“Lady Enid, wait!” Captain Strong called after her. Enid kept walking along the garden path. The rain plastered her chestnut curls against her face. She didn’t turn even at the sound of muddy footsteps behind her, until Strong overtook her and stood in her path, an umbrella in his hand.

“If you insist on making me chase you, let us at least stay dry,” he said as he tilted the umbrella toward her.

“I insist on nothing,” she snapped back. “I departed, and hoped you would do likewise.”

“Lady Enid, please,” he gestured again. “You’re too sensible for these dramatics.”

Enid considered, and finally stepped forward under the umbrella. She was aware of their uncomfortable closeness. “Sensible?” she said. “I believe that’s the only compliment you’ve paid me. One generally compliments a lady for the first time before proposing to her.”

“Merely an observation, not a compliment,” Strong replied. “Much as describing you as plain-faced and wasp-tongued are observations, not insults.”

“Then allow me to observe, Captain, that you are arrogant and ill-mannered, and have suffered sadly few consequences for it only because of your father’s position.”

Strong nodded ruefully. “Keenly observed.”

Enid looked him up and down, an uncomfortable proposition from such close proximity. “And you are too muscular,” she said. “I could never find such a man appealing.”

“I could not find a woman such as yourself appealing at all,” Strong replied quickly.

“Very well,” Enid said. “We have observed each other most closely. Let us observe together that a marriage between us would be most unfortunate. So unless your proposal was simply meant as a mockery-”

“You have not observed closely enough, Lady Enid,” Strong said, gently resting his hand on hers. “We do not appeal to each other. We cannot appeal to each other. But that is what makes our marriage a most appealing proposition.”

Enid pulled her hand away. “Explain yourself.”

“I could not find any woman appealing,” Strong said slowly. “But I believe you find them very appealing indeed.”

Enid’s blood ran cold.

“We have always spoken plainly to each other, Lady Enid,” Strong continued. “Let us not stop now. Our feelings are incompatible with those of society. But perhaps they are not incompatible with one another.”

Enid lifted a hand. The rain had stopped. She stepped away from under the umbrella, but rested a hand on Strong’s arm. “Very well, Captain,” she said. “Let us discuss further.”

“Trent?! But he was a…”, her body involuntarily shuddered as she spit out the rest of her sentence, “a skater boy!”
“Well, yeah but you were like all over each other at the Tri-state Fundraiser.”
Claire rolled her eyes, ugh, it had been 15 years but she still remembered her life’s biggest mistake like it was just yesterday.
*~ 15 years ago ~*
“See ya later boy”, she said over her shoulder as she side stepped his outstretched legs. They were draped lazily over a beaten up skateboard and was that… duct tape holding his shoes together?
“Just think about it, okay princess?” That last word dripped with disdain, like the grease in his stringy, shoulder length hair.
As if!! She just needed him and his stupid band to play at this party. Everyone was going to be there and for some reason her friends were obsessed with this idea that the loud, clanging racket he called music would make this THE senior grad party to remember.
But to agree to go to the Tri-state Fundraiser as his fake girlfriend? That was hardly a fair exchange! And what would Brad think if he saw her there with… him? This had the potential to destroy the 5-year plan she had worked so hard for.
Trent had emphasized how she was the last person he wanted to be seen with as well. He had called her a fake, self-absorbed Barbie — which was exactly what he needed to impress his family at this event. If she was the type of person his family was expecting him to bring, they were seriously delusional.
*~ The Present ~*

“Yeah, that was all an act. We made this stupid deal and it totally ruined my life”
“Oh… well, he’s gonna be here tonight! Can you believe he took time from his tour just so he could make it!? Who would ever guess that Trent would be the one from our highschool class to become famous? Life is so funny.”
“Yeah, hilarious. Well, Trina, I'm sure you’re very busy and need to”, she quickly peered over at the contents in Trina’s cart, “make that olive artichoke casserole.”
She suddenly felt a tugging on the left sleeve of her Calvin Klein trench coat. Looking down she let out a sigh as she took in the sticky lollipop-covered face of her five-year old niece — and the tiny bright blue fingerprints that now lined the bottom of her coat sleeve.
Trent was famous and she was stuck in the suburbs nannying her brother’s kid? Life was so unfair.

