Chapter 7
The next morning after doing your daily routine, you sigh as you sift through your closet. You and Jinx had decided to go to the mall, and you were realizing that you definitely owned far too many sweaters. Some of them weren’t even cute…most of them were your mom’s or gifts from family members and your mom’s uppity friends who didn’t know what to ever buy you.
You pick out a dark blue sweater and black skirt and decide to put on some stockings and socks along with your boots since it was chilly.
You sit on the bed and wait for Jinx to knock on the door so you both could leave. You’d been spending a lot more time together, like texting or calling or even just finding stuff to do after class. It was nice, having an actual friend. But you knew that really, you didn’t want to just be her friend. You knew she needed time to know you so she wouldn’t try to run.
There was a knock on the door, and you open it. To your surprise it was Charlotte rather than Jinx.
“Oh! Hey Char. How are you?” You ask, and she looks you up and down.
“I’m good. Wow, what are you all dolled up for? You look really cute.” She smiles. You smile back, looking down at yourself.
“Um, nothing really. I’m just going shopping with a friend soon.”
“Are you sure it’s not a date?” She asks with a raised eyebrow.
“No, no. Nothing like that. I mean, psh, I wish.” You laugh nervously. “What’d you stop by for?”
She hums skeptically. “Oh, nothing really. You just haven’t been really hanging out with the rest of our friends.”
“Oh, yeah. Well. I..guess it slipped my mind. Honestly I don’t remember the last time they even spoke to me.” You mumble, suddenly feeling bad.
"Well, we have seen you hanging out with..Jinx. It honestly seems like you like that Zaunite trash more than us." Charlotte's words cut through you like ice.
"What?" You take a step back.
Charlotte's face softens. "Come on, Y/N. You know what I mean. That blue-haired menace is just using you. She's probably just trying to get close to steal your work or something. You know how those people are."
"Those people?" Your hands ball into fists.
"Yeah. Zaunites. They're all the same. Look, we're just worried about you. You've been different lately, and-"
"Different how?" A familiar voice cuts through the conversation. Jinx leans against the doorframe, arms crossed and eyes narrowed at Charlotte.
Charlotte's face drains of color. "I- This is a private conversation."
"Oh yeah? Private enough to talk shit about me?" Jinx pushes off the frame and steps closer. "Go ahead, finish what you were saying about 'those people.'"
"I don't have to explain myself to you." Charlotte straightens her spine but takes a step back.
"No, but you might want to explain to Y/N why you think it's okay to be such a stuck-up bitch about where people come from." Jinx's voice drops low, dangerous. "Or maybe explain why you're so bothered by who they choose to spend time with."
Charlotte's mouth opens and closes like a fish. She turns to you, seeking support, but finds none in your expression.
"I think you should go," you say quietly.
"Fine. But don't come crying to us when she shows her true colors." Charlotte spins on her heel and storms off down the hallway.
Silence falls between you and Jinx. She runs a hand through her short hair, an old habit she hasn't quite broken.
"Sorry about that. That was oddly dramatic." you mumble.
"Don't apologize for her shitty attitude." Jinx's expression softens as she looks at you. "Ready to go shopping?“
“…Yeah.”
You both walk down the hall silently, trying to figure out a way to apologize for Charlotte. It wasn’t out of character for her to be a little..offensive but you weren’t expecting that much of an outburst.
“Um,” Jinx looks over at you when you finally open your mouth, “I’m sorry about her. I-I don’t even know why she said that. I feel bad.”
“No, it’s whatever. It’s nothing compared to other stuff I’ve heard.” Jinx waves a hand dismissively. “I already said you don’t have to apologize anyways.”
“I know. I haven’t really been talking to them ever since I became closer with you, Ekko and Mel. I honestly don’t think I’ll be talking to them again, after whatever that was.”
“Good. But don’t feel like you have to because we're freinds.” Jinx says. “Besides, if they find out about your little secret, who knows what will happen to your 'reputation'."
“That I’m from Zaun? I don’t really care about that anymore.” You sigh. “It’s not really a defining plot point in my personality anyways.”
Jinx raises her eyebrows in surprise. “I wasn’t expecting that from you of all people. So, are you gonna lose the accent or what?”
“No, I quite like my accent.” You say, crossing your arms and smiling.
“ ‘I quite like my accent’, wow, you’re such a dork.” Jinx says mockingly, but there’s no bite to it.
“Well. I didn’t get first place in the competition by being pretty.” You say, nudging her.
“You could have, though. And I helped.”
You feel your cheeks heat up at her words, even if it was cold outside. “You’re so annoying.”
You and Jinx arrive at the mall and you hum.
“So, what kind of clothes are you looking for? Honestly, I think you look fine as you are.”
“You literally said yesterday my sweaters were boring.” You huff.
