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In the universe there are many undeniable facts. Dogs are cute, ice cream is good, aliens are real. Another undeniable fact is that Crystal Elizabeth Methyd has been in love with Gigi Goode since the sixth grade. Anybody with eyes could see that the Latina was completely and utterly in love. The girls ran in polar opposite groups at school. Gigi was everything Crystal should’ve hated. Popular, pretty, well off and bitchy. She was basically a walking high school mean girl cliche except that she was different with Crystal. The girl had no idea why Gigi was so different with her but for whatever reason she never treated Crystal like she did Crystal’s friends.
Gigi’s little gang of cheerleaders ruled the school with an iron fist. Gigi was front and center, pretty blue eyes and auburn hair. She was tall and leggy, a model-like figure and an unmatched taste for fashion. There was her right hand woman, a petite blonde girl named Nicky who had transferred to their school in Sophomore year and immediately became Gigi’s favorite. Between her impeccable fashion and her enchanting French accent, every single person in the school wanted to date her or be her.
Pulling a close second to Nicky in terms of both popularity and favoritism was Jaida, another annoyingly beautiful girl with a list of pageant crowns and titles longer than the state of California. She had smooth dark skin and a bright smile and could normally be found rejecting boys in the hallways. Then there was Dahlia, who was easily the worst of the group. She was Latina as well as Crystal but that’s were the similarities ended. Dahlia was abrasive and mean but her undeniably pretty face saved her from trouble. She had long black hair and contrasting blue eyes that popped against her tan skin.
While the gang mercilessly teased Crystal’s friends, for some reason Crystal never found herself on the receiving end of the bullying. Her best friend Daegen insisted to Crystal that it was like Gigi had put out an order for Crystal to be spared. The green haired girl always scoffed and disregarded the notion, chalking it up to the popular crowd not even knowing she existed. Some odd part of her almost wished that Gigi would insult her just once so that she could know that the brunette knew she was alive.
While they did live in L.A., some people in their school harbored some rather outdated views. One of these people being Gigi’s meathead boyfriend Jared. Together he and Gigi were the quintessential high school romance. The quarterback and the head cheerleader who would go on to get married after they graduated and divorce a few years later when he inevitably cheated on her. But oddly Gigi never seemed happy when she was with him. Nearly every time Crystal saw the two of them together Gigi was recoiling from his touch or looking at him with disgust.
Unfortunately for Crystal, Jared hadn’t received whatever memo was sent into the universe that Gigi controlled. One of his favorite activities other than picking on the younger students and ignoring his schoolwork until he nearly failed and forced another kid to do his work, was tormenting Crystal both inside and outside of school.
One particularly unfortunate night saw Crystal stumbling into a nearby coffee shop, clutching at her bloodied forehead. It was the first time Jared and his band of buffoons had gotten violent with her. The group of five boys had found her while she was walking home from her friend Daya’s house and cornered her in an alley. Between the homophobic words being thrown her way and the flying fists she wasn’t actually sure who had hit her or how many times. She was sure however that she was bleeding a lot more than she wanted to be and that she would have some serious bruising the next day. Her lip was split badly and her mouth was filled with the tangy metallic taste of her own blood. The bleeding from the deep gash on her forehead showed no signs of slowing down and the girl was beginning to feel lightheaded.
The red liquid dropped into her eyes, impairing both her vision and her ability to walk. She practically fell through the door of a nearby shop, surprised to hear the tinkling of the entry bell. It was almost ten o’clock at night on a Monday and nothing else around her was open. The light that shone from the back of the coffee shop had been a beacon for Crystal to hone in on. A gasp sounded and the sounds of high heels clicking against hardwood floors neared. Before she could look up a familiar perfume overwhelmed her senses like an invasive plant. Almonds and citrus wafted towards her from a familiar yet foreign source.
“Holy fuck are you ok Crystal? What happened to you?”
The only bigger shock to Crystal than Gigi working despite having more money than anyone every needed was that the brunette knew who she was and seemed to care. The girl reached out towards Crystal who instinctively flinched and moved away.
“I’m fine Gigi. Don’t fucking touch me.” Crystal snapped. She instantly felt bad for her reaction but a part of her didn’t care. It was Gigi’s boyfriend who had done this to her after all. Part of her blamed Gigi even though she knew it was unfair. Jared was his own person (unfortunately) and operated autonomously.
“I won’t touch you but you’re not fine. Why don’t you come to the back and I’ll clean you up.” Gigi said. Despite the words being phrased as a question it was clear that it was an order. Gigi scooted around the still bleeding girl and locked the door, drawing the blinds. Crystal clambered back to her feet and followed Gigi back to the kitchens.
“Hop up here and I’ll grab the first aid kit.” Gigi said, patting a wooden countertop. Crystal obliged, still trying to stem the bleeding. Gigi bustled away behind a door and emerged a few moments later toting a red case with a white cross. She placed it next to Crystal and unsnapped the clasps. The lid sprung open to reveal various medical supplies. The brunette made a beeline for the antiseptic wipes and the bandages. She ripped open one of the packets and produced a towelette with an alcohol solution on it.
