TEN THE RIGHT THING

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Fawn Dominguez was not in love with Maddy Perez. Hell, she wasn't even sure she would know how to love anyone if it smacked her in the face. Even so, their emotion-fueled kiss in the car had been ghosting across Fawn's mind ever since it happened. Everything with her and Maddy had been fueled with wanting and desperation, but never, never anything so deeply intimate as the two of them under the cover of streetlights and tears streaming down Maddy's cheeks. It was daunting, to say the least.

However, over the weekend, it hadn't been anything they had to deal with. Fawn laid on her bed, ignoring texts from Sylvia, pretending it was normal to worry about a girl you had told to her face that you fucking hated. It wasn't normal, but Fawn's life and reactions to the events of it had always been further from what was societally accepted. The way her brain worked at this point was if someone had chewed up what was supposed to be a perfectly functional brain and spit it back out and she had come to terms with that. What Fawn had yet to come to terms with was the idea that maybe she didn't hate Maddy Perez just as much as she thought she did.

It was hard to sympathize with Maddy. She was loud, rude, and outspoken and did things morally that didn't make sense to Fawn. Then again, anyone could say the exact same things about Fawn. Maybe that was why she found it so hard to tolerate her presence besides primal desire; she was just too much like Fawn and she hated herself too much to be entertained by it.

Self-reflection and misery be damned, school on Monday morning is an awakening. The halls are flush with conversation as to who is going to the carnival that weekend and whatever the Hell is going to go down there and there is a subset to the conversation as to why Maddy is very distinctly not talking to Nate Jacobs right now.

Of course, there are about a billion rumors. Fawn, despite being a victim of it, is always privy to gossip and she sits in the girls' bathroom now, like a tiger in the brush, waiting. Truthfully, she had turned into the bathroom because Sylvia had been heading in her direction and hadn't seen her due to looking at her phone, so Fawn dipped into the nearest room she could. She wasn't sure why she was avoiding Sylvia. Maybe it was because she knew she wouldn't be able to hold back the information about Maddy and her's kiss and maybe it was because she knew exactly how that would make Sylvia feel. Fawn never thought she would be the type of person to wind up in a love triangle of her own making, yet here she was.

"I think he's cheating on her," a girl whispers as she stands around the mirror with two others, washing their hands as they come out of the stalls.

Fawn stands there, adjusting her eyeliner and outfit in the mirror, making sure she looks perfect because she'll go insane if she looks anything but. Subconsciously she tunes into the conversation, concentrating on making sure it doesn't look as if she is trying to impede their conversation. Hell, she doesn't even know these girls, they're probably freshmen who don't even know Maddy personally. Not that it matters, word travels fast.

"Please, everyone knows Maddy would stick around even if he did," one of the other girls chirps up, "Not like anyone else would be able to even put up with her. She seems like kind of a bitch."

"They're so tired with the on-and-off thing, like, just give it a rest girl," the third pipes in with a scoff, "Like, clearly, it's better if they just go their separate ways. She seems insufferable, the only reason he probably sticks with her is because she's good in bed."

"If she was good in bed he wouldn't be cheating on her," says the first girl. Silently, Fawn fumes. She doesn't even know why, but she has a white-knuckled grip on the edge of the sink as a shaky hand tries to fix her eyeliner.

One of the girls groans and interrupts them both, "We don't even know if he's cheating. I mean, maybe they just got into a fight and are taking a break or taking some space apart. It's not like they're even officially broken up. They're literally just being dramatic, they'll be back together by next week."

"Not like it's really any of our business," Fawn speaks before she can even process it, her hand stilling against her eye as she realizes that she's just inserted herself in a conversation that had nothing to do with her. She is in no position to be defending Maddy's honor, yet, here she is. "I mean, if one of you could even manage to get a boyfriend, I doubt you'd want little girls trying to figure out your business when they haven't even met you. Maybe that's just me, though. God knows I'm sick of gossip, right girlies?"

"Sorry, Fawn," the first girl stumbles over her words as the taller steps up to them; a silent challenge. "I, uh, we didn't see you. You're right, it's really none of our business."

"What's none of your business?" the devil herself smashes into the girls' bathroom as if she had heard every single word. Honestly, Fawn wouldn't be surprised if she did, lingering outside in the hallway the moment she heard her name. Maybe it's not something Maddy would do, but she knew that if it were her, she'd hang onto every single word that had to do with her. It's all she knows how to do.

"Maddy, that's just so funny these girls here were just talking about you! You guys friends or something?" Fawn drawls, pocketing her eyeliner and twirling her hair as she goes to stand next to Maddy. It feels strangely powerful, coming over to stand beside the girl, the two of them blocking the exit as they watch the three girls increase their nerves.

"Never seen these basic bitches in my life," Maddy confirms, pushing past them abrasively as she goes to the mirror. She pulls a lipstick out of her pocket and coats her lips in ruby red, a color that suits her more than anything. Fawn almost wants to smile at her as she runs a finger along the bottom of her lip, cleaning off the makeup.

"Scatter," Fawn all but whispers, and the three girls all jump into motion as if they'd just been shot, running around the taller girl and through the door. The moment they're gone and the door finally swings shut, Maddy and Fawn just look at each other and burst out laughing. "You should have seen their faces."

"Oh, my God, you're evil," Maddy exclaims, walking over to the girl as the two of them bend over with how hard they're laughing. It feels good. Good to just let loose and find laughter in something so miserable. A hand comes to clutch her shoulder as the two of them catch their breath. "Thank you, Fawn, you didn't have to say that, but you did."

Fawn just shrugs, still attempting to regain her composure, "I know what it's like. It was the right thing to do."

She wonders for a moment when she's ever chosen to just do the right thing. This time, though, it was easy. They look at each other and smile and it's easy.