Chapter Text
-
9 Years Ago
The first time Jinx met Caitlyn Kiramman, she left her favorite park with a broken collarbone.
She knew the park's rusty edges like the back of her hand. Knew the swings that went the highest, which slides were the least bumpy, the monkey bars with the best grip. There was nothing ten year old Jinx knew more about than the park she never left.
She simply couldn’t handle not moving at all times. If there was a place to run, or something to climb, Jinx was on it. The tall tree overlooking the park was no exception.
Jinx paid no mind to the bark biting her palms with every pull. Her only focus was the adrenaline pumping through her veins. It was addicting. The rush, knowing she could fall at any moment. Jinx never understood why people said not to look down when it was so exhilarating.
The fear was part of the experience and the fiery ten year old wasn’t one to half-ass it.
She planted a foot on a sturdy branch, and turned around to take in the view. Children were chasing one another along the cracked pathways, laughter flowed from the monkey bars, swings creaked back and forth. All of it was so familiar.
Except her.
Jinx had never seen her before. Not from the tree, not from the ground, not from anywhere. A girl sat on the park bench, alone. Her hair was—blue?
It wasn't.
It wasn't blue, but the way the sun landed on it. The way it hit it just right, it almost looked blue. Her hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail. Two short pieces framed her face on either side. Her eyes were blue. So blue, they looked almost unnatural.
The girl wasn’t moving. She sat there observing the kids around her with a pinch in her brows. Hands clasped tightly at her knees, her posture so proper it looked painful.
Jinx preferred a slight slouch with her knees spread apart. She was Vi’s little sister, after all.
Deciding she’d stared at the girl long enough, she braced herself to continue. Just as she went to turn, those very blue eyes landed on hers. Jinx froze.
Time moved slower after that, like she was under a spell. Her palms started to sweat, but she barely noticed. Her focus was on the blue eyes staring curiously into hers.
She was lost in her thoughts. Lost in an ocean that she never wanted to leave. So much so that when Vi yelled, “Powder!” She jerked and lost her footing, and those sweaty palms weren’t enough to stabilize her startled frame.
The only thing she remembered after that was white hot pain and a sea of blue.
When Vander asked her what happened, she told a lie.
When Vi asked her what happened, she told a half-lie.
“I was looking at—” She looked away embarrassed. “I was looking at a bunny.”
Vi laughed. “Okay. Well, next time make sure you’re on the ground first, kay, pow?”
Jinx huffed. “I’m not Powder anymore, Vi.”
“Right.” Vi relented with a sigh. “It’s Jinx, now.”
After a moment Vi raised an eyebrow in question. “Why Jinx, anyway?”
Jinx refused to meet her eyes. “I dunno, just cause.”
She did know—she just also knew Vi wouldn’t understand. No one did.
-
9 Years Ago
The second time Jinx met Caitlyn Kiramman was at the park again. That time she didn’t fall.
But Caitlyn did.
Actually, Caitlyn was pushed.
And Jinx was pissed.
She didn’t notice at first. She had no idea Caitlyn was there until she heard a grating laugh. That stupid laugh, from that stupid boy.
Jinx always hated Adam. She hated the names he called her. She hated the sloppy punches that he tried so hard to land. She hated the way his face would scrunch after the miss, like he was actually shocked it didn’t land.
So when Jinx saw Adam, standing over a girl with hair hit by the sun so right it looked blue, she saw red.
She stormed over with fire in her eyes, blood boiling. No words were spoken, only her fist connecting with the boy's face. Once, twice, three times.
When the boy hit the ground with blood pouring from his nose, Jinx wasn't sorry. There wasn't an ounce of regret at the sight of red. She only sneered at him. “Leave her alone.”
For a moment he looked ready for a fight, but then his face twisted, pain finally setting in. They boy stood up, hand held to his bloody nose. “Freak.” He spat and turned away.
Jinx didn't dignify him with a reply, eyes glued to his retreating figure—daring him to turn around. Daring him to look back at the girl with magical hair and sapphire blue eyes. Luckily for him—he didn't. When he was finally out of her sight, her eyes turned met Caitlyn’s.
So blue. She wanted to drown in them. She would have, if she hadn’t noticed the tears that gathered there. Jinx didn’t know what to do with tears. She didn’t know how to make it better, but she wanted to do something.
