Hot Pink
Another miserable day at Danville High. It had been a month since Summer had ended and the kids were already counting down the days.
Candace Flynn was leaning against her locker holding her textbooks to her chest. Her eyes flickered around the school halls before she unlocked it.
Inside was a worn out plush duck. The redhead smiled and patted her Ducky Momo toy on the head.
"Ducky Momo, huh?" A voice snickered from behind her.
Candace meeped and turned around to see sassy and all-around mean girl Vanessa Doofenschmertz smirking at her. AKA, the last person the redhead wanted to learn her secret.
The brunette ran a hand through her freshly combed hair and walked over to the shaking girl, smirk never faltering.
"What do you want Vanessa?" Candace asked, crossing her arms.
"I want to know why you carry tha-that thing around school. I mean, aren't you a little old to watch kiddie cartoons?"
"Yes. Yes I am." The redhead confessed. She might have been embarrassed, but she knew how to hold her ground, "What're you going to do about it? Tell the whole school?"
"Maybe I should."
She just shrugged in response, proudly grabbing her plushie and gently placing him inside her backpack. Yes, she was mortified about the situation she was in, but she wasn't going to give the goth the satisfaction.
Candace stuck her nose up in the air like a snooty aristocrat and brushed past the girl, leaving her in the dust.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?"
"Class." She merely responded, waving goodbye without looking at her.
As the redhead walked away, the goth stared at her open-mouthed. Lacey, one of Vanessa's best friends walked to her side.
"Hell-o?" She said, poking her friend, "Earth to Vanessa!"
The goth blinked and smiled at her pink-haired friend, "Oh, hey Lace. What's up?"
"What's up with me? More like what's up with you. What were you staring at?"
Vanessa cleared her throat, "What do you know about Candace Flynn?"
Lacey looked over her shoulder at Candace, who was laughing it up with her best friend Stacy.
"That lollipop? Well, I do know that she's a ginormous pain. I mean, who could wear that much pink? It's like she just came back from shopping at Unicorn Island."
"Lace, I'm serious. What do you know about her?"
Lacey played with her spiked pigtails, "Well, rumor is it she's got a huge crush on Jeremy Johnson. But to be honest, I can't see the two of them together."
"Anything else?"
"She's a pretty legit singer, into all that girly-pop trash. I overheard Stacy say that she wants to go into music. Ha, I bet you that girl can't sing at all." She said, staring at her freshly polished nails.
But when she looked up, her friend was gone. Vanessa was leaning against a beam and staring at Candace.
"...Interesting."
So, the next morning Vanessa blocked Candace's locker, so she could she her clearly. The goth expected some cowardly reaction like yesterday, but instead Candace looked bored.
"Hey." Vanessa said, trying to sound a bit friendlier.
Candace groaned, "What do you want?"
"What makes you think I want something?"
The redhead gave her a look that said really?
"Fine. Look, I feel bad about being an asshole to you. So, I figured we could maybe...I don't know...hang out?"
Candace scoffed, "Seriously?"
"Yeah. We could grab a coffee or hit the movies or something."
She laughed, "Okay, okay. So first you are a complete nightmare, and now you want to take me out on a date?"
"A-A date?" Vanessa stuttered, "There is no way I would ever ask a girl like you...I-I mean a girl on a date. That's just ridiculous." She laughed, trying to hide the blush on her face.
"Nice save, Vanessa." She said sarcastically, "I'll see you later."
"So that's the yes to us hanging out?"
She shut her locker door, "No. In this case, it means I'll see you around school and there is no way in this world that I would ever hang out with you. So, in shorter words, you are totally dead to me."
Candace then walked away without another word.
This girl is harder to crack than I thought, the goth thought to herself.
She just shrugged to herself. This situation was admittedly strange, because wasn't everyone supposed to like her?
"Hey Nessa." Lacey greeted again, noticing her friend's grim expression, "What's wrong this time?"
