Friend of a Friend (tags Sloane)

[Maysan Paghishetsi]

Ever since Bree’s party May had wondered about her friend. She seemed to be not so much devastated by her father’s loss (and so soon after the tragedy at school, too) but instead she was blossoming! That outfit she’d worn to her party had been the raciest she’d ever seen the auburn-haired girl in – and some of the other attendees had been equally provocative in their wardrobe choices. May felt plain and mousy in comparison to her friends, gorgeous fellow cheerleaders and dancers that they were.

She slowed to a halt as she noticed another girl standing by the lockers; she looked so familiar! And then it came to her. “Hey,” She approached the girl hesitantly, remembering vividly the intimidatingly sensual outfit she’d worn the other night, “You’re one of Bree’s friends, aren’t you?”

Somehow, in all her time hanging out with Bree, she’d never really found herself in the company of any non-cheerleaders. In fact, she didn’t really hang out with anyone who wasn’t a cheerleader at all, period; she just felt more comfortable with other girls who shared her activities, and she didn’t necessarily have that much free time to just make friends. She sometimes wondered if that made her come across as a snob; she didn’t mean to, if that were the case. “I’m May, I’m on the cheerleading squad with Bree.”

[Sloane Taylor]

Getting ready for her next class, Sloane was at her locker trying to figure out where her books had all gone. She tried to remember if she had put her books in there beforehand or she brought it home and kept it there. Then she concluded that maybe she didn't even put it in her locker, just as she had thought this morning before her first class. She shrugged and was just slamming her locker door shut when someone called out to her.

She turned and a smile appeared on her face when she recognised the exotic looking girl standing in front of her looking slightly nervous or maybe out of place. A lot of people who approached her had that similar look on their faces, especially when they meet her for the first time.

Sloane remembered this girl in passing. She knew of her being one of Bree's cheerleading team mate. They had never spoken to each other and during Bree's party, Sloane had seen her in her purple slip on and thought, now that was one gorgeous girl. She had intended to approach the girl but Nolan had arrived by then and well...Sloane got distracted.

"Hello May. I don't believe we've been formally introduced. I'm Sloane." She said before giving the other girl a peck on both cheeks in greeting. She may have lingered a bit too long on the kisses and when she let May go, Sloane had an almost predatorial grin on her face. "I don't know why Bree never introduced us earlier. You are an absolute gem." Sloane gave the girl a once over before settling on her face.

[Maysan Paghishetsi]

May was envious of Sloane and her apparent ease and confidence; oh, how she wished she were so poised! She also wished she could be so comfortable in her own skin, but she didn't want negative attention. She wanted to be normal, and when surrounded by pretty, blonde, white upperclass agnostics it was kind of difficult to be the Armenian Muslim immigrant girl. At least her parents were financially well off enough she didn't have to worry about that aspect of normality -- if they hadn't been then she wouldn't have been able to afford the uniforms for cheerleading, or the constant supply of new dance shoes and costumes required for ballet.

"No, I don't think we have been!" She admitted. "But, you know, between cheerleading and dance I'm kind of busy, so it's not like there's all that much opportunity..." She let that thought trail off. She wouldn't have minded being introduced earlier, either, but then she was sure she'd seen the other girl with a boy, behaving in a way that made it seem they knew one another intimately. It wasn't such a huge thing, she supposed, but Bree's asexuality was part of the reason she felt more at ease with the other cheerleader than some of the agressively heterosexual members of the squad. Not like she needed another reminder that she wasn't normal.

"And Bree is kind of busy, too. And lately, there's just been so much going on for her. It just doesn't seem fair, that so much would happen to her, she's so nice."

[Sloane Taylor]

Sloane listened with polite interest as May spoke in a soft and rather pleasant voice. She couldn't help but notice how May's chest rose and fell with each breath she took in between her words and the little things her head and hands did while she spoke. A little tilt here and a little twitch there. It all seemed to make May all that more human despite the fact that she had an almost ethereal face and physique. Sloane was embarassedly reminded of when she first saw Liv Tyler as Arwen in Lord of the Rings. The part where she was revealed to Frodo and the moonlight shone from the back, making her skin glow softly.

The last parts of May's sentence snapped her back to reality as Sloane tried to grasp what the whole conversation was about only to realise she had been staring at May's long and delicate neck. My God, the girl was undeniably beautiful. "Bree is a warrior." Sloane blurted out. Which was true. Bree had risen from the ashes that was her father's demise. Just like a phoenix, Sloane thought with an amused grin. It was still a bit unnerving to see Bree not breaking down but Sloane supposed it was expected. Bradley Marcus was a sick psychopath and Bree was fortunate to be rid of him.

"I must say, I am quite pleased that an opportunity finally presented itself for us to be properly introduced. Now we won't have to wait for Bree if we were to have the need to...talk." Sloane smiled, her hand trailing down May's bare arms.

[Maysan Paghishetsi]

"I guess she is," May admitted. Bree seemed so soft and innocent, the sort of girl who needed protecting, but she'd dealt with more than May'd ever had to and she dealt with it with grace and poise.

Sloane was certainly not shy. In fact, she seemed to have no concept of boundaries, which May found more than a bit unnerving, as she very firmly kept all her boundaries neatly in their proper places. That was how she liked everything: neat and orderly and not stepping on anyone's toes. She got along with Bree because the other girl was very similar, in that she kept to herself physically. Sloane, however, was different. In fact, May had difficulty understanding how such an outgoing, physically affectionate girl like Sloane could be friends with reserved little Bree -- though, she had to admit, Bree hadn't seemed so very reserved at the party. Was Sloane perhaps partly to blame for this?

