Chapter Text
Wednesday.
She looks at her without even trying to hide her confusion or amusement at all. She thinks her name is Laura, but she's not sure. She doesn't really care. She just wants to know what she's doing here. Why on Earth is the girl with the most perfect grades and reputation in the principal's office, sitting just across from her?
It's not like Carmilla's never seen her there before. Though it certainly is the first time she looks as if she isn't there just because she wants to. It's also the first time she doesn't look like the perfect girl she's always been. Her dirty blonde hair is messy and she has this little scratch on her face. She looks pretty upset and-
"Would you like to take a picture?" She snaps, looking straight at Carmilla. "I can lend you my phone and email it to you later, maybe that'll make you stop staring."
She tries her best not to look surprised, she really does, but it doesn't seem to work very well.
"I know what you're thinking," Laura says. "Perfect grades girl has a temper, how astonishing."
Carmilla smirks. This girl is kind of funny. And she's also kind of right. It doesn't matter, though. It isn't like she's going to let her know.
"Sorry, cupcake, looks like you're bad at reading people's minds," she lies, looking straight at her. "I was just wondering what had happened to that pretty face of yours."
"Well, last time I checked that was absolutely none of your business," Laura states, annoyance clear in her voice.
"Okay, now I may be thinking perfect grades girl has a temper."
A hint of a smile appears on Laura's face. It's brief, though. She goes back to being awfully upset just a few seconds later.
"So what'd you do, cutie?" Carmilla asks.
She wasn't lying when she said she wanted to know what had happened to her. She wasn't lying about her face being pretty either. She mentally slaps herself for thinking that last part.
"Again, none of your business," she maintains, though the aggressive tone is long gone. She's trying to get there, no doubt. But it just comes out as a mere whisper. "And don't call me that."
"Call you what, creampuff?"
"My name is Laura!"
Should she call her another nickname or should she just be nice for once?
"I know," she finds herself saying. She takes a deep breath and continues. "Mine's Carmilla."
She doesn't know why she said that last part, but she did. She waits expectantly for Laura's response.
"I know."
Laura looks down at the floor and stays like that. Carmilla does the same, but with a smile on her face. They don't speak again.
-
Perry plays with the food in front of her again. Well, if organizing the fries by size can be considered as playing. How is it possible that the school only ever gives their students junk food? She doesn't know. Maybe because they don't want people to complain. Should she complain anyways? Would people hate her if she did? Would she care if they did?
"Hey, hottie," Kirsch snaps her out of her trance. "You've been playing with your food for like five minutes. Are you okay?"
"Kirsch," Perry starts. She's afraid she'll sound like her mother, but she has to say it. "We've been through this a million times. You don't call girls that, it's not very nice. I know you mean well when you say it, honey, we both do... but girls don't like being objectified."
"Oh, shit, sorry," he whispers. He really does sound sorry. "I didn't mean to say that. I've been trying not to, you know? But after years it just sticks with you. I'll try my best not to say it again."
Perry nods in acknowledgment and stares at her food for a few seconds. She takes the burger in her hands and slowly takes a bite. Oh, right. That's why people don't complain. Junk food tastes delicious. She really wishes it didn't.
"Anyway, you never answered my question," Kirsch says as he takes a bite out of his own burger. "Are you okay?"
She would trust Kirsch with her life, she really would, but she doesn't want to talk about her problems right now.
"Yeah, I was just thinking about um... homework."
"Sure you were," Kirsch smiles and throws a french fry at her.
"Kirsch!" She shrieks. "Don't play with your food!"
"Like you're one to talk."
Perry's face turns red from embarrassment.
"I..." she mumbles. "You... no! That's different!"
"How so, bro?"
"Because... because I didn't throw it at you, I was only organizing it," she manages to say. "And I'm not liking that bro thing. I'd appreciate it if you didn't call me that."
"But, Perry, how am I supposed to call you?"
She doesn't know if he realizes what he just said, but she laughs nonetheless.
"I don't know," she replies. "I was thinking maybe Perry, like you just did."
