a/n: So I've made a rule about these one-shots: I'm not allowed to spend more than a day on any one. The most interesting part about this is that the writing tends to carry the tone of my mood for the day; I'm not giving myself the opportunity to write a draft and then wash it of that, tweak the dialogue, or adjust for things the characters may not typically do or say. I'm not sure how I feel about this strategy yet. The goal of these is really to force myself to improve my output process - like speed reading or a timed design charrette, but in this case it's writing. I may go back on this thinking entirely and spend more time on them, but for now, it is what it is.
Consider the above a disclaimer and an apology if I fail to do the characters justice, and please feel free to call me out if I do.
Cheers,
EQT.95
Point Rock, First Term
"Kate, you ready?"
"Two minutes," she shouted through the closed door.
"Ok, meet you downstairs," the voice on the other side said.
"Big plans?" Sophie asked from her desk.
"Apparently there's a thing over at Wilfred Thursday nights."
"A thing?"
"The kids call them 'parties'," Kate smirked, throwing on a streak of eyeliner.
"A party? You're going to a party?"
"Wanna come?"
"N-no thanks."
"You sure? Could be fun."
"I'm not really into that kind of thing."
"You're not into fun?"
"Fun is fine. I'm just not into… that much fun."
Kate briefly glanced back toward Sophie, subtly interrogating her tone and face. They hadn't been roommates even a week, but Kate was finding Sophie unbearably attractive. Part of her had hoped Sophie would tag along, but something about her staying back was fitting with her personality.
Sophie initially came across as a diligent do-gooder. It wasn't common for Kate to find that appealing given her history with… well, others. At first she worried her first impressions of Sophie had been right; that Sophie was going to be all-around uptight about things. But, the more time they spent together, Kate was discovering other sides to Sophie that made her rethink that: there was the intelligent side that was diligent about studying. This was the most obvious discovery. Yet that studious nature went beyond books - it struck Kate how many topics they had covered in a few short days and, more than that, how excited she got when Kate talked about something she had no knowledge of.
She was naturally quick-witted and had adopted a habit of keeping Kate on her toes. Kate prided herself on the way she could get the last word in a conversation, but in less than a week she had been left speechless and her imagination running wild more times than she could count. Kate was beginning to take this as a challenge.
There was also a shy side to Sophie. Kate realized this in the middle of the week: Sophie had spent the better part of the last few days opening up to Kate, entertaining wild conversations, and having a laugh, so when Kate had pulled Sophie away from studies to join in on a group dinner, she was perplexed by the silent way her roommate navigated the group. Instead of the bright, outspoken roommate she'd been discovering, Kate watched Sophie step back into the shadows. She spent the better part of the night quietly observing, and Kate wondered if Sophie wasn't enjoying herself until the meal was rounding out and she began breaking out of her shell. Kate was amazed at the level of attention Sophie had given the conversations and easily wove into them.
"Is this like a weekly quota or…"
"Hm?" Sophie said, glancing up from her work.
"A fun quota. It's Thursday. Did you have too much fun already this week?"
Sophie scowled at the bad joke as Kate laughed.
"Fine, fine. Last chance; you sure?"
"I'm sure."
"All right, Sophie Moore. Enjoy your evening."
"You're still up?" Kate asked, her face perplexed but her voice filled with enthusiasm.
"It's only midnight."
Kate squinted across the room at Sophie. She was in the exact same spot Kate had left her: perfectly postured at her desk, surrounded by books and papers. "Did you get nailed to the chair or something?"
"What?"
"You've moved in the last four hours, right?"
Sophie scoffed lightly, her eyes catching sight of the plastic bag in Kate's hands.
"What's that?"
"Night caps," Kate explained cryptically, crossing the room to collapse onto the couch. She slipped a hand inside and pulled out two silver cans, pulling the tabs free on both. She leaned forward and set one on Sophie's desk, causing Sophie's eyes to nearly bulge out of her head.
"Pardon?"
"That's yours," Kate said with a smile before falling back against the couch with her own. "It won't bite," she chuckled, taking a sip from her can.
"I'm not really a beer drinker."
"Wine coolers?" Kate asked with a hint of judgement.
"No, no, I-I'm not really a drinker."
"I figured."
"But then why-"
"So why didn't you come out tonight?" Kate asked, taking another sip of her beer. "I mean, the drinking thing aside."
Sophie paused, noting with some enjoyment that Kate was unusually emotive with one or two drinks in her.
"It's not really my thing," Sophie said, sliding a coaster under the sweating can sitting on her own desk.
"What isn't? Socializing?" Kate asked. "And drink that while it's cold. Every second you wait the worse it gets," she said, gesturing at the beer.
"No, just the… the things that happen."
Kate scowled at this. "What do you think happens?"
"I… I just assumed they're like all the parties I heard about in high school."
"You 'heard' about? Sophie Moore, are you a party virgin?"
"What?" Sophie asked, her voice peaking higher at Kate's word choice.
"Have you never been to a party?"
"Wh-oh, oh, I… yes, I've been."
"How many?"
"A… a few."
"So like… what, five? Ten?"
"Two."
"Two?!" Kate nearly yelled. "Like, in the last year?" Kate gaped before reading the honesty on Sophie's face. "Ever? Sophie, I am… ever?"
"They just didn't seem like a big deal. Everyone was getting drunk and either hooking up or looking to hook up. I wasn't a fan."
Kate let out a small laugh. "So you thought I was going out on the prowl?"
"You? Oh, uh, no… well, maybe?"
Kate's laugh grew at Sophie's discomfort.
"Sorry, I didn't mean-"
"No, no, you're… it's fine," Kate waved off. "Not really anyone my type there anyway."
