’t but -”

“Exactly,” Jason cut in.

Trini looked at Kim for support.

“They have point, Trini,” she said. “But you know that I don’t mind as long as you’re happy.”

“I’ll do it then.”

***

Trini had decided to tell her parents about Kim when Kim next came over. Unfortunately, this was sooner than she had thought. The day after the bonfire, Mr Vaus had told them they were having a quiz on everything they had covered, from August to current, which meant Kim was coming round to ‘study’.

Realising that it was probably better to rip the band aid off, she had told Kim to wait in the living room whilst she went to go and find her mother.

She found her mother in the garden, glaring at a bush that one of her brothers had broken.

“Mom. ¿Podemos nosotros hablar? Can we talk? ”

“Sí, are you okay? ¿Se equivoca algo? Is something wrong? ¿Hizo Zack se atasca en un árbol otra vez?"

Trini rolled her eyes.

“No, Zack did not get stuck in a tree again.”

“¿Well, qué es ello entonces? Well, what is it? "

Trini shifted her weight nervously.

“Can we talk in the living room?”

Trini’s mother set down the spade she was holding and followed her daughter inside.

***

Kim stood up when she saw Trini’s mother.

“¡Hola Kimberly!” she said. “Gabe! Kimberly is here, come say hello!”

Trini’s father stood in the doorway of the living room.

“Hi Kimberly!”

Trini groaned internally at her family’s enthusiasm. Oh well, she thought. It could be worse.

“Are you finally introducing us to one of your friends that isn’t Zack?” her mother asked. “He is a nice boy but that poor pine tree has never been the same.”

“Mom, Dad. Kim isn’t my friend.”

Kim nearly laughed at how confused Trini’s mother looked. Like mother, like daughter.

“She's my girlfriend.”

Trini’s father started laughing, doubling over as tears streamed out of his eyes as his wife began hugging Kim and sobbing.

Now Trini was more confused than ever before.

“You don’t say,” Trini’s father said, trying to regain his composure.

“What?”

“No one gets that red-faced studying.”

Kim went a deep shade of red that Trini had never seen before.

Were they really that obvious?

“Mom, why are you crying?”

“You told us something about your life using more than one syllable and you look happy.”

Trini didn’t know how to describe how she felt but she accepted her mother’s hug.

“Okay. If that’s done, we’re going to study.”

Trini’s dad shot her a look.

“No, we actually have a test,” Trini said, both her and her father knowing that she and Kim were probably going to end up not studying.

“I’ll see you later Mr and Mrs Gomez,” Kim said as Trini lead her from the room by the hand.

“Please call us June and Gabe,” Trini’s father said.

“But I’m sure you’ll be calling us mom and dad in no time,” added Trini’s mother.

“Mom!”

“What?”

Trini was bright red with embarrassment.

***

At lunch the next day, Billy asked how it went.

“It was really strange,” Trini answered.

“Trini’s dad started laughing because he already guessed and Trini’s mom started crying,” Kim added, putting her legs in Trini’s lap.

“So, it went well then?” Jason said.

“Yeah, Kim stayed for dinner.”

“So,” Zack said, “do I get to meet your mom properly, with my foot out of a tree?”

“Zack, my mother has never properly forgiven you for what you did to that tree and if she met you properly, I would be banned from having friends.”

“Rude.”

Chapter Text

As much as Trini hated to admit it, Spanish wasn’t the same without Jason and Zack. Zack had skipped to hook up with some random guy in a janitor’s closet or a nasty bathroom somewhere and Jason had been excused to go to his physio session, meaning that Trini was forced to go to Spanish by herself. She couldn’t even skip because the school had phoned her mother about how often she skipped Spanish. If she had her headphones she could have survived the lecture on nouns but she had forgotten her headphones, trying to avoid her mother’s safe sex talk over breakfast and was now stuck staring out of the window for the rest of the day. The only thing that could make it even worse was if the teacher announced a speaking exercise.

The second she thought it, the teacher did exactly that. She was going to scream if the teacher paired her up with someone and she actually had to do the exercise.

“You got a partner?” an unfamiliar voice asked.

Trini looked up to see a guy that must have been new. Then again, he could have been there since the start of the year and Trini just hadn’t noticed because she was one of the most unobservational people in existence.

“No.”

Without an invitation, the guy pulled up a chair and sat down.

“Are you new?” Trini asked.

“Yeah,” the boy replied, slouching. “I’m Jay.”

“Short for Jason?”

Trini was going to be so confused if she knew two Jasons.

“No, short for Javier,” he explained. “But you’re not an asshole so you can call me Jay or Javi.”

“I’m Trini.”

“Dee-dee?” Javi asked.

Oh god. Not this again.

“Tri-ni,” she said slowly.

“Oh shit, sorry. My hearing isn’t great.”

