Chapter 1
September 1st, 2010
The first time Janis saw Cady was the first day of junior year. She was leaning against her locker, chatting with Damian, when she spotted a mane of red hair and a flannel shirt through the crowd of students mingling before class.
"Damian," Janis said slowly, eyes tracking the other girl as she made her way through the hall. "Who's that?"
Damian followed her gaze. "Oh, I think that's the new girl. Cady Heron? Or maybe it was Caddy..."
"Huh," Janis tore her eyes away. "She's cute." Damian's eyes widened, and Janis immediately regretted the words.
"Oooh," Damian teased. "Does someone have a crush?"
"No!" Janis said, a little too quickly and a little too loudly. Damian waggled his eyebrows at her. Janis opened her mouth to say something along the lines of fuck you, but was interrupted by the bell.
"Saved by the bell," Damian murmured in her ear, dodging her fist as it came flying at his shoulder. "Hurry up, we're gonna be late for French."
Janis did not absorb a single thing that Madame Simone said during French. She was too busy staring at the back of the new girl's head. The girl - Cady, Janis remembered - didn't speak much during class, but when she did, she used a small, melodic voice that had Janis one hundred percent gay pining by the end of the period.
So naturally, when she saw Cady heading for the girl's bathroom during lunch looking upset, she followed her, Damian at her heels, armed with sarcasm.
"And you reeeeally don't have a crush, huh?" He was saying as Janis opened the door, shooting him a shut up now look over her shoulder. She pointed wordlessly to the handicapped stall, where she could see a pair of Birkenstocks peeking under the door. Damian took up one side of the door while Janis took the other.
"You've been in there for a very long time," Damian called, rapping on the door with his knuckles. "You're either doing drugs or very constipated from using drugs."
Really? Janis mouthed at him as the door swung open. He shrugged.
"I'm not doing drugs, I-" Cady burst out of the stall, looking panicked.
"Relax, Caddy, he was kidding."
"Oh." Cady looked relieved, if a little embarrassed. "Um, it's Cady."
Janis smiled at her. "I'm gonna call you Caddy." Damian raised his eyebrows but stayed quiet for once. Janis was still bitter from his teasing earlier, though, so she added, "I'm Janis, and this is Damian. He's almost too gay to function."
Cady giggled at the look on Damian's face, and Janis's heart melted.
Fueled by a sudden surge of confidence, Janis slung an arm over the shorter girl's shoulders. "Come on, Caddy, let's show you around North Shore High."