Chapter Text
Once Sterling has left the classroom, April spins in her chair and reaches over Sterling’s desk, waving a folded piece of paper harshly at Blair, who’s desk follows.
Blair looks up from her work with a frown but reaches forward for the note.
“Anything to share with the class, señoritas?” Señora O’Reilly asks.
April is quick to the rescue, spinning back to the front with that fake brightness plastered on her face.
“No, Señora. Blair and I have a project and I just realised she doesn’t have my number. Lo siento for the interruption.”
Señora O’Reilly looks to Blair expectantly, April turning back to her too, giving her a go-with-this-or-die look.
Blair slowly begins to nod.
“Yeah, uh, thanks April- uh, I mean, gracias,” she stutters out, gesturing to the paper before putting it in her pocket. “Lo siento, Señora.”
Once the attention’s off of them, Blair unfolds the paper.
‘We need to talk.’
“Love note?” Sterling questions, taking her seat again, expression playful.
Blair looks up, flighty, “uh, no. Just a...” She looks around then lowers her voice, “uh, Señora O’Reilly wants to see me after class,” she rolls her eyes, “but it’s nice she didn’t embarrass me in front of everyone.”
Sterling shrugs a nod before turning back to her work.
April sits on the bleachers, looking straight ahead. Blair stands next to her, frowning down at her.
“Are you just going to stare at me all day or could we possibly make this a bit less obvious by you taking a seat?” April snaps.
Blair rolls her eyes then hops down a row, taking an adjacent seat to April.
They sit in silence for an uncomfortable amount of time until Blair huffs and turns back to face her.
“Are we talking or no?” She prompts.
April’s fingers have started their fidgeting routine as she chews the inside of her lip, brows furrowed.
‘It’s okay,’ she thinks, ‘Blair knows. She knew last time and Sterling’s probably told her everything this time. She probably knows about the scar on your hip, for God’s sake. Get your act together and speak up.’
“I, um...” April’s shoulders rise with her breath in, “is Sterling taking anyone to prom?” She gets out lamely, rolling her eyes at herself.
Blair throws her hands up as she stands, “I’m not sitting around answering dumb questions that you could just ask Sterling yourself,” she states and turns to go.
“Wait!” April quickly interrupts before holding her breath. Blair turns to her expectantly.
April meets her eyes for only a second before focusing on her hands again. “That’s not... what I wanted to say.”
Blair purses her lips, brows furrowing for a moment as she examines April. She sighs before nodding and taking her seat again, looking out to the field.
The silence between them comes again, but Blair waits it out now.
“What do I do?” Finally comes out of April, so quietly that Blair only just catches it. Blair pouts her lips in thought and slides forward to allow herself more room to lean back, crossing her arms over her chest.
“Sterling would probably drop dead if you asked her to prom.”
“I can’t-“
“I know,” Blair’s quick to soothe, “I’m just thinking out loud.”
“Oh...” April awkwardly attempts to relax back into her seat.
“What do you want to do?”
April scoffs quietly,
“Runaway.”
Blair nods, a quiet chuckle passing between the two.
“Me too.”
April frowns at that, shifting her gaze from the field to the back of Blair’s head.
“Is everything okay at home?” She asks, before she can think better.
Blair doesn’t bite her head off though, she just chews the inside of her lip for a moment before shaking her head.
“You?”
“No,” April says definitively. Blair nods.
“Your dad?”
“Yep.”
“Did Sterling tell you-“
“Yep.”
Blair shifts uncomfortably.
“Sorry...”
“Don’t be.”
Silence comes again for some time.
They just sit.
“She’s just tired of being angry,” Blair breaks the silence, thinking out loud again. “I think she just wants to trust someone and... I mean, it’s Sterling, come on. She’s like a Labrador. She just wants to be happy.”
“I don’t know if I’ve ever not been angry,” April says, mostly to herself but Blair clocks it.
“Yeah, I’m starting to feel that way...”
April contemplates for a moment.
“Trust,” she repeats, tasting the word for herself.
They sit quietly for a short while longer.
Taking in a deep breath, Blair rubs her hands on her thighs, and stands.
“I honestly wish I could help more; Sterling’s clearly stupidly into you but she’s also trying on self preservation, which I love for her,” she turns to April, “so look, don’t even think about trying this thing with her again or whatever’s ticking around inside your absolutely anal brain without considering how it really affects her, long and short term.”
With that, Blair turns to leave, taking a few steps before she turns back,
“I know where you live,” she points at April then continues her walk before stopping again. She sighs.
“But also,” she starts, turning once more, “I guess it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Sterling had someone to bring a bit of light into her life... I’m not saying that’s you, so don’t get up on that high horse just yet, I’m just saying... I’d like to see her smile a bit more, like... like she used to.”
Blair’s looking distant now. She sucks in a breath to bring herself back to the present, gives April a firm nod, and finally does leave.
April watches her go, fingers still fidgeting. When Blair’s out of sight, she turns forward, takes in a deep breath, and stills her hands.
One more deep breath to pull out her notebook, and another to open it and write down,
‘How to make Sterling Wesley smile:’