fic: you're always made up, 2/3
Info and disclaimer in Part I.
Poppy made a face and reached over Kate to spin the volume down, ending the torture that was heavy metal screamo.
"God, that’s terrible." Poppy laughed, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "But I wouldn’t be surprised if the matron liked it."
"Let’s hope not." Kate flicked the stop button and the tape slid out of the retro boombox. "Otherwise this prank is pointless." She handed the tape to Poppy, who hastily scribbled "mood music" in flowing letters across the front. Poppy stood, smoothing out her skirt, and offered Kate a hand, pulling her up a little too close, a little too carefully.
Kate was kind of blushing, which she found kind of ridiculous.
"Come on, let’s go before someone catches us." Kate said, glancing around the dusty storage room. They were circled by dented tubas and frayed lacrosse sticks, and the shelves climbing the walls held boxy computers and old uniforms.
"Like anyone comes back here." Poppy commented, looking back at the footprints they had left in the dust. She let Kate pick her way through the Abbey Mount debris and out into the hallway.
They hesitated by the door, looking up and down the corridor for anyone who could get them in trouble. Squares of light reflected along the bare, dark wood floors but there was no one there and Kate stepped out. Poppy had paused and Kate pulled the door closed behind her before turning to meet the girl’s eyes. She lifted an eyebrow.
"Girls!" The voice, distinctly female and as prim as it was proper, chased them down the corridor. Poppy, tape clutched in her hand, shot one glance at Kate, grinned, and took off down the hall in her two-inch heels. She heard Kate’s laughter behind her and then echoing footsteps that followed her out the side door and around the building, dodging hedges and brick corners, the teacher’s voice fading behind them. Her heel stuck once in almost dried mud and she flailed before Kate's quick hand steadied her. It lingered, the almost press of three fingers, against the small of her back. Poppy flushed, then reminded herself that it was from the running.
They crept around the last corner, Poppy moving slowly, the tape held like a handgun in her fingers. She glanced back at Kate and tilted her head toward the car. Curling her fingers into a fist, she pulled her arm down, twisted it around, fluttered her fingers.
"Hold on." Kate said, laughing. Tucking her hand into Poppy’s elbow, she tugged the girl closer and pulled her back around the corner. Poppy thought, for a blurry half-moment, that maybe she should stop her momentum but the whirl of hair across her face distracted her and then she was pressed up against Kate pressed up against a thick brick wall. Giggling and inches from Kate’s face, Poppy dimly registered that the other girl had stopped breathing. Without thinking, without dimming the smile on her face, Poppy slid her fingers around Kate’s neck and into blonde hair and kissed her. She tasted like apples and a vague sense of English chill.
She was a bolt of electricity. Thrumming from her Jennifer Behr headband down to her Prada pumps, kissing a girl in sunny-for-England weather with her heart thundering. She was trembling and Kate’s tongue was against her lips and the air was damp. She pulled away, gasping for breath. Her fingers were tangled in Kate’s loose hair. Kate’s eyes were wide and her lips were flushed pink and a leftover giggle escaped Poppy’s mouth.
Kate moved forward, tilted her head down, seemed to reconsider her move, and licked her lips nervously, frozen. Poppy finally caught her breath. She smiled brazenly, blushing, her heart still pounding.
"Come on." She said, her voice catching in the back of her throat. Her hand found Kate’s and she bent to scoop up the tape from the grass. She started sprinting, kind of desperately hoping Kate would follow. The car loomed ahead, thrilling and black and promising. Poppy curled her fingers between Kate’s.
/\/\/
Outside, rain drizzled gently across the campus greens. Water caught on the ornate corners of the building and pooled in the tin gutters, sending a steady stream down one red brick wall. The mist was thick and it curled over half-hidden hills, drifting up into water-laden trees and outlining thick bushes.
Poppy was slowly- so slowly- beginning to see the appeal.
