Chapter Text
Petra Wentz walked into the lunchroom, trailing close to the wall to avoid the middle. She kept her head down, her red-black fringe going into her eyes and her glasses slipping off her face. Brushing her hair back and pushing up her glasses, Pete caught sight of Mikaela Way, her best friend, sitting at their table toward the back of the cafeteria. Across from her was Andrea Hurley, leafing through a new issue of From Under the Cork Tree. Shifting her bag to rest more comfortably on her, Petra skittered to her lunch table, her various keychains jingling behind her. In her haste, she didn’t notice one falling off, the logo of her small clothing brand.
Patricia Stump noticed the keychain falling off Petra’s bag, and she smirked as she went to go pick it up. Lunch was gonna be fun.
“Patty?” Josephine Trohman looked up from her calculus homework. “What’s that?”
“One of Petra’s dumb little keychains. God, look. It’s so weird.” Patty threw it on the table, letting it skid across the surface. Josie stopped it and picked it up. It was kind of cool, actually.
But Josie just snorted and nodded. “Lame ass crap.”
Petra slid in beside Mikaela, her bag going underneath the table. Mikaela turned, her silver-rimmed glasses glinting in the yellow fluorescent light of the cafeteria.
“You think Patricia saw me?” Petra mumbled.
Mikaela rolled her eyes. “You move like a mouse, so no.” She sighed. Mikaela fidgeted with a bracelet on her wrist, the charms clinking.
“Petey, I don’t get why you don’t just tell someone she’s got it out for you.” Andrea flipped another page in the issue. “It’d be so much easier than always having to watch your back.”
“Andie, I don’t have that big of a stick up my ass.” Petra rolled her eyes and leaned on the table, head in her hand as she picked at gunk on the table. “I could care less if she picks on me. It’s kinda cute.”
Andrea closed her comic to shoot Petra a confused look, then looked at Mikaela.
Mikaela just rolled her eyes as she turned to face Petra. “Petey, you're kinda crazy, you know that? She's trying to ruin your life half the time, and you find that cute?”
Petra turned red. “Well, I just think it's kinda nice when she's all angry and snappy.”
Andy sighed and went back to her comic. Mikaela shook her head and stood up. “I'm too hungry to actually be able to make you see that you're insane. Let's just go get lunch.”
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Patty flipped the keychain like a coin, her thumb propelling it into the air before catching it in the palm of her hand. Josie was busy doing English lit, a mechanical pencil scratching away at a worksheet so she’d have nothing to do at home.
“Should I return it, Josie?” Patty asked, her lips etched in a smirk.
Josie sighed. “Yeah.”
“But it'd be fun to watch her panic and get nervous.”
Josie set down her pencil with a slightly exasperated expression. “Why are you always trying to pick on Petra? Her worst crime is being a bit of a loser. So what?”
“That’s the problem. She’s a damn loser, and it just…it makes me mad.” Patty slammed the keychain down.
Patty always hated how soft-spoken Petra was, never trying to start trouble. How could someone stay so…stagnant? She was always giggling with Mikaela and Andrea, and it drove Patty crazy. No one, not even her and Josie, were that close. Patty had always felt a sort of absence, seeing how close Petra and her friends were. But then again, Petra was a dork, always daydreaming and doodling in her notebook. She was always a little mediocre compared to Patty, and that’s what comforted Patty the most.
“C’mon, Josie.” Patty stood up, the keychain dangling from her index finger. Josie shook her head, but followed Patty.
With the most dazzling smile, Patty walked over to Petra’s table and slid into the seat across from her. Josie stood behind her, arms crossed, her face betraying no emotion.
Patty smiled wider as Petra turned red. Mikaela turned to face Patty, her eyes narrowed and her lips set in a thin line of disapproval. Patty fought the urge to sneer at Mikaela, and instead turned to Petra. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Andrea looking over the top of her comic.
“Hey, Petra.” Patty said, kicking her feet under her seat. She could see Petra visibly brighten up, trying to compose herself.
“Hi, Patricia.” Petra said quietly, a smile on her lips.
“Mikaela.” Patricia said, her smile a fraction colder.
“Patricia.”
The two girls exchanged cold, snipped greetings, their animosity just barely bleeding through into their tone. For the sake of civility, neither said anything more.
Patty turned back to Petra. “I was wondering if you’d lost something, you know…” Patty started, her tone slightly condescending.
“Well, I…I don’t really think I lost anything, no…” Petra stammered out, sheepish.
“You sure? This isn’t yours?” Patty finally slid the keychain onto the table, warm from her hand. Instantly the recognition slid across Petra’s face, and she sighed.
“Must’ve fallen off my bag on the way down. Thanks, Patricia.” Petra held out her hand.
“Mmm, I don’t know, I kinda like it.” Patty twirled it around on her finger, then put it down on the table.
For the first time since picking it up off the floor, Patty took a good look at the keychain. Her jaw almost dropped.
Clandestine Industries.
This wasn’t just a lame old keychain, it was a keychain of one of the biggest clothing brands in the scene…Patty had often seen Clandestine shirts going for 40 bucks in Kerrang, and she always loved the slogans on them. She desperately coveted owning a Clandestine shirt, saving almost half her weekly pay for a shirt.
“Uh, Petra? How’d you get this?” Patty said, trying to hide her surprise. No way she was gonna freak out in front of Petra Wentz of all people.
“It’s my, uh...side job, to say the least.” Petra was no longer shy, and actually seemed a bit proud of herself. “I run Clandestine Industries.”
Josie’s eyes widened. Mikaela smirked, enjoying the shock on Josie’s face.
Patty was, well, infuriated.
Oh, so not only do you have friends, you run a whole clothing line? Who the hell let you be better than me? This is so unfair…You’re just a loser, bitch!
Her eyes landed on the milk carton right in front of Petra’s tray, and a spiteful idea formed in her mind.
“Oh, that’s so cool.” Patty said, her tone slightly venomous. “Here’s your keychain.”
Her hand knocked into the milk carton hard as she placed the keychain on Petra’s lunch tray, the carton hitting Petra squarely in the chest and spilling milk onto her uniform. Petra yelped as she felt the milk on her skin, practically scrambling out of her chair. Patty could feel the rest of the cafeteria looking at them, and she smirked.
"Oh, I’m so sorry! Clumsy me…” Patty chuckled, no trace of apology in her words.
Mikaela moved towards Patty, her eyes blazing with anger as she let Petra mop off the milk with the paper thin cafeteria tissues. “You little wh-”
Andrea held Mikaela back, a firm hand on Mikaela’s shoulder as she steered Mikaela away from Patty. “Mikey, no. Go help Petra.”
Mikaela sighed and grabbed her and Petra’s bag and took Petra to the bathroom to clean up. Andrea looked at Patty with pure venom, but before she could say anything, Josie was dragging Patty away. The janitor came to clean up. Andrea grabbed the trays and headed to trash them.
Patty just smiled as she watched Petra scamper off, red-faced.