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“You know, if you didn’t wear all that makeup you might not look so weird!” A hand reached past Crystal’s head and slammed her locker shut. Jumping back in surprise, Crystal’s body connected with the girls surrounding her. Great. Another verbal beat down from her favorite spoiled rich girls.
“You know, if I didn’t know any better I’d think you were flirting with me.” Crystal fired back. It was far too early for this level of bullshit.
“Good thing you don’t know anything other than where to find the ugliest clothes.” The reproachful scoff came from Crystal’s least favorite member of the little gang of painfully privileged women.
Gigi Goode owned Westside Academy in everything but legal documentation. Even that was up for debate seeing as her father donated thousands and thousands of dollars to the school every year. Whether it was her utter domination that had led the track team to three straight national titles, her obnoxiously impressive grades, or undeniable good looks, Crystal couldn’t decide if she loved or hated the brunette.
“Don’t you have something better to do? Like, I don’t know, literally anything else?”
“What could possibly be better than bothering you?” Gigi reached out and pinched Crystal’s cheek like her grandmother would. Crystal swatted Gigi’s hand away with a mirthless laugh.
“There you go again, Gigi. You should be careful. We wouldn’t want your arm candy getting jealous.” Crystal’s offhand comment earned an annoyed snort from the recipient, a pretty blonde named Nicky who practically hung off of Gigi.
“Ignore her, baby. You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.” Gigi leaned over and nuzzled Nicky’s neck before pressing a kiss against her lips. While the rest of their little group cooed about how cute the couple was, Crystal made an over exaggerated gagging noise until the pair broke apart.
“Please go do that somewhere else. Could I recommend behind the school with the rest of the trash?” The witty comment got a small laugh out of Jan, one of Gigi’s friends who never looked happy when the group was harassing Crystal. The glare from Nicky that beamed the bubbly blonde down was almost enough to make Crystal feel bad for the other star athlete of the group. Almost.
“Whatever, meth head. You wish you were Nicky. Imagine being alone forever.” Another member of the group, a pretty brunette named Dahlia, chimed in. A round of snickers rose up from the gaggle of girls at Crystal’s expense.
“There aren’t even words for how glad I am that I’m not stuck with Gigi.” There was a quick second where a look of pain flashed across Gigi’s face before the apathetic mask settled back into place.
“If it helps you sleep at night.”
“Believe me, Gigi. The only thing that helps me sleep better than knowing I don’t have to date you is knowing that I’m nothing like you.” Reciprocating the earlier gesture, Crystal reached out and gave Gigi’s cheek a pinch and soft pat. Before any of the group could process what Crystal had just done, she was already scampering away from them and down the hallway towards the fine arts wing.
Westside Academy reeked of privilege. Crystal knew she stuck out like a sore thumb. With her thrifted clothing and her clear lack of concern about her appearance, it wasn’t hard to tell that she was from an entirely different world. Everywhere Crystal looked there was another posse of Gigi Goode wannabes, dressed in the latest designer’s new line and applying endless amounts of makeup in the mirrors they all hung in their lockers. The only thing that was more annoying to Crystal than Gigi Goode was how everyone either wanted to be her or date her. Present company excluded. Obviously.
By some miracle that Crystal decided to chalk up to lesbian Jesus, she had managed to bob and weave her way through the arched hallways without stepping on anyone’s shoes that cost more than her family spent on food in a month.
Fishing her keycard out of her leather book bag, Crystal swiped it across the electronic lock system and let herself in. She was pleased to find the room empty. Pulling together her supplies, she became painfully aware of just how much work she had to do for her portfolio. At the end of the year, Westside held a gallery and featured on student’s work as the spotlight. Ninety nine percent of the time, that student ended up with a full scholarship to any arts program they wanted, regardless of their grades in other classes.
From the moment that Crystal and Gigi had met in freshman year they knew that the other was their main competitor for the spotlight at the end of senior year. Gigi certainly didn’t need the scholarship, pride was more of the driving factor for her. On the other hand, Crystal needed that scholarship as if it was the air she breathed, and Gigi knew it. Crystal was already on scholarship to Westside, and paying for college wouldn’t be any cheaper.
The sound of knuckles rapping on the wooden door pulled Crystal out of her thoughts. She dropped her paintbrush into the cup of water beside her canvas and tried to wipe away some of the paint on her hands.
“Did you forget your card? That’s kind of important so you should-“ Crystal’s words died in her throat when Gigi pushed past her and into the room. The Latina girl had been expecting some forgetful freshman who was looking for the teacher, not Gigi Goode.
