Chapter Text
Raquelle
The last thing Raquelle wanted was to be sharing a room with her mortal enemy, but here they were. Two girls, one double bed in Paris - the most romantic place on earth.
How did she get into this situation?
Well, it started one month ago in English class.
Raquelle was minding her own business, braiding her black waves and admiring her fresh set of nails with a smirk on her face when she looked to her side just to see Barbie. Even just her name caused her to seethe with rage. Raquelle turned her chin up and faced away with a huff, refusing to acknowledge Barbie's precious existence.
She didn't make it easy though, because the next moment Barbie was stood in front of Raquelle, a warm smile on her face. Her teeth were perfect:white and straight. Her beautiful blonde hair curled naturally on the ends, matching her slightly tanned skintone with perfect harmony. Although she was always smiling, there wasn't a wrinkle or blemish on her face. The uniform didn't do her toned body justice, but anyone with eyes could still appreciate Barbie's perfect figure.
"Hey there Raquelle!" Barbie suddenly exclaimed cheerily, snapping Raquelle back into the moment.
"Yeah?" Raquelle distastefully spat back.
"Are you signing up for the Paris trip? I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun!" She looked down at Raquelle through her long eyelashes, her eyes squinted a fraction from smiling.
"Of course I am, did you really think I would miss out on such an opportunity? Maybe a talent agent will see me and invite me to join a modelling agency," Raquelle made an effort to appear snobby and stuck up, but all she really wanted to do was one up Barbie. Ever since they were kids, Barbie was the one that everyone picked for everything. She was the pretty friend, the funny friend, the kind friend, the cool friend, leaving Raquelle with nothing except 'Barbie's friend'.
"I'm sure you will! That would be great," Why did Barbie have to be so nice all the time? She made it so hard to hate her.
Gosh, Raquelle hated those soft lips which were always smothered in the perfect amount of lip gloss - and the stuck up words which escaped from them.
"I'm sure I will too." Was all Raquelle managed to say before Barbie was interrupted by a group of irrelevant nobody's begging for attention.
Raquelle cupped her face in her cheeks as she turned to the door. Ryan was stood there, staring longingly at someone on the front row. Raquelle nonchalantly leaned over in her seat, cocking an eyebrow, only to see Ken sat alone at the front, studying his mind off.
Ryan had been in love with Ken for years, everyone knew, except for Ken himself. Whenever Ryan tried to show him that he liked him, he was always one upped by Barbie - it irritated both him and Raquelle, because who else would her twin brother come crying too after being heartbroken for the hundredth time?
Barbie and Ken had a pretty solid relationship, they were the dream couple, only Raquelle and Ryan both analysed things that others couldn't see. The way they both flinched slightly when their hands touched, the way they had to prepare themselves before leaning in for a kiss - even just a quick one on the cheek, the way that they looked at each other with friendship instead of love.
There was no way that they had feelings for each other, but Raquelle and Ryan just couldn't prove it.
When the bell for class rang, Raquelle promptly got up and exited the classroom first, clutching onto her twins arm like it was a lifeline.
"We're going to Paris," She whispered slyly whilst shooting fake smiles at irrelevant nobody's in the hallway.
"Fine by me, but why?" Ryan whispered back, winking at his reflection in any surface which presented it.
"Because Ken and Barbie are going, and I just know there is something up with that couple." Raquelle bit her lip in anticipation whilst Ryan hummed in agreement from her side. "Plus, Barbie is all over me, she would beg to share a room with me if I gave her the opportunity."
Ryan scoffed before turning to his locker, releasing Raquelle from his arm. She leant against the lockers besides Ryan, playing with her silver necklace which had her initial on it as she stared forward at the people walking in the hallway. Ryan was staring at himself in his own lockers mirror, as he usually did.
The Paris sign ups came out later that night, and Raquelle eagerly filled out the form to go. She was lying in bed in a leapord print pyjama set which was a tank top and shorts as she played with her hair and scrolled through Instagram on her laptop. She had a face mask on and her hair done up in rollers - beauty is pain.
