helloooo folks happy wednesday!! welcome to the homecoming chapter ooooh. also only next chapter you'll actually get some cadnis finally lol whoops
tw for
disordered eating thoughts
slut shaming
homophobia
implied SA
and as always if i've missed anything please let me know so i can add it :)
enjoy!
—————
Cady finds herself really enjoying the tutoring sessions she has with Janis.
Janis is polite. She always says hello and chats briefly with Cady's parents on the rare occasions they're there at the same time. She never leaves messes when Cady offers her something to eat while they work, and she's never pushy during the actual tutoring.
Cady's also learned that she's much smarter than people give her credit for. Janis' questions may be about things Cady finds simple, but after a more in depth explanation and a few extra practice problems, she picks things up in no time. Not to mention how much she's helped Cady with her English and history homework assignments.
But, the best part is, Janis is so... sweet. She always seems happy just to make conversation with Cady. She's always interested to hear Cady's Kenya stories. Nobody else in America has been. Except for Karen, but Cady knows she doesn't really understand what she's talking about. Janis tells Cady her own stories, and Cady likes to think they're becoming friends.
She certainly hopes they are, anyway.
Janis looks at her in confusion as she stands up towards the end of their session one Saturday, rooting through her closet for something to wear. "You going somewhere?"
"Hm?" Cady hums, turning around with a short skirt and a tank top in her hands. She grabs a denim jacket, too. It's chilly today, but Regina threatened to burn all her jeans if she wore them in public one more time. "Oh, I'm going homecoming shopping with Regina and Gretchen and Karen after this. It always takes me forever to figure out what to wear."
"Oh," Janis says. "Sounds fun."
"Yeah, shopping with them usually is," Cady says. "I mean, I always get totally overwhelmed and all the fabrics feel awful, but I like the process."
"That's about how it goes," Janis chuckles. "I always hated polyester too."
"It's the worst! It's never comfy," Cady pouts. "But it's all they say I look good in."
"You look good in anything."
"Thanks," Cady says with a smile. Janis won't look at her, for whatever reason. Cady shrugs and heads to the restroom to get changed. "I'll be right back."
"Okay," Janis says, her voice a bit squeaky. She must be having a weird day.
Cady does have to admit that her friends have good taste. As uncomfortable as the clothes are when she puts them on, she does look pretty in them. Regina's taught her that shorter skirts will make her legs look longer and more proportional to the rest of her body. Tighter shirts make her look thinner, and layers are an extra bonus. She tucks the shirt in to highlight her waistline, and sucks her tummy in the slightest bit to zip up her skirt.
Maybe one of these days she'll recognize herself when she looks in the mirror wearing these clothes.
Cady heads back into her bedroom after giving her curls a quick fluff. "How's it going?"
"Fine," Janis murmurs. Cady turns around to look at her and finds Janis staring quite interestedly at her math work.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Janis says, barely glancing at Cady. "You look nice."
"Thanks," Cady grins. She swipes on some quick makeup while Janis finishes working, then plops down next to her to look over it. "All right again! I think we can move on next time."
"Thank god," Janis sighs, going totally boneless in her beanbag. "If I had to do one more of those I think my brain would melt out my ears."
"I mean, you'll probably have to at some point," Cady says. "You do have that test next week."
"Shh. Let me have this moment of peace."
"Okay," Cady giggles. She relaxes on her own beanbag, looking up at her ceiling like Janis is doing next to her. Maybe she should get fairy lights like Regina has on hers.
"Do you have a date?" Janis murmurs after a couple minutes.
"Huh?"
"For homecoming. Are you going with anyone?"
"Oh," Cady says. "Nobody's asked me. I think we're just going, like, as a friend group."
"That's cool," Janis nods. "It's usually more fun that way."
"Do you have a date?" Cady asks, looking over at her.
"Yeah," Janis chuckles. Cady feels her heart squeeze a bit, but she can't figure out why. "Damian and I always go together. Every dance since ninth grade. He always drags me with him. I guess he just wants me to, like... get the 'proper high school experience' or whatever."
"You don't want to go?" Cady asks sadly.
"It's not the same for me as it is for you," Janis says quietly.
"What do you mean?"
"You're popular. You have a friend group," Janis says. "Everyone at school knows who you are, for a good reason. Everyone at school knows who I am for a bad reason. It's not that I don't want to go, or that he's not a good date, but... I only go with Damian because he's the only option I have. I don't have any other friends I can go with, or... an actual date I could ask."
"Oh," Cady says. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Janis says. "Damian always makes it fun. I'll have a good time. Don't worry."
"You could come with us, I'm sure," Cady offers. Janis laughs outright at that. Why is that funny?
"Really not an option," she chuckles sardonically. "But thanks for the offer."
"Why not?"
"I'm sure Regina's already given you some version of what happened," Janis says softly. "Just... not possible."
Cady gets the sense that she shouldn't push here, so she just nods sadly. Janis gives her a sad smile in return and gently takes her hand.
"I promise I'll have fun even if I can't go with you. For your sake, I'll have fun," she promises. Cady giggles and squeezes her hand.
"I'm holding you to that, Sarkisian."
"I always keep my promises."
"Good," Cady grins. "Can I ask you something?"
"Maybe," Janis chuckles.
"Is Damian, um..." Cady says, pausing awkwardly. "Gay?"
Janis laughs again, much harder this time. "Yes. He's almost too gay to function. You really couldn't tell?"
