//------------------------------// // A Bit More Than A "Good Morning" // Story: Collide // by TheOriginalDash //------------------------------// Octavia It's been strange lately. Vinyl's been uncharacteristically kind, and she's done multiple favors for me that I wouldn't have expected from anyone, much less someone whom I've only known a few months. Someone that seems to take great delight in my discomfort about her rather sexually motivated antics. I'll likely never understand why she does the things she does, but I suppose I'm growing used to the near constant barrage of inappropriate humor and awkward situations that seem to come with the territory that is Vinyl Scratch. That girl gets on my nerves more often than she doesn't. Actually, it would be more apt to say that she tramples them, along with all rules of normal societal convention and etiquette. What female intentionally flirts with another female, simply for their reaction? I'm beginning to question whether she really is as straight as she professes to be. Perhaps she doesn't even realize anything herself. A good example of this sort of behavior would be the incident a few days ago. This sticks out in my mind simply because of the sheer repetition of this sort of behavior from Vinyl. This took it a bit further than she normally does, but nevertheless, this behavior has become a typical day's routine for the two of us. That disturbs me, slightly. However, this has most definitely disturbed me, because I never expected it, nor do I wish to experience it ever again. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Mornin', Octavia! How's my favorite sexyfine girl doing today? Keeping that nice jogger booty going?" I jumped slightly at the greeting, smacking my head on the underside of the shelf I was arranging uniform helmets under. I glanced up, eyes watering, to see a grinning Vinyl saunter into the band room with a black drawstring pack slung over her right shoulder. She was dressed much as usual; iconic purple sunglasses resting on her thin nose, blue hair classically messy, and a Rise Against tee, white skinny jeans, and black combat boots with electric blue laces to complete the ensemble. I glared at the approaching figure for her unwelcome remarks. Why would she care about my "nice jogger booty" anyway? "Good morning, Vinyl. First off, I am not 'sexyfine', nor am I your girl. Secondly, was it really ever any of your business how my bottom appears, regardless of my training habits?" She flashed her trademark grin at me and cocked her head, leaning on the shelf next to me as she did so. Dragging her glasses halfway down the bridge of her nose, she gave me a rather sultry look. I felt my face flush, and I cursed inwardly. Why did she always have this effect on me? I am the single most inherently heterosexual person on the planet, and she is female, for goodness sake! I guess you could just add that to my already long list of life problems. "Oh, darling, you are so sexyfine that I could just drop you right here. And yes, it is my business how your ass looks, because I haven't been able to stop looking at it since the day we met. Now, what say we go find a nice, quiet place somewhere, and I take that jogger booty for a spin?" How can she be so nonchalant about her inappropriate behavior? Does she not understand that I'm not in the mood for this today? I stared daggers at the offending woman, and decided that a well placed punch was necessary. Watching with a smirk plastered on my face as she rubbed her left shoulder, I responded to her previous statement. "Vinyl, dear, why don't you find some other hapless fool to direct your advances toward. I'm sure there are plenty of nice people who would love to become acquainted with you. Sadly, I am not one of those. You'll have to try a lot harder to convince me to do anything." Vinyl smiled at me, undeterred. She then had the gall to place a hand on my shoulder and lean in. As she pulled me close enough that our noses were practically touching, she purred. In all seriousness, she purred. Who on earth purrs? Nevertheless, she did. I coughed slightly to clear my throat, and she grinned. Still, she did not let go. I became increasingly nervous as the seconds passed and she began to gently push me backwards into the brass closet next to us. I struggled to free myself from her grasp, but unfortunately, Vinyl was much stronger than I. She retained her grip on me, and pulled the door closed behind us with a flash of blue magic as she pushed me farther within. The fluorescent lighting flickered ominously, and I briefly entertained the notion of crying out for help until I realized that no one else was in the band room outside at that moment, and that Vinyl was not very likely to actually do anything. Right? I don't want to be violated, especially not by a fellow woman. This line of thought was interrupted as Vinyl backed me up against the trumpet cages. Aaaannndd, violation imminent. My brain screamed at me to move, to struggle and fight and get away. I fought very hard to keep my breathing calm and steady, despite my frantically racing mind. Vinyl pushed her glasses up onto the top of her head with her free hand, and stared at