Unless: Sapphic romance - enemies to friends to lovers

The headmaster

Just as Lucia got out of the lavatories that Saturday morning, wearing a flowy T-shirt and black jeans, along with her hair tied up with a scrunchie and her beloved high boots. She grabbed her eyeliner and drew a small hart under her left eye, giggling.
"Ready!" She said in a singsong voice as she entered the room "You?"
"Well, I'm not sure..."
Maria Ángeles emerged from inside the closet. She wore a white tank top, a green skirt and golden sandals, along with her white leg warmers and a hundred of golden Bobby pins creating an intrincated pattern in her hair.
She spun in place and turned to her.
"What do you think?"
"It's beautiful!" Lucia said, while she thought 'you're beautiful'.
Maria Ángeles smiled and laughed, and it was the most angelical sound she'd ever heard. Both of them sat together in the bed, with nothing to do, and started to chat.
"So, um... your family?" Lucia asked to break the silence "how is it?"
"Quiet" she sighed "pretty much. I mean, it's not as if they care much about what I do. That's why I'm here, actually"
Lucia nodded at her.
"But, then again, if I fail they will notice. They have eyes everywhere. And, even if I do nothing at all, they will keep thinking I'm a big ass failure. A mistake. So I just..."
"You try to please them?" Lucia guessed.
"No. I'm not a sponsor, I'm not one of their investors. I am their daughter. And I just kept trying to do the wrong thing as to get something out of them. Anger, sadness, something, anything at all. But, nothing. Just emptiness, disappointment "
"I got sent here because my parents are having trouble with the bills" She admitted at the other girl "this is the only way they can assure me having food every day and a warm bed for the night"
"You're poor?" Maria Ángeles asked, her eyes wide.
"Yeah..." she looked at her bed, where she kept a picture of her family "but they're awesome, just doing the best for them. When I graduate, I'm going to have a wonderful job and take them out of misery"

"Sounds like a plan."

Lucia got lost in her own thoughts again. She realized what she had just said a second too late.

"Is it worth it?" She asked

"What?"

"Trying to be bad." Lucia looked up, playing with her rings. Most of them were plastic painted with a bright silver colour that was peeling. One of them had a bird, another a broken heart. and her favourite one was plain black with a word written in golden ink. 'Unless'

"I guess not as worth it as I thought it would be" Maria Ángeles sighed, then kicked her feet up and blew a lock of her hair that was stuck to her face.

"Well then, off you go" She told the other girl while she got up, placing her hands on her hips "While you're sitting here pitying yourself, world is moving, it's changing. And, if you close your eyes, you're going to miss it. And I don't want you to miss it."

"What do you mean?"

"Look!" She pointed outside of their window. A bird was flying close to them, and a yellow butterfly had stopped in the windowsmill.

Maria Ángeles smiled as she stared at it. But little did Lucia know that she was, in fact, not even looking at the windlife. She was looking at her.

In that instant, they heard an announcement over PA so loud that it made them both jump in shock.

"ATTENTION STUDENTS" A male voice boomed "EVERYONE SHOULD REPORT TO ASSEMBLY IN THE MAIN HALL IN FIVE MINUTES FOR THE WEEKLY LECTURE. ANYONE WHO IS LATE WILL BE THEREFORE PUNISHED AS CONSIDERED"

The two girls shared one look and then started running through the halls, desperate and crazy, like everyone else in that crazy sea of navy uniforms and people bumping into each other.

"Weekly lecture?" Lucia gasped as they ran, struggling to catch her breath.

Finally, and luckily, they managed to made it to the main hall and sat in their places. A man stared at them all, a stopwatch in his hand, and a pen in another. He was tall and thin, with a banding head and glasses over his judging eyes. He wore a blue shirt and jeans. Everything about him gave Lucia the impression of a man who thinks that he is better than everyone else.

"Welcome, students" He greeted them, with a smile that did not reach his eyes. The doors in the hall were closed with a loud noise. "I am Luis Felipe, the headmaster. This is Villamil boarding school. I want to make a few rules clear. Step out of the line in any way, and you will be punished. Break the rules and you will be punished. Correct me, and I'll make sure you will be punished until you have to beg for mercy. I am the authority of this school, and I am always right. Have I made myself clear?"

There was a general murmur of agreement.

"I said" The man repeated, his voice low yet dripping with anger "HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?"

"Yes, sir!" The students present echoed back.

Lucia played with her rings again. Who did this man think he was? She grabbed the chair she was sitting in so hard that her knuckles turned white.

Luis Felipe started speaking again, and proceded to lecture them for hours about how amazing he was, how great the school was and how misserable they were. He told them how they were completely ignoring and throwing off the window the amazing opportunities that he was giving the. He babbled about how they didn't study (how could he know, if they'd only been to class for one day, Lucia would never know). In general, he made it clear that they were a disgrace to his wonderful school.

"And now," He finished, looking at them in the eye "Who wants to place some bets?"

Maria Ángeles and Lucia shared one look that could be understood everywhere. Was their headmaster out of his damn mind?