"Shut up, bro," Kirsch emphasizes the last word and he throws another french fry at her while laughing. Perry gasps and she's about to scold him but a familiar sound lets her know she just got a text. She quickly gets her phone from her pocket and reads.
LaFontaine (1:20pm): hey, are u free rn?
LaFontaine (1:21pm): i think i need help with my chemistry homework
Perry chuckles. She doesn't know if they think they're fooling her with all of these homework helping requests. But she doesn't want to let them know she knows just yet. She doesn't know if she's ready.
She feels breath against her cheek and turns around to see Kirsch over her shoulder, looking at her text thread.
"Hey, is that the homework you were thinking about earlier?"
He wiggles his eyebrows. Perry turns bright red again. She manages to keep the phone away from Kirsch's sight as she types in her reply.
Perry (1:23pm): really, at lunch?
"Oh, come on, Perry, don't be so cold to them," Kirsch advises from her shoulder. "I know you like them, you know?"
"Oh my God, Kirsch!" Perry exclaims. "There's something called privacy, and you're kind of not respecting it right now."
"Sorry," he says sadly. "I won't do it again, promise."
But then Perry wonders if maybe Kirsch is right. Maybe she is being a bit cold with LaFontaine. Her friend's about to leave when she grabs him by his shirt. She quickly types again and shows it to him.
Perry (1:25pm): ok, see you in a few minutes
"Is that better?" She asks.
"Smiley face, Perry," Kirsch whispers in her ear. "A smiley face doesn't hurt anyone. Not even you."
She hits him, but sends a smiley face anyway.
-
Danny walks a bit late into the cafeteria, she'd been assisting her English teacher again. If she did a good job maybe the teacher would give her extra credit, and she needs the extra credit. She reaches the Summer Society table tired but ready to talk about the annual Adonis Triathlon they host, and is not surprised to find Melanippe Callis already talking about it. That girl's been trying to sabotage her presidency for the three weeks she's had it.
"Look who decided to show up," Mel interrupts her speech to the Summer's to look at Danny. "You know, for a President, you're always late."
Danny finds herself too tired to even try and reply to that comment. She decides to ignore it. A good leader needs to know how to put up with people like Mel, right? Right.
"Any progress you'd like to report, Callis?" She asks, sitting down and starting to eat.
"We think we need to have some sort of student gathering," Mel replies with that authoritative tone she always has. "Tell them the basics of a triathlon so they can sign up."
"That's not what we think!" A girl chimes in. Sarah Jane, Danny remembers. She thinks people call her SJ. "That's what you think!"
Mel gives SJ a death glare.
"And what do you think, SJ?" Danny asks. The girl smiles at her and she knows she's got her name right. She's been trying to memorize all of them for a few weeks now. She's finally President of the Summer Society. That's been her dream ever since she was a freshman and the sisterhood helped her. And she doesn't want something as trivial as names to jeopardize her position.
"Well, I think we need to face the fact that people aren't that interested in the triathlon. And a boring gathering is not going to do us any favors," SJ says. Some girls nod. "I think we should take advantage of the fact that homecoming is a week after the triathlon. Put up posters saying that the best three will go for free with their dates or something like that. After they sign up, we give them the basics on paper."
"That's a good idea to start with, SJ," Danny smiles. "Anyone else?"
Everyone shakes their heads. Except for Mel.
"Lawrence, I still think we should have a ga-" she tries to argue.
"Look, Mel," Danny cuts her off. "We're a community, and as a community we listen to everyone's opinion. That includes yours. And we already listened to yours. But in the end we'll go with the one most of us agree on. That's democracy." Mel doesn't look pleased. "Okay, let's vote then. The one's on favor of Mel's idea raise your hands."
Mel and two girls from the twenty who are there raise their hands.
"Now the one's on favor of SJ's idea."
The other seventeen girls, Danny included, raise their hands.
"It's settled then. SJ, given that it was your idea, would you like to be in charge of the posters?"
SJ nods enthusiastically and her eyes widen.
"Okay." Danny feels all the eyes on her, and it feels so good. "Meeting adjourned! You can finish your food, guys."
