Work Text:
Sarah hated Katherine. She was easy to hate. Not that she was mean or snobbish like some of the other girls at school, but she was just so perfect.
She was on the student council, her father was the principal, and worst of all she was dating Jack Kelly.
The key word in that sentence being "was". Katherine and Jack had broken up months ago yet that didn't stop Sarah from loathing the girl who dated her ex.
And sure, some people (David) would argue that she dumped Jack and that meant he should be allowed to date other girls and vice versa. But she still held a grudge.
It was a Friday night and the Jacob's parents were out of town so Sarah and her brothers had the apartment all to themselves. Sarah was perfectly fine with ordering out and having a nice night in. There were a couple of shows she'd been wanting to binge and a tub of Icecream in the fridge with her name on it.
But her date with Netflix was soon horribly shattered when David popped his head into her room.
"I'm having friends over."
"How many friends?" Sarah asked. She could ignore a couple of extra people in her house.
"Like everybody." It was clear David was keeping it purposely vague.
"Everybody is a party, David! Are you seriously throwing a party?" Sarah got up from her bed. She could ignore a couple of friends, she couldn't ignore a party.
"It's a get-together" David insisted but Sarah was having none of that.
"David I literally wanted to have a calm night for once! You cannot have a party!" Sarah whined.
"It's a just get together!" David repeated himself. "You have "calm nights" all the time! I'm the one who has to deal with you and your friends late night cackling!"
"Oh my god, it's not my fault the walls are thin and you have humungous elephant ears that hear everything within the 10 mile radius!"
David rolled his eyes. "We're literally twins, we have the same ears."
Sarah just reached over to grab her phone with a huff. "Whatever, I'm telling Mom and Dad you're having a party."
David rushed to grab the phone first, holding it above her head. "If you tell them I'm having a party then I'll tell them you were the one who dented the car!"
Sarah chose to ignore his threat, "so you admit it's a party!"
"Why are you guys arguing?"
The twins both turned their attention towards Les who was standing in the doorway. His eyes were glued to the Nintendo Switch in his hands, loudly playing the music to whatever game he was playing.
"Okay, Les how about you choose what happens tonight" David finally let go of Sarah's phone.
"Do you want to have a nice night in where you can play your video games in peace? Or do you want David to throw a loud annoying party with all his loser friends?"
Les didn't move his eyes from the screen, still mashing away at the buttons. "Do I get pizza?"
"I'm gonna order a bunch of different pizzas if people come over" David enticed, "you can have as many slices as you want. And I'll let you have soda too."
"I like David's idea."
"But Les!" Sarah desperately tried to change her little brother's mind, "think about how loud and noisy it will be! You won't even be able to hear your game!"
Les shrugged, "I have headphones." He then disappeared down the hallway before Sarah could persuade him anymore.
"Don't worry, you're invited" David smirked and Sarah threw her pillow at him with a grumble.
As the night went on Sarah kept herself cooped up in her bedroom with a pout. She could hear the front door open through thin walls every couple minutes and the sound of excited greetings and chit chat.
About half an hour after the first person arrived there was a small knock on her door. "you alive in here?" Race asked as he poked his head into her room. He smiled when he spotted her sulking on the bed and came it shutting the door behind him.
After dumping Jack, Racetrack was the only one of David's friends that Sarah could tolerate. It also helped that he was gay and she didn't have to worry about him trying to make a move on or flirt with her.
"David told me you were sulking in here" Race wasted no time lying down at the foot of her bed.
Sarah just sighed, "I was like, so not mentally prepared for a party tonight!"
"Okay well get mentally prepared because Blink and Al are on their way over with booze" Race rolled over onto his stomach and leaned on his elbows.
"Like David would ever allow that!"
"They'll smuggle it" Race smirked and finally rolled off the bed, grabbing Sarah's wrist as he did so. "Come hang out!"
Sarah kept herself planted on the bed, "no way!"
"Aw come on why not?" Race frowned.
"Because I don't know anybody!"
"You know me" Race sat back down on the bed, "you know Jack."
This remark only earned Race a glare before Sarah turned onto her shoulder. "You're not persuading me anymore by bringing up Jack."
"I don't get why you dumped him" Race frowned.
"I don't know either" Sarah confessed.
Race looked intrigued, "you still like him?"
"No!" Sarah was quick to answer.
"Okay, you're losing me" Race's eyes narrowed, "do you like Jack or what?"
"I don't know!" Sarah squirmed, "I mean maybe my standards are just too high. Because when me and Jack dated he was chivalrous and all that. And he isn't ugly. But..."
"But..." Race repeated trying to move her along.
"I just couldn't love him, I feel bad saying that but it's true. But even though I didn't like him I still felt super jealous when he and Katherine got to together. And I've been having the same issue with every guy I've dated since."
"Maybe you're a lesbian" Race joked but when Sarah looked like she was considering it he became serious. "Are you a lesbian?"
Sarah bit her lip, "I'm not really sure."
"Well if you are it'd be kinda funny, with Kath being a lesbian too and all. Jack must be a bad kisser or something."
"Katherine is gay?" Sarah felt a weird interest grow, "but she and Jack were together."
Race shrugged, "Yeah well it didn't work out for her either. I guess she just realized she liked girls."
"Oh."
The two were silent for a moment until Race spoke up, "so will you pretty please come out and hang with me?"
