Chapter Text
There were two kinds of people at Wiskayok Academy, those who played the game, and those who pretended they weren’t playing while still keeping score.
The game wasn’t about grades, though those mattered, or sports, though those mattered too. It was about perception, about walking down the hallway and knowing who would look up, who would whisper, who would pretend not to notice. It was about who sat at your lunch table, whose names appeared together in the yearbook, who could walk into a room and bend it around them like light.
Jackie Taylor had been bending rooms since the day she arrived as a freshman, all glossy hair and perfect posture, looking like she’d stepped out of a catalogue for boarding school uniforms. She joined cheer her first week, ran for student council her second, and was elected class representative before she’d finished unpacking her dorm trunk. She didn’t just play the game, she’d mastered it.
Shauna Shipman had been watching her since that first week, albeit not openly, not the way most people did, but in stolen glances between classes, in the quiet moments before lights out when Jackie’s laugh would drift down the hall. She’d told herself she was just studying the enemy. Jackie was everything she wasn’t, effortless, admired, untouchable, and there was something satisfying about being the one person who could get under her skin.
Her first jab had been small, a comment about Jackie’s “practice smile” during a freshman assembly that made the girls in the back row snicker. Jackie had looked over, just for a split second, and Shauna had felt something she didn’t want to name.
By sophomore year, the habit had calcified into something automatic. Jackie would walk into a room, Shauna would find the flaw, the crack in the perfect veneer, and put her thumb on it. Sarcasm was safer than admitting she noticed the way Jackie’s eyes warmed when she laughed for real, or the rare moments when her confidence faltered, like she was holding her breath.
Now, as seniors, their rhythm was set in stone. Jackie delivered the speeches, wore the crown at homecoming, got the glossy photos in the school paper. Shauna heckled from the sidelines, the bite in her words just sharp enough to draw blood without getting her sent to the dean’s office.
The pep rally on the first day after midterm break was the perfect stage for both of them. The gym was packed, the bleachers groaning under the weight of the entire student body, banners fluttering against the walls. Jackie stood on the makeshift stage beneath a Go Yellowjackets! banner, homecoming sash angled just right across her blazer. Her hair caught the light from the overhead lamps like spun gold, and she looked, infuriatingly, like she belonged there.
Shauna sat in the very back row, legs sprawled, blazer unbuttoned, tie loose around her neck. She’d tell anyone who asked that she was only here for the mandatory attendance, but the truth was she liked seeing Jackie up there, the way her voice carried, the way she didn’t break eye contact when someone tried to throw her off.
“Homecoming isn’t just about soccer,” Jackie said, smiling at the crowd, “It’s about celebrating who we are as a school, our spirit, our pride, our-”
“- our terrifying lack of budget for a decent mascot costume,” Shauna called out, just loud enough to cut through the applause.
Laughter rippled instantly, Jackie’s smile didn’t falter, but her eyes found Shauna like they always did, narrowing just slightly before she smoothed it away. Shauna felt the little rush she always got when she’d hit her mark.
She told herself it was because she liked winning, she didn’t let herself think about the flicker of something else she’d seen in Jackie’s eyes, something closer to recognition than irritation. Jackie gave her a smile sweet enough to rot teeth.
“As I was saying,” Jackie continued, “we’ve worked hard to make this year’s celebration something special. I know everyone will do their part to make it a success.”
A few boys from the lacrosse team whooped, Shauna leaned toward her roommate Van beside her, said something under her breath, and they both snorted. Jackie ignored them, she’d perfected the art of ignoring Shauna Shipman years ago, or at least pretending to.
The principal stepped forward to take over, and Jackie descended the stage, smiling and shaking hands with teachers. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Shauna rise lazily from the bleachers, moving with that careless swagger that always looked like she’d just gotten away with something. Jackie turned toward the double doors, determined to get to her locker before Shauna could bother her even more.