“This is gonna sting a little bit.” She said, bringing the cloth up to Crystal’s face. When she made contact Crystal hissed in pain and recoiled slightly but allowed Gigi to continue. The bleeding had subsided and was beginning to hemorrhage. There wasn’t much that they would be able to do about the bruising but it was nothing time couldn’t heal and makeup couldn’t cover. Gigi leaned back into Crystal’s space, bandaid in hand and ready to be applied. Crystal did her best to ignore the butterflies that cropped up in her stomach whenever Gigi got near her but to no avail.
“Just give it to me. I’ll do it.” Crystal said, thrusting her hand out. The idea of Gigi being close to her made her anxious and she wanted to do anything to save herself from even more possible embarrassment.
“Don’t be absurd you won’t get it on right. You just can’t reach that angle. Stop being difficult and let me help you!” Gigi insisted. She reached out again to apply the bandage but Crystal slapped it out of her hand.
“What the hell is your problem?!” Gigi exclaimed, trying to catch the bandaid before it touched the ground. Crystal looked away, shame rushing through her at the way she was treating Gigi.
“I told you not to fucking touch me...” the injured girl muttered, arms folded over her chest and eyes averted.
“That doesn’t answer my question!” Gigi huffed “What is wrong with you?! It’s not like I did this! I’ve never been mean to you or anything!”
“Wow you’re truly my savior!” Crystal scoffed sarcastically. She jumped down from her place on the counter but immediately stumbled, still light headed from the blood she had lost. She fell right into Gigi’s open arms and the brunette caught her with surprising strength and set her back on her feet. Then only thing Crystal could process was that her body hurt, she hated Jared, she wished she was still high and that Genevieve fucking Goode was touching her. Gigi’s hands steadied her hips, keeping the shorter girl still in front of her.
“What don’t you understand about ‘don’t touch me?!” Crystal yelled, pulling herself away and maneuvering around Gigi. The taller girl caught her wrist and pulled her backwards into her embrace. She locked her arms around Crystal’s trembling body in a tight hug. Crystal seized up for a moment, shock and anger rushing through her veins before she broke down. Her tears fell hard and fast, sniffles and loud sobs filled the room. Her anxiety about looking stupid in front of Gigi had waned, emotions getting the better of her as usual. It was a solid five minutes before she was able to stop crying. When she did she looked up at Gigi with puffy eyes and snot running down her nose, mascara runny and makeup ruined. She was confident that she had ruined whatever expensive blouse Gigi was wearing under the apron which would infuriate the brunette. She expected for Gigi to look down in her with pity, judgment, annoyance or even disgust but instead of that she saw only empathy and strangely enough, affection.
One of Gigi’s hands left her waist and cupped her face. She tilted Crystal’s chin up, slowly tilting it side to side and examining the damage caused to the green haired girl. The taller of the two thumbed away a thin trail of blood that still ran from Crystal’s busted lip. She examined it, saying nothing at all. The whole world seemed to be on pause and Crystal felt her heart thumping away in her chest like a blacksmith’s hammer. She swallowed her nervousness and watched Gigi wipe the blood away on her apron. Gigi’s stormy blue eyes met Crystal’s red-rimmed brown eyes in an intense stare.
“Who did this to you baby?” Gigi voice was quiet and tense, anger barely restrained under the surface. Crystal’s heart slipped up and skipped a beat at the pet name before she blushed and looked away.
“It...it doesn’t matter. It’ll heal...” Crystal murmured, still avoiding Gigi’s electric gaze. Gigi clucked her tongue disapprovingly and pulled the other girl’s face back towards her own, forcing Crystal to look her in the eyes again.
“I asked you a question baby. Who. Did. This. To. You?” Each word was heavier than the last. Crystal realized that it would be impossible to dodge the question. She sighed heavily and finally met Gigi’s eyes. The moment she did the tension in the air multiplied exponentially. Just Gigi looking at her made her blush and the fact that she was still in the taller girl’s arms didn’t help much. The evident care that was being pushed toward her was confusing but not entirely unwelcome.
“Jared...”
“That fucking asshole. I’m going to kill him.” Gigi spat, face hardening with anger. Crystal was stunned at the girl’s reaction. She obviously understood why Gigi was upset but she didn’t understand why she cared so much about her.
“It’s really fine Gee. I don’t want trouble from him. It’s bad enough already...”
“What do you mean already?” Gigi said, eyes flashing with rage. If Crystal hadn’t felt so safe in Gigi’s long arms then she would’ve been absolutely terrified. She had never seen anything like this side of Gigi. All anyone ever saw was the aloof version of the brunette. The one who didn’t have a care in the world because everything would always go her way. The one who was beyond untouchable and knew it. The one who was admired by everyone around her and was borderline idolized by the younger students.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Crystal asked with a dry laugh “It’s a regular thing. His favorite thing other than picking his nose and jacking off is bullying me!” Gigi tensed, her free hand was balled into a fist so tight her knuckles were turning white.