me with a smoky gaze. I swallowed hard, suddenly afraid. She leaned forward unexpectedly, and I flinched. Laughing, she flipped the slide lock on one of the cages shut with a pulse of azure light. "Can't have unlocked cages, can we? Everybody needs a safe place to keep their instrument, right? And as for us, well, you'll see," she whispered into my ear. I certainly didn't feel safe. Of course, I hadn't felt safe since we received the bad news about... By this point, I was sure that she could hear my pulse beating rapidly in my throat, like a caged bird desperate to be freed. I wanted out of here, but I was afraid to try to get away because I had no idea what might happen. I trusted that Vinyl was only joking, although this was taking it a bit further than she normally would. I was abruptly jarred from the safe haven of my thoughts by a tugging at my neck. I looked down to see Vinyl pulling on my bowtie with her teeth. She was untying it! Okay, this had gone far enough. I've been through enough emotional trauma lately. "Vinyl, enough. This is not okay. It never is, but this has gone too far. For the last time, I am not interested, and I don't really think you are, either. Please, kindly release me so I may go on and complete my organization of the uniforms." Chuckling, Vinyl removed her hands from my shoulders, though she gave the aquamarine bowtie one last tug for good measure before she backed away. "Oh, good show, good show, my dear Octavia. I was waiting to see how long you would wait before stopping me. I will say, you lasted a lot longer than I thought you would. Maybe you really are into me, and you just won't admit it." Waggling her eyebrows at me, I huffed and crossed my arms self consciously over my chest. It had become increasingly uncomfortable to be around her in the past weeks, because she had been making these sorts of threats nearly every time she saw me. It had gotten to the point where I felt awkward whenever she even looked at me, because I was afraid that she might actually be "checking me out", despite the fact that common sense told me she wouldn't be. And she never really did. I mean, she would make a show of pretending to look me over when she knew I was looking in her direction, but she would never actually do that under normal circumstances. It's all about the show for her, and the reaction she gets from me. She would make an excellent performer one day, maybe even the world famous DJ she dreams of being. Regardless, I would prefer that she refrain from turning her attention to me, no matter how obvious it is that she has feelings for Jay. Well, obvious to myself, anyway. "Vinyl, no. I do not, nor will I ever have feelings for you. I prefer to be attracted to the opposite gender, though there is nothing wrong with same sex attraction, which you currently seem to be struggling with. Perhaps you should find someone more to your, ah, own kind to play these kinds of games with. I know a nice girl by the name of Lilyrose who would be most accommodating of your... advances. She's a pretty girl, and kind, I could set up something if you would like." Vinyl looked dumbstruck, and a blush colored her face in an instant. Sheepishly, she rubbed the back of her neck with a hand, and looked down at her boot-clad feet. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about something like that. You see, I kinda have a crush on Jay. You know him, right? Wait, of course you do, duh. You're the one who was friends with him first." I smiled at her while still trying to feign mock surprise. I had already known, but I didn't want her to feel embarrassed that it was this obvious. Even Jay had figured it out; the two of us had had multiple conversations about the wild, blue haired girl we had come to know and love. I feel that he would have been more than happy to date her, if not for the fact that he had told me in the past that he never really felt attracted to anyone. So, either Jay has never found someone truly worth the effort, or he's what is commonly referred to as asexual. I didn't want to crush the poor girl's heart, but I couldn't just let her chase after him foolishly. "Vinyl, I knew. I could tell. But the problem is, I don't think Jay is interested. He hasn't ever really seemed to have feelings for anyone, and we both think that perhaps he can't. Jay and I have discussed this at length, as he trusts me above all else, and that's the best we have come up with so far. I'm sorry, but I don't think it will happen." Vinyl looked crestfallen, but hid it immediately behind her usual casual demeanor, and appeared to shrug off the surely upsetting news. I took a step toward her, intending to comfort her, but I thought better of it, and remained where I was. She surprised me again, though. I felt myself wrapped in a crushing hug, suddenly, and I caught my breath. Panicked, I looked at Vinyl, hoping she would let go. That was when I noticed the single tear in her eye, and I relaxed. She really had loved him, hadn't she? How long had she felt this way? I felt my hands move of their own accord, and I found myself unconsciously rubbing her back and shushing her. This had hurt her deeper than I initially thought, and I felt a