Okay, so the timeline of this doesn't really follow the real Degrassi timeline at all.
This is like, pre-hostage situation at The Dot mean-girl Holly J. Anya is also still very much like she was when she first came on the show, spineless and bowing to Holly J's every whim like a dog. And Declan and Fiona show up to Degrassi while Holly J is still that snobby kind of girl, even though in the show they showed up when she was on the road to mellowing out and becoming well-liked.
I think that's all that's really relevant to explaining this so... Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi. If I did, Declan would come back and pay off Holly J's birth-mom to give her a kidney. On second thought, actually, Holly J would have the kind of mom that would WANT to save her own flesh and blood's life without underhanded schemes. Yeah.
"An-ya!" Holly J snapped at her "best friend" in a way that Anya had become accustomed to over the years that she'd been at Holly J's heels.
"Coming," Anya murmured, tucking tail. She half-ran over to Holly J's locker in her platform heels, and stood idly, waiting for a command.
"Lipgloss," Holly J uttered, staring at her reflection in the mirror, smoothing back her ponytail.
"Yes," Anya said quietly, digging through her purse. "Here." She smiled, handing it to her auburn-haired friend.
Holly J put on a fake smile, smearing the sticky gloss on her lips and smacking them together loudly. She twisted the cap back on, thrusting it toward Anya without so much as a glance. "Perfect." She murmured at her reflection, her lips twisting into a snaky smile.
Anya looked at her, eyebrows raised, but quickly regained composure, not wanting to be scolded.
"Okay," Holly J said detachedly, closing her locker. "Let's go to lunch."
"So," Chantay started in the usual dramatic way of hers, her lips curving into a conspiratorial grin. "You'll never guess what I just heard."
Holly J barely glanced up, knowing it'd be some of the always trivial who-slept-with-who high school gossip.
"What?" Anya smiled, fully invested in whatever gossip Chantay was about to spread. Such a people-pleaser, Holly J thought nastily of her so-called best friend.
"Okay, so supposedly there's some new kids here at Degrassi," Chantay's smile got even wider, if possible. "They're twins, one boy, one girl. Filthy rich," She laughed, dragging out the y in the 'filthy.'
This caught Holly J's attention. Most people who attended Degrassi were, well, bottom-feeders. Sure, there were the above-average gifted kids in Grade 9, but whatever. No one rich attended Degrassi, and Holly J knew better than anyone that money plus being new and thereby mysterious meant instant popularity.
Great.
"And," Chantay continued with her details. "I hear the boy is f-i-n-e."
The other girls at the table gasped, and the clamor began.
"What's he look like?"
"Rich, huh?"
"Where's he from? I bet he's from the States. Like New York or something."
"What's his name?"
Holly J rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well as interesting as all of this gossip is, some of us actually have better things to do with our time. Come on, Anya." She said authoritatively, standing up to throw away the leftover contents from her lunch.
Anya looked up, timid. "Actually, Holly J, I think I want to hear more about this," She said quietly, tucking her hair behind her ear, avoiding Holly J's piercing gaze.
"Fine. Sit with the girls who have nothing better to do than talk about other people's lives because theirs aren't interesting enough." Holly J snapped, turning on her heel and walking towards the hallway.
At her locker, Holly J breathed a sigh of relief being away from the gossip-girls. Now she could focus on the new Power Squad routine she'd be showing the team later. She had too much on her plate to focus on silly things like the rich new twins.
She grabbed her Power Squad binder where she kept rough sketches of the new cheers before they'd been learned and sat on a bench next to the window, touching up the newest cheer.
"Fi, seriously," She heard a male voice say, with approaching footsteps. "I know you don't want to be here, I don't either, but we'll have to make the best of it, just like always." He reasoned.
"But, Declan!" She whined as they came into view. "I just... Ugh! It's not fair." She pouted at her brother.
Holly J sat back, observing them. They were twins, that much was clear. Their clothes, well-tailored, looked very expensive.
And the boy... Definitely easy on the eyes, Holly J thought, scanning him.
They must be the new kids.
"I know, Fiona," Declan—was that his name?—said exasperatedly. "But you know the drill. This is what happens every time we move. Are you ever going to stop whining and just deal?" He asked bitterly, turning to face her.
Holly J suddenly felt awkward sitting there, witnessing the spectacle without their knowledge. Although, she was in plain view of them, they just failed to notice.
The girl, Fiona, flinched at his retort. She set and jaw and lashed back. "That's not fair, Declan! You know it's harder for me to make friends and fit in than it is for you!" She said angrily, shoving a finger at his chest. "It just gets harder every new place we go!"
He exhaled with a loud whoosh and rubbed at his jaw, looking around at anything but his angry sister, when his gaze landed on Holly J, whose eyes were staring right back into his own.
"And another thing—" Fiona continued, her anger still seeming to build.
"Fi," Declan muttered, cutting her off, not breaking eye-contact with the lovely girl sitting by the window, a notebook in her lap.
"What!" She yelled, still clearly exasperated.
He gave the faintest nod toward Holly J's stiff form. She felt like a deer caught in headlights.
"Oh," Fiona breathed. "Oh oh ohhh," She seemed a little panicked. Her mother had always taught them never to let anyone see that something bothered them in a public place. She said that people would always find some way to use it against you.
"I..." Holly J murmured, not sure how to ease the tension that suddenly covered the three.
Fiona seemed to have trouble breathing. "Uh.." She choked out. "Look, we're not normally so... public about things like this," She croaked nervously.
"It's fine," Holly J smiled reassuringly, sensing the brown-haired girls nervousness. She didn't look any more calmed by Holly J's words.
She stood, setting her notebook on the bench. "Really, it is. I'm not the owner of The Anti-Grapevine around here, so you're good."
Fiona finally smiled, though she was still apprehensive. "Well, thanks then. Anti-Grapevine? Oh and I'm Fiona, by the way." She murmured, extending her hand to Holly J.
Holly J took it, smiling. "Holly J. And The Anti-Grapevine is like a school newspaper, but for all the real gossip that can't go in an actual school newspaper. You know, who slept with who, who has the best raging parties, that sort of thing."
"Oh," Fiona's brow furrowed. "I'll be sure to look that up, I guess. Well, this was quite the... pleasant way of meeting. Sorry about all of that, my brother can be—"
"Fiona." He warned, cutting her off.
"The best brother ever!" She finished, her voice dripping false sweetness.
He gave her a reproving glance, but let it slide.
"Anyway, since your locker is here, Dexs, I suppose I'll go find mine now. Bye," She smiled at Holly J, then shot her brother a look that said, don't flirt.
"We sincerely are sorry about that," He said once Fiona was out of view, gazing into Holly J's eyes. She felt stirrings inside her stomach that she didn't like one bit.
"Uh," She choked out, turning her back on him to get her notebook. "It's fine. Nothing like a little drama at Degrassi." She said with a flick of her hand, laughing nervously.
He smiled. She melted, turning away again to put her notebook in her locker. No no no no no, she thought.
He turned and did the same, only two lockers away from her own. She saw him glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
Of course she saw, because she was doing the exact same thing. No! She scolded herself. Just a boy, Holly J, just a silly little boy.
He seemed to move schools frequently by the sounds of his earlier conversation with Fiona.
She hoped that was true, and that his stay at Degrassi was no exception.
The sooner he left, the better.
