Two Words We All Hate
Laura's POV:
My alarm blares off beside my bed. I lean over to shut it off and lay in bed with my eyes shut contemplating going to class at all. I sigh and decide to get up anyways. I knew if I didn't go to class I'd still have to go to my session.
I change into some warm clothes sliding my beanie on to cover up my messy bed head. I fix my curls in the mirror when my gaze lands on the paper from last night. I find myself smiling at the picture before me. I couldn't explain why but it gave me a sense of warmness inside. I then notice Carmilla's gloves beside the picture. I should really return them.
I grab them and fiddle with them in my hands. I place it on my hand as if her hand was filling it and lace my fingers with it. I didn't realize what I was doing until my cheeks began to hurt from smiling. I shake my head out of whatever fantasy I was having and drop my smile sliding them on my hands. They fit perfectly. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. I send my hands a small smile and grab my bag heading to my car.
- - - - - - - -
Carmilla's POV:
Mattie was starting to get aggrivated with my absence these past few days. I didnt feel like hunting with her last night so she decided to try and guilt trip me into skipping class to go to some festival a few towns over, which I had no interest in.
"Mircalla this isn't fair." She says circling me. "This will be the third time you blow me off you know?" She says standing before me now. I sigh. She wasn't wrong. "Just go with me today. It'll be fun! Not to mention you owe me for that terrible poetry night."
I raise an annoyed eyebrow at her terrible attempt to convince me.
"Firstly, the poetry night was Your idea. Not to mention you left early." She rolls her eyes. I had a good time, I think to myself not daring to admit it to her. "And secondly, I'm sorry for being busy lately Mattie. You know how it goes. Once school starts I'm a little.." I stop to raise a smile. "Preoccupied."
She begins walking slowly towards the door. "Of course. How could i forget. You and your pets." She sighs in annoyance.
"Oh please," I scoff, "Don't act like I don't allow you to have them once I'm done with them." I go to stand in between the door and her.
She brings her hand to her chin rubbing her thumb slowly down her jawline while lost in thought. "I suppose there is a little fun for me in your devious habits." A smile forms on her face and I know I've officially gotten out of having to go to the festival. "Fine. Run along. Play human." She waves her hands towards the door in a motion that's telling me to leave. "I can't wait to see what you bring to me this time around."
I grab my bag and walk out the door ignoring her words.
My habits weren't something I was proud of. I didn't always allow Mattie to hurt humans. It wasn't exactly my favorite thing to do either. Of course it was easy for me to use them when I needed the warm bed or didn't want to spend the night alone. Mattie just liked the easy catch after I cut them loose from me. And when I say cut them loose, I mean when I broke communication with them or stopped using them for my own selfish needs of course. To Mattie it was a game. To me it was a personal need. To us both, it was temporary. These 'pets' lasted no more than 2 weeks and I had no personal connection with them. It wasnt until recent that I started this ugly habit. No one getting close enough to break the cycle.
It was the ugliest part of me. The only part of me I didn't allow anyone to change.
- - -
I walk into class late ignoring the disapproving look the professor gives me. He should know my late habits by now anyways. On my way to my seat I see Laura's desk before me. Her eyes are focused in writing her notes. I tap her desk while passing by and when she looks up I send her a wink before sitting in my seat. I could practically feel the heat from her newly red cheeks from all the way in the back of the class.
I'll have her wrapped around my finger in no time.
Tapping my pencil against my desk I sigh and watch as the professor goes off on a rant about old time literature and how times have changed.
Ha. They sure have.
- - - - - - -
Laura's POV:
Carmilla showed up late and still somehow managed to make me blush within the seconds she walked through the door. It's not normal and it was starting to bug me. I was allowing her to get comfortable with toying with my shy habits. It had to stop. Before I could think of a way to end this I hear the two words I knew had the possibility of stinging in my ears since the day I signed up for classes.
"Partner up"
I feel a knot in my throat and my stomach drop as everyone around me began to scramble for a partner. I kept my head low in hopes of maybe not having a partner until a boy who was way taller than me dressed in an untucked Polo Shirt and khakis walked in front of my desk.
I look up to see the boys face as he smiles down at me.
"Hey hottie" My cheeks flush.
"Wanna partner up? It'll be fun" he emphasizes the words 'Fun' on the tip of his tongue and I feel a little strange. He looked harmless but the smile he had was quite suggestive. Before I could speak I was being spoken for.
"No can do Zeta dweeb, she's with me."
I shift and turn around in my desk to see Carmilla standing behind me with a hand on my chair.
Oh boy..
"I think the little hottie can speak for herself Carm-sexy." He rolls his eyes looking at me now. I feel Carmilla's hands tighten on the chair as if she was trying not to form a fist. Her eyes almost giving off a shade of red as if she's about to go off on a rampage. I didn't want conflict or any more attention than these two were showing me so I decide to speak for myself before Carmilla's lips begin to part to form words.
