My Galaxy (Lafontaine & Perry)

Part 1

Lafontaine and Perry had always been a package deal. They'd become best friends when they were 5, and stayed that way until college. They completed each other, balancing themselves. Without Perry, Lafontaine would be lost. That's what they told themselves as they stood outside Perry's dorm, breathing heavily.

They didn't know what to do, what to say. They wanted to knock on the door, but couldn't bring themselves to. No, LaFontaine thought, that would make this all too real. And yet, after what seemed like a lifetime, their hand lifted up to the bare wood, and knocked three times rapidly and twice slowly. The secret way of knocking Perry made up in middle school. Straight away, the door sprung open. Perry was standing behind it, holding a study book.

"Hi, Perry." Lafontaine managed to choke out, their voice shaking.

"Hey, Laf. Come in, come in. I made some brownies. How are you?"

Lafontaine walked in and sat down on the edge of Perry's bed, holding their hands in little fists at their sides.
"I'm okay. I just came back from the lab."

"Just came back? Your class ended 30 minutes ago!"

This is one of the disadvantages to having a control freak as a best friend. Lafontaine forgot that Perry had memorized their schedule. Also, were they really standing outside Perry's dorm for 30 minutes?

"Oh yeah, Prof wanted to see me after class." They tried to control the flaring in their nostrils. It's what always gave away that they were lying to all-knowing Perry.

"That's why you seem so shaken up! Was it serious?" Perry fell for it. Lafontaine felt bad for lying, but they thought it was unavoidable.

"No, no, I'm fine."

At this point, Perry turned around and started organizing her already spotless desk. Lafontaine knew this meant that she could sense the tense feeling in the room, and realized that they had to tell Perry before she assumed the worst.

"So, Perr, there's something I have to tell you." She didn't turn around from her position in front of the desk.

"Oh? What is it? Is there something wrong?"

Somehow, Lafontaine's voice wouldn't leave their throat. They suddenly felt parched, yet their palms were sweaty. Their clothes felt 3 sizes too small, their collar choking them. Perry turned around.

"Laf? Are you okay? Are you having a panic attack? Do you want some water?"

Lafontaine managed to nod, and gratefully took a sip from the glass Perry handed to them. She always knew what to do to make them feel better. There was a long pause. Then, the speech they had prepared popped into their head. Suddenly, they felt safe. They felt okay.

"Perry, do you know how people fall in love? It's quite fascinating. First, Adrenaline is released into the brain, making your heart race. Then it's Dopamine. The pleasure chemical. Cocaine and Dopamine have similar effects on the brain and - anyway." Lafontaine stopped themselves from turning this into a biology lecture.

"Finally, it's Serotonin, the chemical the is responsible for the fact that I can't stop thinking about you." Perry wasn't fully listening into precisely that moment, having disregarded this certain conversation as another biology speech. This got her attention.

"What?" Perry asked, slightly in disbelief.

This wasn't the reaction Lafontaine was hoping for. Somehow, in the optimistic realms of their brain, they hoped that when they said that, everything would change. Perry would lean over, and they would kiss, as fireworks erupted and angels sang. But no, of course not. This wasn't just another one of Lafontaine's day dreams. This was real life. And now, they had dug themselves too deep of a hole to simply climb out of it. They felt buried, 6 inches under ground.

"Perry, I like you. And not only as a friend, either. To me, you haven't been just my friend in a really long time."

Perry's face changed. She looked frazzled, and Lafontaine could tell she was discretely looking around the room to find something to clean.
"Susan, I can't do this right now. You're still my friend, but you have to go." Perry's voice was hurried, and louder than usual. Lafontaine's face flushed bright red, and in their hurry to get out of the room, they bumped into Perry's desk. Apologizing, they walked out the door. What do they do now?