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Post by CAMERON VEGA BAILEY on Feb 1, 2013 11:30:20 GMT -5
www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=69926357
As much as she'd been looking forward to this night for the last couple of weeks, Alex wasn't entirely sure how she was going to make it through the night. She'd wanted so badly to fall for Cam. The girl was adorable, charming, and fantastically easy to talk to. Besides that, she was attracted to Alex, which was more than could be said for a lot of the girls at RWA. The thing Alex hadn't counted on, though, was what had gone down with Oliver. She had never expected to be attracted to a man, much less one that was older than her, employing her, and equally as attracted to her.
Having woken up in Oliver's bed, Alex was feeling more than a little conflicted. But she couldn't quite bring herself to cancel the date. It seemed like a cop out. At the very least, she owed it to Cam to actually tell her what had happened. So, after taking an obscenely long shower, Alex rifled through her closet for an outfit that sent the right message. Eventually, she settled for a shirt boasting a large peace sign. It was her way of begging Cam not to hate her. After all, she hadn't planned on things panning out the way they had.
Once dressed, Alex hurried to catch a cab to the movie theater where they were supposed to be meeting. They hadn't decided on a movie, so there wasn't much point in hovering around the ticket booth. Instead, Alex paced out front, her eyes scanning the street for Cam.
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Cam wasn't the kind to be late under normal circumstances, but due to the traffic and her cabbie's ineptitude at figuring out her Australian accent, she didn't get there quite as early as she had planned. The day was mild for the time of year, but still chilly, and she sported leggings and a sweater over her dress, though the tops of her feet were a bit cold. She spotted Alex fairly easily, looking like a rocker fairy with her leather jacket and beads in her hair.
Cam paid the cab driver and bounced onto the curb, her ponytail swinging lightly behind her. "Hey," She said, her cheeks a little flush from nerves and the dropping temperature. Cam of course had been on dates before, but she rather liked Alex as a person. Alex was a great friend to have, and thanks to her, Cam had gotten a bit more out of her shell lately.
"Oh, um, before we say anything else, I want to say that even if we decide we don't want to go out ever again, I'd really like us to stay friends." Cam said with a smile. Alex was pretty much her best friend, one of few at Rosewood.
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The moment she spotted Cam, Alex felt a sinking sensation in her gut. The girl looked beautiful and happy despite the anxiety Alex suspected she was feeling. Alex greeted her with a smile and was about to ask which movie they were headed to when Cam continued talking. A shameful blush crept over her cheeks as she realized what Cam was saying. Had she somehow already picked up on Alex's conundrum? Hesitantly, Alex offered her a smile. "I was hoping that would be the case," she replied, fully aware that her lack of eye contact would comunicate the guilt she was feeling.
Somehow, starting the evening out by explaining things to Cam didn't feel right, so Alex decided to go with her original plan. "Um... which movie did you want to see?" she asked, turning to glance at the listings. There were several with showtimes within the next half hour, leaving them with quite a few options. Of course, the later the showtime, the more time Alex would have to agonize over when and how she should tell Cam about Oliver, but she was doing her best to take things one step at a time.
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Cam smiled at Alex, who seemed a little distracted, and maybe even a little sad. "You alright mate?" Cam asked her friend, putting a hand gently on her arm. She had expected to be more nervous herself, but somehow she felt bolder recently. Even if she certainly wasn't on Alex's level as of yet.
Alex seemed intent of picking a movie so Cam raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips in thought, looking up at the titles. Well horror was no good, while good for cuddling, it would give her nightmares. The rom-com might be too much pressure, tho of course it centered around straight people, which they were not.... Cam rocked on her heels and said, "Um... whatever really, not the horror one though, I get shit scared."
