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Tch, talk about a shitty day. Renée kicked a few pebbles further down the road. Students around her were going all giddy about the nice weather and whatnot, but she was having none of it. Case in point, her backup boyfriends number six and seven had suddenly called in sick and now she had to be in public alone. Alone! People were going to think she’s some kind of loser at this rate. She better get back to the dorms soon, or else…
Luckily, no one she knew seemed to be around campus right now. This should be fine to some degree. Renée was right about to turn around the corner to her dorm when an annoyingly familiar voice called out to her.
“That hairstyle… Is that you, Renée? From Grassley house? Hello there!”
Shit. Renée couldn’t see her with her back turned, but she was ninety-nine percent sure that the brown-haired Terrian girl was coming up to see her. That was just her luck. With a sigh, Renée turned around. Sure enough, Lilique Kadoka Lipati was standing in front of her. As always, she had that irritating upbeat smile on. Couldn’t she see she was having a shitty day? Still, Lilique seemed in such a good mood Renée kept herself from saying something unpleasant.
“Hey. Why did you come talk to me? Is it that fun to see me alone and friendless?”
Okay, that could have gone better. This didn’t seem to deter Lilique, however.
“Well, I know we’re not from the same houses and everything, but since we know each other I figured I’d come say hi! Were you going back to the dorms?”
Renée huffed a small sigh.
“I was. See you arou-”
“By the way, I was on my way to get some crepes in the cafeteria! They’re a limited edition so I absolutely want to try them. Why don’t we get some together?”
Renée went limp.
“Excuse me?”
Was this girl an airhead? They barely knew each other.
“Hey, didn’t I just tell you I was going back? This has been a tough day so I’m exhausted.”
“That’s all the more reason we should do something fun! I really want to share something with you, since we left on a sour note last time. Pretty please?”
Lilique was staring at her with pleading eyes. Did she really think this was going to work? She wasn’t going to go all buddy-buddy with a random Terrian girl. Still, though… She had to admit Lilique’s little circus was kind of adorable. Kind of. She averted her gaze.
“Fine, I guess I can spare you some of my precious time. But make it quick.”
Lilique beamed.
“Really? This makes me so happy, Renée!”
Renée turned her back and pouted.
“Whatever.”
———
A few minutes later, the two girls had grabbed a place at the cafeteria. Luckily, the sought-after crepes were still in store and they helped themselves to a couple of strawberry jam ones. They got themselves a table and made themselves comfortable. There weren't a lot of people here at this hour so it was pretty relaxing.
Renée caught a glance of the girl in front of her. They hadn't really interacted a lot and last time she'd been fixated on the whole boyfriend incident. In this situation though, Lilique seemed more like a friendly girl with a fluffy aura. The braid in her hair was nicely done, it was pretty clear Lilique took a lot of care in it. Renée briefly wondered what the Terrian looked like with her hair undone, and what it would feel like to run her hand through it. Wait. What in the world was she thinking about? She was Renée Costa, she wasn't going to let herself be seduced by every cute girl that came her way. She had to admit that the way Lilique was fawning over everything she looked at was pretty sweet though. That’s right… A part of her wanted to follow her example but Renée was attached to her cool image she spent a lot of time polishing. The thought seemed kind of nice though.
But what about these much-awaited crepes they went all this way for? Renée stared down at her plate with her lips pursed. The presentation with the extra strawberries on the side was nice, sure, but sweet food really, really wasn't her cup of tea. Still, out of respect for Lilique, she lazily brought some to her mouth. Hmm.
"Haha, glad to see it seems so good!"
Lilique was giggling at her. Wait. What was she on about? Sure, the crepe was alright. Passable. But the thought of herself with glittery eyes with her mouth full of crepe sent Renée into a small panic. Blood rushed up to her cheeks. Quick, she had to do somet-
That was then a hand gently rubbed the corner of her mouth. Uh-huh.
"There you go! Sorry, you had some jam around your lips so I couldn't help myself," Lilique explained while putting her hands together apologetically.
Renée came back to her senses for a bit.
"Wait a second. What happened to the jam?"
"But I ate it, of course! It'd be a shame for it to go to waste!"
That was it. Renée covered her face with her hands, cheeks burning.
"I can't believe you can say these things with a straight face! What am I supposed to answer to that?!”
Lilique stared at her with a puzzled expression, crepe still in hand. She reached out a hand tentatively, then put it back.
"I… I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. Sometimes I get a little carried away and don't notice it."
She averted her gaze sheepishly. Now it was Renée's turn to feel bad. She didn't usually take a lot of her time observing others, but she had to admit Lilique was a really sweet girl. And a cutie to boot, her brain added, but Renée shook her head. It wasn't like her to overthink things like this.
"Renée?"
The girl facing her was looking her in the eyes, her brow creased in worry. The blonde heaved a small sigh.
"I… My bad for raising my voice. I think I just… don't know how to deal with people like you. It's not against you or nothing."
She stared at the floor while saying this. Good thing the cafeteria was mostly empty at this hour, and there weren't many people around to see this side of her. In this school it was eat or be eaten. Right. That's right… Why did spending time with this girl make her think about all these unnecessary things anyway? Who knew.
That was when Renée felt a soft hand lightly rub against her shoulder. Before she knew it Lilique was standing next to her seat.
"Hey, I'm not sure what's happening, but if you're having a rough time or something like that, maybe we should see each other again? But hey, I want to spend more time with you anyway! I know we’re barely acquainted but you seem like such a nice girl and it pains me to see you like this, you know?"
Renée felt her lip quiver a bit at that. Her, a nice girl, really? Plus, she did her best to not let it show but the recent events at the school were putting a toll on her. What choice did she have but to put on a strong facade though? She had to give the example to the other Grassley students and Shaddiq and the others were counting on her. She bit her lip. She was ashamed to be seen like this but something told her that if it was Lilique, it'd be okay. She repressed the urge to hug her, but looked her in the eyes and tried her best reassuring smile.
“Um… Thanks for worrying about me. Please forget about what just happened.”
Oh, she was not used to this. Hopefully this was okay.
In response, Lilique gave her a lovely smile of her own.
"Got it, glad to see you seem better!" She walked away from Renée's seat a bit. "It was short but it was really nice to spend time with you, Renée. I have to get back to the dorms now, the others are probably waiting for me. See you around soon!"
Lilique gave her a little wave and went on her way. Renée stared at her hands. For some reason she was feeling really refreshed right now. She couldn't explain why but talking with this girl put her at ease, in a way. Something she hadn't been feeling for a long time at this school. Well… Maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to meet up with Lilique again. Renée went back as well on this note, the strange feeling in her stomach comforting this thought.