Snapshots

Chapter Twenty - Brynne Takes Down The Smaller Oblivious Nut

"Brynne?" Kara walked into the Rivera-Rao dorm (The Potatoes all agreed that just Rao was good, and not her whole name) "Is Cami here?"

"Cami this, Cami that," Brynne rolled her eyes. "No, she isn't here, but sit down. Let's have a nice long chat over chaat."

Brynne looked pointedly at the couch and the chaat that was on the table. Kara's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, but she sat down anyway.

"So, Kara Shah," Brynne started. "Been a while since we've talked."

"What do you mean?" Kara asked. "We talked last week."

"Barely," Brynne ate a spoonful of chaat. "Then you went off with Camilla."

"Well, yeah, I guess."

"Ugh you and Aiden alike," Brynne groaned. "Both oblivious nuts, I swear. I have to do all the work here for you guys to be happy, why don't you guys use your brains?"

"What?"

"What do you think about girls, Kara?" She asked. "You know. Other than me, Hira, Mini and Aru. What do you think about them?"

"Um, I don't know?" Kara's pitch went up a little.

"Okay, starting small. What do you like about Camilla?"

"She's so pretty and cute," Kara started, thinking about her and smiling. "She's a little weird, but that's what keeps the squad not awkward. She's really nice when she has to be and always makes me laugh. She's a really good friend."

"Okay. And Aiden?"

"He's a nice guy," Kara said, then frowned. She couldn't think of anything else. "He's handsome. He helped me on the first day of college, even though he was new too."

Brynne waited for more, then seemed to conclude something. "That was three about Camilla and two about Aiden."

"Huh?"

"You spoke three lines about Camilla and two about Aiden," Brynne repeated in more detail. "What does that tell us?"

"I'm not sure," Kara sighed exasperatedly. "Stop speaking in riddles, I don't understand them."

"You're supposed to be smart, come on," Brynne ate another spoonful. "Kara, do you know what it means to be bisexual?"

"Yeah, obviously," Kara said. "You're attracted to both genders, but prefer the same one a bit more. Right?"

"Yep," Brynne nodded. "Don't you remember Parvati?"

"Oh yeah. Parvati," Kara thought about her friend from high school. They'd fallen apart after Parvati had gotten a boyfriend. Kara just couldn't stand being near them anymore.

"You got jealous of her boyfriend."

"No I didn't!" Kara cried out defensively. "She was my friend!"

"Maybe!" Brynne said. "But didn't she make you feel happy? Feel important?"

Kara stopped. "What are you trying to say?"

"Kara, don't make me spell it out for you," Brynne replied. "You always blushed around her."

"Are you saying," Kara's heart beat fast. "That I liked her?"

"Parvati was the only person you talked about. Then you started talking about Aiden," Brynne said softly. "But I haven't heard you talk about Aiden for days,"

Kara thought about Parvati. She thought about Aiden.

But surprisingly, her mind went to Camilla.

"We're almost there," She could hear Brynne say under her breath.

"Wait a second," Kara got up, surprised. "I don't like Aiden."

"Gosh, really?!" Brynne yawned. "What else? Of course you don't like Aiden. Who do you like? Starts with a C and ends with an A. Has two Ls in the middle. And another A and an I and an M."

Brynne looked at her. Kara breathed, "No way. No way I like her."

Brynne got up and grabbed her shoulders. "Stop fucking denying it! Who do you like, Kara?"

"I can't like Camilla," Kara looked at her in panic. "Camilla's a friend. She's a girl!"

"I know!" Brynne shook her. "But you do! You can't control who you like, Kara! The heart wants what it wants! So what does yours want?"

"Mine wants," Kara could hear her heart beat thunderously loud. "Cami. Camilla. I like Camilla Rivera."

"Finally!" Brynne fell back on her sofa chair. "So what does that make you?"

"Bisexual?"

"Bisexual! There you go!" Brynne ate the rest of her chaat. Kara then realised she had eaten none of her own.

"So I was only attracted to Aiden?"

"Yep," Brynne nodded. "Wanna know something else? Aiden never liked you. Sorry."

"I figured," Kara sighed.

"And uh. He likes Aru."

"Wait, really?" Kara's head snapped up. "Oh my gods. I don't even feel upset."

"Being bisexual's great, isn't it?" Brynne smirked. "Aru likes Aiden back obviously. But she's holding back because she still thinks you like him. Aiden even confessed to her already. And you know what? She didn't. Even. Say. Anything. You've got yourself a too loyal sister."

Kara's eyes widened. "Oh my gods, I feel awful."

"See?" Brynne rolled her eyes. "Fucking oblivious. Go tell her you don't like Aiden tomorrow so that they can finally get together. Anymore pining and I'll lose my appetite for good."

"Wait, so that's why they weren't talking?" Kara's hand flew to her mouth. "I caused so much drama for nothing. The Potatoes dynamic went up with flames because I was stupid."

"Indeed," Brynne agreed. "So go fix what you caused. It's not too late. None of them have gotten over each other."

"Thanks for helping me and telling me all this," Kara smiled. "I'll go and fix this now."

"You better," Brynne replied as Kara turned. "Hey! Share the chaat with Camilla! She's at the gym!"

"Thanks!" Kara opened the door.

Before she closed it, she could've sworn she heard Brynne say, "One down, one to go. Next is the bigger oblivious nut."