“Nice speech, Queen Jackie,” Shauna drawled from behind her, “Really inspiring, I almost believed you cared about the mascot costume.”
Jackie turned, her smile sharp, “I do care, Shauna, just not enough to listen to your opinion on it.”
Shauna’s grin widened, like Jackie had given her exactly what she wanted. Before Jackie could fire back, someone’s arm slid around her waist, she sighed in relief at the newly familiar warmth, Natalie.
Jackie and Nat had been friends since sophomore year, back when Jackie had earned her first (and only) ever detention for sneaking into the library after hours. Nat had been the one to talk her down from panicking, helping her craft an apology note that somehow got Jackie off with only a warning rather than a letter written home to her parents. They’d been inseparable ever since, but it hadn’t been anything more, not until midterm break of this year, when something shifted, and casual late night calls and shared earbuds turned into whispered confessions and lingering touches.
Jackie was barely ready for the world to know, she had always been careful, calculating, aware of how quickly a rumor could spread in a school like Wiskayok Academy. But hiding it? Impossible. Not with how nosey half the school was about her personal life. Definitely not with Shipman around.
“Hey,” Nat murmured, kissing her temple. The contact was warm, grounding, until Jackie noticed Shauna’s gaze drop to where Nat’s hand rested on her hip. The smirk faltered, just for a fraction of a second. Jackie didn’t know why, but that flicker was enough to make her pulse jump.
–
By the time the pep rally fully ended, the hallways were humming like a beehive. Students spilled from the gym in clumps, voices bouncing off the tile walls, the air electric with that mix of Friday afternoon freedom and freshly minted gossip.
Jackie walked beside Natalie, the sash from her speech still draped across her blazer. Nat’s arm brushed hers with every step, casual but steady, and Jackie knew people were watching, she could feel their eyes like a spotlight.
It wasn’t like she didn’t know how to handle attention, she’d been collecting it since her first day here, but this was different. Jackie Taylor dating Natalie Scatorccio wasn’t just a headline for the school rumor mill. It was a scandal of the ages. Watergate had nothing on this, beat that Nixon.
Natalie, with her chipped black nail polish and dyed hair, who cut class whenever she felt like it. Natalie, who’d been caught smoking behind the science building twice last year. Natalie, who wore combat boots with her uniform skirt and still somehow managed to get away with it.
Jackie wasn’t sure what had drawn her in, maybe Nat’s absolute disregard for what anyone thought, maybe the way she made Jackie laugh until her sides hurt. But whatever it was, it had surprised people and it was all anyone could seem to talk about.
“…did you see…”
“...holding hands…”
“...homecoming queen and Natalie Scatorccio ?”
“Thought she was with that guy from…”
“No, that was last year.”
“Wonder how long that’s gonna last…”
Nat didn’t seem to notice the whispers, or maybe she was just good at pretending she didn’t. She kept walking like the hallway was empty, her leather jacket that replaced the blazer she was definitely supposed to be wearing was creaking with each step, a faint smirk playing at her lips.
Jackie envied that, she always had to think about her image, about how she was being seen, whereas Natalie just existed.
Shauna, on the other hand, was definitely paying attention. She was posted up against a row of lockers halfway down the hall, arms crossed, flanked by two girls from the debate team. Jackie didn’t need to hear the conversation to know she was the subject.
What she couldn’t see, what no one could, was that Shauna had been replaying that moment in the gym all afternoon. Not the heckle or the laugh she’d gotten out of the crowd, the way Natalie had slid her arm around Jackie’s waist, like she belonged there.
The look on Jackie’s face when it happened, it made something hot and sharp twist in Shauna’s chest. She told herself it was just about Jackie’s stupid perfect life, the way she’d always had everything handed to her, that was easier than admitting the truth.