"Why don't you just go hang out with Spot?" Sarah crossed her arms.
"He's not here. The train from Brooklyn to Manhattan broke down."
"So I'm your backup?"
"Maybe. Just pleaseeee!" Race held his hands together to beg.
"Alright fine" Sarah finally agreed but not before throwing a pillow in his face.
Race ignored the attack and grabbed her wrist again. This time he was successful in dragging her out to the living room.
It seemed like the alcohol had arrived because beer bottles were spread around on tables and in the hands of party guests. Sarah scanned the room to see that it was just David's usual crowd.
Her gaze paused on Jack and Katherine who were talking to each other on the couch.
Katherine looked different than how she did in school. Her typical long skirt was replaced with one that felt just above the knee, her hair wasn't pulled back, and Sarah wasn't sure if she was wearing makeup or if she'd just gotten prettier.
Her thoughts were disturbed by Race who handed her a cold beer, "you wanna talk to Kath?"
Sarah felt her cheeks grow red as she realized she'd been caught staring. "No..." She sputtered.
It wasn't clear if Race was just being persistent or if he saw right through her answer but he headed towards the couch dragging Sarah behind him.
"Look who has arrived!" Race announced her presence as they approached Katherine and Jack who paused their conversation.
"I haven't arrived Race" Sarah pushed her hair behind her ear and attempted to act casual through her embarrassment. "This is my house."
Katherine scooted over and patted the new empty spot beside her, "come join us. I know you didn't want a party tonight the least I can do is let you sit in your own place."
Sarah sat down beside Katherine and Race took the floor beside Jack.
"I guess David told you that," Sarah noticed that her knee was touching Katherine's.
"Yeah," Katherine smiled sheepishly, "sorry."
"Oh no it's totally fine!" Sarah wasn't sure what had come over her. She hated Katherine, and it was her stupid brother's fault her peace was disturbed. "It's David's fault anyways. We tried to get Les to pick a side but he made his choice the second David mentioned soda."
Katherine laughed and Sarah felt a little pride build up in her chest. Just because she was funny enough to make someone laugh. Definitely not because it was Katherine...
"I should've spruced myself up before I came out here" Sarah remembered she was in her pajamas. "I was kinda planning on hunkering down in my room until Race dragged me out. I'm not dressed all pretty with makeup like you."
Katherine was flattered, "is it too much? I usually just wear lipstick but I wanted to try going all out tonight."
"No no, you're great!" Sarah insisted, "I mean you're makeup looks great. Not that you really need it because you're already pretty."
Okay so maybe Sarah didn't hate Katherine after all.
Their conversation was interrupted by Albert who threw himself on the back of the couch between Jack and Katherine's heads. "Any of you guys up for a drinking game?"
Race got up from his spot eagerly, "come on Jack you're my partner." Jack gave the girls a grin before letting himself be dragged away.
"Well, it's not really a partner game but..." Albert trailed off as Jack and Race disappeared into the dining room where the game was taking place. "What about you two?" Albert turned his attention to Katherine and Sarah.
"I think I'll pass" Katherine declined.
"Yeah me too" Sarah realized that the entire living room had cleared other than Katherine and Albert.
"Suit yourselves." The redhead shrugged and headed towards the dining room to join his friends. Now Sarah and Katherine were really alone.
"Men are barbarians" Katherine rolled her eyes with a smile. "Only they could turn getting liver disease into a game."
Sarah laughed, "I don't know why we deal with them... Well, I guess you don't anymore.” Sarah regretted the words the second they came out. Maybe she wasn't supposed to know that Katherine was a lesbian. Or did she come off backhanded?
But Katherine just smiled, “well even if I don't date them anymore I still hang out around them so I guess I'm bringing this on myself.”
Sarah cleared her throat, “yeah guess so...”
There was an awkward silence between the two and then Sarah asked, “how did you know?”
Katherine tilted her head, “know what?”
“That you liked girls.”
Katherine sighed and seemed to relax into the couch more like she was genuinely thinking about it, “I don't know. I guess I just realized at some point that I wasn't really attracted to guys. And dating guys just weren't working out for me.”
“Me too!” Sarah piped up.
“Wait are you a lesbian too?” Katherine asked.
“Well no... Yes? Maybe... I don't know.”
“Have you ever kissed a girl?”
Sarah felt like she couldn't answer. All she could do was look between Katherine's eyes and lips as her face grew red.
And then in a moment, they both closed the gap between them. Sarah closed her eyes as she kissed Katherine. It felt different than how she felt kissing Jack and other boyfriends before. This felt right.
Finally, they pulled away.
Sarah was still starstruck. “I have now...”
“So are you guys a thing now?”
Both girls jumped and Katherine whipped he read around to see Race leaning on the back of the couch.
“Oh my god, how long have you been there?” Katherine gasped.
“Only a couple of seconds, I left my drink in here” Race smirked, “but I saw the kiss.”
“Just get outta here!” Katherine swatted him away.
“So Jack is a bad kisser!” Race grabbed his drink off the coffee table and Sarah threw a pillow at him.
“Okay, okay I'm leaving!” Race insisted as he began walking back to the kitchen. He stopped right before he passed Sarah and patted her on the head, “welcome to the club!”
“Out!”
“Fineeee!”
Race finally left and Katherine and Sarah turned to look at each other. There was a split second of silence before they both burst out laughing.