Someone’s In Love With Me

Last week I'd spent an inadvisable, some may say stupid, amount of time at a small sorority gat-together. That had devolved into a night of Bloody Mary, neon Jello, and games of romance and suburban housewives with a sacred paper fortune teller.

Hence waking to my eyes pierced by cruel lamp light and worse yet... the sun. The complete jerk.

I'd thrown a pillow and tried to stretch back into a blissful sleep only for my leg to cramp and my phone to continue tormenting me with it's insufferable call tone.

Who had the absolute nerve? Whoever set it like that was getting a beating.

From my dorm it wasn't too much of a walk to the main commons building.

The SU was completely cleaned out, no sign at all of a serious competition having taken place. With all of twenty spectators.

Not a big deal at all.

Even still, I decided not to look too hard at the space now filled with card tables and ping-pong.

My hand was still oddly twitchy when I turned the knob for the Student News room.

"Morning," I greeted, trying my best to sound awake and present. But I caught the strain and the break. "So, any big story to break? Am I in trouble?"

"Right here Sooth."

The editor called from her perch. Apart from all the mere mortals at her own desk right at the center of the operation.

Felicia Wiles leaned back from the furniture, arms tilted out of sight and a slight smile perking her lip upon seeing me.

I noted she'd had the time to pick up a hearty breakfast and sweet cold brew with whip cream. And she wore quite the nice elbow-length white button up blouse.

The latest paper was slammed onto the desk for me to see.

Where on the front page was Sylvia.

A photo taken from the administration for the school's Activities and Org. page of her accepting the trophy.

Even so, a part of me felt, hackled.

Was it okay for us to have this picture.

"This was..." Felicity said, darkening and serious for all but a moment, "AMAZING! Top material!"

She clapped her hands.

Confusion simply grew. And more than a bit of suspicious unease.

"Oh," she popped, "yeah we got her permission to print the picture, don't worry. You aren't in trouble."

"In fact," hand to her chin.

Grin widening and a gleam in her eyes making for a slightly unhinged appearance.

"I LOVE YOU RIGHT NOW, Devon Sooth" she exclaimed, hands resting to my shoulders.

"Hah, whaa, I mean Miss I--"

"Now that whole pitch I had given you: get some deets on the top scholarship student in First Year, dig up a why for the sudden entry figure her game, that was good."

Felicity's peering toward the article proper only grew more scrutinizing.

"But what you did right there, RIGHT. There. That entire performance was gold!"

"I, I was supposed to report," I reminded her, but all the same quite weak and quite abashed at myself. "Not... become the report."

God. I didn't care what Felicity was on about. I'd screwed up end of story.

And try as I might have to fix it, blegh, my opinion just got all over the page!

And... Ugh, I'd had no excuse not to tear it up and... DO Something!

"Oh who cares," she replied, snapping a dismissive hand wave at my face, "it was completely unexpected, sizzling, and sensational. You rocked the performance that night I may add, not to mention you looked just..." in her dreamy, faraway fantasy she blew a magnifico kiss, "perfect. Absolutely made for each other if even for a moment."

"Hold-- hold on," I finally said, if only to say I'd put in some effort.

before this entire situation inevitably flew out of control. "We are not dating. N-O," I spelled firmly, X-ing my hands to show how serious. "And we aren't even sure if she likes women and even if she did I am not going to sell myself to make a story!"

"Well of course not," Felicity cried, voice brimming with mirth and dare if I was crazy, just the most condescending little bit of pity. "Looks don't lie."

I took the proffered newspaper, trained on where she pointed.

"That was not just a one and done. Something happened in that dance last night, Sylvia was giving you eyes too," with such an assured smile it just must be the truth. Right?

"No, I-- I don't know," and I didn't know if I cared. Or if I wanted to care. "I'm sorry, I'm missing the point here."

"The teachers and the Arts department think she has a real chance of representing," Felicity outlined.

"Repre-sent?" I said, somewhat carefully, not sure I understood it even if the word was in my mouth.

Felicity sighed, but looked no more bothered or annoyed. Simply graceful and authoritative.

"For the district dance contests, and if she takes that, the national Winter Waltz in three months. One," she held up a finger, "that is a big story. This school's never had a presence in the arts to be honest. At least, not beyond state level so her as a breakout would be a headline. Two, there would be big investment from the entire university for her to make it to the top, not just for clout and media, but also for the individual and distributed allocation cash prizes which would completely rehaul our old Arts and Performance departments."

I nodded along.

Right. The bottom line, the story.

And of course, the wellness of the school.

So with that, I could guess what three was.

"Three."

'You...'

Devon Sooth, I may be the only person Sylvia could consider humoring for an exclusive. If Felicity had the right idea and we'd somehow become "intertwined," like in the ballad piece, that meant I could very well have swaying power to make a whole lot happen. And a whole lot to report on as a journalist.

Even so...

"I won't tell you how to use that awesome power," Felicity reassured, "I do have morals. That said, I want you on the pulse of this thing. Poor girl, I respect that she wants to study and set her career in motion, we all do, but she's made an uproar. She's not going to get away from it."

Yeah. Poor girl.

"I'll do my best," I decided. "And I'll protect Sylvia Monterra in whatever capacity she'll let me with or without the fixing."

Felicity shrugged. "Okay, good luck on both."

"By fix I mean," I began, just to make sure.

"Yeah, yeah I got it."

"Okay."

And with a somewhat awkward first stride I was ready to stride out of there like a Queen badass.

Only I remembered one little detail.

"Can I, have my notes back? On... Sylvia and the dance story?"

"Don't remember the complex?"

"I don't remember the complex."