“Don’t let people push you down and get away with it, blue.”
Caitlyn just stared back blankly, unmoving.
Jinx furrowed her brows. “Um, you okay?” She spoke unsurely.
That seemed to snap her out of it. “I—yes, I’m alright.” Caitlyn said with wide eyes.
Her voice sounded weird. It was different, but Jinx didn't mind. Embarrassment spread across the girl's face. It made her want to chase the boy down and punch him again.
Jinx didn’t want her to be embarrassed. She hated being embarrassed. She also hated when people noticed it. Wanting to spare the girl any more misery, she said, “I’ll see ya around, blue.” And walked away.
But she didn’t see her.
Not for a while at least.
-
4 Years Ago
The third time Jinx met Caitlyn Kiramman was her first day of high school.
Jinx sat in the back of the class with her head down. Waking up at seven in the morning was four hours too early for her taste. Not to mention, her first period was filled with the most annoying people she had ever met. At least that’s what she assumed, if the first ten people to enter the room were anything to go by.
She entered the classroom five minutes before the bell and she did not fall asleep. She certainly was not startled awake at the sound of the bell. And she was definitely not shocked to see the room full of students when she opened her eyes.
This was going to be a long day. She tuned most of the teachers talking out, only tuning back in as the woman reached the letter J on roll call. Getting on her bad side the first day was not a good idea, and Jinx missing her name was a sure way for that to happen.
Before the teacher got to the L’s though, she got to the K’s, and Jinx perked up at one of them.
“Caitlyn Kiramman?”
Jinx knew that last name. She’d seen it float around the town—not that she really kept up with some rich family that probably wiped their ass with dollar bills—but she was curious. They had a daughter? What kind of rich girl would go to a public school, instead of the private one down the road? It made no sense.
Her surprise at hearing that name was nothing compared to her shock as she looked to her left, eyes landing on the rich girl in question.
Hair.
Hair hit so right by the sun slanting through the windows, it looked blue.
She couldn't see her eyes, but she knew they were blue. So blue.
Her name was Caitlyn and Jinx did not get butterflies. She would never get butterflies for some rich, tall—wow, her legs were long—girl with blue eyes. And hair. Black hair that was kind of blue—does anyone else see that? Maybe she was losing her mind? Maybe—
“Powder Lanes?” The graying woman called, eyes scanning the room.
Jinx almost missed it, she was so lost in her thoughts. That and she hadn’t been called powder in a very long time.
Her eyes snapped to the woman. “It's Jinx.”
The teacher's eyes found hers, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I’m sorry?”
“I go by Jinx, not Powder.” She insisted.
“Alright.” The woman conceited. “I’ll make a note of it. You may want to check in with the office to get it changed in the system.”
Jinx noticed the eyes on her. She knew what she looked like. Hair dyed an unnatural shade of blue, asking to be called a different name. She could almost laugh at the misunderstanding. She might’ve, if she hadn’t felt so uneasy at being called powder again.
Still, she ignored the eyes glancing at her, but there’s one set she couldn’t ignore.
Blue—Caitlyn, with her fist propped under her chin, head turned and eyes directly on her from across the room. She felt her skin start to tingle.
Caitlyn's eyes were wide in shock, lips slightly parted. It felt like they sat like that forever, but she knew it was only a couple of seconds. Only a couple, before Caitlyn looked away abruptly, like she was coming back to herself. And with her cheeks a pretty shade of pink, she looked back down at her desk.
Jinx let out a shaky breath and decided to try and pay attention. She needed the distraction, badly.
But it wasn't her fault that the only thing she could hear—between names and lessons she didn't care for—was Caitlyn, over and over. Like a song. Like a melody you never forget.
Caitlyn. Caitlyn. Caitlyn.
—
3 Years Ago
The fourth time Jinx met Caitlyn Kiramman, it wasn't actually the fourth time.
She’d seen her around school. Always alone. The two never spoke, only looked at each other like they were sharing a quick secret, one without words. The look never lasted long though, Caitlyn didn’t seem to be a fan of eye contact. The girl always looked away from her abruptly, with pink cheeks and her lips pressed in a firm line.
Jinx did not think it was cute.
