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Hi, this is Natalie speaking. I'll be your narrator for the evening because I know all the juicy bits since I happen to be Sue Ann's roommate. Besides, everyone knows that I'm the journalist, so where does Molly get off thinking she can write this story better than I can? She was writing all this down in her journal, and believe it or not, I was able to get my hands on it. How exactly did I get a hold of Molly's diary, you ask? That's for me to know, and you to find out.
After the whole dance debacle, I found Sue Ann in our room staring at the wall like a zombie.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked. I had wanted to be a little more delicate, but subtlety isn't always my forte.
"Nothing."
"Well, it must be something. You look like the recently dead staring at the wall like that. You'd think it was brainnnnnnnnz ...." I said, sticking my arms straight out and doing my best to look blank and half-dead. There I was, trying to interject a little levity in an otherwise dark situation, but based on Sue Ann's response it went unnoticed ... or at least unappreciated.
"It's... you won't understand."
"Try me," I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"Okay then - do you know what it's like when you've got what everyone considers to be a great thing, yet you know in your heart it's not what you really want?"
"Yeah, like the other day when I had a Big Mac, but all I really wanted was a Filet-O-Fish."
"No! I'm being serious, Natalie," she replied scornfully.
"Alright, alright. Are you talking about that guy Scott by any chance?"
"Yeah. Everyone knows he's one of the hottest guys in Peekskill, but I don't really feel anything for him."
"Well," I reasoned, "maybe it's just because he's not the one."
"I guess so. I wish he was though."
I knew it! I knew she had the hots for some other guy! "You do? Why?"
"Because it would make things wayyyyyyy less complicated."
"Less complicated?" Hmmm...... was he an old guy? Married? Could he be a prisoner? Was he Jewish? Not that there's anything wrong with being Jewish ... I'm Jewish. But what could the complication be?
"Yes, much less complicated. People would smile when they saw me holding hands with him. Other girls would be jealous of me when we went out. I know my parents would be proud to have someone like him as my boyfriend. And if things worked out, we would eventually get married and have beautiful babies together."
I laughed at that, "Wow! It sounds like you think that Scott is a groovy catch! He may be less complicated, but you'll be more miserable."
Sue Ann, still lying on the bed, turned her head to look at me. "That's true," she replied earnestly.
The conversation had reached a point where I figured I just had to point-blank ask. "So let me guess, is there someone else in your heart?"
Sue Ann cast a glance towards the BRAINZ-wall again and sighed deeply, "Yes, there is, but it's much more complicated, and I don't want to say who it is at this moment. I don't even know if I'm really in love with them."
There's no need to reveal anything Sue Ann, I'll do my own investigating - but it better not be that hunky delivery boy Steve, because he's mine!
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The next day Sue Ann asked me for a favor.
"Hey, Natalie, do you mind coming with me to see Scott at the diner later?"
"Um... Why, may I ask?"
"Well, my mom always told me that unless you're really sure, that it's best to carry a gal friend with you just in case."
"But why not Cindy? She's your best friend, after all."
"She told me that she's got a ton of homework to do, especially that Biology assignment."
"Oh, I see. I told her she should have been working on that instead of playing basketball and watching 'The Jeffersons' with Tootie." Ahh, yes...the safety net. I'm to make sure that Scott doesn't do anything more than just to talk to her. Besides, it doesn't sound like a date, so I can still go. In fact, it should be interesting, and it might help me get to the bottom of Sue Ann's seemingly endless angst. And best of all, it involved attractive young men. "Well, okay, but you have to help me with my Algebra homework first - those polynomials are driving me crazy!"
Sue Ann drew a small yet sweet smile. "Don't worry, Nat. I'll help you out."
"Cool! So when do we go?"
"In about two hours. So get ready."
"Solid!"
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We arrived at the diner at four p.m. on the dot and sat one of the tables near the window. Interestingly enough, it was the boys that were late. Hah! But I'm a New Yorker, and Sue Ann's a very punctual Midwesterner, so we don't play around when it comes to time and appointments.
When Scott finally arrived he also brought a buddy with him - Greg Hockney! Damn - he had anticipated Sue Ann's move! I saw Greg do a double take at me when they spotted us. Was he expecting someone else ... like Cindy, perhaps? I mean, it would make sense. Tootie and I go everywhere together, for example, so it would be perfectly reasonable for him to think that Sue Ann would have asked Cindy to come with her.
"Hey there, girls!" Scott said as he extended his arm to Sue Ann. "How are you two doing?"
Sue Ann accepted his hand graciously. Less graciously, she answered his question with a "Fine, now that we're not waiting on you anymore."
