Six - Anne Boleyn Edition (Part 2)
Trigger warning for mentions of a shooting
Anne Boleyn has a reputation. She’s never tried to deny it, even though she knows there’s more to her than wild, flirty party girl. She’s never needed to - not when she has Cathy and the rest of the queens.
But now, staring down at the phone clutched in her shaking hand, Anne kind of wishes she’d denied the rumours when she had the chance because now, even though he knows that she doesn’t want to speak to him ever again, Henry Tudor is texting her. It’s one sentence, six words, not particularly good grammar, and yet here she is, barely able to see through tears. Anne won’t - can’t, really - tell Cathy about this. Or any of the other queens. They all suffered because of Henry and Anne will be dragged kicking and screaming to Hell before she brings up bad memories for any of them. Especially Jane.
But anyway. Thinking of Henry and his general dickishness makes her angry and Anne can’t afford that right now. Coming to a decision, she turns the phone off, leaving Henry on read. It’s the kind of thing he’d hated when they were together and now, it’s the least he deserves, but she’s too rattled to think of a scathing retort. She’s got to get ready for the trip she’s got planned with the others. They’re all going to Bean and Gone, the coffee shop where Aragon used to work before the shooting that had made her famous across the college, to celebrate it’s re-opening. Aragon doesn’t work there anymore, but she’d promised to get them all discounts courtesy of her friend Renee. Anne just hopes there’s going to be alcohol. She could use a drink.
As it turns out, Bean and Gone doesn’t serve alcohol. Fantastic. And as if this day could get any better, Cathy’s sat the other end of the table from her and Anne is stuck next to Aragon. It’s not that she doesn’t like the other queen, it’s more that Aragon’s never really forgiven Anne for calling her frigid in the middle of the school hallway in front of everyone. In Anne’s defence, she’s never really been much for thinking before she speaks, she’s ridiculously impulsive and quite often makes horrible decisions fuelled by sleep deprivation and way too much caffeine. Speaking of bad decisions... Anne’s phone takes the moment to beep loudly, signalling an oncoming text. Anne sighs and pulls it out, hoping that it’s not Henry. As always, her famously bad Boleyn luck lets her down again and she opens the text to reveal-
That was unnecessary. It’s not like she’s not seen that before but the amount of nerve that ridiculous boy has to send her that. Well. Anne feels familiar, burning rage creep up her veins until she feels like she might explode. How dare he? The two of them haven’t spoken since what happened and the fact that the first thing he said was the date request and that picture is appalling, honestly. The fire in her is suddenly extinguished when Jane, her kind face glowing with laughter, leans over the table and jokingly plucks Anne’s phone out of her grip.
“No phones at the table, Anne!” Jane smiles. “Don’t be rude.”
Anne makes a futile attempt to grab at the phone, just as Jane turns it so she can look at the screen. Her whole face goes pale and she looks like she might faint.
“Bunny, what’s wrong?” Aragon says, voice suddenly urgent. “Are you ok?”
Anne feels her face flush as Jane lifts wide eyes to her own.
“How long?” Jane asks, voice level and colder than Anne thought it could ever be. “How long have you been sneaking around with him behind our backs?”
The other queens pass looks between them, all confused, as Anne gapes like a fish. That was not what she was expecting.
“Jane, no,” Anne splutters, reaching across the table for Jane.
Jane jerks away sharply and Anne’s arm falls to her side. The other queens are sharing confused glances as Jane locks eyes with Anne and very deliberately reaches across the table, still with Anne’s phone in her hand, and gives it to Cathy. Anne can’t form the words to tell them to stop as Cathy looks at the phone screen. Anne still can’t say anything when Cathy’s eyes widen and she passes the phone to Kitty Howard, who’s sitting next to her. Kitty snorts in contempt at the photo and so the phone goes round the table until it reaches Anne again. No one says anything and everyone’s avoiding Anne’s eyes.
“Guys...” Anne starts, trying to fix the situation.
As if breaking the silence was a signal, the other queens all start talking over each other until the noise is crashing over Anne like a malevolent wave of disapproval. Renee, Aragon’s waitress friend, chooses that moment to come over.