When Jinx found herself in the bathroom during third period, trying and failing to catch her breath, she didn’t expect to see her favorite blue. She hadn’t had a panic attack in a while at that point. She was seventeen and hoped she’d outgrown them. Riding in cars didn't make her feel like she was drowning, loud noises no longer made her jump. She was fine, so why was she having a panic attack now?
She couldn’t think and her hearing was muffled. Maybe she was underwater. She was cold. Wait. Why was she cold? Her arm tingled. Was she having a heart attack? She had to be.
Her thoughts kept racing, until eventually they began to slow down. Her hearing came back slightly, her breathing even more. She finally opened her eyes and—
Oh.
Oh.
She was not having a heart attack.
She thought she might though, as she realized Caitlyn Kiramman was sitting with her on the bathroom floor with big soft eyes and a hand rubbing up and down her forearm.
Caitlyn was speaking, but Jinx could only see her lips. They were pink, a very pretty pink, like her cheeks when she would look away from Jinx. Why did she always look away from her? She wanted to see her blue eyes.
Jinx finally came fully out of her trance when Caitlyn gently cupped her cheek. The feeling of her fingertips curled behind the hinge of Jinx’s jaw, sent chills throughout her body.
“Are you alright?” Caitlyn asked in a gentle whisper. Like Jinx was someone worth being gentle to. In that moment, she almost believed she was.
“I—” she cleared her throat. “Yeah. I, uh, I’m okay.”
Jinx briefly wished she hadn't answered, because as soon as she did, those soft hands dropped from her face. It felt wrong. She shouldn’t want them back, she knew that, but she still ached for them.
Caitlyn was fidgeting, like she didn’t know what to do with her hands when they weren’t on Jinx. Like she wanted them to be there. Jinx knew better than to let her mind go there, though. That was dangerous territory.
Even knowing, she still couldn't look away from her. She made her feel warm. Caitlyn pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, chewing on it nervously. Jinx stupidly let her eyes follow the movement, watching the way her teeth sunk into the soft flesh.
Why did this girl make her feel so out of control? Why was she so captivating? Jinx pretended she didn’t know why and on most conscious levels, she really didn’t.
“Thank you, Caitlyn.” Jinx half whispered in a tired voice. It was the first time she said her name out loud. It tasted sweet. It was addicting.
The girl looked surprised at her words and Jinx wondered why.
Caitlyn exhaled. “You're welcome, Jinx.”
Jinx should’ve let it go. She really should’ve, but she had to know. This girl was already such a mystery to her and she was right there.
“Why do you look so surprised? You see a ghost?” She joked.
There it was. That pretty pink that always spread across her cheeks. Jinx wondered if it was warm to the touch. She was so out of it exhausted, she almost reached her hand up to find out.
Before she could, Caitlyn spoke,“I just didn’t know you knew my name.”
Jinx raised an eyebrow. “I think everyone knows your name.”
Caitlyn’s lips pressed together at that. Eyes floating to the wall, just past Jinx’s head, almost like she didn’t see her anymore. Like she was lost—no, drowning—in her own thoughts.
“Then why does no one see me?” Fell out of her mouth, so quiet Jinx almost didn’t catch it.
Almost.
Jinx's heart ached at the question. It wasn't a joke, she hadn’t even mean for her to hear it. Caitlyn really didn’t understand, and honestly? Jinx didn’t either, because Caitlyn had never been invisible to her. She never could be. How could anyone not see her?
The way she walked through the hallways like a ghost, almost like she didn’t deserve to take up space. Always so serious, lips pressed, eyes scanning.
People talked sometimes, said she was spoiled, weird, robotic. Someone even said she was a dumb rich girl once, and that got a scoff out of Jinx. She knew better. The girl was top of every class, always the first one done.
Caitlyn was smart and anyone with eyes could see she was attractive. She didn’t deserve any of that.
If Jinx wasn't so keen on pretending she didn't have feelings for the girl, she may have told her all of that. She may have cupped her cheek and spoken to her with a soft, adoring voice.
She may have.
But she didn’t.
She pretended she didn’t hear the question.
Coward.
Whatever, she had bigger things to worry about. Like why she had a panic attack out of nowhere.
“I should get back to class. Mr. Jones is gonna have my ass for missing again.”
