That Devil Woman

II - The Bus Stop

Cruella had never cared for conventional relationships. The few she did have, namely with her father, she admitted did bring about a sense of security. Still, she was acutely aware that the sense of security was very different from actual security. She never thought of companionship as something she would ever purposely pursue; but, now, she began to wonder whether it would have its advantages.

Anita stood beside the post at the bus stop outside the school gates, calmly but quickly flipping through a folder of sketches for her project. It was obvious she was simply doing busy work, because, Cruella assumed, there would really be no purpose in standing there idly. She had her uniform neatly and sophisticatedly tucked into her navy nylon skirt and wore green reading glasses which hung from a string of beads around her neck. She was not the most adventurously styled lady in the school, but she still looked rather elegant and composed.

Cruella felt the need to equal her before she approached. She adjusted her posture and joined her at the bus stop. Anita had noticed her but did not assume she wanted to talk with her, so she ignored her.

"It's Anita, isn't it?" Cruella asked for clarification, even though she knew the answer already.

"Oh, yes, that's me," Anita replied in shock, taking off her reading glasses, "I know you. You're Cruella. You have that lovely crocodile and snakeskin piece, don't you? I think you're rather talented." She did not know why she was saying so much in such quick succession. She just felt the urge to maintain the momentum of the conversation as best as possible. Cruella sighed.

"Not talented enough, I'm afraid," she confessed, "Mr Dubois says I'm talented, that I have a vision, but I don't have the work ethic."

"Oh, I see."

"So you agree with him then?"

"Oh, no! I didn't mean that!" Anita assured her, not wanting to offend her new acquaintance. Cruella did not seem offended, however, as she stood across from Anita, smiling.

"Well, that's why I'm ranking second in the class," Cruella explained.

"Oh!" Anita remarked. "I mean, well done, of course. I just didn't think that he was permitted to share that information with you." Cruella hesitated.

"I'm sure he had his motives."

"By any chance did he mention who ranked first?" Anita asked curiously, although she wanted to be clear that if this information was off-limits she would be completely understanding.

"Why, that would be you, darling," Cruella answered with a toothy grin and a friendly tone.

"Me? Surely not," Anita responded, "I haven't a clue what I'm doing."

"Anita, darling," Cruella said with a flick of her wrist, "there's no need to be so humble. You have the drive to keep yourself sane in this wild, wild world. It's commendable. But, I suppose that's because you fit into it nicely. Some of us aren't so fortunate."

A moment of silence broke the conversation. Anita had of course noticed her stark hair, but had not wanted to bring up something that others had undoubtedly brought up countless times. She also knew of Cruella's family situation but did not want to pry too into her personal life. Anita knew that she was luckier in life than Cruella. She resented that she even thought of the world in such a way, but all the evidence was there. Anita decided to shift Cruella's attention away from her unfortunate life.

"Cruella's an interesting name," she wondered, "Is it German?"

"French."