“It’s cool,” she replied.

Javi was cool and seemed nice enough, maybe her type if she was into guys.

“Do you want to do the exercise?” she asked, hoping he would say no so she wouldn’t have to repeat stuff she had known since she was like four.

“Not really, I can do this in my sleep.”

“You speak Spanish?”

Javi nodded. “Duh. My name is Javier.”

“Do you have earphones?”

“Why?”

“For Netflix.”

“Only if I can watch too,” Javi said, pulling his earphones out of his pocket.

“Archer?”

“Archer.”

Maybe Spanish wouldn’t suck after all.

***

At the end of Spanish, Javi said he would see her tomorrow and left. Trini thought nothing else of him as she walked to her locker, where Kim and Zack were already waiting for her.

“How was Spanish?” Zack asked, sporting a selection of hickies on his neck.

“Aren’t you in Spanish?” Kim interrupted, intertwining her fingers with Trini’s as they began walking.

“He skipped to hook up with some guy,” Trini explained. “And Spanish was fine, some guy leant me his earphones and we watched Archer.”

“Ha, you’re lame!” Zack said in a singsong voice, “You were watching cartoons whilst I was getting a blow job.”

“That’s nasty,” Trini said, elbowing Zack.

“Too much information, Zack,” Kim added.

“I’m just saying that your girlfriend is a dork.”

“I know,” Kim said, “but she’s my dork.”

Trini blushed as Kim kissed her cheek.

Deciding that he didn’t like being the third wheel, Zack made retching noises as they walked into town.

***

“But I want pizza,” Zack whined as he was dragged into the Krispy Kreme.

“It’s your fault for third wheeling,” Trini retorted, holding the door open for Kim.

“What was I supposed to do?” Billy is ill, Jason is at physio and I have way too many hickies to go on a date.”

“Are you twelve?” Trini asked.

“No, are you?”

“Short jokes, how original.”

“You could say,” Zack started grinning, “that was a low blow.

Zack squealed as Trini tried to elbow him again. She was about to say something else when Kim asked her to go and get donuts whilst she and Zack found a table. Deciding that she would avenge herself later, she agreed and made her way over to the counter.
“I’ll have two of those, three of those and one of them,” Trini said, pointing at whatever donuts she could think of. “Half a dozen of them,” she added, remembering Kim’s favourite, “and an americano for Trini.”

She knew that her name would be spelt ‘Dee-dee’ but there was no harm in trying.

Moving down to pay for her order, she opened her wallet, she found the approximate number of bills and handed them over to whoever was on the till.

“Hey Trini.”

Trini looked up to see Javi smiling at her from behind the counter, counting the notes.

“Javi, I didn’t know you worked here.”

“I started yesterday.”

“Neat.” When did that word even become part of Trini’s vocabulary?

“Well here is your americano,” he said, correcting the name on the coffee cup that his colleague had just handed him, “and your random ass selection of donuts.”

“Thanks, Javi.”

“No problem. You overpaid by about ten bucks by the way.”

“Keep the change,” Trini said as she balanced the box of donuts and coffee in her hands.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks,” Javi replied, before going to serve the next customer. “See you around.”

As she sat down, Trini failed to notice the way that Kim glared at Javi every two seconds.

***

Something felt off the next day. Not in general but with Kim and it was really confusing Trini. One minute, Kim was being extra clingy, walking Trini to class with her arm around Trini’s shoulders, and the next, she was barely talking, glaring at something that Trini couldn’t see. Trini didn’t know if something was wrong, if she had done something wrong or Kim was just having an off-day so she didn’t know how to approach Kim.

Kim had said she was fine as they walked to biology together and then she had made a point of smiling every time that she caught Trini looking at her with concern from the back of the classroom. Her mood even seemed to have improved as she walked Trini to Spanish. But before she had left, she had planted a firm kiss on Trini’s lips and then had left without saying anything else.

Running her fingers over her lips, she made her way into the Spanish classroom, nodded at Zack and Jason and then took her seat. Javi seemed to have taken the spot behind her, where Jason used to sit, so she turned around when he spoke.

“You good?” he asked, noticing how confused she looked.

“I think so. I’m just confused.”

When Javi looked at her, expecting an explanation, she began speaking in rapid fire Spanish so that Jason and Zack wouldn’t hear because Jason would tell Kim, thinking that he would help, and Zack was the worst at relationship advice.

“Kim ha estado actuando extrañamente desde ayer.”
Kim has been acting strangely since yesterday.

“¿Su novia?”
Your girlfriend?

“Sí. Un minuto, ella es muy enmadrada y luego, ella no me hablará. No sé si yo haya hecho algo o no,” Trini explained.
Yes. One minute, she’s very clingy and then, she won't speak to me. I don't know if I've done something or not.

