Heart of Coal

Part 4, 2/20/11 (Post Ep. 17)

by The Last Moccasin

T / PG-13 || Teen Drama, Angst, A/U, Femslash

Swimming star Paige McCullers stops at nothing to take her place in the sun from 'Princess' Emily Fields. But is life better when she beats her rival or when she joins her?

Pretty Little Liars is copyright Alloy Entertainment. I am but a lowly, meddling fan.

I was going to put this scene in the next update, but I realized I should really have put it in the last one. So here it is late/early.

(Added 2/27/2011) After this, it's a long road before the girls come together. The next update will travel that road and arrive at the start of the Paily romance that fills the second half of the story. It'll be a large update and take a while to complete. I just don't want to update again until I get to more of the 'good stuff'.

"True Grit?" Ben asked, closing his locker with a careful 'snick' of the latch.

"If you want to see it," Paige said. "I'm pretty busy until Saturday, though."

The Junior class heartthrob gave her a tight-lipped smile. "No thanks. I've gotta go."

"Sure," she said to his back as he strolled away. "Some other time."

Paige sighed and leaned against the row of blue lockers. Not many high school boys were confident enough to approach her, and the nagging at home was getting too annoying to ignore. Ben was handsome and single. Why turn down a Western? She brushed a wrinkle out of her skirt. At least this way she didn't have to sit through it.

Lunch was almost over, and the student traffic was thickening. No one seemed to notice her in the hallway. Maybe no one overheard.

"That's probably not someone you want to be alone in the dark with," a gentle voice behind her said.

Paige spun around in the shadow of Emily Fields. For a second she could only stare at the raven-haired swimmer. The girl really had no right walking around surprising people when she was that stunning. "Hi," Paige finally quipped.

"Hi," Emily replied smoothly. "Ben Stintson?"

The redhead took a calming breath and grinned. "What can I say? Dark hair and eyes make me forget my own name." She rubbed the back of her neck. "But he's not interested, so..." She shrugged. She felt more embarrassed than hurt.

"At least now you can watch Harry Potter like you actually want to." Emily's eyes flashed with mirth, and Paige held back the girlish laughter suddenly bubbling in her chest. Was her boredom for dirty shoot-em-ups that obvious? She had seen Harry Potter, but...

"Is that still on anywhere?"

"Yeah, the dollar matinee on 8th."

The redhead nodded and looked down as they both paused. Somehow Emily's skinny jeans made her legs look longer than they did in her swimsuit. The brunette shifted her feet. Her pink Converse's were cute, too.

"Do you have Mr. Choi for Government?" Paige asked suddenly.

"Yeah, why?"

"I just thought, I've been looking for someone to study with. Someone smart and...not that I'm not smart. Do you want to?" She kicked herself inside for her verbal stumbles. Who would say yes to a mumbling, bumbling—

"Sure. When?"

"Whenever."

Emily grinned like she'd caught Paige stealing a muffin from the teacher's lounge. "I though you were 'pretty busy'."

"With swimming, like you. That's just something a girl says."

"Right." The brunette fished in her purse and drew her phone. "What's your number?"

"Here." Paige took it from her and entered her number. She scrolled through the Contact options. "Do you have Jay-Z's 'Empire'?"

"No, why?"

The redhead looked up at her with exaggerated doe eyes. "It has to play the right song."

Emily rolled her eyes in amusement. "I'll download it."

Paige called herself before handing the other phone back. With her own cell poised in her hand, she looked expectantly into mahogany eyes that clouded with confusion as the seconds passed. "I guess I could make you 'Squidward' since you don't have a preference." She touched play.

"Too bad SpongeBob isn't here to enjoy SpongeBob not being here."

"No, ha. Um..." Emily brought her hand to her lips, searching her memory. Paige played a cartoon sound FX version of 'Shave And A Haircut.' The brunette shot her an amused warning glance, and Paige kept her innocent 'Who, me?' mask on.

