Chapter Text
The door slams against the plaster walls of the classroom as I barge in. Oops. Oh great. Literally every single eye in the classroom locks onto me. Never mind, I've got to commit now… Bag slung low over my shoulder, I walk towards my seat, next to Kris.
"uh, Susie wait a second" says the teacher for this class "we're trialing a new seating chart before winter break"
I can't quite remember her name, but she looks visibly afraid by just having to talk to me, sweat beading on her forehead. Jesus I'm not that scary.
"Susie you can just go take a seat uhh..."
She glances down shiftily at what I assume is a seating plan. Awesome there go my plans of making fun of Kris for the next half hour... What the hell was I going to do now? Whatever. I just have to make it through the next, I check my watch, 4 hours and 32 minutes to go. Then 2 weeks of freedom.
"Oh! next to Noelle"
"Huh?" I snort, snapped out of my daydreaming.
"Just a-at the back table, with the blonde hair" stammers mystery teacher, gesturing vaguely to the back of the classroom, before scuttling back to her desk.
As I turn to walk away, I look up, eyes scanning for a blonde head somewhere near the back. My gaze lands on a girl with a mop of cascading golden ringlets, circling her head like a halo. Wow that sounded soft as fuck, ignore that. Slightly annoyed with myself, I stomp over to the desk, dropping into the chair next to... Natalia? Maybe it was Nancy. Shit. Not paying attention to the teacher finally bites me in the ass.
"Hey” I hiss.
I’m met with an icy wall of silence. Maybe she didn't hear me?
“Im pretty sure we're going to be lab partners? or maybe just partners? Im kind-of unclear on what class this is..."
"Fantastic" Drawls... Naomi? She slowly blows a bubble of pink gum, that snaps against her teeth. Whatever, not like I wanted to talk to her anyway.
Minutes pass as the teacher sketches utterly undecipherable diagrams on the board, chalk screeching against slate.
"hey are you gonna introduce yourself or what?"
Mystery girl cuts me off, visibly annoyed.
"Can you please for the love of all that is holy shut the fuck up, I’m trying to concentrate” she snaps.
"sorry, didn't realise I was sat next to some kind of mean girls knockoff, i'll try to keep the volume down just for you", I push back, furrowing my eyebrows.
I guess that was sort of an introduction? I can definitely gather that Nikki and I are not going to be best friends forever. After another few seconds she breaks the silence.
"You seriously don't know who I am?" she hisses.
"No, I was just pretending for fun" I snarl, voice dripping with sarcasm. This Jennifer Check act is starting to piss me off. She rolls her eyes so hard that for a second I'm pretty sure they're going to stick that way. "Well? Are you going to tell me then?" I ask.
“…”
"Is it because you have a really weird name?"
Silence.
"Is it Bertha? Or Gertrude?" Silence silence silence. "Maybe Olga?" ... "Come on this game is no fun if I have to play by myself" I complain.
"Alright, Susie", sounding downright hostile "Listen up ok? Me and you are not going to be friends. Period. End of story"
"Yeah, I kind-of figured that out already but-" Suddenly I'm interrupted.
"I'm not finished. I'm not exactly sure what planet you come from, but at this school people listen when I talk. I have been the Snowflake Queen for three years. In a row. My mother quite literally runs hometown, being the mayor and all that, and if I want, I can have you run out of this town with flaming torches and pitchforks. So do try not to get on my nerves? Got it?"
She smiles sickly sweet, like a flytrap, and it sends a shiver down my spine. This girl is off her rocker. Noted.
Im saved by the bell, literally, as its shrill ring signals the end of class. Nicole is staring daggers at me as I grab my beat up backpack from it’s spot on the floor.
"Pleasure meeting you, mean girl. See you around" I smirk at her, then swivel on my feet and walk away of class, grabbing kris by their collar on the way out.
It's not until much later that I wonder how she new my name.