Content note: carries on off previous themes, including running away and ableism. It also contains a brief mention of last chapter's car crash.
Despite spring nearing, the sky is a dark grey as Amancia drives the children to school. Lucie picks nervously at her pencil, Katie bounces in her seat and Ralph obsessively tunes the radio in and out of his favourite stations, unable to decide which to listen to. There's a brief news flash on one station warning drivers a road may be closed after a non-fatal traffic accident, but not much else. Amancia pulls up the school, gives the children a raincoat each and sends Ralph and Katie off into school.
"You've still got ten minutes until your half of the school starts, Luce, what do you want to do?" asks Amancia, hastily applying some dark purple lipstick and darkly muttering about how hard it is to find makeup catering to her skin tone.
"I'm fine to sit in here," types Lucie. "I need to look perfect."
Amancia looks behind at Lucie, concerned. "You're not going through the perfection phase, are you?"
Lucie blushes. "No, there's just someone I want to impress."
"Ooh, who is it?" gushes Amancia, turning down the radio.
Lucie grins and looks down. "A girl in my class," she types, moving her feet nervously.
"Ah," smirks Amancia. "Who is she?"
"She is so pretty, Amancia, it's practically impossible," Lucie types in a very gushing manner. "She's got the best hair and her eyes are super bright and she's got freckles and sometimes she says the wrong thing but she's so sweet and kind-" Lucie suddenly stops.
But she might be straight.
Lucie's eyes dart downwards in realisation. "I think I'll just go in," she types.
"Oh, but there's-"
Lucie shakes her head. "No, I'll just go in." She switches off her phone and heads into the school, the rainbows she had conjured up in excitement bursting into grey, just like the sky.
As she walks down the pavement, someone collides into her. "Sorry!" yelps the girl. Blonde hair, blue eyes, glasses, freckles - it's Martha!
"Oh, Martha!" types Lucie. "Hi!" Lucie brushes hair out of her blushing face nervously.
Martha smiles. "Hi, Lucie. Are you come into school too?"
"Yep! Do you want to walk in together? Form will be pretty empty at the moment," Lucie suggests.
"That sounds like good plan!" smiles Martha. "But do you mind if we buy food before go to form?"
"Nope, that's fine!" grins Lucie.
Holy crap, Lucie, you sound like a Martha-obsessed chicken with no control over her mouth. Congratulations, you've alienated yourself.
[Image description: A drawing of Lucie drawn by @ThePugzo! Lucie has medium length black hair, a pink heart bow, light purple top and dark purple trousers. The background is lilac, dotted with white orbs of varying size glowing with dark purple. The biggest covers up another slightly. Lucie's name is written in large, white handwriting with a circle as the 'i' on the dot. One of the smaller orbs partially covers the 'L' of Lucie's name. Thanks, ThePugzo, for this beautiful drawing!]
Lucie and Martha purchase breakfast together from the canteen. Martha buys a strawberry yoghurt and plastic bottle of water which she then empties into a bottle that says '#20gayteen' on it. Lucie's eyes widen as she reads it. Maybe-
"What can I get you?"
Lucie jumps. "Oh, sorry!" she types. "Can I get a blueberry-mango yoghurt please? And a pot of peaches, please." Lucie presses her middle finger onto the fingerprint scanner and pays for her food before joining Martha at the table.
"What does it say on your bottle?" asks Lucie, even though she knows.
"Oh, it say hashtag twenty gay teen," grins Martha. "And then it has calendar. But the months is gayer."
"Is it bad for-"
"-you to ask if I am lesbian?" says Martha knowingly, smirking a little.
Lucie blushes.
"I not lesbian. But I like girls."
It is as though rainbows act like fireworks for Lucie. Her crush is into girls! "Oh yes! I've been thinking I'm crushing on a straight-"
"I your crush?"
You are a doofus.
Lucie blushes intensely. "I need to go," she types, dumping her largely uneaten breakfast in the bin - although she had already eaten - and dashing off to her form room.