Caitlyn came back to herself, eyes meeting Jinx’s again. “Oh, yes. Sorry.” She pulled back and stood up, eyes looking everywhere but at the shorter girl. Her bottom lip was caught between her teeth again. Jinx tried not to notice.
Before Jinx could make her way fully out of the door, she turned her head, looking at Caitlyn from the corner of her eye. “See ya around, blue.”
And if her heart jumped at the look of recognition on Caitlyn’s face, she ignored it.
That wasn’t happening.
—
3 Months Ago
The fifth time Jinx met Caitlyn Kiramman she almost threw up.
Prom wasn’t Jinx’s scene at all, but Ekko had a knack for getting his way when he annoyed the absolute hell out of her. To make matters even worse, he ran off with his date thirty minutes ago and she was bored out of her mind.
It’s not like it was a secret that he was insistent on her coming because he needed a buffer in case things got awkward, but knowing didn't make the situation annoy her any less. She wanted to be home, eating her sour patch kids and killing people.
In video games, of course. She wasn’t that crazy.
Would he notice if she left? Was staying there all night really worth fifty bucks? No, it wasn’t.
But as she went to leave her eyes caught on something.
Caitlyn wasn’t short at all. Quite the opposite, actually. She had legs for days and the way the dress she was wearing hugged her hips—Jinx never stood a chance.
She was practically foaming at the mouth by the time Ekko threw an arm around her shoulders and apologized for running off. Jinx didn’t hear him, at first. She was drowning in her own drool and if that was the way she went, so be it.
Death by seeing Caitlyn Kiramman in a tight ass dress.
“Jinx!” She finally realized Ekko had been yelling at her when she felt a headache coming on.
Her eyes snapped to him. “What asshole? Stop yelling in my ear!” She screamed back.
He shook his head. “Oh my bad. I only thought you were having a seizure or something. Next time I’ll let you die.” He gave her an unamused look.
Jinx chuckled. “What a hero.”
“You’re laughing, but I was about to dump my drink on you. What were you looking at anyway?” He turned towards the direction she was staring in.
It was very unlikely he would figure out that she was staring at Caitlyn, but she still didn’t want to risk it. So, she pushed his shoulder, turning him back towards her.
“None of your business. Where have you been, lover boy? And where’s your date?” She furrowed her brows.
“She’s dancing with her friends.” He shrugged, adding, “Girl time.”
“Oh, so I’m just your last option?” She raised her brows.
Ekko gave her a cheeky smile. “Yep.”
She rolled her eyes with a scoff. “Fuckin asshole.”
He threw his arms up in surrender. “I’m kidding! Come dance with me?”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re really not my type.” She gave him a sad look and a couple pats to the shoulder to soften the blow.
Ekko didn’t even dignify the joke with a response. He only stuck out his arm, nodding pointedly for her to take it. With the biggest roll of her eyes, she gave up and looped her arm with his.
The room looked different on the dance floor. Everyone not dancing looked smaller. She wondered if Caitlyn would. No way, that girl was way too tall to look small from any angle. Those legs? Nah.
Not that Jinx cared. She wasn’t looking for Caitlyn in the crowd, she knew better. Her and Caitlyn were like—
She didn’t know, actually. They never actually spent time together. Was it normal to spend so much time thinking about someone you didn’t even know?
It was the fuckin hair. Maybe she’s a witch, that’s why it looks like that. That’s why Jinx gets put into a trance every time she looks at her. She was casting spells, she had to be.
There was no other explanation.
If she wasn’t sure before, she definitely was when she caught sight of Caitlyn on the dance floor and accidentally stepped on Ekko’s toe.
“OW—Fuck, Jinx!.” He reached down to rub the pain away.
She winced. “Yeah, shit. My bad.”
“Man, Vi was right. You do have two left feet.” He stood up with a frown plastered on his face.
“Hey! Quit talking shit about me with my sister!” She shoved his shoulder.
“Ow, okay. No more hitting for you!” He pointed a finger in her face.
He realized his mistake just as Jinx’s teeth sunk into his flesh.
“Okay. I’m never asking you to dance again.”
Jinx batted her eyelashes and gave him a sweet smile. “You promise?”
