Beauty and the Beauty (Lesbian Romance)

Of Course

Really, though, I should have known it was too good to be true. I'd not hand a friend in the four years I'd lived in this town - why would I get one now? And why would someone so perfectly in alignment with the Rules of Being Popular be friends with meagre little me anyway? 

My art class was empty, thank God. I sat in my usual seat fifteen minutes before the bell, before lesson would start and everyone - including Lena - would arrive. I sighed loudly into the empty room. I felt dejected even though I'd expected it; I'd been waiting for Lena to find her real friends. The popular group was where she belonged. 

Well. It was nice while it lasted I guess. 

I opened my folder and flicked through my sketchbook, which had began to fill up with sketches. Of Lena. 

Damn. 

Plugging my headphones into my ears , I leaned back in the hard plastic chair and mulled over starting a new project. Summer of '69 belted into my ears, blocking the outside world for three minutes and thirty-four seconds. I started to feel better pretty quickly. My mood lifted, I felt suddenly carefree. I decided I may as well carry on now - I was already pretty far into my project - and began to add tiny details to drawings I'd done of Lena the night before. The freckle under her left eye that looked like smudged eyeliner, the way she smiled with just one side of her mouth, her dimples... 

It was just a project. Just a project. 

Before I knew it, the first members of the class began to arrive. A knot tightened in my stomach as I waited for Lena to walk through the door. Would she come over and talk to me? Take her usual seat opposite mine? I hoped she would, of course, but I knew. I knew she'd sit with Harper or Tia or one of the other, prettier, more interesting girls. 

I heard her laugh before I saw her. She was giggling in the corridor outside, walking in time with Harper; Tia dragging behind, looking annoyed at the loss of her spotlight. I rolled my eyes. The three girls walked into the room, Harper first, her blonde curls bobbing around her shoulders, followed by Lena and a pissed off looking Tia. 

'Sit with us, Lena. There's room next to Mason.' Harper said, much to Tia's disapproval. I looked down at my sketchbook, the last fizzle of hope leaving me. Looked like I'd be eating alone again from now on. 

I only looked up again when I realised my teacher had entered the room. I jumped, seeing Lena sat opposite me. She'd somehow sat down, got her sketchbooks out and started painting without me noticing... I narrowed my eyes at her, suspicious she'd chosen to sit with me. My heart was racing, though. I felt happy yet smug. I'd won her company against the most popular girls in the year. Crazy. 

She smiled at me, the same small smile she'd given my in the canteen but now more apologetic. Reluctantly, I smiled back as the teacher began to give instructions. I watched as Lena rummaged in her bag, pulling out a tiny black notebook with the phases of the moon down the spine. She opened it and began to write, then pushed it across the table to me.

 In her sprawling, looping handwriting, one word: 

Friends? 

I smiled and grabbed my pencil. 

Friends.