They laugh and start eating again. Well, except for Mel. She just sits there, arms crossed. Danny starts looking around the table and her eyes fall on SJ again. She kind of sees herself in the junior girl. She's enthusiastic but doesn't go over other people's opinions.
"Hey, SJ, do you want to sit next to me?" She suddenly hears herself saying. "Maybe we could keep talking about those posters."
"Sure," she replies. Danny swears she sees her eyes sparkling. She's next to her in just a few seconds. "So I was thinking of just putting down what's necessary, not overcrowding it with information, so that people will actually stop to read it."
"Yeah, that's a pretty smart move," Danny smiles.
"Careful, SJ," Mel blurts out of nowhere. "Seems like Danny has a crush on you. Wouldn't want you to end up at homecoming with her and a guy."
Danny looks away from SJ's mortified face to Mel's satisfied one. She's overcome by anger and she feels her hand turn into a fist, but then Mel laughs and she gets it. That's exactly what she wants. And she's not about to give it to her. She breaths in and starts counting down from ten.
"Mel, that was not funny," SJ whispers.
Nine.
"No, no, you didn't get it. It's because she's bi." Mel laughs again. Eight, seven. "She'll probably have a threesome with you and the guy and then leave you."
Six, five.
"Just looking out for you, SJ," she keeps going. Four. "Don't want you to end up in a relationship with a girl that's half with you and half pining over penis."
She breaths out because she feels her fist form again, which means she has to start over. She breaths in. Ten, nine, eight.
"Mel, I think you should leave," another girl says. Danny doesn't even try to remember her name.
Seven, six, five.
"I was leaving anyway."
Mel walks away but her words are already said and Danny's anger is still there.
"Danny..." SJ mumbles as she takes her hand. Four, three. "Come on, Danny, don't pay attention to her. She's not worth it."
Danny knows that. She does. But what Mel had said... it had sounded so much like what her brother told her once. And those words still stung. Deep in her chest, they stung.
"Danny," SJ pleads. She squeezes her hand. Two, one. She breaths out and feels her anger leave with the carbon dioxide. She replaces it with oxygen and sadness. "Danny, talk to me."
"It's okay, SJ," she manages to say. "I... uh." She pauses and clears her throat before talking. "I just hadn't um... heard biphobic comments in a while. It caught me off guard. I wasn't ready to hear it."
"You should never be ready to hear something like that!" SJ sounds horrified. "You should never hear something like that in the first place!"
"No, believe me, I know that," Danny smiles sadly. "It's just that usually I can take it."
SJ calms down and nods in understanding.
"I... um," Danny lets go of the girl's hand. "I need to go."
"But you've barely eaten..." SJ says worriedly.
"I'll be okay," Danny shakes it off as she stands up. "See you around, SJ. And thanks."
She walks away feeling unprofessional for cutting their meeting short, but she just can't be there anymore. She lets her feet walk without knowing where she's going, but at the same time she does know. When she gets to the field she starts walking faster, and then jogging, and then running. Running's always helped her sadness go away. So she runs.
-
"...so like, you can charge your phone with urine! Isn't that amazing?"
"So amazing," Carmilla responds, unfazed.
LaFontaine looks at her in disbelief for a second. They know Carmilla is not really a fan of their crazy science stories, but she usually at least pretends she's interested.
"Hey, Carmilla," they ask, a smirk on their face as they flip their hands in front of their friend's face. "What's going on in that crazy little mind of yo-?"
"You'll never believe who was at the principal's office."
Oh, so that's what Carmilla's been thinking about this whole time. Well, who she's been thinking about this whole time. Mental-self five.
"Hmm... Laura Hollis?" They respond.
"How'd you know?" Carmilla asks a bit surprised. Their phone chimes but they ignore it. They ache to read Perry's response, but they don't like it when Carmilla doesn't pay attention to them, and they're not about to do the same thing with her. Plus, the conversation is getting kind of interesting.
"Lucky guess," they smile as they wiggle their eyebrows.
Carmilla hits them playfully in the arm, and Laf laughs and makes a face pretending to be hurt.
