[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

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[waltsnothereman]

"Oof!" Wanda exclaimed, taking a few stumbling steps before regaining her balance and noticing that it was Kate. "Oh, please," she said with a laugh once she'd confirmed that, yup, everything was still where it all should be. "No biggie! Going anywhere interesting?" God, she hoped the answer was yes. The whole stupid island seemed even more boring than usual today, and that was saying something.

[forhawkeye]

Wanda was everything I was not. Her hair was white like the Arctic from which she hailed and her pale skin was as flawless as freshly fallen snow. She was tall and slim and tended to make feel horribly inadequate. Unfortunately, she was far from the only one.

"No, of course not," I replied, shaking my head. Interesting places were bound to be teeming with people and the last thing I wanted to do was subject myself to their judging gazes.

[waltsnothereman]

She looked at her curiously for a second before letting loose another peal of laughter. "Well, why the heck not, kiddo?" Kate seemed to acting a little freaky, but Wanda didn't really care enough to dwell on it. Instead, she got a mischievous look in her eyes and put an excited hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Hey, I'm sure if he put our heads together, we can figure something out! Have some fun, really make some noise, you know?"

[forhawkeye]

"Why would I want to do that?" I asked her, too surprised by her suggestion to remain in awe of her appearance. "People would stare."

[waltsnothereman]

"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]

"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]

"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]

"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]

"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]

"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.