A/N: I decided to do something a little different with this than I thought
I was going to in the first place, so I'm turning it into a sort-of
updating Emma (although I may take some liberties and stray from the plot a
little now and then). So anways, I changed something in the first chapter
that would have otherwise have been inconsistencies (for instance, they're
in college now so Christian is 21 instead of 18, and I changed the main
character's name from Katie to Becka).
Ch. I
Platonic adj. (as in platonic love) an intimate relationship between a
man and women that is that is characterized by a lack of sexual
involvement.
It's also the best word to use when you're breaking up with someone and you want to let them down easy, I've learned. As in, "You know I still love you, Becka, but it's more of a platonic love."
In other words, "Sorry, babe, but I've lost interest."
This is the kind of line Elton threw me when we broke up. (Not the sorry-babe thing. I mean that platonic love crap). That was a month and seventeen days ago.
- - - - - - -
I share an apartment with my cousin Jeremy Conrad. We're good friends, and share the space quite capably, usually staying out of each other's way. Now if we could only learn to stay out of each other's lives.
A week after the rain-jogging-Christian episode we're sitting in our little living room, Jeremy and I, arguing over whether I'm really over Elton or not. Of course I say I am, but he brings up the point that I did flip out when I saw him in the cafe with Jennifer, which must mean something. But I don't think it needs to mean I'm still sitting here pining over him or anything. I mean, everyone has their moment of weakness.
Gradually the conversation shifts off of me and onto Taylor, my real best friend—despite my comment to Christian last week on this subject. Today she started dating West Hamilton. I think it's great. Jeremy has other ideas.
Jeremy's ideas on dating and couple-dum (as he calls it) in general are way off base from what most normally-functional people think. He claims dating is pointless, fruitless, and unfulfilling, seriously disruptive to one's social circle, and leading to nothing more than broken hearts and fatherless babies. Though I have tried to explain, using very small words, that dating does sometimes lead to marriage. Either Jeremy will spend his life in monk-like solitude, or he will eventually hook up with some girl and be forced to eat his words. Either, I think, would be appropriate punishment for making us all listen to his diatribes on the subject for so long.
Actually, I myself have converted to single-dum, after the whole Elton disaster. Not that I go as far as Jeremy to say that no one should date. I just figure dating is not the right thing for me. After all, I've got daddy's money, I've got influence with my friends, I'm in the in- crowd (I am the in-crowd, for heaven's sake). Who needs a boyfriend when they've got all that?
Now in Taylor's case, I think the boyfriend route is definitely the way to go. She's so sweet and maternal—she'd make the perfect 1950's housewife. And West is a great guy. So it really is good for her.
Jeremy and I are arguing about the Taylor-West business when Christian shows up. He must have been eavesdropping outside of the living room before walking in because the first thing he says is, "So Taylor and West hooked up, huh?"
"Yep," I beam. Jeremy scowls.
Christian laughs. "So which one of you cried the most when you heard about it?" he asks.
Jeremy and I both point at each other and say simultaneously "She/he did."
Christian shakes his head and walks over to the love seat where I am, sitting down on the seat beside me. I stiffen, still a little mad from the rain-jogging incident. "So how you holding up, Jeremy?" Christian says to my cousin. "All of these people converting to couple-dum and all?"
"It's awful," Jeremy grunts. "I just don't understand how you people can't see what you're getting yourselves into."
"Oh, I see it," Christian says solemnly.
I hit Christian and say, "Don't encourage him."
"Hey, so what do you think about your Taylor getting herself a boyfriend?" Christian asks me. "Because you know this means she's going to be spending less time with you."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Well, she's got to spend time with her boyfriend now. You know that's the way it goes."
Actually I hadn't thought about that yet, but now that Christian mentions it, he's right. Of course Taylor will be spending more time with West now, which means less Taylor-Becka time. That kind of sucks. But I don't want Christian to know he's hit a nerve so I say, "Well, off course Taylor would get tired of me eventually, you know, me being the horrible shallow person that I am."
