Zodiac Street

92|| Vivian 2.0

"Hey, are you free right now?"

Lizzy looked back towards the doorframe. Her roommate, Aika, blocked the entrance, her arms crossed. It was the day before Gilbert's birthday and Lizzy assumed her housemate had nothing on her plate.

Then again, Lizzy herself had nothing to do as well. She had just finished making Gilbert's gift: a new yellow and purple varsity jacket which was proudly displayed on her mannequin.

Her housemate tapped her foot on the ground. "Lizzy?"

"Hm?" Lizzy peered from behind her black-framed glasses. "Sorry, I wasn't listening. Did you want something?"

"Yeah, I was wondering whether you're free or not."

"Yeah," Lizzy chuckled and gestured an arm in the jacket's direction. "I just finished Gilbert's gift. So you can say I'm free."

"Good cause I was wondering if you want to go to the city."

"The city?" Lizzy removed the hair tie that tied her shoulder-length pink hair into a low ponytail.

"Yeah, we can catch a train to get to the city station-"

"Yeah, I know how to get to the city. I am just surprised about why you're going there." Lizzy crossed her arms. "Is there a reason?"

Raised eyebrows from her housemate. "Reason for what?"

"Going to the city. I mean none of us go there much."

Aika wandered over to Lizzy's spare mannequin. She picked up the tailor tape from the floor and unravelled it. "I want to go there to get a present for Giselle." She arranged the tape around the mannequin's shoulders. "That's all."

"You still haven't got a gift for Giselle yet?"

"Nope. I was too busy getting a gift for Gilbert. And besides," her housemate placed her hands on her hips, "We all promised to give Giselle her gifts on her actual birthday. She's only having the cake tomorrow. You remember that, right?"

Lizzy nodded. She had just remembered. Yesterday in the party planner's chat, after Cleo had declared herself in charge of the decorations, everyone discussed about the gifts. They all agreed that Gilbert would receive his gifts on his birthday. Giselle would receive hers on her birthday rather than her counterpart's. The only exception is the cake. Giselle and Gilbert would both have their cakes at the same time.

"Of course, of course." Lizzy nodded. "I remember." She rolled her wrist. "So you want to go to the city to buy Giselle's gift."

"Mhm."

"But that doesn't explain why I am coming along."

"Well, I need your help picking the gift," Aika said as she arranged the tape as a scarf around the mannequin's neck. "I figure that since Giselle and you are best friends and all, you may know what she likes. You two seem alike."

"I wouldn't... say that."

"How so?"

Lizzy paused. She searched for the right words to explain her friendship.

How is she going to explain how different they are?

How is she going to explain how her best friend knows her stuff while Lizzy, herself, is lost?

How is she going to explain how Giselle already has an established life in front of her while Lizzy, herself, still searched around?

How is she going to explain that she doesn't know her purpose as compared to Giselle?

Or even who she is?

"Lizzy?" Aika asked softly, her dark brown eyes filled with concern, "How are you not alike?"