Chapter Text
Christmas morning, if one could even call it morning - the sun had not yet risen, the sky still a deep blue, almost black and a haze of clouds was spread across the heavens, concealing any light in the night sky. Beneath it lay a blanket of white, a hefty helping of glittering snow gracing the landscape. The only evidence of life outside was the odd skeletal tree jutting out of the colourless void.
A small rectangle of light illuminated the darkness, its gleam reflected in two brown hues, eyes reflecting images from her phone, pupils constricted as they absentmindedly went over the surface. Overgrown wine coloured pixie cut strewn all about in pre-morning routine bedhead, though it wasn't very different from what it would look like post-morning routine. Thin arms led back down to the phone, thumb dragging lightly along the glass.
Across the screen, a series of holiday celebration posts fluttered along until they scrolled out of frame. It was Christmas, but it didn't quite feel like it yet. It wouldn't for some hours until her mother would wake up. Nevertheless, Luz Noceda was awake.
In all fairness, it wasn't the girl's fault. Christmas was an exciting holiday, her second favourite out of all the holidays, beaten out only by Halloween. She would get so excited that she'd wake up early every year.
Christmas had everything: gifts, time with her mamá, and most significantly, it was a family holiday. Meaning, she needn't worry about finding friends to join her. Not that she didn't have any friends, she had two rather excellent ones, Willow Park and Gus Porter. But Gus and Willow had other friends, friends that often made them too busy for hangouts with just the three of them. Not that Luz minded that they had made new friends! She loved the fact that her friends had made friends and was very proud of them for it. It just meant she had to hang out alone far more than she used to.
"D’aw, cute puppy," she said, barely audibly as a cute picture of a Border Collie in a Rudolph outfit graced her timeline. Despite this slight entertainment, she decided perhaps it was time to put her phone down. She tapped the Spotify app and found her Good vibes :) playlist before turning her phone off and placing it down on her bed when the music began to play. Her eyes fluttered shut as her head lightly swayed along to the lofi hip hop music that rolled into the room. Time passed like this, Luz slowly drifting off into the music. That is, until a sudden vibration woke her from her musical trance.
Luz shot off the bed, eyes trained towards the phone as she snatched it from atop her bed in a manner that might make one think she expected the mattress to fight back. Tapping the screen, she saw that she had received a text. A text this early in the morning could only be from Gus. The girl couldn't help but smile, quickly opening her phone and stopping the music only to have that smile morph into a frown as she noticed that the message had not come from Gus but instead an unknown number.
Expecting a scam message, she opened the text, suddenly finding herself smiling anew, though this time with more confusion.
Unknown: Merry Christmas
Along with the text was an attached photo.
Despite not having known the number before, Luz now knew the origins of the message. How could she not? She found herself staring at the photo. A girl with pale skin stared back, clearly fatigued, only one eye open. But what an eye it was, a light orange that looked like gold when the light hit them just right. One arm wrapped around the pillow she laid on, the other just out of frame as it was taking the photo. Little black piercings rested on her pointed ears. Luz's gaze fixed itself upon her hair, those dyed green locks with her original brown roots revealing themselves atop her head.
Of course, she knew who this was. Amity Blight was the most well-known girl at her school. One didn't even have to go to Hexside to know who Amity Blight was. The Blight family was famous. Not to mention she was one of the highest-scoring students Hexside had ever seen. So why in the world was she messaging Luz Noceda?
"What in the world...?" she muttered thoughtlessly. Realizing how long she'd been staring at the photo, Luz shook her head lightly. Was she supposed to ignore it? Respond to her? It was all so confusing.
She nodded to herself and pulled the cord dangling from her bedside lamp, the light washing over the room like the tide coming in. She sat up in her bed, her right arm holding the phone up in front of her face, left hand forming a peace sign to cover part of her face. A nervous smile upon her face as she took the photo, sending it Amity's way with a simple return text.
Me: Merry Christmas
She threw her phone onto the bed, electricity running up her spine causing her to shake her arms around.
Luz pounced on her phone like a tiger to its prey, staring at the screen. Three little dots appeared upon the bottom left, teasing her as they disappeared and reappeared.
Unknown: Well, that is embarrassing. I have the wrong number.
Luz felt a pang in her chest. Of course, it had been a wrong number. Amity probably didn't even know her name. But why did she care? They didn't even share any classes. She was about to put her phone down when her phone buzzed anew.
