𝐁𝐀𝐆𝐒 | 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐌𝐈'𝐈𝐊𝐄

six.

janis looped her arms around eden's shoulders that afternoon. the girl was stood holding cady's books while she rooted around her locker looking for her english textbook. "what are you two doing?" she asked, her breath hot on eden's ear. "she's becoming a true member of this friend group," eden gestured towards the discarded books in cady's locker that had obviously just been thrown in between classes. "how chivalrous of you to stop and help her," janis mocked, damian laughed a little at both of them, leaning against cady's locker. eden pat janis' hand that was still around her shoulder gently. "well we had last period together."

"wait, what class?" janis asked, eden turning to face her, the girls hands dropping from eden's shoulders in the process. "ap calc," cady responded from where her head was still practically buried in her locker. "you didn't tell me she was in your calc class." eden frowned. "i forgot to mention it," she shrugged. "it's not really a big deal, she's also in all of our other classes." janis still looked put out but she obviously decided to not vocalise what exactly her issue was. eden glanced towards damian who unsubtly mouthed 'she's so into you.' eden shook her head before turning back to cady who had managed to locate her textbook.

"what are you doing now?" janis asked, pushing aside the topic of ap calculus. "i have to go to regina's." cady took her other books back from eden, thanking her as she stuffed them into her bag. "what?" janis asked. "she wants to give me shoes," cady looked down towards her trainers. "i guess something fancier than these?" janis scrunched her nose up in disgust. "she's so rude!" cady closed her locker door. "maybe she's just being generous?" janis scoffed, eden having to restrain her own amusement at the idea of regina george being generous.

"maybe we can have a commensal relationship?" cady continued, janis' mouth practically dropping open in disbelief. "what's that?" damian asked. "i want one." eden bit the inside of her mouth to stop herself from laughing. she fell into step beside janis as they began walking towards the doors. "it's a relationship between animals," eden piped up. "it's like where one benefits from the relationship while the other is just there, unharmed but not benefiting either." janis' eyes narrowed. "yeah basically that," cady nodded. "you can't get harmed if you're on her good side."

"woah caddy, no, regina george does not have a good side," janis crossed her arms. "ok if you go over to her house today, i'm not joking, be careful." her focus slid past cady, eden turning to see regina stalking down the corridor. janis practically pushed cady out through the doors in what eden assumed was an attempt to keep their friendship hidden from regina. "see gretchen?" janis pointed out where gretchen wieners stood, her focus on jason weems and whatever girl he was currently flirting with. cady nodded in response to janis' question. "watch this."

regina walked to where gretchen was, gretchen pointing out jason to the blonde. she said something that eden couldn't pick up on from where she was stood before regina shook her head and made her way over to the benches. within a split second, the girl had scurried off and gretchen had taken her place. "in this biosphere, she's the apex predator," janis explained. cady looked like she was finally beginning to understand what janis, damian and eden had been trying to tell her which relieved eden just a little bit. she was less likely to spill out anything worthwhile to regina if she didn't trust her.

"ok but do you think she'll be mad if i like aaron?" eden outwardly groaned, her previous thoughts of cady finally recognising that regina was not a nice person had been instantly snatched from her. she had spent two calculus classes having to watch cady twirl her hair around her fingers anytime aaron paid her even the slightest bit of attention and she had still tried to convince herself that cady was not about to try and get into a relationship with regina george's ex. "samuels?" janis frowned at cady, her voice coming out in a comically high pitched tone. "are you unwell?" damian questioned. "ok, ok," cady held her hands up in defeat. "i won't tell her."