“I mean..when you wear it like that I think it’s fine,” Jinx smirks, looking you up and down.
You groan. “Let’s just start with the department store..”
You and Jinx wander through the department store, weaving between racks of clothes. She keeps picking up the most outrageous items - a neon green feather boa, a sequined jumpsuit that looks like it escaped from a disco.
"What about this?" She holds up a leather jacket covered in silver spikes.
"I'm trying to look nice, not join a biker gang." You push the jacket away, but can't help smiling at her antics.
"Boring." She tosses the jacket back on the rack. "You already look nice anyway. I don't get why you're so worked up about this."
"Because all my clothes are hand-me-downs or gifts from people who think I'm still fourteen." You skim through a rack of sweaters, pulling out a dark red cropped one. "What about this?"
Jinx steps closer, fingers brushing against the fabric. "Not bad. At least it's not another blue one."
"What's wrong with blue?" You clutch the sweater defensively.
"Nothing, if you want to look like a walking rain cloud." She plucks the sweater from your hands and holds it up against you. "This is better. Brings out your eyes."
Your breath catches at her proximity. She's close enough that you can smell her perfume, something dark and cherry-like.
"I'll try it on then," you manage to say, stepping back before you do something stupid like lean in closer.
"Get these too." Jinx tosses you a pair of baggy ripped jeans as well. "Trust me."
You head to the fitting room, Jinx trailing behind with more clothes she's picked out. As you close the door, you hear her settle into one of the chairs outside.
"You better not be picking anything boring," she calls through the door.
"You literally just handed me ripped jeans."
"Yeah, but knowing you, you'll try to pair them with one of those grandma cardigans you love so much."
You look down at the cardigan you picked out and can't help but laugh. "I hate that you know me so well already. And I do not look like a grandma in cardigans!"
"Keep telling yourself that, toots." Jinx hums as you put on the clothes she picked out for you.
You open the curtain nervously and show her the outfit. You didn't hate it, in fact you quite liked it, even if it was showing a bit of skin. You'd always wanted to dress more..unique? But you were afraid of what people—your friends, your mother and others would say. After all, you still had a reputation to withhold. But now, you couldn't find it in you to care.
Jinx's eyebrows raise as she looks you up and down. "Wow. You look..good."
"I do?" You say in a surprised tone. "I mean, I thought it was showing a bit too much skin.."
"What do you mean 'a bit too much' ?" Jinx asks. "Honestly, you could care to show more."
"Are you calling me a prude?" You cross your arms, and Jinx hums.
"I dunno, take it as you wanna. But you look good. In that case I should bring you more clothes."
"Um, sure." Just as Jinx is about to excitedly get up, you stop her. "But..I wanted to buy you something too."
"Me? I don't need anything. I'm fine, trust me. I prefer thrifting more than actual store shopping anyways." She says dismissively.
"No, I insist. Pick something out!" You say with a smile. "But..you have to show it to me."
"Do you wanna wait outside or sit in the dressing room with me?" She says with a smirk. You narrow your eyes at her and look away, feeling your face heat up. No, Y/N, you can't fall victim to her flirting, you chant to yourself in your head before replying.
"I'm going back inside the dressing room." You huff. "Just call me when you're back."
You try on the pile of clothes Jinx picked out - each outfit more daring than your usual style, but somehow they work. The dark colors and edgy cuts make you feel different, confident even. After settling on a few pieces, you emerge from the dressing room to find Jinx wandering nearby.
"Found anything you want?" you ask, arms full of clothes.
"Actually..." She leads you to a small jewelry display. "These caught my eye." She points to a pair of matching bracelets - simple black cord with silver charms.
"Friendship bracelets? Really?" You can't help but grin. "That's surprisingly sweet coming from you."
"Shut up." She rolls her eyes. "I usually make them myself, but since you're being so insistent about buying me something..."
"No, I love them." You pick up the set. "Which one do you want?"
"The moon charm. You can have the star." She shrugs like it's no big deal, but you catch the small smile playing at her lips.
After checking out, you both head to the food court. Jinx slides into the booth across from you at the retro diner section.
"One chocolate shake, two straws?" The waitress asks.
"Yes please," you answer before Jinx can protest.
When the shake arrives, topped with whipped cream and a cherry, Jinx raises an eyebrow. "Sharing a milkshake? That's pretty romantic of you."
"It's efficient," you counter, feeling your cheeks warm. "And cheaper than getting two."
"Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night." She leans forward and takes a sip, maintaining eye contact. You try not to stare at the way her lips curl around the straw.
You fidget with your new bracelet, the star charm catching the light. Across the table, Jinx's moon charm glints back at you.
You take the cherry off of the top and pull the stem off before eating it. You take a bite before taking a sip of the shake.
