[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

Comments

[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.