Chapter 2
Turns out Wanda was a great story-teller, and she wasn’t kidding when she said she knew what it was like to be in Crystal’s shoes. As much as she wanted to act unaffected and nonchalant at Wanda’s words, they affected her deeply and she knew she would hold them close to her heart, replaying them when times got rough. But did she really have to start crying, again??
Wanda stopped halfway through the side-story she was telling about the time when she and a couple friends took a trip abroad to look back at Crystal in surprise.
“Hey, I know you’re hurting... but, you’re not alone, okay?” She said as she reached a hand over to lay gently on Crystal’s leg. Crystal looked down in surprise and quickly wiped her tears with her hand and looked away.
“I’m already late for class. Thanks for the stories... they were nice.” Crystal risked a glance back to give a weak smile before turning and rushing out of the bathroom towards her class.
Wanda sat back on the bathroom counter with a resigned sigh. Well, that’s what she got for opening up to a stranger about her powers. But she looked so broken. What was she supposed to do? She nearly laughed when the girl—what was her name?— had said she’d changed into a different person.
But as Wanda saw her reaction to her story, she saw that she wasn’t exaggerating and that caused Wanda to be drawn to her in a way she had never experienced with anyone before. She wanted to know all about this girl, and here she was: scaring her off before she even learned her name.
•••
Crystal slammed against the wall right outside the bathroom with tears in her eyes, gasping for air. That was not supposed to happen. She finally found someone who really, REALLY got her, and she couldn’t keep her stupid emotions in check.
It figures. Crystal knew that’s what happened when she let that side of herself into the light. You lose the people you love. It’s that simple. She tried to get control of herself as she walked across the hall to her classroom, mourning the loss of the mere possibility of a friend and not even bothering to grieve over the non-existent chance for something else that she knew she could never have with Wanda.