Five Times Kissed: Blair x Hailie
Blair is not exactly a eat in the cafeteria sort of girl. Never has been, probably never will be. At her old school, she’d eat in the library, comfortable with a book propped up against her lunch tray, but it’s a new school and she should at least try to be different, right? It’s not her fault that the cafeteria is so overwhelming.
She’s scanning the room, looking for somewhere to sit, somewhere out of the way where she won’t have to talk, where she won’t have to act like she belongs, when she hears it.
It’s a redhead who says it, rolling her eyes and so clearly not caring about what anyone thinks that Blair can’t look away. She ends up sitting two seats away from the redhead and glances over at her every few bites.
Blair thinks that she and Hailie are friends. She’s never asked because that would be a level of pathetic that Blair isn’t quite willing to reach in her life. But she’s pretty sure that they’re friends because they mock Greg together and talk about things besides just school. Actually, they mock a lot of people together, and in Blair’s opinion, that’s a clear sign of closeness. And Hailie gave Blair her phone number, so that’s definitely a sign of friendship. And once Hailie got her a cup of coffee before class and Blair had told her that she could kiss her, and Hailie had laughed and done the same thing the next day. So yes, Blair thinks they’re friends.
She is only at the party because of Hailie. Hailie said that it would be cool. What makes a party cool? She doesn’t know, but why not experience it? Blair thought there would be more people in leather jackets.
Hailie seems like she’s been at parties like this all of her life, laughing along to some guy’s jokes, nodding, looking comfortable but not like…annoying in her comfort. Blair wants to seem that way too. She knows that she doesn’t like beer at all, so when someone offers her a shot she says fuck it and does it. It’s a near thing to keep from spitting it out. She does another.
At some point, Hailie grabs her hand, and they’re dancing. Proper dancing, Hailie’s hands on her waist pulling her in. The room is warm and sweaty and smells almost yeasty.
Blair doesn’t know when the chant of ‘kiss’ starts, but she’s pretty sure the guy in the stupid green baseball cap started it. Blair doesn’t know the etiquette of this sort of situation. Do they kiss? Will people be mad if they don’t? Hailie answers it for her, leaning in and giving her a peck on the lips before she spins away, back to the kitchen for another drink. Blair follows her. She feels comfortable, but she could be more comfortable.
Hailie saves her at prom. She gets Blair’s hair into something that looks…well, Blair doesn’t want to brag, but after Hailie is done with her, she looks pretty. Like is she hot? Will people hit on her at prom? What if someone tries to kiss her? Maybe this has all been a huge mistake. And Hailie ends up offering Blair a ride which means more in the world than anything. Even if it means sitting in the backseat because Dexter’s there. At least it’s not Del’s car.
Once at the school, Hailie is pretty wrapped up with Dexter, and Blair is fine with that. She likes being alone, after all. She drinks the punch, does the usual dance of insults with Greg Porter and watches Isaac Rhodes when no one is watching.
At one of the slow dances, Hailie peels off from Dexter.
“May I have the pleasure?”
“Seriously?” Blair laughs. But Hailie is doing a weird bow thing, and Blair doesn’t want anyone to see that because…it’s weird, frankly. “Yeah, yeah, fine.”
They spin each other around, and by the end, Blair is giggling, enjoying herself, not really caring on who is watching. When the song ends, Hailie kisses her cheek.
“Best dance of the night so far,” she says, and Blair has to agree.
There has been a lot of blood. Blair just wants to shut her eyes and make it go away, but even when her eyes are closed, it’s still there, red and sticky and…everywhere. Blair doesn’t even know where it comes from, not really, just that everything was a normal day and suddenly there were monsters, and Del…She doesn’t know where Del has gone except that she left with guns and what looked like a cross-bow and a promise that it’d be okay, and it definitely is not okay.
Hailie finds her. Blair is curled up in a corner. It feels safe with her back against a wall. Nothing can sneak up against her here.
“It’s okay,” Hailie murmurs. All Blair can do is nod, even though she knows it’s not okay. Hailie has never lied to her because. Everything is shot to hell, but it’s nice to pretend.
“It’s going to be okay,” Hailie repeats. She drops a kiss on Blair’s forehead and stands up. “I’ll be back. Meet you back here?”
As if Blair could move. She can wait.
