Sisters and Friends
Chapter 5
Girlfriends
Jeez, and I thought the accelerated courses at the Community College were rough. Daria suggested that I keep the academic load down for the first term, like thirteen credits. Naturally, like an idiot, I sign up for eighteen, just so that I have some classes with Annie. Damn, my schedule sucks.
I'm really glad I took that Lit and the English refresher over the summer. I decided to take the English 101 class anyway, even though I probably could have tested out. I really need more practice in writing, and it's easier for me this time around. The history class is actually turning out to be pretty interesting- maybe I did learn something from DeMartino; and I'm really glad that I spent that time with David. I wonder how he's doing; he's really a good guy, and I learned way more than I bargained for from him. I should drop him a note and thank him.
The rest of the coursework is pretty standard for freshmen-Media and Society, and there's the Psychology and the Comparative Religion classes I have with Annie.
After the first few weeks I finally hit my stride. It's now October, and I've been really good about not allowing myself to get out of balance, socially and academically.
Annie's a strange one- she seems reluctant to interact with the guys she so easily attracts, even though she clearly likes boys, not girls, in that way. She has that Anime Girl look, that mix of Asian and Caucasian; it's different. Still, I know there's something about guys hitting on her that troubles her, and again, I'm ready to listen if she wants to talk about it.
Annie is my best friend. I never thought it would be something that makes me so happy to say, but it does. I think she and I are as close now as Daria and Jane. Sure, we can get on each other's nerves sometimes, but we know when to back off. And we know if we need help, we're there for each other.
It seems a little weird to say this, but she's actually a lot like Daria. She's a private person, not completely at ease with how others see her. I suppose it comes from growing up different, kind of being an outsider; it's really hard for her to open up to people. Having come to terms with my relationship with my own sister makes it easier to accept Annie for who she is, not who I think she should be.
"Hey, Morgendorffer, what's for lunch?" Annie drops her backpack on the bench and pulls out the drinks. We take turns making sandwiches- it takes just a little more time to make a second sandwich, and it's a lot cheaper than the cafeteria. No waiting in line, and it saves Annie some money. Besides, sometimes her mom takes over and makes us teriyaki chicken. I love her mom.
"Meatloaf sandwiches, made with not-cute cows."
"Not-cute Tofu cows, right?"
"Absolutely, Nichols. I'd never poison your vegetarian butt."
"How does a kosher BLT sound for tomorrow?
"Where do you get Kosher bacon?"
"Same place your vegetarian pastrami comes from," Annie snickered. "They hide it behind the vegetarian steaks."
We talk about guys; nothing serious yet. We spend more time talking about the coursework; despite the relatively heavy load we're both doing okay. Annie's a smart girl. We set up some cram sessions at my house for the upcoming tests in our shared classes; she'll stay over and then we'll drive to school the next morning. You know what they say, misery loves company. It lightens the load to have someone to beat your head against the wall with. You can come up with some interesting beats.
After a while, Annie stops eating. "You know, it's okay if you want to hang out with other people, Quinn. You don't have to accommodate me."
"Are you still on about that Sorority thing?" Quinn asks, pausing to take a drink. "Seriously, it's okay. I used to think that I wanted to pledge when I got into college, but honestly, it just doesn't seem important anymore. Part of it was the sense of belonging to a group, to have friends, but I realized that that was just an extension of what I knew in high school."
Annie wiped a bit of tomato sauce off her fingertips. "I just don't feel the need to try to fit in anymore. I'm not a joiner, and I'm okay with that. I'll be okay if you want to join a club or campus organization. If you want to, you should do it. I may or may not be interested too, but I'm going to be honest about it. What about your friends from that club you used to be in?"
Quinn snorted a bit of her drink through her nose, laughing. "The Fashion Club? It kind of fell apart in the last year of school. The person I was friendliest with was Stacy Rowe, and she was kind of a basket case. She really needed to figure out who she was. Her life was dominated by insecurities, always trying to please other people. The one that I said was a Frenemy was Sandi Griffin, who was kind of the club Uberbitch. I don't know why I hung out with them. I think part of it was because they annoyed the hell out of my poor sister. God, we were so full of ourselves. I guess I don't try hard to keep in contact with them because it embarrasses me so much to remember what I was like back then."
Annie smiled and started on her sandwich again. After she finished, she brushed the crumbs off her sweater. "Maybe it's a good thing that we didn't meet until now."
It's been over a month since Sara told me about her husband's family. Every time I think about it I still get mad. I need to get more info on exactly what went on, but I can tell that it's a sensitive thing for Annie. The reasons for that turn out to be more complex than I thought; a big part of it is that she wants to protect her mother. She knows that Sara, despite her acceptance of the situation, is still deeply troubled by it. Annie, for herself, is just flat out pissed.
"Quinn, I know you want to help, and I really do appreciate it. But you have to understand, my Mom doesn't want to drag this out into the open again. I don't know if anything can be done at this point, but no matter what, I will respect her wishes."