Unknown: You're kind of cute though it's Luz right?
Luz stared intensely at the screen. The final text played in the girl's mind on repeat, like a phantom in her psyche.
"Cute..." The word slipped out of her lips, soft as silk. What in the world was she supposed to do with this? The most popular girl in school was flirting with her. Or was she? Some girls were just exceptionally complimentary sometimes.
Her stream of thought found itself cut at the roots as her phone vibrated in her hands, nearly making her drop it.
Unknown: Do you like girls by any chance? 😉
She was flirting. Amity Frigging Blight was flirting with her. Amity Blight was flirting with her at six a.m. on Christmas morning. Why was Amity Blight flirting with her at six a.m. on Christmas morning?
Me: I’m bi actually! 🤪
Luz regretted adding the emoji rather immediately, thinking Amity would find it cringe-worthy. Though with Amity's simple response of a “lol”, the girl's worry subsided.
Reading the texts back to herself swiftly, she realized that the Blight girl was still an unknown number.
Me: Should I make you a contact on my phone?
Unknown: Yeah totally just put me down as "Girl of your dreams" lol
Luz rolled her eyes, but she had the biggest dumbest smile on her face, and a tinge of pink to her cheeks to boot. It had been cheesy, but it had worked as intended. Though, Luz didn't assign that name to the contact. Deciding she'd go with Amity Dream instead as a reference to the joke she had made.
Me: Ye, no
Me: Not going with that
Amity Dream: Didn't hear any denials to me being your dream girl though~
Amity's text came with a gif of Bugs Bunny wiggling his eyebrows. That got an honest giggle out of the brunette, she responded in kind with a gif of Aladdin swooning. Luz giggled to herself as she awaited the next response. Thinking of various cheesy pickup lines to make in return to Amity's own cheesiness, though she quickly found her thought interrupted as the flirtatious texter continued.
Amity Dream: What classes do you have next semester?
Luz had to ponder for a moment since she had set her classes for the next semester some months prior.
Me: Uh, Eng with Bump Chem with Blanc art with Malick and a freebie iirc
Luz dug around for a moment, finding her class list buried under a pile of barely balanced books. The inevitable occurred as she lifted the leaning tower, books toppling to the floor in an avalanche of paper and hardback extracting a small yelp from the brunette as she flailed her arms in an attempt to catch some of the toppling books. Only managing to save two from the bookalanche, the smaller of the two was safely held in her hand. The other was a textbook held precariously via the cover, everything beyond it pulled down by gravity. Behind her, her phone vibrated on the bed. Luz sighed, more than slightly annoyed by the fallen tower of tomes.
It took a moment before Luz's eyes shot open wide as dinner plates as she froze in place. That had been loud. It was still very much 6 am but hopefully, her mother was still very much asleep. She stood there in silence for a moment, breathlessly counting to ten before nodding to herself. The ten-second rule, known by any kid with insomnia like Luz, meant to test whether a loud sound has woken up a parent. Luz placed the two books she held safely upon the ground, slowly but surely placing all the other volumes of text atop the newer and more stable tower.
Finished with the book-themed nuisance, she placed the paper that had caused all this down upon her bed, the sound of paper landing upon fabric accompanying said placement. She proceeded to pick up her phone to read the newest bit of what seems like a dream. Anticipation and excitement, swiftly replacing the anxiety and annoyance she had been feeling only seconds prior.
Amity Dream: Well, that’s great news I have Bump and Blanc so we have two together hope I won't get too distracted ;P
Luz began to type up a reply but was swiftly interrupted by her second message from the green-haired correspondent. The buzzing of her phone stopping her fingers in their typing. Her thumbs hovered over the smooth surface as she read the newest message.
Amity Dream: Soooooooo
With that, her fingers were back to the races, like greyhounds at a gunshot. Quickly, erasing the previous attempt at a reply wiping the slate clean to respond with the only reasonable response to such a message.
Me: Soooooooo?
The perfect reply. No message had ever been as perfect as this. The brunette couldn't help but nod to herself, proud of what would surely be a crowning achievement that would be celebrated for years to come. Then the cell phone vibrated in her hand, which was quickly becoming a new favourite sensation.
Amity Dream: You busy?
Luz thought this was an odd question, mostly because she hadn't done anything besides text Amity since the first accidental text. Well, that and picking up the fallen books to grab the paper. The paper she had forgotten about the thing that had caused the bookalanche in the first place. She grabbed the paper slip in her left hand and raised her right, which held her phone.
