Chapter Text
Had Cordelia known her English teacher was allergic to anything sweet, she wouldn’t have brought her “friend” a small tray of cinnamon rolls.
A gift, she had called it. For being one of few who tolerate her on a daily basis.
That gift had turned into a pink detention slip for being a “classroom disruption.” (Which was completely untrue!)
Here she was, sitting in the empty hallway, hands fidgeting with her fluffy petticoat as she looked out the window, waiting for the teacher to show up. Her eyes drifted from the sunny daylight streaming through the leaves of the trees to the students walking to their homes or after school activities.
She felt the rays on her skin, nice and warm. A contrast to the cool hallways. It was a beautiful day. A shame she was all cooped up inside this school.
2:15. She looked up at the clock above the door. The red hand slowly ticked by, the sound echoing softly through the barren atmosphere. The only sounds besides the clock were her gentle breath and… an opening door.
Cordelia’s head turned in the way of the sound. A girl was slowly coming down the halls, books in hand eyes squinting as she read the plates on the classroom doors. She looked lost.
She felt her throat tighten, hands clenching against the band of her yellow polka dot dress.
The girl was… gorgeous. As she came closer, Cordelia could make out the color of her deep brown eyes and beautiful brown skin. She wore a simple white dress shirt… and high waisted trousers. She felt her heart beat faster as the mysterious girl came closer, hair bouncing as she turned her head.
“Are you looking for someone..?” Cordelia murmured, blue eyes drifting up to the girl, now checking the name on the classroom right next to her chair.
The pretty woman turned to her, face tightening at the sight. “Excuse me?” She asked, hands tightening around her books. “Y-you seem lost,” Cordelia began innocently, voice getting chipper. “I was wondering if you… needed help finding someone,”
“Thanks, but I’m not lost,” she said, turning to walk away. “I’m just heading to detention. Again,” she mumbled as she started on. “They keep switching the classrooms.”
“Ah, wait!” Cordelia perked, standing up, hand brushing against the girl's shoulder, attempting to stop her from leaving. The sudden touch gave Cordelia butterflies.
“Detention is… right here. To the left,” she said with an awkward laugh, feeling her ears start to burn.
The pretty girl gave her a stare, but was quickly wiped away as her face stoned over. “Mm. Detention for people with my skin.”
Cordelia could hear the slight bite in her tone, making her soft smile falter a bit. “Oh! Oh…” she said softly, smoothing out her dress as she looked down at her yellow heels, trying to avoid eye contact.
“Well, can I walk you there? I think I’ve passed it before.” Cordelia said shyly, her fingers twirling one another awkwardly.
The pretty girl gave her a weird look, jaw tightening. “You know you can get in trouble talking to me,”
As the she walked off, Cordelia hesitantly followed her. “Whatdya mean?” She asked, blue eyes peering at the back of the shorter girl’s head.
“Our crowds don’t really… mix.”
“Why not?”
“Just… because.”
“That’s silly, dontcha think?”
The pretty girl stayed silent as they approached the appropriate classroom. The lights were off and a piece of orange paper was stuck inside the window. Neither of them took the time to read it.
“Well, that’s something,” she mumbled, brown eyes turning to look at the taller girl. “Nobody’s here.”
“Well… we can wait?” Cordelia offered, sitting down on a nearby bench. She sat her school bag down, shifting over to leave room for the latter.
“What’s your name?” Cordelia asked as the pretty girl sat next to her.
“Charlotte,” she murmured quietly, eyes drifting off into space.
She felt her heart flutter. Charlotte. What a pretty name for a pretty girl.
“That’s… a pretty name,” she says, biting the inside of her cheek to stop the remaining words from tumbling out.
Charlotte replied with a mild hum, turning over to the latter. “And you?” She asked. “Cordelia,” she smiled, pushing her blonde curls out of her face.
“So… why were you going to detention?” Cordelia asked, eyes drifting up to the clock once again. The minute hand was a little ways past 6, the hour itching slowly towards 3.
“Going against dress code.” Charlotte said firmly, almost too casually. Cordelia snorted and laughed, quickly stiffening the sounds from her throat as she saw Charlotte's serious and mildly annoyed expression. “Wait seriously? You got detention for being in trousers?” Charlotte nodded, turning to the other girl. “You look surprised?” She said overcritically. “I just never thought… something like that was possible,” Cordelia murmured, looking down and smoothing out her dress.
A slight smirk crept upon the latter's features. “Mhm… so what about you?” The beauty asked, making Cordelia’s heart jump. She was asking about her…
“Aha… well,” she said softly, hands twirling a strand of golden hair. “I brought my friend a gift… and it just so happens that my teacher is really unhappy… and doesn’t like people bringing gifts,” she sighed, clasping her hands together, a soft smile returning to her features. “But it was worth it!”
Charlotte gazed at her, trying to mask the amusement on her face. “And why’s that?” She replied casually. “Well… I got to make a new friend!” Cordelia hummed and smiled, meeting the girl's gaze with gentle eyes. “You wouldn’t mind that, yeah?”
“Mind what?”
“Us… becoming friends?” She asked cheerfully, opposed to Charlotte’s hardening face. Silence fell between the two for a few seconds until Charlotte eventually spoke.
“It’s 3pm,” she said, grabbing her school bag and standing up. “Oh, yeah,” Cordelia echoed, grabbing her stuff as well. “Did you wanna walk together at least?” Cordelia questioned, keeping pace with the shorter girl.
“Which side of town do you live on?” She asked, eyes straight ahead as they walked down the empty halls together. “I think you should know,” Charlotte replied, pushing the school doors open. “Haha… yeah,”
The sun was high in the sky, beaming down and casting bright golden rays across the busy New York streets. “So… how come I’ve never seen you around before? Are you a junior?” Cordelia questioned, walking down the school's concrete steps and making her way to the sidewalk.
“Mhm,” Charlotte replied, brown eyes drifting over to the street. “I don’t hang out with your type of crowd,” she continued, letting out a small, ironic chuckle. “You have a lot of friends, don’t you?”
Cordelia thought for a minute. She only had three friends, her closest being Trina. Most of Trina’s friends became Cordelia’s friends by association. Although they weren’t really friends. Just familiar faces she hung out with.
“You could say that,” Cordelia replied with a small giggle. “And your boyfriend must also have a lot of friends too?” Charlotte asked, genuine interest masked by sarcasm.
Cordelia’s smile faltered a little as she turned to look at Charlotte. The latter stared back, cool brown eyes masking something underneath. “I don’t… have a boyfriend…” Cordelia responded with a weak chuckle, clenching her school bag in her arms.
Charlotte let out a hum, a smirk creeping across her brown skin. “That’s surprising. I’d think someone as bright as you would have a hubby,” she replied, eyes drifting away from the blonde as they approached the fork in the road.
Cordelia stopped and watched Charlotte turn the corner without hesitation. “Well… see you,” the blonde called out to the brunette, a soft smile gracing her rosy lips.
“Yeah, see you,” Charlotte called back, not turning around.
Cordelia turned the opposite direction, a giddy smile and a giggle bubbling up from her throat as she began to skip.
Charlotte… oh Charlotte, what a girl you are.