My romance-writing virginity is forced from me by YlisseanKitty. Badwitch would not have been my first choice, but here it is. Merry Christmas.
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As usual, Glynda was on time. At 12:30, she was seated at her desk, her pencil and pen set neatly in the corner, her notepad open before her, and her eyes set intently on the blackboard. Also as usual, Professor Rose had not begun the lesson. She was, instead, listening to Peter as he boasted about his latest athletic feats, barely containing her giggles at his pompous attitude. Glynda continued staring onward, hoping that Ptofessor Rose would notice the time. No such luck.
In the next seat, Bart leaned over to speak to her. "Perhaps we ought to begin on our own," he suggested, adjusting his glasses.
Glynda allowed herself a short sigh through pursed lips. "I suppose, though I wish we actually had a teacher."
Bart nodded curtly in agreement before taking a sip from his ever-present thermos and flipping his textbook to the page on thermodynamics.
Just as Glynda turned to the same page, however, the door was thrown open, revealing a girl Glynda didn't recognize.
The first word Glynda thought of upon seeing her was striking. She wore a red dress, slit down the side with intricate golden embroidery along the sleeves and hem. Her eyes seemed to glow the same color as her dress, starkly highlighted against her long, dark hair. Her smile was already confident, and when her roving eyes fell on Glynda, she smirked.
Noticing the new girl, Professor Rose turned away from Peter and hurried to the front of the room, cheerfully greeting her from nearly a foot below her height.
"Oh, hello! You must be the transfer student, right?" At the girl's elegant nod, Ruby whirled around to face the class. "Okay, everyone! This is Cinder Fall. She's just transferred in from Mistral. I want you all to be nice, okay?"
There was a low murmur of greeting from the class, after which Cinder bowed to them elegantly, her eyes never moving away from Glynda. "A pleasure to meet you," she intoned in a low, sultry drawl.
"Great! Cinder, I think there's an open seat next to Glynda… Glynda, can you raise your hand? Okay, you can sit next to her. Glynda, make sure she's all caught up, okay?"
"Yes, Miss," Glynda replied tersely, her eyes steadfastly looking anywhere but at the new girl. Professor Rose didn't seem to notice, but Cinder certainly did as she made her way to the back of the room, her eyes sparkling as she took in Glynda's discomfort.
"Hello, Glynda," she spoke in barely more than a whisper, but it was still enough to make Glynda shudder, which seemed to be the desired effect judging by Cinder's self-satisfied smile.
"Miss Fall," Glynda returned, trying to regain her composure, still refusing to look at her.
"Please," the girl said, her voice much closer than Glynda was comfortable with. "Call me Cinder," she instructed, brushing her hand against Glynda's cheek.
As her cheeks flushed red, Glynda suddenly found herself unable to hear Professor Rose's lecture or even see the class in front of her. All she could concentrate on was the feeling of those fingers along her cheek.
Bart glanced over to see Cinder procuring her supplies from her bag with an extremely satisfied smile while Glynda, still beet red, stared forward, seemingly oblivious to the world. "Fascinating," he observed, adjusting his glasses before turning back.
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Before even a few weeks had passed, Cinder had gathered what almost amounted to a cult following. Em and Merc followed her everywhere, with Em seeming to have an almost dog-like adoration for the girl. During lunch, she was always at the center of at least a dozen admirers, laughing politely at Peter's boasts or advising Perry on his relationship with Deerie. Even Roman, who was the most popular boy in the school despite getting along with no one but his little sister Neo, was seen in her company more than once.
Yet through all this attention, Cinder almost always had her eyes on Glynda, where she sat across the quad with Bart, eating her meticulously-crafted ham and cheese. She would still speak softly to her during class about nothing in particular, and impart little touches which were easily explainable as friendly.
And Glynda, for her own part, could not explain why her eyes kept following her, tracing the slight curve of her abdomen and down her slender shoulders. It was especially difficult in PE, where Glynda was convinced that the transfer student was following Professor Xiao Long's example and revealing as much of her smooth, supple-
Glynda blinked. She was attracted to this girl.
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"Well, of course you are." Bart retorted dismissively. "You have been since the first day you saw her."
"I have what?" Glynda asked, glaring dangerously at him. He seemed unperturbed.
"You had your eyes fixed on her at all times," he explained. "And you seemed entirely taken with only a slight touch. I assumed that this realization was the reason for your reaction." He adjusted his glasses. "It seems I was mistaken."
She stared across the quad at the other girl, who was in deep conversation with Junior about… something or other.
Without another word, Glynda stood, placing her half-eaten sandwich on the bench next to her, and walked purposely toward Cinder. Her intimidating presence easily broke through the crowd, depositing her in directly in front of the girl, who looked up at her serenely. "Hello, Glynda. Have you decided to join us."
"I have not," Glynda responded, her arms folded across her chest and eyes narrowed. "Cinder, would you like to go out with me?"
Cinder beamed as though she had been expecting the question. "I would be delighted, Glynda. Shall I pick you up at eight on Saturday?"
Glynda nodded curtly and turned, leaving the crowd of onlookers stunned as she returned to her sandwich.
"I suppose that is the most direct response," Bart observed, taking a sip from his thermos.
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Glynda sat in front of her mirror, adjusting her hair. Again. After the fourth time undoing and redoing her bun she stood, forcing her hands down away from it. She turned to look at her back, adjusting the cuffs on her dress shirt as she did so.
The doorbell rang. Glynda closed her eyes and breathed deeply before walking out of the bathroom, snatching up her purple-black jacket as she did so and pulled it on as she walked down the stairs to the front door. She opened the door to find cinder wearing a tight black dress and a smirk, her hand resting on her hip. Glynda stood for a moment, simply glaring at the other girl, before Cinder finally chuckled.
