Life and Times of Libby Chessler
A/N: I know I have, like, two other stories to work on, but this idea just came to me (don't ask me why – I haven't watched Sabrina in weeks) and now I have to get it out of my system. It's primarily a one-shot (my very first one!), but if my muse or reviews persuade me I might turn it into a story.
P.S.: It's slightly AU, Sabrina's first day at Westbridge High was the actual first day, not the first day after she's allowed to turn back time.
Libby Chessler glared with pure hatred at the newspaper in front of her. How could this be? She just didn't get it. After all of her meddling, Sabrina Spellman was still living a happy, fulfilling life.
The wedding announcement on the page she was holding was proof of that. The black and white photograph showed the, ugh, beautiful couple beaming at each other. It made Libby sick to look Sabrina Spellman and Harvey Kinkle with their arms wrapped around each other, her with her head on his neck. The picture had clearly been taken at some sort of formal party. Sabrina was wearing a light-colored, sleeveless dress and, unfortunately, looked better than she had in high school. Harvey had on a suit with a black tie. Libby practically drooled – he was, and still is, so incredibly handsome. She could practically imagine running her fingers through his thick, smooth sandy-brown hair…
The twenty-six-year-old woman quickly shook her head, causing a few strands of her dark black hair to fall in her face. Stop thinking about it! Move on with your life! But a part of her just couldn't let her high school years go. She had never been able to forget the face of Harvey Kinkle. He had made a permanent impression on her heart. One that caused her, on occasion, to think that if Sabrina Spellman hadn't stepped into the picture, he would have been hers.
That statement was true enough. Libby had flirted shamelessly with Harvey all through freshman year. A few times he had flirted back, seemingly without knowing he was doing it. That just made him all the more irresistible. He wasn't like the other guys she dated. He was shy, self-conscious, trusting – the perfect yin to her yang. Libby knew that if they had kept this game going a little bit longer, she would have won. But Sabrina intercepted and claimed the prize for herself. Which in itself wasn't fair. Libby had worked hard for Harvey's attention. All Sabrina had to do was smile at him through a stupid classroom window…
Libby remembered Sabrina's first day at Westbridge High like it was yesterday. The little airhead had bounced into the Chemistry lab, and had almost snagged Harvey as her partner for the class. Luckily, Libby was able to ask before the question could escape the other girl's lips. It was just as well. At least with her Harvey could actually do the experiment and not have to deal with a live frog. Of which Libby had been naturally suspicious. That frog had been dead – in the few moments that she was at their table, it wasn't breathing. Her confusion of the days' events was only furthered when she physically couldn't apply her lipstick right and somehow ended up in the Spellman kitchen, smelling like Hawaii.
The crinkle of the newspaper broke through Libby's reverie and forced her attention back to it. Upon looking down, she realized the source of the noise was the clenching of her fists. They were so tight that her perfectly-manicured nails had punctured the thin paper. Taking a slow, deep breath, she shifted her focus back to the wedding announcement. "Ms. Sabrina J. Spellman, well-known journalist of Newsday, to wed Mr. Harvey D. Kinkle, CEO of Back on Track, a chain of automobile repair shops." Libby paused, her jealousy once again showing its ugly head. It wasn't fair. How could Sabrina be quickly becoming one of the best writers in her field, while Libby's own beauty salon chain was going down the tubes?
She was even jealous of Harvey. While not as well off as his, ugh, future wife, Libby could sense that he was happy with his job. And he was bound to be making a decent salary. She herself saw a Back On Track everywhere she went. She also saw one of Sabrina's articles in almost every issue of Newsday.
I still don't get it, Libby thought for the hundredth time. She had done everything in her power to make Sabrina Spellman's life miserable. From the day they met, Libby had branded her a freak and banished her from the popular girls' bathroom. Yet even though she had made Sabrina's life a living hell, whether through outright verbal abuse or underhanded tactics, the girl persevered and still came out ahead in life.
And Libby had tried many underhanded tactics. Her father was a multi-millionaire, thanks to his being a partner in a prestigious law firm, so she had limitless funds for her schemes. The best part was, he had unwisely trusted her with his account numbers – he never had to know. Because of this, Libby had been able to play Fate in Sabrina's life. The obsession had started a few months into their sophomore year. Libby was sick and tired of Sabrina Spellman ruining her life (she had to laugh – more likely than not, Sabrina probably thought the same thing about her), so she decided to fight back.
