[Opposite Plot] Pre-Play

[forhawkeye]

Everywhere I went, people stared; I could feel their eyes trailing me all day long, as though they were paparazzi for the utterly unimportant. Much to my chagrin, changing into an unassuming outfit of a purple plaid shirt and a pair of ratty jeans hadn't convinced a single person to look elsewhere. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin and, as the day dragged slowly on, I wondered how I ever could have gone around in head-to-toe purple Kevlar. I was a freak among freaks.

I left Geometry in a hurry, my notes and things hugged tightly to my chest. My cheeks flushed a light pink as I walked past Ryan Atwood, and I gladly hid behind my curtain of dull black hair as to avoid making eye contact. I'd sat in stony silence for the duration of the lecture, replaying the stupid fight I'd picked with him only a few weeks prior. Luckily it was the only class I shared with him, which meant I wouldn't have to see him again until at least Saturday. I had never been more grateful to have class on the weekend.

Though it was well past six o'clock when class ended, I couldn't bear the thought of returning to the Compound for supper. The kitchen was always crowded at this hour and I'd had enough of being the center of attention for one day. Instead I trudged back to my hut, eyes downcast, trying to avoid the gaze of any potential onlookers. Unfortunately, in the act of trying so desperately to be ignored, I ended up walking right into someone.

"S-sorry," I apologized quickly, and I looked up with an expression of mild horror, a hand coming up to cover my gaping mouth.

Comments

[waltsnothereman.livejournal.com]

"Stare?" Wanda asked, brow creasing in confusion for a short moment before she waved it off, tossing her hair back in the same motion. "Tch, out of jealousy maybe. Let 'em!"

[forhawkeye]

"Jealousy over what?" I asked, completely perplexed. Maybe she was operating on a higher plane than I could comprehend; my mind simply couldn't wrap around what she was implying.

[waltsnothereman.livejournal.com]

"Uh, hello?" Wanda asked, still grinning as she waved one hand in front of Kate's face for emphasis. "Two stunning super-types looking for a good time, what's not to be jealous of here? Except for our insane amounts of boredom from just standing around yakking, of course," she added with a sigh.

[forhawkeye]

"Any conversation with me is bound to be boring," I agreed, since I couldn't bring myself to correct her regarding the number of stunning super-types looking for a good time. There was, after all, only one, and her eyes were as blue as a prairie sky.

[waltsnothereman.livejournal.com]

"Uh, they are when you act like that," she said, giving Kate an odd look. "What is up with you today, kid?" And why am I still wasting time here? Wanda liked Kate and all, but this was just getting lame.

"Come on," she beamed, tugging on her arm and not bothering to wait for an answer. "We'll hit the Compound, maybe the Catscratch, we'll find some guys to hang out with, it'll be a blast! What do you say?"

[forhawkeye]

I lurched forward when Wanda tugged on my arm, and I followed suit like an awkward fawn, learning to walk.

"The Catscratch?" I echoed, mildly horrified. At least people wore clothes at the Compound; the Catscratch was an entirely different level of debauchery. "Are you sure you want me to come with you?"

[waltsnothereman.livejournal.com]

"Oh, please," said Wanda, barreling forward. "The more the merrier, right? Besides, I'm sure that younger crowd that you run with really knows how to mix it up!"

[forhawkeye]

"I...guess," I said hesitantly, not wanting to upset her, even though the thought alone of going to the Catscratch Club was liable to give me hives.

[waltsnothereman.livejournal.com]

"Great!" Wanda said brightly, glad to be getting on with things already. Whatever was up with Kate, it was nothing a few drinks couldn't fix. Weren't teens supposed to be all over things like that?

"Wait, wait, wait," she started, halting in her tracks abruptly. "Where's your place, you are so going to have to change first."

[forhawkeye]

"...change?" I squeaked, pulling the worn flannel sleeves of my shirt down over my fingers. "Do I have to?"

[waltsnothereman.livejournal.com]

"Unless you want to keep looking like you're taking fashion tips from a gay lumberjack for the rest of the day," she said wryly, as if this should be obvious. "No offense."

[forhawkeye]

"A...gay lumberjack?" I echoed mildly, taking the time to look down at my outfit. My cheeks burned with chagrin as I realized she was right, and I found I couldn't meet her eyes again. Instead, I stared at the ground, hoping for it to swallow me whole.

[waltsnothereman.livejournal.com]

Oh, what now? "It's nothing that can't be fixed, hon," Wanda said, once again caught off guard by Kate's cracked-out behaviour. "Hey, if that's, like, a certain look you were going for, I can totally dig that, too."

[forhawkeye]

"Not really," I admitted, still looking down. "I just wanted to cover up, I guess. Whatever you want me to change into...it won't have to show a lot of skin, will it?"

[waltsnothereman.livejournal.com]

"Well, that's what I was thinking, but... I guess we could improvise if you're that set against it?" Kate had a killer body, this was just all sorts of bizarre. And not that boring, 'looks like we have a mystery to solve!' kind of bizarre. This was just the annoying kind.

[forhawkeye]

"Improvise?" I echoed. Then, pressing my lips together, I give Wanda a short nod. "Improvising would be okay."