Chapter Text
The smell of cheap vodka and weed wafted through the air, the staple of any good college party. Of course, Regina would have prefered to spend her Friday night somewhere that her designer shoes didn't stick to the floor, but Karen had heard her newest crush was throwing a house party. So that's where they went.
After the 'incident'-as people had began to call it- at North Shore, The Plastics had split up for the remainder of high school. It was only when they all somehow found themselves at the same college that they reunited. Naturally, things were tense at first- it was hard for them to trust anybody after everything that had happened, but especially the people that they were surrounded by whenever it all happened- but over time, they begin to remember why they had gravitated towards one another in the beginning. Their power had always been something to be admired, it was just their dynamic that needed a little work.
After reuniting, they naturally fell back into their old positions within the group- Regina being the leader, Gretchen gathering knowledge about everyone and everything, and Karen being unwaveringly supportive of the other two- but while that stayed the same, other things had shifted. Regina no longer told the other girls what they could and couldn't do, if she every tried, Gretchen and Karen no longer would have listened, and overall, they were all trying to be better people. To each other, at least.
College was different than high school, they had discovered that quickly. Popularity was no longer measured in the same way that it had been in their younger days, and even then, most people paid no attention to any sort of hierarchy. At least not externally.
There are three things that are certain in this life: birth, death, and the innate, primal need to be liked. History has been nothing but popularity contest after popularity contest, showing time and time again what happens to those who aren't liked. Those who claim not to care about being liked are just lying to cope with the fact that they know it's never going to happen. Those who care, those who will do anything to make it happen, those are the people who they write the history books about.
While people no longer shivered when accidentally making eye contact with Regina, it was undeniable the effect that the trio still had. They walked down the sidewalk? People parted like the Red Sea. It was raining after class? Boys would offer their umbrellas just to keep them dry. Regina wore a baby tee with a bitchy saying on it to the bar? The next weekend, all of the girls would have the same one.
It was a ripple effect, the same way it had always been, just without the fear.
Most of the time.
No amount of lacrosse could have taken away all of Regina's anger, and sometimes it just slipped out. Like that night.
Gretchen had recently been assigned a new lab partner in her biology class and after just one class together, she had sworn to the other girls that he might be the one for her. It was ridiculous, and the old Regina would not have hesitated for even a second to tell Gretchen that, but the new Regina had just smiled and nodded through the whole story. She knew that Gretchen would be over him and have a new crush within a week, but she wanted to be supportive. That's how she ended up in a house that belonged to somebody she didn't know surrounded by even more people that she didn't know.
As soon as the three had walked through the doors, Gretchen had gone to try and find the sole reason they were there- she had really found her own independence in her time away from Regina- leaving Regina and Karen alone. The two had promptly found the alcohol, taking a couple shots each of whatever vodka was left, just before Karen found some guy to make out with. The blonde always found herself getting a little slutty after any amount of alcohol, and while calling her a whore was on the tip of Regina's tongue, she managed to bite it back. Something that would have been impossible two years prior.
Still, she rolled her eyes before grabbing a seltzer and pushing her way deeper into the party. She felt eyes on her from all angles, but after so many years of practice, she didn't even flinch. Instead, she just tossed her perfectly straight hair over her shoulder and followed the sound of music. A sound that ultimately led her outside and into a shitty garage.
She felt her eyes roll again involuntarily. Of course this shitty party would have a shitty band playing shitty music in some shitty garage.
She stood at the back of the small crowd, contemplating asking one of the guys standing around to get her another shot-something that she was sure any of them would say yes to- whenever the people in front of her moved, giving her her first real look at the 'band'
As she suspected, they all looked like people she would have relentlessly bullied in high school. Hell, they looked like people she still would not have been nice to then. Wannabe punk rockers who wouldn't ever make it past being gas station workers. Dressed in black, messy hair, eyeliner. Smudged eyeliner at that.
Of course, that last part was mostly about the drummer, the band member directly in front of the girl, the one who she could see the clearest. His hair was unkept, but whether it was intentional or not was a mystery to her. She decided it would have been a miracle if he had graduated high school, and she was halfway through a thought about how he probably sold weed out of his parent's basement whenever he looked over at her for the first time. As their eyes met, his movements halted for a moment, seemingly forgetting what he was doing. When he did remember where he was, he couldn't seem to find the rhythm, causing Regina to roll her eyes for the third time in only a matter of minutes.