Holding the paper to her face, it sat against her nose, eyes peeking over it like a kid below their blanket. Her hair still a chaotic mess upon her head, stray locks shooting in all directions. Upon the slip were the expected courses: English with Bump, Chemistry with Blanc, Art with Malick and a free period. She snapped a photo and sent it to Amity.
Me: No sorry i was just grabbing my paper It's still too early for my mamá to be awake, so im just sitting here talking to you!! :3
A few moments went by, the three little dots popping up every so often before disappearing like a prairie dog checking its territory from its hole.
Amity Dream: Wanna call then cutie?
Luz could feel her own temperature rising, blood rushing to her ears and cheeks in response to Amity's admittedly tame flirtation. Luz pulls the phone in towards herself, hugging it tight swaying around as she did. Soon after, pushing the device back to its previous distance from her and tapping a finger to the glass, starting a call.
A minute passes. A minute of ringtone, admittedly very catchy ringtone, Luz loves her ringtone, picked it herself in fact. But the young girl couldn't help but be disappointed when instead of Amity's cute face, she was greeted with an Amity Dream did not respond.
That's odd, she asks to call and then doesn't respond? Her thoughts begin to get the better of her as she continues. Did I call too quickly, was I supposed to confirm that I wanted to? The young girl wondered, nerves wracking at her tone. Eyes cling to the screen as she notices Amity is once again typing away on her end.
Amity Dream:My apologies, I wasn't ready yet please do call again.
Much more formal, this sounded more like the Amity that Luz had heard make a speech at the previous year's class awards. Her grammar was succinct, and her sentence ended with a period. Who ends a text message with a period? The girl took a moment to mull this over, had she angered Amity? That seemed like a logical conclusion. Why else would Amity's texting style suddenly change? She must have angered her by calling without permission. Thirty minutes and she was already messing things up.
But before this downward spiral could go any deeper, the cell phone began to buzz. Luz's ringtone was the Nyan Cat song, which had long since been irrelevant by the time the girl was even able to get a phone, let alone now. Hesitantly, she answered the call, expecting her caller to be annoyed, perhaps only calling to give her the courtesy to tell her that she no longer wanted to do this and that, in fact, Luz should lose her number entirely, with Amity red in the face with anger, regretting the whole morning.
Instead, she was greeted by what was possibly her new favourite image of all time. Sure, Amity was red in the face, golden eyes looking anywhere but towards the camera. But Amity wasn't angry. She was flustered. Really flustered. Amity frigging Blight was nervous to talk to her, so anxious, in fact, that her pale skin was several shades of pink from the tip of her pointy little ears to the bottom of her neck. Not only that, but she couldn't speak. Her mouth, popping open every so often, clearly wanting to say something, but not a single word came out.
In the absence of what had previously been expected flirtation, Luz Noceda decided to step up and tease, clearly the right choice to make as Amity had been doing it before, and it had worked so well on her.
"Gosh Amity, you're as red as a tomato!" She exclaimed, already giggling by the time she had finished her sentence. Quickly covering her mouth with her free hand, hoping not to offend the Blight. She examined the video feed attentively, not staring obviously. She was just gauging the reaction. "Seriously, though, what happened to all the suave calling me a cutie?" She teased, eyes full of mischievous curiosity.
Amity uttered a sound that could only be compared to a kitten squeak. Luz had to physically stop herself from letting out a drawn-out 'awwww.' Amity took in a deep breath through her nose, trying to regain some form of composure despite her bright red complexion betraying her entirely.
"I uhm... I may have been basing it on advice from my siblings..." Amity relinquished, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly, not even bothering to try and hide the blush anymore. Luz knew about them, Edric and Emira, equally talented as their younger sister and far more likely to start trouble. That and even a student like Luz, who stayed out of the loop for most things, knew that Emira and Edric were well known to be heartbreaking heartthrobs.
This time Luz couldn't help herself and burst out laughing. It was deep laughter, the kind you can't fake even if you try, the kind that leaves you silently laughing at the end, teary-eyed and blissfully happy. Because, how could she not have realized it? If Amity was this smooth, there would've been gossip by now.
"Guess you should've thought before you asked to call, eh, Dream girl?~" She taunted, continuing to poke at the girl's failure to think ahead in all the excitement. Luz found herself giggling again, only to stop once she heard Amity laughing along with her.
And what a perfect laugh it was.