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Sleepover! (Lex Iris Kit); Tuesday Night 11/28/95
Topic Started: Mar 21 2014, 02:41 PM (340 Views)
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Katrien held the door and the umbrella for the other two girls before entering the dormitory building herself. She closed the umbrella and hung it on a coat hook by the door with numerous other umbrellas and raincoats. Since it was borrowed, she didn't feel right taking it to her room. She walked down the hall to the elevator (which actually housed a magically rotating spiral staircase), her sneakers making a squeaky-squishy sound as they were stepping on the soaked, under-turned hems of her pants. The custodian must have just been there, as the scent of lemon was very pungent. The main floor was quiet, but once the girls were on their floor, music, laughter, and chatter could be heard quietly creeping through nearly every door they passed.

"We should get cleaned up and dried, too. Want to just meet us in our room?" Kit asked when they reached Iris's bedroom door, suddenly feeling very nervous but excited. She wasn't nearly as drenched as Iris or Lex, so she'd let Lex have their shower first. And while Lex was showering, she'd tidy up the room a bit. She wondered if they had enough extra bedding to make a pallet for Iris, or if Iris should bring her own blankets and pillows. Or she could just bunk with one of them. That thought stirred up some feelings she didn't understand and passed off as typical friend jealousy sort of stuff. Kit didn't know which would be worse - Iris bunking with her or Iris bunking with Lex. The idea of sharing a bed with Iris made her happy but scared. I idea of Iris sharing a bed with Lex made her feel jealous, and little like a third wheel. Would Lex be jealous if Iris didn't bunk with her? If only the beds were big enough for three people. She was probably getting worked up over nothing. Iris would probably choose the pallet.
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Lex went to shower first after Iris had gone back to her room. The hot shower felt exceptionally nice after being so cold. She reappeared not long after, having changed into sweatpants and a tshirt, with a towel around her neck. "Iris not back yet?" She said to Kit, even though Iris clearly wasn't there. She suddenly felt awkward to be alone with Katrien, worried about what she might be thinking about what had transpired down at the beach. Lex had already almost gotten into an altercation with Kit before the homecoming dance. What did she think of Lex now? And did she really understand at all what had upset Lex about Iris' dad? Well, thought Lex, she couldn't possibly understand because I've never told her.

"Iris can take my bed. I'll just sleep on the floor, I don't really care," Lex said, moving some school books off her bed to her desk. She had developed the skill to sleep most places. It was a good skill to have, while you were in foster care. She imagined Iris was much less used to sleeping in uncomfortable positions. Lex was also unwilling to share a bed with either Katrien or Iris, just as she had been over Thanksgiving. She hadn't hit Iris earlier, but she probably would if they were in the same bed.
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Katrien shook her head. "No telling what she's doing," she screwed up her lips to the side. "Girls like her take forever to get ready, even for bed."

Starling certainly took forever, and she hadn't even reached the age where she needed to fight acne or shave or anything. Kit had no idea what she did in there, but there were many times she almost peed her pants because her sister wouldn't get out of the bathroom. Star's teenage years were going to be hell for Kit.

As for being alone with Lex, she didn't feel much different than she always did. After their conversation about Lex's past, Katrien pretty much always assumed there were things Lex hadn't shared that affected her reactions. There was probably a very good reason she flipped out on Iris, but didn't slug her back. Keeping secrets was perfectly fine. There were things Kit didn't feel like sharing, too. Like how she'd bought some bandages during their last trip to the mall, but lacked injuries. Or how conflicted she felt about Iris spending the night in their room. It was a great relief when Lex offered to sleep on the floor. That was one less thing to worry about. Except Kit felt a teeny tiny bit of disappointment mixed with the relief.

The confusion showed plainly on her face. Had she really wanted Iris to sleep in her bed so badly that it was upsetting to know it wasn't going to happen? What was wrong with her? How ridiculous was she being? Maybe that was why she'd lost her other friends, being weird and clingy. Katrien decided to just be happy that Iris was sleeping over and not be bothered by the sleeping arrangements. "Okay," she said later than she should have, but a smile was now on her face. "I'm gonna go shower."

If Iris arrived before Kit got out, would she and Lex be alright alone together? Kit would just have to make it snappy. Grabbing a towel and a change of clothes, she hurried into the bathroom. If she was going to be quick enough to be back out before or very soon after Iris arrived, she'd have to get started on her binding immediately.
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The sound of Iris' steps were softened by her fluffy bunny slippers. She had only taken a few minutes to get ready after Andrew left before rushing over to Lex and Kit's room and had skipped most of her nightly ritual. There was only a slight shimmer on her cheeks from the night cream and her hair had been released from the pigtails, but she had taken the time to put on her prettiest nightgown. It was a white cap sleeved dress, with embroidery around the neckline, and the skirt twirled around Iris' legs as she ran through the corridors, one arm grabbing her pillow, and the other a small overnight bag.

