Chapter Text
It wasn’t really Hannah’s fault she got suspended.
Okay, it 100% is her fault…
but that no good son of a bitch, dull as dishwater, Patrick Thomas had it coming.
They were standing as usual in the hallway, Millie getting things from her locker before Hannah would walk her to class. Looking like the oddest pair of- something with Hannah in her ripped black jeans and Millie in a periwinkle dress and pink sweater. Hannah was leaning up against Millie’s locker, only half listening as the energetic girl buzzed about her needlepoint class, now that she’d actually joined one. Hannah was trying to pay attention, honest, but Millie had this little strand of hair that escaped her ponytail that kept falling into her pretty, smiling face as she prattled on about the new embroidered butterfly throw pillows she was making. Hannah reached out, more on impulse, and tucked the strand behind Millie's ear, fingers lingering indulgently by the girl’s ear. Millie’s grin turned softer, the faintest blush dusting her cheeks as she thanked Hannah before rushing back into her story. Hannah’s insides melted faster than a bowl of butter left in the sunshine on a June day. So Hannah was too preoccupied with trying to control her own flushed cheeks as Millie went on about the throw pillows to notice Patrick Thomas coming up behind Millie.
Patrick gave out a low whistle, eyes fixed on Millie’s butt. Hannah’s little closed lipped half smile dissolved into her usual scowl.
“Ooooweee! If ain’t the BIG miss beauty queen.” Patrick cat called as he mimicked Hannah’s stance of learning an arm against the lockers behind Millie. “Looking mighty fine for a pig in a pink dress.”
Hannah grit her teeth. “Mind your manner before I mind them for you.”
Millie gave Hannah a pleading look before giving to Patrick a nod of acknowledgment. She quickly fetched her books from her locker and closed it. She looked down to the floor then grabbed Hannah’s hand to drag the punk girl away before the short haired girl murdered somebody.
Hannah let herself be pulled away but threw a sneer over her shoulder.
“Aww, ain’t even gonna spare me a word? What I ain’t good enough to be graced with your conversation, Beauty Queen?” Patrick leered as he followed directly behind the girls. “You know I wasn’t sure what was so pretty about you to deserve to be up on that stage, let alone second place.”
Hannah was about turn around to bark something back when Millie gently squeezed her hand, murmuring softly. “Let it go, Han. It’s alright.”
Patrick, feeding on Hannah’s rage, kept going “But now that you’re walking away I can see it; your ass gotta mighty fine jiggle. And personally, I love a good booty, none of that flat Barbie bull shit. I mean, an ass like you’re just is dying to be squeezed and spanked!”
To articulate his point, Patrick leaned forward and grabbed a handful of Millie’s ass.
Which is when Hannah lost it.
Before Hannah could even blink, she lunged at Patrick and pinned him to the floor of the hallway where she repeatedly punched his face, taking extra enjoyment in the fact that she wore rings on her fingers today which were cutting into his cheeks.
“Stop it!” Millie cried, pulling on Hannah’s raised fist but Hannah just yanked her arm outta her friend’s grasp to keep hitting Patrick. Millie’s pleas were slowly getting drowned out by the sound of the bell blaring and by the small mob that was forming around the fight, kids pushing Millie out of the way to get closer and take videos.
“What is going on here?!” Mrs. Hall asked as she weaseled her way into the circle around Hannah and Patrick. “Mrs. Perez, get up this instant!”
Hannah got another punch in before she stopped. Millie rushed forward as the crowd dispersed and kids fled to their classrooms. Millie helped Hannah stand up from her seat on Patrick’s chest. Her arms enveloped Hannah into a hug, and Hannah struggled to return it without putting her bloody hands on Millie’s pastel pink cardigan.
“Ms. Perez, principal’s office! NOW!”
“She just went crazy! I didn’t do anything!” Patrick whined from his puddle on the ground.
“Mr. Thomas, go to the nurse's station to get cleaned up but then report to the principal’s office. Fighting is against school regulations! We will get to the bottom of this!” Mrs. Hall snipped as one of the jock’s helped Patrick off the floor. “Ms. Mitchellchuck, I believe you have a class to go to.”
“But I-”
“It’ll be fine, Mils,” Hannah assured as she followed Mrs. Hall to the principal’s office.
Yeah. Hannah got suspended for two weeks and would have a weeks worth of detention after that. Not that she regretted any of it.
When she got out of the principal’s office Hannah was surprised to see Millie standing outside playing with the straps to her pastel backpack as she waited for her. Hannah’s own backpack that she dropped earlier was at Millie’s feet. “You skipped?”
“Course I did! What happened?” Millie asked, handing Hannah her things.
“Suspension.” Hannah shrugged.