"Ummm." She found herself at a complete loss for words. While she had admired other girls from afar, she'd never actually had the nerve to admit this, but Sloane's touch promised a sort of intimacy she both wanted and feared. Or was that promise only in her mind? Was she reading more into this than was there.

"Yeah, talk." She echoed, clenching her fists together in front of her skirt, "So, that was some party, wasn't it? I wasn't really expecting...I mean, I guess I dress boring or something." She giggled, and mentally kicked herself. She was not the sort of girl who giggled over everything, and she didn't intend to start now! "I was so surprised to see Bree with Tyler. She never told me they were together."

[Sloane Taylor]

May's reluctance in calming down amused Sloane but she removed her hand from the other girl's arm and stood a considerable distance away from the other girl. Her smile remained and she could not help but wonder if May was really uncomfortable or she had just never had enough experience. Sloane was an obliging young woman and if May asked, Sloane would have loved to help her gain that experience.

At the mention of the party, Sloane smiled and chuckled a little. "You were not dressed boring at all, May." Sloane reassured the girl. "I have to admit, it was not as racy as mine for sure," she laughed more to ease May than anything else. "But on you it looked...nice." The auburn haired girl chose her words carefully. She did not want to overwhelm May too early.

"Oh Bree is not with Tyler. Do not worry your gorgeous little head over it. Tyler was actually just helping Bree with something and it was not without a condition on Tyler's part." Sloane tilted her head slightly and shifted her weight to one leg. Her arms were crossed over her chest. "May...I must point out the fact that Bree is not the only thing we can talk about." She swiped her tongue over her bottom lip. "I don't mean to be so forward but would you like to have dinner tonight? I'm dying for a cheeseburger and I hate to eat alone."

[Maysan Paghishetsi]

In the past, when another girl had requested May's presence, it usually involved shopping: Shopping for purses, shopping for shoes, shopping for books. Food usually did enter into the equation, but the invitation itself began with shopping. And if it ended with food, that food was usually slightly healthier than cheeseburgers, of which she was not particularly fond. Well, hamburgers, in her case, thanks to a digestive system that disliked dairy products. There was something about a request that began with food that seemed much more...intimate...than a request for shopping, even if shopping did result in sharing changing rooms and browsing lingerie.

"Of course!" She accepted automatically, "It'll have to be after ballet, though," She added, hoping that wouldn't be a problem. She wouldn't get out until 8:30, and she'd have to change out of her leotard and into something a little more presentable, which could make dinner a later than Sloane had intended.

"Why would you be eating alone? Don't you eat with your family?" She usually did, but she could always tell them she had plans with a friend. "Or...what about that boy you were with at the party?" It hadn't been easy to miss the way they had been hanging all over one another, but maybe he had other obligations. Karate or something.

[Sloane Taylor]

May's eager reply brought a smile on Sloane's face. She did not think it would be that easy to have the girl accept her offer that quick. But then again, May probably thought Sloane was asking her out in a completely platonic manner. Should she clarify that it was more of an intimate endeavour? Sloane handled rejection pretty well so even if May found out that the dinner was actually a date and not some girlfriend bonding slumber party thing and flat out said no, Sloane would not be all torn up about it.

With her question came a shrug. "We have family dinner day. My parents will text us if they decide they want a family gathering but it's mostly their way of staying fresh in their marriage or something like that. And my two elder brothers always have dates so they only come home when the whole family's together. My aunt and uncle have their own lives, I suppose. Now that I think about it, a simple "Yes, but not tonight" would have sufficed, don't you think?" Sloane laughed at herself. Was she being too honest with the girl that only mere minutes ago was a stranger to her? Sloane mentally shook her head. There was no reason to lie anyway. There was nothing wrong with her family so why not share that with anyone who would listen?

At the mention of Nolan, Sloane was surprised that throughout her conversation with May, Nolan did not cross her mind at all. What if he had plans for them tonight? What if he found out about this date? What if... Sloane stopped her train of thoughts and mentally bitch slapped herself. Why was she concerned about a boy? They were not exclusive nor were they anything concrete. They were actually just mere friend who simply like to make-out with each other. She composed her thoughts and turned back to May with a little playful smirk. "What about that boy I was with?" she replied. She then realised that their noses were practically touching each other. Sloane noticed how May's cloudy grey eyes were dilated.

She grinned and backed away to make her feel more comfortable. Sloane had to learn about personal space. She figured since she did not have any that everybody else did not either. "And just so we're clear I'm asking you out on a date, May. Now that I think about it, maybe a grease joint does not scream date venue. If you still agree to the date, text me wherever you want to go and if it's nearer to where your ballet studio is, the better. You can take your time getting there." Sloane rummaged through her bag for a pen and when she found one, she took May's hand and wrote down her cell phone number and intentionally blew on May's palms slowly to dry the ink.

When that was done, she released May's hand and slipped her pen back into her bag. "I need to get to class." She smiled and started walking backwards. "I will be looking forward to your text message, Maysan Paghishetsi." With a wink, she whirled around and continued her way to her class.

[Maysan Paghishetsi]

-looks like a good place to wrap to me-