Greye's Notes: Hey! I got a review from someone who would like to read some more. You know what that means? I will write more! As long as there's at least one person who wants it, I will keep writing. (Or until my brain goes dead, whichever comes first) Thank you soccerchick23 and holmesdoyle, for your reviews! They are greatly appreciated. Now here is chapter 2.
Disclaimer: I do not own She's the Man, any of its characters, plots, or anything else! Nor will I ever! No plagiarism is intended.
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(Viola)
Viola stood dumbly, staring at Olivia. She had come rushing to the door, only to find Duke's preferred eye candy standing there. Though she considered herself friends with Olivia, at that moment she wasn't sure whether she wanted to hug her or hit her. She sure wished it had been Duke there, at the door, with his liquid brown eyes and wide smile. She could almost see them now. Viola's eyes grew glazed for a moment, and then she remembered that Olivia was still standing there, patiently waiting. She cleared her throat.
"What do you want?" Viola winced inwardly at her rough tone. She hadn't meant to come across as belligerent. Duke was the one who couldn't keep his eyes in his head. Olivia wasn't to blame. At least, that's what she told herself. Olivia had the decency to blush, however, and Viola felt somewhat mollified.
"I'm sorry to come here when it's so late." The other girl murmured quietly, looking down in what Viola took to be a shy manner. "It's just…" Olivia looked up and, for the first time, Viola noticed how red her eyes looked. The blue she had liked so well filled with hurt. Immediately, her own green eyes softened in concern. She reached out and took Olivia's arm gently, drawing her into her dorm room and shutting the door softly behind her.
"Come on, I guess you'd better sit down and tell me what's going on." Viola sat her down on her bed before grabbing her desk chair and dragging it over so she could sit facing her friend. "Now. What's happened?" Olivia's eyes seemed to water a bit for a moment, but then she seemed to regain control of herself.
"It's…Sebastian." She said, so quietly that Viola had to strain to here. For a moment, Viola had forgotten that Olivia was dating her brother and imagined that Olivia was talking about her. She shook her head in irritation at that thought, and spoke to move her mind onward.
"What about Sebastian?" Viola prompted. Olivia closed her eyes in response, as if each mention of his name was a special pain to her. Viola got up and walked over to her mini fridge and freezer combo, pulling her small tub of ice cream out of it. She had originally intended to use it herself but, at this point, it looked like Olivia needed it more. Instead of getting a bowl, Viola just stuck a spoon into the rocky road goodness. She plopped herself down next to Olivia, folding her long legs beneath her and passing her the ice cream. "Eat some. You'll feel better." Olivia looked at her oddly for a moment, but took the ice cream without comment and ate a little. Viola smiled in triumph when she released a sudden moan of enjoyment. It was wonderful the way ice cream could make a person feel better. Viola watched Olivia slowly devour her entire mini tub of ice cream. When she was finished, Viola patted her back gently. "Feel better now?" Olivia tensed beneath her touch, but nodded.
"Thank you." Her voice wasn't as shaky as it had seemed before. Viola waited quietly, and Olivia went on without prompting. "It's just that, Sebastian broke up with me tonight." A few tears made tracks down her cheeks, and Viola felt the desperation of the situation more in the fact that Olivia didn't try to check them. Viola listened patiently, despite her burning questions, as Olivia explained the entire date, from beginning to end. She even mentioned seeing Duke right before she left, though she didn't elaborate on that. Viola had a deep rooted suspicion that Olivia knew a little more there than she had told, but decided not to press her. Yet.
When the flow of words stopped, and no more seemed forth coming, Viola patted her knee sympathetically. "Olivia…" She hesitated, composing her thoughts. She couldn't help but notice that the other girl still managed to look beautiful, despite her smudged make-up and puffy eyes. She had the sudden urge to put her arms around her, but pushed the thought away. Instead, she scooted closer to the blond-haired girl and slipped an arm around her shoulders, giving her a light squeeze. The other girl felt so soft, though Viola knew there was muscle there. Olivia played basketball and tennis on a regular basis. For a moment, Viola was distracted, imagining Olivia moving up and down the court, fair skin glistening with a sheen of sweat. Suddenly alarmed at where her thoughts were suddenly going, Viola shook her head. Sometimes, she thought she had spent too much time pretending to be a guy. Already she knew what she would say if Olivia were a guy. Suck it up, rub some dirt in it. Or something along those lines. But Olivia was as close to being a guy as Viola was to giving up soccer for basketball. She hadn't really spent that much time with other girls lately, besides Kia and Yvonne. Most of the time, she was hanging with Duke, Toby, Andrew, and the rest of the soccer team. Though she had made a few feeble stabs at getting back into girls circles, most of the other girls regarded her as merely a curiosity, not potential friend material. Someone to gossip about when juicy news was short. Forcing herself from her somewhat self-pity over lack of female companions, Viola decided to tell Olivia the truth.