She didn't bother knocking. They knew she was coming, and she felt like her news just couldn't wait. "I'm sorry I'm late." she started as her head appeared in the doorway. "Andrew came over and... Where's Kit?" Iris lost her thread as she noticed only Lex in the room. She wanted to tell both girls, and she was a little bit bummed to have to wait. Iris' eyes lingered on Lex' sweatpants and a small frown appeared on her forehead. She would never wear anything close to that. Especially not in front of people. Though it did look comfortable, it just didn't seem appropriate.
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Lex looked up when Iris came in. She had been rearranging her bed covers so that she would have something to sleep with. "Katrien's still in the shower. She'll prolly be out in a minute," Lex said, tossing a pillow onto the floor. "Oh, and I said I'd sleep on the floor so you can take my bed. I don't really care." She tried to sound nonchalant, not really wanting Iris to make a big deal out of Lex giving up her bed.

"What?" she asked when she noticed Iris' frown, trying to keep any irritation from slipping into her voice. She wanted to say what now but managed to bite back the second word.
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After her shower, Katrien stood in front of the full-length mirror attached to the door. A towel was wrapped tightly around her torso, the top of it placed just above her sternum. That looked better. That looked the way her mind felt. Though her bosom was just beginning to blossom, it was an annoyance that it was blossoming at all. The entire concept clashed with what she felt her body should look like. Not that she understood her feelings, at all. She couldn't even begin to fathom how she felt about everything going on below that. It was all wrong, and she could barely form coherent thoughts about it, let alone express it verbally.

Maybe. . . Maybe I'm gay, she thought as she turned away from the mirror. It was a thought that frequently entered her mind, even though she didn't fully understand what it was to be gay, either. It hadn't been all that long ago that she even discovered that there were people who liked the same gender. Kit didn't want to be gay. Gay people got made fun of and beaten senseless. But it explained her strange sensations regarding Iris, didn't it? Pulling her clothes on (God, I hate panties, she sighed inwardly), she stepped out into the room in blue plaid, flannel pajamas. The ace bandage she'd removed earlier was left behind, forgotten in a pile on the floor, like a mummy might have taken a shower in there. As she'd only recently started using it, Kit wasn't accustomed to keeping up with it.

"There you are," she grinned at Iris, trying to squash her inner wonderings of whether Iris would like the scent of her strawberry body wash or not. "I was starting to think you changed your mind."
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"Don't be silly..." Iris started, as much trying to downplay her reproaching look, as to Lex suggestion of sleeping on the floor. And then an unreasonable happines filled her. It felt like the sun was shining, and the beach they had just left was crammed with sunbathers and the lake with children playing in the water. Which was silly, because it was both night and raining. It took her a few seconds to realize the bathroom door was open. Iris smiled. She loved the summer. That's why she too used flower and berry scented shower creams. "You smell like strawberry pie." She grinned at the newcomer.

"Of course I would come! I was just held up." Iris looked from Lex to Kit, and from Kit to Lex, wanting to keep her secret for a few seconds longer. Her eyes landed hesitantly at Kit. Kit had been the one going to the dance with Andrew, and she might still have enough feelings for the boy to get upset. Though Iris had looked forward to making the two girls jealous, she didn't want to make any of her friends sad. "Andrew is my boyfriend now", she told them, watching their reactions carefully.
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Lex shrugged and held up her hands in a noncommittal gesture. "You can sleep on the floor if you want. Or share with Kit," she added, purposefully leaving out the third option. She didn't like sharing beds to begin with, but she definitely wasn't going to share when her nightmares were still bad and she often awoke in the middle of the night with blankets kicked off the bed. She was surprised she hadn't thrashed herself onto the floor yet. Katrien hadn't noticed and she hoped that Iris wasn't a light sleeper.

"Andrew?" Lex repeated, not really knowing what else to say. Her eyes quickly flitted to Katrien, wondering how she was going to take it. Did she still have a crush on him? Katrien had mentioned it to Lex before and she had then gone to the dance with him, but since then they hadn't talked about boys. It was a subject Lex avoided. Some girls frequently changed crushes, so Lex supposed it was a possibility that Katrien hadn't even thought about Andrew in awhile. Lex just hoped this wouldn't cause any tension. She really didn't want to be between two girls fighting over a boy.
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Katrien felt her heart quicken and prayed her cheeks weren't as pink as they felt. Maybe she could pass it off as an aftereffect of the shower. She grinned right back at Iris, taking her comment as a compliment. After all, who didn't like the smell of strawberry pie? A curious glance was cast toward Lex. So, she wasn't going to sleep on the floor? What had she missed? Did they have another spat? She knew it had been a mistake to take so long in the bathroom. But Iris seemed happy and Lex seemed apathetic, which was more normal than anything else. Maybe everything was fine. They were surely going to have a lot of fun. Kit was ecstatic again.

Andrew is my boyfriend now.

And just like that, Kit fell right off of cloud nine. And it felt like she collided with a jet airliner on her way down. Then smashed through a bunch of thorny tree branches and landed on the cold, hard ground heart first. Who she was more upset over was anyone's guess. Even Kit didn't know. But it hurt, a lot. She felt like crying. Her chest was hollow and fit to burst at tandem, her stomach was in knots. Breathing was difficult, especially when each breathe was threatening to be a sob. Was this what it was like to have a broken heart?