“¿Es ello su aniversario?” Javi asked.
Is it your anniversary?

“No,” Trini replied. There was no way that Kim would let her forget their anniversary.

“¿Es ello su cumpleaños?”
Is it her birthday?

“No. Su cumpleaños es en mayo.”
No. Her birthday is in May.

Kim wouldn’t let her forget her birthday either.

“¿Hizo usted algo estúpido?”
Did you do something stupid?

“No?”

“Señorita Gomez, Señor Hernandez,” the teacher said, getting the whole class’s attention. “As delighted that I am that you are conversing in Spanish, we are studying the daily routine, not our love lives.”

Apologising, Trini ignored the looks that Zack and Jason were giving her. She waited until the speaking exercise before resuming her conversation with Javi but in English because Jason and Zack were busy having their own conversation.

“You could always ask?”

“I did. She said she was fine.”

“Buy her flowers.”

“Kim says flowers are for funerals and weddings. We aren’t getting married and it will be my funeral if I bring her flowers.”

“I don’t know, you’re fucked.”

Ugh. Why did everything have to be so difficult?

***

Kim's POV

T: is something wrong?
K: No…why?
you left with Jason and i ended up having to get a lift from javi

There he was again. Javier fucking Hernandez. Normally Kim wasn’t a jealous person but Javier was giving off the wrong vibes. He had been around for less than a week and he had gotten further with Trini than she had in a year. She knew that she was being unfair but she didn’t trust him. She didn’t like how he smiled at Trini at Krispy Kreme and how he reminded her of the boys she used to flirt with whilst she was still queen bee. She didn’t like how he made her feel like the spiteful and jealous head cheerleader who sent revenge porn around the school out of envy. Yes, she would never do it again, especially to Trini, but she could feel something in the pit her of her stomach when his name appeared in a text message or in her conversations with Trini.

K: I wasn’t feeling well.
T: want me to come over?
K: No thanks, I’ll sleep it off.
T: ok, ly
K: Love you too xxx

Kim needed to calm down before she did something she would regret.

Chapter Text

“You feeling better?” Trini asked as she climbed into the back of Jason’s car.

“Yeah,” Kim replied, softly kissing Trini’s lips. “Much better.”

After sleeping on it, Kim had realised that she was being stupid and that Trini wasn’t even into guys. Javier was just a friend and Trini could have a life outside of their friendship group. Billy had his nerd friends that he worked on projects with; Zack had his little black book and his weird friends that he did stunts with; and Jason had his friends that he had met playing football against other schools. Thinking about it, Kim could probably do with more friends herself so that she had something to do on the rare occasion that everyone was busy. If Trini wanted more friends, who was Kim to stop her?

“We are thinking of having a bonfire,” Billy said, turning around in the front seat. “Are you guys free this evening?”

Kim waited for Trini to answer - usually she would agree for both of them.

“Actually,” Trini said, rubbing the back of her neck guiltily, “I was going to Javi’s house to watch a film with him.”

Keep it together Kimberly.

“That’s fine, maybe another time,” Billy replied. “What film are you watching?”

“Fight Club. Javi was talking about it and I’ve never got around to watching it.”

“Never?” Jason said. “Aren’t you supposed to be the movie nerd?”

Trini went a light shade of pink. “My mother wouldn’t let me watch it.”

Jason laughed.

“Well, in the end, Tyler - ow!”

Kim only saw Trini withdraw her leg from the back of Jason’s seat, guessing that Trini must have kicked Jason.

“Spoiling films isn’t nice Jason,” Trini said.

“I agree,” Billy added.

“Billy, don’t you think Jason should apologise to Trini?” Kim asked sweetly.

Billy looked at Jason.

“Fine. Trini, I’m sorry for trying to spoil Fight Club for you.” Jason sighed, his face going red.

Kim smiled as Trini slouched with a smug grin plastered across her face.

***

They arrived ten minutes later, Jason ushering them out of the car and into the parking lot as he turned off the engine. After Billy had nearly been run over by the principle’s 4x4, last week, Jason had decided to walk Billy to the library and he said goodbye to the girls as he went in the opposite direction, Billy in tow.

Holding hands, Kim and Trini walked in the general direction of their lockers, hoping to find Zack.

“Trimberly!”

Zack appeared from behind, holding two cups of coffee.

“One americano for the tiniest and angriest gay I know,” Trini glared at him but accepted the coffee gladly - she had overslept, meaning that she hadn’t had time for caffeine, “and sugar and cream with a hint of coffee for Kimberlina.”

“That is the ugliest nickname but thanks.”

“What am I supposed to call you? Kim is boring, you said no to Kimothy, Kimmy is Trini’s cute name for you and I get elbowed if I call you Kim Kardashian.”

“That’s because it’s not funny.”

“Kimberlina it is. Now if you excuse me, I have homework to copy and people to do. Bye Trimberly.”