"I mean, kinda, but I don't like assuming things," Cady says in embarrassment. She decides to leave out the part about her friends telling her a good bit of Janis and Damian's life story within a few days of meeting them. Something tells her that wouldn't go over very well. Janis nods.
"That's good, though. And for future reference, Damian is very very gay. But if you want to know about anyone else you should probably ask them directly. It's... the kind of story someone should only tell for themselves, you know?"
Cady nods eagerly. "Got it."
"Tits. I'll see you Monday," Janis grins, zipping her backpack shut and standing up.
Cady's sad she has to go. She wonders what kinds of things Janis would pick to wear to homecoming. Wonders what going shopping with her would be like.
"Bye. Have a good weekend," Cady says before she can beg her to stay. Janis waves and is out Cady's bedroom door. Cady waves back and heads over to the mirror to make sure her makeup is perfect. Regina said that if even a single eyelash is out of place it ruins the image of their whole group.
With another coat of mascara she thinks she looks perfect enough for even Regina's standards. She rushes out, trying not to break an ankle on her ridiculously high heels, when she hears Regina laying on the horn outside. She's lucky her neighbors haven't filed a complaint yet.
"Hi," she says breathlessly as she takes her usual spot in the backseat.
"Hey," all three of her friends say at the same time.
"Are you excited, Cady?" Gretchen asks. Cady nods.
"Yeah! I never really wore dresses until I met you guys, I'm excited to get something more... snazzy. I've never had much reason to dress up super fancy before," she says.
"It's so fun, you'll love homecoming shopping," Karen says.
"Shopping with you guys is always fun," Cady grins. "I hope I find something."
"Oh, you will," Regina chuckles, almost ominously.
—-
Cady was expecting to go to the mall again, but apparently dress shopping at the mall is a total fashion faux pas. She looks around at the fancy dress store she's found herself in. They have everything from homecoming dresses to wedding dresses, and most of them seem very far out of her budget.
Her friends head over to the racks of homecoming outfits in their sizes and start grabbing just about everything they can see. Cady is confused by the tulle tornadoes rushing around her, but she shrugs and follows suit as best she can.
Once they all have a decent stack of potential dresses, they make their way over towards the changing rooms. One of the stacks of dresses asks, "Who goes first?"
"Me," another responds, so the other three all waddle over to the benches and plop down. Cady looks to either side now that the dresses aren't covering their faces and sees Karen is the one missing.
They all wait until the curtain opens and Karen comes back out, clad in a bright pink two piece dress. The top has a sort of criss-cross hem, and the skirt falls just above her knee.
She does a twirl so her friends can see the dress in all of its glory. They all hem and haw over it, showering her in rightfully deserved compliments.
The process is repeated for about six more dresses, until Karen reaches the last one she grabbed.
"Which one?" Karen asks, still wearing the last one.
"I think the first one, honestly," Gretchen says. "That one really suited you."
"Not this one. Makes you look like a cheap slut," Regina says like that's a completely normal thing to say. "Definitely go for the first one."
Karen nods sadly and goes back into the changing room. She returns in the original bubblegum pink dress just to make super sure this is the one she should choose. Everyone eagerly confirms it, so she changes back into her regular clothes and switches places with Gretchen.
Cady blinks through dress after dress after dress Gretchen tries on. She compliments every one, because Gretchen does genuinely look great in all of them.
She's more indecisive than Karen was. Cady thinks she will be too. So many choices. How are you meant to know which one is correct?
Each of them had a favorite dress that Gretchen tried on, so she goes back to try those three on again. When she has the last one on, she whines an, "I just don't know!"
"We could all wear pink dresses," Karen offers. "Crown emoji. Then we're, like, matching, but not matching enough to be totally cringe, teeth emoji."
Was that English? Cady asks herself desperately as Regina and Gretchen mull that over. Cady decides to pipe up with a, "The pink one did really suit you, Gretchen."
"Really?" Gretchen asks. "It didn't make my stomach too noticeable?"
That's an issue? Cady wonders. "I didn't think so."
Gretchen shoots her a thankful smile and goes to try that one yet again. Her friends all nod when she pulls the curtain open and steps out to reveal the tight watermelon pink dress. It has long tulle sleeves, which seems to make Gretchen a bit more comfortable in it as well.
"You look really pretty, Gretchen," Regina says. Cady and Karen nod in agreement. Gretchen sighs with a smile, the relief visible on her face as her turn is up. "My turn, bitches."
Cady finds herself bracing as Regina takes her pile of dresses, wondering what circle of hell she's in for now. Regina is always the most demanding when they go shopping. She almost never picks her clothes herself. She leaves that for her lackeys, demanding a certain fashion and quality, and compliments on top of everything.
Cady's definitely glad she made an exception today. Regina picked all her own dresses to try, so they just get to experience the hurricane of lace and satin they're about to be forced into.
Hurricane is an understatement. Regina looks fantastic in everything, because of course she does. They quickly run out of compliments to shower her in. Things turn to, "Ooh!" or "Wow!" rather quickly.
Cady feels like she's woken up from some kind of homecoming coma by the time Regina has tried on the last dress. She shakes her head to clear it when Regina sighs, "So which one?"
"Uh... that one looks great," Cady says.
"Yeah, your waist looks, like, so tiny!" Gretchen says eagerly. Karen just nods along like a little bobblehead.
