Virginia Gray fic-Part 2 (work in progress)

[black_hat]

 

He nearly dropped it in his haste to not crinkle. She rolled her eyes.

 

“Never mind. Just…never mind! It’s just a few hours of work. Nothing more.”

Then she saw that he was trying not to laugh. This horrible, horrible person. “Where to, my lady?”

 

And he was revealing himself to be a kook. The ‘Please-Rescue-Me-Look’ had ensnared her but now, she could see he just wasn’t the type to mix with. 

 

“To my home. Where I live,” she said, picking up her bag.

 

“Okay,” he said happily and Virginia waited while he waged war with the poster. The poster seemed to be winning, and her heart sank as he hit the sides of the board with the gym doors. Pictures littered the floor like snow, and his shoe made an overgrown, footprint right in the middle of Brazil.

 

She was determined not to speak to him on the way home. She simply couldn’t encourage him!

 

“Hey! Aren’t we in the same math class?” Daniel asked, his voice muffled and slightly out of breath.

 

“I’m surprised you noticed.”

 

“Sure I do. I-.”

 

“You’re not doing the handstand properly!” she screamed and he jumped, bewildered. “You let your legs carry you up, not your arms. Gosh, I mean really!”

 

The nest of cheerleaders on the field glared at her from under the stadium lights, the grass stains on their uniforms ruining their cheerful appearance. She snorted.

 

“Some people you just can’t help.”

 

“Wow. A handstand just looks like a handstand to me. Uh, are you a cheerleader? Or have you thought about it? Since you seem to, you know, know so-”

 

“I wouldn’t bother,” she fibbed. “But yes, we are in the same math class. And yes, I’m surprised you noticed me at all.”

 

“You’re really good at it.”

 

“When it’s in the book. From what Mr. Robinson says…” She was still simmering from her embarrassment in class when he called her out while she was at the board. One number off! She didn’t see the point of being counted off for such a silly mistake. He could have told she had known the answer, if he wasn’t being a vindictive, sad old man with no prospects in life but a cold, lonely existence. She felt for him, she really did.

 

Her mother always said her compassion for others would be the death of her.

 

“I wouldn’t worry about that. Happens to the best of us.”

 

“That’s what most people say, isn’t it? I think it should be changed to ‘happens to the rest of us’.”

 

He got the message and grew quiet, looking at her curiously behind his glasses. Despite the fact that she had decided that his mysterious air had gone right out the window (if it hadn’t been a show…a Venus Fly Trap of Nerd), Virginia made sure to make good use of her skirt’s length and walked slowly and deliberately in front of him. If only he had paid more attention to her earlier, well, then who knows?

 

“That’s funny,” he said, out of the blue.

 

“What is?” she asked after a moment of silence. She had wanted to know if he dared to make fun of her, and if the answer was yes, she planned to nip it in the bud right there and then with a very well-placed remarks. She’d tear him apart, if he even-

 

“You have a peace sign on your bag.”

 

“Oh, this little thing? I don’t agree with war, you know, and I think the sentiment is worth thinking about. Violence never solves anything. Even with all the hippies behind it, ruining it .”

 

“Um, you do know what it means? Because that’s what’s funny, that you noticed that you thought my badge was a cult symbol and you have a peace sign. You know.”

 

She stopped in her tracks and stared at him. “A common goal towards peace is not a cult! How could you think such a thing?”

 

“I think I read somewhere that people thought it was a broken cross. I dunno, or anything, it’s just fun-.”

 

“WHAT?” she intoned and dropped her bag. She looked at it, and it did! It did look that way, now that he mentioned it! She clasped her hands to her mouth in horror. Gray stopped as well, moving the board back and forth to see. Virginia attacked the bag, scratching at the sign furiously. He watched this display silently with one eyebrow raised, feeling silly standing there with a girl in the dirt.

