FIC: "Making Amends," Mean Girls, Cady/Ms. Norbury
Title: Making Amends
Author: geonncannon
Claimed Pairing: Ms. Norbury/Cady
Word Count: 1,401
Category: Post-Movie
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Notes: Not betaed, written in an evening. Includes Cady/Ms.Norbury, so be warned of that... Also, Ms. Norbury's first name is taken from IMDB.com, so... I consider it canon enough (canon enough so that I didn't go with the name I created, which I liked so much. Ah, well ;-D)
Dedicated to: piperrhiannon, who asked for Cady/Ms. Norbury.
Rating: R
Summary: Cady tries to make amends for her lies.
I don't know what possessed me, but Ms. Norbury's address was easy to find. I once heard it costs a certain amount of money to make your number unlisted and I figured someone working three jobs didn't have very much to spend on something frivolous like that. I rode my bike over and started to get really anxious about the whole thing the closer I got to the porch. Instead of ringing the doorbell, I went to the window and peeked in, just to make sure I wasn't going to be interrupting anything.
The window looked into her living room. There were photo albums, newspapers, magazines, mail, everything just tossed all around. Ms. Norbury was sitting on the floor, her legs folded to the side. Her glasses were off and she was pressing her hand against her eyes. Was she crying? Teachers didn't cry, did they?
I finally went to the door and rang the bell, stepping back and rehearsing what I wanted to say. When the door opened, I looked up and said, "Hi, Bissus Normury." I closed my eyes and felt my shoulders sag. "Hi, Ms. Norbury."
"Cady, what are you doing here?" she asked, brushing her cheeks. She sniffed and tried to cover it by clearing her throat, looking out at the street.
"I... y-you said that the police searched your house because of me. And... I-I just... Damien and Janis told me that the cops probably left it really messy. So..."
She chewed her bottom lip and looked at me, hard. She hadn't really forgiven me. She still hated me. She blamed me for what I'd done. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. I'll just..."
"No," she sighed. "Come on. Might as well consider it... community service."
I smiled and went into her house, looking around at the damage. There was a fist-sized hole in the wall behind the door and I gasped. "They punched your wall?"
She smiled. "No. That was... that was me." She walked back into the living room and I kept gaping at the hole. She looked over her shoulder and said, "Look, you find out your husband has been sleeping with your sister since last Thanksgiving, see how well you handle it."
"Sorry," I said.
She shrugged and knelt down, picking up some magazines. "I had just gotten this place pretty much how it should be," she said. "Photo albums hidden but not destroyed, just in case. Out of sight, out of mind. You know?"
"Yeah," I said, kneeling down to help her. One of the photo albums was open and I saw a picture of her standing on a cobblestone street, Europe somewhere, and smiling. The man with her was smiling, but he wasn't touching her at all. She took the album from me and closed it. "I'm really sorry about all of this."
She shook her head. "You were smart, Cady. You got your foot on the right path. Good grades, you were friends with Janis and Ian..."
"You know Janis and Ian?"
"They're in my home room, remember? And those two are kind of hard to ignore."
"I just thought maybe you were distracted by the kid who farts a lot."
She actually laughed at that and pressed her glasses up her nose. "That's not nice."
"He knows he does it. He does it on purpose most times."
"Still."
I sighed. "You're right. God, I'm still... I'm still doing it. The Plastics thing, the Burn Book crap."
"It's a hard habit to get out of. Once you start being mean, it becomes almost second nature."
"Hence Regina."
She motioned at me. "Hence Regina."
I sat against the couch with her and looked at the mess. I picked up a random piece of mail and said, "Your first name is Sharon?"
"Yeah," she said quietly.
"That's a pretty name." I put the envelope down and looked out the window. "You're my first good teacher."
She rolled her eyes.
"It's true. I mean... my Mom was my Mom. You're the first teacher who, like... cared about me. About how I was doing in school."
"I hate to see intelligence wasted."
I looked over at her and frowned. "What do you mean?"
She laughed harshly. "Look at me. I'm... divorced, I'm working three jobs, I just got my house searched because the cops thought I was a drug dealer... who knows where I could've gotten if I hadn't become a teacher."
I looked down at my hands. "Where would we be if you hadn't? You stopped a riot at the school. You got things under control."
She smiled. "I tend bar three nights a week, I work in a video store on the weekends and I find time in between to grade half-coherent mathematical equations from high-school seniors who would rather be doing anything but calculus." She threw the photo album across the room and it crashed just under the window I'd peeked in. "God DAMN it," she growled, running her hands through her hair. She put her head down and I moved closer, hugging her.
We were sitting on her floor, and she was crying, and I was holding her. It was only weird how normal it was.