"Really?" Regina asks haughtily, whipping her blonde hair around to find a mirror. She puts her hands on her hips and does various poses in her fuchsia bodycon dress.
"The, um... color really brings out your eyes," Cady agrees, trying to sound like she knows what she's talking about. Gretchen and Karen both nod again. "And your... hair."
Regina looks at the mirror with a thoughtful pout on her face. "Eh, as long as guys are staring at me."
Oh, definitely, Cady thinks to herself. It's oddly reminiscent of the time she watched a snake eat a cow. The snake has more sequins than the one in Kenya did, though. Wait, is that rude?
"Your turn, Cades," Regina says with a wink. She heads to change back into her (arguably fancier) normal clothes, so Cady gathers her mound of dresses.
"I don't have many pink ones," Cady says anxiously. Gretchen and Karen both take the ones that aren't at least pink-adjacent and give her the ones they have, since they're all close enough to the same size to get away with it. Cady is significantly shorter than the rest of them, but she thinks she'll be able to pull it off with a bit of tailoring if she needs to.
The first dress she tries is awful. The material is glittery, and it has long sleeves. So itchy. It's so tight Cady can't even reach far enough behind her to zip it up all the way. She settles for zipping it as much as she can and just holding the neckline at the top for the same effect.
"It's nice!" her friends say when she kicks the curtain open enough to wiggle through and show them.
"It's really uncomfortable," Cady says, wiggling in a ditch attempt to get the itchy fabric off her skin.
"Pick a different one, then. Can't have you squirming like you're about to piss yourself the whole night," Regina sighs, waving her back into the changing room.
Cady can't quite hide how relieved she is as she turns around and practically rips the dress off her body. She stands there in her underwear for a split second to recover from the awful fabric before she grabs the next dress.
The next few go about the same way, made of too-tight uncomfortable materials that Cady can hardly bear having on her body. Pink is also a tricky color for her to wear with her hair and complexion, so some of the shades simply don't suit her. All this makes for an... interesting homecoming dress shopping experience, to say the very least.
She's down to the last four or so and getting more and more worried. What if she can't find anything? What will Regina do to her?
The next one she tries on is a tight strappy contraption and turns out to be so complicated that Cady gets tangled in the wrong parts of it for a solid three minutes. She takes it off without even showing her friends and places it firmly in the no pile.
But the next one has promise.
She can get into it herself, which is a plus. She can even do the zipper up all the way. It's not saying much, since there's not much zipper in the first place, but it definitely helps.
"This one, I don't even need to see the rest," Regina says when Cady pulls the curtain open to show it off.
"Really?" Cady grins. All three of them nod eagerly and practically shove her over to the mirror so she can see for herself. Cady looks at herself, spinning from side to side to observe the dress from all angles. She does look beautiful.
It's a baby pink, one that actually brings out the red of her hair in a nice way, with small gold sequins scattered around. The bodice is tight and dips into her cleavage in a way she's not the most comfortable with, but she decides she's into it. Her back is almost totally bare, so she'll have to figure something out in terms of a bra that won't show, but that's manageable. The skirt flares out and falls to just above her knee. She shakes her hips the slightest bit, and the swish factor is excellent.
"I like it," Cady nods. "Are we done?"
"No, it's time for shoes!" Gretchen squeals.
Ah, hell.
—————
Aaron turns to look at her when she takes her seat behind him on Monday. "Hey."
"Hey," Cady grins. "How was your weekend?"
"Not bad, not bad. My dad made me spend most of it at a football workshop thing, but it was less tedious than most of them are," Aaron replies. "How about you?"
"Oh, mine was pretty good too. I didn't really do much," Cady says, trying to find an appropriate amount of time to stare into his eyes. So shiny.
"Uneventful weekends are always the best," Aaron says. Cady giggles and nods.
"Definitely."
Aaron chuckles as well. Cady can't help but smile at the sound. "So are you going to homecoming?"
"Yeah, Regina and Gretchen and Karen and I are all going together. Just, like, as friends," Cady says. "Are you?" Please say no, please say no.
"Yeah," Aaron nods, flipping his swoopy hair out of his eyes. Cady tries not to swoon. "Couple buddies of mine couldn't land any dates, so we're just going as a group too."
"That's cool," Cady says, squealing internally. He doesn't have a date. "I hope I see you."
"I'll save you a dance if you save one for me," Aaron says with a wink. Cady flushes bright pink and nods eagerly.
"I will."
"Cool," Aaron grins. Cady tries to stop blushing enough to grin back.
"Cool," she squeaks.
—————
Janis and Cady agree to push their weekly tutoring session back a week. They've decided to spend twice as long the next Saturday working to make up for it.
Which means Cady has all day on Saturday to get ready for the dance.
The dance starts at eight, but Cady's been instructed to be at Regina's house by eleven in the morning at the absolute latest. Apparently getting hot is an all day affair.
Cady's knocking on the door at 10:45 just to be safe. Mrs. George pulls it open and practically drags Cady along with it. Cady stumbles into the house and gives Mrs. George her usual hug. "I like your tracksuit today, Mrs. Sabrina."
"You do? Oh, thank you, honey! You're just the sweetest thing," Mrs. George replies. Cady's heart breaks the slightest bit at her eager response to a pretty basic compliment. "Well, I won't keep you too long. Regina's in her room getting everything set up for you guys."
"Thanks," Cady says, lugging her garment bag up the stairs and knocking on Regina's door.
