The Ineffable Ruth Rhodes

03 to pretend

vincent 

Vincent had the perfect plan.

Pretend to date someone for the school year, and everyone would stop thinking he was some unwell, hurt boy who went through some tragic journey and got his heart broken; not that they'd be wrong on that account, however. They'd all leave him alone for good, then his mother would drop the topic of therapy, and his life would go back to how it was before last year. Making Charlotte jealous was just a bonus he was more than willing to consider.

So it was, indeed, the perfect plan.

The girls in his class would stop pestering him as well with relentless questions about his personal life, which he knew were all fake and they just wanted to get into his pants and jump at the chance they had now that he wasn't with Charlotte anymore.

And then, after Vincent had constructed the perfect plan, the perfect girl for the plan waltzed right into the palm of his hands.

Liora Rhodes.

How odd, Liora Rhodes was. She was the type of girl who would sit alone in a booth reading a book, laughing to herself at the character's silly tendencies before looking up to check if anyone was watching. The type of girl who mindlessly drew shapes on any and all surfaces when she was busy, the type that pursed her lips and looked to the sky when she was thinking. Oh, how she found peace in the sky. The type of girl who rarely met your eye, always looking to the ground for what you could give her. The type of girl who chased the flocks of birds on the edge of the beach shore, the type of girl who everyone was annoyed by because she always raised her hand and always had the answer.

She was the type of girl who was perfect for Vincent Alderage's plan.

The perfect girl for the perfect plan.

Vincent waited for her when the bell went, noticing her take her time as students hurried through the door, almost as if she didn't want to have to interact with anyone.

He almost zoned out completely as she brushed past him.

"Hey, Liora, wait up," he called, and she stopped, turning with her brows tied together in thought. She looked almost sad, and he wondered if anyone had ever seen her smile.

Vincent beamed, holding out a hand. "Hey. I'm Vincent."

Liora shook his hand briefly, and let go just as quick. Her hand was warm and in between soft and firm.

"Okay," she monotoned, and turned to leave, finding interest in the ground.

"You're not going to introduce yourself?" he called, confused as to why she was so eager to leave, and she stopped again. He could've sworn she sighed annoyedly under her breath.

"You know my name already," she said slowly, like it was the most obvious thing she'd heard, and he felt silly. "You called me to get me to stop."

By the time he'd come up with something of essence to say, she'd already stalked away.

Oh, indeed, Vincent thought. She was perfect.

—-

More than anything, Vincent wished he could miss his dad.

He wished he had more feelings towards him aside from disappointment for making his mother ever question herself, and a sense of indifference.

He wasn't young when it happened, and so it didn't necessarily hit him by shock. He felt as though it hurt more because he didn't expect anything less from him, not because it had happened.