The kiss just sort of... happened. I know I didn't plan it. I doubt she planned it. I don't think I'd ever thought of kissing another girl... except when I heard about the rumor that Janis was gay. But her lips were on mine and it wasn't like sexual or sweaty like those romance books I sometimes read. She kind of sobbed in the middle of it and I touched the back of her head.
And then she was gone and up and across the room, pacing. "God, this is just what I need. Statutory rape charges on top of everything. I'd be worse off than Coach Carr."
"I-I wasn't..."
"Cady, maybe you should just go."
"It was just... I was just trying to be..."
"I know, Cady. And it was nice. And... as much as I liked it? I can't like it. Do you understand?"
"I understand," I said.
She leaned in and kissed my forehead. "Maybe you should go."
"Yeah."
She stepped back and I walked to the front door. I looked back and said, "Sorry about all of this."
"It's okay," she said quietly.
I smiled and waved before I walked out of the house.
---
"Michael Leland Heder."
Applause, applause. Michael Heder walked across the stage and took his diploma, shaking Principal Duvall's hand. I smoothed down the front of my robe, waiting with
"Cady Elizabeth Heron."
I smiled brightly and stepped forward, hearing the applause. Regina was seated in the middle of the auditorium, her diploma already on her lap. I was shocked when we became friends, when she had mended her friendship with Janis. I guess getting the crap knocked out of you on a lacrosse field kind of knocks some sense into you. She waved at me and then reached down, touching Gretchen's hand.
They were sitting next to each other because, six months before, they'd come out with their relationship. Janis had wanted to mock like there was no tomorrow, but remained tasteful at my urging. It was sweet that they'd managed to stick together all this time. I took my diploma and shook Duvall's hand.
When I stepped off the stage, I saw Ms. Norbury standing off to the side. I cut away and held up the diploma to show her. "I didn't make valedictorian."
"You were there," she said. "That's enough."
I hugged her and she hugged me back. When we pulled away, she brushed a hair out of my face that reminded me of that morning when we kissed in her living room. The morning I held her when she cried. From the look on her face, she was remembering it, too.
"You have plans for after graduation?"
"I'm going out with Janis, Ian and the others."
"Oh."
"But I can be late."
She smiled. "You... want to... get a drink... or something?"
"P.J. Calamity's?"
"God, no," she said. "I swore when I quit that I would never set foot in that hellhole again. But if you come back to my place, I could make us something."
"That'd be nice," I said.
---
I never made it to the post-graduation party. But the next morning, Sharon showed me an amazing hangover remedy.
Author: geonncannon
Claimed Pairing: Ms. Norbury/Cady
Word Count: 1,401
Category: Post-Movie
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Notes: Not betaed, written in an evening. Includes Cady/Ms.Norbury, so be warned of that... Also, Ms. Norbury's first name is taken from IMDB.com, so... I consider it canon enough (canon enough so that I didn't go with the name I created, which I liked so much. Ah, well ;-D)
Dedicated to: piperrhiannon, who asked for Cady/Ms. Norbury.
Rating: R
Summary: Cady tries to make amends for her lies.
I don't know what possessed me, but Ms. Norbury's address was easy to find. I once heard it costs a certain amount of money to make your number unlisted and I figured someone working three jobs didn't have very much to spend on something frivolous like that. I rode my bike over and started to get really anxious about the whole thing the closer I got to the porch. Instead of ringing the doorbell, I went to the window and peeked in, just to make sure I wasn't going to be interrupting anything.
The window looked into her living room. There were photo albums, newspapers, magazines, mail, everything just tossed all around. Ms. Norbury was sitting on the floor, her legs folded to the side. Her glasses were off and she was pressing her hand against her eyes. Was she crying? Teachers didn't cry, did they?
I finally went to the door and rang the bell, stepping back and rehearsing what I wanted to say. When the door opened, I looked up and said, "Hi, Bissus Normury." I closed my eyes and felt my shoulders sag. "Hi, Ms. Norbury."
"Cady, what are you doing here?" she asked, brushing her cheeks. She sniffed and tried to cover it by clearing her throat, looking out at the street.
"I... y-you said that the police searched your house because of me. And... I-I just... Damien and Janis told me that the cops probably left it really messy. So..."
She chewed her bottom lip and looked at me, hard. She hadn't really forgiven me. She still hated me. She blamed me for what I'd done. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. I'll just..."
"No," she sighed. "Come on. Might as well consider it... community service."
I smiled and went into her house, looking around at the damage. There was a fist-sized hole in the wall behind the door and I gasped. "They punched your wall?"
She smiled. "No. That was... that was me." She walked back into the living room and I kept gaping at the hole. She looked over her shoulder and said, "Look, you find out your husband has been sleeping with your sister since last Thanksgiving, see how well you handle it."
"Sorry," I said.