Inside, the lights were off and rain drenched grey light reflected dully on the wood floors. Rain droplets splattered against the window and shot down the glass in complex arrangements, sending distracting shadows along Poppy’s desk. Kate sat beside her, blonde hair soft under the dim light, racing raindrops shadowed against her check.
Poppy was quickly- too quickly- beginning to see the appeal.
A haphazardly folded piece of paper landed on Poppy’s desk and she pushed it onto her lap quickly, then covered it with her hand. Slowly, she unfolded it and smoothed the creases.
Any ideas for the next trick?
The words were scribbled in Kate’s handwriting and Poppy looked over at the girl. She was looking straight ahead, chin resting in her hand, and Poppy stared a little longer than was polite. Finally, she glanced back down at the paper.
I dunno. We’ve tried everything.
She folded it quickly it tossed it under Kate’s elbow. The other girl jumped and glanced down. Poppy giggled. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Kate hurriedly scribbled something back.
Well, the dance is Friday night…
Kate’s eyes followed the frown on Poppy’s face. She was more prepared when the paper flew back into her lap and she unfolded it quickly.
So?
Kate hesitated, then picked her pen back. She paused, again, put finally pressed the tip between the lines.
Are you going to try it with Freddie?
There was a long wait for the return note and Kate chewed at her lip, resolutely staring forward. She hadn’t forgotten their- well, their kiss, outside pressed up against the main building and the way Poppy’s fingers had felt in her hair. But that didn’t mean things had changed the way she wanted them to; she’d promised Poppy she’d help her get expelled.
Do I have to?
Poppy watched Kate smirk at the words on the paper and the significantly shorter wait between notes. The paper landed back in her lap within seconds.
Aw, he’s cute.
Poppy frowned a little and bit the edge of her pen. She remembered, with startling clarity, the way Kate felt pressed against her, the intoxicating feeling of having her too close.
Yeah, but he’s not quite my type.
Kate was debating the benefits of relentless honesty compared to easy banter when the bell saved her. She sighed, relieved, and crumpled the note in her hand.
"It might be your only chance, Poppy." Kate said, gathering her books in her arms and swinging her bag onto her shoulder. Poppy slid her purse onto her arm and started down the aisle, but turned her head back to Kate.
"Do you really want me to hook up with him?" Poppy asked, the surprise evident in her voice, the hurt hidden. Kate didn’t know how to answer. No, she didn’t want them to hook up. She wanted Poppy to smile every once in a while and she couldn’t see that happening in a dreary boarding school. Freddie seemed to be the only way out.
"I want you to get what you want." Kate replied honestly. Poppy turned to her, long blonde hair swaying gently. She regarded Kate for a long moment, eyes a little wide, but finally blinked and turned away. Kate watched her walk out the classroom door and hesitated, shifting on her feet.
\/\/\/
The bus ride into town gave Poppy a sore butt and lots of good laughs, even if it rained for half the trip and jolted passengers out of their seats on every pothole. Poppy swung off the back of the platform and waited for Kate to catch up with her. Josie and Drippy trailed behind, trying to help Camilla find her phone in the small wreck that was her purse. They were looking for clothes for the dance and Poppy let herself get excited over the prospect, even if it’s aims were kind of convoluted.
They stopped in front of a dubious looking store and Poppy was pulled inside unwillingly, her muddied shoes tracking a bit of dirt into the shop. She was, unfortunately, kind of glad that she had been forced to wear a hideous yellow, puppy-dog-covered sweater into town because it was drizzling again, gray and slimy. She ran her fingers up through her hair, dislodging a few water droplets. She smiled when Kate brushed them off her shoulder.
When she turned back to look around the shop, her smile disappeared. It was awful. Her eyes widened in horrified surprise and she quickly stepped up to the closest rack. Crap, old, gross, hairy, ohmygod the stains. She wrinkled her nose and turned to the next shelf, which proved to be no better. The aisle across from it was slightly worse. Sighing, she turned to the girls.