Kim rolled her eyes as Zack left.

“You have English, right?” Trini asked.

“Yeah.”

“I’ll walk you there,” Trini replied.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I don't have anything else to do and I have a free so I was just going to hang with Javi.”

And there was that stupid name again.

***

“What do you think of Javier?” Kim asked Zack in the middle of English. They were supposed to be discussing something but who cared? Not Kim.

“Jay is cool. He let me copy his Spanish homework. Why?”

“I don’t know. He gives me a bad feeling.”

“Are you jealous?”

Kim groaned - why did she think asking Zack anything would be a good idea?

“No. Why would you say that?”

“You are a horrible liar. Also, you glared him when we went to Krispy Kreme; you were in a weird mood all of yesterday; made a point of kissing Trini so that all of the Spanish class - which Jay is in- could see; and you look like you want to castrate him every time someone says his name.”

Was she that bad at hiding her hatred?

“Fine, I’m jealous. I don’t like him at all.”

“I’m not sure if you have noticed but Trini is a lesbian, like a really, really, really, really, big lesbian.”

“I trust Trini - it’s Javier that I have a problem with.”

“Have you even talked to him?”

“Um.” Zack had got her there.

“Just play nice and remember, Trini is really gay. For you.”

***

The rest of the morning passed quickly enough without anything eventful happening - something Kim had begun to appreciate since the end of her cheerleading days. Apart from English and biology, Kim didn’t share any classes with her friends and spent most of her time staring out window and texting Trini under the desk, who was complaining about health class and how it didn’t apply to her.

Kim arrived at the lunch table shortly after Jason and Billy. Soon after, Zack arrived, announcing his arrival before he sat down. The four talked about when they were going to have another bonfire night as they waited for Trini, who sat down next to Kim about five minutes after Zack.

“Hey losers,” Trini said, “and Billy.”

“That’s not what you were calling me earlier,” Kim whispered, smirking at how red Trini went.

“I heard that,” Zack interjected, making Trini go more red.

Trini was saved from her embarrassment by the arrival of the one and only, Javier Hernandez. Well, it was more of an invitation than an arrival. He had walked past their table to sit with his friends when Trini noticed him.

“Javi,” Trini said.

“Oh, hey Trin.”

That was Kim’s name for Trini.

“You never gave me your address.”

“Oh right, I’ll give you a lift after school.”

“Cool.”

Deep breaths Kimberly.

Sensing that his presence was unwanted, Javi began to say goodbye.

“Bye Trin. Jason, Billy, Z.”

Was she a brick wall now?

“Oh, you too Kimberly,” Javier added as if she was only an afterthought.

Oh, it was on.

***

Trini’s POV

The ride to Javi’s house was spent debating who had the scariest mother and which Tarantino film was the best. For Trini, it was a lot different than talking to her other friends. Javi was more like a brother or a cousin in the way that she could relate to him.

After deciding on a dip and a large bag of tortilla chips, Trini followed Javi into the movie room, choosing a bean bag whilst he set up the DVD.

“The first rule of Fight Club is:” Brad Pitt began. They were about halfway through the film and Trini was loving it, “you do not talk about Fight Club.”

Trini’s phone went off and she looked away from the TV to look at her phone.

K: I’m lonely :(
T: i’m at javi’s house
K: My parents aren’t home ;)
T: i can’t just leave. i’ll be over in a couple of hours
K: Pleease :(
T: i’ll be there later

Trini put her phone back in her pocket and plucked the bag of chips from Javi’s hand, trying to distract herself with the film and not think about Kim. All alone. Her parents away.
Her phone went off again.

K: [img.] Are you sure?

Trini took a deep breath.

T: i’ll be there now

Trini stood up, causing Javi to pause the film.

“My dad needs me to help him with something at home.”

“That sucks.”

“Yeah,” Trini picked up her shoes, hopping towards the door as she out them on.

“Want a lift?"

“No thanks.”

“See you.”

Javi’s front door slammed shut.

***

Kim’s POV

Kim whined as Trini got out of bed, making grabby hands like a three-year-old.

“I’ll be back in a minute, I’m just cold,” Trini said, rummaging through the pile of discarded clothes on the floor before settling on Kim’s old cheer hoodie and climbing back under the sheets.

Kim pulled Trini closer, pulling her arms around Trini’s waist.

“Better?”

“Yeah.”

Kim smiled as Trini snuggled into her side.

Beat that Javier Hernandez.

Trini’s phone went off. Not wanting to move, she asked Kim to grab it for her.

J: how about we finish fight club tmrw

And there was that name. Again.