“Gigi? What are you-“
“Get out.”
“Excuse me?”
“Are you stupid or just high again? I said get out, meth head.”
“No! Fuck off, Gigi. I’m working on my portfolio and I need this room! This isn’t even where the fashion students keep their shit!” Crystal’s annoyance with Gigi’s demands and pompous attitude had clouded her mind for so long and was finally beginning to bubble over, but she kept her eyes focused in on her shoes, praying that if she didn’t make eye contact, she wouldn’t physically assault Gigi .
“I don’t have time for you. Get out. Now.” The subtle hiccup in Gigi’s voice peaked Crystal’s interest and she finally looked up. Gigi’s normally impeccable makeup was smudged, her mascara running down her cheeks leaving dark stains in their wake. It felt weird to see the always composed girl’s facade fracturing. Crystal couldn’t tell if it was worse than seeing Gigi act like a husk of a human.
“Awww what happened, Goode? Did daddy’s card decline at the Gucci store? Looks like the robot does have emotions!” Even though the comment was probably insensitive, Crystal couldn’t care less. It felt good to see Gigi expressing something other than disdain and entitlement.
“Fuck you. You’re so fucking annoying. Cant you just take your little painting and go somewhere else?” Even though Gigi was a pretty good actor, Crystal could easily see that the usual bite and amusement in her tone wasn’t there.
“Hey, Gigi, what’s wrong? You’re not your usual bitchy self.” Crystal jokingly reached out to put a hand on Gigi’s shoulder but quickly found her hand being slapped away.
“I didn’t give you permission to touch me. You’re going to get paint on my clothes which I know you can’t replace, so don’t bother. Nothing is wrong and even if it was, it’s none of your fucking business.” If Crystal didn’t think something was wrong before, she definitely did now.
“Okay, I won’t touch you. Can I help you? You just seem upset and-“
“I DON’T NEED YOUR SYMPATHY!” Gigi’s outburst stunned Crystal into silence. The two girls sat in the uncomfortable silence for what felt like forever before Gigi spoke up again.
“I don’t need anything from you except for you to get out and leave me alone.”
“No.”
“I’m sorry, did you just say no to me?” Gigi’s blue eyes flashed dangerously at Crystal as she slowly began advancing on her, but the redhead didn’t back down.
“Yeah, I did. Ms. Velour is out today and you’re a fashion student, not a fine arts student, so you don’t have a keycard to let yourself out. Basically, you’re stuck with me until you tell me what’s wrong or we die. Whichever comes first.” Crystal knew she was on thin ice. Actually, she was more like levitating over the surface of the water. Usually seeing Gigi stalking towards her with murder in her eyes would’ve scared the shit out of Crystal, but today she didn’t feel her usual rush of panic.
“Let me out.”
“No. Not until you tell me what’s wrong.”
“Listen here, meth head. Let me the fuck out of this room or I’ll have your scholarship revoked. We both know you can’t pay to stay here without it, so let me out.”
“Aren’t you just a saint. Do you have a kink for dancing on people’s feelings? Unfortunately for you, I don’t play by your rules. You have everyone else under your thumb, but I’m not one of your little playthings. I’m not Dahlia, Jan, or Nicky.” Gigi visibly tensed at the mention of her girlfriend. The brunette prayed it would go unnoticed, but if the cocked eyebrow from Crystal was any indication, her reaction hadn’t slipped past Crystal’s watchful eye.
“So it’s Nicky. What did she do? Buy you Prada when you wanted Fendi?”
“No. Shut up.” Crystal continued pushing further against Gigi’s limits.
“Louis Vuitton when you wanted Louboutins?”
“Would you fuck off?” Crystal kept pushing, past where she knew she would be able to get away with. Past where she would’ve ever dared.
“Or maybe it was Channel when you wanted Valen-”
“Does it really matter that much to you?” Gigi turned on Crystal with an exasperated look on her face. Crystal pretended to think for a few moments, tapping her chin with her index finger, before smiling cheekily at Gigi.
“No, not particularly. I just think it’s funny to watch you get angry with me.” It took every bit of self control that Crystal had not to laugh at the frustrated groan Gigi let out.
“You are the bane of my existence.”
“Gigi! I didn’t know you knew such complex words!” Crystal gasped in mock surprise. She couldn’t help giggling a little when Gigi flipped her off. “Look, you can stay here, but just let me work.” Gigi didn’t thank Crystal, but the curt not she offered up was enough of an acknowledgment.
