Chapter Text
Cady picks up her phone when she hears the buzz. She sees the text from Regina and immediately smiles.
Regina:
hi lover
Cady:
hi 😊
i love it when u call me that
Regina:
almost as much as when i call u a good girl?
Cady:
thats my favorite
Regina:
i know lover
u wanna see what i posted on instagram
cause i know u dont have it
Cady:
sure
Regina:
*image attached*
Cady clicks on the photo to see the screenshot of Regina’s Instagram. It’s a photo of Regina in a skimpy bikini on a beach. She went to Florida with her mom over New Year's and is, no doubt, taking advantage of the sun.
The photo is obviously meant to draw attention, but when she zooms in, it’s really the caption that gets her.
“Wishing a certain redhead were here.”
Cady:
Reggie
thats so cute
Regina:
wow
im in my skimpiest bikini and i get cute
Cady:
i meant the caption
Regina:
and the bikini?
Cady giggles to herself.
Cady:
smash
is that actually on ur instagram
Regina:
course
u dont trust me?
Cady:
i do
im just surprised
Regina:
🤨
Cady:
I DO
And Cady totally does, but it wouldn’t hurt to ask someone. Gretchen will tell her—social media is like her thing. Cady opens her thread with Gretchen and shoots her a message.
Cady:
did regina post to instagram?
The response is near instantaneous.
Gretchen:
yes!
its a picture of her in a bikini on the beach with the caption wishing a certain redhead were here
which i assume is you!
Cady:
thanks gretch ur the best
Gretchen:
no prob
glad u guys r together
Cady smiles and shakes her head. Of course, Gretchen figured that out.
Regina:
so did gretch confirm?
Cady gasps as the new message comes in. “How in the–”
Cady:
how did u know
Regina:
baby i know u
and i havent exactly given u much reason to trust me
Cady:
i do trust u!
its just that ur instagram is like ur precious feed
u wouldnt mess it up with me
Regina:
yes i would
and its not messing it up
im just talking bout my baby
Cady:
stop ur making me blush
Regina:
send me a pic of it
Cady rolls her eyes, but opens the camera and takes a picture of her blushing face. And the action just makes her blush harder, so it shows up even more red in the photo.
Cady:
*image attached*
Regina:
cutie
adding that to the album
Cady:
come home soon?
Regina:
always lover
ill see you in two days
“Cady, do you think you could sit down for a minute?” Betsy asks.
“No,” Cady replies, her face pressed against the front window.
“Regina will not get here any faster by staring out the window,” Betsy says.
Cady doesn’t respond because Regina’s Jeep pulls into the driveway. She runs to the door and throws it open before Regina is even fully stopped. She jumps from foot to foot on the sidewalk as Regina gets out of her Jeep.
“Miss me, lover?”
Cady squeals and runs into Regina’s arms. She hops up and hopes Regina catches her, which of course she does. Cady wraps her arms around Regina’s neck tightly.
“I missed you so much,” Cady whispers into her neck.
“I missed you, too, baby,” Regina replies. “Why don’t we go inside so you’re not cold?”
Cady nods. “Only if you never leave me again.”
Regina laughs and squeezes her tightly. “Never. I got something for you while I was in Florida.”
Cady pulls her head back. “Really?”
Regina hums and walks over to the Jeep with Cady still wrapped around her torso. She pulls open the back door and grabs a gift bag. Cady reaches for it, but Regina pulls it out of range until they’re safely inside the warm house.
Cady releases her grip on Regina and sets her feet on the ground. “Gimme gimme,” she says.
“Okay, here you go,” Regina says, handing her the gift. “I’m gonna go say hi to your mom real quick, okay?”
Cady hums, her attention on the gift. She can hear the pair of them talking in the other room, but she focuses on the bag and pulls out the tissue paper. She pulls out a pin with the bisexual flag colors on it and sets it aside to put on her backpack. Next is a frame with a photo of her and Regina from one of her field hockey games.
