Chapter Text
After everything that happened in Wonderland, Red was ready to find some normalcy – or at least, learn what normalcy feels like. Things had moved fast; her mother wanted her, and Pink, to return to school as quickly as possible. She didn’t want them to miss a minute, something about her school days being one of the most important parts of her life, even if Red was hesitant to just leave her again.
She had moved into her dorm with Chloe, finally having a chance to unpack and get a feel for the space she’d spend a significant amount of time in. The dorm was simple: a circular room with two beds, two desks, two wardrobes and an ensuite bathroom – Red was grateful for that. She wasn’t used to sharing; before, anything Red had, she’d have to fight to keep it. Her mother never used to let her have her own things, let alone privacy. It was…nice. She didn’t mind sharing with Chloe, though.
Everything about Chloe made Red feel warm. She supposed best friends just make you feel that way. They fill you with comfort and security, and make you feel like you’re the most important person on the planet. Red needed to work on doing that for Chloe. She hadn’t been the best friend she should have been while everything was going down, and she intended on fixing that. Red was going to be there for Chloe, whenever she needed her. She’d be a friend like no other.
Red had planned to walk with Chloe to breakfast, to keep her company while she ate, a part of her wondered if the girl still harboured resentment or regret. Red would find out, eventually. Her plan was quickly foiled when she awoke to the sight of an already dressed Chloe.
“Chlo?” She let out, her voice thick with sleep.
“Oh, hey! Good morning!” Chloe was awfully chipper.
“You’re already up?”
“Yeah! I’ve got practice, you should sleep some more – classes don’t start for another two hours.” She picked up her sports bag, which jingled with the sound of clinking swords.
“Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You looked really comfortable, and I didn’t want to ruin that. Plus, you’re not exactly an early riser.”
Red frowned, a pout finding its way onto her lips, “I wanted to go to breakfast with you.”
“Oh, I’m sorry!” Chloe smiled apologetically, “Why don’t we get lunch together? We have the same lunch period, I checked.”
“Okay.” Red grumbled, not hiding her disappointment.
“Great! We can grab breakfast together tomorrow, though! At a…more reasonable time. I’ll see you later!” Chloe waved energetically as she left the room.
Red slumped back into her pillows and stared at the ceiling, disappointment gnawed at her.
・____⋆˙⟡ ♡ ⟡˙⋆____・
Classes were an interesting experience for Red. She was used to the personal tutelage of Maddox Hatter, so a class full of people with a teacher she had no connection to gave her a strange feeling. She felt less inclined to pay attention, opting to scribble small drawings on her notepad. She had always enjoyed drawing, be it on castle walls or on a piece of paper, it brought her a sense of calm. Red listened to the murmur of conversation as it surrounded her, and she felt out of place. These people all had connections to each other; Red was an outsider.
Things got worse at the lockers. She was shoving her biology 101 textbook into her locker as two girls began to talk loudly across the hall.
“Did you manage to see her at practice?”
“Oh my gods, yes! I got there early – you weren’t kidding she’s got a fan club.”
“Yeah,” One laughed, “I know. Champions always do. Honestly, she should just pick someone and get it over with. All those girls fawning to be Mrs Charming. I mean, seriously. The worst one is that redhead that follows her around.” What?
“Oh, I saw them together earlier, I thought they were just friends?”
“Nah, I know a lovesick puppy when I see one. I’m honestly surprised Chloe’s let her follow her around for so long. Did you know they’re rooming together too? I mean, at this point it might just be stalking.”
Red slammed her locker shut and the two girls looked over at her, their faces paling before they scurried away. Is that really how people saw her? That made no sense, they were just friends. What was wrong with Chloe having a friend? The thought of Chloe having a ‘fan club’ made Red feel slightly sick – did she have that many people vying for her attention? Maybe that was why she didn’t want to go to breakfast with Red, too many eyes to entertain.
・____⋆˙⟡ ♡ ⟡˙⋆____・
The dining hall was busy when Red arrived, she struggled to find a seat. She wandered awkwardly amongst the tables, hoping someone would offer her an open seat – no one did. No one paid any mind to her, eagerly continuing their conversations instead of noticing the girl with nowhere to go. Red almost gave up and sat on the floor, at the edge of the room, when someone grabbed her arm. She turned around to see Chloe smiling at her.
“Where are you going? I’m sat over here. I almost thought you were going to skip lunch.” She guided Red over to a crowded table and sat her down next to her.
The table was full of girls, each one of them glancing at Chloe in one way or another. Red could feel angry eyes on her as Chloe sat close to her, their thighs touching. Chloe, on the other hand, didn’t notice anything. Someone had asked her about Swords & Shields practice, and she was engrossed in explaining each detail of their new drill regime. Red stabbed at her food and considered sneaking away to find Luis, but Chloe placed a hand on her leg and held her in place.