He yanked her hair as he made his way off the dance floor. As Jinx went to follow, her eye caught on Caitlyn, again. This time she noticed who Caitlyn was dancing with.
A woman.
A gorgeous woman, with dark skin in a white dress that hugged her just right. Caitlyn’s hands were on her hips, her head nestled against her collarbone.
Jinx had never been jealous over another person a day in her life. She didn’t even know how that would feel. All she knew was that her heart ached and she was about thirty seconds away from throwing up all over the dance floor.
The bathroom was empty when she stormed in. Good. She didn’t want anyone to see her dry heaving over the toilet, until her eyes watered.
Jinx knew she shouldn’t have come. Fuck prom. Fuck Ekko for guilting her into coming. And fuck her for giving in.
After a couple minutes of making sure nothing was actually going to come up, she decided she’d had enough misery for one night. Jinx turned to walk out of the door the same moment Caitlyn walked through it.
Even in the harsh lighting of the bathroom, she still looked beautiful. Her blue eyes were made even more prominent, with her mascara and the dark eyeshadow painted on her eyelids.
The dress, silky smooth. Hugging every curve, just the way it had earlier. It wasn’t low cut, but Caitlyn Kiramman didn’t need a low cut dress to show off her generous assets.
Pretty, she was always so pretty.
Caitlyn’s tongue darted out of her mouth wetting her lips. Jinx didn’t have the energy to stop her eyes from following.
It was only a couple seconds of them just staring at each other, but it felt like an eternity. At least for Jinx it did. Time always froze when she looked into those beautiful blue eyes.
Caitlyn broke the silence after a couple seconds passed. “Hello, Jinx.”
The corner of Jinx’s lip quirked up. “Hey.”
She could tell Caitlyn hadn't been expecting anyone else to be in here. What kind of person spends their prom night in the bathroom?
Both of them, apparently.
“Are you alright?” Caitlyn asked.
Jinx looked at her and let out a short chuckle. “Do I look that rough?” She joked.
Caitlyn's eyes widened, as if she realized she’d done something wrong. Jinx thought she looked like a kicked puppy. “No! I just mean—“
“Caitlyn!” Jinx interrupted her with a placating smile and half chuckle. “I was just kidding.”
“Oh”
It was cute. The way her mouth formed a little o, and her face softened. Her cheeks got that pretty pink color to them and Jinx briefly thought maybe this night wasn’t so bad, after all.
That was before she remembered why she was in the bathroom in the first place.
“Where’s your date?” She ignored the way her heart ached as she asked the question.
The furrow between Caitlyn’s brows came back. “Um, I didn’t bring one.” She looked almost…embarrassed.
Wait, what?
Jinx’s eyebrows were now furrowed too. “The girl in the white dress?” She questioned.
Realization dawned on Caitlyn's face. “Oh, no. She’s not my date.”
Caitlyn’s expression turned thoughtful. “Well, I suppose technically she is, but she’s just a family friend. My sister in law, essentially.”
Oh. That’s not the vibe Jinx got at all. To be fair though, she didn’t spend that long looking before she rushed off, in an attempt to save face. Stupid.
“Oh, my bad. I just assumed because of the dancing,” She said, sheepishly.
“It’s alright.” Caitlyn gave her a small smile in response. “You are okay, though? I overheared your friend looking for you, also.”
Her eyes rolled at that. “Yeah, I should go find him and shove my foot up his whiny ass for forcing me to come with him.”
That got a laugh out of Caitlyn. A real, full smile, toothy laugh.
In that moment, Jinx realized she’d never seen Caitlyn genuinely smile.
In that moment, Jinx realized she’d never noticed the gap in between Caitlyn’s two front teeth.
In that moment, Jinx realized she was absolutely fucked.
-
Present
Jinx knew Caitlyn Kiramman was smart, and also incredibly rich. So her, and anyone else with a brain, expected her to go to a prestigious Ivy League University. She would meet some nice—but incredibly boring—loser, and fall in love. Maybe they’d get married her senior year and start a family a couple years later. They’d live in some big house with too many kids, a boring marriage, and a ugly dog.
And Jinx would never get to see her again.
So, when Jinx walked into her dorm to meet her new roommate, and came face to face with none other than Caitlyn Kiramman.
She let out an honest to god whimper.