Surprisingly, Gigi let Crystal work in peace. From the quick glances Crystal stole between brush strokes she could tell that Gigi was watching her every movement. Seeing Gigi’s eyes flick away and a soft pink blush blooming on her cheeks every time Crystal caught her eye only confirmed that Gigi was staring. After ten minutes of working under Gigi’s silent gaze, Crystal finally got tired of it.
“Look, I don’t mind you being here but can you stop staring at me?” Gigi’s startled expression made her look like a deer in the headlights of a car.
“I’m not-I’m not staring at you!”
“Really? Then why is it that every time I look up you’re looking away from me?”
“I’m not looking at you! I just like your art, that’s all...” Gigi quickly busied herself with her phone, leaving Crystal slightly surprised. This was the first time that Crystal could ever remember Gigi giving her a compliment that wasn’t backhanded or fake.
“You can come see if you want. When I said you had to let me work I didn’t mean that you had to treat me like I have the plague.”
“For all I know you do have the plague. Scoot over.” Crystal smiled brightly and immediately made room for the fashion student to sit next to her. A subtle excitement thrummed in Crystal’s chest at the idea of Gigi wanting to see her work. There was a brief moment of silence before Gigi finally spoke up.
“Your use of color and shape is fascinating. The way that the you’ve included neutral tones under the brighter colors really brings them forward. You’re good, Crystal.” The awe in Gigi’s voice as she leaned closer to examine the painting made Crystal’s heart flutter. She definitely didn’t miss the fact that Gigi had actually used her name.
“Thank you! I’ve seen some of your designs when I walked through the design wing. I don’t really know a lot about fashion but the dress you made that has a tuxedo in it is sick!” Crystal’s excited smile brought a similar one to Gigi’s face. “Do you want to see some more?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind...” Gigi smiled sheepishly and rubbed the side of her arm. Crystal nodded and slid the cabinet with her name on it open. From inside she produced the three paintings she had already created.
The first two were beautiful, but the third painting caught Gigi’s eye. In the middle was Crystal, brightly colored and surrounded by a wreath of flowers. While her face was unobstructed, her body was covered in flowers. The ones closest to the surface were bright and popped off the canvas, but the closer they got to the middle, the duller they got.
“Do you like it?” There was a small tremor to Crystal’s voice but Gigi was too wrapped up in the painting in front of her to notice.
“I knew you were my biggest competition for a reason. Crystal, these are amazing. Fuck, you could probably win the showcase and the scholarship.”
“Really? You really think so?” Crystal’s hear fluttered and nearly came to a stop when Gigi looked up at her and gave her the most sincere smile possible.
“Yeah, I really think you could.” Before Crystal could thank Gigi, the bell chimed to signal the ending of the lunch break. The little fantasy world where Gigi and Crystal could get along and maybe even be friendly came screeching to a halt. It was like the bell was a sound cue that triggered something in Gigi. She wasted no time pushing her seat back and grabbing her bag. She didn’t even bother looking back at Crystal’s crestfallen face. In a last ditch attempt, Crystal followed the other girl to the door.
”Hey, I...I really liked this. You know, getting along and being nice? I don’t know what changed, but it’s really nice not being at each other’s throats.” Crystal’s words were enough to stop Gigi in her tracks, her whole body going rigid and then falling slack as she turned to face Crystal with a delicate blush blooming over her high cheekbones.
“Yeah, I liked this too. It’s stupid as fuck but I guess you were there when my friends weren’t? You took my mind off things for a while.” Gigi did her best to hide the shy smile on her lips. While she was able to get her expression under control, her heart was racing.
“You’re really not that bad when you’re yourself.” There was the briefest moment where Gigi’s face softened into a sad smile before it slipped back into her regularly unreadable mask.
“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Gigi flipped her hair over her shoulder and did her best to give Crystal a disdainful glare, but it was halfhearted at best. The door slammed shut behind the other girl before Crystal could try and respond to the dismissive comment.
“I guess some things never change...” Crystal grumbled to herself. Sure, she felt had been fighting tooth and nail to claw her way past Gigi for the last three years, but something about the last half hour made all of their petty squabbles and childish fights seem obsolete. There was another Gigi buried somewhere deep inside the lanky brunette that Crystal wanted to dig down and locate.
Not even thirty seconds after Crystal had sat back down to work on her painting, someone was knocking at the door. Crystal rose up from her chair with a heavy sigh and made her way to the door. Pushing it open, she expected to see someone looking for their work or some paints. What she did not expect was a harried looking Gigi who was glancing over her shoulder as if a serial killer was chasing her down.
“You just spent the first part of lunch begging me to let you out and now you want back in?”