"Come on, just tell me how'd you know it was her."
"Wait, you seriously don't know?"
"Know what?"
"But it's all over school!"
Carmilla scoffs.
"You know I don't pay attention to that shit."
"Well, if you did maybe you'd know what Laura was doing there." Carmilla looks at them, expectant. "Okay, so apparently she beat up two kids."
Carmilla almost chokes on the water she's drinking. LaFontaine wishes she was half as interested in their stories as she seems to be about this girl beating up two boys. But it's also kind of weird. Since when is Carmilla interested in school gossip?
"Do you know why?" She asks, intrigued.
"No," Laf says as they smirk. Maybe Carmilla's not interested in all gossip. Maybe just Laura gossip. "And why all of these sudden questions about Laura? Is my broody teenage friend crushing on someone?"
"You're a teenager, too, you idiot."
"Didn't answer my question, I see," they smile. "Come on, Karnstein, this is a safe space, so just tell your buddy Laf, do you have a crush?"
Carmilla rolls her eyes and blatantly ignores their question, again.
"So how does it work?"
"How does what work?"
"That charging your phone with urine thingy, gingerbread." She avoids eye contact. "Thought we were talking about that."
Laf smiles. Does Carmilla really think they'll let her go that easily? If she does, she clearly doesn't know them very well. Their phone chimes, they ignore it again. It's harder this time. Why is Perry texting them so much? Is she saying no? Ugh, this being polite thing is killing them. They try to forget about it by teasing Carmilla.
"I already told you how it works," they say. "Of course, you weren't listening. I mean, with all the thinking about Hollis you were doing I doubt you payed any attention."
Carmilla's face turns red. Wow, Laf thinks, she really does have a crush on her.
"Oh my God, LaFontaine," Carmilla covers her face with her hands. "Do you want me to leave? 'Cause I will."
"Oh, off to see your little girlfriend?"
"No," Carmilla replies, rolling her eyes. "I just don't want to be here when that neat freak crush of yours comes here to talk about whatever excuse you made up now."
LaFontaine blushes at the mention of Perry, and the fact that Carmilla's kind of totally right.
"I don't know what you're talking about," they try.
"Oh, come on Laf," she stands up with a winning smirk on her face. "She's been texting you. I know you guys are going to meet up. I won't cockblock you. See you later."
Carmilla leaves and their phone chimes again. They eagerly take it out and open Perry's text thread.
Perry (1:23pm):
really, at lunch?
Perry (1:25pm):
ok, see you in a few minutes
Perry (1:26pm):
:)
They look at the smiley face for a few seconds before they smile themselves.
-
Kirsch touches the edge of the pool and emerges. He thinks he did well. He looks up at his coach for a sign, but his face doesn't give anything away.
"Not even close, Wilson," he finally says as he shows him his time. He takes off his goggles and checks it. He's done better, but it's still a good time. His coach doesn't look that happy about it, though. Maybe it's not that good after all. "Ready for another round?"
"I think I might need a break," Kirsch replies, still trying to catch his breath. "Just a few minutes. Maybe some water."
"No breaks, Wilson," his coach dictates. "We both know swimming might be the only way you'll get into college, so I'd really appreciate it if you did your best."
Kirsch tries to hide how much those words hurt him by looking down at his coach's shoes.
"But I am doing my best..." he whispers.
"Then I'm afraid you're not getting into college," his coach fumes. "Is that what you want, Wilson?"
Kirsch shakes his head no.
"I didn't quite hear that. Let's try it again, shall we?" He scratches his head and looks Kirsch straight in the eye. "Is that what you want, Wilson?"
"No."
His coach looks at him in disbelief.
"No, what, Wilson?" He barks. "It's like you're not even trying! Let's do it just one more time. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT WILSON?"
"NO, SIR."
"NOW PUT THOSE FUCKING GOGGLES BACK ON THAT UGLY FACE OF YOURS AND SWIM."
So Kirsch puts his goggles on and swims. And swims. And swims.