"Really?" she tried to sound happy, but her fallen face and slumped shoulders gave her away. "That's great. Congratulations!"
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Iris immediately felt bad. Looking at Kit, it was obvious she had hurt her. She had broken the most important set of rules there ever was. The girl code. You didn't just get together with a boy if you knew your friend liked him. "I'm sorry, Kit. I should have talked to you first." What had she been thinking? She hadn't. At all. She had been so ecstatic, lying in Andrew's arm, and felt so wonderful that there was nothing else on her mind. She had made herself a promise months ago, that she wouldn't let Andrew destroy things between her and Katrien, and here she went doing it anyway. Silly, silly Iris

"He was so nice, and it just happened." Carefully, Iris took a few steps forward and put her hand gently on Kit's shoulder as a way of trying to comfort the obviously upset girl. "Do you forgive me?" What are boys made of? she thought, remembering the old nursery rhyme. Definitely something more complicated than 'snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails', if they could break hearts and shatter friendships. Bivalence and algebra, and complicated machinery. That's what boys are made of.
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Lex stood stiffly, looking from Katrien to Iris. Was this really going to be what broke up their friendship? A boy? This was ridiculous, Lex thought. She barely understood this new crisis. Sure, she was vaguely aware of the set of "rules" that were supposed to be followed, but what were Iris and Andrew going to do? Hold hands sometimes? It wasn't as if there was anything to actually take seriously. As far as Lex knew, Andrew hadn't seemed to pay all that much attention to Katrien anyway. He was always spending time with Iris.

"Wait, Iris just punched me in the face but we're all gonna freak out over a boy now?" Lex said in her characteristically blunt fashion. She had never had to deal with this kind of jealousy before and found it all very trivial. Having not ever even had a crush before, she didn't understand the pain of that kind of rejection. If Iris wanted to pretend she and Andrew were in some kind of real relationship, she didn't care. She just wanted to be kept out of it.
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She wanted to jerk her shoulder away from Iris's touch like her fingers were composed of burning coals. How could a touch that, just a little while ago, filled her with pure joy suddenly hurt so much? But she didn't move a muscle. "Please, don't apologize. It's okay, really," Kit tried to reassure Iris, but couldn't look her directly in the eyes. "You're more suited to him, anyway. I'm happy for you. I know how much you like him, and I don't like him as much as I used to."

Her words could be interpreted two different ways. Hopefully, they would only see the one way - that Iris was more suited to Andrew than Kit was - rather than the other - that Iris was more suited to Andrew than she was to Kit. Both were true. Kit's attention shifted to Lex when she threw her two cents in. "I'm not freaking out," she insisted then stepped away from Iris and began turning her bed down.
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Iris smiled uncertainly. ”It seems today is not my day”, she responded to Lex. Her own shoulders slumped slightly at the helpless state she was in, as she tried to catch Kit's eyes. But the girl only moved away from her and turned around. Still... Maybe Lex' blunt question would melt the ice that had surfaced between them as sudden as the ice berg must have appeared to the Titanic. Cold and hard, and taking everyone by surprise. She looked intently at Kit's shoulders. Though the girl looked more together than earlier, she looked far from fine. Far from melting in time to avoid a disaster. ”If you want, I could sleep next to you tonight...” she suggested hesitantly. She might not be Katrien's favourite person at the moment, but Iris' two step guide to cheering someone up was hugs and chocolate. And it was too late for chocolate.

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Kit paused mid-pillow fluff, not sure how to react to Iris's offer. Would it be queer for her to readily agree? Would taking a bit of time to decide be better? What if she took too much time? That would send the signal that Kit was more upset than she said she was. And the same went for if she said no, plus Iris might get her feelings hurt. If she said yes, would sharing a bed make everything better or worse? She had a feeling in her gut that it would be a little of both. Painful yet comforting. Awkward yet pleasant. In the end, the important things to Kit were giving Iris peace of mind and hiding that she wasn't only upset over Andrew. And she didn't like the idea of either of her friends sleeping on the floor, anyway. Maybe it was a mistake, but she was willing to take a risk to make Iris feel better.

"Sure, if you want to," Katrien answered, smiling wanly over her shoulder at Iris.
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"Well, good, I'm glad that's settled," Lex interjected, jumping onto her bed so that she landed on her knees. She hoped it really was settled. The last thing she wanted to talk about was boys. Okay, maybe not the last thing, but it was pretty close. She twisted around so that she was lying on her side and moved to prop her head up on her hand. She had forgotten about the bruise though and was greeted with a nasty jolt of pain. "Ow, ow!" She awkwardly jerked back. "Kay, never mind," she said, shifting upright so that she was sitting with her back to the wall.

"You guys ready for bed or want to do something?" she asked. Though she has shared rooms with dozens of other kids, she wasn't really sure what one did on sleepover. Her frame of reference was more TV shows and movies than real life. Should they play a game? Or were they supposed to just sit around and chat until they got tired? Or maybe Kit and Iris were too tired for either and wanted to go straight to bed.
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