First, there was Jennifer Kelly, a.k.a Jenny. Libby realized that the flaky brunette was part of Sabrina's support system that kept her going. As a result, Jenny had to go. Libby had learned early in life that the worst feeling a person could have was loneliness, and it's exactly what the perky blond deserved. Now, she wasn't desperate or stupid enough to commit murder, though the thought had entered her mind. There had to be some sneaky, unsuspecting way to get Jenny away from Sabrina. The solution had come simple enough. Through a hired detective, Libby learned that Jenny was considering going to some fancy school in England. All Libby did was send her a full-time "scholarship," and, bam, the girl was off. Libby thoroughly enjoyed watching Sabrina in school, depressed over her lost friend. However, it was a major disappointment when she quickly regrouped herself and acted like the entire incident never happened.
Libby soon understood that Sabrina's ability to move on had only been possible because Harvey had been there. And, at the time, they were (it pained Libby to say it) a couple. She had been subjected to watching Harvey frequently kissing Sabrina, especially since the girl was now so depressed. Those kisses hadn't been make out sessions. No, Harvey wasn't the type. But just those little pecks on the cheek had been enough to drive Libby insane with jealousy. Finally, a few months after they started dating, she decided that something had to be done. Even if it meant breaking her own heart.
However, Harvey was saved when Valerie Birkhead quickly became Sabrina's new best friend. This made Libby even angrier. How is it that this girl can have so many best friends? A new shade of jealousy had crept into Libby's mind – jealousy of friends. Oh, sure, she herself was the most popular girl in school. But what was being popular if her "best friends" didn't give a crap about her? The phrase "quality, not quantity" became the center of her desire. She wanted friends who called you when you were absent from school or didn't desert you when a new boy came along. Sabrina Spellman had friends like those. She didn't, and it drove her nuts.
That's why she had been so focused and determined to get rid of Valerie. Sabrina had a loving boyfriend and a true-blue best friend – she had to be stopped before she stole Libby's popularity too. Unfortunately, Valerie hadn't been considering going to some far away school, so this time Libby had to concentrate a little bit harder. Opportunity had come knocking when her father casually mentioned that his law firm was sponsoring an expedition to Alaska, in which many scientists would be observing its ecosystem. Remembering that Valerie's father was a marine biologist, Libby easily conned her father into convincing the head of the project to hire Mr. Birkhead. She celebrated when she overheard Valerie telling Sabrina, through a river of tears, that she was moving to Alaska and wouldn't know when, if, she was coming back. It was perfect. Sabrina had been closer to Valerie than Jenny – the desperate brunette worshipped the ground Sabrina walked on, needed her to solve every problem. As a result, her mourning period was much longer.
The next few weeks at school had been bliss. At the time Valerie had left for Alaska, Harvey and Sabrina had been broken up for about a year. Libby never understood exactly why they had broken up. Everybody speculated about it – the cutest couple in school no longer? However, nothing was ever revealed, and it eventually became old news, just like everything else. She herself hadn't cared. At the time, she had been solely concentrating on destroying Sabrina's life, and didn't have time to work on Harvey. Now that Valerie was gone, however, she could make Harvey hers.
But again she was denied her desires. Little did she know, her father had noticed several thousand dollars missing. After some research, he had uncovered the reasons for Libby's raid of his account. Well, he hadn't known exactly why, but over $100,000 had been paid to one of the best schools in England. When he later demanded an explanation, Libby had just brushed him off. Instead of retaliating, he went to find out more information on his daughter's life. When he learned that she was barely scraping by with a D average and going out on frequent, expensive shopping trips, he was enraged. Enraged enough to send Libby to boarding school in England – the same place that she had sent Jenny.
At first when her father broke the news, Libby thought he was kidding. She had laughed, but when he turned serious, she had desperately turned toward her mother. She had only solemnly nodded her head – Mrs. Chessler had always been one of those wives who had no opinion of their own. Libby had kicked, and screamed, and thrown things. She had shouted every reason why she should stay in Westbridge – her "friends," Harvey, she was going to be a senior this year (all those years of sucking up to Mr. Kraft were finally going to pay off). And, inwardly, her obsession with Sabrina Spellman. If she went away, she wouldn't be able to keep an eye on her, to call her "freak" and "nerd" at every opportunity. To try and burst the perfect bubble of a life that the girl lived in.
A/N: Ok, one-shots are supposed to be one chapter, but it's getting really long so I jut wanted to post what I have. Call this Part One. And, I know, it's basically me rambling on about Libby, but once I got started I couldn't stop. There's so many possibilities! Anyway, R&R and tell me what you think.