Beauty and the Geek: a Sapphic tale

Inspired by and dedicated to @Faerierealm and her partner * It was the start of the new semester, but for Ellie it was no different to any other day. By lunchtime, she had survived a fire drill, a corridor full of shrieking girls, and an assembly speech about being kind to one another. Midway through it, Janice Pearson, sitting directly in front of her, had removed a pellet of chewing gum from her mouth and, turning around, flicked it straight at Ellie. A teacher nearby just happened to be looking the other way. Teachers seemed to have a talent for that. Yes, already a day like every other. And there was still the afternoon PE class to get through. The changing room contained its usual assault course of smells: bleach, damp towels and competing deodorants. Locker doors were opened and slammed shut too loudly. All around her, girls got changed while Ellie stood beside her locker, half-hidden behind the tangle of dark hair and a sweatshirt almost large enough to accommodate another Ellie, should one be required. "Aren't you getting changed too?" It was Lauren, a new girl in their class, who had yet to learn that people generally left Ellie alone. "I like to wait till everyone's gone. I get embarrassed." Lauren smiled, not unkindly. "Don't tell me you've got webbed feet." Ellie frowned. "No. Of course I haven't." Lauren's smile widened. "I was only joking. Do you take everything so literally?" "Yes." "Fair enough." Lauren pulled off her top and began wriggling out of her impossibly tight jeans. Ellie hastily examined a crack in the floor tiles. A moment later, she stole another glance. And that was when Janice appeared, along with two of her friends. They reminded Ellie of pilot fish, hitching a free ride with a shark. Janice sauntered over. She was the kind of girl who wore short skirts without tights even in the depths of winter, apparently immune to temperatures that would have finished off a polar bear. "You wanna steer clear of her," Janice said, addressing Lauren. "Oh? Why's that?" "Because she's mental. Should be in one of them special schools for weirdos." Lauren straightened. She was no longer smiling. "I'll pick who I talk to, thanks." "Yeah?" Janice's chin jutted forward. "Are you a lezzie too, then?" Lauren regarded her calmly. "I'll tell you what I am. South-East under-sixteen boxing champion. Three years running." Janice hesitated. "So I'd be careful with your insults if I were you." For a moment, Janice appeared to weigh up her options. Then she muttered something about keeping out of her way and headed for the door, her two companions following obediently in her wake. Ellie watched them go. It was possibly the most magnificent thing she had ever witnessed. After a moment, she turned to Lauren. "Are you really a boxing champion?" Lauren grinned. "Of course. Same as you've got webbed feet." "I told you, I don't—" Ellie stopped. Lauren was looking at her, eyebrows raised, waiting. "Oh," Ellie said. Then she laughed. It was a small, rather startled laugh. And she could hardly believe what she was hearing when Lauren said, quietly, "You're very pretty when you smile, Ellie. You should do it more often." She blushed, and carried those words with her for the rest of the day. THE END... OR IS IT?