Beware The Water

With Fang

Lux spilled everything to Fang. She talked about when she first met Shorter, how she snuck out with him once, the way he climbs up to her balcony every now and then just to talk. She expressed how she started to have these weird feelings that she didn't understand, like getting upset over another girl for pretty much no reason. "I don't know what's gotten into me." Lux groaned into a throw pillow.

Fang chuckled to herself. The answer was so obvious and she found it cute that Lux couldn't figure it out. "It's called jealousy." She replied. "Shorter said he didn't like you that way, then you see him with another pretty girl and you're probably thinking to yourself 'Why her? Is it because I don't look like that?'"

Lux was embarrassed at how quickly she was called out. Never has she compared herself to other girls, envied their looks, and then feel insecure about her own. It was all new and she hated it. Lux slumped her shoulders, "Am I stupid for thinking he liked me?"

"No!" Fang brought her legs in, criss cross style. "He admitted to flirting with you so he clearly thought you were pretty."

"Marginally pretty, maybe." Lux rolled her eyes, "I'm clearly not the type of girl that he's into."

Fang tilted her head and analyzed Lux's look. The girl had on a long burnt orange skirt and a black blouse tucked in with a shiny black Gucci belt to pull the whole outfit together. "Hm... well for starters you can try showing some more skin. You're 17. You don't need to wear a skirt that goes down to your ankles. Oh! And a top that shows more cleavage. Your tits are a nice shape for being on the smaller side. So accentuate them."

Lux's jaw fell agape. "What?!" She slapped her hands over her chest, "No way! I would never lower myself like that to get a guy to notice me!"

"Oh god. You're one of those prudes."

"I'm not a prude." Lux huffed, furrowing her brows. "I respect myself and don't feel like I have to show off my... "assets" for validation."

"Let me guess. Your parents scolded you for wearing a skirt above your knees once and ever since then you think anyone who shows their shoulders and legs are whores."

"I never said that!" Lux pointed out in defense. "I think girls can wear whatever they want for whatever reason. I just don't feel comfortable doing it to prove to whoever that I'm pretty. I'm worth more than my looks and I thought that was why-!" Lux trailed off and pouted, "I thought that was why Shorter liked me." She sighed, and leaned against the armrest of the couch. "Him and I are so different." She explained, "And somehow I felt like I connected with him. He pushed me out of my comfort zone. Made me feel like I could just be myself and not have to live up to a standard. And I really liked that." Lux thought back to some of the moments that she and Shorter shared together. The concert. Getting on the back of his motorcycle. Even being able to joke around and not take herself so seriously.

So many of Lux's classmates saw her as nothing more than a teachers pet who's only interests were what was inside of a textbook. That the only pro of being her friend was that she was a hell of a tutor. Outside of that, her personality was just... eh.

The truth was that Lux presented herself that way on purpose. She was taught from an early age that the only important thing was making good grades, getting into a good school, and becoming a nurse. So whatever other interest or hobbies she had, she told herself that they didn't matter and to not acknowledge it.

Playing with her moms make up stopped being fun when she was told that getting messy isn't lady like. When Lux was twelve, Oz gifted her a Polaroid camera for her birthday which led into her discovering that she loved photography and scrapbooking. Then once again, was told that taking amateur photos and taping them into a book wouldn't pay the bills when she got older. Even something as simple as watching dumb reality shows  was looked down upon because it taught bad behavior. Lux was raised to never talk back, but because of her quick wittiness and brains, she always had smart remarks to make but held her tongue. Which was why she surprised herself when her and Shorter would go back and forth teasing each other sometimes with harmless insults and roasts. She'd never been able to joke like that freely before.