Work Text:
Janis decided to skip work at the mall the day after the school fight.
The day after Regina was hit by a bus.
And instead of going home or talking to Damian or painting she went to the hospital.
She knew this was a bad idea, but there were so many rumors at school that she needed to see it for herself.
People were saying things like that Regina had died and they still hadn't announced, or that she'd been disfigured, or that she was going to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.
During class she kept reminding herself that Regina ran into the middle of the street because she wanted to and that she got run over because she stood there like an idiot yelling at Cady instead of seeing if there was a vehicle coming her way.
But she also kept thinking that Regina wouldn't have run out into the street if Janis hadn't chosen that moment to reveal all the ways she'd come up to make her ex-best friend's life a living hell for the past few months.
She thought Karen and Gretchen would be there, or Cady as a form of self-punishment. But no, the only one there Regina's mother. And seeing her at the hospital reception, Mrs. George hugged her.
Before everything got weird and horrible, Regina's mom used to like her. But they hadn't exchanged a single word in years. But apparently the shock of having her daughter run over had made her forget all about the dramas between teenage girls.
"She's alive right?" Janis asked.
“Yes dear, of course. But she had to have spinal surgery, and the doctors said she's going to have to wear back braces for a while and do a lot of physical therapy over the next few months."
"Okay, that's all I wanted to know, so I'm going now-"
“No, come see her. It will cheer up Regina to see an old friend..." Regina's mother said, already taking her by the arm and pulling her towards the hallway.
Janis waited for someone from hospital security to stop her since she didn't have a visitor's pass, but no one seemed to care.
At the bedroom door, Regina's mother stopped and said:
"I'll tell her you're here, wait outside please."
"Okay." Janis said feeling some relief for a moment.
Regina would probably say she didn't want to see her and she could walk away and pretend she didn’t come.
About a minute later Regina's mother said:
“The nurses gave her a lot of morphine.”
"Alright, I'll go away then."
“No, she wants to see you, she was very clear about that, she even asked me to wait outside for you to two be able to talk in peace. I'm just letting you know that it might not make that much sense because of the medication."
"Alright." Janis said and entered the room, leaving Regina's mother on the other side.
Regina might not have any other visitors, but flowers had been sent. And she was surrounded by them, as well as machines around her, linked to her.
Regina's eyes were closed when she entered the room, but they opened when Janis approached the bed.
For a moment Regina didn’t seem to recognize her, but then her eyes focused and she seemed to know who Janis was. A smile appeared on her face, a gentle smile and this is far more disturbing than if it were an arrogant smile.
It had been so long since Janis had seen one of these. Maybe she was more medicated than Janis had anticipated.
“Come closer.” Regina said.
Janis did what she said and her smile was still kind and her tone calm, but something changed in her eyes and the words that came out of her mouth were poisonous:
“Did you come here to finish the job your little friend from Africa started?”
She should have known that even on morphine Regina would be a bitch. But this was strangely comforting. Despite the injuries and the machines, it was still her.
"No."
“So why are you here? Have you come to boast, to see me crippled?”
"You're not crippled Regina, your mom says you'll be fine after a few months of physical therapy."
“Maybe, but it must still be very pleasant for you to see me like this. You tried to ruin my life, you must have laughed so hard when you saw the bus coming my way.”
“Regina, you're exaggerating. Yeah I wanted you to get fucked over, you deserved it and you know, I didn't want you to get hit by a bus.” she says.
Regina looked strangely pleased after hearing this.
"What?" Janis asked.
“Nothing, just you. Poor Janis, you're still into me it's so adorable, tell me would you have cried for me if I'd died?
"Go fuck yourself Regina." Janis said.
And the truth is, yes she would have, despite everything. And she hated the way this time as she had so many times before, Regina's assumptions and mean words had a basis in reality. They weren't friends anymore, but still Regina was one of the few people who knew her well enough to hurt her.
“Kind of difficult to do that in my current position.” Regina said.
Despite everything Janis laughed for a moment.
She used to like Regina's mean sense of humor, she liked how it seemed to be directed at everyone but her, that is until the day it was. Now she learned that people who are cruel to everyone but one person will eventually be cruel to that person too. But her younger, more innocent self really thought she was an exception. There was a time she really thought she was special.
“You should go. I already said what I wanted to say.” Regina says.
"Alright then, see you in hell." Janis says.
"I'm going back to school, you will still see me for a while."
"I know, I was talking about school."
Despite everything, she was pleased to hear Regina laughing before leaving the room.
Regina was alive and she would continue to be alive. And Janis would continue to hate her as much as Regina hated her.
Bizarrely it felt a bit like a happy ending.