Cady runs her fingers over that and sets it up on the counter to show her mom. The last item in the bag is a t-shirt. It seems like a typical gimmicky shirt that anyone could buy, but when Cady opens it, she smiles.
It says, ‘My girlfriend went to Florida, and all I got was this shirt.’ It’s that cheesy kind of thing Cady loves, and Regina thinks is corny as hell.
“So?”
Cady turns around and sees Regina leaning against the wall. “Think you deserve a title upgrade?” Regina asks.
Cady shakes her head. “I don’t understand.”
“Well, your new shirt says you have a girlfriend,” Regain comments. “I figured you might want to actually have a girlfriend.”
“What…” Cady trails, not fully registering what Regina is saying.
Regina steps forward and pulls the shirt out of Cady’s hands. She sets it behind her on the counter and puts her hands on her waist.
“Will you be my girlfriend, baby?”
“Wha…I don’t understand.”
Regina laughs. “Just say yes, you’ll be my girlfriend.”
Cady’s brain finally picks up speed. “Yes!” She exclaims.
Regina smiles and leans down to kiss her. Cady meets her halfway on her toes and smashes their lips together. Regina jerks in surprise, but picks up her intensity and digs her fingers into Cady’s waist. Cady arches into her and lets Regina devour her in complete pleasure.
They’re only separated when Betsy clears her throat.
Regina rips her mouth off Cady’s and blushes. “Sorry, Ms. Heron.”
Betsy places a hand on Regina’s shoulder momentarily as she passes. “It’s okay, just please, not in the middle of the kitchen.”
“I will keep that in mind,” Regina says, awkwardly clearing her throat and releasing her grip on Cady.
Cady wipes at her mouth before turning to face her mom. If Regina’s face is red, Cady’s is a flashing neon red sign that they were doing something they shouldn’t have been.
“Sorry, mom,” she mumbles.
Betsy smiles. “It’s okay. It’s not like I don’t already have my own ideas of what you guys do whenever you’re not here, I just don’t need it in front of my face and confirm all my worst fears.”
Cady sighs. “We already talked about that.”
“And I’m a mother, I was a teenager once, I understand,” Betsy says. “And, no offense to you guys, but you’re kind of always all over each other.”
“That doesn’t mean that we’re having sex!” Cady exclaims.
Regina snickers and leans down to whisper in Cady’s ear. “Not yet, at least.”
Cady elbows Regina and looks at her mom. “We’re not.”
“Alright, calm down. It’s fine if you are, but I will stop talking about it,” Betsy says. “You guys want something to eat?”
“I ate before coming over, but if you have ice cream…” Regina says.
Betsy pulls out Regina’s favorite from the freezer and hands her a spoon. Regina smiles and takes both items from her, sitting down in one of the chairs at the island. Cady sits beside her, and they trade bites of the ice cream while Regina recounts her trip to Florida to Cady and Betsy.
Regina doesn’t leave until it’s past ten o’clock, and it’s only at her own insistence that she needs to unpack. Cady tries to get her to stay more than one time by dragging her into multiple last goodbye kisses.
Regina finally manages to pull away and walk out the door, but not without Cady standing in the doorway of her house watching Regina the entire time she pulls out of the driveway. Regina shakes her head with a smile and blows Cady a kiss right before she speeds off.
Cady walks into school on Monday and tries not to act like she’s gotten everything she’s ever wanted in life. She’s switching out her textbooks in her locker. She pulls out a photo of Regina that she printed and hangs it up in her locker.
“Putting your girlfriend in your locker?”
Cady turns her head to see Regina leaning against the lockers. She smiles and nods. “My girlfriend was already in my locker, but now it’s not just as friends.”
It’s a photo of Regina lying in Cady’s bed. Cady took after one of their hangouts that turned into a sleepover. She was threatened within an inch of her life if the photo came to light, but here she is putting it in her locker because she can.
“I thought I told you to get rid of that?” Regina asks.