 

“Um, it’s not that bad. Some people just say, it’s probably not even remotely a thing at all. It’s really cool, too. I uh, like the color! Pink is really…pink, and I-.”

 

“It won’t come off,” she said, slumping. Her eyes felt scratchy.

 

“It’s not a big deal,” he offered, quietly.

 

“I…I don’t know, I put it on so easily. I wonder what that means.”

 

“That the adhesive’s holding up pretty well! I can fix that. At the shop, I have a solution that cans un-adhere anything! It just dissolves the glue pretty much instantly. On contact. Zap.”

 

“Really?” she asked, hoping against the odds. She didn’t want her bag ruined.

 

“Really. My dad’s shop is just a skip and a hop away from here. I can get the badge off really quickly. And then we can take your poster home.”

 

“What’s left of it.” But she nodded anyway, appeased and somewhat flattered.

 

The shop turned out to be a watch shop, and Virginia was curious. She had never owned a watch in her life, so naturally, this was an unusual detour.

 

“It’s very quaint. Homey, even.”

 

“Thanks,” he said, opening the door after another momentary war and juggling show. Virginia was accosted by a barrage of ticking, and she rubbed her nose from the dust. This place was in serious need of renovation!

 

“I’ll put this in a safe place,” Daniel said and to her dismay, balanced it on a coat rack in the corner. The walls were multicolored. Brown to a lighter blue. What on earth happened in here, a bunch of circus clowns on the loose? If her father saw this mess…he’d give them a thing or two on the basics of self-respect. Representation through presentation, that’s what he always said.

 

“Hmm, I like it. I do. I can’t help noticing though…Why are the walls different colors?”

 

“Oh, great story. My uncle wanted light blue, because he thought it was more cheerful, and my dad, he just hated it. And they both own it, so it was kind of tense. My grandmother suggested that they paint it blue and brown, a light to night kind of thing, since that’s what time is! So they made a compromise. It’s really awesome in the morning. The walls reflect everything like a sundial, one of the first clocks ever, and it’s always funny that the clocks are the shadows. Morning’s the best time to be in here, it’s so peaceful and stuff.”

 

“Is that so? At least you own the shop then. Since you can decorate it like that.”

 

“I will someday. I have big plans for it. I can do anything I want in here basically.”

 

“Where’s your dad?” Virginia asked. “Shouldn’t he be working?” A bunch of dim bulbs and bums…

 

“He’s uh, sick right now. He has the flu, and he had to get some rest. I’m working the shop after school until he feels better.”

 

“It’s not open during the day?”

 

“I missed some days, but then, my dad got upset with me about it.” Daniel shrugged and bit his lip, seeming out of place. He put his hands in his pockets and then recalled the whole dilemma. “Oh, your bag. Put it on the desk, I’ll be right back.”

 

He disappeared in a fury of motion, and she could distinctly hear him talking to himself as he dug through various drawers. But she had seen his face when he was talking about his face and that softened her attitude. He did need help.

 

“Here it is. You can always find the glue since it seemed to stick in one place, but this stuff, it’s like trying to catch the Speedy Gonzales. Now let’s get this demon seed off of here.” He laughed, and he had a nice laugh. A warm laugh.

 

If only he wasn’t such a…endearing dorkface.

 

She watched him carefully drip the solution on the bag, without the slightest sign of a spot. His hands were so gracefully, really. “It will take a little bit. Time to air-dry. Then we peel it.”

 

“That’s fine. We can talk while we wait.”

 

He looked surprised, his mouth opening a little bit, as if talking would now be impossible.

 

“Tell me, what about your mother?”

 

“She died when I was young.”

 

“I’m sorry to hear that,” she said, looking down and feeling like an idiot. No wonder he was scruffy.

 

“Don’t worry, it doesn’t hurt, you know, to me. I didn’t…I remember her kind of. My dad doesn’t talk about it much. Hey, I do have a collection of sorts.”

 

“What?...Stamps?”

