I'm Not Sure
Alright, so Kate might’ve had a crush.
Yes, she admitted it - she was smart enough to know when she had a crush. And it was dumb. Really dumb. She could hardly even have a normal conversation with Brooke - Brooke wasn’t even normal. Brooke was a weirdo. Brooke waved away her questions with nonsensical answers, and used the weirdest terms and phrases, and kept using her left hand for everything, and had never been out of a hoodie, and had hair that cascaded like waterfalls and barely touched her shoulders like a lover-
Oh God.
She had a really bad crush.
And Brooke was oblivious, because she was a weirdo. And Kate honestly wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing.
Maybe if she’d known a girl with a crush on her was standing on her left side, Brooke wouldn’t keep biting her top lip like that. Who bit their top lip?
“Marsh? Daylight’s a passing storm, y’know.” Brooke said suddenly, startling her from her thoughts. She took a star sticker - but blinked.
“Yeah, but… wouldn’t it just be easier to see in the dark? These are glow-in-the-dark, after all.” Kate said, pressing one to the ceiling and glancing at Brooke.
And trying not to stare at her hair.
Brooke seemed to consider this carefully, as she pressed another star to the ceiling.
“Are you suggesting I stay the night? I assumed you wanted me to leave.” Brooke glanced at her - and Kate thought it was probably just her imagination telling her that it seemed more vulnerable then usual.
“Uh. I mean - you’ve already stayed this long, right?”
“The sunk cost fallacy at its finest.” Brooke said, pressing another star to the ceiling - she was reaching pretty far out now, and one of her legs - in their stupid skintight jeans, why was she wearing those - curled up to accommodate and keep her balance.
She didn’t know what the sunk cost fallacy was - but it seemed fairly self-explanatory.
“I mean, yeah, but the most you’ll lose is a few hours, right? I’ve lost more time then that to bunny videos on YouTube.” Kate said, as wisely as she could manage.
Brooke blinked, and sent her a glance.
“Bunny videos?”
Kate felt just a little bit of warmth crawl in her cheeks, and scratched one of her ears.
“I - uh - used to own a bunny.”
“Oh. Interesting.” Brooke said, pressing another sticker to the ceiling. “What was their name?”
“Alice.”
Brooke blinked.
“That’s… a good name.”
Brooke sounded absolutely shocked, and Kate wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or insulted.
Eventually, she just smiled.
“Thanks. I thought so too.”
Brooke seemed to struggle with what to say, for a moment. Her hand, holding a few more stars, faltered.
“What... happened to her?”
“Died. When I was a kid.”
“Oh.”
Brooke, for some reason, seemed… awkward. Her movements were a little more stiff then usual, and her focus seemed to be wavering.
“I’m… sorry. About your rabbit.”
“I prefer to think of her as a bunny.” Kate offered. “But… thank you.”
There was a lull.
“...Just tell me what to say.” Brooke said, suddenly.
Kate glanced at her.
“What?”
“You want me to say something, and I don’t know what it is. Just… tell me. ...Please.”
Kate stared at her.
“Uh… I just kinda wanted to move on… just say something that’ll provoke a conversation?” Kate offered, a little confused.
“All drugs should be legal.” Brooke said instantly.
A pause.
“...What?”
“You said say something to provoke a conversation. Every time I say that, somebody wants to tell me about how I’m wrong, so. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re wrong.” Kate said. “Very, very wrong.”
“Why?”
Brooke glanced at her - and she couldn’t really tell what was behind her eyes. What she could possibly be thinking.
She was no closer to solving the mystery of Brooke Scott.
She was just a lot more invested in it.
“Well, obviously drugs should be illegal. Their dangerous, and addictive.”
“So is coffee. So is alcohol. Why restrict only slightly more dangerous forms - doesn’t the freedom of choice extend to choosing dangerous addictions?”
“Not when they could hurt others!”
“Drunk people get in bar fights.” Brooke fired back, pressing another sticker to the ceiling. “Do you think alcohol should be illegal too?”
“Alcohol isn’t anywhere near as extreme as - I dunno - meth?”
“Where’s the line, then? At what point do you have to go - ‘okay, nope, too dangerous now, can’t be legal’?”
“You - there’s no way you can actually think this.” Brooke was supposed to be smart.
“Why not? It makes sense to me.”
Kate stared at Brooke - who sedately pressed another star sticker to the ceiling.
“...You’re weird, Brooke.”
“You’re the weird one, Kate. Deciding to keep a rabbit as a pet.”
“Says the girl who had a pet crow.” Kate fired back, with a grin.
“Crows are wonderful. And stylish.”
“Stylish? What style were you wearing, then - that was enhanced by a crow?”
“A very effective one.” Brooke deadpanned, pressing a sticker to the ceiling. Kate put her hands on her hips, and glared at her with a wide, disbelieving grin.
“Rrrreally? Cause, frankly - it sounds like you were just a goth.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Brooke said. “I was an emo. Big difference, Kate.”
Kate couldn’t help but laugh.
When she stopped, Brooke was staring at her.
“...What?” She said, almost glancing behind her.
Brooke went back to putting stars on the ceiling.
“Nothing. Just… you’re very… loud.”
Kate blinked.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
Brooke paused.
“...I’m not sure.”
“Well, I’m taking it as a compliment.” Kate decided, taking another star and putting it on the ceiling. “So - thank you, Brooke.”
“My pleasure, Kate.”