Cady blushes and says, “You did, and I kept it anyway. And I know you won’t take it from me cause you care too much.”
Regina rolls her eyes, but even she knows that Cady is right. Cady shuts the door and leans against it, mirroring Regina. “So I don’t really know how this works,” she hesitantly says. “But do I get to kiss you in greeting, or are we on the DL? As Shane said.”
Regina cracks a smile and then pulls her face into mock seriousness. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m scared that someone will see and suddenly everyone will try and take what isn’t theirs.”
“That could be a very serious problem for more than one person in this situation,” Cady replies.
More people are walking through the hallways now. It’s slightly louder now, and everyone’s feet seem to be clicking in perfect rhythm on the floor.
“Exactly, so we could just keep this our little secret,” Regina jokes.
Cady smiles and steps forward. “Or we could let everyone know with one perfectly timed kiss.”
Regina hums and leans down. “Yeah, we could.”
Cady bites her lip. “Is that okay with you? I don’t want to do something that you’re not ready for.”
“I think it would be okay,” Regina says. “Besides, it’s not like I haven’t kissed people during school before. Like when I kissed Aaron in front of you.”
Cady rolls her eyes and shoves Regina. “You were so mean for that. You purposely came up to do that.”
Regina laughs. “Yeah, I did, but now I’ll be kissing you. Isn’t that better?”
“I don’t know, you’re not kissing me right now,” Cady teases, baiting Regina into doing it.
The only sign the comment got to Regina at all is the singular eyebrow she raises. And then she’s leaning down to close the distance and kiss Cady. Cady hums and happily kisses her back until she hears the noise in the hallways drop to complete silence.
Regina is the first one to pull away and look at everyone frozen in their tracks. She wills herself not to blush and simply looks at everyone.
“Can I help you?”
It’s confident, loud, and totally Apex Predator. Cady knows that it’s Regina’s way of projecting confidence, but after all this time, Cady also knows that Regina only does that when she’s a little bit insecure or worried about how people will react.
Everyone starts moving again without another word. Although they all seem to pull out their phones and immediately go to typing. Regina and Cady both know what that means.
Regina looks back at Cady. “Are you okay?”
Cady huffs and smiles. “I’m always okay when I’m with you. Are you okay?”
Regina slowly nods. “I think I will be. Besides, if they wanna talk shit, they can. I know that I have the hottest girlfriend, and everybody else can fuck off.”
“Not true,” Cady says. “I have the hottest girlfriend.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Regina relents, teasing Cady.
“Uh–” Cady scoffs.
Regina kisses the top of her head and says, “Kidding, baby. You’re very hot, sexy, super smart, would hit.”
Cady blushes and steps away from Regina. “You can’t say that here!”
“Can’t let you forget, though,” Regina says. “Have a good day, lover.”
Cady blushes even harder as Regina walks away. “Weak. I am weak. And Regina is my downfall, my beautiful, beautiful downfall.”
She goes through the first half of her day without much of a problem. She doesn’t hear so much as a peep from anyone about anything about Regina. It isn’t until she’s sitting down for lunch that she runs into an issue.
Janis.
“And when exactly were you going to tell me that you and Regina are, in fact, dating?”
Cady sits down and says, “It’s a recent development.”
Janis nods. “And by recent, you mean in the last few months?”
“Try the last few days,” Cady replies.
“But you went on dates before that,” Janis replies. “Cause I know you, and you don’t just jump into something, especially with her, before checking the validity of the whole thing.”
Cady’s face draws together as more of their friends approach. “Why did you say it like that?”
Janis shakes her head. “Like what?”
“Why did you talk about Regina like she was something to be feared? Or that she’s doing something wrong?” Cady asks. “Like you hate her?”
“I didn’t say it like that,” Janis says, immediately in defense mode because she knows she did, and Cady gets offended when she talks poorly about Regina.
“Yes, you did,” Cady states. “Which, whatever, you don’t like Regina, maybe you can at least trust me.”
