[005] best friends

Gwen had always been an early riser.

From the time she was a little girl, she always managed to wake up early. Oftentimes, a much younger Gwen would roam around her family's mansion and she'd even go outside. One time, Gwen had gone too far that her nanny would be sent looking for her. She'd be found with her clothes all dirty, hanging onto a tree branch like the wild animal she was.

Sometimes, Gwen thinks she was meant to be in the wild. Things were much simpler there

Gwen turns to look beside her and she sees Iris sleeping right beside her. She looked entirely at peace, snuggled close to Gwen. Although Gwen didn't plan on sleeping over at Iris's dorm room, that's exactly what ended up happening. It had been late and Gwen knew that she should've returned back to her dorm. But Iris insisted that she spent the night and Gwen couldn't say no.

She definitely didn't regret the decision since it only brought them closer.

Gwen's eyes trail down the slope of Iris's nose and fall down to her peach colored lips which were slightly parted. Gwen couldn't believe that someone so beautiful could possibly exist. Iris was something straight out of a dream, that was for sure.

Gwen leans forward, kissing the top of Iris's head before snuggling closer to Iris. She nuzzled her nose into Iris's hair, taking a deep breath to smell more of her. Her eyes flutter shut as she makes herself more comfortable. But before Gwen could try and attempt to go back to sleep again, Iris stirred in her hold and Gwen glanced down at her.

"Are you alright?" Gwen asked.

"I'm fine. I'm happy you didn't leave," Iris admits with a smile.

"Why would I?" Gwen asked.

Iris chuckles before resting her head on Gwen's chest. "I really don't want to get up right now. I'd prefer to stay here in bed with you. You're very comfortable."

"Thanks," Gwen chuckled.

"We could just pretend to be sick and stay in all day. Virginia could just get the notes for us," Iris offered.

"I'm pretty sure all of your friends hate me," Gwen snorted. She didn't trust any of them to help Gwen with her notes. They'd sooner sabotage her chances just so she could drop out and be out of their lives for good.

Of course, Gwen wouldn't leave Oxford and Iris without a fight.

"They hate me too," Iris scoffed.

"That's impossible. Everyone loves you, Iris," Gwen shakes her head.

"You're so sweet. And so naive. Nothing is exactly as it seems. Everyone thinks they love me but it's just infatuation. In order to love someone, you have to know them first and nobody knows me. But that's okay. I don't care if my friends hate me. I just have them around to do whatever they want. It's easy to control them. Boys too. Actually, I think the boys are easier than girls. Just flirt with them and they're eating out the palm of your hand," Iris explained.

Out of the many things Iris learned at a young age, that was one of them. She knew what girls wanted and she definitely knew what boys wanted. And Iris used both to her advantage. There was nothing more powerful than finding out what a person wanted and using it to control them.

And she did the same with Gwen.

It was obvious what Gwen wanted from her. She wanted attention, she wanted love, and Iris made sure to give her all of that. It kept Gwen wrapped around her pretty little finger each and every time. But while Iris appreciated the way Gwen did everything she wanted and worshipped the ground she walked on, Iris kept Gwen around for a reason much deeper than simply using her. It was a reason that Iris was almost afraid to acknowledge.

How funny. The girl who was afraid of nothing was finally afraid for a change.

"Like William?" Gwen questioned, causing Iris to snap back to reality.

"Like William," Iris confirms with a nod.

"What about me? Where do I fall into the category?" Gwen asked next. Although her tone was light and playful, Gwen really wanted to know the answer. She wanted to know how Iris felt about her.

Iris shakes her head. "I don't quite know where to place you yet. I've never met anyone quite like you before, and I like to think I've met just about every kind of person there is."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Gwen asks, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Good, I think. Definitely good," Iris nods.

"Would you be disappointed if I told you that I actually had to go to class today?" Gwen spoke a moment later, causing Iris to frown.

"Boo, you're no fun. We'll just have to hang out later then. I won't let you flake out on me again," Iris remarked.

"I won't. We can do whatever you want," Gwen offered.

Iris smiles and Gwen realizes that not even the sun could come this close to being so bright.

It takes Gwen a lot of strength to get out of bed and even more to leave Iris. But she makes the journey back to her dorm anyways, getting ready for the day.

When she left, she glanced up at the sky and saw that clouds were beginning to form. Gwen wondered if it was going to rain, silently hoping it was. She enjoyed the rain and how melancholic it was. Gwen would stand outside in the rain and play in it if she had the chance.

As Gwen walked past the bike rack, she couldn't help but notice something strange. Well, it didn't seem so strange in the beginning. She could see a boy by one of the bikes which wasn't abnormal. What was abnormal was that he appeared to be messing with one of the bikes. But why?

Gwen ended up kicking a pebble by accident, alerting the boy to her presence. He turned around to look at her and Gwen was frozen like a deer in headlights. He looks nervous as well, standing in front of the bike awkwardly. The longer Gwen looks at him, the more she realizes that she's recognized him from somewhere.

"Aren't you the guy I bumped into?" Gwen questioned.