"I um.. I actually promised her I'd be her partner. I'm sorry." I say looking up at him seeing his face change into a bit of an annoyed one. He looks up at Carmilla as she smirks confidently towards him.
He rolls his eyes.
"Whatever dude. There are plenty of hotties around here." He lightly pushes against my desk and walks away.
Carmilla doesn't allow him to have the last words,
"Have fun finding them, beef head!" She yells from across the room. Her slim figure slumps down into the seat next to mine.
"You made the right decision you know?"
I tilt my head at her in confusion.
Did I really?..
"He likes to use the girls in this class for their brains and grades. Sometimes even their bodies."
I tense up at those last words.
"If you picked him you would have been stuck with all the work. Not to mention his annoying presence." She says picking at her nails.
"Oh.." I sigh now knowing that at least he wouldn't have tried to get to know me personally. Maybe I picked the wrong choice.
"Alright now settle down everybody." The professor looks around the class making sure everyone had a partner. He nods and paces back and forward.
"The project is simple. An essay. We've all written them before yes?" The class stays silent.
"Right. Well instead of doing my usual 'Write an essay about yourself and turn it in at the end of the 2nd semester of English I' paper, I decided to change it up."
I didn't like where this was heading.
"So. Get comfortable kids, because the partner you just chose is the partner you will be stuck with for the 2 semesters that this class has to offer." He smiles at the bunch of groans the class sends him. I see Carmilla raise an eyebrow from my peripheral vision and I can't help but fidget with my hands in nervousness.
There was no way out of this. I was stuck. With Carmilla. Spending time with her only for the sake of the project.
"You will learn about your partner. Bond with them. See them through a new perspective. Then you will write to me about them. As if you were introducing me to them. It can be however long you'd like. It's the detail that will determine your grade. And this shall be your replacement final."
The class kind of warms up to the idea of not having a final test but I still feel cold about it.
I couldn't be stuck with her. I shouldn't be stuck with anyone.
"Well looks like the mystery that is Laura Hollis shall be solved after all." She looks at me with her lips pressed tight. Her arms were tightly crossed against her chest as she leaned back in her chair. I didn't see any signs of comfort from her either.
Carmilla and Laura's thought:
Looks like I'm stuck with her longer than I thought.
- - - - - -
"So. Want to get some coffee and start figuring out a strategy for this stupid project?" Carmilla asks as we walk out of English. I almost forget I had sessions until the alarm on my phone went off reminding me.
"As tempting as that sounds" I sigh turning it off. "I've gotta run." I begin to pick up my pace waving bye to Carmilla but she catches up to me.
"Where to creampuff? Mind if I tag along?" I slow down my pace and we settle into a slow walk beside each other.
"I've got to... my dad remember?" I honestly hated this lie.
"He's still in the hospital? I'm sure they won't mind if I tag along, especially if it won't take long."
They honestly wouldn't mind me bringing company, but it was a lie. It was all a lie. My dad was in the best shape of his life a couple of towns over. I didn't want her to know I had Chemo sessions. She didn't need to know anything. Think Laura think.
"Right. No. It's just... they only allow family to visit him and I um.." I stop in front of her. "I don't think we look the least bit similar so.."
Carmilla looks at my face as I try not to fidget under her gaze. She was looking for something in it. Possibly the signs that I was lying to her. As if her gaze wasn't enough to make me nervous, lying was not something I was good at. I held my breath to keep still. She finally looks away from my eyes and sighs.
"Listen, cupcake. I don't want to do this project any more than you do. If it was up to me I wouldn't even be trying right now but" She runs a frustrated hand through her hair, "I thought maybe you cared about your grade so I decided to try. If you don't want to do this that's fine. I'll write your paper about me and you'll write mine about you okay?"
Her words stung. They were cold and uncaring. Why should they sting? Why wouldn't they be cold? I was just a stranger to her and I was trying to avoid her after all. She grabs her sketch pad from her backpack and waits for my reply. I was a bit frozen from her words. Did I come off that harsh with my lies?
I look at my hands that are still wearing her gloves and frown taking off the left one and putting it out to her. She looks at it then at me in confusion.
"I'm not trying to avoid you. I really do have to be at the hospital in a few hours." I pause. "F-for my dad." She nods with a raised eyebrow and I finally give in. "But.. I suppose we could meet up Saturday to plan this out."
Carmilla's face doesn't change from the hard expression she had before. She nods in agreement and grabs the glove.
"What's with giving me just one glove?" She asks with a confused and amused expression on her face.
"I guess.." I smile a little. "You'll just have to figure it out Saturday won't you."
Her hard face softens as her lips curl into a smirk. Seeing her smile allowed the air to flow back into my lungs normally as if everything before me was at balance again.
"You're killing me Hollis." She smiles and begins walking past me. Before she got out of earshot I cup my hands to my mouth and yell,
"I'll text you the details!" She raises a thumbs up without stopping or turning around.
There was no stopping the inevitable project so,
why not go along with it.
Right?