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School has never been one of Sweetgum's favourite activities. That's not to say she hates it, she just doesn't like it. At all. She'd like English if Mr. Principal let her write about real essay topics and not just stupid question that boil down to whatever unimportant school question he wants the class to answer. Math'd be fine if Mr. 1chi wasn't a total weirdo. She might've even liked drama if Mr. Radd wasn't so obvious about his crush on one of the other teachers. By far, however, her favorite class is science. As weird as Prof. Gacha acts when you talk to him outside of class, he likes to get straight to business. Even though she has to sit in front of the girls with a mean streak, Sweet would do anything to keep her one class where the teacher acts like a normal human being.
She brandishes her bag from her locker, popping a piece of gum into her mouth and thanking something that Prof. Gacha allows gum as long as they're not doing chemistry. She follows her usual routine of sitting down, listening to the mean spirited giggles from behind her, and pulling out her pencil box. Only, as soon as she sets it down she hears an unfamiliar sound, the other stool at her table being pulled out. Sweet looks up, and sure enough, there's a girl there, where empty space should be.
Sweet must've stared for too long because now the girl is speaking.
"Oh, hi! My name's Carma, what's yours? Is that gum? Are we allowed gum?" Sweet stares for a moment before blinking out of her stupor. "Sweet… Sweetgum," she blinks again. "Yes, if you have your own. Why are you sitting there?"
"Professor Gacha said to just sit here. I'm swapping my extra drama class out for this one." The girl -Carma, she said- pulls out her own writing utensils, a denim bag filled to the brim with colours probably as bright as the world she sees. Sweet only has time to let out a hum of disagreement before the Professor walks in and lessons begin. It's only when she starts chewing her gum again and it feels soft and slimy that she realizes she didn't even subconsciously chew throughout that whole interaction something that happens about as often as her not having any gum to chew at all.
Carma waves to her when class ends, Sweet just narrows her eyes at her before walking home, thinking about how annoying it she'll actually have to do a group project with a classmate now, and that's that.
Except it's not "that".
Because every single day, every single class without her, Carma keeps trying to talk to her.
No matter how harshly she brushes her off, or how obviously she ignores her, Carma keeps trying to start conversation. Everyday it's "How long have you gone here?" or "Where'd you get your eyeliner?", not a single negative interaction makes her falter in the perceived quest of annoying Sweet as much as possible.
Today is some big experiment day, Sweet thinks, and where experiments are, partners comes. Of course this wouldn't usually be a problem, she'd just work with Prof. Gacha. Usually does not include Carma, though. Now she has to work with one of her incompetent, annoying, classmates.
She decides restrain herself from being too mean, today. This time it's not really Carma's fault she has to socialize. She enters the class early, as usual. Carma gets there 2 minutes before attendance is called, as usual. The giggles from behind her are a bit louder than usual, but she thinks the assembly she skipped this morning was for anti-bullying.
She gets her pencil box out and a piece of gum, willing to be home with Terry and Megan already. Prof. Gacha isn't here yet, but he's usually late on experiment days. Carma arrives, but Sweet isnt really paying attention to her. The attempted greeting is hazy in her mind, but she was pretty sure today was never gonna be a good day to begin with.
Professor arrives, and she waits for her name to be called, saying here where applicable. Sweet doesnt really think she's aware enough to do anything more today. She'll inform Carma what work she can do when the experiment's explained and she knows what's happening. She feels bad, but there's not much else she can do about it. She just focuses on the pattern of chew, chew, fold. Chew, chew, fold.
Professor's talking, chew, chew, fold.
Carma's talking, chew, chew, fold.
The mean clique makes some comment about her and Megan being more than family, chew, chew, fold.
Carma's turned around and yelling, chew, chew- huh?
That's not how the story goes.
Sweet's pulled into the present fully when Carma grabs one of Sakura's pigtails, accompanied by a threatening whisper Sweet can't fully make out. Prof. Gacha storms over and separates the pair as Sweet just stares at her lab partner, dumbfounded. It's when Carma tilts her head in such a profoundly concerned way that Sweet finally unfreezes.
"Carma? What… what was that for? I've never seen you get so… anything but happy, really." Sweet stops chewing her gum, but it's a conscious decision this time. She doesn't want it to interrupt whatever probably important conversation they're about to have.
"I mean, they were being mean to you, that's kinda reason enough? I know they laugh at you, but you put up with that. Even if you don't want to be friends, I don't think anyone should be talked about like that, especially not in front of them." Sweet can't help it, she laughed at that. A dry but near-giggling chuckle that only Megan knew was her real laugh.
"I'd ask if you were new here, but I know you aren't. That's just how things work around. If you're too different, you're going to get made fun of. It is how it is, Carma." Sweet shifts in her chair, noticing how Professor is still lecturing Sakura and her friends. She thought he knew but now she's having doubts on that front.
"Well it shouldn't be. I say you should be treated as a person, Sweetgum." Carma huffs and leans forward onto the desk. Sweet cringes at the use of her entire nickname.
"You don't have to call me the whole thing, y'know. Nobody I like does that." She slips the last remark onto the end, hoping Carma gets her point. She knows she has when she smiles brightly, but out of her perceived character, doesn't have much other reaction.
"Okay, Gum, y'know, same here. All my friends call me Carm." Sweet thinks about the nickname for a second, before deciding it's much cooler. Gum smirks, before responding.
"Nice to meet you, Carm. Friends?"
"Of course." Carm answers near instantly.
Gum decides that maybe getting a lab partner wasn't so bad at all, and that there's a part of school she likes after all.
Science class is Gum's favourite class, if only for her new friend.