“So, you’re Chloe’s roommate?” One girl asked from across the table.
“Uh, yeah.”
“You two close?”
“I suppose.”
“You suppose? Don’t you know?”
“I, uh- yeah. Yeah we’re close.”
“How much did it cost?”
Red looked at her, confused, “How much did what cost?”
“To swap into her dorm? Come on, we all know you paid to be there. I respect the move, honestly, forced proximity works wonders.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about-“
“We read the administration announcement,” Another girl interrupted, “You swapped into her room a couple weeks before we started.”
That was true; they weren’t roomed together originally. Her mother had swapped Red into Chloe’s room after having a conversation with Ella. Both of them had decided that it would be easier to start a new school if they were together. Red had nothing to do with it, not that it mattered to the sneering girls surrounding her. She wished Chloe would pay attention, but the girl was immersed in her conversation – the only indication that she was paying any attention to red being the circles she absentmindedly rubbed into Red’s thigh.
Red could not get away from that table quicker when lunch had ended. She practically scrambled out of the room. Chloe chased after her.
“Wait!”
Red slowed to a stop, turning around, “Yeah?”
“Where’re you going? We have ten minutes until classes we don’t need to rush.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t want to be late so…”
Chloe nodded, “Fair enough. Can we meet up for dinner?”
Red’s mind returned to thoughts of jealous fangirls, “I’m busy later.”
“Busy?” Chloe looked deflated.
“I- um, I- I’m meeting up with Luis. We’re having a little date, or hang out – something.” It was a lame excuse, but Chloe seemed to accept it.
“Oh. Yeah, um, that’s fine. I needed some extra time at the gym later anyways; I’ll be having an early dinner.” Chloe spoke with a smile, but it didn’t seem to reach her eyes.
Red nodded tightly, “Yeah. Okay.”
“Meet you at the dorm later? After your date, you gotta tell me how it goes. Oh, and here,” Chloe pulled off her letterman jacket, handing it to Red, “In case you get cold on your date – it’s warmer than yours.”
“Yeah. Sure.” Red grabbed the jacket and turned on her heels, escaping down the corridor and ignoring how warm the fabric felt in her palm.
・____⋆˙⟡ ♡ ⟡˙⋆____・
Red’s afternoon classes came and went, and soon enough she found herself hunting down Luis. She found in at his locker, checking his hair. He grinned when she approached.
“Red! I haven’t seen you all day. How have your classes been?” He hugged her tightly.
Red gently pried herself from his grasp, “They’ve been fine. Can we hang out?”
“Oh! Yeah, sure. What’d you wanna do?”
“Maybe sit somewhere quiet for a while? Away from everyone.” She added the last part a bit too quickly.
“Yeah sure…are you okay though?”
“I’m great. Let’s go.”
They found themselves underneath a large tree on the outskirts of the main campus, watching people coast by from a distance. Red sat in silence, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she processed everything that had happened during the day. Luis placed a warm hand on her shoulder.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
Red let out a short sigh, “No. Today’s been…a lot. This place is harder than I expected.”
“Hard? What do you mean? Are people being unkind to you? Cause if they are I’ll-“
“No,” Red interrupted him before he could start listing off his threats, “I just- I never really got to know the world outside of the walls of the castle back home. I don’t know if I can fit in here. Everyone’s so…intense.”
“Hm, perhaps you should join a club?”
“A club?”
“Yeah, like me and Chloe have our sports teams, you could have a club. It’s a good way to form bonds with people over things you both like.” The mention of Chloe and sports had Red’s stomach churning slightly, but she continued to listen to Luis. “It’ll help any social anxiety you feel.”
Red nodded half-heartedly and returned her gaze to the students in the distance, “Chloe’s popular, huh?”
“Chloe? Oh, yeah. She’s really good at what she does. Champions get a sort of boosted rep around here. Not that Chloe cares.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You haven’t noticed? She tries her best to ignore most people, doesn’t like having a ‘celebrity status’ on campus. That’s why she trains so early – not that it stops some people. Still, she’s great at what she does. Honestly, I expect her to hit Captain before the year’s done – coach Lonnie loves her.” Luis looked down at his hands, “I wish I could be half as good as she is.”
Red squeezed his hand, “You’re amazing in your own way, you don’t need to compare yourself to her. I think you’re forgetting you’re a champion too, heavyweight champ.”
Luis laughed lightly, “You’re right. Sometimes I just don’t feel as driven as she is. Eats me up a little here and there. Thanks Red.” He leaned in and kissed her, and Red tried her best to enjoy it. The act felt pointless to her, just a smashing of lips together with no rhythm. She never understood why people enjoyed it so much. Red made sure to smile when he pulled back with a grin, “I gotta go.”
“What? Why?”
“The gym waits for no man,” He flexed his arms, “And these babies need their daily TLC. You alright now?”