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The trouble with really nice girls was that they were generally both really perceptive and really sympathetic. So it wasn't terribly surprising that Cam picked up on Alex's mood. When Cam asked whether she was okay, though, Alex couldn’t quite bring herself to offer a true answer. That might mean ruining their evening before it even had a chance to get started. So she offered Cam a shrug and a smile that she knew wouldn't come off as entirely genuine. "Just tired, I guess," she mumbled. Tiredness was generally a pretty good excuse.
It wasn't until after she'd turned toward the ticket booth that Alex realized she'd forgotten the first of the important to-dos on a date. Letting out a nervous laugh, she returned her attention to Cam. "I'm such an ass. I forgot to tell you how amazing you look," she admitted. It was true, after all. Cam looked absolutely adorable, and the dress under her sweater seemed to hug her dainty curves perfectly. Emotionally occupied as she was, Alex couldn't help but appreciate that fact.
Feeling a little more settled now that she'd gotten herself back into the familiar track of a date, Alex glanced at the movie selections again. She wasn't feeling too keen on a scary movie, and she figured a romance might make her uncomfortable given the circumstances, so it looked like either a comedy or an action movie would be the best choices. Of course, she figured she'd go with Cam's choice regardless of what it was, so she waited for the girl to offer an opinion. A lopsided smile tugged at Alex's lips when her friend explained her reasoning for not wanting to see a horror flick. "I love your accent," she commented. The truth was great when it was easy. "How about that one," Alex suggested, pointing toward a poster for Gangster Squad. It seemed unromantic enough. And it featured Emma Stone, who was generally a crowd pleaser.
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Cam nodded. Tired was understandable, especially given all the work they got assigned at this school. Cam had been practicing her cello all day, which meant she had a mountain of homework waiting for her for tomorrow. But whatever, right now, she was on a date and that felt nice. "Well, if we pick the kid movie you could catch a nap." Cam said with a little smile.
At Alex's compliment she blushed softly and then her eyes got wide. "Oh, in the cab I was thinking you liked like a rocker fairy and how well it suited you but I forgot to say!" She said. Cam didn't want to be an ass. Alex was very pretty of course. But it seemed they were okay really, Cam only wished she'd remembered first. Then once she calmed, figuring she had now complimented her to, she said, "And thanks, when we get inside I'll take the sweater off so you can really see the dress, its one of my favorites." It was covered in galaxies and stars, and since her dad was an astronomer, she could appreciate the pattern, even if it was made up.
While Cam wouldn't necessarily go for anything with the word gangster in the title, she nodded. "I do like Emma Stone."
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On one hand, Alex was glad that Cam bought her excuse. It seemed plausible enough, she figured. But the fact that she'd accepted it so readily meant that Alex was actually going to have to bring up the real problem herself. She'd never really been much good at that, though, and she resolved simply to put it off for as long as possible. She let out a short giggle at Cam's suggestion of napping during a kid movie. "That's hardly fair. We didn't come here for a nap," she answered, smiling at her friend. Besides, she wasn't actually as tired as she was claiming to be.
She hadn't really meant to fish for compliments, but Alex couldn't help but grin as Cam told her that she looked like a rocker fairy. "Well, thanks!" she replied, trying not to giggle. She supposed the idea of a rocker fairy probably suited her fairly well, but it certainly wasn't a description she'd heard before. All at once, though, she forgot about the compliment as Cam began talking about taking her sweater off. Alex was typically a fairly sexualized person, so it wasn't exactly unheard of for her to jump to conclusions at the mention of taking clothes off. Unable to resist the urge to ruffle her friend's feathers just a bit, she offered Cam a smirk. "We haven't even made it to the movie yet, and you're talking about taking your clothes off..." she teased. This was easier. It felt like a more normal dynamic.
Once they had agreed on the movie, Alex approached the counter and bought two tickets. She'd been the one to initiate this date, so she figured it was only fair that she paid. Returning to Cam's side, she headed for the door. Almost as an afterthought, she reached for Cam's hand. She was trying to keep up appearances, after all. Even if her heart wasn't quite in it.