Barbie's Instagram came on her feed, which sparked her interest instantly. Her recent picture was her taking a mirror selfie with Ken stood behind her giving a toothy grin. They weren't touching, of course.
Raquelle would expose them soon, and everyone would see Barbie for the two faced wench that she really is.
Barbie
Barbie wasn't normal, she knew that. She was drop dead gorgeous, of course. Everyone always said that she was the most beautiful girl in the world, but she didn't feel like it. It felt like everybody just stared right through her - like she was somebody's doll to gawk at instead of a real person.
In all honesty, all she wanted to do was get high and make out with strangers like any normal teenagers her age did - but she had an image to upkeep. Nobody knew about her sly alter ego, of course. But it felt like one person saw her more than anyone else did.
When Barbie arrived at the airport, excited for Paris, she felt her heart skip a beat as she spotted Raquelle stood near the gate,brooding as she always was. Barbie brushed her hair with her fingers and exhaled before rushing over, grinning as she stood in front of Raquelle.
"Hey Raquelle! This is going to be so great," Barbie smiled warmly, and Raquelle looked up at her through smoky eyeshadow and fake eyelashes. Her lips were parted slightly, showing her perfect teeth which were the result of five years of braces.
"Yeah, right." Raquelle folded her arms, looking Barbie up and down.
Suddenly, Barbie was snapped out of the tense moment from a cold hand appearing on her shoulder. She turned around quickly to see Ken stood there with a fake smile on his face. She weakly returned it.
God, what was wrong with her? Barbie had this amazing guy who was crazy about her, but she couldn't feel a thing for him. When he stared at her, it felt like she was just a prize to show off. They were performative, just together for the show.
"Hi," Barbie stiffly greeted him.
"Hey," Ken responded with the same amount of coldness.
"Awkward..." Ryan whispered from behind Ken. Barbie hadn't even noticed him there - but here he was.
Barbie awkwardly chuckled, before turning and moving towards Raquelle. "Let's go board the plane together," She suggested with a sigh whilst still presenting a smile. Raquelle nodded with pursed lips.
They were sat together for an eight hour overnight flight - and Barbie couldn't imagine anything she wanted more.
She must have been insane, it was fundamentally wrong. She was meant to be the perfect porcelain doll, what would her parents think if they found out that she just wanted to sneak into the bathroom with her childhood best friend and explore her mouth as if there was something hidden inside.
"God, what's wrong with me," Barbie accidentally whispered aloud. She turned to see if Raquelle heard it - but Raquelle was already staring out the window, her mouth pressed into a thin line and looking paler than usual. She tapped Raquelle on the shoulder, and the black haired girl spun around as if she'd just been stabbed. "Are you...nervous?" Barbie hesitantly asked.
"Me? Scared? No! Don't be ridiculous, Barbie." She rolled the R in ridiculous dramatically, clearly lying. Raquelle always put up a cocky act like it was a shield. She hid behind her fear and masked it so that nobody else could notice - but Barbie always could. She was the only one who could tell that Raquelle was hurting over her parent's divorce, when everyone else told her that she was handling it so well.
"Well, I'm nervous, so it would make me feel better if you held my hand during take off?" Barbie was lying through her teeth in hopes that Raquelle would take the bait, and she slowly did. She placed her warm hand into Barbie's, clutching onto it as if she would slip out of the plane if she didn't.
Raquelle didn't speak, she only shut her eyes tightly and held her breath as the plane took off.
In all honesty, Barbie didn't want to ever let go. It was sick that she had a whole boyfriend but still craved Raquelle in both an animalistic and yearning way. She knew that she had to break things off with Ken, but she didn't know when the right opportunity was. It wasn't fair on him, Barbie knew that the most. Ken was the kindest, most hard working and inspirational man that Barbie had ever known. But he just wasn't the one for her.
"You can let go now, scaredy cat." Raquelle murmured, snatching her hand away and placing it on her own lap.
Barbie merely giggled, turning to face the aisle so that Raquelle wouldn't notice the redness in her pale cheeks.
Paris - the most romantic city in the world was only hours away. And Barbie would be spending a whole week there with her childhood friend who she was undoubtedly and irrevocably in love with.