"Oh!"

As Cathy turned from her locker, in a hurry to get to fourth period and binders clutched tight to her chest, she ran straight into something solid and immovable, yet warm. She fell back, papers scattering and landing flat on her ass. As she adjusted her thick glasses, she saw a tall, athletic boy she didn't recognize in a school jersey.

"Oh, I am so sorry," he said with an apologetic grin, offering her a strong hand up. "I'm Mark." Mark started to help gather up the notes that were being scattered underfoot by rushing students, stopping as he picked up a novel.

"Percy Jackson and the Olympians? Hey, that's my favourite book! You're in for a treat." He exclaims as he hands it back. By this point, the corridor is empty, the bell already ringing for class.

As Cathy reached over, her hand brushed Mark's, and he held onto it for a second while their eyes met. His bright blue eyes shone out from below a fringe of tousled brown hair.

"I'm Cathy," she told him coldly. "And I'm rereading it actually. Not all of us are popular enough to spend our afternoons playing basketball."

"Heyy, low blow! I just do it to keep my dad happy and maybe get a bit of tuition money. Secretly? I'm a big nerd too! You know, the cheerleading team lost a couple members to the all-girls school, you should try out! You would be great!" Mark tells her easily.

"Yeah, right, like I would spend my days obsessing over my looks and skip every breakfast until I pass out," Cathy retorted. "Not all of us WANT to be popular, preppy, pretty poster barbies."

"You sound like you rehearsed that," Mark said with a hint of reproach. "And they're not like that. Those guys are my friends, they're real people, and you're basing you assumptions off a movie trope. Cheerleading is a physically demanding sport! They've actually banned tons of routines because of how dangerous they are! You can say no without being insulting."

Cathy muttered out an embarrassed apology and then rushed to class, slipping in as the teacher had her back turned, writing on the black board. As she slid into her seat, her best friend Allison leaned over and whispered "Did I see you talking with Mark Toni? He just transferred to our school last week, and ALL the girls are talking about him. His dad is stupid rich, and he's the best centre point guard in the state."

"Yeah, well, he's an arrogant jerk," Cathy huffed.

"Omigod, you totally like him!" Allison squealed.

"Do not," Cathy insisted, staring straight ahead.

"Okay," the teacher announced. "Can anyone tell me what the solar system is?"

Before anyone could answer, the bell rang, and people started to gather their things. The teacher raised her voice over the noise. "Your homework for tonight is to write a four page essay about what the solar system means to you!"

Allison and Cathy rushed over to the school library, settling in the bean bag chairs in the back. Mark rounded the corner, nose in a book, and flopped down in the one across from them without looking up while the two girls exchanged a glance. After a moment, the boy looked up from his book.

"Oh! Hi Cathy! Talking to you made me realize how much I missed this," he said, holding up the school's copy if Percy Jackson and the Olympians. "I'm just at the part that Annabeth is introduced, she's my favourite character!"

"Wait, ANNABETH is your favourite character?"

"Well, in the first book. I like Nico, Bianca, Piper later on..."

"But she's such a Mary Sue! She's just a know it all that can save the day because she's a girl. Percy is the main character, and he's actually humble and relatable. He just has to be written as an idiot whenever Annabeth is around so that she can save him!"

"Wait, you're saying Annabeth is a Mary Sue? Percy literally defeats the god of war in single combat when he's 12, with like a week of training. You just sound like a pick-me girl. Annabeth is a well-written and consistent character!"

"I am NOT a pick-me, I just don't agree with the radical feminists saying that women are always better than men!"

"Now you're just putting words in my mouth, but I realize it would be a waste of time to continue this conversation." Instead, Mark turned his dazzling smile and warm eyes to Allison.

"Sorry about that, didn't mean to ignore you. My name is Mark..."

"Yes!"

Welcome to the Prompt! All top-level comments must be a story or poem. Reply here for other comments.

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>* Stories at least 100 words. Poems, 30 but include "[Poem]" >* Responses don't have to fulfill every detail >* See Reality Fiction and Simple Prompts for stricter titles >* Be civil in any feedback and follow the rules

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