Fiona rushed down the hall, desperately trying to make it to her next class. She weaved in and out of waves of oncoming students, freshmen to seniors. She ran, coffee and books in hand, trying not to drop anything, which would surely make her late. 'Almost there,' she thought. The bell rang, sharp in her ear, catching her mid-stride. 'Go, go, go!' she thought, pushing herself to a sprint. Everything in her vision became a blur as she reached her maximum speed. She turned the last corner and saw a streak of blonde hair run across her vision before she crashed.
Warm liquid ran down Fiona's hand and shirt as her cup broke. The hall was suddenly filled with boys going "OOOOOOOH!" and giggling girls. She lifted her head to find a girl, dressed in a white (now with brown stains) scoop-neck T-shirt and a pink scarf, shaking coffee off of herself.
"OH MY…..god…" The girl looked up, her expression shifting from anger to awe. "Oh my god! Fiona Coyne?"
Fiona suddenly recognized the face in front of her as Paige Michalchuck AKA the queen bee of the school. "Paige, I'm so sorry! Please don't kill me!"
"It's ok! It's ok. It was an accident." Paige looked down at her shirt, and then at Fiona's. "We should probably get cleaned up. Come on." She motioned towards the bathroom, letting Fiona go ahead.
x
"I can't believe I spilled coffee on Paige Michalchuck."
Fiona and Paige stood at the sinks in the girls' bathroom, wiping their shirts with moist paper towels.
"I can't believe Fiona Coyne spilled coffee on me." Paige laughed. "I must be dreaming."
"I'm so sorry about that. Really."
Paige smiled. "Seriously. It's no big deal. I just wish I could get this coffee stain out." She began scrubbing the spot above her scarf harder.
"Here, try using cold water." Fiona ran her paper towel under the faucet and then turned back towards Paige. She reached for the spot high on Paige's shirt and pressed the paper towel down, gently rubbing the fabric. She felt the heat radiating from Paige's body, and it made her want to melt. She also noticed the soft skin of Paige's neck, and Fiona suddenly found herself wanting to touch it, to touch her.
Paige tensed slightly. She was nervous with Fiona so close, and she watched as the girl cleaned her shirt carefully. She began to see Fiona differently, as more than just the girl with the rich-and-famous Coyne surname. She began to see her as an ordinary high school girl, who was sweet, innocent, and beautiful. Paige had only dated one girl before, Alex, but she found herself wishing for another lesbian relationship.
Both girls looked up at the same time and their eyes met, blue to green. They stared at each other for just a second. Then, Fiona leaned in close to Paige, so close that she felt the heat off of her skin. Paige reduced the space between their lips to a centimeter, but Fiona stopped. Their moment was lost.
Fiona pulled back. "Uh, well, yeah. If you scrub that with cold water and some soap, it should come out," She hesitated for a second, then started for the door.
"Uh, wait!" Paige called. Fiona turned around. "Are you….you know?"
Fiona knew exactly what she meant. "Oh, yeah. Lesbian. But I have a girlfriend."
Paige was crushed.
"What about you?"
"Oh. Uh, bi. But…I'm…single." She barely got the last word out of her mouth. It felt like vomit.
"I should probably get to class." Fiona walked out the door, leaving Paige alone. She threw her paper towel away and then turned to look in the mirror. She sighed and thought, 'So much for that.' She took one last look, and then left.