She shrugged and knelt down, picking up some magazines. "I had just gotten this place pretty much how it should be," she said. "Photo albums hidden but not destroyed, just in case. Out of sight, out of mind. You know?"
"Yeah," I said, kneeling down to help her. One of the photo albums was open and I saw a picture of her standing on a cobblestone street, Europe somewhere, and smiling. The man with her was smiling, but he wasn't touching her at all. She took the album from me and closed it. "I'm really sorry about all of this."
She shook her head. "You were smart, Cady. You got your foot on the right path. Good grades, you were friends with Janis and Ian..."
"You know Janis and Ian?"
"They're in my home room, remember? And those two are kind of hard to ignore."
"I just thought maybe you were distracted by the kid who farts a lot."
She actually laughed at that and pressed her glasses up her nose. "That's not nice."
"He knows he does it. He does it on purpose most times."
"Still."
I sighed. "You're right. God, I'm still... I'm still doing it. The Plastics thing, the Burn Book crap."
"It's a hard habit to get out of. Once you start being mean, it becomes almost second nature."
"Hence Regina."
She motioned at me. "Hence Regina."
I sat against the couch with her and looked at the mess. I picked up a random piece of mail and said, "Your first name is Sharon?"
"Yeah," she said quietly.
"That's a pretty name." I put the envelope down and looked out the window. "You're my first good teacher."
She rolled her eyes.
"It's true. I mean... my Mom was my Mom. You're the first teacher who, like... cared about me. About how I was doing in school."
"I hate to see intelligence wasted."
I looked over at her and frowned. "What do you mean?"
She laughed harshly. "Look at me. I'm... divorced, I'm working three jobs, I just got my house searched because the cops thought I was a drug dealer... who knows where I could've gotten if I hadn't become a teacher."
I looked down at my hands. "Where would we be if you hadn't? You stopped a riot at the school. You got things under control."
She smiled. "I tend bar three nights a week, I work in a video store on the weekends and I find time in between to grade half-coherent mathematical equations from high-school seniors who would rather be doing anything but calculus." She threw the photo album across the room and it crashed just under the window I'd peeked in. "God DAMN it," she growled, running her hands through her hair. She put her head down and I moved closer, hugging her.
We were sitting on her floor, and she was crying, and I was holding her. It was only weird how normal it was.
The kiss just sort of... happened. I know I didn't plan it. I doubt she planned it. I don't think I'd ever thought of kissing another girl... except when I heard about the rumor that Janis was gay. But her lips were on mine and it wasn't like sexual or sweaty like those romance books I sometimes read. She kind of sobbed in the middle of it and I touched the back of her head.
And then she was gone and up and across the room, pacing. "God, this is just what I need. Statutory rape charges on top of everything. I'd be worse off than Coach Carr."
"I-I wasn't..."
"Cady, maybe you should just go."
"It was just... I was just trying to be..."
"I know, Cady. And it was nice. And... as much as I liked it? I can't like it. Do you understand?"
"I understand," I said.
She leaned in and kissed my forehead. "Maybe you should go."
"Yeah."
She stepped back and I walked to the front door. I looked back and said, "Sorry about all of this."
"It's okay," she said quietly.
I smiled and waved before I walked out of the house.
---
"Michael Leland Heder."
Applause, applause. Michael Heder walked across the stage and took his diploma, shaking Principal Duvall's hand. I smoothed down the front of my robe, waiting with
"Cady Elizabeth Heron."
I smiled brightly and stepped forward, hearing the applause. Regina was seated in the middle of the auditorium, her diploma already on her lap. I was shocked when we became friends, when she had mended her friendship with Janis. I guess getting the crap knocked out of you on a lacrosse field kind of knocks some sense into you. She waved at me and then reached down, touching Gretchen's hand.
They were sitting next to each other because, six months before, they'd come out with their relationship. Janis had wanted to mock like there was no tomorrow, but remained tasteful at my urging. It was sweet that they'd managed to stick together all this time. I took my diploma and shook Duvall's hand.
When I stepped off the stage, I saw Ms. Norbury standing off to the side. I cut away and held up the diploma to show her. "I didn't make valedictorian."
"You were there," she said. "That's enough."
I hugged her and she hugged me back. When we pulled away, she brushed a hair out of my face that reminded me of that morning when we kissed in her living room. The morning I held her when she cried. From the look on her face, she was remembering it, too.
"You have plans for after graduation?"
"I'm going out with Janis, Ian and the others."
"Oh."
"But I can be late."
She smiled. "You... want to... get a drink... or something?"
"P.J. Calamity's?"
"God, no," she said. "I swore when I quit that I would never set foot in that hellhole again. But if you come back to my place, I could make us something."
"That'd be nice," I said.
---
I never made it to the post-graduation party. But the next morning, Sharon showed me an amazing hangover remedy.