𝐌𝐘 𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐊 𝐈𝐒 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐀 | 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄

seven.

"we have to be careful." scarlett leant as far back from regina as she could. they were crammed into the janitors closet between second and third period and scarlett was already paranoid that maria would be on the other side of the door with her infamous 'i know what you're up to' smirk. "you told someone?" regina raised a brow accusingly. "no, why do you keep assuming i'm gonna tell someone?" scarlett sighed. "maria thinks i'm up to something which means she'll be laser focused on me until something distracts her."

"something?" regina tilted her head. "or someone?" scarlett crossed her arms. "what does that mean?" she asked. "what are you up to?" regina smirked a little at that. "i could have karen flirt with her a little," she shrugged. "no," scarlett shook her head. "and also bold of you to assume maria has any interest in karen." regina scoffed. "i've seen her, she definitely has an interest in karen." scarlett hesitated for a second, there was no harm in giving karen a little push towards maria, was there? after all, it could either end in them dating or them being civilised to one another, maybe regina was right for once. "fine," scarlett sighed. "just tell her not to make it too obvious, karen's not exactly subtle."

"neither are you," regina retorted. "you think you're going to get caught out so you drag me into a janitors closet in front of multiple people? rookie move mckay." scarlett rolled her eyes. "well you can't be seen picking me up after school, what other option did i have?" regina huffed before she pulled her phone from her pocket. "give me your number," she said. "are you ok?" scarlett frowned at her. "have you got a fever?" regina clenched her jaw in complete annoyance which scarlett counted as a win, she liked being able to irritate regina. "it's so that i can tell you where to meet me," she snapped. "don't flatter yourself."

scarlett had never in a million years imagined that she'd give regina george of all people her phone number, rattling it off to her felt strange but watching her save the contact was so much weirder. "don't follow me straight away," regina sighed. "and next time, don't pull me into a janitors closet, it's not subtle." scarlett shrugged. "hey if anyone asks i'll just tell them we were making out or something." she was joking, obviously, even the idea of it made her want to laugh but regina was not seeing the funny side.

"gross," she rolled her eyes before she pulled open the door, peering out as if checking for cameras. scarlett didn't think she would've been surprised if there was students with cameras waiting outside for her but there wasn't and regina managed to slip out unnoticed, not bothering to even look back at scarlett. the girl waited for what felt like a lifetime before deciding it was enough before she exited out of the janitors closet herself, not bothering to look around her because people never noticed her like they did with regina.

"what are you doing?" maria asked, leant against the wall as she waited for louisa to finish gathering her things at her locker. scarlett inwardly groaned, she had completely forgotten how close louisa's locker was to the janitors closet, she could only hope that they arrived after regina had left. "i got lost," scarlett lied, realising how weak the lie sounded once it left her mouth. maria's brows furrowed, that susipicious look crossing over her face once again.

scarlett could've really used louisa's help but the girl wasn't paying attention to either of them. "lost?" maria laughed. "you didn't even get lost on our first day, what do you mean you got lost?" scarlett sighed, she wanted to tell her to mind her business but she knew that maria was her best friend, her questions were done in scarlett's best interest. "it's been a weird couple of days, ok?" scarlett crossed her arms. "i just got mixed up, walked into the janitors closet, snapped back to reality and now here we are." maria's demeanour changed almost immediately, the suspicious look from before was wiped from her face.

"sorry," maria ran a hand through her hair. "you know you can crash at mine whenever, right?" a wave of guilt washed through scarlett, making her feel a little nauseous. usually when scarlett had a weird couple of days, it stemmed from her home life. her dad had left them years ago, he had told scarlett that he wasn't leaving her but five years later he had a new wife and two shiny new kids and scarlett hadn't heard from him in almost two years. her mother on the other hand really had not taken the divorce well and the guys she brought home rarely lasted past the seven day mark.

she didn't act like a mother, but scarlett could never remember her acting like one beforehand. in fact, she never considered either of them to be her parents when she had literally raised herself. scarlett hated both of them and she couldn't wait until she was out of that house. but using her family issues as a shield to protect her and regina's plans felt wrong, maria had already jumped to the conclusion that it was her family so maybe it wasn't as wrong as it seemed. scarlett took a deep breath. "yeah i know," she replied. "it's fine, between work and-" she trailed off, coughing nervously to cover up the words that had almost tumbled from her mouth.

"between work and studying," scarlett filled in quickly before maria could respond. "you can study around my place," maria shrugged. "you know my parents love you." the guilt deepened within scarlett, maria's mother had been the one to take her shopping for new clothes once she'd hit 13 and went through a growth spurt, she'd cooked for her endless times and bought her birthday and christmas presents. maria's father had went camping with them, even now he would pitch a tent in their yard and barbecue on some evenings. she might not have had her own parents, but she had someone to fall back on. "i know," scarlett repeated. "i like to study in the park, it clears my head." the lies dripped so easily off her tongue but they were leaving a sour taste in the back of scarlett's throat.

"ok," maria shrugged, shooting her a sympathetic smile as louisa slammed her locker door shut. she spun around, only noticing scarlett's appearance. "hey!" she grinned at her at the same time that scarlett's phone buzzed in her hand. she picked it up, trying her best to subtly shield the screen away from her friends. library? she resisted the urge to scoff at how regina talked to her through one word answers in all forms of communication. people will see us, genius. she responded quickly before meeting maria's eyes, the girl opened her mouth just as the bell rang around them.

"i have to go," scarlett took her opportunity. "my class is all the way down there, i can't be late!" she practically ran from the two girls who stood staring after her quizzically. she made her way into the classroom and took a seat at the back. before pulling out her phone. no one important at northshore high would be caught dead in a library, regina had responded. except for you. scarlett double read the message that laid in front of her, the girls heart skipped a beat, she knew it was only because she loved the opportunity to make regina pissed.

you think i'm important? she replied, regina instantly reading the message. three little bubbles appeared then a moment later disappeared. she'd left her on read.