“I do trust you,” Janis says.
“Then drop it,” Cady snaps.
Regina chooses that moment to walk across the cafeteria. It falls silent as it did earlier, and she stops in the middle of the room. She clicks her tongue and looks around.
“I ask again, can I help any of you?!”
She turns in place, looking from person to person, waiting for someone to say something. Then somebody finally has the guts to say something.
“So you’re like, a lesbian now?”
Regina turns to see a squirmy 15-year-old looking at her. She gives him a once-over. “Yeah, always was.”
“So I missed my chance?”
Regina starts to laugh, but covers it with a cough. “Yeah, sorry. And just for the record, kinda into redheads. And certainly not men. And certainly not anyone your age.”
The last part was a little rude, but Regina is looking at him, and all she sees is a child. Even if they’re only 2 or 3 years apart. That is a child.
The kid sits down, but his friends pat him on the back for giving it a shot. Even Regina can appreciate the gall he has for even asking in the first place.
Regina doesn’t hear anyone else speaking up, so she starts walking the rest of the way to the table. She’s within a couple of steps from the table when someone stops in front of her.
“So when you eventually get bored with your girl and toss her to the side, can I take her for a spin?”
The comment makes Regina uncomfortable for a number of reasons. 1. Because that’s exactly what she’s done previously. 2. This man is a creep. 3. YUCK. She steps aside for just a moment to set her tray down and then turns back to him.
“I’ll tell you what,” Regina says. “When I suddenly find the interest to entertain this conversation, you can have a chance. Although I think I’m kinda over this…bye.”
She shoulder checks him on the way to her seat next to Cady. Regina sees him grab at his shoulder as he walks away, and smirks in victory.
“Hi, lover,” Regina whispers, placing a kiss on Cady’s temple.
“Hi, Reggie,” Cady replies. “Are you okay?”
Regina smiles and nudges her shoulder. “You know me, I’m always okay. I got you something.”
She takes the candy bar off her tray and hands it to Cady. She opens the chocolate milk carton next and sets it in front of her.
“Regina, are you–”
“I’m okay, I promise,” Regina says, her smile tight.
Cady can tell she’s trying to shake off what happened and not let it bother her. She leaves Regina alone and rubs her knee in an attempt to comfort her. Regina pats her hand in thanks and starts eating her lunch.
Minus what happens at lunch, the rest of the day goes fine. Regina finds Cady after school and whisks her away in her Jeep.
“You wanna get ice cream before I gotta take you home?” Regina asks.
Cady nods excitedly in her seat, only stopping her slight bouncing when Regina sets a hand on her leg. Cady threads her fingers through Regina’s and sighs, leaning back in her seat. She’s been walking on cloud nine, and all she gained was a girlfriend. After everything, though, that seems like something worth feeling like she’s walking on air for.
Regina parks and steps out of her Jeep, opening Cady’s door before Cady can even think about opening it for herself. They wake inside, hand in hand, and look over the menu.
“So what are you gonna get?” Regina asks.
“I’m thinking vanilla with sprinkles,” Cady replies.
Regina sighs. “Cads, you’re so boring. How about getting something else?”
“What are you getting?” Cady asks.
“Strawberry.” They both say at the same time.
Regina gasps and looks down at Cady. “How did you know?”
Cady smiles and looks up at her. “You always get strawberry.”
“Well then lets both get something different.”
They take a little longer to look through the menu and then order. Regina lands on coffee-flavored and even manages to convince the worker to put in some chocolate chunks from the back. Cady chooses chocolate chip cookie dough, and she does get grief from Regina about it because it’s basically vanilla ice cream with cookie dough pieces.
They find a table and sit down. Cady digs her spoon into her ice cream and hums as she licks it off. It makes her shiver, and Regina is up in an instant, taking off her letterman and urging Cady into it.
“Thanks, Reg,” Cady says, slipping her arms into the sleeves.
Regina winks. “No problem.”