 

“Uh, no. It doesn’t seem like your thing but while we are here, I don’t know.”

 

“Sure, I’d love to see,” she said, giving him a way out of his awkwardness. Like a flash, he was behind the curtain again and she fought her smile tooth and nail.

 

“I’ve been collecting these since forever.” He brought out…small books. No surprise, only…

 

“Oh, um, on the back of cereal boxes, I’ve seen things like that.”

 

“Those aren’t comics! I mean, real comics.” Daniel gazed at her, tilting his head. “You’ve never seen these? Like, once?”

 

“My dad doesn’t believe in them…No offense, though, it’s just his way. They look cool.”

 

And they sort of did. In a colorful, off-beat way. “This is my favorite hero, Spiderman. You should start with this issue, in fact, the story’s just amazing, and the art—perfect.”

 

Before she knew it, she was undulated with facts of people with ridiculous, tight pants. She could see why her dad would hate this stuff: it was plainly soft porn. It made her wonder about this guy…

 

“I love the little Halloween bombs,” she commented.

 

“You can’t like the bad guy. That’s why he’s the bad guy, it’s against the whole thread of the story. He represents all the darkness of humanity, all that’s wrong with the world, gathered in one central point. The bad guy is the social commentary.”

 

“I can like who I like,” she answered primly. “I love themes, and he’s sticking to his.”

 

“So is Spiderman.”

 

“Hmmph. Besides, he has a point to what he does. He’s plainly misunderstood.”

 

“Oh, that’s BS.”

 

For once, she didn’t mind the language.

 

They read them silently through the time, comparing notes and jibes about destruction and general mayhem, until she looked out the window and saw it was dark.

 

“Oh my God,” she said, forgetting herself and jumping to her feet. “My father is going to kill me.”

 

Daniel frowned. “Sorry. I didn't mean to keep you so long. You can blame me."

 

“It’s okay, it’s fine, it’s my fault.” The peace sign fell over her bag easily, and they stared down at it, together. Then they started to laugh.

 

“I had a nice time,” she said.

 

“Me too.” He smiled warmly, and in a way, she kind of melted. She could have at least.

 

“Well, I was thinking. Since you helped with the idea, you should get to see the party.”

 

It took him a moment and he studied Spiderman swinging across the skyline before jerking his head up in surprise. His glasses slipped down his nose a little.

 

“You’re asking me?”

 

“Maybe.”

 

“Why?”

 

What kind of question is that?

 

“Because I want to.”

 

“That’s…unconventional. I should be the one asking you.”

 

“Why, yes. You could.”

 

“…Can you go with me to the Homecoming?”

 

“I don’t know, we haven’t known each other long.”

 

His mouth dropped, and he looked utterly lost.

 

“I can make the exception for you.”

 

“G, Great!” he said, and then laughed, blushing. “I sounded like Tony the Tiger just then, didn’t I?”

 

“I don’t know, um. I should get going.”

 

“Right. Don’t forget your poster.”

 

She was taken aback: she had almost forgotten completely. “Should I walk you home?” His fingers brushed hers as he placed the silly, silly poster in her hands almost reverently, and then, placed a comic in her bag. “For your education.”

 

Virginia could barely look him in the eyes now, she was so…flustered and fluttered and warm inside. “Thank you. I’ll be fine, the bus stop is right near here.”

 

“I’ll walk you.”

 

She didn’t know what to say along the way, and it was most unlike her. She couldn’t help it and smiled at him as he finished explaining watches to her and his plans. His voice was maturing and someday she just knew he’d have a deep and rich and lovely one. This was impossible, what had happened, just like that.

 

On the other hand, she was terrified.

 

“I’ll s, see you at school, then,” she called as she got on the bus, balancing the poster. She had the sudden urge to throw it in the trash.

 

“See you!” he said, waving, and jogged back towards the shop.

 

The whole experience was almost worth the yelling at home.