opposites attracting light

Vada was looking over the scene of Much Ado about Nothing. She guessed she'd give it a shot. Even so, she was certain she wouldn't be Beatrice. Not now. It felt as if it were set in stone. Somebody put her in her place. And she was OK with this. Or so she kept telling herself.

Actually, she was doing this to take her mind off Gage. The farther she could be away from him, least likely anything electric might happen. Yes, that's the sort of power he had over her. And as many times as she wanted to deconstruct these feelings, it came back to the moment they'd actually touched. She never wanted to let herself get that way about anyone. Ever.

"Well, I was thinking about taking this sewing class," Henry said while he was lounging on her bed ever so casual in his school clothes donning his very floral patterned socks. "I mean, I signed up for it this semester, but then I get there, there are no sewing machines. What's up with that?"

Vada shrugged as she was doing her best to picture the scene in her head that she was to study for auditions. It was a play about gangsters. Evidently. She squinted hard, trying to make sense of it.

"You know, Joss Wedon just made a new version of it, on film." Henry was in the know about this sort drama. "We should get a copy and watch it, together."

"I guess." She was still thumbing through the pages, wondering what she might possibly do in a play like this. Probably nothing. She smiled then as she said the title over and over in her head. Much ado about nothing.

Henry sat up on the edge of the bed then.

"Are you, all right? Really?" He looked at her all pensive with his knuckles under his chin as if he were ready for some serious photo shoot.

"Why? Why wouldn't I be?" She winced with a frown as if he knew some secret she didn't wish to discuss. Even with him.

"Cabin fever can do mysterious things to you, I guess." He leaned back on his arms again. "Leo and I were really close to breaking up. Funny, that wasn't what I had in mind on New Years. It was like, I had it all set in my mind that we should...." He took his time. "You know.." He said the word then.

Vada looked at him as if THAT WORD was not in his vocabulary.

"Well, that's what I wanted." He was truthfull. "I did. But I love him and..and I want it to be more  than just a..."

There he went again. It was like an alarm of some kind.

She put down the pages and hugged herself wondering how long he was going to go on about this.

"And then, it got to me. He's so innocent and all. I don't deserve him. I really don't." He was straight lipped. "I didn't mean to mess with him. Its just, I got to thinking about the big picture. Not just about me and what I'd done and how I am. Now. It really went off the deep end. I was all, beating myself up. About how I just couldn't handle things like I used too. And..you know, I might not graduate ..like forever from now. And then what? Can I even handle a college course of any kind?"

"Henry? You know, you can. You will. You, really aren't..that..bad off." She guessed he needed a pep talk. Still.

"I suppose." He put his palms over his eyes as if he need to rub his tears away. "But, we're still together. He does love me. In spite of my sick self. And..and..I'm sorry if I've been dwelling on it so much. I just want to know if..if you'd ever get back together with Gage?"

"Of course not." She was adamant about it.

"What about Roman?" He shot back as if this were a quiz, on who she'd go out with.

"No." She informed him she'd seen Roman with his new girlfriend.

"Do you know who she is?" Henry asked.

"I don't want to know who she is." The words were vile in her mouth. She guessed she had all the making of being a very good b-tch, but she really didn't care.