Mindful(l)

Chapter 6: Geeks Go Great With Girls and Gold

After school, I made my way to the attic, which I now know as Hell In Heaven. Anyways, by the time I got there, Kanna hadn't arrived yet.  I put on some music before falling backwards into the couch. I saw no use in waiting so I took a pillow and tried to sleep. No use. My eyeliner itched and my head was trying to anticipate what would happen next. After fifteen minutes, Kanna found me half-conscious on the couch and instinctively hit me wiht another pillow. 

Kane: "What's that for?!"

Kanna: "You're on my couch." 

Me: I'm always on your couch.

Kane: "Cool, did you steal this?"  I sat up and followed her with my eyes.

Kanna: "Cut the crap, I know it's--" 

She turns towards me and focuses her eyes. She tries to hold back a laugh. I look at her, puzzled, and wait for the punchline. 

Kane: "What? Is their something in my hair?" 

Me: Nah, your hair's perfect.

Kanna (through stiffled laughter): "Your eyeliner...! It smeared...! Pfft! (points at Kane) It's all over your face! Buahahahaha!" 

Kane: "Oh. Do I look cool?" (Kane's pretty dense)

Me: Of course you don't! Someone get me a mirror!

Kanna (wipes tears off and stops laughing): "Ah... Actually you do. Like tears of darkness have sprung forth from the blackness of your heart."

Silence. We break into laughter abruptly. 

Me: "Seriously, though. Get me some wipes or something. I need to get this gunk off my face." 

Kanna (looking for cosmetics bag): "I'm guessing you wanted to be antisocial for a day?" 

Me (takes off glasses): "Spot on. Besides, I don't have to worry about being nice with Kane. For once, I actually got to sit in a table with actual personal space. Being Kane is easy." 

Kanna took out her makeup crap and found some remover wipes. They were labeled: "Heavy Makeup Removal". I guess she had already learned the hard way too. 

Kanna: "Maybe it's because Kane is who you really are. Maybe the current Marlo's just a mask that covers your 'Kane'..."

Me: (hesitates)

Kanna: "Just kidding. You don't have to get so tense. Kane's just a way to escape the common school day, right? Besides, Marlo and Kane are still the same person to me. One of them just has a better fashion sense, hehe."

Me: "Oh? Have you fallen head over heels for Kane? So, that's the way into your heart..."

Kanna: "As if! Try using some of that charm on one of your fan-zombies. They'll appreciate it more."

That moment, I got an eerie feeling. Even if she didn't mean it, Kanna made me think about what I'd been doing all these years. I mean, if I really didn't want people to think I was a lunatic because of my mindreading curse, I just didn't have to say anything. But, instead, I used it as an excuse to pretend to be the charming Marlo that everyone (except Kanna) thought I was. 

Kanna: "Marlo? You in?"  She snapped me back to reality. 

Me: "Yeah, sure... In for what?"

Kanna: "Yep, you didn't listen. I said that you still promised me that date with Kane. I know this ice cream shop we can go study at. Put your glasses on. Tonight, you're my geek." 

Turns out that Kanna's got a red Vespa. I told my usual chauffeur that I was going to carpool. Yes, my father sends me a limo to pick me up in the afternoons, but I only ride it when I decide to stay late at school and the last bus has already left. Anways, she gave me the baby pink helmet while she got to wear the super cool black one. Of course, she also made me be the one in the back. I couldn't decide what hurt my manhood more: the fact that she was a really good driver or that she actually forced me to put the pink helmet on.