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Cam blushed, but chuckled, at Alex's comment about her clothes. Overtime, Cam had gotten used to Alex's antics like that, and slowly but surely she was adjusting to them, but not even that could hide her blush at the comment. They bought their tickets and headed inside, Alex reached for her hand and Cam took it, but she was getting the sense that someone more than not enough sleep was bothering her friend.
"You want snacks?" Cam asked. She figured she'd try to pay for this, to make it fair. Just because it was a date didn't mean Alex had to pay for everything, right? Cam was big on making things fair. "My treat." She said with a little nod and smile.
"I want Snow Caps," She decided. Cam had a weakness for the candy, it was chocolate covered in sprinkles, what wasn't to love, right?
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Cam's discomfort was amusing, as always, and Alex was almost able to pretend that things were normal. In fact, even if she did seem a little stiff, all seemed well until they got inside and headed for the snack counter. Typically, Alex was the sort to go for a giant tub of popcorn that she could share with her date. At the moment, though, she didn't seem to have any appetite. Still, she approached the counter with Cam, determined to find some sort of snack and keep things as low key as possible.
It wasn't until the guy behind the register looked to her for her selection that Alex decided she couldn't take it anymore. She had the absurd feeling that everyone was staring at her and pointing accusing fingers. Obviously, that wasn't the case, but she couldn't help feeling like the whole world knew what she had done and what she was feeling. With a sigh and a shake of her head, she indicated that she didn't want anything.
Once she'd given Cam the chance to pay, she grabbed the girl's hand again and dragged her to a small table. Taking a seat, she gestured for her friend to do the same. "I have to talk to you," she said at last. "And I really, really hope you meant what you said before about being friends." Letting out a short huff, she slipped her hand away from Cam's and placed it in her lap, where she instantly began wringing it with the other one. "I kind of met someone else," she explained. It wasn't a complete or clear explanation, but it was the best she could do at the moment. It would be terribly odd to try to explain that that someone else was a guy, and even more awful to have to explain who that guy was, so she resolved not to add any more unless Cam asked for details.
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Something was definitely up with Alex, that much was obvious. Cam tried to be lighthearted and not put off by Alex's lack of hunger for snacks (which she was usually fond of) and followed her over to the table. "What's wrong?" Cam asked again as they sat. She bit her lip, worried about what Alex was going to say.
She met someone else.
Cam felt oddly relieved by this news, but she wasn't sure why. Maybe she was too afraid of losing the only friend she really had at Rosewood, or maybe she was afraid of being with someone so much more experienced than her.... either way, she felt bad for not feeling crushed about this. But really, on a first date, nothing had happened yet and it must have happened recently because Alex wasn't capable of keeping her mouth shut for long. Thus, Alex never set out to deceive Cam, so Cam figured she had no right to be mad.
Then Cam realized she hadn't said anything out loud. She reached over the table and put her hands over Alex's ringing ones. "It's okay," Cam said with a nod. "Honestly, I was scared to date you, in case things didn't work out. You're my best and only friend here." Cam admitted.
"So who is she?" Cam asked with a smile. She wasn't the sort to hold a grudge, especially when she hadn't even been led on or anything.
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Alex had been prepping herself for this discussion all day. It hadn't actually occurred to her that Cam might not be shattered by the news. Granted, this was their first date, so it wasn't as if they were madly in love. Still, it never felt good to hear that someone didn't feel the same way about you.
The girl's initial silence was expected, but Alex wasn't sure how to interpret it. Was she so angry that she couldn't figure out what to say? Had she somehow already known? Or was she just taking her time processing what she'd just heard? Alex was just about to ask whether she was okay when Cam finally voiced her thoughts.
At the girl's words, Alex let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She was more than a little relieved to hear that they were still on good terms. A relieved smile crept onto her face, but the moment Cam asked who the girl was, her smile faded again. This was where things were bound to get awkward. Alex's eyes focused on the table. "Actually, it's... um... it's a he," she murmured.
