#I did also jerk off under the bridge and then piss on someone's flowers on the way home. gotta get those animal instincts out somehow right?

[neverendingford]

skyglow:

(alternative title: photo dump of a midnight desert run)

[itsbrindleybinch]

Is It Too Late?

Summary: The mystery of the wheeled box has been solved and opening night is approaching fast, but for some reason Francesca still won’t even look in Ajay’s direction. Skye and Erin hand out a few home truths.

Word Count: 2,003

Book: High School Story: Class Act

Pairing: Ajay & MC (Francesca)

Author Note: What’s got two thumbs and is pissed at Ajay? This girl. MC is owed a good apology, so I tried to write it. Also written for @kinda-iconic​‘s @choices-december-challenge​ Day 29 (New Beginnings). Just so all’s clear, my MC is Francesca, her twin is Leo and my OG MC is Felicity.

Ajay was feeling quite optimistic when he headed to lunch. The nasty business around Felicity’s fall had been resolved the evening before and even though the repercussions would been hours upon hours of extra work for the cast and crew, everyone was committed to making sure that the play went well. Some people’s determination may have come out of righteous indignation, others out of spite, but Ajay didn’t really care either way provided they managed to pull the production together in time.

To make things even better, now that everything had been solved, Francesca would be allowed back at the lunch table. The break had taken on a very sombre air recently and it would be good to have someone back who could at least be relied upon for entertaining conversation.

Taking his seat, Ajay lent half an ear to the chatter around him, but was mostly focused on the cafeteria door, glancing up every time he saw it swing open out of the corner of his eye.

Ten minutes passed.

Twenty.

Frowning, Ajay turned to the group, interrupting their conversation.

“Where’s… Erin?”

Clint looked away. Natalie looked sheepish.

“Outside,” she mumbled.

“What? Why?” It wasn’t as though it was a particularly warm day.

“Francesca doesn’t want to sit here,” Clint piped up. He hesitated. “Is it true she’s dropping out of the play?”

Ajay went cold. “What?” he spluttered. “Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous! Why would you think that?”

“Just something Skye said,” Clint mumbled.

“Which was?”

Natalie glanced between them. “That… Francesca didn’t owe anyone anything and would be a lot happier if she didn’t have to do something that she spent every day dreading.”

Ajay blinked, opening and closing his mouth for a couple of seconds. “Well,” he said eventually, “Obviously now everything’s I the open, that won’t be a problem.”

That seemed to satisfy Clint and Natalie, but Ajay couldn’t help but glance out of the window to where, sure enough, the three girls were huddled around a table  at the far end of the quad. He watched them for a moment, a knot forming in his stomach. They shouldn’t have been there. Everything was resolved. Francesca was allowed back. Perhaps she didn’t realise. He’d have a word with her after the rehearsal, make sure she knew that everything was okay again.

Satisfied, Ajay went back to his lunch. They’d have a good talk and things would be back to the way they were before.

***

The rehearsal had gone well. The unpleasantness seemed to have put a fire under everyone and scenes were moving seamlessly.

Ajay smiled as they finished up and nodded, making a small note on his script. “Good job today, everyone. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He glanced up as most of the cast filed out of the auditorium, smiling when his eyes landed on Francesca helping to clear away. “Francesca, could you stay behind for a few minutes?”

She started, dropping the prop dagger she had been holding. He watched her look to Erin, who gave her an encouraging smile before Francesca took a deep breath and finally turned to him.

“Did you want to talk about lines?” There was a slight tremor in her voice and she wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“I… No.”

“Blocking? Delivery?”

“No, you’re doing great, it’s –”

“I can’t stay behind.” Francesca turned away, hurrying to pack the last few things away while Ajay stared at her in astonishment.

“It’ll only take –”

“I can’t stay behind!” Francesca practically ran from the stage, snatching up her bag as she rushed past Ajay and out of the room.

Ajay gaped at the door as though any second now Francesca was going to come back though it with that disarming smile of hers, teasing him.

 “Good for her.”

Ajay’s head snapped around to see Skye looking at the door with something close to admiration on her face.

“Excuse me?” Ajay spluttered, indignant.

“Oh come on.” Erin stuck her head out from the wings. “You didn’t really expect anything else, did you?”

Ajay stared. “Wh- What do you mean?”

Skye let out a snort and turned away to fiddle with a light fixture. Erin stepped out onto the stage and fixed Ajay with a hard stare. He felt his cheeks flush.

“Ajay.” When Erin finally spoke, her tone was icy. “Have you actually apologised to Francesca?”

“For what?”

Skye rounded on him. “Are you kidding?!” she yelled, eyes ablaze.

Ajay flinched and shrank back in his seat. “Erm…” He fidgeted with his pen, avoiding their eyes. His mind was racing. “I…”

“Do you have any idea how upset she’s been?!” Skye clenched her fists, still glaring at him. “She was in tears!”

“W- What?” Ajay glanced at Erin, panicked.

“Every day.” Erin’s voice was quieter than Skye’s, but no less furious. “She was devastated that people she’d though were her friends could think she’d hurt someone deliberately like that.”

“But…” Ajay protested feebly, “Everyone knows now that –”

“Only after you all spent ages bullying her and accused her of doing it!” Skye cut in. “When anyone who’s spent five minutes in the same room as her knows she’d be as likely to do that as swim on Neptune!”

It felt as though someone had tipped a bath of ice water over Ajay’s head.

“Sh- She…”

“She had most of her friends turn on her for something she didn’t do.” Erin narrowed her eyes. “But she was most hurt that you did.”

