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Frayed edges on her ripped jeans were picked at - Maya had been in high school for three months now, and this was her first time truly being invited out somewhere. Even if it was just to coffee to study for the history test tomorrow. She tried to be cool, she wanted to impress these people. Books were opened to page 149, and an ugly portrait of white men staring at her from the table, half covered by her notebook with scribblings on it.
“What’s the answer for 12, Maya?” Asked the girl to her right - Kelsey, a beautiful girl who Maya most certainly did not have a crush on. No, she just thought about how her hair looked especially gorgeous in sunlight and how she was sharp, strong, all angles. Maya felt so soft and so vulnerable, that someone who looked like a wall and was solid teflon, well, it was… Attractive. Fleeting, but attractive.
“Maya!” Eva called out, snapping her fingers, in front of Maya’s face, “C’mon, nerd, what’s number 12?”
Maya looked down at her sheet, and answered, “The revolutionary war was a war between the thirteen American colonies and the British Empire for independence-”
“- Thanks, genius.”
“- And the main… um, reason, is they were not given adequate representation in the legislation making-” She looked away, realized no one was listening, and fidgeted with her pencil.
Scratching pencils copied her word for word, since they were too lazy to reword it on their own. US History was a completion grade, nothing more, with an uncaring coach for a teacher. Maya didn’t mean to end up being good at history, but she suddenly wishes she was in APUSH - if only so she wouldn’t be so bored for two hours of the day. Maya finished answer 25, and put her pen down, “I think I’m gonna go get another tea, guys.”
A perfectly tied scarf accented Franziska’s long coat, covering her lower face as she stepped into the heating system of the coffee shop. Suddenly, the frost from outside had melted off of her, and she smiled, softly. Unlike a Von Karma. This was the only think she liked about Los Angeles - the strange, hole in the wall coffee shops that truly knew how to brew a cold coffee. The air was light, and it lifted burdens at the door - she could stop thinking, because no one expected her here.
Maya Fey was high on that list, of course. It had been a few months since she’d seen her last - after all, school was apparently higher on Maya Fey’s priorities than attending court proceedings so she could sometimes smile at Franziska from across the courtroom. She supposed it was responsible, to give herself more options than head of a channelling school, but she missed her. It was… Strange, since their phone calls had died down, and Franziksa realized that Maya was her only friend and she felt herself feeling weak without her.
Franziska stood in line, her eyes darting around and she took in a sigh of relief. No one she knew, no one to connect her as a famous prosecutor who famously was straight faced and formal - the things a beanie and a scarf could do for hiding one’s identity were rather terrifying.
“May I have an americano cold, shot of espresso, shot of vanilla, please?”
The girl behind the counter answered in a southern - perhaps Louisiana? - accent, “Right away. Uh - Name?”
“... Anne Marie.”
“Alright, Miss Anne Marie, I’ll have that out for you in a jiffy!” Franziska paid with minimal trouble. The girl behind her stepped up, and Franziska saw long black hair flying past, ripped jeans and a crop top, and puffy cheeks. The barista spoke up, “Another green tea, Maya?”
“Thank you kindly!” Maya responded quickly, and skipped past Franziska, who hid her face in her scarf, making sure Maya didn’t see her. Oh God - what if she called her “Franzy” here. It’d be… Very endearing and she would blush, because Maya Fey ignited something inside of her, and she would giggle like a schoolgirl and even tuck her hair behind her ears.
Maya instead returned to her seat, surrounded by girls who were all whispering and turned to look at her very suddenly. Their table was so close to the ordering kiosk that, standing around for her order to be taken, she could hear them talk. There was a flutter of movement, and some girl sighed, and began to gossip more; the only barista was still taking orders. This was going to be a long, long wait.
“Okay, Maya, c’mon, just let us cheat off your papers. None of us are going to pass so just hand us your sheet so we can go home.” Penny complained, and grabbed for Maya’s papers.
She grabbed her book back, and held it tight to her chest, “Listen, guys, you know we’re going to get in trouble if our answers are exactly the same.”
