Title: Hiding Behind Science
Author: slacker_d
Pairing/Characters: Sarah/Cosima, Felix, Mrs. S
Summary: high school AU, sequel to One Benefit to Detention "Are you saying I couldn't wreak havoc?" Cosima asks.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: ~2,135
A/N: this would be fic #2 of me using an idea I've used before.

Sarah tries to ignore Felix as she eats her lunch, but it's hard with him staring at her, eyes full of puzzled amusement.

"What?!"

"I'm just trying to figure it out," he says.

"Figure what out?"

"How you ended up dating the smartest girl in school," he replies. "She's hot and smart and nice and you're... you."

Sarah rolls her eyes and keeps eating.

"I mean, yeah, if I want a lock picked or car hot wired, you'd be my first choice," he continues. "But I'm sure she could figure that out on her own."

Sarah would throw her food at him, if she wasn't worried about getting another detention. Mr. Norris, the lunch monitor for the day is watching her very closely.

"I really just can't figure it out," Felix finishes.

"Well, then I guess you're not as smart of Cosima either," Sarah retorts. "Why don't you obsess over your own life?"

"Because irritating you is one of life's small pleasures."

"Piss off."

"Hey," Cosima greets as she plops down next to Sarah.

"Cosima," Felix grins.

Sarah nods.

"What's up?" Cosima asks looking at sulky Sarah.

"She's mad that I pointed out that you're too good for her," Felix explains.

Cosima laughs as she elbows Sarah. "You know that's not true, right?"

"Yeah," Felix adds, still smirking at Sarah. "Just because she's hotter and smarter than you."

Sarah rolls her eyes. "The only reason everyone thinks that is that I get detentions and she gets a free pass."

"A free pass?

"Yeah," Sarah nods. "You set fire to Dr. Bowles' desk. No punishment."

"On accident," Cosima argues.

"And the explosion last year?"

"It isn't my fault that there was a bicarbonate soda right by a leaking bottle of acetic acid," Cosima defends. "And it was small, a mini explosion, really."

"Yeah, well you've caused a hell of a lot more damage than I ever did," Sarah glowers.

"You're just mad that she's a bigger bad ass than you," Felix mocks.

"Those are fighting words, Fe," Sarah snaps.

Cosima laughs again.

"Oh, so you think he's right?" Sarah asks.

"Well you do hold the record for the most detentions," Cosima points out. "So you might be a bad ass, but you do seem to get caught a lot."

"The both of you can piss off."

"She's pouting because she knows we're right," Felix says.

"I don't pout."

"It's true," Cosima agrees.

"As your best friend, I definitely know what I'm talking about," Felix adds.

"Just because I'm not a genius who can hide behind science," Sarah grumbles.

"I do not."

"Whatever."

"Are you saying I couldn't wreak havoc?" Cosima asks.

"Not on purpose," Sarah replies.

"Prepare to be proven wrong," Cosima tells her.

Felix laughs. "That happens every day."

Sarah elbows him.

"Ow! It's not my fault that you—"

"Oh shut up, Fe."

…

The moment Sarah steps into school the next day, Principal Sadler is waiting for her.

"New job?" Sarah quips. "Isn't door greeter a step down for you?"

"My office," Principal Sadler replies.

"But I just got here," Sarah objects.

"Now."

Sarah knows better than to argue with that tone, so she follows Principal Sadler without further protest.

They arrive at her office and Sarah takes her customary seat as Principal Sadler sits at her desk. Used to her usual methods, Sarah remains quiet, causally staring back as Principal Sadler tries to wait her out.

After over five minutes—a personal record for both of them—Sarah asks, "You'll give me a note for first period, yeah?"

"Since when do you care?"

Sarah shrugs. She's not going to admit out loud to the principal that she'd rather spend her afternoons with her girlfriend, then in detention—should be obvious, anyway.

They return to staring for another minute before Principal Sadler says, "I know it was you."

"Since I have no idea what you're talking about, I'm not sure it was," Sarah replies—and she really doesn't.

