Chapter Four; Differences Make You Similar

Gwen settled into her computer chair at home, awkwardly wriggling her boots off her feet. There was something about the day that struck her as weird… Not even the fact her long-lost best friend had returned after five years, or the fact he was now a hot punk – no, not hot. Duncan wasn't hot; he was her best friend. Kind of. She wasn't even sure where they stood anymore. All she could do was try to think about their first meeting… It was impossible.

For years, Gwen's mother and father had fought; it was something she didn't care to think about too often or too much about. It was just a fact of life for her. So, whenever things got too much she would just wriggle through the hole in her fence and go to see Duncan and his family. Even if Duncan's father was a little too strict for her liking, at least he was never yelling at Duncan's mother.

Just at Duncan.

Gwen propped her head up on her hand, staring vacantly out of her window. She'd lived in this house all her life. It seemed a little strange even now that Duncan wasn't next door… "Jerk," she sighed, standing up from the desk. Maybe it was best that he wasn't close to her anymore… After all, he had gone to juvie for reasons he refused to discuss. Had he assaulted someone? Or… worse? She doubted it, she knew her Duncan.

Buzz.

Out of instinct, Gwen snatched up her phone, quickly answering the call. "Sup?" she greeted, her hand grasping at her elbow; she had a particularly girly way of answering the phone it seemed.

"Hey Gwen," Trent greeted from the other end, his voice a little brighter than she'd ever heard before. Then suddenly, she realized her fault. Rather than waiting for him at the end of the day by the school's main exit like she'd promised, she had actually walked home in a dire need to escape people. She was a loner at heart, and so she needed her alone time. Trent understood that most of the time, but with Duncan back in town, he seemed a little on edge.

"Trent! Hi!" Gwen greeted in a rather squeaked voice.

"Expecting someone else to call?" he asked with a chuckle. Gwen gave a pity laugh, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

"No, of course not. I just didn't – I'm sorry about ditching. I just needed some alone time," Gwen pointed out, her fingers messing with the ends of her hair.

"Oh. Sorry."

"No! No, it's not you, it's Duncan," she exasperatedly sighed, her feet swinging up onto the bed. She didn't actually know if she wanted to discuss this right now with Trent, especially not when he thought that Gwen and Duncan were secretly dating or something equally ridiculous. After a rather short conversation about how Trent had done nothing wrong, and no, she didn't need him to come over for hugs and kisses but she appreciated the gesture, Gwen hung up the phone. Trent was a sweetheart, but sometimes she wondered if he liked her too much…. Something she thought was impossible.

"Whatever," Gwen sighed, laying on her bed with her arms over her face. It was just nice to be home, alone, with only her thumping music to keep her company.

Music rung through the store like there was an airplane taking off with a bass beat behind it. People screamed, sung and howled in unison, trying their best to convey years of anguish in a mere three minutes. There was the smell of vintage clothing and worn leather, and even a few corsets here and there.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Gwen asked, donned in a Hot Topic outfit.

"You're big enough to start shopping where we shop," Marylyn giggled, patting Gwen gently on the shoulder. In truth, they'd spent a good year or so suggesting that she come shopping with them; Gwen had always been too afraid to actually do it because she thought it'd be another place to be made fun of. She was delightfully surprised when she arrived at a decrepit old alleyway with a worn painted sign, "Peril".

"What's that music?" Gwen asked vigilantly, her eyes searching for the sound system.

"Just the newest, hottest, most amazing band ever! Gothic Mind Explosion!" Pixie pointed out with a small bounce to punctuate the statement.

"Gothic Mind Explosion?" Gwen asked in a shaky voice, her hands resting neatly on her ears. Pixie and Reaper just laughed, patting her on the head as if she were a small child. They were fifteen, standing in a dingy music store downtown.

After a few weeks, Gwen was an avid fan and knew everything about every band member. She had a huge crush on the lead guitarist who had swept black hair and dazzling green eyes. Unsurprisingly, this leant itself well to her new boyfriend. She caught herself staring at the poster, her cheeks thumping a stupid red.

"Homework," she assured herself, rolling off her bed and going in search of her school books. She needed to get a scholarship. Seeing as her dad refused to pay child support (and with some creative work by his lawyers, he was able to get away with it). Her mother worked heaps and Gwen didn't want to have to ask her to pay for it – she had to do this herself. Hell, she even worked at the local petting zoo to add to her college funds.

After about twenty minutes of tapping away at her laptop for an English diary (which Mr. McLean had already assigned), Gwen re-read the first few paragraphs. The gist of it was…

Dear Diary.