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The little smile that crept on Alex's face told Cam all she needed to know. Alex really did care about this girl, and whoever she was, she made Alex happy. Cam could appreciate that. Not to mention this all proved that Alex really did care enough about Cam to tell her the truth. Then her smile faded as she admitted she was hung up on a guy.
"Oh," Cam said without thinking. Her eyebrows furrowed. Was she actually not into girls? Had she been pretending in order to try it out with Cam? Cam had figured Alex respected her too much for that but... Well maybe she was bisexual? But why hadn't she just said so? Usually people pretended to be straight, not gay... "So are you not really into girls?" Cam asked slowly, trying to figure this out.
Cam figured questioning usually came before you decided you were gay, and not after, but that was no reason to assume it couldn't happen this way too. She wasn't sure how she felt about this, depending of course on what Alex was actually into and how much had been a lie. But Alex was her friend, so she'd try to move past that.
"Well, who is he?" She asked again.
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She'd known that at some point the conversation was going to go badly. Obviously, the idea that she, a self proclaimed lesbian, was into a guy was going to ring of dishonesty. As expected, Cam seemed confused by the news, and Alex wasn't sure how to best explain it. Offering Cam a half smile, she decided she might as well just tell the truth. As completely as she dared to, anyway. "I thought I was a lesbian. Because I've never been attracted to a guy before. So I just assumed that I would only ever be attracted to girls.... I had no idea. Really. I mean, I thought that he was a handsome guy when I met him, but that's really no different than gay men liking to look at boobs." Shaking her head, Alex forced herself to shut up before she said anything more ridiculous.
Explaining that she'd found someone else who happened to be a guy was supposed to be the hard part. But as Alex realized she was going to have to offer more explanation than that, she determined that explaining who Oliver was was going to be much more difficult. The most obvious option was to lie, to say that it was a boy from school. But if she did that, at some point, Cam was going to expect to meet this mystery guy, and that was going to make things awkward once again.
Brow furrowed, Alex let out a little sigh and glanced around the lobby area to be sure no one was close enough to be listening to them. "You can't tell anyone who he is, okay?" she pleaded. It was probably unnecessary, of course, as Cam didn't seem to be much of a gossip, but she couldn't help it. Once she was sure her friend wasn't going to rat her out, she continued. "His name is Oliver. He's... um... Well, he's older," she admitted. This sounded terribly wrong coming out. She was sure both she and Oliver would sound like perverts in some way. "I... um... I babysit his son. On the weekends and stuff. But it's not what it sounds like. I mean, he's not married. He used to be. But he's a widower. And we just... click somehow. I never expected it to be like this, but it just... happened..." Hesitantly, Alex raised her eyes to meet Cam's gaze, hoping her friend wouldn't decide to take this opportunity to explain how crazy she appeared to be.
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Cam listened carefully, again relieved, but this time because Alex hadn't been trying out the idea of liking girls, she did liked them, still did, she just happened to meet a man who swept her off her feet. There was nothing wrong with that. Cam smiled softly at Alex nodded. "I can't say I personally understand but I get it." She said with a nod.
Then Alex's voice got hushed as she huddled in and swore her to secrecy. Cam nodded seriously, her eyes a little wide with curiosity. As her friend talked her mouth made a little o shape. An older guy, with kid no less! Cam was relieved to find out that he wasn't married, Cam took commitment very seriously and figured others should too.
"How old is old?" Cam asked, making a little face. "He's not like 40 is he?" Alex never had a thing for older people, and Alex never had said how old the kid was.
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Fortunately, Cam was understanding about both Oliver's gender and the need for secrecy. Alex felt a little better knowing that she could actually share this with her friend. Now that they'd actually gotten to the bottom of things, Alex was feeling a good bit more comfortable, and she realized she was very glad to have gotten this off her chest.