“Jesus.” Millie cursed before looking down apologetically. “I’m sorry, this is all my fault-”
Hannah reached forward and grabbed Millie’s hand. “Don’t say that! It is not your fault at all, it’s that no good bastard’s fault! I wish I had broke that no good-”
“Oh my gosh, your hands!” Millie gasped as she raised Hannah’s hand higher to inspect the girl’s torn up knuckles.
“It’s fine.” Hannah dismissed trying to pry her hand out of Millie’s but Millie held on tight.
Ever so gently, Millie pulled Hannah down the hallway to the girl's bathroom. There she gestured for Hannah to sit on the counter while she went over to wet some paper towels. Very softly, Millie raised Hannah’s hand up to her face to inspect it and carefully took off all the rings to expose the bruised fingers. She tenderly cleaned off all the dried blood, both from Hannah’s torn up knuckles and Patrick’s bloodied nose. She looked so intently as she worked and handled Hannah with such a softness, Hannah wondered if anyone had ever touched her so carefully before. Millie handled her like something precious. Hannah; the girl that only ever wore black, lived in combat boots, took Karate and Jujitsu, and been suspended twice already for fighting. Hannah was the least soft girl probably in the whole town and everybody had always treated her as such. Cause Hannah wasn’t some porcelain pageant girl doll, she didn’t crack when people were rough with her. And she generally loathed any notion that people had to be delicate with her just because she was a girl. She was a fiery ball of rage that could beat anybody into the ground and she let you know it. Still, this was nice…
“I’m not gonna break ya know,” Hannah grumbled trying to beat away the fuzzy feeling enveloping her chest not wanting to admit that she liked being fussed over.
“I know,” Millie said, voice only above a whisper as she put Hannah’s hand down and went to rummage through her backpack. “You’re tough. The toughest person in Clover, but you that doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a little gentleness now and then.”
Hannah swallowed and looked away.
Millie walked back over with a small first aid kit and slowly went about applying gauze to Hannah’s hands, sweetly humming a church hymn as she methodically worked. Hannah looked down and watched as Millie compassionately but firmly put on the bandages.
Millie tisked. “You shouldn’t be getting into fights-”
“He deserved it-”
“I’m not-”
“You’re worth it. For you, I could have put him in the ground.” Hannah admits staring as Millie put on Disney Princess Band-Aid’s on the minor cuts on her fingers were her rings had dug in. Hannah probably broke Patrick’s nose but after what he did she wishes she could have broken a lot more.
“Just promise me you won’t get into any more fights, Han. I don’t want you getting expelled.” Millie implored.
“I promise,” Hannah swore, not entirely sure she would be able to keep it.
But Millie’s smile, god it was so pretty. Her eyes just sparkled and her face lit up like a Christmas tree. Hannah had first seen it when Millie won the pageant but otherwise, Hannah liked to think that smile was just for her. Maybe if Hannah got into less trouble she’d see that smile more...
Millie worked for another minute and they sat in comfortable silence.
Finally, Millie looked up with a cheerily little grin “There we have it!”
Hannah, reluctantly, went to draw back her hand from Millie’s hold when Millie leaned forward slowly and carefully kissed Hannah’s knuckles. Hannah’s breath hitched and her eyes widened as Millie repeated the action to the other hand. Gently squeezing both of Hannah’s hands in hers, Millie looked back up sunnily announcing “All better.”
Hannah had never been more grateful to be sitting down or else her knees would have surely given out. She quickly looked away, eyes fixed on the hand towel dispenser as she awkwardly cleared her throat and gave some kind of stuttered, flustered version of the word “Thanks”.
Millie just giggled, patting Hannah’s hands once more before she released them.
Hannah swallowed, opening her mouth but no words came out- she didn’t know what to say and then-
BRINGGGGGG….
Hannah’s phone went off firmly shattering whatever moment the two girls were just having. Hannah scrambled to retrieve her phone from her pocket. “Shit!” she cursed when she saw it was her momma’s name on the screen. Sighing, Hannah answered. “Hey-”
“Don’t HEY me missy! You are in for an earful, ya hear? Now where are you, I’m out front of the school!”
Hannah sighed again. “On my way.”
Hannah’s mom didn’t say anything else but just hung up which was probably worse... meant she was saving the big rant for the car ride home.
“Guess I’d better go.”
“Do you want me to come out there, maybe I could explain it to your momma that you were trying to help me-”
“Wouldn’t make much of a difference.” Hannah smiled ruefully. “But thanks, Mils.”
Millie nodded somberly, looking crestfallen that she couldn’t be more help as she grabbed her backpack.
“You should get back to class, you’re own Momma’s gonna give you hell for skipping as it is,” Hannah concluded as she walked towards the front of the school.
Millie nodded. “Talk to you later?”
You’re gonna be okay?
Hannah smiled, despite herself. “Yeah, Mils. Call ya’ tonight.”
Millie smiled, not the special smile, but a pretty one nonetheless.
Yeah, Hannah was in deep shit, but she’d do it again in a heartbeat.