"Candace…"
Lacey rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Seriously? You're still on about her?"
"She hates me Lace. How can she hate me when everyone likes me?"
Lacey sighed, "Newsflash: everyone in the world isn't obligated to like you. And FYI, that walking candy cane is so not your style. If you want a girlfriend, just apply for like everyone else."
Vanessa blinked her eyes in shock and turned angrily to her friend, "Girlfriend?"
"Yeah. You make it like, way too obvious."
"I am not into girls. Besides, she's not even my type."
Lacey raised an eyebrow, "Yeah? And what exactly is your type?"
"Well, you know...punk rock guys. You know, like Johnny."
"Johnny?"
"Yeah. He's kinda cute."
"Then why don't you ask him out?"
Vanessa tucked a strand of her brown hair behind her ear, "Isn't the guy supposed to ask the girl out?"
"You're so old fashioned. It's the 21st century, why don't you ask him out on a date?"
"Yeah...Yeah, I guess I could."
Lacey waved goodbye and headed to class.
Later at lunch, the brunette looked across the room for Johnny. Vanessa's friends were calling her over at their usual table (all except Lacey).
He was sitting in a corner at the back, the table adjacent to Candace's.
Whatever.
The goth walked calmly over to his table and sat across from him. He looked up at her for a second, then back down at his food.
"Hey, Vanessa."
"Hey, Johnny." She said, "I've been thinking...maybe you and I could go out sometime?"
He shrugged, "Sure. Whatever."
Vanessa smiled, "Sweet. I'll text you the info later?"
He shrugged again.
Vanessa smiled and slipped out of her seat, her eyes falling on Candace and her friends. The redhead was sitting with Stacy and Jenny, per the usual. But there was a certain male blonde that was holding Candace's hand.
Jeremy Johnson.
Candace nuzzled her head on his shoulder and rested her head in the crook of his neck. Stacy rolled her eyes at the scene, but Vanessa could tell she was happy for them.
Vanessa, however, was not.
She stomped out of the cafeteria out of complete fury, her black army boots clomp-clomping as she walked.
At her table, Candace lifted her head off Jeremy's shoulder and stared at the brunette, "What's with her?"
"What's up with her? She's been a pain to all of us ever since she moved to Danville in Middle School."
Candace shook her head, "That's not what I mean."
She lifted Jeremy's arm off her and got up, following the irritated goth into the halls. When she saw her crying, the redhead pulled a pack of tissues out of her purse and offered them to her.
"Thanks Lace, but I'm fine."
"You sure about that?"
Vanessa turned around, staring into the eyes of the girl who had irritated her for such a long time.
"Why are you here?"
"What's your deal?" Candace countered, crossing her arms.
"Nothing." She said quietly, "Now why don't you go frolic off with your new boyfriend."
Candace covered her mouth and began to laugh.
"What?" Vanessa asked angrily.
"You are so jealous." The redhead said, "That's why your being extra mean, isn't it? Your jealous that I have a boyfriend!"
"Am not!" She defended, "FYI, I have a boyfriend."
"Really?" Candace cocked her head to the side, seeming generally curious, "Who?"
"Johnny."
Candace shut her mouth and looked down at the ground. Vanessa lifted an eyebrow and stared at her redheaded rival, "What?"
"Be careful." She uttered, then walked away.
Be careful? Why would I need to be careful? He's a good guy.
5th period was English, and Vanessa pulled out her phone.
Johnny
Vanessa: Hey J, Its Vanessa. Wanna hang 2nyte?
Johnny: Sure. What' u thinking?
Vanessa: Cafe at 3:00?
Johnny: Cool. See u then.
Johnny: What's ur pink friend doin' 2nyte?
Vanessa: Candace? We're not friends :(
Johnny: Bummer. I was wondering whether her and her bf wanted to hang.
Vanessa: Why?
Johnny: Just cuz.