"Oh."
"I'm not kidding about the temperature, Soph."
Sophie felt conflicting thoughts. "What is?"
"The beer."
"No, I mean your type,"
"My type?" Kate asked in mild surprise.
"Yea. I mean, well maybe you don't. Do people actually have a type? I feel like objectifying with a type is-"
"Female."
"-not really… What?"
"My type."
"Huh?"
"You asked."
"I asked? I asked about your… you're ...oh," Sophie said softly. She watched a small smirk play on Kate's lips as she lifted her can to them, and suddenly Sophie felt compelled to mirror her, taking the first sip of her own. Kate was right, colder was definitely going to be better.
"What about you?"
"Oh, no, I'm not… I'm not, uh…"
"I meant your type," Kate said with a glow in her eyes at watching Sophie's discomfort.
"Oh, uh… not sure I have one."
"Well it can be pretty broad. My type is half the population," Kate winked.
Sophie smiled weakly.
"Why do I get the feeling I'm your first?"
"First?"
"You've never met a lesbian before, have you?" Kate asked bluntly.
"Uh… I've seen Finding Nemo?"
Kate let out another laugh. "So a cartoon surgeonfish is your only lesbian relationship experience?"
"Does Will and Grace count?"
"Technically no lesbians, but since you consider the voice of a Pixar movie as one, I suppose we can add the two gay men to the list."
"Oh no, I'm making this weird. I've made this weight, right?"
"Well, you haven't told me I'm going to burn in hell, so I wouldn't say it's that weird."
"Only because I thought that went without saying," Sophie shot back, and Kate chuckled again, much to her relief.
xx
"How did you know?" Sophie asked, breaking the silence from the last twenty minutes. Their conversation had been interrupted by Chelsea and Samantha who were returning from their adventures making sure Kate had returned safely. After that silence fell between them, leaving Sophie's thoughts to wander. Kate, who was stretched out on the couch, opened her eyes to look over at Sophie still sitting diligently at her desk. She scanned Sophie's expression for some insight and when none came, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.
"Sophie. Context."
"Oh, right, sorry," Sophie said, blushing slightly. "I meant, how did you know you like women?"
A small smirk broke across Kate's lips in surprise. "Aren't you supposed to be studying?"
"I am."
"Doesn't sound like it. Sounds like you're thinking about why I dig girls," Kate replied, revelling in the resulting squirm from Sophie.
"It was… it was a passing thought," Sophie tried to explain away. "It doesn't matter."
"How did you know you like men?" Kate asked, unwilling to drop the conversation if only to relish in watching Sophie wriggle a moment longer.
"What?"
"Guys. How did you know you like them?"
"I… I don't know?"
"You don't know?" Kate asked, unable to hide her surprise. This wasn't the first time she'd had this question asked of her, and this wasn't the first time she'd countered with a similar question. This was, however, the first time it didn't result in some obvious answer about men being attractive and strong and masculine and any number of other synonyms for 'manly'.
"I mean, I guess they're smart and funny and… and, I don't know."
"Clearly, because you just described personality traits which, believe it or not, both genders can exhibit," Kate replied dryly, but Sophie looked stunned by the retort. "I assume in the same way you might find men attractive I find women attractive."
"But how did you know?"
Kate's head turned slightly in confusion. "I… I don't understand the question anymore."
"I just mean… you're 'supposed' to like guys," Sophie said, using air quotes for emphasis. "But at some point you realized that wasn't… 'right,' right?"
Kate watched Sophie ponder for a moment longer, beginning to sense where her thoughts were taking her.
"You want to know how I realized being attracted to women was an option," Kate said after another moment.
"Yes, that's… yes, that," Sophie nodded in relief.
Kate nodded, falling silent for a moment. This was the first time she'd been asked this question, and she felt an odd appreciation that it came from her new roommate.
"It wasn't like a switch, and I definitely had help. Unlike you with Dory and Will, I had real gay people in my life growing up, so the concept of liking the same sex wasn't foreign or frowned upon. From there I just acted on what I felt. I didn't have to discover that being gay was a thing on my own like maybe some kids do."
Sophie sat quietly in thought for a moment. "That makes sense."
"Well, I'm glad for that, Sophie Moore," Kate smirked, letting her eyes fall closed again.
"Can I ask you another question?"
"Fire away."
"Have you… have you ever dated a girl?"
"'Dated' feels… official."
"So you've never gone out with one?"
"Oh, no, no, I didn't say that," Kate explained easily. "I just wasn't much for dating."
"So I wasn't totally wrong."
"About what?"
"About you looking to hook up."
Kate looked at Sophie like she was an alien.
"What?" Sophie asked, unable to read Kate's expression.
"Being out on this campus isn't exactly kosher."
"What does that mean?"
"Is this where you tell me you aren't Jewish, either?"
"No… Are you?" Sophie asked with some surprise.
"So many firsts for you tonight, Sophie," Kate chuckled, sitting up to continue the conversation. "You know about the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, right?"
"Sure, but… but that doesn't count, right? I mean, we're at a military academy, but… but…"
Kate shook her head.
"Seriously?"
Kate nodded her head.
"That's bullshit."
Kate paused at Sophie's intensity. "You're right, but it's fine. I knew what I was signing up for."
"Yea but… does that mean you can't date anyone for four years?"
"Like I said, 'dating' is a bit too official for me."
"But, what if someone finds out? Could they kick you out?"
Kate shrugged. "Probably. But if that's why they want to kick me out, so be it."
"You say that like there could be other reasons to kick you out," Sophie replied with some skepticism.
Kate shrugged again. "I have this thing with rules."