"Are you sure there's nothing else you want me to get you?" You ask, and Jinx sighs.
"Nope," she pops the p, "Just save your money. If it were anyone else like Cait, maybe I'd be more inclined."
"Okay.." You reply, thinking about how to get Jinx to show you something she'd like. "There's a plushie store around here. I wanna check it out."
"Are you collecting pillows just because I said you don't have enough?" She asks, taking a sip of the milkshake.
"No! I just have a newfound…love for plushies."
"Oh really?" Jinx asks, tilting her head.
"Yes, really. Are you gonna finish that?" You ask and before Jinx can answer you finish the rest of the milkshake. You and Jinx head to the comic book store and begin perusing the shelf of plushies from different shows and characters.
Jinx notices a medium sized blue bunny and her eyes linger on it for a moment or two before turning to you.
"Look at this one! It's two cherries!" You say, showing it to her.
"Like my lip balm. You wanna taste?" Jinx says, wiggling her eyebrows.
"No! Do you see anything you like?" You ask nudging her.
"Nope," Jinx says, but her eyes dart back to the blue bunny plush for a split second.
You follow her gaze and reach for the bunny. "This one's cute."
"Put it back." She crosses her arms. "I don't need anymore stuffed animals."
"But you keep looking at it." You hold up the bunny, examining its floppy ears and button nose. "Plus, it matches your hair."
"That's exactly why I don't want it." Jinx tries to snatch it from your hands, but you dance away.
"Too late, I'm buying it." You head toward the register.
"Y/N, don't you dare-"
"Already done." You hand over your card to the cashier before Jinx can protest further.
"You're impossible." She groans as you walk out of the store, but accepts the bag when you hand it to her. "I can't believe you wasted money on this."
"It's not a waste if it makes you happy." You bump your shoulder against hers. "Besides, now you have something to cuddle with when you're alone."
"I don't cuddle." She clutches the bag tighter though, contradicting her words.
"Ya did with me," You smile, watching her peek into the bag again. "What are you going to name it?"
"I'm not naming it anything because I'm not keeping it. I'll return it and give you the money back." But there's no bite to her words, and you catch her smiling when she thinks you're not looking.
"No you won't." You say as you both leave the mall,
You arrive home and flop onto the bed tiredly, before your phone buzzes. You pick it up, squinting at the screen. A calendar alert. Your group project for class..was due the day after tommorow.
The next day, the first thing you do after doing your morning routine is knock on Jinx's door, panicking. She opens it groggily, her hair a mess and wearing a pajamas with skulls on them.
"Wha," She says, rubbing her eyes. "It's like 9 in the morning, damn.."
"Jinx!" You yell, grabbing her shoulders. "Our final class project! DUE TOMMOROW!" You scream in her face. She winces, turning away from you.
"Okay, I can hear you. It's fine. I'll finish it tonight." She says, too tired to panic.
"What? By yourself?!" You huff, still holding her shoulders. "We should work on it together. I have class until 3pm..but after that I'll come over and we can start working."
"Is it a presentation or are we supposed to make something?" Jinx asks with a yawn.
"Um, I think a presentation. I can't believe I forgot. I remember Charlotte telling me that you chose to be my partner, but it totally slipped my mind..now our project is gonna be half-assed."
"We have 2 days to work on it. You're stressing yourself out for nothing. I've done homeworks an hour before deadline and came out with an A." Jinx shrugs.
You cross your arms, not buying Jinx's casual attitude. "Well, I'm not like you. I need time to prepare and make sure everything's perfect."
"Fine, fine." Jinx waves her hand, leaning against the doorframe. "Come over after class." Her eyes drift down to the friendship bracelet on your wrist, a small smile tugging at her lips.
"You're still wearing that, huh?"
You touch the bracelet, remembering yesterday's shopping trip. "Of course. You better be wearing yours too."
Jinx lifts her wrist, showing the matching bracelet. "Haven't taken it off. Anyway, let me sleep for a few more hours. My brain doesn't function before noon."
"Wait - what's the presentation even about?" You ask, suddenly realizing you don't remember the topic either.
"Something about innovative engineering solutions for environmental problems." Jinx yawns again. "I've got some ideas. We can brainstorm later."
"You actually paid attention in class?"
"I always pay attention." She smirks. "I just pretend not to."
You roll your eyes. "Do you think that makes you look cool? Anyways, I'll see you after class. And please try to be awake by then?"
"No promises." Jinx starts closing her door. "But for you, I'll try."
"That's all I ask." You turn to leave, but Jinx calls after you.
"Hey, bring snacks when you come over. Can't think on an empty stomach."
"Anything specific?"
"Those spicy chips from the vending machine. The ones that made you cry last time."
"They did not make me cry!" You protest, but Jinx just laughs and shuts her door.