Vanessa: l8r. Teacher is getting on my case. :(
"Miss Doofenschmertz!" Her teacher shouted, yanking her phone out of her hand.
"Hey, what the heck? Not cool, man."
Candace snickered beside her, yet the teacher didn't seem to notice. The teacher, Mr. Shaw went over and locked the phone away in his desk drawer.
Candace leaned over and smirked at Vanessa, "BTW, there is no way I would be coming to hang with you guys."
"Good, I wasn't going to ask you anyways."
The redhead got up and grabbed a worksheet from her teacher. She gave him her signature smile and slid back into her seat.
Why does she have to be nice to everyone but me?
"Candace." She tried again, poking her on the shoulder.
"What?" The redhead responded, looking up from her paper and shooting a glare her way.
"I just changed my mind, you should come hang out with Johnny and me."
"No." She said, scribbling the last answer down on her sheet and slipping it into her backpack.
"Fine." Vanessa growled, "It's not like we wanted you there anyway."
Friday was the worst day for both girls. When Candace walked into school, she was mocked everywhere she went. Passersby kept making duck noises, which she didn't quite understand.
Until she saw it.
Taped over the school mural was a large white poster with a laminated picture of Candace on it holding Ducky Momo. The worst part of it all was that Vanessa was standing to the side of it with a smile on her face.
Tears came to Candace's eyes, and she ran away. She called her Mother, who gladly picked her daughter up after she explained everything.
"I just don't understand kids these days." Linda, her Mother, had said.
At school, Vanessa had expected to be showered with attention for her magnificent prank on Candace. But no, the only people who appreciated her greatness were her friends. Well, except Lacey.
Her pink-haired friend didn't even look at her anymore. When Vanessa asked her other friends why, they said she was hanging out with Candace now. And for whatever reason, that made Vanessa upset.
How could her best friend switch sides like that?
Candace came back to school two weeks later. Every time she tried to talk to the redhead she acted like she was invisible. And even worse, she and Lacey were basically attached at the hip. She had switched tables to be with Candace and was even laughing along with her girly jokes.
"I just don't get it." Vanessa said to her boyfriend that same day, "What did I do?"
"Forget her, babe. She doesn't matter. You have me, don't you?"
"I guess. But Johnny, she's my best friend."
"Apparently not. Now c'mon, let's bail." He grabbed her hand and dragged her into the hallway and against one of the beams.
Vanessa didn't even notice Candace's eyes on her as she left.
He lifted the goths chin up and leaned in to give her a "kiss," but she pushed him away.
"Johnny, not right now."
"But I'm trying to make you feel better." He defended, leaning in again.
"Johnny!" She yelped, silenced by his lips. She tried to push him off again, but he held a tight grip. In fact, he was holding her arms so tight he made scratches,
"Get the Hell away from her!" A voice shouted, blocking his path to Vanessa.
"Candace?" The goth asked, surprised.
"Candace…" Johny admired, "With you two here, I can have more of a variety."
He leaned into her, puckering his lips. Vanessa told her to run, but instead she stayed. Then out of the blue, she punched him in the face. He crashed to the ground and Candace stood over him, "Don't come near us again, asshole."
She turned to face Vanessa, "You okay?"
"Y-Yeah...what was...how did...wha…?"
Candace smiled, "I told you to be careful around that dipstick." She hugged the goth tight, which was slowly returned.
"Well." Candace said once they parted, "See you later."
"Candace!" Vanessa called, just as she was about to leave.
"Yeah?" She asked, turning around.
"I'm sorry. About everything."
"You should be." She said with a smile, "I'm sorry too."
"What could you possibly be sorry for?"
"Not agreeing to hang out with you." She said, walking closer to her, "It could've been fu-mmph!" Her words were silenced because suddenly Vanessa was kissing her.
And she kissed back.
"Took you long enough." Candace teased.
"So, what do we do now?" Vanessa asked.
"I think we should go hang out sometime soon."
"Oh please." The goth said, "It's a date."
The End.