"Well. Are you ready?"
Glynda nodded curtly and brushed past Cinder, who laughed again and followed her down to the car.
Cinder's car was as sleek as its owner; it resembled a vintage Ford, with luxurious curves and low profile, complete with a step up to the door. Judging by the high-tech console in the dashboard, however, the car had to be new, and likely custom. Glynda certainly hadn't seen any advertisements for it.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" Cinder purred, gliding a slender finger along the hood of the car as she rounded it to the driver's side. "Well, it wouldn't be proper to have you in anything less, would it?" She winked over the top of the car before opening the door and sliding smoothly into the driver's seat. Not for the first time, Glynda felt her cheeks heating up, though she fought to retain her composure as she sat in the passenger's seat, keeping her eyes off Cinder's smug smirk.
As soon as Glynda had her seat belt fastened, Cinder took off, the car barely making a sound as it pulled away from the curb. Glynda turned in momentary surprise to Cinder, who didn't look back at her, the same look still plastered on her face.
The pair drove on in silence for several minutes with not even the radio on, which Glynda was thankful for. Cinder couldn't embarrass her if she didn't talk. After fifteen minutes, however, Glynda could no longer recognize the streets out the window, so she was forced to break the silence.
"Where are we going?" she asked, feigning disinterest as she gazed out the window. A smirk was Cinder's response. Glynda couldn't decide if she loved that smirk or hated it. Probably both.
"You'll see."
Silence shrouded the remainder of the drive, which was fairly car rolled to a stop in front of a large, glass-faced building. A smiling man in a suit immediately came up to Cinder's door, opening it and helping her out by the arm, a forced smile plastered onto his face. When he came around to Glynda's side, she opened the door and stood by herself, glaring at the man, who, to his credit, never lost his smile.
Cinder chuckled before handing the man her keys. "Do be careful." Cinder leaned closer to the man's ear. "That car is worth more than you are," she whispered, her eyes momentarily flashing a dangerous orange.
Glynda blinked sure she had imagined those eyes, and when she looked again, Cinder had returned to her regular smiling self. The man still had his smile, but he seemed to be sweating a bit much.
Trying to distract herself from that vision, Glynda turned and stared up at the building. Upon seeing what it was, she crossed her arms, trying her best not to appear impressed. She was evidently not successful.
"Dust Til Dawn," Cinder announced smugly. "Ever been here before?"
Glynda shook her head once. Cinder smiled, looking back to the building. "Well, get used to it. Dear."
Glynda's throat tightened at the use of the endearment and she pushed past Cinder into the entryway. Cinder followed, still smiling. They were greeted by an elderly balding man, all smiles and wrinkles, who led them through the main dining area and out onto a private terrace.
"The usual," Cinder instructed the old man, "And the special for my friend here."
The man smiled and nodded as he pulled out Cinders chair. Glynda again refused the offer of help, choosing to sit herself down. The old man smiled at them both again before tottering off, leaving Glynda to regard Cinder. "You're here often enough to have a usual?"
"A couple times a year," Cinder answered dismissively. "On special occasions. When my father wants something."
Glynda considered a moment before deciding not to question the matter. Yet, at least. If this were to continue, it would be necessary for her to know more about Cinder, but for now… she could enjoy herself.
Cinder smiled and laughed lightly. "You needn't look so tense." She leaned forward, granting Glynda an obvious view of her cleavage. "Perhaps I could help you… relax."
"I'm fine, thank you," Glynda declined, her eyes fixed steadfastly on Cinder's.
"As you wish," Cinder said with feigned sadness, leaning back up and smiling devilishly. "But perhaps this will help," she said, looking over Glynda's shoulder. Glynda turned in hr chair to see the old man returning, carrying a bottle of wine and a pair of glasses. He set them down on the table and uncorked the wine, but before he could pour it, Cinder raised a finger, smiling. The man nodded again and placed the bottle in front of her, before vanishing once again.
As Cinder began pouring the wine into the pair of glasses, Glynda raised a questioning eyebrow. "You're sixteen."
"Mm-hmm." Cinder stopped pouring the wine and offered a glass to Glynda. "And so are you."
She took the glass and held it up, observing it, before looking back at Cinder. The other girl smiled indulgently and took a sip of her own glass, indicating that Glynda should do the same. Resolving herself, Glynda took a sip, allowing the fruity, dry liquid to run lightly over her tongue and down her throat. It was… interesting. Different, though not quite unpleasant.
"I think," Cinder declared, leaning forward again and whispering conspiratorially, "That this will be a wonderful night.
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Almost three hours later, Glynda was once again at the curb outside of her house. Cinder stepped up next to her. "May I walk you to the door?" she asked, extending an arm. Glynda regarded the arm for a moment before nodding and taking a step toward the house, ignoring the proffered arm. Cinder contented herself with laying her arm gently around Glynda's waist, and Glynda contented herself by pretending not to notice.
Once they reached the step, Cinder smiled down at Glynda. It was a genuine smile, not smug or mocking or devious. Just a simple, beautiful smile that Glynda felt herself get lost in. "Thank you for a wonderful evening," Cinder murmured, stroking Glynda's cheek lightly. "I do hope we can do it again soon. Glynda only nodded, and Cinder's smile faltered somewhat. "I'll see you Monday, then," she said, turning to go.
Before she could leave, Glynda reached up, pulling Cinder down into a deep kiss. She could tell Cinder was surprised, and she relished that feeling before Cinder smiled into her kiss and wrapped Glynda in her long arms, which essentially brought an end to all of her rational thought.
"We will definitely do this again," Glynda whispered once the kiss was broken.
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Once safely inside the house, with the sound of Cinder's car driving off into the night, Glynda slumped against her door.
And Glynda smiled.