Modern middle school AU (they’re in eighth grade)
Warnings: none (Eliza is a cinnamon roll who doesn’t swear)
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She stood out because she was wearing red.
Most people, for the first day of school, had gone for neutral shades–grays, blacks. A few, Eliza included, had chosen soft pastels. Eliza was wearing jeans and a floaty blue shirt.
But the new girl was dressed in a stunning red color, a tight solid-colored shirt. A gray sweatshirt was tied loosely around her waist, and she was wearing dark skinny jeans.
Eliza saw her immediately.
The halls were packed, anxious sixth graders trying to unlock their lockers, seventh graders flirting and running around, and eighth graders such as Eliza and the new girl strutting around. They knew how to deal with middle school at this point.
Eliza’s little sister Peggy was starting sixth grade, and Eliza was helping Peggy calm down.
“Liz, what if my lock gets jammed?” Peggy asked anxiously. “What if I trip on the stairs? What if someone makes fun of me?”
“Pegs, chill. You’re one of the best kids I know, and you’ll do fine. Everyone else is as worried as you are and won’t notice if you do trip.”
“But what if?” Peggy persisted, and Eliza sighed, leaning against the locker next to Peggy’s. She gazed out over the sea of people, laughing and greeting friends, and that’s when she saw the new girl.
Eliza’s breath caught in her throat.
“Liz? Liz? Eliza? You still with me?” Peggy asked, waving her hand in front of Eliza’s face. Eliza shook her head.
“Um, yeah, sorry. Go ahead and get to your first period. I’ll see you around, okay?”
Peggy nodded wordlessly and carefully closed her locker door.
The new girl was already gone, lost to the ocean of people, but she had stood out enough that Eliza was positive she would recognize her later.
“Hi, John,” she greeted the freckled boy. His hair was in a neat ponytail, better than it had been all summer, and his arm was casually slung around Alex’s shoulders.
“How are you?” Alex asked. “We haven’t talked much these last two weeks!”
“You’re right,” Eliza agreed. “I’m…uh…did you see that new girl? The one in red?”
“Eliza has a cru-u-ush,” Hercules sang, appearing out of nowhere. Eliza blushed furiously.
“No, I, uh, I just wanted to know her name is all,” she said defensively.
“You’re-how you say-out of luck,” Lafayette said. The French teen gave her a smile. “We don’t know her.”
Her first class was history, and when she walked into the classroom, she gasped audibly.
The seating chart was alphabetical. Her last name, Schuyler, was right behind the new girl’s last name, Reynolds, and they were right next to each other.
The new girl was already there. Hands shaking slightly, Eliza walked over to her desk and sat down.
“Hi,” the new girl said. “You must be Eliza.”
Eliza nodded, trying to find her voice. The girl was even more stunning up close. Her red shirt was satiny, and light was catching on the material. “Um. Yeah.”
“I’m Maria. It’s nice to meet you,” Maria said, and Eliza couldn’t help it–she smiled.
Conversation was light and easy between the two of them, and when the bell rang, Maria shot Eliza a quick smile before facing front. Eliza melted inside.
That’s when she knew she had a proper crush.
~
“It’s been two months, Angelica. This crush isn’t going away. I really wanna do something about it.”
Angelica sighed, closing her laptop and spinning in her swivel chair to face Eliza, who was lying on Angelica’s messy bed, her long hair hanging over the mattress. “Ask her to the movies or invite her to a sleepover or say something during the school day.”
Eliza sat up too quickly and got dizzy. “Angelica–”
“A, b, or c?” Angelica asked, steamrolling over Eliza’s complaints. “Ten seconds.”
Eliza panicked. She sure wasn’t going to say anything during school, for risk of rejection and being laughed at and suddenly noticed (she much preferred the background, thank you very much). A sleepover? She’d only known Maria for two months, for goodness’ sake!
“A! A! Movies!” Eliza shouted over Angelica’s countdown, and her older sister grinned.
“Ask her tomorrow to go on Saturday.”
“Angelica I can’t do that she’ll reject me and laugh at me and not wanna be friends anymore, Angelica why did I ask you for advice you’re pushing me to actually take the first move and–”
“You did say you wanted to do something about it,” Angelica interrupted, and Eliza gave an exaggerated sigh.
“Hey, um, Maria, I, uh, um, are you doing anything tomorrow?”
Maria turned towards Eliza, her eyes showing her confusion. Normally Eliza was either quiet or flawlessly eloquent. “Not that I can think of. Why?”
Eliza fiddled with the sea glass bracelet she was wearing. “Um, I was, uh, wondering if, erm, you’d like to go to the movies with me tomorrow?”
Maria let out a little laugh, and Eliza bit her lip.
“Of course, Liza. What movie?”
“You can choose,” Eliza decided, an immense feeling of relief sweeping over her. “Let’s meet there at…one?”
“Sounds good,” Maria said.
The day passed far too slowly for Eliza’s liking, but all too soon Maria was waving and heading out the door. “See you tomorrow!”
Eliza lifted her hand in response, but Maria was already gone. Grinning to herself, Eliza gathered up her things and left the classroom, eager to get out of the school building.
“Did I say you could come in?” Angelica asked irritatedly, removing one earbud and squinting up at Eliza from her nest of blankets in her bed.
Noting the anxiety filling her sister’s tone, Angelica closed her laptop and sat up properly. “What?”
Eliza looked so lost and confused and scared that Angelica had to help her. She sighed, then got up and led her sister to the closet. “You can borrow my…uh…blue sweater. You’ve always looked good in blue.”
Eliza took the sweater, folding it over one arm and then standing there nervously. “What if…what if I mess this up?”
Angelica engulfed her in a hug. “Then I’ll be waiting here with hugs, hot chocolate, and a shoulder to cry on. Go do this. I know you can.”
Eliza’s voice wobbled and she hoped Maria wouldn’t notice.
“Hey!” Maria greeted cheerfully. “So, I think we’ve got two good options. Wanna help me pick?”
They chose a movie, bought tickets, and then stood in line for popcorn. Maria paid for everything, not even letting Eliza take her money out of her purse. Eliza didn’t complain, just smiled and then stared at the back of Maria’s head when the other girl turned around.
Maria headed straight to the back of the theater. It was mostly empty, as the movie had been out for a while. Eliza followed and sank into the plush seat. Maria handed her a handful of popcorn, and their hands brushed.
Eliza barely breathed, not moving, and Maria stared at their touching hands, for once at a loss for words.
They simultaneously dropped their hands.
When the movie started, the only other people were a couple families seated down at the front. Eliza couldn’t tear her eyes away from Maria, and her hand slowly crept over to Maria’s. She hovered her hand just above it, about to reach down and grab Maria’s hand. Then she stopped.
During a romantic scene, Maria turned so that she was facing Eliza. Eliza felt her breath catch in her throat.
Both girls unconsciously moved closer.
“I like you, like a crush,” Maria whispered.
“I like you a lot,” Eliza admitted.
“Can I…” Maria finished the question with her eyes, and Eliza almost laughed before leaning in and kissing Maria first.
Lips, tasting like buttery popcorn.
Hands, in her hair and on her neck.
Her own hands, tangled up in Maria’s hair.
One kiss, impossibly right in so many ways, sealing away all her doubts.
“I liked that,” Maria muttered when they broke apart, and Eliza giggled.
Right before Maria leaned in, Eliza noticed what the other girl was wearing.
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Likes are appreciated, reblogs are wonderful, and constructive criticism/nice comments (even if it’s just ASDFDFGHJKUYTREWFM) make my day (seriously, though, I grin like an idiot when I see comments).
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