“Is everything ok?” She asks, half waitress concerned about the other customers and half Aragon’s friend worried about her.
Aragon turns to face Renee, so angry that smoke’s coming out of her ears. Well, not literally.
“Everything’s fine, thanks,” Aragon says tightly, fists clenched.
Renee looks uncertain, hovering awkwardly as Anne tries to disappear into the floor.
“Actually, it would be better if Anne left,” Jane pipes up form across the table.
Anne turns to gape at her, feeling very betrayed. As she glances around the table, eyes drop away from hers and fingers fiddle with empty coffee cups.
“Cathy?” Anne appeals, feeling the world drop out from under her as Cathy doesn’t look at her.
The sinking feeling flees, leaving burning anger behind.
“Fine,” Anne snaps, shoving her chair back so violently that Renee has to dart out of the way to avoid being hit, “fine then, I’ll leave. But just so you all know, I wouldn’t take him back even if he were the last man on earth.”
With that, Anne storms out, making sure she’s halfway home before she lets the tears fall. Damn Henry, for doing this, for reminding her - for reminding all of them - that even though they all broke up him back in high school, they’re all still trapped in his web.
Safely back in her dorm, Anne fires off a series of increasingly desperate texts to the group chat. No one answers her and so she throws her phone at the door, just as her roommate Veronica opens it, cup of tea in her hand. Veronica ducks, somehow managing to avoid spilling the drink, and watches the phone sail past her.
“You alright, Annie?” She asks, and at the sound of the nickname, Anne bursts into tears.
Veronica rushes over and presses the cup of tea into Anne’s hands before sitting down and wrapping her arms around her.
“All my friends think I’m still with Henry!” Anne wails, words muffled by the scorching gulp of tea she’s just drank. She’s British - she isn’t going to turn down tea. Ever.
Veronica wrinkles her nose, patting Anne on the back, and listens as Anne - stuttering and awkward for perhaps the first time in her life - tells her about Henry’s texts and the reaction of the other queens. Veronica listens patiently, then retrieves the phone from the hallway. Anne cheers up slightly when she sees that it’s miraculously still whole and not in tiny pieces.
“You’re going to block Henry,” Veronica tells Anne firmly, and so she does. “And now I’m going to come with you and we’re going to see Cathy.”
Anne almost chokes on her last gulp of now-cold tea and shakes her head frantically, voice having deserted her.
“I’m not the best at relationship advice,” Veronica says, looking uncomfortable. “Since my last boyfriend was a raging sociopath and all, but I’m given to understand that generally people in normal relationships talk to each other rationally when one of them screws up. Am I right?”
Anne nods, sniffling, brain trying to process Veronica’s apparently sociopathic boyfriend. She’s too busy trying to reconcile the Veronica she knows with a sociopath, of all things, that she doesn’t even notice they’ve reached Cathy’s dorm. She has a moment of panic that threatens to make her throw up all over the door that Veronica is currently banging on. Forget butterflies - she’s got goddamn elephants. The door slams open and the elephants collectively decide to start yelling. Anne’s stomach growls loudly as Cathy appears in the doorway.
“Anne,” Cathy says guardedly, not moving out of the way.
Anne gives her a pathetic wave and Veronica huffs loudly, getting in Cathy’s face.
“Alright, Anne’s told me everything and you are being ridiculous. I admit, I don’t know too much about Henry but from what I do know, I’m pretty sure that Anne wouldn’t touch him with a ten foot pole.” Veronica runs out of breath and glowers. Cathy bites her lip and turns to Anne. The elephants start up again and Anne runs through a litany of the most colourful language she can conjure up in her mind as her stomach rumbles again. Cathy somehow cracks a smile and moves slightly so that Anne could get into her dorm if she wanted to.
“I’m making pasta if you’re hungry,” Cathy offers and Anne nods, pathetically grateful.
Cathy opens the door wider, allowing Anne in. Anne turns to Veronica, who gives her a proud grin and starts backing down the hallway, nearly falling over the bucket that’s randomly sitting in the middle of the hall. Anne turns back to Cathy, who gives her a small smile and heads into her dorm as Anne follows her. It’s not an apology, but Anne’ll take it.