“Crystal, let me in right now.”
“Why? What’s so important that you need to come back in and-”
“Chérie, please, let’s talk about this!” Understanding flashed on Crystal’s face when she registered the familiar French accent. Pale blue eyes stared back at Crystal in a silent plea. Stepping aside, Crystal allowed Gigi to rush past her and into the room. The heavy wooden door shut behind the girls just before the tapping of Nicky’s heels rounded the corner.
Crystal and Gigi stood in heavy silence as the listened to the sound of Nicky coming closer and closer to each door, knocking and calling out the hiding brunette’s name. While Gigi was looking anywhere other than the girl she had accidentally trapped up against the door, Crystal couldn’t help but observe every little detail of Gigi’s face.
Gigi told herself she would’ve moved away if Nicky hadn’t been so close by and she didn’t want to alert Nicky to her presence. She was only close because she couldn’t afford to move. Definitely not because she liked the warmth radiating off of the shorter girl and the feeling of her dark brown eyes softly dragging over her face.
“Come on, chérie. I know you’re angry but can we talk about this? I love you!” Crystal couldn’t help the disbelieving laugh she let out. She realized her mistake as soon as Gigi’s eyes widened and her hand clamped down over Crystal’s mouth.
“Gigi? Chérie? Is that you?” Glaring down at Crystal, Gigi felt her heart tug at the apologetic doe eyes that looked back up at her. She fully realized she could’ve moved her hand, (Crystal had definitely gotten the message) but she didn’t bother. It felt good to have control over something, even if it was as simple as silencing Crystal, when everything else felt like it was spiraling. Suddenly, Nicky’s footsteps stopped right outside the door. Both Crystal and Gigi held their breath in fear of being discovered.
“Gigi, I know you’re in there. I will wait until you come out and talk to me like an adult.” Anger flashed over Gigi’s perfect features. She reached out to pull the door open and confront her girlfriend, but Crystal intercepted her hand. Gigi’s immediate reaction was to yank her hand away, but she hesitated, recognizing the mischievous look on her face.
Despite her better judgement and all her sense screaming not to trust Crystal, Gigi allowed herself to be pulled away from the door and over to the window. To her horror, Crystal began slowly sliding the glass open and slotting herself through the gap.
“What the hell are you doing you delinquent?!” Gigi hissed at Crystal who stopped in her tracks, her body already halfway out the window. Raising a finger to her lips, Crystal signaled to Gigi to be quieter.
“You do trust me?”
“You’re climbing out a window! What about that is supposed to inspire confidence?!” Gigi whispered loudly. Crystal shushed her again and motioned her closer.
“Do you want to get out of here, or do you want to wait until you have to go outside and see Nicky?” As much as Gigi hated to admit it, Crystal was right. She really didn’t want to wait and hear whatever bullshit excuse her soon-to-be-ex-girlfriend would cough up.
“You know what? Fine. If I break a heel I swear to god I will snap all your paintbrushes in half.” Crystal’s smile immediately lit up her face and she shimmied her way out of the window, dropping to the well-manicured grass beneath the windowsill. Reaching back through, Crystal grabbed her backpack and gestured for Gigi to follow her out the window.
There were many sources of joy and laughter in Crystal’s life, but one of the most unexpected ones was watching Gigi trying to fit her lanky limbs through the rather small gap that Crystal had been able to create. Between her awkwardness and her absolute refusal to put her clothes, hair, or nails in any position to be damaged, Gigi struggled her way through the window and looked completely ridiculous in doing so.
When at long last Gigi was able to wriggle her way out of the window, she stumbled forward and crashed into Crystal. The force of the taller girl falling into her sent Crystal to the ground and Gigi with her. The two landed on the ground with a solid thud. Gigi’s raven hair surrounded the two in a curtain that shielded them away from the world.
There was a long moment of wildly uncomfortable silence before Crystal burst out laughing. An array of emotions flickered over Gigi’s face but it wasn’t long until Crystal’s infectious laughter triggered Gigi’s soft giggle. Crystal couldn’t remember the last time she had seen Gigi genuinely laugh or smile. If she thought the young woman was beautiful before, she didn’t even have words for what she looked like now.
“Um, I feel like I’m not supposed to be here...” Both Crystal and Gigi immediately pushed the other away and turned toward the source of the voice. Each girl let out a sigh of relief when they saw it was only Jan.
“Jan, you’re never going to mention this to anyone. Especially Nicky.” Crystal shivered at Gigi’s voice. The cold edge had been turned against her before, but Jan looked unfazed by it.