"What?!" a voice yells from inside. "Kylie, I swear to god!"
"It's Cady!" Cady calls back.
"Oh," the voice says, quieter. The door opens in front of her, revealing a clearly tense Regina. "You don't have to knock, you know."
"Sorry. I didn't want to, like, barge in or anything. I didn't know if you were getting dressed or something," Cady says sheepishly.
"Not like it matters. Not like you're some kind of lesbo," Regina shrugs. "Anyway, are you hungry? You should eat now so you won't later and look all bloated in your dress."
"Oh, um... I guess I could go for some breakfast," Cady says, trying to seem casual about it. She actually hasn't eaten yet, so she's starving. But seeming too interested in eating isn't a good look. "If it's not too much trouble."
"Yeah, whatever," Regina says. Cady winces as she suddenly shrieks at the top of her lungs. "Mommy!"
Mrs. George is at the door in record time, slamming it open and stumbling into the room. "What's the matter? Ear piercing incident? Herpes?"
What kind of family is this? Cady thinks desperately. Regina turns and looks at her mother with that sickly sweet grin Cady has gotten very used to being on the receiving end of.
"Is there any breakfast left? Cady needs some," Regina coos. Her voice is almost unnaturally high, like she's talking to a young baby and not... her own mother.
"Oh, of course! Let me whip something up really quick, I'll be right back!"
"Thank you!" Cady calls as she goes running from the room at the same speed. "So... why do we have to be here so early?"
"Because we need time to wash and style your hair, do all the skincare we need, do makeup, and last minute touch ups and hemming to our dresses, duh," Regina says.
"Oh. I didn't think it was that involved," Cady says anxiously.
"It takes work to look this good, Cady," Regina says. "If we aren't the hottest bitches at the dance, do you have any idea what would happen?"
We wouldn't be the hottest bitches at the dance, Cady thinks immediately. Out loud, she just says, "Oh."
"Once Gretch and K get here we can get started," Regina sighs, already primping in the mirror. She already has makeup on, even though her bed hasn't even been made yet. Cady wonders if anyone has ever actually seen her without makeup. "Lazy bitches."
"I'm sure they'll be here soon," Cady replies, almost defensively.
"They'd better be," Regina huffs. "Where is my mom-"
"I can wait!" Cady interrupts as she sees Regina prepare to shout again. "It's totally fine. I, uh... have a quick metabolism. I shouldn't look too bloated in the dress."
"I have a spare corset if you need one," Regina says.
"We'll see," Cady replies.
—-
Gretchen and Karen arrive about fifteen minutes later, rapidly trailed into the room by Mrs. George returning with Cady's plate. French toast and some mixed fruit.
"Thank you, Mrs. George," Cady says.
"Oh, of course, honey! If you girls need anything you just let me know, okay?"
"Okay, Mommy, out!" Regina says desperately. Mrs. George's face falls the slightest bit before she nods and backs out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
Cady eats her breakfast while Regina starts washing Gretchen and Karen's hair in her shower. Karen comes out first, a shower cap over her hair and some green goop on her face. Gretchen follows after another few minutes, just as Cady is swallowing her last strawberry.
"So have you seen any guys you think are cute, Cady?" is how Gretchen chooses to open a conversation.
"What? Uh..." Cady stutters. "There's this guy in my calculus class, he's really cute. Aaron Samuels?"
Gretchen makes some sort of squawking noise oddly reminiscent of some of the birds Cady got acquainted with in Kenya. "What?! No!"
"What do you mean?"
"Aaron is Regina's ex-boyfriend!" Gretchen says in shock. No. No, no, no! "He just broke up with her this summer."
"I thought she dumped him for Shane Oman," Karen pipes up absentmindedly. Cady feels her core go cold just at the mention of his name. Great taste, there, Regina.
"Irregardless," Gretchen huffs. "Exes are off limits to friends. That's just, like, the rules of feminism!"
"Um... okay," Cady says in confusion. No more talking about Aaron in public, got it.
"Oh, but don't worry. I'll never tell Regina what you said," Gretchen says. "I'm great at keeping secrets. Like, Karen and I are dating and we haven't told anyone!"
"Gretchen!" Karen yelps. Cady's eyes go wide as Gretchen claps her hands over her mouth.
"Hey, it's okay," Cady soothes as Gretchen's eyes well with tears. "I won't tell anyone, I promise. Secret for a secret. I'm happy for you guys."
"Really?" Gretchen asks, her voice wobbling.
"Yeah, of course. I wouldn't do anything like that," Cady promises. "Your secret is safe with me."
"Thank you," Karen murmurs as she pulls Gretchen into a hug to comfort her, carefully, so the stuff on their faces doesn't smear.
"Cady! Come on, your turn!" Regina yells from the bathroom. Cady hops up and runs in, leaving Gretchen and Karen to have a moment to themselves. "Bend over."
"Huh?"
"Did I stutter? Bend over. We gotta wash your hair," Regina huffs.
"Oh," Cady says. She takes her hair out of the ponytail she had it in and shakes out her curls before she bends over Regina's very nice bathtub. Regina sets the water on and makes sure it's warm, checking it with her hand before she turns it on Cady and starts hosing her down. Cady flinches as the water hits her scalp and starts running down her auburn hair. "Ack."
"Sorry," Regina says, not sounding sorry in the slightest. "Your hair is really soft."
"Thanks," Cady says. "It smells nice in here."