"I think I've been more than lenient, Manning," Principal Sadler says. "Most principals would have expelled you a long time ago."

"I haven't had a detention in over three weeks," Sarah points out.

Principal Sadler nods. "I've assumed that Ms. Niehaus has been a good influence on you."

Sarah shrugs again, unwilling to admit she's right.

"And when I saw it," Principal Sadler continues. "I just assumed that it was a result of you having to restrain yourself."

Sarah chuckles, but stops at Principal Sadler's warning look.

"Though clever," she says after another long moment. "I'm still going to have to give you detention."

"For what?"

Principal Sadler sighs. "If you would just admit it..."

"You can't give me detention without telling me what it's for," Sarah says.

"Says who?"

Sarah glares at her.

"Someone," Principal Sadler states. "Took the diving board off its base and threw it in the pool."

"Huh."

"But not before painting "I'm drowning" on it in red paint," Principal Sadler finishes.

Knowing now isn't the time to laugh, Sarah stifles it the best she can.

"It wasn't me, ma'am," she says.

"Really?" Principal Sadler questions. "Then who was it?"

Thinking back to Cosima's promise the other day, Sarah has a pretty good idea. "I don't know."

"Then it seems that you have a month's worth of detention," Principal Sadler informs her.

"A month?! But I didn't do it," Sarah protests. "And when you thought I was selling fake IDs that was only a week. How is this four times worse?"

Principal Sadler ignores her and hands her a note for her class. "I am disappointed in you, Manning. I really thought you had started to turn things around."

"It wasn't me," Sarah repeats as she accepts the note.

But Principal Sadler has already returned to some paperwork, effectively dismissing Sarah. She sighs and stomps out of the office.

Everyone in the halls is talking about what Cosima did, though no one knows who it was. And despite the month of detention Sarah's been given, no one seems to think it was her either.

Sarah supposes she should take it as a compliment that Principal Sadler thinks the prank that her genius girlfriend came up with, was actually her idea. But all she can wonder is how it's possible to be both impressed and resentful at the same time. Though the bitterness might be winning since she can already picture the triumphant grin that Cosima will be wearing because Sarah already knows she'll find it adorable, yet madding. Not to mention how obnoxious and arrogant Fe is going to be. She considers skipping lunch, but she's actually hungry and refuses to hide somewhere and eat her lunch like a loser.

Sarah finds an empty table and sits, trying to ignore most of the conversation around her she begins to eat.

"Someone looks mad that they lost the bet," Felix jokes as he sits across from her.

"Piss off. And it wasn't a bet."

"Competition, whatever," Felix retorts. "Either way, you lost."

Sarah rolls her eyes. "Wasn't a fair competition."

"Because your girlfriend's a genius and you're not?" Felix questions.

"Thank you Felix," Cosima says, sitting next to Sarah.

"No, cause no one's ever going think it was her," Sarah replies. "But they're always going to accuse me."

"Uh... did I miss something?" Cosima asks.

"If you did, I did too," Felix replies.

"Sadler gave me detention," Sarah tells them. "A bloody month's worth of detention."

"For what?" Cosima asks.

Sarah looks up from her food and glares at Cosima. "For the bloody diving board lying at the bottom of the bloody swimming pool."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Sorry."

Sarah just returns her attention to her food.

"A month?" Felix questions. "You only got a week for the fake IDs. And that you actually did."

"I said the same thing," Sarah retorts. "Well, not that I did it."

"That sucks dude."

Sarah rolls her eyes again. "Thanks Cos."

"No, seriously," she continues. "I didn't think... I was just trying to..."

"You couldn't have known that Sadler would go after Sarah," Felix points out. "If anything, it's her fault for always pulling shit."

"Thanks Fe."

"Tell me I'm wrong," he replies.

"Still that is totally unfair," Cosima says.

"Whatever, it's just a month," Sarah grumbles.

"Look, maybe I can try to... I don't know—"

"Just leave it, Cos," Sarah snaps. "What are you going to do? Go to Sadler and admit you did it?"