Talking about Oliver was usually easy, but trying to delicately explain their predicament had been awkward. It wasn't until Cam asked how old Oliver was that Alex realized she didn't know. Her nose wrinkled at the idea of being interested in someone as old as forty, and she quickly shook her head to dismiss the idea. "No. Gross! He's, like, thirty. At most. I think... I don't actually know. I mean, his son is three. So he really can't be that old."
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Cam chuckled lightly at Alex's reaction. "30s okay still old though." She teased a little. At 16 herself, 30 was already twice her age, which made him old. But Alex was right, people with three year olds weren't generally very old really.
She looked up at the clock and realized their movie had already started. Movies were expensive, but since being friends, they knew neither one was on scholarship, or really needed it, so... "Well, we've missed part of the movie... do you wanna go in or just find something else to do?" Cam asked, looking over at her friend gently.
Then she got a spark in her eye and said, "Oh, I've been meaning to ask you." Cam took her hands off Alex's and played with the end of her ponytail. "I've been thinking I'd like to go blonde, what do you think? Would you help me do it?"
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Talking about Oliver's age was beginning to make Alex uncomfortable. She fidgeted in her seat and glanced around the room a bit. Biting her bottom lip, she glanced at the clock, noting that they had already missed the priviews and most likely the start of the movie. Cam seemed to have noticed the same thing, and pointed it out, raising the obvious question of what to do now. Alex had chosen the movie on impulse, so she wasn't really opposed to leaving. She was just about to agree that they should find something else to do when the excited glint in Cam's eye caught her attention.
Excitement was contagious, and before Cam could even explain what she was thinking of, Alex was dying to do it. When she finally heard what Cam's suggestion was, a huge grin broke across her face. "You would be gorgeous as a blonde. I am so down. In fact, we're doing it now. Before you change your mind." Giggling, Alex jumped. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she waited impatiently for Cam to stand, as well. This was much better than the evening she'd thought they were going to have.
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Cam grinned at Alex's enthusiasm, the girl's smile made her smile more and all around this was a much better evening than Cam had planned for, despite them not even being on a date anymore. Cam was hardly a spontaneous person, but she figured she'd been debating it long enough, and hair grew back, right?
As Alex bounced up excitedly, Cam did too, grabbing her friend by the hand. It didn't have to mean anything sexual, they were close... best friends in Cam's mind, so she hardly figured it was a problem. "So, I guess we need dye... and bleach?" Cam said, thinking aloud. Her hair wasn't too dark, but she had a light color in mind. Alex would know what to do, she was sure about that.
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Things felt so much more normal now, and Alex was glad for it. She linked hands with her friend and headed for the door, chuckling at the girl's lack of knowledge on this subject. "Hardly. Bleach is awful for you! And actual bleach won't change the color of your hair, anyway. I know what we need." Dragging Cam out the door, Alex flagged down a cab and directed the driver toward the nearest beauty supply store.
An hour later, they were back at school, set up in Cam's dorm with a chair, a bowl of pasty hair dye, and a ton of towels. Alex had managed to work the color through most of Cam's hair, and was already starting to see a change in some of the pieces she'd started with. "This is going to be amazing!" she sing-songed as she piled the last of Cam's dye-sodden hair atop her head. "Seriously. You're gonna wish you'd thought to do this a long time ago."
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Thankfully, Alex did know what to do and the girls bounced off to buy everything they would need to change Cam's hair. Cam dutifully sat in her desk chair in a work out shirt and a towel to keep dye from getting all over her clothes. She remembered when taking off her dress and putting on an old shirt in front of Alex would have scared her, but Alex's confidence rubbed off on you. She had gotten to show her the galaxy dress though, which was good.
She chuckled, "You think?" Before following up with, "I hope so." Cam was excited to do this, just change something up without warning her parents or thinking for a long time first, buut she had a feeling it really was going to work out well.Maybe this was all the beginning of a new Cam. One who had girlfriends and was brave and blonde hair...
"I wanna thank you Alex," Cam said after a quiet moment. "You really are an amazing friend." She smiled up at her, frankly loving the feel of her hands running through her hair. |
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