Jackie stopped to talk to a teacher, and Natalie drifted a few steps away. Shauna caught herself staring, jaw tight, before one of the debate girls nudged her and whispered something. Shauna smirked, tilted her head, and let her voice carry, “Guess it’s nice she’s finally dating someone real, at this point I thought she’d marry her reflection.”
The debate girls snickered. Jackie turned halfway toward her, her smile was as sharp as glass, “Better a reflection than someone who looks like they just rolled out of a ditch.”
Shauna’s grin widened, though it didn’t reach her eyes, “Touché, Your Majesty.”
Nat reappeared at Jackie’s side, hand finding her hip like it belonged there. Jackie’s posture softened automatically, Shauna felt her jaw tighten again and told herself she didn’t care.
–
Later that afternoon, Jackie and Nat claimed a spot under the big maple tree in the quad during free period. Nat sprawled across the grass, boots crossed at the ankles, while Jackie perched primly on the edge of Nat’s jacket to keep her skirt clean.
“You’re thinking about it too much,” Nat said, flicking a dandelion stem at her.
Jackie caught it and tossed it aside, “About what?”
“The whispers, or Shauna, or whether I’m going to ruin your perfect reputation,” Nat said with a knowing smirk.
Jackie gave her a pointed look, “I wasn’t thinking about any of that.”
Nat arched an eyebrow, and Jackie sighed, “Okay, maybe a little, but people will get over it. They always do.”
“Mm,” Nat hummed, “By people you mean Shauna, right?”
“She’s not exactly a fan of anything I do, I have kind of blocked her opinions out,” Jackie scoffed.
“She’s got a weird energy about you,” Nat said, plucking at the grass, “Can’t tell if she wants to fight you or, you know.”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Jackie stated, giving Nat a stern look. Nat smirked, but didn’t argue back, knowing not to push her luck on this particular topic.
Across the quad, Shauna leaned against the stone wall, notebook open but unread. Her gaze flicked between Jackie and Nat, sharp and assessing, like she was trying to decide which one of them was winning something.
“Right, come on, time for lunch anyways,” Nat said, pulling Jackie out of her trance. Lunch was good, it meant being surrounded by friends and Nat, with no Shauna Shipman staring into her soul.
The quad at lunchtime was basically Wiskayok Academy’s answer to a red carpet , you didn’t just show up, you made an entrance.
Jackie knew this better than anyone, she was perched on top of the picnic table, her cheer skirt fanned out neatly, one ankle crossed over the other. Lottie lounged beside her in that impossibly effortless way, sipping an iced coffee she definitely wasn’t supposed to have outside the dining hall. Mari was mid rant about the latest student council disaster, and Misty was in full gossip mode.
“I’m telling you,” Misty insisted, leaning forward so far her ponytail bobbed, “the rumor is Coach Martinez is getting fired before winter break. My source is ironclad.”
“Misty,” Jackie said with an indulgent smile, “your source is the lunch lady.”
Lottie smirked, “And the lunch lady loves to mess with you.”
“She does not,” Misty started, but Jackie’s attention had already shifted, because sitting two lawns over, sprawled out on the grass with Tai, Van, and Laura Lee, was Shauna. Not that Jackie was looking, at least, not in any way she’d admit.
“Nat’s late,” Mari noted, glancing toward the path from the dorms.
“She had to grab something from her room after free period,” Jackie said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “She’ll be here.”
And sure enough, Natalie strolled up moments later, the picture of casual rebellion with a cigarette tucked behind her ear. The shift in the group’s mood was immediate, Mari rolled her eyes, Misty brightened like Nat was a walking piece of breaking news, and Lottie gave one of her lazy smiles. Jackie just felt lighter.
Nat hopped onto the bench beside her, dropping her bag to the ground.
“Hey, Queen Jackie,” Nat said, mocking their interaction with Shauna earlier.
“Don’t call me that,” Jackie said automatically, but she was smiling.
