10 Things I hate About Her (10 Things #1)

21. 10 Things I Hate About Val Walsh

Claire shook her head. "I still don't get it. As a dad, how can you tell your daughter that you'll kick her out if she practices the 'homosexual lifestyle'?"

"I think he wants to protect her," Naomi admitted.

Claire scoffed and said, "Protect her by kicking her out? That's rich. She'll surely be protected then."

They were shushed by the lady in front of them and they murmured an apology. When the lady faced forward, Naomi said, "I felt like him at some point. That being –you know- was gross, and I think, to some degree Val has felt the same way. That being this way was wrong, sinful, a disgrace. This is not about Val's dad as much as it about us and accepting ourselves. If Val wanted to, she could have stood up for herself."

Claire disagreed. "The older a person is, the more set in their ways they are. It might not be possible for Mr. Walsh to change. I think he is serious about abandoning her and that scares her."

"So, contrasting what you said earlier, you don't think she simply ran like a coward?"

"She didn't simply run, but she still ran."

On stage, the quartet finished with a flourish and rose to leave.

Val was called to perform. She entered draped in an impressive white tuxedo, a silver cloth fixed around her waist. Her black hair had a sheen to it, and she had combed it for once. Instead of its usually erratic nature, Val's hair was combed to one side and fell over her right eye. The audience fell silent, watching her take her place and flex her fingers. The she began a soulful melody of woe and heartbreak. It sounded like one of Chopin's pieces that Naomi had heard her practice on occasion. Upon finishing the piece, she adjusted the microphone above the piano. Naomi noticed the minuscule tremble of her hand and knew that Val was nervous about the next song.

Val looked into the audience, but Naomi knew Val couldn't really see anything but the bright beams on her face. Val blinked and focused on the ivory keys. Naomi wanted to move closer, comfort Val, but knew that it would be better to stay concealed among the shadows. Val started a song that Naomi knew every word of, Val's fingers captured every note, creating the exact melody. She sang in a voice so powerful and captivating, it swept over the entire room. Naomi had never heard Val sing before, but it was wonderful. It could have been a soundtrack to a movie, or the original audio recording. The Val that sang was different from the one that played soccer. This one was more sensual, more attuned to her feelings and capable of evoking those emotions in others.

The following lines struck Naomi's heart,

"I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets

To carry love, to carry children of our own.

We are still kids, but we're so in love,

Fighting against all odds."

Naomi felt like they were meant for her and they had found its target. Whether Val knew she was there or not, she didn't know. Naomi felt anger. She didn't see Val fighting anything. She saw Val being complacent and faint- hearted, approaching her when she felt like, leaving when she felt like. She remembered the roof and Val's kiss, but it was nothing more than that. A temporary pause on the game they were playing. When it ended, Val went back to playing the role of her father's clone.

This was hard for Naomi too.

She had never been in a romantic relationship with a woman before, much less her best friend whose existence was irreplaceable. She had never let herself feel and act regardless of her insecurities. She had never been the pursuer. Naomi was standing on fragile ground, and Val wouldn't help her understand her own feelings. Val confused her and left her to wait forever. Val wasn't fighting anything. She was too scared, and Naomi had endured enough. Naomi viewed their relationship all too clear. Val controlled whether they ended up together or not. She was the sorry soul held captive by the obscure boundaries of whatever relationship Val had drawn for them.