Chapter Text

Kim had spent an entire week distracting Trini from finishing Fight Club with Javier - which was more difficult than she had thought it would be. Was it selfish? Yes, but she didn’t like Javier so she guessed what she was doing was excusable. Keeping Trini ‘busy’ was working just fine until Trini had turned off her phone completely, saying that she ‘had’ to finish the film regardless of how much Kim pouted.

Unfortunately, her girlfriend ditching her for a douchebag meant that Kim was alone with nothing to do that evening, sat in the middle of Krispy Kreme at their usual table, angrily stirring her lukewarm sugar with coffee for about half an hour whilst glaring at the wall. It was all stupid Javier’s fault.

“What is a pretty girl like you doing alone?”

Kim was not in the mood for this crap. She looked up to see a girl that she vaguely recognised from school; short jet-black hair and a black jacket with blue trimmings being her most identifiable features.

“I’m sulking because my girlfriend ditched me to watch Fight Club with her stupid friend that she has known for like a week.”

“If you were my girlfriend -” the girl began.

“Do not.”

“Okay, I’m sorry.” The girl raised her arms in surrender. “It was worth a try though.”

Kim continued to glare at her.

“Do I know you?”

“Dax Lo,” she said, taking it upon herself to sit down opposite Kim before offering her hand for Kim to shake it. “The queer-ist kid you’ll ever meet.”

“So, you’re gay?” Kim asked, shaking Dax’s hand.

“And non-binary or whatever you want to call it so ‘they’ pronouns if you would be so kind.”

“Ok.”

To the annoyance the guy managing the till and Kim, Dax put their feet on the table, slightly spilling Kim’s ‘coffee’.

“So, who’s your girlfriend?”

“Trini.”

“Gomez? The one that hangs around with Javi?”

“Yeah.”

Kim took a deep breath. In. Out.

“I’m going to take an educated guess and say that he’s the one your girlfriend ditched you for.”

Keep it together Kimberly.

“I am sensing a lot of anger here.”

In. Out. In. Out. Fuck it.

“You know those people who annoy you without a reason but every time you see them you want to punch them and they’re like a lingering piece of shit that won’t flush and go away and then they’re for two weeks and stealing your girlfriend but you can’t complain without seeming like a giant asshole so, when you think about it, you realise that’s the reason they annoy you?”

Dax nodded, looking slightly amused.

“Well Javier Hernandez is those people.”

Ok, that felt good.

“It sounds like you are just jealous. You’re used to having your girlfriend all to yourself - which isn’t helped by the fact that you both have the same friends so you’re practically attached at the hip. You don’t like that she’s not giving you her full attention. I think you need to take a step back, calm you shit and get used to it. As for Javi - he’s not that bad. Give the poor guy a chance.”

Maybe Dax wasn’t as stupid as they looked in the jacket that was the literal definition of a faux pas.

“But-”

“No, that’s it.”

Kim opened her mouth to speak again but decided not to.

“Good. I have to get going but I’ll see you around.”

Dax stood up, fixing their hair.

“Have another donut,” they said, putting a five-dollar bill and a piece of paper on the table, “on me.”

Kim raised her eyebrows.

“Call me if you need to talk. Or if you want me to finish my pick-up line.”

Dax turned to leave.

“Dax?”

“Yeah?”

“Can I have a hug?”

***

“Did I do something wrong?”

Trini rolled her eyes and slammed her locker door shut, choosing not to reply. Pushing her headphones down over her head, she began walking.

For once, it was Kim who was really confused. She hadn’t done anything and yet, Trini was doing everything possible to avoid her; choosing to be driven to school by her mother - who had leapt at the opportunity; eating lunch with Javi and his friends; skipping biology to hang out with Zack on his free and trying to get out of school as quickly as possible.

Normally Trini was blunt if she was mad so Kim guessed that whatever Trini was mad at her for was bad. She wouldn’t even look at Kim properly.

Despite the large height distance, Kim was struggling to keep up with Trini’s pace so she decided that her best bet was to pull off Trini’s headphones.

“What Kim?” Trini spat, looking really pissed.

Kim was shocked by the harshness of Trini’s tone.

“What have I done?” she replied.

“You know exactly what you did.”

“No, I don’t actually.”

Trini rolled her eyes.

“Just give me my headphones back.”

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”

“Fine. You really want to know what’s wrong?”

Kim nodded.

“Trent saw you at Krispy Kreme.”

“And?”

“He heard what you said. Am I not allowed to pick my friends now? I didn’t realise I had to run everything by you. I didn’t know that I had to spend every waking moment with you or that my friend is like ‘lingering pieces of shit-”

Oh no.

“Trini, that’s -”

A crowd was gathering. Why did Kim think that it was a good idea to confront Trini in the hallway at the end of the day.

“No, you wanted to know what’s wrong so I’m telling you,” Trini said, trying to keep it together but her voice was beginning. “You have the audacity to talk shit about my friend - who you’ve never had a conversation with - to random people you meet in the Krispy Kreme. If you have a problem with who I’m spending my time with - which you have no right to - have the decency not to bitch about me and Javi with Dax Lo of all people and then you fucking hugged them when you know they’re my ex?"

