Chapter Text
The rest of the mall trip was simple Aaron showed him the rest of the mall, they said goodbye to Cady, and returned to Aaron’s house.
“Mom! We’re back!” Aaron shouted as they walked in.
“Oh, wonderful! You two are just in time for dinner! We’re having roast!” Cheryl shouted back.
Aaron and Rodrick found their way to the table. Frank started the conversation about the day, “So. How was the mall?”
“I applied to work at smoothie place.” Rodrick said, to make sure his dad knew he at least tried.
Frank looked genuinely surprised, “That’s great! When do you think you’ll hear back?”
“They’ll call me.”
“That’s great. And since everything’s in order, you’ll be taking me to the airport tonight.”
Frank spoke the entire drive from Aaron’s house to the airport. Rodrick tuned most of it out, but understood some of what he was saying and tuned back in as they entered the departures lane of the airport. “… and most importantly. Please call your mother every few days. You don’t even need to say anything interesting, but she will want to hear from you.”
“Alright, alright. Got it dad.”
His dad continues talking as both get out of the van, “And don’t get arrested, don’t get expelled again, and just. Stay out of trouble.”
“Okay. I’ll do my best.”
Frank sighs, “Okay. I hate to admit it. But I’ll miss you.”
“I’ll miss you too dad. Have a good flight.”
He couldn’t believe it. The smoothie place that looked extremely suspicious actually got back to him. He got a job. He didn’t want the job. But he got the job. And now there he was, standing at the register bored out of his mind taking orders.
His day started out simple, he got to the mall early (lame), talked to his manager (mega lame), and now he’s working the register in a dumb orange shirt and dumber pink hat. He does not want to be here.
Correction. He didn’t want to be here. That was before she was in his line. She’s shorter than him, not hard to do, blonde, and wearing a pink sweater. Rodrick wouldn’t call it love. No, no, he would. He’d call it love. He was in love with her and he doesn’t even know her name.
He rushed through three other orders just to hear her speak. He started with the usual spiel he was trained this morning to do, “Welcome to the-”
She shushed him. She actually shushed him. And he shut right up. “I’ll have my usual.”
Rodrick felt betrayed by himself having to say literally anything to her. “I-… I just… uh. It’s my first day. I don’t know your order. Or your name.”
“ugh. Go ask someone. I don’t have time for this.” She scoffed and waved him off. And he moved! He did exactly what he was asked.
He walked over to one of his coworkers and asked, “Hey there’s a blonde girl in line who’s asking for her usual? No clue what her name is.”
“That’s Regina. She gets a medium kiwi-strawberry smoothie. Make sure its light on the sugar or she might actually kill you.”
“I wouldn’t mind.” Rodrick didn’t notice the words slip out of his mouth. It’s nice to put a name to face. It was a name that fit perfectly.
“What?”
“Huh?” He returned to the counter, and said, “Alright Regina. Kiwi-strawberry smoothie. Cash or card?”
“You should know that.” Regina cut him off, and he looked from his screen to her empty hands, back to the screen.
“Uh. I- I don’t know?”
She silently held up a card. He wordlessly sent the transaction to the card reader. she moved out of the line to wait. He would not forget anything about her, and he held that to himself.
The next two weeks before school went by in a blur. He worked most days, just hoping to catch Regina. Rodrick expected Aaron to start school at the same time as him, but he was regretfully informed that Aaron’s college starts two weeks later than high school.
“Here, let me drive you to school today.” Aaron offered, placing an arm over Rodrick’s shoulder.
“Why, so you can visit your girlfriend?” Rodrick asked sarcastically, wanting to ignore him.
“Yeah! How’d you know?”
Rodrick lifted the arm off of himself, “Because what else would you be doing? I’m going to drive myself.”
“If you insist.”
“I do! I do insist.”
“I’ll still be there after school to pick her up anyway.”
“Are you dropping her off? Were you going to carpool and have me third wheel?”
“Yeah? Is that a bad idea?”
“That’s weird! I don’t want to see that. I’m driving myself.”
“Suit yourself.”
Rodrick loaded himself, his schedule, and his bag into the van and drove to the school. In the parking lot he realized he hadn’t done his eyeliner, mainly because he didn’t want Aaron to say anything about it, and the conversation with his cousin ran him out of time to do it at home.
He walked into the school, doing a terrible job of reading numbers to find homeroom. The bell rang and he continued at his leisurely pace, eventually finding the room, walking in and having to find a seat in the side corner with Cady. He didn’t expect to find her in the same homeroom as him, but then again, he has no idea what her last name is.
The moment he sat down, two people one row over leaned over. The girl he recognizes from the mall as one of Cady’s friends, but doesn’t recognize the guy asking him questions, “What’s with the eyeliner, are you sad and gay or just doing it for attention?”
“I’m not gay.”
“Are you sure?”
Cady looked at the two of them and then back to Rodrick, “Janis, Damian, this is Aaron’s cousin, Rodrick.”
Now knowing his name, Damian asks a better question, “Rodrick, why have I never seen you before now?”
“I just transferred.” He explained, “I got expelled from my old school.”
“How’d that happen?”
“Broke a stage lamp.”
Damian gasped, “those are expensive! You gotta pay it off?”
“Yes. Unrelated question. Does a Regina go to this school?”
Janis answered with another question, “Blonde?”
“Yes.”
“looks like she wants to kill you?”
“Yes.” His tone was not meant to sound as enamored as it was, but it happened nonetheless.
Cady answered for Janis, hoping to cut some of her malice, “That’s Regina George, she’s on the Lacrosse team. I would not recommend going near her. She’s Aaron’s ex.”
“So you and-” Rodrick began, his voice higher in surprise and intrigue.
“Aaron told you that?” Cady asked, genuinely shocked.
Rodrick nodded, hearing chuckles from Janis and Damian. Damian spoke to Rodrick, “I would also not recommend going near Regina; she’ll probably tear you to shreds.”
Once again, his vocal cords betrayed him, “Oh, please.”
He was greeted by a very disgusted look from all three of the people talking to him. He just leans back, proud of himself, knowing already that Regina’s into him. He’s confident of that fact.