Baby-Sitters Club: Facts versus Romance
Title: Facts versus Romance
Fandom: Baby-Sitters Club
Pairing: Charlie Thomas/Janine Kishi
Rating: G
Word count: 520
Summary: Sometimes, Janine Kishi really hated her sister.
Notes: Set during The Summer Before. A fandom-stocking fic, written for baseballchica03 (who asked for Charlie/Janine). I've never tried this pairing before, and I think it came out more friendshippy than anything else? Idk. Title from Science vs Romance by Rilo Kiley.
Facts versus Romance
Janine Kishi was not normal.
To be perfectly honest, she didn't usually mind. She liked learning, she liked school, she liked the cool logic of subjects like computer programming. Pretending that she didn't had always seemed a ridiculous course of action, even if her classmates thought she was somewhat dull. Even if her family would prefer her to be more outgoing, more like her sister. Even if people's eyes would glaze over the second she began to speak.
Janine was who Janine was, and she had learnt to accept that. Janine Kishi was someone who did summer courses by choice. Janine Kishi was someone who preferred to keep to herself. Janine Kishi was not a normal fifteen-year-old.
And then, the summer before tenth grade, Frankie Evans joined her Statistics course. Something changed. She couldn't quite categorize anything inside the dizzying swirl her mind became - the physical manifestations of it included blushing, stammering, a rapid pulse...
Janine Kishi had a crush on Frankie Evans, and she was joyfully high on the normalcy of it all.
And then, at Claudia's birthday party, it was all over. Of course he preferred her sister. Of course he did. She should have predicted that that would be the case.
She tried as hard as she could to focus on her school work, but it was not an effective distraction. Her mind was in a near-constant surge of anger at Claudia, at Frankie, at herself... but mostly at Claudia.
Sometimes, Janine Kishi truly hated her sister.
She sat on the porch step one Tuesday morning, waiting for her carpool.
"You okay?"
She started, nearly dropping her books. She hadn't even noticed that Charlie Thomas had crossed the street.
"Hello, Charlie," she said, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I'm alright. Thank you."
"You sure? You look mad."
She sighed. She hadn't realized she was so easy to read.
"It isn't important." She paused. "It's just... do you ever hate Sam?"
"Hate him?" Charlie looked a little bewildered. "Yeah, I guess. Sometimes. Doesn't really last, though. Why? Claudia getting you down?"
Janine kept perfectly still. "You could say that."
Charlie took off his baseball cap, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Well... whatever Claudia's doing, she'll grow out of it. Right? I mean, she used to make me give her piggyback rides whenever she was at our house, but she outgrew that." He frowned. "Man, that was annoying. Please don't remind her of that, okay?"
Janine smiled slightly. "I won't. And yes, I suppose you're right. She'll outgrow it."
A station wagon pulled up outside the Thomas house, honking twice.
"That's my ride." He put his cap back on. "See ya, Janine! Don't stress too much about Claudia."
"Good-bye, Charlie."
Janine continued to wait. Despite what she'd told Charlie, she didn't believe that Claudia would outgrow anything. She wasn't angered by some childish habit, but by something at the very core of who her sister was. There was something innately normal about Claudia that Janine could never hope to imitate.
And yet, when her carpool arrived, she couldn't help noticing that she felt a little better.
Fandom: Baby-Sitters Club
Pairing: Charlie Thomas/Janine Kishi
Rating: G
Word count: 520
Summary: Sometimes, Janine Kishi really hated her sister.
Notes: Set during The Summer Before. A fandom-stocking fic, written for baseballchica03 (who asked for Charlie/Janine). I've never tried this pairing before, and I think it came out more friendshippy than anything else? Idk. Title from Science vs Romance by Rilo Kiley.
Facts versus Romance
Janine Kishi was not normal.
To be perfectly honest, she didn't usually mind. She liked learning, she liked school, she liked the cool logic of subjects like computer programming. Pretending that she didn't had always seemed a ridiculous course of action, even if her classmates thought she was somewhat dull. Even if her family would prefer her to be more outgoing, more like her sister. Even if people's eyes would glaze over the second she began to speak.
Janine was who Janine was, and she had learnt to accept that. Janine Kishi was someone who did summer courses by choice. Janine Kishi was someone who preferred to keep to herself. Janine Kishi was not a normal fifteen-year-old.
And then, the summer before tenth grade, Frankie Evans joined her Statistics course. Something changed. She couldn't quite categorize anything inside the dizzying swirl her mind became - the physical manifestations of it included blushing, stammering, a rapid pulse...
Janine Kishi had a crush on Frankie Evans, and she was joyfully high on the normalcy of it all.
And then, at Claudia's birthday party, it was all over. Of course he preferred her sister. Of course he did. She should have predicted that that would be the case.
She tried as hard as she could to focus on her school work, but it was not an effective distraction. Her mind was in a near-constant surge of anger at Claudia, at Frankie, at herself... but mostly at Claudia.
Sometimes, Janine Kishi truly hated her sister.
She sat on the porch step one Tuesday morning, waiting for her carpool.
"You okay?"
She started, nearly dropping her books. She hadn't even noticed that Charlie Thomas had crossed the street.
"Hello, Charlie," she said, tucking her hair behind her ears. "I'm alright. Thank you."
"You sure? You look mad."
She sighed. She hadn't realized she was so easy to read.
"It isn't important." She paused. "It's just... do you ever hate Sam?"
"Hate him?" Charlie looked a little bewildered. "Yeah, I guess. Sometimes. Doesn't really last, though. Why? Claudia getting you down?"
Janine kept perfectly still. "You could say that."
Charlie took off his baseball cap, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Well... whatever Claudia's doing, she'll grow out of it. Right? I mean, she used to make me give her piggyback rides whenever she was at our house, but she outgrew that." He frowned. "Man, that was annoying. Please don't remind her of that, okay?"
Janine smiled slightly. "I won't. And yes, I suppose you're right. She'll outgrow it."
A station wagon pulled up outside the Thomas house, honking twice.
"That's my ride." He put his cap back on. "See ya, Janine! Don't stress too much about Claudia."
"Good-bye, Charlie."
Janine continued to wait. Despite what she'd told Charlie, she didn't believe that Claudia would outgrow anything. She wasn't angered by some childish habit, but by something at the very core of who her sister was. There was something innately normal about Claudia that Janine could never hope to imitate.
And yet, when her carpool arrived, she couldn't help noticing that she felt a little better.