Of Love And Hate, You Were My Greatest Mistake

Of Love And Hate, You Were My Greatest Mistake ~33~

Laila waited patiently beside the curb for Caleb to arrive. Her outfit was much the same as usual; a pair of pink shorts, a white cropped blouse, and a pair of pink converse with thigh high leg warmers. She’d taken Caleb’s words to heart the day before, and even though she wasn’t willing to change her image she still wanted a way to broaden it. She heard approaching footsteps, and she glanced over to see Jace walking across Rose’s yard with his motorcycle helmet in hand.

“Hey, Jace!”

He stopped to look at her. “If you start singing again I’ll throw this at you.”

“No,” She frowned at his rude threat, “I just have a question, and you’re probably the only person who’ll actually answer.” She had to convince herself to go through with it before finally asking, “Do you think I’m too innocent? Or cutesy, or something?”

“You?” He started laughing, stopped long enough to see her nod, and then started laughing all over again.

“I take it that’s a yes.”

“A yes? That’s the only way to describe you. You’re the exact definition of too innocent,” His laughter was replaced by a mocking smile, “You’re like the poster child for parenting gone wrong.”

“Okay, now you’re just being dramatic,” She told him. The beginning she could see, but she was definitely not an example of bad parenting.

“Yeah,” He tucked the helmet under his arm, “Maybe a little. That doesn’t mean the rest isn’t true.”

“Yeah, I figured.” She couldn’t keep the disappointment from seeping into her voice. Caleb was right, she would always be cast as Sandy over Rizzo if she didn’t find a way to fix this.

“Where did that even come from?”

“Caleb,” She muttered. “He went on this long speech yesterday about how I’m bubblegum and too tame. He said I’m like Britney Spears before she got sexy.”

“Why do you care all of a sudden?” Jace was watching her thoughtfully now, and he almost looked like he felt bad for the way he’d reacted.

“I dunno,” She shrugged, causing her bag to slip down her shoulder a little, “I guess I just never noticed it.”

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing,” He said.

“... What?” Her reaction was delayed as she tried to process his words. Had he really just given her an almost compliment?

“I’m not gonna say it again,” He brushed past her and continued to his bike, “See you at school, fairy.” He pulled his helmet over his head and started up the bike, then revved the engine and sped off down the street. 

“That was weird,” She stared after him in astonishment. His words had actually made her feel a tiny bit better. She went back to fidgeting with her bag while she waited for Caleb, and only a couple minutes passed before he pulled up beside her.

“Hello,” He sang, popping the lock so she could get in. “Are you still mad?”

“No,” She got in and shut the door. “You were right, I need to work on playing other characters. Just not for this show, I’m meant to play Roxie. I’ll try it another time.”

He grinned before speeding off down the street, “Spoken like the true Roxie-obsessed Laila I know and love.”

They did the same routine of getting Amanda before heading toward school, and Laila stayed silent for the rest of the car ride. She would rather watch other cars pass than join her best friends’ pointless conversation. They were currently arguing about whether Britney Spears’ snake or Michael Jackson’s glove was the better accessory, and she had absolutely no desire to contribute. She twisted the engagement ring around her finger as they approached the school, and when they finally parked she grabbed her bag and was the first one out the car.