Air Unzbuzzler (alwaysasnapefan) wrote in iheart, @ 2008-04-03 16:28:00 |
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Things Aren't Always As They Appear
Self-importance was spread across the other 17-year-old's face. Or at least that's what she assumed from all the times they had met, here and there throughout the occasional classes shared between them purely by chance—sometimes she even supposed that if she knew beforehand that this other girl, Lane, was going to be in the class, she just might feel a pressing need to transfer out.
But even if Lane were the absolute most narcissistic person in the world (which seemed rather possible), something about her would still be so dangerously compelling, like she was a heart magnet—you wanted to get away, like a paperclip to an open magnet, and yet you were as powerless as a paperclip itself was. Vincent didn't know what she could possibly like about Lane, except that Lane liked herself and confidence could be as pressuring for one to move toward as a game show host who was calling people out from the audience. It felt as if the only proper thing to do was to speak when spoken to, and to never ever speak against this charmer.
Lane was fairly rich. Lane was a talented singer who could potentially grace stages in any league. And Lane was like an infection that got into people's skin and ate it up. She made Vince feel vulnerable and also feel as if she was suddenly unable to defend herself against being attacked. And it felt like all Lane wanted to do was to attack, to rip into her soul and vacuum it clean like a Dirt Devil on a hardwood floor.
And then it happened: Lane became Vince's partner for a project. The old cliché situation had caught so many characters in awkward positions similar to this before. Only, this wasn't fiction (was it?). What kind of a project had partners anyway; it was just a recipe for disaster.
Yes, Lane's house was big. And, yes, it began to make Vince feel insignificant. Vince had very few friends, admittedly, and when over for the first time at Lane's house, she couldn't help but notice something that ate at her. When Lane's aunt handed her the phone, she said that it was Shauna, Vincent's own best friend. In the brief moment Lane took to tell her to call back, Vincent pondered this.
It was true, she found out, that the two were friends. She'd had no idea! But here she was at Lane's house again, and while they were waiting for Shauna to show up so they could hang out (that magnetism had made it almost impossible for Vince to refuse Shauna's invitation), Lane had an unexpected breakdown—no kidding!
So the awkwardness drifted a bit to be replaced by sympathy. She got down by Lane's side and tentatively slipped an arm around her. The gesture did not go unappreciated.
Time passed and Vince began to see Lane in a different light. Maybe the self-importance was a mask. And maybe it wasn't. It didn't matter either way, did it, if there was still good in Lane? And there was. There really was. You just had to get a little closer to find it.
It could never be said that Lane was unattractive, because that was a flat-out lie. During a second breakdown of hers, she admitted that she had started to like this girl and was starting to get confused about aspects of dating, including sexuality.
"Lane," said Vince reassuringly, "I don't know what you may have heard, but I think whatever you're feeling is natural." She got up to cross the room, and returned with a Kleenex in hand. Near to her again, this time standing, she added, "Do you know this person likes you back?"
Tear-filled eyes looking deeply into Vince's, she answered with a steady, "Yes."
"Then you should go for it! Throw caution to the wind. Don't turn into some under-confident person, that's not like you—though I guess that's what you get from hanging around with me." She chuckled at her own honesty.
"I think you should show her how you feel." Vincent continued, handing the Kleenex she still held to Lane now.
Lane wiped at her eyes and blew her nose a little, with a nod. She then pushed herself up off the floor. Crumpling the Kleenex into a ball inside her hand, she stood and wrapped her arms around Vince, who returned the embrace in a comforting manner and was very surprised when lips met hers.