“Well he shouldn’t be.”
“Wow! You’re a regular Sherlock Holmes aren’t you?” Crystal mocked, earning an exasperated eye roll from Gigi. “Who would’ve thought that bullying is bad? That’s crazy!”
“That is not what I meant Crystal. They’re not supposed to talk to you. I fucking told them not to. I can’t believe this shit!” Gigi’s voice was laced with venom and annoyance. Crystal’s brain faltered at the words.
“I’m sorry what? What do you mean he’s ‘not supposed to ’?” Crystal asked, making air quotes to get her point across more dramatically.
“Sit down this is gonna be a bit of an explanation.” Gigi said, pulling out two chairs from under the countertop. She took her place on one stool and motioned for Crystal to sit in the other. The Latina complied, hesitant, but she still sat with the other girl.
“I guess I’ll start with Jared and I.” Gigi began with a heavy sigh. “As you’ve probably noticed I hate his guts.”
“So why date him? He’s a dick!” Crystal interrupted, earning herself a glare from Gigi for being stopped mid-sentence. Crystal raised her hands in mock surrender, allowing Gigi to continue.
“You’re not wrong in the slightest. The thing is, I’ve got a secret I can’t have getting out that he knows about. We both need to be with each other to keep up appearances but there’s no attraction on my part. For him it’s just his ego. Knowing that he wasn’t with the most attractive girl in school would be a big hit for his puny little mind.”
“Okay cool, the asshole is insecure but what does that have to do with me?” Crystal sighed tiredly. The clock was rounding the bend towards eleven and she was getting tired. Her parents were probably wondering where she was.
“Fuck...don’t make me explain this please?” Gigi said with a slightly flustered expression. The crack in her normally cool facade intrigued Crystal and she decided to push further.
“No you owe it to me to tell me why. You’ve obviously gone off involved me in your personal life without me knowing and now that I do know, I demand to know what it is!” Crystal said, tone rising in pitch as her frustration began to bubble over.
“I’m gay.”
“I’m sorry what?!”
“You heard me. I’m a lesbian.” Crystal’s world felt like it had just come to a stop, done a hairpin turn and then stopped again. The idea of Gigi actually liking women both excited her and confused her.
“Okay I get that you’re in the closet but I still have yet to understand what that has to do with me. You know there’s other gay people at school other than me right? Can’t you just bother someone else with-“
“BECAUSE IM IN LOVE WITH YOU!” Gigi shouted, eyes snapping shut in an attempt to stop a single tear from falling. Crystal’s brain and body both froze entirely.
“I... what ? How is that even possible...?”
“Because! You’re smart and funny and pretty. You’re a good person and you always help others when they need it! You’re amazing at art and even though your jokes are stupid they make me want to laugh!” Gigi’s words were spilling out now like vomit and she found that she couldn’t make herself stop. “Ever since ninth grade when you walked into math class with that ugly cheetah print shirt and that stupidly cute smile I’ve been in love with you!” Tears were now running down Gigi’s face freely.
“Gee I don’t know what to say...” Crystal whispered, still in shock at Gigi’s admission.
“It’s fine I know I’m a freak. I just can’t keep kissing other people and pretending they’re you!” Gigi cried, turning her back on Crystal and running for the door. Crystal grabbed her wrist like Gigi had done minutes before and pulled her back. She immediately connected their lips in a sweet kiss. Gigi’s glossed lips fit perfectly against hers, soft and pillowy, they made Crystal feel as though she could stay there forever and never get tired of kissing the other girl. The broke apart after a minute, both in need of air. They rested their foreheads against each other, breathing heavily and grinning like idiots.
“I told him not to bully you because I knew it would kill me to see you hurt. I kept Dahlia away from you as best I could. I just...I couldn’t bear to see you in pain...” Gigi whispered. Her head had fallen onto Crystal’s shoulder, silent sobs racking her body. This time it was Crystal’s turn to comfort the other girl. She stroked the girl’s loose auburn curls and placed a kiss on the top of the crying girl’s head. When Gigi’s tears dried up the brunette lifted her head and looked back at Crystal.
She kissed Crystal again, this time short and sweet but no less meaningful.
“Hey Gee?”
“Yeah Crys?”
“Can I take you on a date sometime? Maybe once these ugly wounds have healed though, they’re kinda nasty.” Crystal laughed. Gigi broke out into a huge smile that over es her whole face and Crystal decided she would do anything to keep the younger girl smiling like that.
“Absolutely you dork. But you could never be ugly to me.” Gigi hummed, nuzzling Crystal’s neck affectionately. The Latina felt a flush spread across her face at the contact but this time she didn’t pull away. This time she let her worries go just a little bit and boy did it feel Goode
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