"Well, let’s get to work." She decided. They shopped quickly and carelessly, shifting through puffy skirts and matching dresses, through floral prints and cheetah pants, until they managed to put together some semblance of an outfit and then moved on to the next.
"It needs…jewelry." Poppy decided, tilting her head to examine Charlotte’s simple dress. "Here." She held out a soft skirt in a slightly loud orange color. "Try this on and I’ll find some." She turned and stepped around a pile of discarded clothes, heading to the side of the shop.
"Where are you going?" Poppy glanced back to see Kate a few feet behind her, tying up the back of her shirt. It hung short over her bare legs, leaving miles and miles of skin, barely brushing her thighs. Poppy turned around and swallowed.
"To find Charlotte a necklace, want to help?"
"Yeah." Kate answered, and Poppy listened as her bare feet padded along behind. Shelves tilted dangerously over the aisles and Poppy found her way through them and into a small corner near a flight of rickety stairs. Chunky necklaces hung from a plastic tree and rings filled bins along the wall. Poppy glanced up at the soft red light that lit up the tiny corner.
Kate walked to the shelf and picked up a misshapen duck, fiddling nervously with it. She ran her fingers along the bright yellow wings. The rest of the group chattered loudly across the shop, their voices muted by distance and bad fashion. Poppy reached in one of the bins and pulled out a huge, dark blue circle.
"That’s adorable." Kate said dryly, but she set the duck down and lifted her hand obligingly. It was good six sizes too big and Poppy laughed when it wobbled off Kate’s finger and clattered to the ground, some of the nervous tension dissipating.
"Here, try this." She said, and pulled a thick red cloth necklace off the tree. She wound it through her fingers and moved toward Kate, who tilted her head down. Carefully, she lifted it over Kate’s hair and onto her neck. Her hands lingered there and she slowly pulled Kate closer until their foreheads were pressed together softly. Until their breath mingled and their noses almost brushed, the walls of their tiny nook closing in.
"Freddie…" Poppy started, but the sound died out and she felt Kate’s eyes flutter shut. "He wouldn’t…" She tried again. She tilted her mouth forward and found Kate’s, kissed her quickly. She pulled away and the other girl opened her eyes as Poppy’s found the floor.
"Okay." Kate said. Poppy’s eyes were wide and unfocused so she shut them. She could feel Kate’s warm breath against her cheek and her heartbeat in her fingers. She wanted to kiss her again, wanted to erase this scary tightness in her chest.
"Poppy, did you find that necklace yet?" Charlotte’s voice cut between them. Poppy stumbled back, her hands releasing the necklace. She tongue darted out to wet her lips and Kate watched the action, stopped breathing.
"Just a minute!" Poppy called back, her voice shrill to her own ears. She glanced up at Kate who was staring at the floor, a hand running through her hair. Poppy reached out, leaned down, and pressed her lips against the other girl’s for a second before pulling away. She was out of the corner, across the shop, in mere seconds.
Kate leaned back against a seemingly sturdy wall.
/\/\/\
"This is it."
The thump of bass was fuzzy through the walls and Poppy’s eyes were dark and shrouded in mascara and eyeliner, almost fierce under dark hair. Kate was a little tipsy. And Poppy was standing there confident, cute, smirking.
They hadn’t put words to their thing yet, but Kate found, almost surprisingly, that she didn’t care.
"Are you girls ready to dance?" Poppy asked, pressing her hands on her hips. Drippy squealed and wrapped an arm around Poppy, pulling the whole group into the ballroom. They definitely made an entrance, skirts swirling and laughter following them onto the stage. Kate’s arm wrapped closely around Camilla, pulling her off the stage and near the punch. They stayed for too long- far too long, long enough to stage a dance-off on the floor and cause concussions, long enough to watch Poppy slip away with Freddie. Long enough to spike the punch and dance like losers with the boys from Canterbury.