"Sorry about that. Traffic was crazy," Greg piped in.
"On a Sunday?"
"Yeah, it was that huge Baptist church a couple of blocks away. Their service must have just ended," Scott offered by way of further explanation.
"Oh..."
"How come you came?" I asked Greg. I wasn't one to pull any punches.
"Oh, Scott figured that Cindy would come since it seems that Cindy is Sue Ann's best friend, and that girls always like to bring their friend as a safety net," he chimed with a smile. Darn! He knows a bit about women's psychology! "So, you're Natalie, right?"
"Yes, I am. The one and only."
"Molly told me about you," he said with that crooked smile of his. Oh, he's such a hunk ... but not as hunky as Steve!
"Really?"
"Yeah, I'm good friends with her. My father and her father are doctors who work together..."
"I don't know why you and that weirdo..." Scott interrupted Greg.
"Hey! She's not a weirdo. She's a very intelligent and curious young girl, I mean woman, as she prefers to be called," Sue Ann defended. Both Greg and Sue Ann showed hints of anger on their face. Scott froze, and retracted his statement.
"Plus, you don't know anything about her, so zip it!" Greg added.
"Sorry about that, man," Scott offered a bit self-consciously.
"No need. Sorry for my outburst," Sue Ann offered, feeling the tension zinging around the table.
"Yeah, uh, same here," added Greg.
"No worries, but where IS Cindy? Like Greg just said, I hear that she's your best friend. And it definitely seemed like it, at least from what I saw at the dance anyway," Scott teased with a smile. Sue Ann looked frightened and like she was trying hard to swallow a lump in her throat.
"Yeah, she sure knows how to dance. I never thought I would see anyone who can actually out-dance Blair!" Greg said, the tone of his voice betraying just how strong his interest in Cindy really was. Greg really seemed to have fallen hard.
Still looking a bit nervous, Sue Ann cut in, "Oh, Cindy's busy with homework. She's all focused on that poem we have to write." I thought it was a Biology assignment? What the hell?
"Oh God, don't remind me of that stupid poetry assignment..." I sighed. The assignment is worth half our grade! At least it's not due until nearly two months from now.
"Yeah, I know... I asked Cindy what she was writing about and she didn't want to tell me. She said it was a secret." Cindy had already started the poem? That's not like her. She procrastinates more than I do!
Greg's interest peaked. He probably though that she was writing the poem about him.
"So, what do you think she's writing about?" He inquired like a curious child. I giggled a bit, thinking of all the mushy stuff she could be writing about him. But that didn't make sense. Cindy's not the mushy type. It was way more likely that she was writing an ode to Billie Jean King or something like that.
I was about to answer his question, but it also seemed like Sue Ann had something to say. I noticed that she was suddenly acting all intense: her eyes were cast upwards like she was asking for God to help her, and I saw her face turn pale for a bit. She had a worried look on her face that I didn't understand.
She took a quick breath and smiled back. "She's probably writing something about you."
A huge grin spread across his face. "Super! I knew what happened at the dance wasn't a total rejection."
"Wait, you asked her out at the dance?" I asked. Sue Ann looked stunned.
"Yep, but she told me that she didn't want to be in a relationship. I knew that she was just being shy." That made no sense. Cindy is anything but shy. Her and Blair are the biggest show-offs in the dorm. Heck, put those two in front of a camera and they can start their own variety TV show complete with a three-ring circus! That's if they don't try to throw each other to the lions and tigers first... However, I guess she can be indecisive at times, so what Greg was saying was theoretically possible.
The worried look on Sue Ann's face intensified. She must know something about Cindy that she's hiding from the rest of us. He continued with his questions about Cindy. "So, how long have you two known each other?"
"For about a year. I just came here a year ago from Kansas City, Kansas. The first time I met her was during orientation..."
Boy, she sure has a lot to say about Cindy. It seems that she enjoys talking about her more than practically anything else.
"Wow! It seems that you two are very good friends."
"Yeah, I can't tell who you like more, Scott or Cindy," I threw in with a chortle.
As soon as the words left my mouth it looked like she wanted to die. It seemed as though every ounce of blood drained right out of her face, and she was starting to sweat.
"E-excuse me, Natalie. I have to powder myself."
I moved out of my seat to let her out of the booth, and she made a beeline to the bathroom across the checkered floor. I was contemplating whether I should follow her or not, but Scott started on his own set of questions before I had the chance to go after her.
"So, are you Sue Ann's roommate?"
"Yes I am. Why?"
"Does she snore in her sleep?"
"What kind of question is that?" Greg asked with a laugh. I laughed along with them. They seemed to be a silly bunch.