Red nodded, “Yeah. I’m fine.” Why did she feel a need to lie?
“Alright, I’ll see you later. Make sure to grab something to eat, okay?” He smiled at her as she nodded before jogging away, towards the bustle of people.
Red decided to sit there a while longer, hiding away from people and their endless thoughts about her.
・____⋆˙⟡ ♡ ⟡˙⋆____・
It was dark outside by the time Red found herself back at the dining hall. The large room was quiet, with only a few people scattered across the tables eating in silence. She grabbed herself a tray and half filled it with food. Well, she picked up a sandwich and then opted for four brownies. It was close enough to a balanced meal. She felt like she had earned it.
Red found an empty table and began to slowly make her way through her food when a boy she had never met sat down across from her.
“Hey,” His tone was casual, but he wore a smile that Red could only describe as uncomfortable.
“Hey?”
“I’m Anthony,” He stuck out his hand, “Ant for short.”
Red hesitantly shook his hand, “Red.”
“Nice to meet you Red. Interesting dinner you got there.” Ant peered over at her tray, making her pull it closer to herself instinctively.
“It’s what I like.”
“Good for you. What brings you to the witching hour of dinner time attendees?”
Red really didn’t want to talk to him, she just wanted to enjoy her meal in peace, “It’s quiet. I like the quiet.”
“Oh, me too.” He seemed ignorant to Red’s displeasure, “You’re the one dorming with Chloe Charming, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Right, right, bet she’s hard to live with, huh? Everything in that room gotta be perfect all the time?”
Red was really starting to dislike this guy, “No? She’s perfectly fine to live with.”
“Come on,” He laughed, “You seriously can put up with her? She’s a stuck-up princess.”
“I’m a princess too?”
“Yeah, well, you don’t have the princess attitude. I mean, you don’t even like kissing the perfect boyfriend you found.”
Red stared at him, “Have you been stalking me?”
“Stalking? Harsh word, I view it more as investigating the competition.”
“Competition?”
He leaned forward, looming over the table, “For Charming’s affections? Come on, I’ve seen the way you look at her. These fangirls she’s got are nothing compared to what you’ve managed to do, I’m impressed honestly. But it won’t last.”
“Are you insane? First of all, I have a boyfriend. Second of all, Chloe’s not a prize to be won, even if she was you don’t even sound like you like her.”
“Oh please, you don’t care about that boy – not in the way he wants you to. As for Charming? She might have a bad attitude for now, but that can always change. Pretty smile’s enough for me and I love to win.” Ant smiled at her; Red fought the urge to shiver. “You can’t handle the heat, I can. Just step aside, Hearts, the girl’s affections should really go towards someone who can deal with everything that comes with it.”
With that, he rose to his feet and shot Red one last smile before walking off, leaving Red to sit and seethe as she stared at her stack of brownies. Who the hell was he? What was his issue? Chloe would never like a guy like that. She debated telling Chloe about it but decided it wasn’t worth the girl’s time. It was nothing, just another fan of Chloe’s trying to get under her skin. At least, she hoped it was.
・____⋆˙⟡ ♡ ⟡˙⋆____・
Red found Chloe sitting on her bed when she finally returned to the dorm. Chloe looked up at her, a frown on her face, as she stepped inside.
“Where’ve you been?”
“Out with Luis, like I said.”
“I saw Luis at the gym two hours ago, where’d you go for two hours?” She didn’t sound like she was angry; she sounded worried.
“I just…needed some time to myself. I’m not used to the whole school thing.” Red decided against telling Chloe about her dinner time quarrel.
“Oh Red,” Chloe’s frown morphed into a more sympathetic look as she rose to her feet to hug Red tightly. Red tried to ignore how warm that made her feel. “Are the nightmares making it worse?”
Red had almost forgotten about that. She had briefly told Chloe about the nightmares she had been having since entering the new timeline, reoccurring horrors that kept her awake at all hours of the night.
“Probably, I don’t know.”
“Maybe sleeping alone makes it worse. Come sleep in my bed tonight; maybe having a person next to you might soothe it.”
The thought of sleeping next to Chloe had a blush running up Red’s neck, she hoped it wasn’t too obvious. “We don’t need to do that-“
“It can just be for tonight, just to see if it helps.” Chloe smiled at her, Red could feel herself folding, “Come on, I don’t bite.” Yeah, but everyone else seems to.
“One night?” Red barely got the words out.
“Yeah, just to see.”
She nodded, her throat tight, “Okay.”
After about twenty minutes, probably more after Red dragged out her nightly routine, they crawled into bed. Red lay there stiffly as Chloe got comfortable next to her. The bluenette must’ve been tired; she was out like a light. Chloe unconsciously wrapped an arm around Red’s torso, pulling her close, and Red almost forgot how to breathe. She thought back to Ant said and hoped that her heartbeat didn’t wake the other girl. This was going to be a long night.