Anything But Ordinary

[Kane Garrett]

"It's okay," Kane said gently. "There are no stupid questions, no stupid thoughts." It looked like there was more bothering her about this, though he could see that even on its own it was something that would be scarring at worst, and unsettling, at the least. "Go on," Kane prompted lightly, his clear eyes focused softly on Anna. "The more you get out, the better you'll feel. I'm not going anywhere."

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna shook her head, not in response to Kane, but merely as a way to clear the jumble of thoughts that were all competing for attention now that she had a sounding board. The image at the ball won out, and her words focused on it. "They were together at the Masquerade, I ran into them together. I didn't know it at the time, none of us did. They were so carefree, teasing and telling me the difference between kissing girls and boys." She rubbed her eyes at the feeling of moisture building in them before looking back up at the Professor. "I just don't get why he would suddenly decide he liked guys instead of me."

[Kane Garrett]

"That's something I can't answer for you; only he knows the answer, but trust me when I say it wasn't anything that you did that made him make that decision." Kane gave his wand an unobtrusive flick and a box of tissues on the desk slid a bit closer to Anna. He wished it were in his power to do more for the girl, but as it was, he only knew what she had told him, and so the best he could do was support her, and guide her to figure out the answers for herself.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna took a tissue, dabbing at the corner of her eye before twisting it up in her hands. "But how can you be so sure?" She searched her mind for the information that was fighting his words. "He once told me he could never like guys, he said it like he meant it. So now what am I supposed to think? I know I was timid with him, afraid to do anything other than kissing really, but If I'd known that he'd turn gay...I wasn't holding back on purpose, it just wasn't right." It never felt right like it does with Chase. Her mind continued to spin in circles, and she was lost in thought. Her mind focused on the differences between the encounters with the two very different boys. Michael was so much more of an emotional connection, but physically they'd almost always gotten stalled, it hadn't ever been right. Were their messed up snogging sessions the cause of him being gay, or... "Merlins, was he already gay?"

[Kane Garrett]

"That may be," Kane said. "It's common for wizards, especially young wizards, to be in denial about things like this. It may be something he discovered, or he may have had suspicions, but been unable to admit it, either to the public, or to himself. In any case, your decision not to move farther physically than you were comfortable with won't have been the cause. Think of it this way; if every boy who was left physically frustrated at the end of the day turned gay, there wouldn't be many straight men."

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Annabelle gave a weak smile at his jest. “I suppose you’re right.” She sighed, looking down at the now shredded tissue in her hand, not even remembering having torn it to pieces. “I’m trying to move past him, but something keeps pulling my thoughts back to him. I loved him; we could talk about anything, and I miss that. I’m somewhat involved with someone else now, but it’s weird. I can forget about him for the moment, but I always go back to thinking about what went wrong.”

[Kane Garrett]

"Thinking about it is better than repressing it all, Anna. Just don't let it consume you. You have friends; if you're not close with them, you can always get close. The larger a support system you have, the easier you'll get through this." It was basic advice, but good advice. "I'd also advise you not to rush ahead trying to get over him." She hadn't said as much, but it was common enough that the warning wasn't out of place.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna nodded at his good advise, but was unable to commit to the last part. She didn't consider Chase to be just a rebound, since technically he'd kissed her several weeks before she'd ever even heard of Michael. But even if he was only a temporary guest in her life, was that so bad? He had opened her up, made her enjoy what she'd so recently been afraid of. Besides all that, he was an excellent opponent in a verbal spar. She turned her thoughts to the first part of his advice and commented with a soft "I'll try." She knew that he'd take it as her acceptance of everything he'd said, and she didn't offer up otherwise.

[Kane Garrett]

Kane could tell when someone was withdrawing, even if Anna hadn't been an open book. He gave her another soft, disarming smile. "Don't knock yourself out or anything," he teased lightly. Kane sat back in his chair again, trying to lighten the mood of the room, hoping she'd keep going, and share whatever else was bothering her. "Anything else on your mind?" Kane asked, that same casual interest in his voice.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna looked up at him and immediately wished she hadn't. Between his smile and his approachable manner, she found it hard to hold back. "Well...." Anna hesitated, wondering if Chase was an issue compared to everything else. She took a breath, and with a small smile and a light blush to her cheek, she opened the last can of worms. "There is the other guy, but I don't even know if he's worth mentioning. We aren't dating even."

[Kane Garrett]

Kane gave a light nod of acceptance at Anna's words. "Well, since you did mention him, you may as well go on, right?" Anna seemed to have finished talking about the recent past, and moving on to the present felt right, so Kane didn't push, but encouraged her to continue as she'd begun.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

Anna ran the hand not holding the tissue through her hair trying to think of what she had to say on the subject of Chase. She nibbled on her lip in concentration before deciding to start at the beginning. "I met him before I knew Michael, we kissed, but that was it. Then I got with Michael, and he with Dru. Dru and him aren't together anymore, otherwise nothing would have happened." She paused, wondering if Kane was able to follow her disorganized thoughts. "See, I kinda feel guilty on Dru's behalf; she dated Michael before me too. Chase isn't my boyfriend, we're just attracted to each other, but it still might be odd if Dru knew we were spending time together. But I don't want to give him up. When he's around talking to me and stuff, I'm able to forget my feeling for Michael and be me again. "

[Kane Garrett]

Kane nodded again to show that he was listening. There wasn't any solid advice he could give, though. Teen politics were notoriously complicated, even when everything seemed self-explanatory. He wouldn't presume to know what was going on from just the brief information that Anna had given him. It was the phrase she'd ended on that said the most, though. And be me again. "Are you friends, then?" Kane asked, encouraging Anna to go on.

[Annabelle Hennessy]

"Yeah we are, in a weird sort of way. We like to argue, but in a fun way, more like a debate. He's far more stubborn than I, so he usually has the last word; but I know he doesn't win, even if he thinks he does. And he's been there for me when I needed someone, and I was there for him too." She blushed, remembering how both those times had ended, but she wasn't about to tell a professor about that, no matter how disarming of a smile he had. "He doesn't want a relationship, and I don't think I could enter into one knowing that I have unsettled issues still, so this sort of friendship works for now."

[Kane Garrett]

Kane was watching Anna, so her blush didn't escape him. He'd seen enough to guess the rest, or at least part of it, that she had some kind of romantic feelings for Chase, but she hadn't said much to imply more, other than that she felt somewhat guilty about it. "It sounds like you might have a good thing started, then," Kane said, choosing his words carefully, emphasizing that things were starting, and subtly reminding her of his advice to take her time.