"Honestly, Liv, I don't really know what to tell you on this one. Sebastian is…well…Sebastian. He's my brother, and you'd think I would understand him better because of it but, really, he just confuses me more all the time." Viola took a breath, aware that she wasn't really telling Olivia anything useful. She tried to think of a different tact, though Olivia was already paying rapt attention. "I can't tell you not to be upset, but I can say that you're lucky it ended this way. Seb is a good guy. At least he did his best to explain his reasoning and cushion the blow. You're a very beautiful, very intelligent girl and Seb knew better than to let you stay trapped in a relationship that wasn't going anywhere." Viola frowned, thinking that hadn't come out right. "What I mean is, there are plenty of other fish in the sea who would be lucky to have you. You're strong, and you'll pull through this break-up and look back grateful that no more damage was done than this." She placed a hand over her face and groaned. "Oh Olivia. I could sit here and tell you different things all night, when the truth is that you will just have to come to terms with yourself in your own time. Nothing I can say will make you feel any better about this mess, I'm sure." Especially when every other word out of my mouth is stupid and unhelpful, Viola thought despairingly. How was she supposed to help Olivia in this kind of situation? For the moment, all thoughts of her own problems with Duke were forgotten as she struggled to help her friend.
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(Olivia)
Olivia fidgeted under Viola's gaze, wishing she had the nerve to say something to break the awkward silence. Viola was staring at her so acutely that Olivia couldn't tell whether the other girl was happy or angry to see her. Just as she was summoning the courage to ask how she was, Viola said harshly "What do you want?" Olivia barely kept herself from flinching at her tone. She guessed the other girl had every right to be angry at her. It was her fault Viola's date with Duke had been ruined, after all. Of course, Olivia hadn't known they were at Cesario's, or that her get up would attract so much attention from the big soccer player. She had only dressed the way she had to impress Sebastian. With that though, she remembered why she had come here in the first place. It felt like a fresh arrow to her heart.
"I'm sorry to come here when it's so late." Olivia managed, looking down to avoid those piercing green eyes. "It's just…" She couldn't resist looking up into the eyes that had first snagged her heart back when she had thought Viola was Sebastian, but she regretted it instantly. Pain bloomed in her breast, and it was all she could do not to break down right there. She was dimly aware of Viola drawing her gently into the room, and letting her sit on her bed. When Viola asked the question she knew was coming, it took some effort to answer. Even though, she could bring her voice no louder than a whisper.
"It's …Sebastian." Suddenly, she wasn't sure if coming to see Viola had been such a good idea. Viola said something to her, but she missed it. Olivia closed her eyes, thinking to regain some composure. Suddenly, there was a weight on the bed next to her. Olivia opened her eyes to find Viola pushing a tub of ice cream into her hands. She looked up at Viola, unsure. Why was she giving her ice cream to eat at a time like this? Never the less, the rocky road did look inviting. She took the spoon and hesitantly scooped a little into her mouth. Even as it touched her tongue, Olivia felt immensely better. Nothing had ever tasted so good. A light moan passed her lips. It tasted excellent. Before she knew it, Olivia was scraping the bottom of the tub with the spoon. She glanced at Viola apologetically before thanking her. She did feel better. Olivia took in a deep breath then, knowing that there was no use stalling anymore. She had come here to talk to Viola, and here she was ready to listen.
"It's just that, Sebastian broke up with me tonight." Despite the healing power of the ice cream, Olivia felt a few tears slip past her defenses. She decided to let them fall as testament to how much she had liked Sebastian. He deserved a few tears, at least. She wondered if he would ever cry over her, then pushed the stupid thought out of her mind.
Olivia turned back to Viola, grateful that the other girl remained silent and attentive. Slowly, she began to tell her about Cesario's. "Sebastian suggested we try to talk about our communication difficulties. Well, perhaps not in those words, but that's what I took him for…" It felt so liberating just to be able to get the whole mess out into the light. By the time she finished, Olivia already felt better.