"My shampoo," Regina replies. That explains it.
Regina massages some into Cady's roots and leaves it for a few minutes before rinsing it out, once again with absolutely no warning. She follows it with something in a tub Cady can't read from this angle, raking it through the ends and harshly ripping apart a few tangles. Cady winces and tries not to say anything at the tearing sound of her hair or the harsh pulling at her scalp. Beauty is pain.
Regina is quick if she's anything. Cady can't have been in for more than two minutes before Regina is twisting her hair around itself, clipping it to the top of her head, and covering the lot in a shower cap. "Hair mask. Holds in the moisture."
"Cool," Cady says. Regina snorts.
"Sure. Alright, over here," she says, beckoning her to the sink. Cady looks in the very well-lit mirror and carefully adjusts the shower cap on her head. "Avocado or melon?"
"Hm? Um... melon, I guess," Cady says, thinking she's talking about a snack. She jumps as Regina approaches her face with some pink goop on a silicone brush.
"What? It's just a face mask, it's not gonna bite you," Regina huffs.
"Oh," Cady says. "Sorry, I've just never done one before."
"Oh yeah," Regina says. "It'll make your skin softer. Makeup will go on smoother, blah blah blah. It's an important step. Now don't talk."
Cady listens, shutting her mouth firmly and allowing Regina to brush it over her face. She shuts her eyes when prompted and feels Regina brush more onto her forehead.
"Okay, you're set. Tell Karen to come do me," Regina says, rinsing the brush off under the tap and screwing the lid back on the face mask.
"Okay," Cady nods. She heads back out to the bedroom. Gretchen and Karen practically leap apart and put a sensible amount of distance between them. "Sorry, just me. Oh, and Regina wants you to help with her hair and stuff, Karen."
Gretchen looked like she was about to stand when Cady mentioned Regina wanting someone, and her face falls when she says Karen's name. Karen just shrugs and heads into the bathroom, so Cady takes her spot sitting on Regina's bed.
"Did Regina seem mad at me?" Gretchen asks as soon as Cady hits the mattress. "I'm always the one who does her hair."
"I don't think so. She's probably just stressed about today," Cady says, trying to comfort her. "I mean, you haven't done anything to upset her. I don't see why she'd be mad at you."
"It's always something I miss," Gretchen says anxiously. "I'll just buy her something nice."
"I really don't think you have to. And you shouldn't have to, she's your friend," Cady says sadly. "Just try not to worry about it, tonight should be fun."
"Okay," Gretchen says, her voice a mere squeak. "Yeah, okay."
Cady gently squeezes her shoulder. "I got your back either way. I'll talk to her if she is mad, you don't have to worry."
"Thanks, Cady," Gretchen says with a smile.
"Of course."
They both jump when Regina slams the bathroom door open and comes strutting out to the bedroom. Karen follows rapidly, returning to her perch on the bed.
They all jump yet again when Regina's mother suddenly slams the other door open, rushing in with a pink book in one hand and a cocktail in the other. It's eleven thirty in the morning.
"Regina, baby, before I forget! Look at what I found in the back of your closet the other day," she squeals, doing a weird mix between a dance and a walk over to her daughter.
"Why were you in my closet?" Regina demands.
"I was just admiring your dress," her mother says. "Keeps me young. Anyway, I found your... Burn Book!"
"No way!" Gretchen and Karen squeal. They both rush up to gently take the book from her hand and start flipping through it.
"Oh, Cady, this was just the funniest thing they did a few ye-"
"Out, Mom!" Regina insists, pointing to the door.
"You got it, baby! Have fun, let me know if you-" Mrs. George says as she scurries back to the door. Regina glares at her, so she jumps straight to a, "Bye." and shuts the door behind her.
"Cady, come look," Karen says, beckoning her over with a wave.
"We cut out people's pictures from the yearbook and wrote in comments," Gretchen says. They flip to the first page. "Trang Pak is a grotsky little beeyotch."
Cady's met Trang Pak. They have history class together and she's on the junior varsity cheer squad. She doesn't know what grotsky or beeyotch mean, but it doesn't sound like anything good. Cady frowns. Trang doesn't speak all that much English, but she's really nice.
"Still true," Regina titters as she's doing something to her eyebrows at her vanity. Gretchen flips to the next page.
"Dawn Schweitzer is a fat virgin."
"Still half true."
Cady knows Dawn, too. Dawn is one of her bases in cheer, and she's always nice to her. She's frowning and thinking so hard she almost misses them reading the next page. "Janis Sarkisian, space dyke. Oh my god, I forgot about that!"
Almost.
Cady feels her heart skip a beat. What does that mean?
"Who's that?" Karen asks, pointing to the page. Cady takes the excuse to peek over their shoulders at the photo.
It's Janis a few years younger, maybe a freshman. Her hair is much blonder, less of the roots having grown in. She's also wearing what Cady recognizes as her infamous army jacket. Janis said she had been working on painting it for a few years, and she can see it as a work in progress in the photo. She has her arm around Damian, smiling at the camera, but Janis' eyes are... empty, almost.
"That's that kid Damian, remember?" Gretchen says. "He's one of Cady's bases."
"Yeah, he's almost too gay to function," Cady laughs affectionately, quoting what Janis told her a few weeks ago. She loves Damian.
Regina whirls around in her chair. "That's really funny."