Nat leaned back, one arm slung behind Jackie, close enough that Jackie could smell the faint mix of cigarette smoke and whatever shampoo Nat used. They didn’t have the obvious similarities of a typical couple, Jackie with her carefully curated image, Nat with her permanent ‘I just woke up’ vibe, but that was the point.
People expected her to date someone like Steve from the lacrosse team. Instead, she’d chosen Natalie and judging by the way Shauna was glaring at them from across the quad, Jackie had to admit she liked surprising people.
–
Across the quad, Shauna sat cross legged on the grass with Tai, Van, and Laura Lee, their usual spot just far enough from the main path to avoid getting trampled by the tide of students. Tai was picking at a bagel, Van was sprawled on her back with a sketchpad over her face, and Laura Lee was earnestly recounting the latest drama from Bible study.
“…and then she said it was fine to read horoscopes because it’s just for fun,” Laura Lee finished, scandalised, “I mean, what does that even… Shauna? Are you even listening?”
Shauna tore her eyes away from the other side of the lawn, “Yeah, totally. Horoscopes. Very shocking.”
She was lying, of course, she’d been watching Jackie across the quad at one of the picnic tables, holding court like she’d been born to it. Her blonde hair caught the sunlight, her cheer skirt fell just right over tanned legs, and she was laughing at something Mari said. Infuriatingly, Natalie was beside her, leaning back with her boots up on the bench, cigarette dangling from her fingers.
It still didn’t make sense to Shauna, Jackie, the homecoming queen and poster child of Wiskayok Academy, dating the school burnout? It was now the gossip event of the semester, and Shauna hated how much space it took up in her head.
Nat was saying something now, low enough that Shauna couldn’t hear, but Jackie’s answering smile was softer than her usual public one, and it twisted something in Shauna’s stomach. She told herself it was because she hated seeing Jackie happy.
Tai noticed where Shauna’s gaze lingered and raised an eyebrow, “You’re doing it again.”
Shauna blinked, “Doing what?”
“Staring at Jackie like you’re planning her funeral,” Tai said dryly.
Van snorted from under her sketchpad, “More like planning her wedding.”
Shauna shot them both a glare, but her cheeks warmed, “I just don't get what she sees in Nat.”
Laura Lee, oblivious to the undercurrent, piped up, “Well, opposites attract, right?”
“Yeah,” Shauna muttered, tearing at the crust of her sandwich, “until they don’t.”
Across the lawn, Jackie glanced up, just for a moment, and her eyes met Shauna’s. There was a flicker of recognition there, almost a challenge, before she turned back to Nat and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
The bell rang for class was going to ring soon, but the air between them already felt like the first drop of tension before a storm.
–
The hum of chatter in Room 2B was constant, the kind of low buzz that made concentrating impossible. Shauna sat halfway back, the desk by the window, pretending to read the notes she’d scrawled last night, she wasn’t. Her pen rested in the spine of her notebook while her eyes kept drifting, not to the board, not to the clock, but to the row of desks clustered together on the other side of the room.
Jackie sat dead center, like even the seating plan couldn’t help but crown her. She wasn’t talking loudly, she never had to, but everyone around her leaned in like whatever she said was worth memorizing. Lottie was beside her, glossy hair tucked behind her ear as she doodled in the corner of her planner. Mari sat perched on the edge of her desk, legs crossed, scrolling on her phone but still chiming in at the right moments. Misty, front row, had turned completely sideways in her seat just to watch Jackie laugh.
They looked like they’d stepped out of a school brochure; perfect hair, perfect clothes, perfect little smiles. Shauna’s hand tightened around her pen until the plastic creaked.
“Staring again?” Tai’s voice came from beside her, quiet but full of bite, she didn’t look up from the soccer roster she was updating.
Shauna leaned back, keeping her voice flat, “I’m just observing.”
“Sure,” Van muttered from the seat in front, spinning halfway around to smirk at her, “Observing Jackie. For, what, the three hundredth time this year?”