Wait, what?

"What’s that about? Maybe those people are just being nice and don’t want to get into my pants. Just because he’s a straight guy, it doesn’t mean that he’s trying to do that. Have you considered that not everyone is a spiteful bitch like you? There is a line between caring about your girlfriend and being an asshole and you crossed it, Kim.”

“Trini-”

“Fuck off Kim.”

Kim could do nothing but try not to cry as she watched Trini snatch her headphones and leave.

Chapter Text

Kim just about made it into an empty classroom, sitting under a desk, before she broke down. Just like with everything else, she had gone too far. She was the asshole, not Javier. Yes, Trent may have twisted the story slightly, but he was mostly accurate. There was no one else to blame but herself. She was the one who had hugged Dax after remembering that they were Trini’s summer fling. She was the one who had dragged Javier into her mess, being a complete dick to him for no reason. Worst of all, she had probably ended the best thing that had ever happened to her and for what? Nothing.

The door began to open slowly and Kim froze. She didn’t want to explain what why she was crying under a desk to the principal or her parents.

“Kim?”

The voice was familiar but she couldn’t remember who it belonged to so she stayed still.

“I know you’re in here.”

Crap. It was Javier.

She sat still, tucking her knees under her chin, hoping that Javi would go.

“I know I’m probably the one person you don’t want to see right now but I thought we could talk.”

When Javier was met with silence, he sat down.

“I had a girlfriend in my last school. Her name was - well that’s not important. We spent a lot of time together - not as much as you and Trini do - but basically most of the time apart from Saturday afternoons and Sundays. One day she introduces me to her new friend, Tyson - he’s like me but on steroids so I’m a little bit intimidated. Over time, she starts spending more and more time with Tyson and less with me. Naturally, I grow to hate the guy even though we’ve never properly talked. One day, I confront him about trying to steal my girlfriend and he starts yelling at me about how I’m being crazy and possessive and that they’re just friends. I call bullshit and we start squaring up in the middle of the hallway and people form a circle around us, cheering us on, placing bets and taking out their phones to film it.” Judging from the way Javier’s voice was cracking, he was tearing up. “So, I swing first, just about grazing his chin, when my girlfriend turns up. And as I said, Tyson was like me on steroids so he throws an uppercut and it nearly fractures my nose. Somehow, I manage to stay up and I punch him in the jaw. He falls to the floor but I don’t stop. All the jealousy I feel hits me and I just can’t stop until my girlfriends is screaming at me and a couple of guys have the sense to pull me off him.”

Emerging from underneath the desk, Kim sits on the chair next to Javier’s. Kim started to speak but Javier continued, wiping his tears.

“I end up in the principal’s office trying to justify why I punched Tyson to the verge of unconsciousness. His parents decide that they don’t want to ruin my life the ‘way I ruined Tyson’s’ and don’t press charges on the condition that I’m expelled. I lost my girlfriend, my friends and everything I had worked for since freshman year.”

Unsure what to do Kim decided that hugging Javier was her best shot. Javier crumpled into the hug, beginning to cry.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I get you and why you did what you did. It wasn’t cool but I get it.”

“I know it doesn’t mean much but I’m sorry Javier. I was an asshole.”

“Just an asshole?”

“I’m sorry for being a bitch.”

“It’s fine.”

“It really isn’t,” Kim replied, offering Javier her last tissue. “Can I make it up to you?”

Javier was quiet for a second.

“Well for starters, you could stop calling me Javier because you sound like my mom.”

“But’s it’s a nice name.”

“Ok, now you really sound like my mom.”

Kim let out a pathetic laugh. “Javi it is.”

“And you could have a drink with me,” Javier said. “As friends,” he added quickly.

“We’re underage.”

“I doubt that’s stopped you before.”

“Point taken.”

***

“Corona - now you’re speaking my language.”

As Javi’s car was in the shop, Kim and Javi had walked to the cliffs on the other side - a fair distance from where bonfire nights were held. Being the only mildly solitary place in the whole of Angel Grove, apart from the dodgy side by the ports, Javi had explained that he went to the cliffs when he wanted to think or clear his head.

When they had arrived, Javi had pulled a six pack of Corona out from a cooler that was stashed behind a rock. Kim had gladly accepted the bottle, cracking it open and pouring half of it down her throat before Javi had even sat down, making him laugh.

“What?”

“You drink like a pro.”

“Obviously - I was head cheerleader.”

“Don’t cheerleaders do body shots, not beer?”

“Eh. I’m out of practice.”

“So, the stories are true - you can do body shots.”

Kim went red - she used to be renowned for her first-class body shots but she was past those days.