-
Perry takes out a couple of notebooks and books to put in her backpack and closes her locker. She thinks of her lunch with LaFontaine on her way out of school. They always manage to make her laugh, and she doesn't really know how. She really enjoys spending time with them, and she's annoyed with herself for having to overthink things so much.
She knows it shouldn't matter this much but it does. She's been questioning her sexuality for quite some time now, though she hasn't come to a conclusion yet. And until she does, she doesn't really want to date anyone. She's always been this way. She always wants to have everything sorted out before jumping into decisions. But LaFontaine is making it so hard not to.
She reaches the stairs that will lead her to the street, and she sees someone sitting there. And not just anyone. It's Laura Hollis. She doesn't know what she's doing so late at school. She wasn't at the library, she knows that because she'd been there until it closed.
"Laura?" Perry asks carefully. The girl turns around and gives her a sad smile. She takes it as a good sign and sits next to her. "Honey, what are you doing here so late?"
"I'm just waiting for my dad," she responds. "He's... um... talking to the principal."
Perry remembers LaFontaine said something about Laura beating some kids up, but she pretends she doesn't know and asks anyway. She thinks it should be Laura's decision if she wants to tell her or not.
"Did something happen, sweetie?"
Laura looks at her like she's trying to figure something out. Perry maintains her poker face and doesn't look away.
"I'm pretty sure the whole school knows what happened by now. At least they know that something happened," she mumbles. "And if the whole school knows, and you're in this school, that means you know."
Perry finally looks away from Laura's intense gaze. She would't admit to anything, but she wouldn't deny it either. She hates lying. She still feels Laura's eyes on her.
"Look, Laura," she finally speaks up, still not looking at her. "It doesn't really matter if something happened. It's none of my business. But you're clearly upset, and I just want you to know I'm here if you want to talk about it. And I'm also here if you don't."
"I don't," Laura smiles at her. She looks back at her. "I really don't. But thank you."
"Don't worry, honey. I'm here for you."
She looks away for a second and suddenly she feels arms embracing her. She turns around and hugs Laura back. A few seconds pass before she feels Laura sobbing in her shoulder and her embrace tightening. She pats her back and decides she'll stay with her until her dad comes.
-
Carmilla gets home to the smell of dinner and the sound of her mom on yet another business call and Will's not so subtle swearing directed to the Xbox in his room. She greets her mom with a wave of her hand. Her mom doesn't respond, but that's no surprise.
She sets the table as per usual and calls Will and her mother over. Her mom doesn't stop the call while they eat, and Will's looking at his phone so much Carmilla's just waiting for him to drop the food on his shirt. She kind of misses Mattie's presence. At least she asks how her day's been sometimes. At least she cares. She's almost the only one who cares.
She finally goes upstairs after about fifteen minutes of what already feels like it's just noisier silence. When she gets to her room she thinks about Laura for the hundredth time that day.
She's noticed her before, but she never really thought that much about her. She only ever saw her as this pretty girl with perfect grades who cared way too much about school. Seeing her like that today had made her curious, and what LaFontaine had told her had just fed her curiosity even more. Beat up two kids? Laura Hollis? That seemed impossible. The girl was small. And smart. How could she do that? Why would she do that? And being curious about Laura Hollis was weird because she was never curious about people. Well, almost never. There were exceptions. And apparently Laura was one of them.
She decides she's thought of it enough. If she wants to know why Laura beat up those kids she just has to talk to her and ask her why she did it. And that's what she's going to do. She's pretty sure they both got the Saturday morning detention. So she gets Laura out of her mind for the time being and gets the book she's currently reading from her backpack.
She's laying in bed reading when she gets a text.
Lafonbrain (9:20pm): i investigated a bit
Lafonbrain (9:20pm): she beat them bc of smtn they said
Lafonbrain (9:21pm): u'll know more when i do
Carmilla smiles and shakes her head.
Broodstein (9:22pm): no, don't worry about it
Broodstein (9:22pm): i'll ask her myself
Lafonbrain (9:25pm): do u think she'll tell u?
Broodstein (9:27pm): i don't know
Broodstein (9:27pm): we'll see