"Oh, I didn't mean that in a bad way, I-"
"No, put that in," Gretchen insists, handing over the book. Regina passes her a Sharpie, so Cady hesitantly scrawls the comment with an arrow pointing to Damian. "Oh, and put in that stuff about Ms. Norbury, too! I'll get her picture. The Book is great for venting."
"Karen, we should rinse you out now," Regina says. Karen scrambles to her feet with a nod and runs to the bathroom while Gretchen cuts Ms. Norbury's photo out of the yearbook.
The moment is over, but Cady stares at the drying ink in the book. She tries not to think too hard about what she's done as she closes it and rests it on the velvet seat at the foot of Regina's bed.
—-
Before Cady totally knows what's happened, her hair is rinsed and brushed and braided up and her face mask is cleaned off and she's being patted dry with cushy towels.
"How do you want your makeup?" Regina asks as she dabs some preparatory skincare onto Cady's face.
Cady thinks for a second. Aaron dated Regina at some point. Some point recently. Maybe Regina is the kind of girl he likes. She can't be with him directly, but nothing says she can't try. "I dunno, like yours?"
"Gotcha," Regina says. Cady braces for another whirlwind as Regina taps varying products over her cheeks and swipes blush on with itchy brushes and puts on more layers of eyeshadow than Cady thinks an average girl would apply in her lifetime.
Within an hour, she's done, and her spot is vacated to make room for Karen. Gretchen gasps when she gets a good look at her in full glamorous makeup for the first time. "Oh, Cady, you look so pretty!"
"Thanks," Cady smiles. "Is it supposed to itch this much?"
"Yeah, just don't scratch," Gretchen chuckles. "Look."
She grabs a handheld mirror from Regina's vanity and holds it out so Cady can check herself out without being in anyone's way. Cady takes it and turns her head from side to side to see herself.
It's almost reminiscent of her cheerleading makeup, with less blue and other bright colors. Her eyeshadow is gold to match the sequins on her dress. It's packed on so thick Cady can't really open her eyes all the way, which apparently makes her look sexier. Somehow.
Again, her freckles are totally covered, packed away beneath a thick layer of foundation. Light bronzer makes her look less dead, and blush gives her cheeks an admittedly adorable rosiness. The lipstick is natural looking, which Cady is thankful for. Her lips but better, as Regina explained.
Her look is very similar to all three of her friends', which Cady supposes really solidifies their whole group motif situation. They look nice, even if they all do look like clones of each other.
Regina is more okay with her mother taking pictures of them this time. Cady thinks she understands the point of dances now that she's all decked out in her fancy makeup and pretty dress.
"Look at those fly bitches!" Mrs. George coos as she snaps an unfathomable amount of pictures in just a few seconds. "Oh, you girls look so beautiful!"
"Thanks, Mrs. George," Gretchen, Karen and Cady all say. Regina just smiles the slightest bit wider in response.
"Just one more!" Mrs. George says. "Okay, I'll let you go. Cady, honey, do your parents have Facebook? Instagram? Marco Polo?"
"Uh... I don't think so. But I can give you their phone numbers," Cady replies.
"That'll work," Mrs. George nods eagerly. She hands over her sequined-cased phone that's almost too big for Cady to hold and lets her enter her parents' numbers. "I'll get those sent off. You girls have fun! And remember to use protection!"
"Mom!" Regina groans. "Bye!"
"Bye!"
"We got a limo?" Cady asks in awe as Regina pulls open the door to the fancy vehicle.
"You picked the right lunch table, Cady," Regina smirks.
————-
"Whoa," Cady says when they step into the school. The theme for homecoming this year is loosely based on a casino. One of the PTA parents is working a 'bar' and serving up alcohol free cocktails, with others working blackjack tables and other 'gambling' events.
"Good evening, ladies, would you care for some gambling money?" Principal Duvall greets, offering little goody bags of Monopoly money and poker chips so they can participate in the events.
"No, thanks," Regina hums haughtily before any of the others can speak up. They walk further in, making their way to the gym where the main dance is set up. "I'll never understand why they come up with those bullshit themes. People are here to dance and find people to hook up with, not for a cheap impersonation of Vegas."
"Yeah," Gretchen scoffs. She listens for a second before she squeals, "Oh my god, it's our song!"
Someone grabs Cady's hand and hauls her towards the dance floor, so Cady runs along so she doesn't roll an ankle on these absurdly high heels.
She's surprised to see Regina dancing too. Regina said she only dances to slow songs so she doesn't sweat. Maybe one song is okay for her.
Cady doesn't know how she should dance. She danced to the music the people in the villages played in Kenya, or whatever her parents managed to get their hands on in terms of CD's. But the only people around for hundreds of miles back then were her parents and a few isolated villagers, and they're much less judgmental than American high schoolers.
She tries her best to follow along with her friends' movements. Before she knows it, the song is done. She's slightly out of breath, but she's having fun.
"Alright, I'm gonna go sit down," Regina says. "Later, bitches."
"I'm gonna go too, but I'll find you guys in a minute, okay?" Cady asks.
"Yeah, of course!" Karen says. "Have fun."
"You too! You guys deserve it," Cady says. "I'll be back."
Cady goes to lean against the nearby wall and people watch. For the budget they have, the school is remarkably well decorated. Lots of red streamers and gold confetti scattered around. Cady takes a moment to breathe and try to get used to the thumping bass and blaring music playing through the loudspeakers. The lights are both too dark and too bright at the same time, and Cady's already totally overwhelmed by it all. And her feet already hurt in her shoes.
