[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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[neededproof]

By the time Ryan made it to class that evening, it was clear that something was more than a little off about the island's inhabitants. He and Lucy had woken up fine, which was a relief, but it was impossible to miss that a whole lot of other people seemed to have gone nuts.

Even when Kate ran right into him, though, and looked up with those wide, worried eyes, though, he didn't consider that she might have been one of them. She struck him as jittery, which was odd, but he just shrugged, stepping back, reaching out to steady her. "I'm fine. You okay there?"

[forhawkeye]

If at all possible, my eyes widened even further when, of all people, Ryan Atwood laid his hand on my arm, and I quickly stumbled back.

"Yes," I said curtly, my cheeks burning crimson with chagrin.

[neededproof]

Was she blushing? Kate was blushing. He was pretty sure that was... that was definitely not right. Quickly Ryan drew his hand back, not sure what he'd done wrong or if it were him at all. "Uh. You... don't seem alright. You sure? You're kind of..."

Probably telling her she'd turned red was a bad idea.

[forhawkeye]

"Kind of what?" I prompted quietly, in spite of myself. Clamping a hand over my mouth, I averted my eyes, focusing on a particularly interesting leaf that had fallen to the ground. Anything was preferable than looking at him and being reminded of my foolishness.

[neededproof]

"Blushing." Lifting a hand to gesture vaguely toward her, he dropped it quickly, something about her reticence contagious. He may not have known her well, but he knew enough to be sure this wasn't right. Something had happened to upset her, and the thought sent up a little flare of protectiveness in him, though he had the sense to figure it wouldn't necessarily be appreciated. "Kate, what's wrong?"

[forhawkeye]

"Nothing," I blurted out, looking up sharply. Unfortunately, my appearance couldn't have supported my vehemence. My cheeks were still flushed and my hair was a torrent of wild black curls. I probably looked like some horrific vampire, though one that surely didn't sparkle.

[neededproof]

"I'm having a hard time believing that." It was pretty clear from her expression that something was off. Even as Ryan told himself it probably wasn't any of his business, he couldn't help wanting to know what that something was. Even if this was, as it occurred to him now it might be, that thing that was going around that had O-Ren prancing around playing pretty, pretty princess, it didn't make Kate any less unhappy or upset or whatever she was.

[forhawkeye]

He wasn't backing down and I couldn't put up much of a fight, even if I tried. Why I ever wanted to punch such an angelic face remained a mystery to me, even as embarrassment flooded into every inch of my body.

"I hit you," I mumbled, once again focusing on the leaf.

[neededproof]

Oh, god, she was serious.

"A couple times," he said dryly. "I remember, I was there. And I let you." Strictly speaking, he knew it hadn't been a matter of him allowing her to do anything. She'd been the one to push the matter and her punches had had skill on their side. All the same, he'd been complicit, and anyway, right now, reassurance seemed more important than truth. "So?"

[forhawkeye]

"So?" I echoed, my eyes widening with shock. Despite myself, I found myself looking right at him. "I could have hurt you, Ryan! Ruined your angelic face to the point where Lucy wouldn't love you anymore! I'm a freak. A monster."

[neededproof]

Ryan just stared at her for a long moment, earnestly debating, in a detached, not quite focused kind of way, whether or not he might actually still be asleep and only dreaming. The things that would have said about him, though, weren't actually any better than the idea that Kate had just said what she'd said, so he gave up on that notion.

"Yeah," he said slowly, dragging it out, "none of that's true."

[forhawkeye]

"...it isn't?" I asked, blinking back my confusion. I couldn't contradict him, after all, but that didn't make what he'd said make anymore sense.

[neededproof]

"It isn't." Doing so much as laying a hand on her shoulder seemed like a bad idea right then, so Ryan contented himself with moving to make sure he could catch her gaze. "You're not a freak. You're not a monster. You didn't do anything I didn't want, and Lucy loving me doesn't have anything to do with my face, angelic or otherwise. Actually," he added, "I'm gonna pretend you didn't even say that part."

[forhawkeye]

"Oh," I said, though I couldn't bring myself to look him in the eye for very long. My brows furrowing in confusion, I added, "You're not angry?"

[neededproof]

"I'm not angry." Ryan shook his head, arms folding as he drew back a little. "Mostly I'm just confused. What's got you so freaked out about this?"