Second chapter! Whoop whoop!

Warning: if you don't like Reinette being portrayed as the bad guy, don't read. Because, despite not having anything against Reinette personally, I always end up having her be a bitch. Sorry.

Age 14

"Reinette?" Rose asked incredulously. "You're going on a date with Reinette?"

John nodded gleefully. "I asked her and she said yes!"

Rose restrained the urge to snap that yeah, that was usually how asking someone on a date worked. She knew snapping wasn't going to help much in this situation. Still...

Luckily, Mickey interrupted her train of thought before she couldn't hold back her outburst anymore. "So it's official then," he put in. "The two of you are a thing? Like, together?"

"Suppose so," John replied, grinning widely. "It's not us hanging out in groups, sort of together but not really. It's one on one. Dinner and a movie. I can't wait!"

Mickey whooped, clapping John on the shoulder. Odd, as just yesterday Mickey kept giving him the cold shoulder... but that wasn't really all that important, Rose rationalized. Mickey was just being weird, as usual. Even if he was her boyfriend, she'd never understand him. Boys.

Instead, Rose frowned about something else. "So it doesn't bother you that..."

"That what?" John asked, blinking innocently.

Rose shook her head. "It's nothing."

Rose didn't like Reinette Poisson, not in the least. Sure, the French girl was smart, pretty, and talented. But that wasn't the issue. The issue was that she knew it, too. And that made her impossible.

Some, like Mickey, never got close enough to see beyond her impeccable manners and deceiving smile. Others flocked to her, content to stay in her shadow if it meant she didn't torment them as much. Everyone else basically consisted of Rose's group of friends and others like them, who had gotten in close enough to see Reinette as she truly was but were unwilingly to sacrifice their dignity in return for escaping her attentions. They saw the lovely, clever, skilled girl as nothing but a prideful bitch.

Unfortunately, John was actually blind to Reinette's shortcomings because he was never outshone by her. He was smarter, which meant she was simply wonderful to him. And he fell for it.

Rose hated to keep this from John, but badmouthing his girlfriend to his face was not the way to go about it. She may have best friend status, but even she wouldn't be able to get away with that.

Still, how could he not see that if you took one 'S' from Poisson, it spelled poison?

Reinette Poisson didn't get jealous often. Why would she? She was attractive, brilliant, and good at everything. Only John bested her by being a handsome genius who never got anything below an A. (Which was, of course, why they belonged together. Perfection seeks perfection!) Nothing Reinette did could ever be anything less than beautiful.

But when Reinette did get jealous, it got ugly fast.

"Rose Tyler," Reinette spat. "What makes her so special?"

"Nothing, Reinette," Laura hurried to say, hoping to placate the angry girl.

"Please stop talking, Lauren," Reinette said, sickly sweet. Her eyes flashed angrily.

"I-It's Laura."

"Same difference. And didn't I ask you to stop talking? Besides, my question was rhetorical." Reinette shook her head, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like, "Imbeciles." Then she continued, "I know that she isn't special. She lives on the estates, for God's sake! So I'm trying to figure out how she came to be so close to my boyfriend."

No one dared speak, for no one had a good answer.

Reinette stood up, brushing her hair daintily over one shoulder. "There's no point in bothing to ask any of you. Honestly. As if you'd know." She flounced away, leaving her floundering followers to sigh in relief. No one, not even her own personal entourage, really liked Reinette.

"I just don't get it," Rose said for the thousandth time. "Why her? Sure, she's pretty, and smart, and good at stuff. But why not someone nice? Someone who isn't possessive enough to, oh, I dunno, sacrifice all females who talk to him- including me- to Satan?"

Mickey groaned. "Sweetheart, we've been over this. She's pretty. He's a guy. She's smart and talented. He's John, practically the definition of smart and talented. They fit together."

"But she's a devil dressed like an angel, and he's my best friend! How on Earth does that make them fit?"

"Oi!" Mickey protested. "Best friend? What about me?"

Rose rolled her eyes and kissed him on the cheek, smirking despite her current state of irritation. "You're my boyfriend. It's different."

"It better be," Mickey grumbled. "I don't fancy sharing you with him."

"Okay, first off, it's not like you guys are sharing ownership of me," Rose growled. "And secondly, it's not like that between me and John. Besides, John is completely fine with us dating. You passed the best friend test."

"Would you have said no if he hadn't?" Mickey asked, only partially teasing. He actually looked slightly nervous. He knew how close Rose and John were...

"Of course not!" Rose declared. "He isn't my boss! I date who I want!"

"Now that's what and I like to hear," Mickey said with a relieved grin, pulling Rose into a bear hug. While she was in his arms, he added, "And don't worry about Reinette. We're only 14. If what you say about Reinette is true, John is bound to realize her true nature eventually."

"Yeah... I guess so," Rose replied, ignoring the urge to protest and simply burrowing deeper into Mickey's arms. After all, he was right. Reinette couldn't hide herself forever.

End of Part 2

Yay! Done! It's a bit shorter than the last one, though... Oh well.

So how was it? Good or bad? RFF and lemme know, kay?

Man, you guys rock.

The word of the day is SHERLOCK! Why, you ask? BE AUSE I'M WATCHING IT RIGHT NOW! BUH-BYE, SUCKERS!

Love ya! lulu