Fiona couldn't get over the initial shock of what Imogen had appeared in for the party. There she stood at her door in full punk mode. It had been one thing to see her at school; the uniforms tamed the student body's creative inclination towards wardrobe. However, when Fiona opened the door to Imogen, she stood there, frozen as she tried to decide what to do. At first she couldn't believe that Imogen had picked out that outfit, but then as she walked down the hall with her to show her the other dresses she had, she felt something else. It crept up from the pit of her stomach and into her mind. The entire time that Fiona had spent convincing Imogen to wear something else, something toned down, she tried to figure out the feeling that had taken ahold of her.
Now, as she sat on the couch waiting for Imogen to finish changing into a formal black dress, she began to realize that she liked how Imogen looked in the outfit. There was something about the colors of the lace that made her green eyes shine, even beneath her glasses.
Fiona chewed on lip, nervously awaiting Imogen to finish.
"Hey." A soft voice danced from behind Fiona.
"Oh wow!" Fiona stood up and crossed the room towards Imogen, who stood there in the dark dress. While Imogen looked lovely in the dress, there was something lacking compared to the previous one.
Fiona placed her hand on Imogen's shoulder and steered her back to the mirror.
"Here, I know you like your hair up, but I think that you would look even better in this dress if we let it down. Please?" Fiona gave a small smile into the mirror, searching Imogen's eyes for a response. Imogen took a deep breath, and after a moment she finally responded.
"Fiona, you know these people better than I do. If you think it will be better to have my hair down, then I will. But only if you think that's what we should do." And with that, Imogen smiled back.
There it was again. That feeling that Fiona felt earlier. She wanted to take a moment to analyze it, but she knew she didn't have time; her guests would be here any minute.
"It's only for tonight. I'm not expecting you change your look completely. I just want you to have a good impression on Marisol and Katie so that we can all be friends." Fiona placed her hand atop of the bow on Imogen's head and gently untied it, amazed at how soft her hair felt.
Imogen's hair dropped from her head, covering her bare shoulders. She turned to face Fiona, who was gently brushing out the knots that had formed from her buns.
"I suppose the only thing left are my glasses," Imogen stated, as she started to lift her hands to remove them, "I really only need them for school, but I've always liked how they looked."
Fiona stopped brushing and glanced at the girl. While she had very pretty eyes, there was something about her glasses that framed her face perfectly.
"No!" Fiona said abruptly, grabbing Imogen's right hand, "You should keep them on!"
Imogen had stopped, one of her eyebrows raised and her mouth slightly open. Realizing that she sounded like a crazy fool, she backpedaled. "I just mean that you shouldn't have to change everything, and I think your glasses look nice on you."
Fiona dropped her hand to her side, not wanting to appear as though she were holding onto Imogen's hand for too long. While she was out in school and proud to be who she was she did worry sometimes that straight girls would misinterpret her actions.
Imogen grinned at Fiona and gave a pretend curtsey to her. "Why thank you Miss Fiona, I do appreciate you for lettin' me keep my glasses." Imogen replied in a silly southern accent.
Fiona couldn't help but giggle back. "Come on, we've a party to host!"
Imogen felt her anger reach a breaking point, and she slammed the door to Fiona's backside as she walked away from her house. Just when she thought that she had made a friend, Fiona had completely turned on her.
She ran up the stairs and into her bedroom, slamming that door as well. She took one look at herself in the mirror before throwing herself onto her bed. Why had she trusted her? Why had she thought it would be okay? Anger tumbled into frustration which led to tears stinging the corners of her eyes.
She sniffed, and scooped up her fuzzy pink pillow, burying her face into it. Just once she would like to make a friend, a genuine friend that would like her for her and not turn their back on her when she needed them the most.
Of course, just when she thought that she had found that in Fiona, the girl betrayed her and took Katie and Marisol's side. Imogen thought that she had seen something different in Fiona. When she confided to her about her alcohol problem, she thought she saw something there that she hadn't noticed before; vulnerability. It proved to her that they weren't so different, she thought. But clearly she was mistaken.