Oh no, I'm not bitter.
Christian stares at me in disbelief. "Oh come on, Becka. Please don't tell me you still have that chip on your shoulder," he groans.
"You called me shallow, Christian! Sorry if I'm a little mad," I snap.
"I apologized. And anyway, I didn't say you were shallow. I said sometimes you come off at shallow."
"Okay, so I'm just going to sit here and pretend like I don't exist," says Jeremy, but Christian and I ignore him and keep going.
"Excuse me if I don't see the difference," I say, in response to Christian's clarification.
"There's a huge difference. If you were just shallow there'd be nothing you could do about it. But see, you just seem a little shallow sometimes, when you say things about yourself like I-just-wanna-be-pencil- thin-and-marry-someone-hot. That's something you can work on."
"Yeah, well you know, you never say anything about yourself at all so sorry if I'm not bearing my soul to you," I scowl.
"Right. So I'm going to like, go now," Jeremy says, rising from his chair and fleeing from the room before Christian and I start tearing each other's hair out or something like that.
After he's gone Christian and I stare at each other, frowning fiercely, for a few moments. I look away first, crossing my arms and turning my whole body so that I'm not facing him. We sit like this for something like five minutes. Then Christian sighs and says, "Look, I'm sorry Becka. I don't mean to be so hard on you, but it's like, you're already great. Sometimes I just see some ways you could make yourself better, and if you did, then you'd be pretty close to perfect."
Who can reject an apology like that? I turn back around and give him a smile. "It's alright." I say. "Just try not to lay it on so thick next time. A girl can only take so much reproach."
Christian laughs. "Alright. Now what were we talking about before World War III happened?"
"Taylor and West. You know what the best part about it is?" I ask.
"No," Christian answers dryly.
"I made the match myself," I answer smugly.
"Oh, please! You made a lucky guess."
"So?" I ask, frowning. "What's so bad about that? Besides, if I hadn't have encouraged where encouragement was needed, they might have never gotten together."
"STOP ENCOURAGING!" Jeremy shouts from his room, where he's obviously been eavesdropping.
Christian looks at me, and we both roll our eyes.
Ch. I
Platonic adj. (as in platonic love) an intimate relationship between a
man and women that is that is characterized by a lack of sexual
involvement.
It's also the best word to use when you're breaking up with someone and you want to let them down easy, I've learned. As in, "You know I still love you, Becka, but it's more of a platonic love."
In other words, "Sorry, babe, but I've lost interest."
This is the kind of line Elton threw me when we broke up. (Not the sorry-babe thing. I mean that platonic love crap). That was a month and seventeen days ago.
- - - - - - -
I share an apartment with my cousin Jeremy Conrad. We're good friends, and share the space quite capably, usually staying out of each other's way. Now if we could only learn to stay out of each other's lives.
A week after the rain-jogging-Christian episode we're sitting in our little living room, Jeremy and I, arguing over whether I'm really over Elton or not. Of course I say I am, but he brings up the point that I did flip out when I saw him in the cafe with Jennifer, which must mean something. But I don't think it needs to mean I'm still sitting here pining over him or anything. I mean, everyone has their moment of weakness.
Gradually the conversation shifts off of me and onto Taylor, my real best friend—despite my comment to Christian last week on this subject. Today she started dating West Hamilton. I think it's great. Jeremy has other ideas.
Jeremy's ideas on dating and couple-dum (as he calls it) in general are way off base from what most normally-functional people think. He claims dating is pointless, fruitless, and unfulfilling, seriously disruptive to one's social circle, and leading to nothing more than broken hearts and fatherless babies. Though I have tried to explain, using very small words, that dating does sometimes lead to marriage. Either Jeremy will spend his life in monk-like solitude, or he will eventually hook up with some girl and be forced to eat his words. Either, I think, would be appropriate punishment for making us all listen to his diatribes on the subject for so long.