"Sometimes, but it's not too loud," I responded - which is true.
"Hey dude, you ask some of the dumbest questions. No wonder our debate team has lost three in a row."
"Me ask the dumbest questions? I wasn't the who one who asked the music teacher 'Does a mime have to take air guitar lessons?'!" Scott responded incredulously.
"That was just a joke!"
"Yeah, but it was still a stupid question!"
I was laughing out loud at the ridiculous banter between the two of them when Sue Ann returned from the bathroom. She looked better, but still a little green around the gills. Greg cut to the chase.
"What I want to ask you is whether you'd have a problem with me dating her?" he asked with a tinge of nervousness in his voice.
A soon as he asked, her sick look returned, followed quickly by an angry look. I saw her right fist clenching. What was it about his question that made her so upset?
Just as quickly as she had gone from looking ill to violent, she resumed her good-natured smiling and rejoined, "No I wouldn't." Yet to me, who knows her, it all seemed so phony.
Scott chipped in, "But what about us, when can we go out?"
It looked like Sue Ann hesitated a bit before answering the question. "When do you want to go out?"
"As soon as possible."
"So why not make it a double date? Sue Ann and Cindy with Scott and Greg!" I offered. I thought it was a super idea, but I couldn't tell if Sue Ann thought so. She seemed quite nervous about it, in fact. The guys, on the other hand, jumped on the suggestion.
"Yeah, that would be super!" Scott exclaimed. Greg nodded and then they exchanged a high five.
"Uh... Yeah, that would be great, but what about Blair, Greg?" Sue Ann questioned.
"Oh, don't worry about her. She'll be fine when I break up with her. She's just a tease anyway."
"Greg!" Sue Ann exclaimed.
"Well, it's true. Everybody thinks that she's easy, but in reality she's just a tease. Our relationship has always had an arm's-length distance about it. It's like she's not comfortable with getting close to me," he lamented. "Plus, she's too high maintenance. Cindy doesn't seem that way at all."
"I told you, bro. I tried to warn you about her. She did the same cold fish thing with Derrick Tyler and Eric Benton last year, at least that's what they told me" Scott added. He wasn't at Bates when Blair dated the two guys.
Wow, Blair, you sure do love to play the heartbreaker. Why? To stoke your ego?
"Well, she's gonna finally get a taste of her own medicine, I guess."
"Yeah, she can find how bitter tasting and nasty it is," Scott grinned.
Sue Ann was upset at first, but then she began to smile devilishly. Maybe all those times that Blair teased and insulted her were finally going catch up with her. I smiled as well, even though Blair's my friend. She needs to be taken down a peg or two. On the same note, I can't be totally heartless towards her since she did, with good intentions, help me find my biological mother even though in the end I didn't really see the need to visit her.
"So, when should we make plans for?" Sue Ann squeaked. She still seemed pretty nervous about it.
"I say next Saturday. We can go to the La Maison. What do you think?" Scott asked.
La Maison was perfect. It's an upscale French restaurant. Sue Ann looked like she wanted to die, but agreed to it anyway.
"Uh... Okay, I'm cool with it."
"That's great."
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Now I'm back as the narrator ... Molly, that is ... the real narrator. I thought I'd never get Natalie to give me back my journal. Let's jump back into the action on Wednesday night at 9:00, just before curfew. It's a special time because one of our favorite shows comes on, 'Charlie's Angels.' I personally have mixed feelings about it. It's great to see three females solving crimes, and Sabrina is one of my favorite TV characters. But on the negative side, the show focuses too much on bikinis and silly plots, and Sabrina left the cast. Plus, none of them have a relationship that lasts longer than two episodes! Even Blair's dates last longer than that! What does that say about women?! And speaking of Blair, I don't really have any reason to watch besides observing her. Like I said, Sabrina is no longer on the show, and the new Angel, Tiffany, sucks. Otherwise, I would be upstairs reading.
As I observed Blair, I noticed that her eyes followed Kelly far more closely than the other two Angels. She checks them out too, but not to the extent that she fixated on Kelly. What does that character have in common with Daisy Duke, besides being good looking? They're both Southern, so that's one. Another is that they're both strong female characters. Neither of the other two Angels, Kris and Tiffany, are really damsels in distress either, yet she doesn't show much feeling for them. Suddenly a commercial for Wonder Woman appeared on the screen, and I noticed that Blair nearly drooled all over herself at Lynda Carter. She's not Southern, but she's dark-haired and strong. So that's what she goes for: dark-haired, strong-yet-feminine types. Oh Blair, you don't realize how much I know about you and your true nature. If I wasn't such a nice person, I would bring it all 'out' for every one to see how much of a phony you are.