"Well, no—"

"She wouldn't believe you anyway," Sarah mutters. "Probably just think you were covering for me."

"But I can't let you sit through a month of detention," Cosima protests.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Felix comments.

"Thanks again, Fe."

"Tell me I'm wrong," he repeats.

"Yeah, I'm done," Sarah announces, standing.

"Sarah..." Cosima reaches for Sarah.

"Just don't," Sarah snarls.

Cosima lowers her hand.

Sarah nods and stalks off.

…

Everyone gives Sarah an extra row of space in detention. Her irritation must be radiating off her. She spends the time switching back and forth between sulking and feeling guilty. It's not Cosima's fault that Sadler blames her or that she gave Sarah a month of detention. And the whole thing is both awesome and amusing enough that Sarah's only a little annoyed about being shown up. Though to be fair, Sarah tends to lean more towards delinquency while Cosima just pulled a prank—a well executed, imaginative prank—but still, it's vastly different than most of the shit Sarah pulls.

Sarah vows to talk to Cosima tomorrow.

…

Sarah is running late the next day and doesn't get a chance to talk to Cosima before first. She'll have to wait until lunch. Unfortunately before she can look for her, she's being escorted to Principal Sadler's office. As she's led there, Sarah wonders what else she's going to be falsely accused of.

"So it seems that for once," Principal Sadler starts once Sarah is sitting. "That you were telling the truth yesterday."

Sarah waits, not sure how to respond.

"We found this." She holds up a small paint brush with red paint on the bristles. "In Angela DeAngelis' locker this morning during a random locker search."

Seems like a pretty big coincidence to Sarah, but she's not complaining. "I told you I didn't do it," Sarah says.

"Yes, well, you understand why I may have doubted you," Principal Sadler replies. "With your record number of detentions."

"And the detention I already had?" Sarah asks.

"What about it?"

"So the next time I get in trouble, I don't have to serve detention, yeah? Cause I'm like negative one right now or whatever."

"Depends," Principal Sadler replies. "Are you going to go out and cause trouble today because you can get away with it?"

"Course not," Sarah says. "I was just hoping that... for example, if I happen to sleep in tomorrow and miss first period..."

"Why do I think you're already planning something?" Principal Sadler questions.

"That I came up with in the last minute we've been talking?" Sarah counters, trying to look innocent.

Principal Sadler rolls her eyes. "You do think well on your feet, Manning."

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Yes, well, we can discuss it the next time you're in my office," Principal Sadler tells her. "And decide then."

Sarah knows that the best she can hope for. "Thank you, Principal Sadler."

"You're dismissed.

Sarah nods and stands, exiting the office wearing a grin.

Knowing that now she really owes her girlfriend an apology for being harsh with her yesterday, Sarah immediately finds Cosima in the lunch room and drags her into the closest bathroom. After making sure all the stalls are empty and locking the door, she turns to Cosima.

"You are a bloody genius."

"Principal Sadler talked you?" Cosima smiles.

"Apparently Angela DeAngelis had the offending paint brush in her locker?" Sarah retorts. "Wonder how that happened?"

"Random locker searches are a bitch," Cosima says. "Did Principal Sadler apologize?"

"What do you think?" Sarah scoffs. "How'd you know that DeAngelis' locker was on the list for today?"

"I know a guy in the office," Cosima replies. "Had him add it."

"Sneaky."

Cosima smirks.

"Yeah, so now that I'm not in trouble," Sarah says. "I can admit to being kind of impressed."

"Kind of?"

Sarah shrugs.

"So you admit that you were wrong?" Cosima asks.

"I didn't say that," Sarah protests. "I'm just saying I like how you think."

"Yeah, but I already knew that," Cosima teases. "I still have some other ideas."

"Which you're not trying," Sarah orders. "I can't keep getting blamed."

"We could make sure you have an alibi," Cosima suggests.

"Can't you just go back to blowing things up? For science?" Sarah pleads.

"You know they don't really let me, anymore," Cosima says.

"That hasn't stopped you before," Sarah retorts.

"Fine, I guess I can try."