Actually, I myself have converted to single-dum, after the whole Elton disaster. Not that I go as far as Jeremy to say that no one should date. I just figure dating is not the right thing for me. After all, I've got daddy's money, I've got influence with my friends, I'm in the in- crowd (I am the in-crowd, for heaven's sake). Who needs a boyfriend when they've got all that?
Now in Taylor's case, I think the boyfriend route is definitely the way to go. She's so sweet and maternal—she'd make the perfect 1950's housewife. And West is a great guy. So it really is good for her.
Jeremy and I are arguing about the Taylor-West business when Christian shows up. He must have been eavesdropping outside of the living room before walking in because the first thing he says is, "So Taylor and West hooked up, huh?"
"Yep," I beam. Jeremy scowls.
Christian laughs. "So which one of you cried the most when you heard about it?" he asks.
Jeremy and I both point at each other and say simultaneously "She/he did."
Christian shakes his head and walks over to the love seat where I am, sitting down on the seat beside me. I stiffen, still a little mad from the rain-jogging incident. "So how you holding up, Jeremy?" Christian says to my cousin. "All of these people converting to couple-dum and all?"
"It's awful," Jeremy grunts. "I just don't understand how you people can't see what you're getting yourselves into."
"Oh, I see it," Christian says solemnly.
I hit Christian and say, "Don't encourage him."
"Hey, so what do you think about your Taylor getting herself a boyfriend?" Christian asks me. "Because you know this means she's going to be spending less time with you."
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"Well, she's got to spend time with her boyfriend now. You know that's the way it goes."
Actually I hadn't thought about that yet, but now that Christian mentions it, he's right. Of course Taylor will be spending more time with West now, which means less Taylor-Becka time. That kind of sucks. But I don't want Christian to know he's hit a nerve so I say, "Well, off course Taylor would get tired of me eventually, you know, me being the horrible shallow person that I am."
Oh no, I'm not bitter.
Christian stares at me in disbelief. "Oh come on, Becka. Please don't tell me you still have that chip on your shoulder," he groans.
"You called me shallow, Christian! Sorry if I'm a little mad," I snap.
"I apologized. And anyway, I didn't say you were shallow. I said sometimes you come off at shallow."
"Okay, so I'm just going to sit here and pretend like I don't exist," says Jeremy, but Christian and I ignore him and keep going.
"Excuse me if I don't see the difference," I say, in response to Christian's clarification.
"There's a huge difference. If you were just shallow there'd be nothing you could do about it. But see, you just seem a little shallow sometimes, when you say things about yourself like I-just-wanna-be-pencil- thin-and-marry-someone-hot. That's something you can work on."
"Yeah, well you know, you never say anything about yourself at all so sorry if I'm not bearing my soul to you," I scowl.
"Right. So I'm going to like, go now," Jeremy says, rising from his chair and fleeing from the room before Christian and I start tearing each other's hair out or something like that.
After he's gone Christian and I stare at each other, frowning fiercely, for a few moments. I look away first, crossing my arms and turning my whole body so that I'm not facing him. We sit like this for something like five minutes. Then Christian sighs and says, "Look, I'm sorry Becka. I don't mean to be so hard on you, but it's like, you're already great. Sometimes I just see some ways you could make yourself better, and if you did, then you'd be pretty close to perfect."
Who can reject an apology like that? I turn back around and give him a smile. "It's alright." I say. "Just try not to lay it on so thick next time. A girl can only take so much reproach."
Christian laughs. "Alright. Now what were we talking about before World War III happened?"
"Taylor and West. You know what the best part about it is?" I ask.
"No," Christian answers dryly.
"I made the match myself," I answer smugly.
"Oh, please! You made a lucky guess."
"So?" I ask, frowning. "What's so bad about that? Besides, if I hadn't have encouraged where encouragement was needed, they might have never gotten together."
"STOP ENCOURAGING!" Jeremy shouts from his room, where he's obviously been eavesdropping.
Christian looks at me, and we both roll our eyes.