Rodrick wasn't really sure what had happened. He never messed up, at least not like that, especially at gigs. But there was something about the blonde girl who stood at the back of the crowd that had mesmerized him as soon as their eyes met. Maybe it was the seemingly miles and miles of smooth, long legs beneath her mini skirt, maybe it was the way he was sure that her picture was under the word 'perfect' in the dictionary, or maybe it was the way that she looked at him like he was worthless. The way that her expression read that she was less than impressed, that he was sure she wouldn't cared if he lived or died. How she rolled her eyes like just looking at him was an inconvienence. In that instant, he knew that he needed to know every detail about her.
But that would have to wait. He still had a set that needed finished. By the way his friends had looked at him when he messed up, he knew it had been as bad as he imagined it, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. He would take all of his friends bitching at him later if it meant getting to look at the mystery blonde for even a second longer. He blinked for just a second to get himself back on track, but by the time he tried to find her again, she had vanished. His eyes searched frantically through the crowd, but there was no sign of the blonde hair that had stood in front of him seconds before. So he focused on getting through the set.
This gig had been on the calendar for months, one that him and the whole band had been looking forward to anxiously. Truth be told, it was one of their only gigs, but they were sure that it would be the gateway to something bigger. Of course that's what they had said about the last one. And the one before that. Still, they all remained optimistic, sure their time was coming.
Rodrick was considering then that maybe this gig was a gateway into finding a girl who he would do anything for instead of a career. And he couldn't even be mad about it.
As soon as the last chord was played, as soon as the music died down, he was standing off the stool and shoving his drumsticks into his back pocket. His band mates called after him, but he didn't care. Too determined to find her to care about what they had to say.
After searching inside the small house, he began to grow frustrated that he couldn't find her. He had even gotten a cup of beer to drown his sorrows in, giving up hope that he would find her. It was only when he turned to walk back to the garage that he saw the familiar glint of blonde hair.
Unfortunately, he hadn't seen her in time to stop the turning motion, thus he ran right into her, spilling the entire cup of beer down her shirt.
"Shit- sorry," Was the first thing he could think of to say, dropping to the floor without a second thought to retrieve the cup.
The girl still hadn't spoken, frozen in place like she couldn't believe what just had happened. Her gaze pierced through him, eyes so intense that he couldn't help but shiver.
Standing, he grabbed a couple of napkins from the table, "Here, lemme help," He mumbled, reaching towards her to try and sop up some of the liquid dripping down her body. Before he could get close enough to touch, she reached out and caught his wrist.
"Don't," Was all she said, voice as icy as her eyes had been. Rodrick knew just from that word that he would have done anything for her.
Reaching for her own napkin, Regina glared back at the boy in front of her, "Didn't your mommy ever teach you not to stare?" She barked out, and he realized that he was suddenly jealous of all of the surfaces that she had ever stood on, wishing that he could be the floor beneath her feet.
"Uh, she did," Rodrick answered stupidly, shoving his hands in the pockets of his too tight jeans, leaning on the table, "But she didn't tell me what to do when there was a goddess in front of me"
Regina was obviously not impressed, rolling her eyes instead of responding
Still, Rodrick waited for her to say something.
She never did, instead turning to walk away from him.
"So listen," Rodrick said, following her, "I really am sorry about the beer, let me make it up to you. Let me take you-"
"No," Regina cut him off, never turning to look at him again. She found Karen and Gretchen together, the latter with tears gathered in her eyes.
It was a clear sign that her night had not gone the way she wanted- the way Regina knew it wouldn't- but she didn't say that.
"Let's go," She said to her friends, ignoring the man's presence still behind her, "This party blows"
Agreeing, the other two stood, leading their way to the front door
.
"Just one date," Rodrick tried one more time, leaning on the door frame once the first two girls had cleared it.
Regina continued to walk, still not looking back, "I don't date losers who didn't graduate high school," Were her parting words, following her friends, disappearing into the dark night.
"I did," Rodrick called after her, watching until her blonde hair vanished into the night, "Barely," He muttered to himself once she was out of his sight.
Shaking his head, he headed to grab another drink before going back to the garage to reunite with the other members of the band, ignoring their jabs at his screw up from before.
Their words fell on deaf ears, Rodrick replaying the short interaction over and over in his mind. The way she had looked at him like he didn't matter. How her fingers had felt wrapped around his wrist. The fact that she was entirely unimpressed with him.
He didn't even know her name, but by the time later that night that he had finally found his bed, he had come to two realizations: She absolutely hated him, and he would follow her until the end of the Earth.