He nods, a small smile creeping onto his lips. "Yeah. Yeah, that's me. I'm Oliver, by the way."

"Gwen. Uh, is something wrong with your bike?" Gwen asked, pointing behind him.

"Uh, I think so. I'm not so lucky today. I think I've got a flat tire," Oliver answers with a sigh.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Well, do you want some help or -?" Gwen began to offer.

"No," he quickly answers, "I mean, no, I'll be fine. I can handle it on my own but thank you for offering."

Gwen nods, plastering a smile onto her lips despite the odd feeling residing in the pit of her stomach. "Okay. Well, I guess I'll see you around then but if you change your mind..."

"I'll be sure to take you up on your offer," Oliver responds.

Gwen then walks off, determined to try and shake the weird feeling she had about Oliver. Oliver watched Gwen as she left, sighing in relief when she had finally disappeared. He was going to have to be a lot more careful around the watchful eye of Gwen Hollow.

Or else everything Oliver was working so hard for her would begin to fall apart.

But even in the midst of going through all of her classes, all Gwen can think about is Iris. She thinks about the harsh jokes Iris would make about her literature professor or the book she'd probably be reading while pretending to pay attention. She even tried to think about what Iris might be thinking about right now, but that was the biggest mystery of all.

No matter how long Gwen watched Iris, the one thing she'd never be able to figure out was what Iris was thinking. Her mind seemed to be one giant maze and yet, Gwen wanted nothing more than to be lost inside of it.

As much as Gwen enjoyed her classes, she couldn't wait until it was all over so she could go and see Iris again. So when it was done, Gwen was eager to see her best friend again.

Gwen quickly rushed to the usual tree Iris liked to sit under, finding the blonde already there with a cigarette in between her lips and a book in her grasp. She perks up at the sight of Gwen, ushering her to come forward. Of course, Gwen does and Iris rests her head on Gwen's lap right after she sits down.

"Guess what?" Iris asks, blowing a large cloud of smoke in Gwen's direction.

"What?" Gwen responds, stealing the cigarette from Iris's lips and taking a drag from it.

"Someone saved Felix today. His bike ended up getting a flat tire and he was stranded until some guy gave Felix his bike and ended up saving him," Iris announced.

"Who?" Gwen asks, despite already having a feeling as to who did it.

"Felix says his name's Oliver," Iris answered.

Gwen is instantly brought back to the moment she had caught Oliver by the bikes. It made Gwen wonder if Oliver had been messing with Felix's bike all along. Of course, Gwen didn't know for sure so she decided not to say anything. She didn't want to cause any trouble and risk looking like a crazy person.

"My brother has a habit of finding strays and rescuing them to satisfy his hero complex. He gets it from our mother. Honestly, I think I have a touch of it too. But I don't pretend to be as noble as them. I don't have it in me," Iris continued.

Felix did this often, finding nobodies or losers or just tragic people in general and taking them under his wing. They'd be friends for a couple of months before Felix grew bored and kicked them to the curb. Eddie was an exception though - the only reason Felix dropped Eddie was because he developed quite the obsession with their sister, Venetia. That made things weird and Felix had to cut him off.

Iris had no doubt that this Oliver fellow would end up just like the others.

Gwen only hums in response, causing Iris to look up at her. She seemed to be deep in thought about something and Iris wanted to crack Gwen's head open so she could pry it apart and see every single thought and memory inside of Gwen's head.

"Hello? Earth to Gwen? I can't be that boring, am I?" Iris snaps her fingers in Gwen's face, causing her to snap back into reality.

"You're the most interesting person I've ever met, Iris. Boring is the last word I'd use to describe you," Gwen answers with a shake of her head.

A faint smile dances on Iris's lips as she plucks the cigarette from Gwen's mouth so she could smoke from it. "If only you were a guy... I have a feeling you'd be really popular with the ladies. You know exactly what to say to make a girl swoon."

"I think I'd be pretty awful as a guy too," Gwen chuckled.

"No way! I know I'd date you," Iris encouraged, booping Gwen on the nose before she took a large drag from her cigarette.

Gwen's heart skips a beat. "I'd go out with you too. You're hot... and you have nice boobs."

"Tell me something I don't know," Iris smirks as she pulls her top down, exposing more of her cleavage. "I don't ask for much as a girlfriend: just your love and attention. If you were to ever cheat on me though, I might just go crazy and murder you. I don't think I could ever accept such a betrayal."

"I would never cheat on you. That'd be the dumbest decision ever," Gwen shakes her head.

"Ugh, this is why I love you. You're my best friend. You know that, right?" Iris remarked.

Gwen smiles. "Yeah, I know. You're my best friend too."

Iris kisses the back of Gwen's hand before holding onto it while she continued to smoke the cigarette, occasionally handing it over to Gwen so she could smoke it too. Gwen savored the taste of Iris's lipstick on the cigarette as she took a long drag from it.

Once again, Gwen felt complete with Iris by her side. And so did Iris.

( 🍇🖤🔪 )

word count: 2116
notes: they are so gay for each other... omg. but also gwen totally caught oliver fucking with felix's bike but she isn't gonna shit until much later