Shrinking Violet

chapter two

"If you see something beautiful in someone, speak it."
-Ruthie Lindsey

***

"I just think chlamydia is far too common in our neighboring public school systems for us to not go to the protest," said Sam. I nodded in agreement.

"Especially considering the fact that half of our grade thinks the pull out method is effective contraception. Hi Violet!" I said.

"Are you guys going to the sex-ed protest tomorrow?" She asked.

"You should come!" I said.

"I want to but we have a debate tournament."

"Oh that's such bad timing," Sam said in the falsest way possible. Violet gave her a half smile. We went to sit at our table.

"Who was that?" Sam asked.

"Come on Sam," I rolled my eyes. "That's Violet. We've been to school with her for six years now... ringing any bells?"

"Right, so I didn't mean who is she literally, because we go to a school with 100 people per grade. I meant why were you talking to her?"

"We're friends!" Sam shook her head.

"You just couldn't get weirder. By the way how's Eli doing?" I blushed.

"What do you mean?"

"Lulu I'm not an idiot. I watched you two during the service trip. He's so into you!"

"He's really not! No drama, we're just friends."

"Believe what you need, love."

"We're auditioning for the play today."

"That sounds like drama to me!" I rolled my eyes. Sam was a handful and a half. She saw love where there wasn't any, but it always made life interesting even if it meant enduring her belief that every guy in the school was madly in love with me.

I liked Sam, because she was one of the most optimistic people I had met, in spite of outwardly being a sarcastic realist. She was also one of the few people I knew who had utmost faith that everything would work out in the end. Being around someone like that definitely made me happier.

Sam and I were usually partners for bio lab, so it was a big change of pace when Dr. Steiner assigned partners for once. She called out Violet's name with mine, so I wasn't annoyed with the change, just surprised.

We were watching photosynthesis in action and recording the results of different colors of light on photosynthesis. It was a lab that involved lots of observation, which ensured it would be dull.

"I really didn't think we could have a slower bio lab than last week's," I said.

"Oh I always come into class expecting excellence. I know each lab is definitely going to top the last," said Violet. I laughed.

"Are you doing the play? Eli mentioned you might."

"Yeah I'm auditioning! Are you?" Violet let out a startled laugh.

"Oh no definitely not. But I'm doing makeup, costuming, and lights so I'll be around."

Somehow, we made it through the lab. We were among the last to finish, because we got so distracted talking to each other.

"Violet, Lulu, I have an appointment, so I let everyone else out early since they finished. Just clean up when you finish and put all the materials in the closet," said Dr. Steiner.

"Can do Dr. Steiner!" Violet assured.

"Thanks, girls. Have a good day." We finished our lab shortly after and didn't take too long to clean up.

"Lulu, you have to come here!" Violet said. She was putting everything in the closet.

"What is it?" I asked. I walked into the small closet adjacent to the lab.

"Look at this!" She said excitedly. I couldn't tell what she wanted me to look at. "This shelf is beautiful right now! The way the sun comes in and lights up the glass of the test tubes... this is insane." I slowly cracked a smile. Violet was really a strange one.

"It is very pretty, now that you mention it." Violet took out her phone and took a photo of me, standing there. She showed it to me.

"Isn't this beautiful?" I didn't know what to say. The word that came to mind was messy, not beautiful. Messy hair, messy closet, messy girl wearing a lab coat. But Violet seemed very excited about the lighting in this section of the room.

("That's my favorite photo of you.")

"I look silly, but I like it."

"You definitely don't look silly." We left the sunlit corner, and Eli was in the lab.

"Heard I could find the two of you here," he said. I raised an eyebrow. "Sam told me." I blushed. She probably was having a field day over the fact that he had been looking for me.

"Lulu, you're still auditioning right?" Eli asked.

"I guess I am..." I was beginning to grow worried about this whole ordeal. Did I have enough confidence for this?

"Don't be so nervous! Everyone gets cast. Besides I just have this feeling you're better at acting than you think. You have a very expressive face," Eli said. He almost reached a hand to touch my supposedly expressive face before deciding against it. I blushed.

"Vi, you coming?" Eli asked, recovering from his fumble.

"I'll meet up with you soon. Think of me on stage, you two." She hugged Eli, then me, the contact surprising me a little. We walked out of the lab together, but she parted from us at the entrance of the school.

"Good luck!" Violet yelled as she left. I bit my lip. Eli and I continued towards the stage without her.

***

Author's Note: I feel like every high school romance needs a school play.