growing sense of deep admiration and respect for the girl who had moments ago seemed, to anyone on the outside of the joke, about to take my virginity for all intents and purposes. Vinyl frustrated me at times, more than at times, really, but she had a soft heart inside her joking and brash exterior. It felt as if something broke inside of me when I witnessed that tear she was trying so desperately to hide, and I couldn't understand why. That's why I held on tighter, surprising even myself, when the hug ended as quickly as it began. For the briefest of moments, I had felt secure in a pair of arms that did not belong to a family member, and I found that I missed the comfort that offered me, even though I was supposed to be the one comforting. There came an odd feeling in my chest, a hollow yet full to bursting sensation that I couldn't for the life of me understand. What's happening here? Brushing these silken spiderweb strands of embryonic thoughts away, I composed myself with a deep breath, and smiled at Vinyl. "Better now? I know it hurts, but you have to realize it's for the best. I couldn't have allowed you to hurt yourself like that by chasing after someone who believes, as well as I do, that he does not have the ability to return your feelings. It is better that you are hurt this little bit now, than that you be hurt ten times worse by allowing yourself to become so fixated on what would eventually lead to heartbreak and disappointment. It may sound cold, but there will always be other boys. You'll find one someday that will come and sweep you off your feet and never let you go." Vinyl nodded, and I still couldn't shake the alien presence in my chest. It felt wrong to be reassuring her of the certainty of a future boyfriend, and I could not fathom why I felt that way. Surely I should be happy for her? "You know, you're right, Octy. The whole thing was silly, anyway. Who needs love when you have friends? Especially sexy, bootylicious friends like yourself, girl." My face flushed at her comments, and for the first time in many years, I stammered and stuttered and generally failed to find my next response. She had rendered me speechless with two words. Two little words. Why could I not respond? I had countless times before when Vinyl would taunt me. Why would my words fail me now? So many puzzling little mysteries today... Eventually, though, I found my voice. "Oh, absolutely, Vinyl. Except for the very last sentence. Sexy and 'bootylicious', am I? Hardly. I am a refined, cultured, lady musician who belongs in places far above the reach of common mortals like yourself. You should feel incalculably lucky that I even deign to allow you to near me, let alone attempt to grope and fondle me as you have just done not minutes ago." Vinyl smiled at me again, another lazy grin to top off the morning's quota. "You know, if I understood half those words, I'd probably be insulted. But I did understand the words grope, fondle, and you. Sorry, but my shift's up for the day. Maybe you should go talk to that Lilyrose chick if you want some more of that." I blushed again, my accursed face betraying me for the umpteenth time that morning. Why do I let her get to me in this way? She is nothing more than an overly sexual nuisance that I am forced to put up with six days of the week. "Vinyl, I do not wish for anything of the sort. This morning was more than enough to last me for a very long time. Most likely a lifetime. So, if you would kindly refrain from such behavior in the future, I would be very pleased." The words felt like a lie as they left my lips, and they stuck to the roof of my mouth as if they did not want to leave their shelter. Why was I behaving in such a strange manner? "Oh, so I was that good, huh? Man, I didn't even take any clothes off or anything. But here you are saying you're good for another sixty years, practically. Wow, you got really into that, didn't you? Dang, girl, you surprise me sometimes." Winking at me, Vinyl brushed past me to open the door and leave. Flustered, I chased her into the band room and spun her around by a shoulder. "Listen here, Vinyl. I did not like your little display in there, nor do I ever wish for a repeat. It is not because you were 'good', as you so crudely put it, it is because I. Am. Straight!" I happened at that precise moment to look past Vinyl to see that we had a small audience for our little spat. I immediately felt the slight weight of my undone bowtie, and I could feel little bits of my hair sticking up from their normally sleek and sophisticated curtain. Flushing bright red clear down into my neck, I hurriedly retied my bowtie, and ran my hands through my hair to straighten it out. I realized exactly what this looked like. Vinyl and I walk out from a closed room, and I'm fairly disheveled from my norm. My white dress shirt was rumpled, and luckily I had chosen to wear black skinny jeans today, or my pants would have likely been a mess, too. Vinyl fared only slightly better herself; her tee was stretched out at the neck where I had grabbed at it to try to escape, her pants were covered in a fine layer of dirt and shoeprints, and one of her boots had come untied. For all our little