When Viola scooted closer to her and put a comforting arm around her, Olivia knew she had made the right decision in coming here. It felt good to have someone here to listen, and to offer advice, however bad it was, with no expectations other than the truth. She found herself leaning into Viola, hanging on her every word. She didn't care that what she said ordinarily wouldn't be helping much. It was the fact that Viola was trying so hard to say the right thing that made Olivia feel better. The slightest blush rose in her cheeks when Viola called her beautiful. Viola had always said Olivia was smart, but this was the first time Olivia had heard her say, so nonchalantly, that she was beautiful too. It pleased Olivia inordinately that Viola was way this, though she didn't know why this should be so.
When Viola finished her attempt at consoling her, Olivia offered her a shy smile. "Don't sell yourself short Viola." She put her own arm around Viola and gave her a quick hug. "You helped me more than you think. Thank you." She held up the empty tub of ice cream. "And I promise I will replace this." Viola looked at her in utter surprise, but pleasure soon replaced her initial astonishment.
"I'm glad I was able to help." She shook her head when Olivia held up the ice cream. "Don't worry about it. It was starting to get freezer burn anyway." She gave her an impish grin, and let her arm drop from her shoulders and she went to dispose of the trash. Olivia felt a sudden flash of disappointment when the contact ended, but chalked it up simply to missing the comfort of a friend's touch. She glanced at the digital clock resting on Viola's nightstand, and was shocked that it was blinking eleven o'clock in its bluish light. She rose swiftly to her feet.
"I'm sorry I've kept you up so late Viola. You must be tired. And we have classes tomorrow!" Olivia felt totally remorseful. How could she presume to come here to talk to Viola like this, and keep her from her rest? It would be her fault when Viola was a zombie the next day. She knew soccer players often had early morning practice, and rarely had a chance to sleep before classes started. But Viola just flashed Olivia her signature, goofy smile and said that it was alright. That she was planning on skipping first period anyway. Since Principal Gold liked her fairly well, she figured it would be okay to skip every once in a while. An inexplicably warm feeling began to spread in Olivia's belly, and she couldn't help but feel happy. Or, if not totally happy, at least at peace with where things stood. Hesitantly, she stepped forward and hugged Viola. "Thank you!" Her voice was fierce. "You've been so good to me." She stepped back, gripping the taller girl's shoulders. Viola was gazing at her in bafflement, and it was all she could do not to giggle. "Come to my room, any time, when it's your turn to talk. I'll be ready to listen." At last Viola smiled her understanding, and nodded.
"My door is always open to you, Liv. And I appreciate your offer." Olivia saw Viola's eyes glaze for a moment, and new she was thinking of Duke. "Perhaps I will come and see you tomorrow." Olivia nodded, trying not to show any pity for the other girl as she did so.
"Yeah. Come by any time." She backed away, feeling guilty for leaving Viola with such a forlorn look on her face. She turned and walked out the door, then briefly wondered where Viola's roommate was. If she remembered correctly, the girl's name was Madison Groves. She dug around for any rumor about her, but could only vaguely recall that she had dated several of the guys on the soccer team, as well as the other sports teams. Some of the girls called her a "jock player". Olivia shook her head with a smirk, wondering whose room the girl was staying in tonight. Somehow, she doubted Viola would miss her. This thought, for some reason, felt satisfying to Olivia. In the last few hours she had spent with her friend Viola, Olivia had been feeling several things she hardly understood. She had always harbored a deep rooted affection for Viola, through her earlier infatuation with Viola's impersonation of her brother Sebastian. But tonight it had seemed deeper than that. She hadn't talked with Viola, really talked, since she had been "Sebastian". Though they had remained friends, and had occasionally gone on double dates, there had not been more than that. But now…things were stirring inside of her that hadn't moved since she had thought she was in love with Viola's Sebastian. Olivia shivered, unsure what this could mean, and entered her dorm room to sleep.
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Greye's Notes: And that is Chapter 2! Though it might not have been as good as Chapter 1, I think it was a necessary groundwork for things to come…things even I'm not sure about at this point xD. Some of my grammar may be off, though I checked as thoroughly as possible, so please bear with me there.
Also, please review! Once again, thanks to those who reviewed my last chapter. I'm hoping to get more reviews before I start working on the next one! Please, tell me the kinds of things you might like to see happen! I'm open to ideas, and I think I may need a few to pull the next chapter together. Also, of course, please tell me whether you think my story is good or bad. Since that is important too. If you think it's bad, feel free to elaborate! Okay, Greye checking out! Hope you enjoyed the Chapter!