Kelsey rolled her eyes, “He literally said to our faces that he doesn’t care as long as we don’t cheat on the exam. Just give em to me, okay.”
Maya looked over her notes, and saw her doodlings. Little hearts, and cute smiley faces - no names, she was not that stupid, but it would be so obvious, given Maya had flirted and blushed at Kelsey in the past. “A-alright,” she still said, looking down.
One of the other girls laughed - Maya knew nothing about her, except that she was the head of the FCA and talked about religion constantly when they were in class together. “Ugh, I knew lesbians were such sluts, but honestly. It’s that easy to get the nerd to drop her academic oath or some shit.”
There was laughter amongst the group, and Maya tried to laugh along, the smile paining her. Kelsey added in, her tone jeering, “Thanks, babe. ” There was more laughter, and Maya looked down at her notes once more.
“Iced Americano for Anne Marie, and a green tea for Maya?” She stood so quickly her notebook fell from her lap. The conversation had to end, and this was the only way to do so. Only, to her shock, they kept going behind her back, now mocking her notebook as it’d fallen onto the floor, open to an old case file she had notes on.
“Fran plus Maya? What are you, 12?”
“Eugh, these aren’t even history notes. You take notes on court cases, what a loser.” More mockery behind her back, and she grabbed onto the warmth of the paper mug.
“Ooh, this Fran shows up in your notes a lot.” One commented, “With hearts by her name, honestly, grow up.”
FCA Girl chimed in, “Ew, did you have a crush on her? That’s disgusting. You have no right to flaunt your homosexuality in our faces. It’s unnatural .”
Maya lowered her voice, “You’re the ones who took my notebook.”
“Really? More unnatural than your disgusting perm?” Movement beside Maya told her the Anne Marie who ordered coffee had turned around, “Because, last I checked, America is a country of freedom, you fool.”
“Her lifestyle is disgusting-”
“As are you.” The woman wrapped her arm around Maya, and Maya flinched, but recognized something about the grip, and her voice, and everything else too. “ Pleased to meet your acquaintance, I’m Franziska Von Karma, Maya’s… girlfriend.”
Amazingly, the girls were quiet, “Well, now, Maya, would you like to come sit with me? I have a table outside.”
Her heart skipped a beat - oh god, she’d forgotten how much she liked Franny. Franny was beautiful, was always standing up for her (after the first time she accused her of murder.) “Y-Yes, yes absolutely.” Maya was quick to pick up her things, grabbing her textbook and her coat, before reaching for her notebook, being held in Eva’s pale, thin hands.
“Yeah, right. No one would date that loser. Or wouldn’t you like to know that the only reason she came here is because Jillian said that Kelsey would go out with her if she aced the test.”
Franziska, though, was always one step ahead. “And wouldn’t Kelsey like to know that I suggested she accept the offer out of pity, because otherwise that fool would fail the class.” Franziska snatched the notebook from Eva’s hands - and smiled. Her face was smug, and Maya felt her stomach flutter when Franziska grabbed her hand and pulled her along, past the barista.
And her stomach dropped like a stone when, the second the two of them were three feet away, the girls started laughing, snickering, and someone said something , and she felt something wet, hot, and sticky hit her back. Maya jerked around, and a second drink, this time cold, hit her in the face. Her back burned and white her shirt was turning translucent, the ink from her homework leaking down the page, and pressure built up in her chest, as camera shutters sounded, so she turned and ran, tears streaming down her face.
Franziska Von Karma did not always have her whip on her, but what she didn’t have, she made up for in a scathing personality and a terrifying tangle of connections, but these girls did not care about that. They did not care that she was ruthless, or that she stood so perfectly that adult men cried when they saw her. They, did, however, care how quickly she could glean information from their private lives from looking at them.
“Eva, you’re cheating on your boyfriend with Jillian. It was obvious from the way you said her name and glanced over at her at the same time.” Franziska paused, “Also, the two of you were very loud in the bathroom earlier, I have to say.” The girls recoiled, and she turned to the other one, “Penny. You most definitely have faked every single one of their report cards and if I told your parents you’re empire would be ruined. When you were looking at Maya’s notebook, you copied her writing perfectly. You could have a career in handwriting analysis if you weren’t so intent on foolishly following around someone who invites people who simply want to be friends out to coffee to mock and belittle them.”