She screams the slightest bit when someone slides up next to her with a, "Hey."
"Aah! Oh, Aaron! Hi!" she says. "You look so nice!" Hold me 'til the pain goes away, pleasepleaseplease.
"You do too. This dress looks amazing on you," Aaron replies, looking Cady up and down with a small smile.
"Thank you," Cady replies. "How are your friends?"
"I dunno, they all abandoned me as soon as we got here," Aaron says, leaning against the wall next to her with a small but adorable pout.
"That's rude," Cady frowns. "They shouldn't just ditch you like that."
"Nah, they're fine. I get to do my own thing this way," Aaron shrugs. "Like come talk to you."
"Then I'm glad they ditched you," Cady grins, turning her head to look at him. "God, these shoes are the worst!"
"They look painful," Aaron acknowledges with a grimace. "I thought you looked taller."
"Four inches taller," Cady grumbles, rubbing the ball of her sore foot. "Sorry."
"Don't be sorry. I never understood why girls wear those," Aaron says with a shake of his head. "Probably best to keep them on, though, god knows what's gonna be on this floor tonight."
"Ew," Cady whimpers. "Thanks for the tip, though."
"Anytime," Aaron chuckles. "Hey, uh... do you wanna dance?" he asks, offering her a hand. Cady grins and smooths down the skirt of her dress before she takes it.
"I would love to."
Aaron leads her out to the dance floor. Cady wishes she'd had the foresight to request a slow song, but she'll take the upbeat poppy one playing if it means she gets to dance with the boy of her dreams.
Dancing is a bit of a loose descriptor. They're actually just jumping up and down to the beat of the song, or as close to it as they can be fussed to get. Their hands are still linked, and Cady boldly shifts to twine their fingers together. Aaron pulls her hand to his lips and kisses her knuckles, making Cady blush furiously beneath her wide smile.
They both deflate a bit when the song ends, pausing their dancing and looking at each other.
"Can I tell you something?" Cady murmurs.
"Yeah, of course. Anything," Aaron replies gently. "What is it?"
"I really-"
"What?!" Aaron yells as another song picks up. Cady sighs. Maybe now isn't the right time.
"Never mind," she says. "I'm gonna go get a drink, do you want anything?"
"Nah, thanks. I'll be here!" Aaron says, starting to dance like a madman once again. Cady giggles at his antics and heads over to the drinks table.
"I wouldn't drink that," a voice says as she pours herself a cup of punch. Cady whirls around in shock, and smiles when she sees Janis. "Already been spiked. Stick with water if you don't want a wilder night than I think you're expecting."
"Thanks," Cady replies with a grateful smile, leaving the cup on the table for someone who wants a buzz to take. Janis nods, but when Cady looks up after pouring herself some water, she's gone.
She finds out why when Regina is there instead. "Why were you talking to her?"
"I wasn't, she was here when I got here," Cady says. "I think she spiked the punch with something."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Regina hums, leaning casually against the bleachers. "She's probably planning some big lesbian orgy and trying to get everyone drunk."
"Probably," Cady agrees. It never gets easier, talking about one of the only decent people she knows like that.
"So how're things going with Aaron? I saw you two talking earlier," Regina says, a glint of something in her eye.
"You're not mad?" Cady asks sheepishly. "I know you... I mean, uh... that he just broke up with you. That must've been hard."
"Oh my god, of course I'm not mad," Regina says, seeming aghast at the mere suggestion. "I'm, like, totally over him. If you want... I could talk to him for you."
"You'd do that?" Cady asks.
"Of course! We're friends, aren't we?"
"Thank you so much, Regina," Cady says, sagging in relief. "Just don't say anything totally embarrassing, please?"
"I gotcha. I'll go right now," Regina hums, pushing off the wall and strutting in Aaron's direction. Cady hastily pours herself another cup of water and chugs it all in one go.
She tries not to make it too obvious that she's watching them, not wanting to seem like a total creeper. She does give a small, shy wave when both Aaron and Regina look in her direction, but beyond that she doesn't risk anything beyond an occasional glance.
Cady is confused when they seem to be getting closer together every time she looks their way.
Her worst fears are realized when she looks up and sees they're no longer there. She looks around the gym, trying to see where they've gone, and finds them on the dance floor. Regina is practically wrapped around Aaron, her arms linked behind his neck and his hands dangerously low on her hips. Regina meets Cady's eyes, a mocking, knowing look in her own before she pulls Aaron down for a kiss.
Cady blinks back tears that threaten to spill and turns around, dropping her cup behind her. The water splashes onto her shoes, but she doesn't care. All she can think about is getting out.
She runs out of the gym and out of the building, ending up on a small staircase that's meant to be a fire escape. She leans against the railing and breaks down.
She should've known. Regina would have never volunteered to do something like that for her without expecting something in return. Without a catch. And what a catch she's gotten.
Of course Aaron would pick Regina over her. Of course he'd pick the girl he's been with before, the one with experience, the one he knows. The pretty one, the hot one, the tall one, the... everything one.
Cady is nothing.
She's not sure how long she's out there, feeling the brisk wind against her bare arms and listening to the birds who have been brave enough to stick around this late into autumn. The one benefit of it being so chilly is that the sky is clearer.
Cady looks up at it, looking at the billions of stars surrounding her. They're not as comforting, anymore. Now they just make her feel small. Even more insignificant than she already felt.
