Multifandom One-shots and Headcanons

Mean Girls #2

Headcanon-turned-oneshot part two! The basic idea of this one is that Gretchen 1000% has anxiety tics.

Featured characters:
Gretchen Weiners
Karen Smith
Cady Heron

Janis Sarkisian
Regina George

Non-canon relationships:
Cady Heron x Janis Sarkisian (romantic)
Plastics + Art Freaks (platonic)
Gretchen Weiners + Karen Smith (platonic)

Trigger Warnings:
Language
Bullying
Anxiety Tics

Word Count: 618

You would think that things getting better in her life would mean Gretchen's anxiety would back off a little. It should alleviate, she should be able to function with her friends without the swirling in her stomach acting up. It should be manageable, at the very least.

But for Gretchen Weiners, manageable is a foreign concept.

When she walks through the lunch room, clutching her lunch tray and keeping her head down as she makes her way to the combined Art Freak/Plastic table, she still feels what seems to be every single eye in the cafeteria follow her, all judging and snickering at her, some louder than others. Despite Cady's beautiful speech at last year's Spring Fling, people at school had remained generally the same in levels of bullying. The difference had come to the people Gretchen knew - that is to say, the Plastics and the Art Freaks. They are supposedly all friends now, but that hasn't stopped the staring.

Finally she reaches the crowded table and gratefully sits between Cady and Regina, bowing her head in shame. She's never been good with rejection from one person, never mind an entire student body.

The others notice. Cady softly rubs her back, which helps somewhat to improve Gretchen's breathing, but only slightly. She closes her eyes, trying to remember the advice her art therapist (recommended to her by Janis) always gives. Imagining her happy place - an empty store filled with racks of dresses made of every fabric and material imaginable. Her fingers rub over the rough-textured denim of her skirt, giving her an anchor. She's almost able to block out the endless whispering that's followed her for months. Almost.

The moment her eyes open, though, she hears it from every angle.

"The Plastics..."

"...shameful."

"I heard they're all gay now..."

"...with the Art Freaks?"

"That Sarkisian freak must've hypnotized them or something..."

She hates it! All she wants is to go back to the days where people worshipped her, where there were no whispers, no harsh laughter, where the only people she was afraid of were her dad and Regina. But she can't. Because she knows, deep down, that as good as that felt, it was way worse.

Without warning, Gretchen's neck jerks forward in a sudden motion, drawing all eyes on her. Blushing even more profusely, Gretchen waves off the concerns, but not before another jolt goes through her, unable to stop it. A group at the next table erupted into a chorus of giggles.

"Hey!" Janis snaps at them, her voice ringing loud. "Fuck off, asshole. Mind your own shit."

Cady glares disapprovingly at her girlfriend's profanity, but turns to Gretchen, expression softening. "Do you have tics?"

"Tics?" Regina scoffs before Gretchen can answer. "Like Tourette's? No. Gretchen doesn't have Tourette's. I'd know if she did." At Janis's glare, she backs off. "Sorry. Old habits."

Slowly, Gretchen finds the courage to nod. "I ... I do. 'Cause of anxiety." She slaps the table suddenly, causing Damian to jump, and makes a strange squawking sound, like a distressed bird. Her already red face turned a shade redder. "Sorry. It's been... worse lately."

Karen, who hadn't really been paying attention, looks over when Gretchen makes the bird sound, grinning childishly, and copies it. When this sets another, more violent tic off, and Karen copies it again, Damian puts a hand on her shoulder, saying gently, "You're making it worse, K."

She frowns. "I am?"

Anxiety bubbled in Gretchen's stomach as she nodded. "I ... I hate this..."

Cady shakes her head. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Gretch. We're here to help."

For the first time all day, Gretchen smiles. "You mean it?"

"Of course," Janis replies. "We're your friends."

A lot shorter, but once again this is basically me needing fluff and loving the idea of the Plastics and Art Freaks being friends.