Before The Storm ( wlw / lesbian )

Chapter 2

Grace felt the mid-January cold nip at her cheeks stepping out of the warmth of her car, and tightened her leather jacket she found in her backseat around herself, breathing out a ghost she blissfully imagined for a moment to be herself; free at last. Shaking her head clear of her insolent thoughts, she walked into the familiar hall of the school she had been running for the last 4 years, stretching the kinks in her neck as she made her way to her locker

Grace smiled softly at her best friend and cousin as they approached her with huge grins "Hey Grace!" Susie beamed, wrapping an arm around the redheads shoulder. "Senior year!" She jumped around in circles, squealing as she did. "Coming to the big game tonight?"

Ah yes, homecoming. How could Grace forget, what with the absolute shithole her mind and body had been living in.

"Obviously, I am head Angel, after all." She said, forcing an assertiveness to her voice so no one would  in passing even be allowed a second to think she was anything other than an authoritarian.

"Awesome!" Susie perked, not at all put off by her cousin's irreverent manner. "Were all going to meet at the diner before the game, Coen is writing the paper on the game and Matt might come but I think he said his coach wanted him to condition two hours before hand to prevent... a build up of hemoglobin? Wow! Being a quarterback sounds so fun!"

Susie had an annoying habit of over explaining everything, even unnecessary things, all with a shit eating grin that was begging to be wiped off.

Grace secretly loved it.

"So fun!" Veronica rolled her eyes, mimicking the blonde before prying open the sticky door of her locker beside Grace's, grabbing her books for class. "And I'll be there to try and stop Susie here," she nodded at the still bouncing blonde "From making our ears ring."

Grace laughed earnestly at that. Veronica was a little more like Grace- except she was mostly consumed with boys and dating politics then self immolation. She was more reserved, but Grace saw the subtle softness playing at the corners of her eyes as she glances back at the blonde. 

"Must you always be such a bitch, Ronnie?" Grace chides.

"You know what they'd call me if I was a boy?" she asks, shouldering the locker to face Grace.

"Chad?" Susie asks.

"Reginald." Veronica says, a grimace on her face. "That's what my mom would've called me, so I'd rather be a bitch."

Grace laughs, her eyes scouring over top her shorter friend's heads. She notices the way everyone shies away from her gaze, like she was strawberry picking who to torment that day. She used to do that- when she was angrier then sad, when she cared more about keeping the world at bay to prevent from there total destruction when she inevitably blew up.

She was used to the scorn shown to her during her days at school, the mocking that followed her down the streets. Jealous, all of them, she'd think as she held her head high and made her way home. They couldn't compete with her, not on any level. In academics she had them beat, in wealth her family was unmatched and even compared to her grace her peers were mere floundering fish upon land. And fish did not a sufficient acquaintance make. The ones who dared to speak to her were quickly silenced with a cutting affront. Some of the more fortunately blessed realized the gain her friendship could offer. Grace could not be bothered by friendship, though. Not with people who reeked of commonalty.

Not when they so plainly stood in her way.

Many a potential friendship was dashed in favour of maintaining her due course. Maintaining her control over the cheer team, and barreling forward in social heirachies which was achievable even if no one liked her.  A mask of indifference was worn upon her face from morn till dusk. Her classmates could whisper all they wanted behind her back. Call her whatever petty names they felt fit to squawk her way. It was all just a rouse to her. She would not fall to their traps. They could not hurt her, not if she was untouchable. Susie was a friend by birth, though their mothers didn't much like each other. Susie's mother was kind to her- gentle when she was able to tend to her wounds in a way a mother should. Veronica came around attached to Susie's hip in the eighth grade, and she cant much recall when Matt and Coen joined them, but she didn't much give the latter attention. He was apart of that horrid gang, and it was no love lost.