part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 | part 6 | part 7 | part 8 | part 9 | part 10 | part 11
Tara Carpenter x Fem!Reader
Warnings: None??
Summary: You come late to a class one day, and an unexpected friendship, (and maybe more) blossoms.
Word Count: 1.5k
A/N: Woo! This was a long one to write, and i'm not sure if i added enough fluff in there, but if you guys want a part two, i'm happy to write more :)
You had been pining over this girl for six months. At first it was all fun and games, just some motivation to get up and into class each morning. But soon with every nice gesture and soft smile she sent your way, it turned into something more.
Tara Carpenter.
She was the prettiest girl you've ever laid your eyes on, with wide doe eyes and freckles littered everywhere across her face. You'd noticed her one particular day when you had realized you overslept, rushed into class, in nothing but your jamies and an oversize hoodie.
When you opened the doors, a little loud, okay maybe a lot loud, everyone's heads snapped to you. You stilled, acutely aware of everyone’s eyes on you.
A small giggle sounded through the room, and you locked eyes with a short-looking brunette.
Feeling embarrassed enough to last a lifetime, you quickly hurried over and sat next to the girl, a blush rising up your neck at everyone still staring.
"As I was saying..." The professor began, to which most people took their eyes off you and focused back on the lesson. You breathed out a sigh.
"That was quite an entrance, if I do say so myself." A voice sounded beside you.
When you turned your head to look at her, the comeback you had so cleverly thought up died in your throat.
"I- um, hi! Yeah, it was a crazy day, see- I just went to a party last night and I might've gotten crazy drunk and then forgot to set my alarm and woke up and realized we had a test today, so I really wasn't thinking about my outfit, but-" You stopped when you realized you'd been rambling, the blush rising to the tip of your ears now, though for a totally different reason.
The girl cocked an eyebrow up and gave a tiny smirk.
"Sorry, my name's YN. I'm not usually this stupid." You offered her a handshake, head turned down in embarrassment.
"A handshake?" She asked a little teasingly, but took your hand nevertheless.
Deciding you'd already embarrassed yourself enough for one day, you turned back to the teacher, determined not to act stupid in front of this pretty girl.
"Tara." She mumbled after a while, but loud enough for you to hear.
"I'm sorry?"
She turned to you and tilted her head a bit, like staring hard enough would allow her to read your mind.
"My name's Tara." She said, giving you another soft smile.
You felt your lips start to tug upwards at the ends, and a giddy feeling, like butterflies entered your stomach.
"Pleased to meet you, Tara."
_
The both of you never talked about the routine you got into, but ever since that first day, when you walked into class and scanned the room, you would always look for Tara first.
She would always leave a seat beside her for you, death glaring anyone that tried to sit in it.
It was a comfortable situation, and you were content in being in her company, even though it was only for a few hours.
You’d bring her and yourself some coffee, quickly remembering what her go-to order was.
Sometimes you guys would study together in the library, throwing flirty comments and looking at each other longer than friends should.
You couldn’t help but get distracted sometimes in class, what with such a gorgeous girl next to you, how could you not?
Unbeknownst to you, Tara would also sneak some peeks in, but she was a lot more discreet about it. You never caught her staring once.
-
But on one random Tuesday morning, she wasn't there. It was weird of Tara to not be there before you, since you were always late, but you shrugged it off and figured she might've gotten lost on the way to class. She would never miss a class in her life. You brushed the nagging feeling in your chest away.
Halfway through the lesson, the nagging feeling turned into outright worry. Tara would never miss a class without an important reason, and if she did, she would have at least texted you about it. The two of you had grown pretty close in the last semester.
y/n: Hey, are you okay?
She never answered.
As soon as the class ended, you sprinted outside and started running.
Finding the way to Tara's apartment was a bit challenging, seeing as though you'd never been there before. But Tara had given the address to you once, during a frat party you attended together.
You swayed on the heels of your feet anxiously, hoping Tara was home and not out somewhere dangerous. You had heard news of a new killer around, though you didn't pay it much attention. You certainly didn't want Tara to be one of his victims though.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
A girl you'd never seen before opens the door, expression clearly annoyed. She looked a bit like Tara, but her demeanor was all dark and gloomy, completely unlike Tara.
"Um...is Tara home?" You mumbled, starting to feel small under her intense gaze.
"And who the hell are you? " She asked, eyebrows furrowed, arms crossed in front of her chest.
"YN?" Came a voice from inside, and you immediately recognized it as Tara's.
The girl at the door was pushed aside gently, and you looked down to see Tara, a curious expression painting her face.
"Ohmygod i'm so glad your okay. I was so worried I thought that psycho killer might've gotten you." You mumbled as you pulled her in for a tight embrace, her face nuzzling in the side of your neck. A small giggle erupted from the girl, and she held you a little tighter.
You stayed like that for a while, until someone loudly cleared their throat beside you.
You pulled away quickly, forgetting that there were other people present, and straightened up, raising your hand to the girl who greeted you at the door.
“Sam? Is everything okay?” Came a male voice from inside the apartment.
“Yeah, we’re good Chad!” She shouted back, still eyeing you like you were scum on earth.
You took a breath and stepped forward, raising your hand and meeting her eye.
"Hi. I'm YN." She eyed your hand, arms still crossed and very much still looking furious.
"A handshake?" She shot Tara a look, expressing something like a "really? this is the one you pick?"
"Yeah i'm sorry if i'm intruding, I just wanted to make sure Tara was okay since she didn't come to class today." You explained.
The older girl was fast to snap back, "You are, and you've seen her, so you should leave now."
"Sam!" Tara exclaimed, taking a hold of your wrist to prevent you from leaving.
"It's okay Tara, I don't mind. As long as I know you’re okay, then I’m good." You whispered, making sure she looked you in the eye to express how serious you were.
Her eyes softened a little, before turning to Sam and speaking slowly.
"He must've saw her come up. We can't let her go. She might get attacked."
You furrowed your eyebrows, starting to get confused about what they were talking about.
Sam must've saw the look in Tara's eyes, because she rebuffed her immediately, glaring at you as she said, "Absolutely not. I know nothing about her, you know nothing about her. For all we know, she's the killer!"
At that you step in.
"Woah, woah woah. I just gotta defend myself here and say I don't know what you're talking about right now, but I am most definitely not a killer." You winked at the older girl, trying to keep the mood light.
Oh shit. That sounds exactly like something a killer would say.
"I mean-! I'm just Tara's friend, I wanted to make sure she was okay. She never misses class so I came to check on her." You hurried out, seeing the look of suspicion growing on Sam's face.
"Please, Sam. How many innocent people are you gonna let die? And if she is the killer, then we'll have her right here with us! We'll keep an eye on her." Tara pleaded, though her tone was more pressed than anything.
Sam let out a scoff, and walked away, further into their apartment.
You’re left standing in the hallway corridor, not really sure what just happened.
"I guess that's a yes." Tara sing-songed and smiled at you, pulling you in and closing the door and giving you a peck on the cheek.
Your eyes widened and you tried your best not to gulp, but by the way Tara's smile turned even bigger, you know you failed.
"Come on, let's go meet the others." She tugged on your wrist, which she was still keeping a death grip on. Effectively dragging you forward to the living room.
You snap out of your daze and start to follow her, but not before asking a question you should’ve asked about five minutes before.
So I know I completely missed out on Pokeshipping Week. Totally late to the party but I have a game plan figured out. For the moment I'll just either finish up drafts from previous years' PS Weeks and fill the gaps in with original stuff that comes to mind. Over the years I've had a lot of Ash x Misty ideas boiling in my brain that have never been realized, so I doubt I'll be short of them.