The lights were beginning to fade and the crowd had slimmed significantly when Poppy reappeared, pulling Kate from a guy who was making her laugh. They found seats in a corner with the rest of the girls and Drippy stumbled over, made herself comfortable in Kate’s lap.
"He asked me out." Poppy smirked and the girls squealed. Kate smiled, just a little, managed to form it even under the betrayal and loss and unease. When the DJ announced the last song Kate let herself get swept up in the buzz in her brain and the laughter of her friends and danced carelessly in a circle of them all, pulled close and tight and warm. Locked eyes with Poppy and grinned a little wickedly, a little dangerously.
They stumbled back upstairs and into to their room, shedding heels and hairpieces. Josie dug through her bedside table and emerged with half a bottle of tequila. Camilla offered up three shot glasses and Poppy laughed before she downed the first one. The lights in their room grew increasingly warm, dimmed and fuzzy, and were switched off one by one as each girl went to bed. Kate and Poppy were left sitting cross-legged, lit by the light of the moon and the cool silver of early morning.
The tequila bottle sat empty between them, like it had been for a while, and Poppy reached out and spun it inexpertly between her fingers. Kate stretched her fingers across the space and walked them up the edge of the bottle, along Poppy’s hand. They were dressed in their pajamas and Poppy shivered slightly as the warming effects of the alcohol faded.
"I think I’m going to sleep." Poppy said softly as Kate pulled her hand away. She stood, unsteadily, and sat back on her bed. Kate glanced at the occupied beds in the room, lumps of softly snoring girls smothered by blankets.
"Why didn’t you ever…you know." Kate asked suddenly, tilting her head back to meet Poppy’s eyes. The dark-haired girl pulled her knees up and wrapped her hands around them.
"I never found the right person." She said, and reached up to brush away a tangle of hair. "It was never- comfortable enough." Kate dropped her eyes back to the floor, her neck aching. She slowly stacked the shot glasses into each other and pushed them behind a leg of her bed.
"Oh." She said.
"Have you…?" Poppy let the question trail off, picking at the strings on her sweats.
"Once." Kate replied. "It wasn’t- right, either." Kate folded her fingers under each other. Poppy slid back on her bed and lifted the covers, crawling underneath. She pushed her hand under one edge and held it open.
"Come on." She said, shifting to rest her head on her pillow. She smiled softly, relaxing. Kate stood, lifted the empty bottle and rested it under the bed, then crawled onto Poppy’s mattress and under the covers. Poppy dropped her hand from the comforter and rested it by her heart. Kate lifted the blanket over their heads, shrouding them in semi-darkness.
Poppy’s fingers twitched restlessly until she reached out and pressed three fingers along Kate’s cheek. They hid under the sheets, murmuring, giggling softly when Poppy blushed. Kate turned her head into Poppy’s fingers, kissed one softly and quickly. Poppy shifted closer, closing the gap between them.
"Tonight was fun." Poppy said quietly, dropping her hand to Kate’s collarbone. She lingered on the skin there, then moved her hand to Kate’s waist, curling over the centimeter of skin exposed.
"Tonight was crazy." Kate amended, smiling. She reached out and brushed a strand off dark hair off Poppy’s cheek. Poppy’s hand tightened over her waist. Her hand lingered. "Can I…?" She breathed, but Poppy was already moving closer, her eyes fluttering shut. Kate dipped her head and kissed her. Poppy’s hand relaxed.
They fell asleep under the white comforter, hands curled and tucked, legs pressed, until the cough of a sputtering engine and the cold woke Poppy up. She blinked twice and curled her toes, which had escaped the blanket at some point. She stared at Kate for a long time in the dim light shining through her comforter, until her legs started to ache and she slid backwards. Carefully keeping the blanket on Kate, she padded onto the floor and dropped the comforter.
The room was bright, lit by early morning white light, and Poppy squinted at the invasion. She walked toward the window, glancing over at Drippy’s twisted form. She was on the floor next to her bed, blankets tangled hopelessly around her. Poppy smiled a little and turned her eyes to the wide expanse of green stretching out before her. The sun made the dew glitter along the courtyard.
