Mean Girls Musical Oneshots

Cady X Regina

By the time they're halfway through their summer vacation, everything seems to have calmed down.
They're not all one big, happy family—Cady doesn't know if Janis and Regina will every truly be friends again, as much as she hopes it will happen someday—but they can all handle being in the same space without killing each other. They even manage to have fun together. Like right now: Gretchen invited the gang over for a small get-together. A real small get-together, not like the house-destroying blowout that still haunts Cady's dreams. Cady is sitting with Regina on Gretchen's patio, watching Damian try and goad Janis into recreating some Broadway show number with him. He eventually gives up and finds a much more willing participant in Karen. Regina recently had her spinal halo removed, and is more visibly relaxed that Cady has seen her in a long time. The bus seemed to have really knocked out her bitch persona. Her transformation has been almost radical, from hard plastic to almost-normal human being. Cady doesn't want to dwell on the past, but she does have one question that's been nagging at her in the back of her mind for months. "Regina?" Cady asks, toying with the straw poking out of her can of soda. Regina hums in response. "What made you stop me in the cafeteria on the second day of school?" Regina's eyes widen, just a fraction of an inch. For a second she seems almost alarmed, but then relaxes her face back into her usual expression of cool composure. "I don't know," Regina says cagily. "I couldn't stand the secondhand embarrassment I felt from watching you walking around in socks and sandals." Cady rolls her eyes. Regina has changed, but she's still Regina. "Really?" Cady presses. "Do you try and adopt every person you see making bad fashion choices?" Regina shifts in her seat, looking uncomfortable at being challenged. Before Regina can respond, Karen drops into the seat next to them. "Hi!" Karen says cheerily. "Hi, Karen," Cady says. "Hey, maybe you can clear this up: why did Regina stop me in the cafeteria at the beginning of the year and invite me to join you guys for lunch?" Out of the corner of her eye, Cady sees Regina making subtle slashing motions across her neck. Karen seems to either not care or not notice. "Because she thought you were pretty and wanted to claim you as her own, duh," Karen says like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Are you two going to go on a date now?" Cady's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Go on a date?" she asks, looking over at Regina, who has sunk down lower in her chair, her ears and cheeks red. "Karen," Regina cuts in sharply, "can you go grab me a drink?" "Sure!" Karen stands and heads into the house. "What does she mean, going on a date?" Cady asks. "Nothing," Regina mutters, looking away. "Just drop it." Cady doesn't drop it. "Seriously, why did you stop me in the cafeteria?" Cady asks again, curiosity piqued by the way Regina's face seems to be getting redder by the second. "You thought I was pretty? There are lots of pretty girls in school. And what did Karen mean about you claiming me as your own? Does that me—" "I liked you, okay?" Regina snaps, cutting off Cady's rambling. Cady's mouth falls open slightly. "You... liked me? As in like-like?" "Are we in fifth grade?" Regina grumbles. "Yes, as in like-like. Now can we please talk about something else?" With that revelation, everything starts to make sense: Cady's indoctrination into the Plastics, the hand-holding, the obsession with getting back the one boy Cady expressed interest in. Regina looks deeply uncomfortable. She's twisting the fabric of her shirt in her fist, and her face is a mixture of terror and embarrassment. Something about the sight makes Cady want to wrap Regina up in a hug and never let go. It also kind of gives Cady butterflies in her stomach, just a little. Regina's honest, vulnerable moments have always been Cady's weakness. Cady reaches over and squeezes Regina's hand. "Thank you for telling me," Cady says quietly. Regina just gives her a pained look that makes Cady's heart beat in a way that hurts her chest. The thought occurs to Cady that maybe she likes Regina, too. She puts that thought aside in her brain to process later. Right now, Regina needs reassurance. "I'm glad you told me," Cady repeats. "I promise I won't treat you any differently than I did before, and I won't tell anyone." Regina gives her a tiny, tentative smile. "Thanks." The butterflies erupt in Cady's stomach again. Maybe she does like Regina George.