“Whatever you say, Gee. You guys are cute though!”
“Oh! We’re not-this isn’t what it looks like!” Crystal spluttered, scooting further away from Gigi and smiling sheepishly.
Jan raised a questioning eyebrow at the two girls, but didn’t press the issue further. Admittedly, their position was rather compromising and certainly was suspect.
“If you say so, Crys. Just use protection!” Before Gigi could lunge forward and murder the peppy blonde, she had already darted away to wherever she was headed. Gigi slumped back next to Crystal, leaning against the brick wall of the school.
“Do you wanna get out of here?”
“What?”
“I-um, do you want to leave? We don’t have to, obviously, I just thought...” Gigi was just as surprised by her own question as the Latina seemed to be.
“Yeah. I know a great little cafe a few minutes away.” Crystal sprang to her feet and offered Gigi a hand, which the brunette took with a smile. Neither woman decided to comment on Gigi’s hand staying nestled in Crystal’s. As Gigi led them away to her car they could both feel the eyes of their classmates subtly watching them from the windows. Expecting Gigi to pull away, Crystal was surprised when the designer squeezed her hand and gave her a reassuring smile.
“Ignore them. You get used to the stares.” Crystal nodded dumbly along with Gigi’s advice and allowed herself to be guided between the obnoxiously expensive cars until they reached the white Porsche that Crystal had considered keying on more than one occasion. Gigi popped open the driver’s side door and tossed her bag in the back.
“Well don’t just stand there. What, are you waiting for me to say something? Get in loser, we’re getting coffee.” Leaning across the seat, Gigi pushed the passenger door open and pulled Crystal down into the seat. Crystal let out a soft squeak of surprise to which Gigi laughed and playfully rolled her eyes. She could feel the nerves radiating off of Crystal.
“This place better have some good food because all I’ve had today was a piece of toast and a smoothie that tasted like grass.” Crystal immediately perked up at the mention of food.
“Oh yeah! They have a great coffee cake that’s basically just crack in bread form!”
“Are you serious? I love coffee cake! I’m paying, it’s the least I can do for being such a bitch and letting everyone bully you like this for so long.” For what felt like the hundredth time in the last hour, Gigi’s brilliant smile graced her lips. As cliche as it sounded, Crystal had to admit that the feeling in her stomach was definitely something akin to butterflies. However, her mind was a bit more grounded in reality.
“Honestly, I’m still not even sure if this is real life. Just this morning you and your little gang were tormenting me.” As soon as she said it, Crystal regretted her words. The way they caused Gigi to wince and look away in shame made her stomach churn. While Gigi’s remorse was obvious and genuine, Crystal couldn’t deny that her previous actions still hurt. The brunette drew in a shaky breath and placed her hand on top of Crystal’s.
“Look. I know I’ve been beyond awful to you and you have no reason to trust me, but I’m done with this.”
“With what? What’s wrong, Gigi?” Crystal’s brow wrinkled with concern. She carefully threaded her fingers through Gigi’s and gave her cold hand a small squeeze, running her thumb over her knuckles in an attempt to soothe her newfound friend.
“I’m so fucking tired of having to be this role model that everyone wants to be. I know it probably sounds stupid, but it’s exhausting being popular.”
“You’re right, that does sound dumb, but continue.” The attempt to lighten the mood seemed to work a little as it pulled a small chuckle from between Gigi’s lips.
“I guess I’m just tired of being someone I’m not. I constantly feel like I can’t breathe without having everything I do being judged. But if I’m being honest with you, I’ve been fascinated by you since the first day of freshman year. The way you dress, your art, the way you don’t give a flying fuck about what anyone says and you’re always yourself is amazing.” Gigi’s shaky voice was accompanied by a single tear falling down her cheek that was quickly wiped away with her free hand. Her breathing sped up and the tips of her ears had flushed red in embarrassment. Crying in front of someone you spent the last three years tormenting and barely know at all? Definitely not how she saw her day panning out. Crystal’s soft voice brought Gigi’s brain back to the current moment.
“Gee, can you look at me? Take a deep breath.” Gigi was able to get a small gasp of air in. “Good. Now look at me. Right here, right now, I’m forgiving you. This version of you is the real Gigi. This is the Gigi I want to know.” Before Gigi could stop herself, she lunged forward and grabbed onto Crystal, pulling her into a hug that felt more right than hugging Nicky ever had. She could feel the shock in the smaller woman’s body but it soon dissipated and Crystal wrapped her arms around Gigi.
Sitting in the middle of the parking lot, Crystal decided that Gigi Goode wasn’t so bad after all.