𝐁𝐀𝐆𝐒 | 𝐉𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐌𝐈'𝐈𝐊𝐄

nineteen.

"she looked like she was about to pass out, i didn't want her to also need an ambulance!" janis and damian were sat in eden's window seat, judging her for her actions. they hadn't vocalised it but she could feel it the entire way home after her mom had picked all three of them up because it would be better for them to 'have each other in a time like this.' janis frowned at her. "ok?" she said. "i don't know if you've realised but you're kind of yelling." damian nodded. "and pacing," he said. "please stop." eden halted on the middle of her floor. "you're not mad?" she questioned. "why would we be?" damian asked.

"it's in your nature to be overwhelmingly nice to everyone," janis rolled her eyes. "obviously you were going to help her." damian leant forward. "did she tell you whether she pushed her?" eden groaned. "damian!" he held his hands up in mock surrender. "but also yes she said that she didn't." janis pulled her legs closer to her. "obviously she didn't," eden continued. "she's mean but that doesn't make her violent." she took a small breath in. "and obviously i still dislike her but i mean regina got hit by a bus, that seems more important." damian waved his phone at her. "she's ok actually," he said. "fully alive." relief flooded through eden. she hated regina and it would take a lot for her to not hate regina but she also didn't want her to get hit by a bus. that was a little bit too far. "ok," she said. "that's great."

"and miss norbury is suspended," damian continued. "what?" eden frowned. "are you being serious?" damian nodded. "yeah they have to take it seriously," he rolled his eyes. "you didn't manage to make cady confess as she was spiralling?" eden sat down next to janis with a small sigh. "no," she shook her head. "after you two left the gym i did tell her to at least admit that she'd written that miss norbury was a drug pusher." she shrugged. "honestly i don't think she will." damian clicked his phone off. "what do we do now?" she asked. "i mean, how weird is school going to be?"

"it's going to be focused on regina which is nothing new," janis replied, letting her head fall onto eden's shoulder. "but i don't know, maybe cady got her wake up call." she nudged eden. "i mean if i called someone a desperate reject and then she was the person carrying me into the school i'd feel pretty bad about it." eden scoffed. "if that's the worst thing she calls me, i'm fine with it," she shook her head. her mom knocked on her door before entering, a small sympathetic smile on her face. "everything ok?" she asked. "yeah," eden nodded. "we're fine." janis had practically jumped away from eden in a unsubtle manner which in turn got them quizzical looks from damian. "well i am just downstairs," her mom said. "if anyone needs anything." she smiled towards damian and janis before exiting the room.

"your mom doesn't know?" damian asked. "how does she not know?" eden shrugged. "no one really knows," she said. "everyone knows," damian scoffed. "you two are all over each other, why do you think the whole desperate reject thing lasted for like five seconds?" he rolled his eyes. "no one in school ever lets anything go, they just know you're together." janis flushed red, tucking her hair behind her ears. "well it's not like i'm hiding it," eden shrugged. "but there never seems to be a right time and now regina got hit by a bus so it seems weird to tell her right now." damian raised a brow. "she probably knows," he said. "you two are not subtle." eden rolled her eyes.

"ok not to subject change or anything but what are we supposed to do tomorrow?" eden asked. "like assuming cady shows up." janis glanced at damian. "she's not sitting with us," she said. "i have calc with her," eden groaned. "what if she asks can she sit with us?" janis raised a brow. "you say no?" she shrugged. "honestly she probably won't even show up," she replied. "everyone's accusing her of pushing regina, i don't think she's going to show her face for a while."

✭

janis had never been more wrong in her life. when eden entered ap calculus the next morning, the first thing she noticed was how miss norbury's desk was completely empty and the second thing she noticed was how cady heron was sat in her usual seat, trying to ignore the way everyone was staring at her. she moved down the aisle, cady's eyes not budging from the front of the room. eden couldn't blame her for not tearing her eyes away, the whispers swirling around them was enough to make anyone crack.

she sat down in her seat and pulled out her textbook at the same time that mr duvall came through the door, that disappointed look he had in the gymnasium yesterday was still spread across his face. "ap calculus, you will be getting a substitute for now," he looked downwards at his clipboard, eden's stomach sank. she knew that the burn book had caused some damage and that miss norbury had been suspended but seeing her desk being empty was incredibly strange to her. "miss norbury will be taking some leave," he said. "prison!" one of the other students coughed out. eden watched as cady stiffened in her chair. "i heard that," mr duvall narrowed his eyes. "now-" cady stood up from her chair, everyone's attention turning to her. "i wrote it," cady said. "i wrote that miss norbury is a drug pusher and it's not true." the entire classroom went silent, aaron had turned and was staring at cady in complete shock.

"alright, miss heron please come with me." mr duvall beckoned for cady to gather her things, the redhead clumsily grabbing her bag before mr duvall led her out of the class. almost instantly, the students around eden had separated off into little groups to gossip about cady's confession. aaron's eyes caught onto eden's, he smiled a little sadly before turning back around in his seat. eden didn't know aaron well enough to form any opinion on him but for the first time, she felt a little sorry for him.

their substitute took over miss norbury's space, dropping her bag on the desk as she introduced herself. eden missed what her name was, she couldn't keep her focus on anything around her apart from the students around her whispering about cady and miss norbury. she wondered how long it would take for all of this to blow over, eden had always complained about the way northshore high was and how she desperately wanted things to be different. but if this was the difference, she really didn't want it. she just wanted things to go back to normal, whatever that looked like.