They both eat the ice cream out of their cups for a while. It’s not until Regina is almost done that she slows down, noticing Cady isn’t anywhere close.
“Tell me, baby. Where is that big brain of yours gonna take you for college?” Regina asks.
Cady lights up, and Regina knows she asked the right question. “I applied early application to a bunch of places and–”
“Why didn’t you tell me that?” Regina asks, feeling a little hurt by the action.
“Well, it was when we were fighting, and to be honest, I kind of forgot,” Cady says.
Regina mentally face palms, her face scrunching. “Right, I forgot. That would’ve been around that time, well, tell me now.”
“I applied to Stanford, MIT, Princeton, Harvard, UPenn…”
The list goes on and on. Regina tries to keep up and make a mental note of each school and check the distance between those schools and NYU. They mainly seem like Ivy Leagues, but Cady has a few others in there that she is sure to get into without a doubt.
Regina asks as many questions as she can think of. What major programs are there, if she is going to do a minor, if she plans to graduate early, and if she’s going for a PhD? Cady goes on and on, and Regina listens and hangs onto every word of it.
Cady finishes her ice cream between the gaps in conversation, and Regina quietly stacks their cups together to throw away. It’s not until Regina asks her the 20th question that she realizes she’s just been talking forever.
“I’ve been talking for so long,” Cady says. “What are you gonna do for college?”
Regina smiles. “I don’t mind listening to you, lover. I got my acceptance into NYU, but their athletic program isn’t my favorite. I also applied to Harvard and Stanford.”
Cady’s smile widens. “You got into NYU? Congratulations!”
“Thanks, baby. I leveraged the whole getting hit by a bus thing, seemed to work pretty well,” Reigna remarks.
Cady laughs and shakes her head. “What if I told you I did the same thing?”
Regina breaks out into uncontrollable laughter, Cady following behind her. Once they get through the fit, she looks at Cady and says, “I guess we were made for each other then.”
Cady smiles. “Something like that. Maybe mutual trauma?”
The comment makes Regina start laughing again, but she nods along because it is true.
“You ready to go home?” she asks.
Cady hesitates, and Regina instantly picks up on it.
“What?”
Regina doesn’t snap or put any attitude into it, but it still makes Cady feel small as she shrugs. “I just wanna make sure you’re okay from earlier. I don’t wanna upset you, though.”
Regina smiles. “I’m good, really. He is just a man. Nothing important about that.”
“You promise?”
“Absolutely.”
Cady scans Regina’s face and really looks for anything to make her think Regina isn’t being truthful, but all she sees is the truth. If she weren’t, Regina would look like she did last year, and she doesn’t.
“I’m ready to go then.” She holds her hand out for Regina, who takes it with a smile, leading her out of the ice cream parlor.
The drive to Cady’s house is quiet, just enjoying the silence and being with each other. Regina stops in front of Cady’s house and gives her a quick kiss.
“Bye, baby.”
“Bye, Reggie. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Cady replies.
She shuts the door and takes half a step before she realizes she still has Regina's letterman on. She opens the door again and tries to take off the jacket.
“No, keep it,” Regina says, stopping her. “I’ll get it back in a few days, yeah?”
Cady hesitates. “Are you sure?”
Regina hums. “Wear it tomorrow to school.”
“Okay,” Cady replies, shutting the door again. She walks inside with a smile plastered on her face.
She waves to her mom briefly before going upstairs to start her homework. Cady gets the majority of it done before dinner, and right before she goes to eat, only then does she take off Regina's jacket. It’s comfortable and smells like Regina.
Betsy asks her about the jacket at dinner, and Cady shrugs and says it’s Regina’s. Her mom tells her to make sure to take care of it and return it to Regina when she asks. Cady promises it will be returned in perfect condition.
Beyond Regina, they briefly talk about college. Cady quickly mentions in passing where Regina applied and subtly (not at all) mentions how close the two of them could be in the fall.