She heard someone shifting behind her and turned to see Kate blinking at her from beneath the covers. Her eyeliner was smudged and her hair a tangled mess, but she looked adorable. Kate smiled tiredly and lifted the comforter, mirroring Poppy’s offer the night before. The cold was getting to Poppy, freezing her feet and forming goosebumps along her arms. She walked back to her bed, floor squeaking once beneath her feet.
The bed was cool and she crawled closer to Kate, then pressed her lips clumsily to other girl’s collarbone. Closing her eyes, she murmured into Kate’s skin.
"This is right."
/\/\/
Poppy couldn’t quite believe it- not the cheers or the claps on her shoulders, the faint ringing in her ears and Kate’s arm around her neck.
"Abbey Mount! Abbey Mount!" They chanted and beat their lacrosse sticks, high-five-ing Poppy and Kate as they passed. Mrs. Kingsley sent her a demure smile across the field. Drippy flew at them, wrapping her arms around both.
"Bloody well done!" She giggled, pulling away. "How did you pull that off?" She asked, and Kate and Poppy exchanged looks.
"No idea." They both answered, grinning.
"Well that’s the first lacrosse game Abbey Mount’s won in twenty-something years." Drippy laughed. Josie and Camilla appeared moments later and swept them up to their room, chattering excitedly about a special meal for the winners and the news that was spreading across the school.
"Everyone was shocked you could still play." Camilla giggled, noting the dark circles forming under their eyes. They were changing for dinner, sliding on school skirts and buttoning up jumpers. Camilla, Josie, and Drippy finished quickly but Poppy and Kate hung behind, stealthily catching each other’s eyes.
"We’ll meet you downstairs, yeah?" Josie asked as she followed Camilla and Drippy out the door. Kate nodded.
"Yeah." Poppy answered, lifting her comforter to check under her bed for her school shoes. The emptied tequila bottle rolled out and Kate smiled.
"Better toss that." She said. Poppy leaned toward the trashcan and shoved it under a pile of notebook papers. The can scraped across the floor when she pushed it back in place and she made a face.
"I’m starving." Poppy crossed the room and hovered between her bed and Kate’s.
"Me too." They regarded each other for a moment until Kate moved forward and pressed their lips together awkwardly, resting her hands along Poppy’s hips. Poppy kissed back, moving her hands along Kate’s shoulders slowly and without real purpose. They kissed, perhaps because they thought they had to, until Kate grinned into Poppy’s mouth and pulled away. She chuckled, pressing their foreheads together.
"You were fantastic." She muttered and Poppy laughed, sliding her fingers up into Kate’s soft hair and pushing her back toward the bed. They fell and Poppy caught herself on her elbows and tilted her head to kiss Kate again, with purpose, her heartbeat pounding in her ears, their legs tangled together.
"Girls!" The matron’s voice, muffled slightly by the thick wooden door, interrupted them. A loud knock followed but Poppy was already standing up, smoothing her skirt out while Kate rolled to the other side of the bed.
"Yeah?" Kate called out when she had regained her voice.
"Dinner!" Matron called and they listened as her footsteps faded down the hall. Poppy laughed and landed on the bed beside Kate, rolling over to look up at her.
"What would she have done if she’d caught us?" Poppy asked, reaching up to brush at Kate’s hair.
"Expelled us both." Kate joked, catching Poppy’s hand and leaning down to kiss her softly and quickly. "Come on, let’s go down before she comes back." Poppy followed her to the door, but caught her hand before she could open it. Kate turned and Poppy moved and Kate was suddenly pressed up against the thick door with Poppy’s hands in her hair.
It was a bit before they made it down for dinner.
/\/\/
They spent their mornings asleep at their desks, their afternoons on the lacrosse field, their evenings out in the dewy woods, pointing out stars and kissing each other when they couldn’t help themselves anymore. Poppy’s dark hair slid easily through Kate’s fingers and they found spots in tall grass where the only thing between them and forever were a few million miles and a couple white-hot stars.