The tallest girl stood up, and Franziska straightened her jaw, “I have put away murderers, thieves, and criminals who have no place in society, but you. You are a bottom feeder, a scum who scrapes by, never being truly bad enough to gain attention, so you take that out on others.
And they all laughed once more, nervously, but they still laughed, as Franziska marched away through the door of coffee shop, a teal backpack and a pink coat in her hands.
She had a visit to the Wrights to make, if her first lead did not pan out.
Franziska tried the park. Their first “date” had been there, a few weeks after the Miney case - she still felt guilty, but it was close to the coffee shop, and there were big, open bathrooms that no one used (because they were disgusting, but that was an aside.) She could hide in there, clean herself off, and maybe even take a breath.
The main area was empty - the mirrors showed her something interesting, though - all the stalls were open save for one, which was shut tightly, and Franziska could see a pair of pink sneakers peeking out. She rapped on the door twice.
“Go away.”
Franziska sat down outside the stall, and hummed, “I talked to those girls. I called them horrible things, Maya Fey.” Maya sniffled, and Franziska added on, “And you know what they did?”
“What did they do?” Her voice was quiet, soft, low and Franziska hated that.
“They laughed at me, Maya Fey. Pointed right at me and laughed.” And Franziska started laughing too.
“What, what’s so funny? Is that supposed to make me feel better, my stupid not-friends made fun of you too?”
“Exactly, you fool!” Franziska sighed, “No - what I’m trying to say is that - I hated the way those girls treated you. I hate that they laughed when you started crying. I wasn’t allowed to… Be out, when I was in school. I hate that you can’t without people tormenting you, but if they’re going to torment you, then I want them to torment me too.”
Creaking open, Maya walked out the stall door and sat on the floor next to Franziska. There was makeup on her face, tears still falling, and her clothes were stained now. “I hate that they made fun of you.”
“I hate them.” Franziska offered, as if that was a consolation.
“Did you see Eva’s little rat hands? She’s disgusting!” Maya faux-gagged, “Ugh, and Jillian’s disgusting shoes! She props them on the table in public. It’s fine at home, but in public? ”
“Poor Penny, she just looks stuck with them.”
“No, she’s not. She’s the actual ringleader, but no one suspects her because she’s got those big baby blues.”
Franziska chuckled, “Really? That’s inane.”
Facing her now, Maya asked, “Why did you lie for me?”
Why? Franziska asked herself that too. She lied… Because it was the right thing to do, to save Maya from that conversation. Because Maya Fey was beautiful. Because Maya had, in some small way, played a part in her own saving. Because Franziska missed Maya. “Because I… I have been a bully for a fair share of my life. I would like to stop that.”
Her head pressed against Franziska’s shoulder, Maya said, “Mm-hm. And that’s why your lie was about me being your girlfriend?”
“Absolutely. It was the most logical answer.” No, it was not. “After all, who could resist Maya Fey?” Fool! “D-did you really have a crush on that fool?”
Maya was laughing now too, thought it was a dead chuckle, “I thought she was hot.” and grabbed her phone. “I’m gonna… Call my dad, so I can-” she gestured to her clothes, the Steel Samurai shirt now stained coffee brown. She shivered.
“Yes. Of course.” And Franziska was looking away, reminded suddenly of their closeness and Maya’s condition. “Would you like my jacket?” She began taking off the beige overcoat anyways.
Maya nodded, and wrapped it around her shoulders, noticing quickly that Franziska wasn’t looking at her. “Sure, girlfriend. ”
Buttoning the coat for her, Franziska smiled, facing her now, “Would you like to go to dinner, tomorrow night? Pay back for this, Maya. It does not have to be romantic.” And yet, I called her Maya…
A quick kiss to the cheek was her answer, “But, can it be?”
“Of course.”