“I don’t do them anymore.”

“I bet Trini would like to see.”

Kim’s face fell as she remembered why she was up the cliff with Javier anyway.

“Oh shit, I shouldn’t have said that.”

Kim shrugged it off.

“So Javi, you seem you would have been a party king in your time, got any juicy stories?”

“Not really but there was that one time.”

“Do tell,” Kim said, downing the rest of her beer.

“Last year, the Marx twins threw an end of year ‘extravaganza’ and they managed to get hold of some really strong weed. At the end of the party, I was high as a kite and I couldn’t go home like that so my friend drove me and a couple of others to his place. On the way, and I must have been really high, I thought I saw a guy stuck in a pine tree.” That sounded like something Zack would do. “Like he was dangling upside down with his foot wedged in a branch and there was this angry Hispanic lady trying to pry his foot out with a broom stick and a stick of butter.” Javi sniggered. “And then there was this really short girl with two boys, presumably her brothers, jabbing him with twigs. The guy driving slowed the car down and then the mother started screaming at us, brandishing the broom.”

Kim and Javi burst out laughing, tears streaming down their faces.

“That was Zack,” Kim said, clutching her sides.

“What?”

“Trini keeps telling me about how Zack got stuck in a pine tree and her mother chased off some guys with a broom.”

Looking at each other, Kim and Javi started laughing again.

“We’re such terrible people.”

It was nice not to think about things for once. That cliff was completely isolated from the rest of Kim’s shitty life. At least for now, she could let go and forget about everything.

Chapter Text

Trini’s POV

Trini had never felt that angry before. When Trent had texted her, telling her that he had seen Kim with Dax, on his shift, she hadn’t wanted to believe him. She didn’t have any reason to believe him. But then he sent her the picture of Kim and her ex. Hugging. Trini and Dax hadn’t been serious but Kim knew that they had been a thing. She knew how Kim worked. If Dax had been anyone else, Kim wouldn’t have even bothered to entertain conversation with them. Kim was renowned for being spiteful but Trini thought Kim was over that. Clearly not.

She could have heard Kim out but she couldn’t be bothered to listen to Kim’s excuses. Besides, Kim didn’t deserve to be heard out - she had bitched about Javi even though she had never even had a proper conversation with him.
Leaving when she did was the best thing she could have done. If she had stayed, she would have ended up saying something that would have hurt both her and Kim. As everyone else had already gone home, Trini was left to walk home by herself, drowning in her anger and a sense of betrayal.

But she didn’t want to go home. Her mother was at home and she couldn’t deal with that. She didn’t feel like talking to her mother or anyone else which left her with very limited options. Zack was probably up in the cliffs, Javi had disappeared, Billy was hanging around the boatyard searching for materials with his nerd friends and Jason was running errands for his mother, leaving her to vault over the back fence to avoid her family.

Her phone went off.

M: Buying things for the boys’ project and then going to visit Marco. Would have invited you but I know you don’t like him. Won’t be home until tomorrow. Remember to eat dinner xxx

Well at least, Trini could mope around the house in peace now.

***

There was someone at the door. Opening her eyes, she looked around her poorly lit living room to see the end of some sad movie playing on the TV. Normally she didn’t really care for that genre and she would never admit to anyone that she watched them, but it was what she did when she was moping. She stretched her neck as she stood up, paused the film and took her keys off the table.

She wasn’t expecting anyone and she doubted that her mother would have cut her trip to see a relative short. Salesmen were banned from her neighbourhood - not that they would want to try and sell a toaster at quarter past midnight - and her neighbours were too scared of her mother to come round after seven pm.

Too short to see through the peephole, Trini kept the chain on and unlocked the door, opening it about an inch.

“Hello?”

“Tiny T!”

Trini sighed. She was relieved that it was just Zack but his constant state of happiness kind of mad e it hard to mope. Removing the chain, she groaned as Zack rushed into the kitchen.

“I have to pay for everything you eat and break and the tree doctor’s bills weren’t cheap, Zack,” Trini sighed as Zack wrenched open the cupboard where Trini’s mother ‘hid’ all the chips.

“Cheer up T!” Zack said, tossing a couple of bags of chips at her.

“What reason do I have to cheer up?” Trini asked as she sat down at the counter, watching Zack go through the rest of the cupboard.

“We are going to watch Mega Shark vs Giant Octopus, Mega Shark vs. Crocosaurus, Mega Shark vs. Mecha Shark - my personal favourite- and Mega Shark vs. Kolossus.”

Trini groaned. They were the worst films in existence and the acting was beyond disastrous. She didn’t see why Zack liked them so much.

“Don’t be a spoilsport,” Zack replied. “You are sad and I can’t have you moping around you house, watching Marley and Me, the Notebook and every other lame film ever made on repeat.”