Poppy crept into the kitchen one evening after lights out, her muscles aching from lacrosse, and nicked half a cherry pie. She met Kate out back and they held hands as they made their way through a damp field and between heavily shadowed trees. It was cool but it eased the burn in Poppy’s shoulders, and the wind licking at her hair felt refreshing.
They had spot, just past the stretch of trees, that was quickly becoming their spot. Kate pulled a thick blanket from between the branches of an old tree and laid it by the roots, nestled under the trunk. The sat cross-legged and ate cherry pie with their fingers, licking at the juice on their thumbs, giggling under the moonlight. Poppy leaned over the half-empty dish and kissed Kate, tasting sweet cherry and warmth, licking at the inside of her mouth.
Kate lifted the pan and set it in an empty bag, tied to tight to hide it from ants. She helped Poppy up. They walked to the middle of the sheltered field and Poppy tilted her head back to stare at the midnight blue sky, at the sparkling yellow-white stars. Kate tugged her down to earth, between the long grass and the wildflowers. It was clear tonight, only the hint of mist, and Poppy climbed on top of Kate, knelt around her waist.
Kate looked up, slightly surprised, mostly questioning, but Poppy leaned forward and kissed her. They just barely poked above the tall grass and Kate slowly lay back, her hands gripping the thick grass. Poppy followed, her hands pressed in flat grass on either side of Kate’s head. They kissed, Kate’s tongue along Poppy’s teeth, until Poppy’s hand traveled down.
"Poppy." Kate panted, pulling away.
"Do you…?" Poppy tried to find Kate’s face but it was hidden from the moonlight. Kate sat up and Poppy pulled back, shifted her knees a little.
"Yeah." Kate replied, still slightly out of breath. Poppy reached down with trembling fingers and unbuttoned Kate’s sweater, dropped it to the side. She bent forward and kissed her again while her fingers slid under Kate’s thin tank top, smoothing over her stomach, along her sides. One of Kate’s hands came up, tangled in Poppy’s hair a little desperately. Poppy reached blindly, found the sweater, and tucked it behind Kate, then lifted her fingers under Kate’s top again and pushed it up.
Kate pulled away from the kiss and helped Poppy lift it over her head, dropped it lightly in the grass beside them. Poppy pressed Kate back down toward the grass. She kissed the corner of Kate’s mouth and covered Kate’s breasts with her hands, slowly working her way along her jaw. Her heart was beating wildly, thundering against her chest, along her fingers. She found Kate’s heartbeat above her collarbone, felt it stutter against her tongue, sucked carefully. Kate arched a little and Poppy let out a little breath.
They hadn’t ever gone this far before. Poppy hesitated along Kate’s collarbone, kissing and sucking, her hands still on Kate’s breasts, squeezing every now and then with some shot of boldness that always faded quickly. Finally, she shifted her hand, her nose running along Kate’s jaw, teeth almost scraping, and pulled a hard nipple between her fingers. Kate arched suddenly, almost whimpering, and Poppy kissed her ear, licked against it. Her own body was tight, unbelievably warm.
She tilted her head down and ran the flat of her tongue along Kate’s nipple, took it in her mouth and sucked, swirling her tongue. The other girl arched and sighed, moaned, and Poppy shut her eyes, sucking a little harder. They got swept up in the night and the stars and Kate threaded her hands through Poppy’s hair and stared at the sky framed by tall, wild grass, had to shut her eyes every now and then.
It was early morning by the time they crept back to their room, shoulders pressed close together and hands intertwined. They had fallen asleep wrapped up in each other and exhaustion, still too hesitant to go any farther and somehow recognizing the power of patience.
Poppy stumbled out of her shoes and into bed, found Kate’s eyes across the room. They smiled, something secret in their gaze, and closed their eyes as the sun came up.
Part III.