Glimmerbrook Watch, Present Day
"Alright," Cassie said with a smile, "that's studio business dealt with for now. Though I'll be up all night reading scripts."
"Did you get their guy off OK?" Miranda asked.
"I had the car service wait and drive him back," Cassie said. "Rather than abandoning him on the edge of the forest... unlike some people."
"That happened one time," Gwen rolled her eyes, "and they found him eventually. He was fine."
"OK, much as I'd like to hear that story... I think... I want to know more about you guys as teens," Mariah smiled.
"Right," Cassie laughed. "Where was I?"
"'Fated friends'," Mariah said, amused frustration weighing down each word.
"Oh yeah," Cassie sighed theatrically. "Well..."
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Ophilia Villa, Willow Creek, 2000
After Gwen left that night, Bella and I had a huge fight. I believe she said I was irresponsible and disrespectful, and I probably said something about how she was a controlling hypocrite who wasn't my real mother.
Naturally, I stormed off.
As usual, it fell to my father to try to make peace.
I'll admit, he managed to come up with a pretty interesting compromise idea... if I could make it work.
Buckingham High School
Have you had ever been perfectly clear on things at night and have them suddenly seem much more confusing the next morning?
That's how I felt. The night before, the idea that we were destined to be best friends had made sense out of my confusing feelings. Looking at Gwen the next morning, having her smile at me, everything suddenly felt very confusing again.
"I mean, I know I've only known her for a few weeks," I said to Molly later, in the cafeteria, "but it feels like..."
"It feels special," Molly said. "You really like her."
"Well, yeah," I said. "Then I find out that her mom was best friends with my birth mom... it's like..."
"Fate," Molly said with a little gasp.
"Right," I said. "Like we're supposed to be together... to be friends. When I'm with her I feel..."
"Like the whole room lights up," Molly smiled. "Like when she wasn't there, you feel like something's missing..."
"Yeah," I nodded, glad that someone understood (even while I obviously didn't understand). "Like, I hear a song, or read a poem, and I just want to share it with her... you know?"
"Oh yeah," Molly said. "But when you see her, you get totally tongue-tied. Like everything you think to say sounds totally dumb... but then she smiles and it's all OK again."
"Exactly," I sighed. "See, I knew you'd understand."
"Oh yeah," Molly chuckled knowingly.
Molly got it. I didn't get it, yet, but Molly got it.
Of course, not everyone in school was as supportive as Molly. I could always count on Elly to be... well, Elly.
"Hey freak," Elly said. "I guess it was only a matter of time."
"Before you got crabs?" I snarked back. "I hear they have a cream for that."
"Before you went full dyke," Elly snarled.
"What are you talking about?" I demanded.
"Oh come on, Cas!" Elly drawled. "Everyone knows you and that weirdo, Gwen, are totally muff diving."
"I... what... you... no!" I stammered.
"You know, I bet Carmilla's been giving you carpet munching lessons this whole time," Elly said. "Did you just watch or was it a threesome thing with her and Tubby?"
"Elly, the peroxide has finally leached into your brain," I snapped, recovering. "Don't you have a football player to blow?"
"Hey, if you want to switch back, I know a guy who'd love to have you on your knees," Elly laughed. "No accounting for taste, I guess."
"You'd be the expert on how it tastes," I snarled, stalking away.
I really hated her.
After my run-in with Elly, lunch was awkward.
Carmilla was going about something... rumors about them making a movie of the second High Fang novel, probably. I wasn't paying attention. I just kept wondering, did people really think that about me and Gwen?
Gwen could tell something was bothering me, which bothered her. She didn't say anything though (and, let's be honest, Gwen not saying something uncomfortably insightful in that moment was a pretty clear sign of her own confused feelings).
To make things worse, Molly kept giving me knowing looks. Thinking back, I know she was trying to be supportive, but I found myself wondering what she really thought... or guessed. Not helped by the fact that, of course, she obviously had guessed more about my feelings for Gwen that I was willing to admit, even to myself.
Yeah, all in all, it was a really awkward lunch period.
Still, it was Molly and her knowing looks that got me to take the next, very, very small, step after class.
"Hi, Gwen," I was trying to sound so cool and casual. I was totally failing.
"Hello," she said.
"So... umm... I was thinking," I stumbled. "I mean... we've got that history test coming up and... I was wondering..."
I remember, she didn't say anything. She just gave me that Look of hers. (Yeah, that Look.)
"WouldYouLikeToComeOverToMyPlace?" I blurted out. "To study? If... if you want..."
"That would be great," Gwen replied, adding with a mischievous smile. "Let me just find Doug and ask him if it's OK."
"Great," I said. "Yeah, you... you should... ask."
Of course, that was my father's "compromise" idea. Bella may object to me going to Gwen's house, unannounced, but he said she couldn't object to Gwen coming over to our house.
I'd been sure she would try to find some reason to forbid it anyway, but she didn't. In fact, she seemed quite interested in getting to know more about Gwen. She kept asking her questions and stuff. It was a little annoying, really. I mean, we were trying to study.
Still, like Molly said, with Gwen there the whole room seemed to light up.