Shauna rolled her eyes and went back to her notes, even though she still wasn’t reading them.
Across the aisle, the classroom door opened. Natalie strolled in like she was late on purpose, headphones hanging around her neck, a bruise colored smudge of eyeliner under each eye. She was all frayed denim and cigarettes you could smell from three feet away. She dropped into the empty seat beside Jackie without asking. Jackie didn’t flinch, just smiled, a slow, warm thing, like Nat was the only person she’d been waiting for.
The room noticed, conversations dipped, a couple of people exchanged glances, subtle little smirks. Shauna noticed too, she always noticed.
It had been a week since the school found out that Jackie and Nat had started doing whatever this was. A week since the school’s golden girl had shocked everyone by hanging off the arm of the girl who’d nearly been expelled twice. Shauna told herself she hated it because it didn’t make sense, that Nat was wasting her time and Jackie was a fake.
But the truth, the one she never said out loud, was that she hated it because it made Jackie harder to ignore. It turned her into someone real, someone who laughed with her head thrown back when Nat whispered something in her ear. Someone whose cheeks flushed the tiniest bit when Nat stole her pencil and refused to give it back.
The teacher started the lesson, but the picture was already burned into Shauna’s mind. Jackie, leaning toward Nat like the world could wait. By the time the bell rang, Shauna’s pulse was still a little too fast. She told herself it was irritation, it was easier than admitting anything else.
After class, Shauna cut across the quad toward the west wing, trailing behind Tai and Van. The wind carried bursts of laughter from behind her, a sound she recognized without even turning, it was Jackie.
She glanced back just in time to see Nat lean in, slow and deliberate, her hand curling into the collar of Jackie’s shirt. Jackie didn’t hesitate, she kissed her back like it was the most natural thing in the world, her manicured fingers brushing over Nat’s jaw.
Something in Shauna’s chest tightened, hot and mean. She tore her gaze away before either of them could catch her staring, but the image burned itself into the back of her mind. By the time she reached her locker, the decision to take things further to get Jackie's attention was already forming.
–
The dorm hallway was quiet except for the hum of the fluorescent lights overhead, most of the girls were still in study hall or the library. Jackie’s heels clicked against the linoleum as she made her way toward her room, tired but content enough. Nat had walked her back to the main building earlier, teasing her about how long she spent perfecting her handwriting. It was sweet, it showed how much attention she was really paying.
She turned the corner and stopped dead. Her whiteboard, the one she kept outside her door for friends to leave notes or reminders, wasn’t just tagged with a snide comment this time. It was transformed, the clean white surface was layered with black marker, thick and deliberate.
“Mirror, mirror, on the wall,
who’s the fakest of them all?”
Underneath was a crude drawing of who she supposed was herself. Someone had even gone so far as to draw exaggerated features, wide eyes, an over bright smile, cartoonish blush marks, that mocked the exact pose she’d worn in the pep rally photo taped to her door.
Jackie felt her face heat. The marker smell was sharp, fresh, whoever had done this hadn’t left long ago.
A door creaked open at the end of the hall and two sophomores peeked out, eyes darting between the board and her face before whispering something and disappearing back inside. The humiliation spread through her like a slow, hot tide.
She crouched to uncap the eraser marker she kept in her bag, but the black lines didn’t budge, it was permanent ink.
Her throat tightened, not because of the words, but because she knew exactly who had done it. The loopy, careless S at the end of fakest was unmistakable. Shauna had always signed her homework like she was autographing it for fans. This wasn’t random teasing, it was targeted.
Jackie stood there for a moment, pen still in hand, breathing through her nose. She thought about scrubbing it until the plastic turned gray, thought about storming down the hall to pound on Shauna’s door, thought about how much satisfaction Shauna would get from either reaction.
Instead, she took a breath and stepped back, she knew this was a battle that would be won with thought, not irrational actions. If Shauna wanted a war, Jackie could play that game better than anyone.