Cady wouldn’t go to a college specifically because of Regina, but it would be a nice perk to have her girlfriend close to her. Especially because new things can be overwhelming, and having Regina there would be like having her favorite comfort item around.
Cady is one step up the stairs when her mom says, “Don’t choose a college because of Regina. Go where you’re gonna do the best.”
Cady wants to be irritated, but she appreciates the honesty. “I won’t, Mom.”
The next day, she walks into school with Regina’s letterman on and not a care in the world. She likes wearing it, and nothing is going to change her mind about that. She puts the letterman safely in her locker and shuts it.
Cady walks to homeroom, a little surprised that Regina isn’t around to greet her. She sits down in her chair and pulls out her notebook to study. She gets so sucked in that she doesn’t hear the familiar thump of boots.
Regina’s nails tap on the desk in front of her, and Cady’s head snaps up. She smiles, shutting her notebook.
“Hi, baby,” Regina greets.
Cady is getting used to the pet name, but it still makes her blush just a little. “Hi.”
“You look good in my crewneck,” Regina comments. “Very sexy.”
Okay, so even if Cady is getting used to Regina calling her pet names and not blushing, it doesn’t work for comments like that. Where Regina is just so blatant and bold, like, hey, I think you’re hot, and I want you to know it, too.
Now that Cady’s face is sufficiently red, she replies, “It’s comfy, smells like you.”
“Can’t smell like me too much, you’ve held it hostage for weeks,” Regina teases.
“It has not been that long,” Cady defends.
Regina hums. “Kind of.”
“Oh, whatever.”
Regina laughs and leans her hip against Cady’s desk. “Did you wear my jacket?”
Cady nods, the question putting a smile on her face.
“Damn, the one day I’m running late,” Regina says.
“Well, you’ll see it later,” Cady states. “Right?”
They aren’t set to hang out, but they kind of just hang out every day anyway. It’s Regina’s break between sports, and Cady is taking advantage of it. Now that she thinks about it, though, Regina’s team workouts should be starting soon.
“I have lifting later,” Regina says. “So, I probably won’t.”
Cady pouts. No Regina at all today after school. That’s like the worst possible thing ever. Cady can’t think of something worse than not seeing Regina after school.
Regina leans down and kisses the pout away. “Don’t be too sad. It’s not like we don’t see each other all the time.”
“But today,” Cady whines.
Regina smiles and leans down again, placing a longer, deeper kiss against Cady’s lips. It only gets interrupted by the fake retching noises behind Regina.
Cady pulls away and sighs. She doesn’t need to look to know that it’s Janis. Only she would make that noise.
Cady offers Regina a silent goodbye as she walks out of the room. She gets one last moment of peace when Regina blows her kiss, which makes her all giddy inside. And now to Janis.
“I was thinking about what I said yesterday,” Janis starts, sitting down. “And I wanted to apologize.”
Cady nods. “That’s a good start.”
Janis awkwardly smiles and continues, “I do trust you, and I’m sorry that I made you feel like I didn’t. I also don’t hate Regina. I am just worried for you—about you.”
“There’s no reason to be worried, Janis,” Cady responds.
“Okay, I just…I just want you to know that if there’s anything you want to talk about, like ever, about Regina, I’ll listen,” Janis states.
“Even when I wanna talk about how grossly affectionate Regina can be?” Cady asks, teasing her.
Janis fake gags for a second, but smiles. “Course.”
“Okay, you are forgiven for yesterday,” Cady says.
“I do wanna know how all this started and like, when Regina became a lesbian?” Janis says. “'Cause like, there was that moment in the art room where she kinda said it to us, but you didn't seem to pick it up. And then I couldn't even tell if she was being for real.”
Cady shakes her head. “What?”
Janis rapidly nods. “Yeah, it went over your head. We need to debrief soon.”
“How about today?”
“No Regina?” Janis asks.
“She has lifting for the lacrosse team,” Cady replies.
Janis smiles. ‘Today then.”