Don't Want Another Lover (If it Means Losing You as a Friend)

Double U-Tee-H

It didn't take long for the three to arrive at the pizza place. Kylie jumped out of the car the second Regina turned it off. She excitedly waited for the other two to get out.

"Why are you so excited? You've had pizza before." Regina asks, locking the car.

"Yeah, but this time is different!"

"How so?" Cady asks.

"Well, you're here." Kylie pointed out. Cady looked at the little girl then looked at her older sister. Regina just smirks and shrugs. Cady gives her smiles back.

"Alright, I guess that's fair. Now calm down, we don't wanna be kicked out before we even got in." Regina opens the door for the two to enter.

The moment they walk inside they're met with the smell of freshly baked pizza. Kylie bounced ahead of the two, scanning through the menu for her usual order.

"Reggie, can I get my pineapple barbecue please!!?" Regina chuckled and ruffled the girls hair.

"Slow down, tiger. Yeah of course, but we're only doing half with pineapple because I refuse to eat it on a pizza." Kylie huffs in disappointment but doesn't outwardly complain about it.

Cady looks around the restaurant before seeing a booth the three can grab in the corner. She calls Regina to attention," Hey, Gigi, I'm gonna get us a table real quick."

Stuttering at the nickname, Regina gives a thumbs up to her,"Oh, uh, a-alright then. Hey, Ky, how about you follow Cady?"

Cady holds Kylies hand as they walk over to the booth. They sit down, Cady sitting on the side facing the entrance and Kylie sitting at the opposite end, and await for Regina's return. As they do, the two catch up on things in Kylie's life. Cady listens with interest and gathers information from the girl that she wouldn't normally expect from a 5th grader. Kylie talks about drama at school and how a friend of her friends cousin started writing nasty things about other girls and how she framed another girl for writing it. Cady wonders where she's heard this story before.

"Alright, our pizza shouldn't take long! So what's going on with you two?" Regina slides in next to Kylie. The girl quickly catches Regina up on her elementary school drama when the entrance to the restaurant opens with a bell. Cady looks up and wishes she hadn't seen who it was. Cady immediately looks back to the two blonde girls who don't realize her immediate panic.

She looks up again to see Gretchen and Janis at the counter ordering their food. Normally Cady would be ecstatic to see her two friends hanging out and not ripping each other's throats, but how Cady wished they were right now. What's she going to do? She told the group that Regina and her were going to be studying, not having a hangout session with Regina's sister.

Cady just prays that they don't look over to her. But Cady should've been an atheist because they just had to sit at the next booth over. They don't notice her to Cady's relief but them being in close proximity to the three of them was still a risk.

"Cady!" Regina exclaimed maybe a bit too loud. Cady snaps out of her thoughts and looks at Regina.

"Huh, what, what's up?" The girl rambles. Kylie giggles at Cady's obviousness.

"I said I was gonna go to the bathroom." Regiba says, standing up.

"Okay, I'll just chill here with Kylie then." Regina just nods and walks away to the bathroom, thankfully to the right of Cady so she doesn't have to walk past the two.

"You think a lot, Cady." Kylie perks up.

"Oh? What do you mean by that, tiger?"

"Nothing, it's good. It means you're really smart." Kylie says while fidgeting with a napkin. Cady just smiles and nods.

Shortly Regina walks back but doesn't sit down.

"I'm gonna go check up on our pizza." Cady gives an okay but immediately stops her, scared of risking Janis and Gretchen seeing her.

"No, don't get it, I'll get it." Cady puts her hood on as she says that and pulls the drawstrings tight. Regina looks at her in confusion as she gets up.

Regina stops the girl and makes her sit back down.

"Cady are you okay? Are you feeling well?" She takes Cady's hoodie off and feels her forehead.

"I'm okay, just let me get the pizza." She stands back up but before she could put the hoodie back on a girl calls her name.

"Cady?" Regina and Cady look up and see Gretchen looking over to the two. Janis turns her head around and now they're all staring at each other.

"Awkward..." Kylie says in a sing-song tone. Gretchen looks over to the small girl and gasps.

"Kylie! Omg I miss you!" Gretchen stands up and so does Kylie. The small girl goes up to her and hugs her. Janis stands up too and looks between the two girls.

"So... how's studying going?" Janis asks, clearly talking to Cady.

"Oh y'know... books." Cady awkwardly says. Janis just nods then looks at Regina. She walks over to her trying to look intimidating despite their 6-inch height difference.

"Don't hurt her, and I won't hurt you."

Regina just scoffs,"Uh-huh, worry about yourself, Janis. I'm just trying to hang out with my sister."

Janis was about to say something till Gretchen calls her,"Janny, it's not worth it. C'mon our pizza is done, let's go."

Janis just looks Regina up and down before turning the other way. She heads over to the counter and picks up the pizzas. Gretchen hugs Kylie before saying a goodbye.

"Bye Gretchy!" The little girl calls out as she releases her grip onto her.

"Bye little one! Uhm, bye Cady I'll see you tomorrow. Later, Regina." Cady says goodbye while Regina just lifts a hand up as goodbye.

Gretchen picks up her pizza from Janis and the two walk out.

"What the hell was that?" Kylie says. Regina scolds her for swearing and Cady just laughs.

Regina quickly grabs their pizza and the three sit there acting like the whole affair didn't just happen. They talk the night away but one thought haunted Cady's mind: What the hell was that?

•~•

I'm so sorry for the late chapter. So much has happened over the past few days, my grades were literally plummeting to the ground and I was out of town for a bit (ig i signed up for that when I became an ao3 author)

Hope you enjoyed this short chapter, I'll try to get back to my regularly scheduled posting!! love you all bye 🫶🫶