“I…” Ajay swallowed. Oh god. Oh god, what had he done? “I had to be… neutral…”

“You weren’t neutral,” Erin snapped. “You said you thought she could have done it and then stepped back and watched the rest of them treat her like that.”

He stared at the two of them in horror.

No… He felt his throat go dry. Francesca… Francesca had been pushed out and… he had let it happen. He had helped it happen. Ajay hung his head, his breathing going shaky. Of course Francesca couldn’t have done it. He had known that and still the whole group had accused her. And he had… made it worse.

“Oh god,” he whispered, slumping over with his head in his hands. The thought of Francesca upset because of that… crying because of that… Ajay bit his lip, his stomach rolling. Oh, Francesca…

“She deserves you being a better friend to her than you have been,” Skye muttered.

Ajay swallowed thickly and nodded, not having the courage to look up. “Yes… Yes, I…” His voice was a little hoarse. “I need to…”

“Apologise,” Erin finished.

***

“Ajay.”

“Leo.”

Francesca’s twin blew a lock of hair out of his eyes and made no move to step back from the doorway.

“Erm…” Ajay looked away.  “Is Francesca in?”

“Yes.”

“May I… see her?”

“No.”

“… I see.”

Leo raised an eyebrow.

Ajay swallowed and held out the bag he’d been carrying. “Right. Well. Could you give her these then, please?” Should have put in a note too. Idiot.

Leo peered in the bag and pulled out the bunch of wildflowers. Ajay felt himself blush furiously, but was saved from Leo’s inevitable comment by a movement behind him. Francesca appeared in the hallway, her blonde hair loose around her face and her large, forest green sweater falling off one shoulder. When she spotted Ajay, her eyes widened and she let out a terrified squeak before running upstairs.

“Brilliant,” Leo muttered under his breath. “You,” he said to Ajay, “Stay there. I haven’t finished yet.” Before Ajay could respond, the door closed in his face.

Sighing, Ajay leaned against the wall and pinched the bridge of his nose. The expression on Francesca’s face when she had seen him… What kind of horrible person was he to make her feel like that?

***

It was a long while before the door opened again. This time, Leo stepped to one side and jerked his head towards the stairs.

Ajay wasn’t foolish enough to question it. He scrambled up to head inside and followed Leo upstairs  to a door marked Cesca’s Room and with a handwritten sign underneath saying Learning Lines – Keep Out!

Leo pushed the door open and Ajay caught a glimpse of Francesca showing something yellow and fluffy under her pillow before turning to them, her cheeks pink.

“Oh… hi…” She bit her lip, fidgeting with her fingers and looking down at the rug.

“Hi…” Ajay hesitated, then stepped forward into the room. The flowers lay across the bed and as he watched, Francesca picked them up and lightly ran her thumb along  one petal before sitting down, her gaze still fixed on the floor.

Ajay swallowed and ran a hand through his hair. Up close he could see the dark circles under Francesca’s eyes all too easily, could see the faint trembling of her hands. He took a few deep breaths.

 “Francesca, I’m so sorry.” His voice cracked. “I’m so… so sorry.” He took in a shaky breath. “Of course you wouldn’t… It was ridiculous to… I should have…”

“I thought you knew me better than that,” she whispered. “I thought you of all people knew me better than that.”

“I’m so sorry,” he mumbled. The sick feeling in his stomach was back. “You’re right, I… You would never.” He rubbed his eyes, trying to stop them from stinging. “You’re king and sweet and gentle and naïve and only an idiot could ever even consider that you would do that.” He sighed. “And I’m an idiot because I considered it. I just… wanted to…” No. No, this was not the time for that .”I should have been a better director. And a much better friend.”

When he glanced up, Francesca was blinking rapidly and she lifted a hand to wipe at her eyes.

“Thank you for coming over,” she mumbled. “And for the flowers. They’re…” She hiccupped quietly. “They’re lovely.”

“Like you.” The words slipped out before Ajay could stop them. He flushed. “Sorry, I… I just meant… You’re good, Francesca. You’re so much better than so many people and I… I really messed up. I really, really messed up. But I won’t again. I’ll always support you and I’ll come after anyone terrible enough to make you cry. Myself included.”

There was a pause, then a flurry of movement.

“Oof!” Francesca collided with him and Ajay steadied himself quickly, clutching her to him as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She was trembling and clung to him as she let out a strangled sob. “I’m sorry…” Ajay buried his face in her hair, cupping the back of her head as he wrapped his other arm tightly around her. “Francesca…”

“I know,” she mumbled into his chest. “But I’m going to need a bit of time before… y’know… it’s how it was.”

“Understandable,” he whispered. “We were terrible to you.”

“You weren’t the worst.” She squeezed him around the middle. “Just the one that hurt most.”

“Oh…”

“I meant… Only because I liked you most.”

Ajay stroked her hair and sighed. “I can’t think why,” he mumbled. He hesitated. “I like you the most too.”

Francesca nuzzled into his chest and Ajay took a deep breath, trying to stop his heart from racing by sheer willpower. He swayed her gently where they stood and slowly, gradually, he felt her stop shivering.

“Do you want to stay for dinner?”

Ajay glanced down at her. “That sounds… dangerous.”

“It is. Leo’s furious with you.”

“More so than Erin and Skye?”

She looked up at him and gave him a tentative smile. “Less terrifying. I’m glad I had them in my corner.”

“I’m glad you did, too. They… didn’t give me an easy time.”

“Pity I wasn’t there to see it.” She rested her head against his chest, face turned up towards his. “Fresh slate?”

“That is… more than I deserve.”

“Aren’t you lucky that I like you then.”

Ajay flushed and smiled fondly down at her. “Very lucky,” he murmured. “The luckiest in the world.”