gaggle of onlookers knew, Vinyl had actually done something with me in there, instead of what had actually happened. Clearing my throat rather quietly, I attempted to repair the damage I could feel attaching itself to my reputation. "You see, Vinyl and I were in the closet to straighten up some instrument lockers and clear up some of the garbage the brass students feel is so necessary to strew everywhere. Nothing more went on, and I would hope you would not believe such a thing about two innocent people." Some of the brass students in question were in the little group of about twelve people, and they looked down in shame when I mentioned the filth in their closet. Everyone else still watched us with suspicion. Luckily, Vinyl stepped up and came to our rescue. "Alright, everybody. Here's the deal. What Octy just said is true. And while we did just come out of the closet, we didn't 'come out of the closet', if you catch my drift. I am most definitely straighter than a lot of the people we see in band every day, and you know that's a fact. I'm kinda ashamed of all of you, for thinking that we would do something like that. I mean, give me some credit. There are way classier places to hook up than a brass closet. I would've at least taken a girl this fine to the uniform closet if there was anything serious gonna happen." I winced at Vinyl's peculiar way of explaining the situation, but it did seem to calm the small gathering in front of us. Many of them began nodding along with what she said, and a few chuckled at her coming out joke. In a few seconds, they dispersed, leaving me with a triumphant Vinyl and a shaky sense of how close I had come to being ruined. Luckily, not in the sense that Vinyl would have taken that last bit. Oh dear Luna, did I just make some sort of sexual pun? I did, didn't I? What is happening to me? I think I've spent too much time with Vinyl. She's rubbing off on me. I don't like the results. "So, Octy. How about that uniform closet, huh? I could go for a bit of roleplay. You could be the drum major, and I could be the naughty freshman that you're going to discipline. I always had a thing for whistles and authority figures." This was met with a loud thump as I backhanded Vinyl in the side of the head. She winced and covered the spot while grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Oh, I was going to get that girl good someday. And when I do, she's not going to like it. "Vinyl, no. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to go finish stacking helmets, and then I am leaving. I will be back here later tonight for the game. You should go somewhere and see if anyone else needs help with preparations. Goodbye." I said this as if it were the end of the discussion, and there would be no more questions, but Vinyl took it another way. "So, I'll come help you. It'll get done twice as fast that way. Plus, I get to watch you bend over. I always did like a nice chunk of ass." I scowled fiercely at her, and stalked off to the helmets under that shelf. "Vinyl, if you don't stop saying things like that, a chunk is all you'll have left of yours from where I kicked it so hard." Unperturbed, Vinyl soon joined me, being sure to trail a hand along my lower back up to my shoulders. I shivered, and I could hear her stifled laughter. "You know, Octy, I always did like it rough. Maybe I wouldn't mind if you hit me that hard. Maybe I'd actually like it, but only if it was you." I turned my head to glare at her, and tossed her a helmet that belonged on her side of the stack. "Vinyl, for the last time, no. Secondly, that's disturbing. You ought to get a mental evaluation sometime, because I'm fairly certain masochism is not normal." She smirked at me, and leaned over to pick up another helmet. She got close enough that her breath tickled the skin on my neck as she answered. "Nothing is normal about you, babe. You're much hotter than the usual girls. If I could just get you out of those stuffy, fussy old clothes, I'm sure you'd be even hotter." I shivered again at the feeling of her warm breath, and I blushed as she chuckled deeply. How does she do that to me? "Vinyl, no. My clothes stay on until I get home and change. And, before you ask, no, you may not help me and/or be present in any way. My body is for my eyes only, end of story. Even if we were dating for some ludicrous reason, you would not have access to what's on the inside of my clothing. No." Vinyl stared at me with puppydog eyes, and I found myself stuck on the idea of what reason it would take for two straight girls to date each other. Specifically the thought of the two of us together. We were perfectly incompatible, right? Even if she were of the opposite gender. She's far too different from me for anything to ever work out, even if it were Vincent instead of Vinyl. Yet I still couldn't shake the idea, and it gnawed at me as we finished stacking the helmets in a silence unbroken save for Vinyl's constant sexual threats. Why would I become so fixated on that concept? It's not like I had feelings for this rude and unmannerly girl. She's a female, for goodness sake. I am also a female. That would never work. So why do I get the odd feeling that it might?