It's not like it really matters. She can barely see them through her tears, anyway.
She about startles out of her skin when the door opens again behind her, whirling around in shock.
Of course it's Janis.
"Sorry. Didn't mean to scare you," she says gently. She heads up next to her, leaning on her elbows against the railing and looking up at the sky with Cady. "Nice night."
"Yeah," Cady sighs, trying to keep the tremble from her voice.
"You okay?" Janis asks lowly. "I know we don't... know each other all that well, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I just wanted to check, I guess."
"Regina... Regina took Aaron back," Cady sniffs. "She just took him back."
Janis gasps gently, but it seems almost like that wasn't too surprising to her. "I'm sorry."
Cady doesn't know how to respond. It's not okay. Cady does care, a lot. She really likes Aaron. She is hurt.
"It's not-not your fault," is what she settles on after a long beat.
"Need a hug?" Janis murmurs gently. Cady nods, not even bothering to check for people who might see them before she sinks into an embrace with her... friend. She thinks she can call Janis that now.
If she couldn't before, she definitely can after this. Janis just holds her close, gently but with the occasional squeeze. She doesn't even mention the tears and snot soaking into the shoulder of her very nice blazer. Janis seems totally unbothered by it. Content just to let Cady do what she needs to do.
"Sorry," Cady sniffles when she pulls back. "I dunno where that came from. I'll get that dry cleaned for you."
"S'alright," Janis shrugs. "Don't worry about it. Hey, um... Damian and I were gonna ditch early and go get waffles, would you... maybe wanna come?"
That sounds amazing, getting away from the too-loud music and lights that hurt her head. And away from her, most of all. But...
"I can't," Cady says apologetically. "I'm sorry. I'd really like to, I just... can't... let her win. I can't let her ruin this night for me."
"Dangerous game," Janis chuckles lowly. Something about it makes the hair on the back of Cady's neck stand up. It's... a warning. "Well, if you're staying, we should fix your makeup."
"Shit, I didn't bring any," Cady realizes.
"Gimme two seconds," Janis says, hauling the heavy door back open and running inside. Cady waits, getting colder and more confused by the second.
Janis returns, as promised, with Damian and a large bag of makeup in tow. Damian coos sadly when he sees Cady's tear-stained face. He gently pulls her into a hug and gives her a squeeze before he pulls her back to observe his canvas.
"Theatre kid," Janis explains when he pulls out some makeup wipes and gets right to work. Cady lets him gently wipe off her ruined makeup and swipe on a quick replacement look. It looks similar enough to what she started with that she doesn't think anyone will be able to tell the difference.
"Thanks," Cady says with a sniffle. Damian holds up a mirror so she can see herself. She almost likes this look better. The foundation he used is thinner, so her freckles actually show through, and her eyeshadow compliments her eye shape more than the old makeup did. "I love it."
"Anytime. You sure you don't wanna come with us?" Damian asks. Cady nods.
"Some other time. But you guys have fun," she replies. She jumps as Damian spritzes her with some setting spray, coughing a bit as she accidentally inhales some.
"Sorry."
"It's okay," Cady giggles. "Thank you."
"We gotcha," Janis says with a wink. "Knock 'em dead, Caddy."
Cady wraps her in another hug, squeezing her so so tightly in thanks. Janis squeezes her back before she turns her around and sends her back into the gym with a pat to her shoulder.
Cady heads right back to the drinks table and grabs yet another cup of water. She chugs it, making extra sure not to smudge the very nice lipstick Damian applied.
Cady feels better once the ice cold water is settled in her stomach. She walks over to Gretchen and Karen, who are taking a break from the dancing to sit on the bleachers and people watch. "Hey!"
"Hey!" they reply, beckoning her over to sit with them.
"I saw Regina with Aaron," Gretchen says. "Are you okay?"
"Oh my god, of course!" Cady says like it's obvious. I've never been less okay in my life, Gretchen, but thanks. "She must've, like, really wanted him back if she was willing to take him like that. I'm glad they're working their stuff out. Do you guys wanna go dance?"
"Uh... sure," Karen agrees. She seems to catch on to Cady's odd demeanor more than Gretchen does, but wisely doesn't bring it up.
Gretchen and Karen follow her back to the dance floor. Both of them squeal when the next song comes on, some upbeat pop song both of them love but Cady doesn't recognize. She dances along anyway.
She looks over her shoulder at Regina as she holds hands with Gretchen and Karen and dances around. Regina has a challenging look, almost a glare, in her eyes. Waiting to see Cady's response, what she'll do, what she dares to try.
So Cady just smiles.
To anyone else watching, it's a friend smiling at a friend. But Cady knows. Regina knows. A smile can be a threat.
This one says you may have won the battle, but I will win the war.
A declaration.
May the best girl win.
————-
hope you enjoyed!!
here's the links (they'll be in the comments) to everyone's dresses! the colors aren't exactly what i was envisioning for most of them but the styles are so just bear that in mind :
regina: https://www.lucyinthesky.com/shop/giulia-square-neck-dress-in-pink-sequins
gretchen: https://www.lucyinthesky.com/shop/doe-power-mesh-long-sleeve-dress-in-purple
karen: https://www.elliewilde.com/ellie-wilde/fall-2020/ew22018s
cady: https://www.promgirl.com/shop/dresses/viewitem-PD2420297
have a lovely day!