After another pause, she played SNL's Mary Katherine Gallagher knocking over a row of folding chairs. Emily bit her lip not to laugh. The redhead stared at her with fake seriousness and played the chairs again. And again, and Ems started to crack. "It's this one, isn't it? I'll save it."

The taller girl pushed her lightly on the arm. "No! Just stop so I can think." Paige smirked, and after a second Emily threw her hands up. "Beyoncé."

"Which one?"

"Surprise me."

Paige nodded. The brunette peered over her shoulder her as she scrolled through her songlist for something pretty or witty or both. An odd, humming feeling filled the redhead's lungs.

"Trying to move up in the world, McCullers?" Mona slithered out of the sparse hallway traffic and fluttered her plump eyelashes. She cast her gaze back and forth between the swimmers as they shifted apart and stiffened. "I admire your ambition, however tragic it may be."

Paige slipped her phone into her purse and cocked a baleful eyebrow at the beauty queen. "Can I help you, Mona?"

"No. But I can help you. See, I think you have potential. Meet me after school for a makeover at 'Salon' Mona. We'll see if there's a swan hiding behind that unflattering mop on your face."

Emily set her shoulders and took a step half in front of Paige. "We have swimming practice, Mona. You'll have to find someone else for your Jersey Shore seminar."

Mona laughed musically. "Oh, Emily. Always the white knight. I bet that makes your lady friend swoon. Oh that's right. She hasn't spoken to you for a month. Hanging on through that really puts the 'special' in special someone, doesn't it?"

The tall girl slowly folded as the words stabbed home. Mona slid her gaze triumphantly to the target she was shielding. "Careful with this one, Paige. She might get you sent back to the factory for repairs, too."

Paige glared silently. She hooked her hand into Emily's arm and pulled the taller girl behind her, then jabbed a finger at the popular snob. "The only thing broken here is your ability to fly back to your castle when you're not wanted. But you'll find a handy broom in the janitor's closet behind you. You'll probably have your own key in a couple years."

Mona sniffed with royal disdain. "You see? Potential. I can't help you if you won't help yourself, McCullers. Think about it; because this is your only chance." Stepping away, she blew the redhead a kiss. "Tootles." Mona cut a cold smirk at Emily and flounced into the river of passing students.

Paige huffed and looked at her friend. Her back was stiff, arms tucked in tight. White knuckles gripped her purse strap. "I almost said the only thing broken was going to be her new nose if she didn't get it out of our business."

Emily sighed with a weak grin and her shoulders loosened. "That might have been excessive."

The redhead shrugged, imagining a cackling Mona in a spectacular broom crash with a 747. A puff of straw bursting from the back of an engine...

"And gotten you suspended."

Paige cast a glare over her shoulder, but Mona had disappeared. "I wish I had P.E. with her."

The brunette laughed. Paige turned back, most of her anger disarmed by that sound. Twin smiles bloomed on their faces.

An easy silence swelled between them. Emily's eyes flickered with a sudden enigmatic thought. She tipped her head to the side, pursed her lips, and studied the shorter girl. The lone butterfly circling Paige's chest was flocked by a dozen more when a caramel hand reached up and cupped under her bangs, lifting them to expose her forehead. A bright smile lit the taller girl's face. The heat from her hand seemed to seep through Paige's skin and blaze in her mind.

"She's a little right," Emily mused, "I can see your face much better now."

Their eyes locked for a heartbeat. A brushfire stirred in Paige's cheeks.

Then a nail of anonymous fear struck her. She flinched. Suddenly she had to get away. Find somewhere she could breathe. Somewhere safe and alone. "I'm going to be late."

Emily's empty hand flew back to her purse strap. "Right. Sorry."

"Me too."

"For what?"

"I don't know... Fergie's singing at halftime?"

Emily laughed. "Well, don't let it happen again. See you later."

"Yeah." Paige nodded, self-conscious as her bangs tickled her eyebrows. "I'll text you."

"Call so I can hear your song."