DISCLAIMER: The teacher is mine.
SUMMARY: Harmony's first day at school.
WORDCOUNT: 1266
NOTES: For Perries at the Harmony ficathon.
Minor Character Award at Still His Girl Awards
CROSSROAD
by Leni
Harmony didn't like this. She hadn't felt so uncomfortable since her aunts came visit for
an entire weekend. They had followed her around the house with well-meaning pinches and
coos, she could still remember their cologne. That had happened two years ago, but she
still hid in her room when one of them came to 'visit the littlest Kendall'.
This moment was even worse. At least her aunts were family. Now she was in the midst of
strangers and Harmony didn't like it a bit. This hadn't been her idea, she sulked, trying
to blend into the wall behind her. She had liked her house in New York, and her street,
and her school. She had friends there. Here she knew nobody.
Harmony looked at the comforting hand the teacher had placed on her shoulder. Anything to
avoid facing all those kids in front of her. She had known that she'd be late after her
mother's interview with the principal; when she had arrived, they had all already begun
their work for the day. The woman explained that Harmony's family was new in town and that
she'd be attending classes with them from now on. After the expected chorus of 'Welcome to
Sunnydale, Harmony', she was given permission to go sit.
The classroom was full with short-legged tables, with groups from three to six children
around each of them. As far as she could see, all seats were taken. Harmony couldn't even
ask the teacher for assistance, she was busy helping a boy in the back of the class.
Harmony stood there nervously, gripping the handle of her Rainbow Bright lunchbox, looking
around for a free place.
"Here," another girl patted the seat next to her, "sit here if you
want."
Harmony wanted. She walked to the table where the girl was, smiling a little already
because her new friend's hair reminded her of that fairytale Nanny once told her. She sat
slowly, making sure that her dress didn't fold under her, just like her mother had
patiently taught her. "Thank you." Harmony kept her lunchbox in her lap, hugging
it to her with both arms. "You look like Red Riding Hood."
"I'm not, I'm Willow," the girl told her with a big smile, "and this is my
tree." She pointed to a mass of greens and browns on a paper.
Harmony had to smile back. "It's pretty." And it was, even when it didn't look
like a tree at all.
Willow broke into a grin.
One of the boys in front of them snorted and poked his tongue out when Willow glared at
him. "That's Xander," the red-haired girl informed her tightly, intently turning
around so she didn't have to see him. "But I don't talk to him. We've broken up and
I'm still mad at him."
"Oh." Harmony understood that, boys were easy to be mad at. She still wasn't
sure why they were allowed in the same classrooms as girls, all they caused were problems.
Looking around, she noticed that everybody was working quietly. There was a paper waiting
for her on the table. "What are we doing today?" she asked, trying to ignore the
look Xander was giving her.
"Free theme," a new voice whispered behind them. "Just draw whatever you
like better."
"Thank y-" Harmony stopped when Willow's hand tugged at hers.
"Don't talk to Cordelia," she whispered in a serious voice. "She's mean and
she thinks she's the best girl of the grade just because she has a big house and her
birthday parties are always at her pool."
"I don't think, I know," Cordelia said confidently, turning around. Harmony bit
her lower lip, a little scared of having angered this girl. "And if you don't like my
parties, you don't have to come this year, Willow."
Willow just huffed and went back to her work, her shoulders a little drooped now.
Harmony looked as the boy - what was his name? - patted Willow's hand and mutely gave her
the crayon she'd been looking for. They were sharing a box of crayons, Harmony noticed.
She looked behind her, carefully spying on Cordelia's table. The other girl had a big
shiny metal box with every imaginable colour only for herself.
She shrugged, deciding to think about that later, and rummaged into her bag for her colour
pencils and was glad when she found what she wanted. Soon enough there was a rose and a
marguerite looking back at her.
"Oh, I like them!" Willow told her, admiring her work.
Harmony smiled, just a little smugly. "Thank you." Then she remembered her
mother's advise to make friends as quickly as possible. "Do you want to be my best
friend?"
Willow smiled, stealing a look at Xander - he made a show of concentrating in his work -
and nodded.
Xander raised his head and stared back and forth from Willow to her. Harmony felt a little
uncomfortable under his look and glanced around hopefully. She couldn't not notice that
Cordelia's table was boy-free too.
As days passed Harmony noticed other things. Like Willow slowly forgiving Xander and
spending more time with him. At the phone, the redhead always mentioned him, even if only
in passing. Apparently she never understood Harmony's hints to change the topic to
something more likeable, like herself.
At first she and Willow had gone together everywhere, like two true best friends. But one
day Xander plopped down next to them and Willow didn't tell him off. Harmony's eyes
narrowed, more when she noticed Xander eyeing her. She excused herself and didn't come
back. Over the next days Willow tried to get her to come eat with them but Harmony always
refused. She didn't like Xander, and she was sure that he felt the same.
Those were the days when she observed how differently Cordelia behaved at school. She
stopped noticing where Willow sat, stopped calling her redheaded friend every afternoon.
Instead, Harmony watched curiously as Cordelia Chase spoke freely with older girls in the
courtyard and tried to memorise her phone number.
The day after Cordelia's birthday party, Harmony finally left the table which had welcomed
her and sat at the brunette's right instead.
The day before had been truly amazing. They'd made fun of the clown and the magician,
later Cordelia had let her into her room so they could play house with her dolls. She had
told Harmony a lot of secrets about the other kids in their classroom and their families.
It was totally different than the few times she'd gone to Willow's and Harmony had liked
it. She now knew that Cordelia wasn't mean, she just knew what she wanted. Harmony decided
to be a little more like her and the first step was deciding that she wanted Cordelia as
her new best friend.
In lunch break, she pretended not to notice Willow staring after her as she trailed after
the brunette girl. But she watched as Xander introduced the redhead to the friend he'd
made during their 'break up'.
By the next week, Willow didn't ask her if everything was alright anymore. Harmony watched
her laugh and run with the two boys as she sat next to Cordelia in the cafeteria. She was
Cordelia's best friend now, and her mother was proud of her ability to make good friends.
The next year Harmony knew she'd made the right decision. Life was good. No, neither she
nor Cordelia laughed so loud or ran so carelessly. But, who needed that when the older
girls actually knew your name and invited you to their parties?
The End.
02/07/04
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