You suck.

I hate school.

I hate homework.

Go die.

Love Gwen Yates.

Maybe that wasn't going to get her any points with her teacher, but… it worked. She had typed it all with a wide smile on her face, so she wasn't depressed – despite what the teachers tried to tell her mother. Gwen rolled her eyes, her arm linked over the back of her seat. "Fucking teachers…" Gwen cursed, massaging the space between her eyes for a brief moment.

The sound of high heels clicked downstairs, bringing a smile to Gwen's face. For once she was actually excited to see her mother get home. Yes, she loved her mother, but usually it was an unspoken hello and a question of where dinner was.

"Hey mom!" Gwen called out, rushing from her room and down the stairs. She skidded into the kitchen to see her mother carrying some take-out boxes and a smirk on her face.

"Mm Gwennie?" Linda asked with a gentle laugh, setting the dinner down. She attempted some semblance of professionalism as she pulled out three equal sized plates for Gwen, Artie and herself. Her eyes skipped between the clock, Gwen and the food at regular intervals, "How was school?"

Gwen seemed to think for a moment, her lip caught between her teeth, "Well…"

"Ooo, you look like something happened," Linda giggled. She loved to hear about Gwen's school life, even if it was uneventful for the most part. It was just hard for her, as she rarely saw her children between her working and their social lives… Artie was barely ever around anymore.

"Mom, no, it's nothing like that…" Gwen dismissed angrily, shaking her head. After a moment she bounced on the balls of her feet, "Well… Duncan's back."

"I know! Isn't it wonderful? I saw his mother today when I was at the store, she seemed so happy to be back…" Linda happily chimed, handing a plate to Gwen. Gwen accepted it with a smile and a nod. They were happy to be back? Then why had they even left in the first place? She considered the reason Duncan had given her; apparently his father had some business deal with his work that he'd be head of the police department in another town – another state. Neither Duncan or Gwen were too happy with this, obviously, and it worked out that Duncan would be out of Ontario for good – or so they thought.

"Y-Yeah. Wonderful…"

"What's the matter?"

Gwen considered the question. She actually didn't know what was wrong with her. It was partially the fact she hadn't really spoken to her best friends all day, partially the fact Trent was getting a little clingy but mostly… "Duncan's – different," Gwen admitted. It wasn't even something she had admitted to herself just yet, so Gwen felt a little stupid to allow herself to freely speak of such a newly considered issue. Duncan was way too different. He was sarcastic, dark, punk and hot – it wasn't the bubbly best friend of yesteryear, and more the kind of guy she'd have dated when she was 15 or 16. That was a weird thought to the young goth girl, especially with her previous dreams of Duncan returning and everything going back to the way it used to be…

"Honey, have you seen yourself? I say that in the most loving, motherly way but…" Linda chewed her bottom lip, her arms neatly crossed. Her pink suit remained immaculately unwrinkled, as if made from some kind of stern fabric. "You're nothing like the little girl Duncan used to poke bugs at. You're – you've grown up. You've gotten into your little goth phase and he's, well… how is he different?" Linda asked, sitting down at the table with a thoughtful look.

"He's – a punk."

"So he's kind of like you now?"

"No! It's so different… mom, he smokes," Gwen tattled, "don't tell his dad or mom or anything. Okay? But… The Duncan I used to know would never do that. And he went to juvie… And he swears worse than dad used to," Gwen added with a rise to her right eyebrow.

"The Duncan you used to know was 13," Linda brushed her fringe out of her eyes, settling into her sweet and sour pork from the Chinese takeout place they always went to. She seemed to think before speaking once again, "Gwen, honey, people are allowed to change. Especially when they're teenagers… I'm sure he's still the same old Duncan underneath all the punk," Linda critically announced, nibbling thoughtfully on a large piece of chicken.

"I guess, but -"

"Maybe you'll like this Duncan even more, if you give it a chance" Linda added with a forceful tone. She was still smiling, but the intention of her words was clear. She'd spent weeks convincing Gwen to eat after Duncan had left; the girl seemed to have lost her will to go on, something that worried and concerned Artie and Linda. Her little girl had lost her best friend and her father in the same year; it was a lot for a little girl to go through.

"Maybe," Gwen admitted finally, her eyes darting up as Artie strolled through the door with his guitar latched to his back.

A/N: There's a link in my profile to a "photo" of younger!Gwen and younger!Duncan. Hope you enjoy!