“I do no such thing.”

“Don’t lie to me Trinity.”

Zack screamed as the bag of chips that Trini threw at him hit him in his stupid face.

“Shut up, Zachary,” Trini said as she walked into the living, to clear her viewing history.

***

“Who is it?”

Trini was still in the living room, watching intently as a ship flew into the Sphinx, decapitating it on impact. After the doorbell had rung, Trini and Zack had argued over who was going to get up and open the door. As a result of losing Rock, Paper, Scissors,
Zack had reluctantly got up to answer the door.

“Zack, you imbecile - I asked you who it was!” Trini yelled, pausing the film.

Zack came back into the living room, looking guilty.

“It was Kim.”

“Was?”

“I may or may not have slammed the door in her face,” Zack said, getting ready to run.

“Good,” Trini replied.

“Good?” Zack repeated, shocked that Trini wasn’t trying to rip his head off.

“Good.”

***

Kim’s POV

“Oh, it’s you.”

Kim shifted uncomfortably as Zack glared at her, his eyes devoid of their usual warmth.

“Hey Zack.”

Zack didn’t respond.

“Can I come in?”

“No?”

“Can I talk to Trini?”

“No.”

“But-”

The door slammed shut in her face, the force making her stumble backwards. Fighting back tears, she made her way down the steps of Trini’s porch and onto the street.

***

Trini's POV

Zack sat down cautiously and pressed play, watching Trini sink down into the armchair and glare at the screen.

"Are you mad at me?"

"No."

Trini noticed Zack smile as she accepted the bag of chips he offered her as a peace offering.

"Thank god for that," Zack said.

"I heard that."

Trini wasn’t mad at Zack, she was mad at Kim. Normally, if Zack had done she would have made him pay but Kim had really pissed Trini off. Coming around to apologise at 3 in the morning wasn’t going to fix that.

Chapter Text

Kim was mistaken if she thought she was getting away with what she had done so easily.

Trini had gotten a lift from Javi to school. When she had seen Kim waiting for her at her locker, Trini took out her books and walked away without saying a word. At the end of homeroom, Trini found Kim waiting outside of her classroom so she had walked in the other direction even though it meant being five minutes late for first period. Dax had turned up to school to apologise on Kim’s behalf - like that would make things any better- and Trini had basically told them to fuck themself. As the Chinese place had reopened, she and Zack had lunch there. They would have eaten with Javi but Kim had invited him to sit at their normal table in an attempt to get Trini to sit with her. She would have skipped biology again but Kim wasn’t going to be the reason she didn’t get straight ‘A’s in the subject.

Walking into biology, Trini considered that she was being a bit harsh but then she saw a text from Trent, who was obviously taking great pleasure in making things worse.

Tr: [img.]

It was a picture of Kim hugging Dax again. Trini knew that it was probably just Dax comforting Kim but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be angry about it.

Deleting the image, she sat down at her usual seat and spread her stuff across all the second half of the desk as she saw Kim look at the seat with a mixture of hope and desperation. Avoiding eye contact with her, Trini felt Kim stare at her for a second before sitting down at her usual seat. Taking out her phone, Trini opened Netflix and stared at the screen - determined not to let Kim know how much what she had done was affecting Trini.

At the end of class, Trini packed away as fast as possible and practically sprinted out of the classroom when she saw Kim approaching.

***

Trini was walking through the parking lot, towards where Javi said he would be waiting when her phone vibrated in her pocket. Presuming that it was either Zack or her mother, she looked at the notification:

K: I know I messed up but please talk to me.
K: You’re mad and I get that but wait up.
K: Please.

Trini shoved her phone back her pocket and decided to ignore the string of messages. However, she didn’t get the chance to keep walking as she felt someone put their hand on their shoulder in the way that only Kim could. Sighing, she stood still.

“What, Kim?” Trini asked, sounding more tired than angry. She was tired of ignoring Kim, she was tired of Trent trying to make things worse, she was tired of everything.

“Look, I know you’re mad because -” Kim paused. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am for talking about Javi the way I did. It was wrong and bitchy and he’s much nicer than I thought he was.

“That’s not why I’m mad,” Trini said. Well, it was part of it - but not the main reason. “You said you were over being spiteful and the next thing I know, you’re complaining about one of my friends - who you had never talked to - to my ex of all people.”

Kim began to talk. “I just needed someone to vent to and it just so happened that Dax was there.”

“You and I both know that if you had talked to someone that wasn’t Dax, that conversation would have gone very differently. Yes, it may have just been a hug, but you knew that Trent was working that shift and that Trent would have told me. You did that on purpose. Rather than telling me that you have a problem with Javi - something that we could have resolved together- you had to make a point.”

“I-”

“If you can’t be honest with me and tell me if you have a problem, then maybe we shouldn’t be together.”