It's only natural [sailingsam and Sigr]

[Sigr]

Nowhere near the first and certainly not the last of sighs escaping her lips sounded as she dragged her feet along the school corridor. Those sneakers made her feet feel trapped, but at least they were flat unlike what other girls around were wearing on their feet. The jeans hugging her fit legs seemed to fold in the worst ways possible, and they were a poor choice on that warm day of September. The San Diego West Institute was a fine place, but even if the classes were cooled, walking around was a pain and she felt like her underwear was riding up uncomfortably. Another few steps, another sigh. Anyone who looked at her would see a lean girl looking as her backpack bothered her, but it really was the bra, that seemed to bite into her flesh in every way possible. The thought of having to wear that awful thing baffled her, specially when she didn't have that much to support in the front. At least the white blouse she was wearing was loose enough to be the least of her worries, but she missed to feel her black long hair caress her back, something she never thought she would.

The tanned girl finally arrived into her designated classroom, seemingly just in time for the teacher to introduce her. "This is Leaf Washington, she's a couple days late due to paperwork, but she'll joining us starting today" announced the teacher, a wiry woman in her fifties with salt and pepper curly hair that went everywhere. "There is a free spot right there, dear" she pointed to an empty desk, letting her go. As Leaf was walking there, she noticed she would be sitting next to a redheaded girl that was looking at her funny, but then again, all the class was looking at her. What was it? Did she do something wrong? Leaf sat down in her place with yet another sigh, unpacking her things around. She understood that her parents wanted her to mingle with kids her age that didn't belong to their usual circle of friends, that there was only so much they could teach the sixteen year old girl and that she deserved to pick her way in life... but the truth was that abandoning her zone of comfort was turning to be a pain, and that was just the beginning.

Finally looking at the clock, Leaf noticed that she had indeed arrived quite late to the class even if the teacher had said nothing about it. It seemed that all her discomfort, awkwardness and, she had to admit it, purposefully walking around slowly, it had costed her most of her class time. It wasn't like Leaf wanted to be expelled, that would only be a headache for her parents and they would send her to another high school, so any kind of childish plan of misbehaving so she could return home was out of her mind. At least she could make new friends there, right? Leaf hoped that being a couple of days late didn't mean that everyone already knew each other and she was going to be treated like an outsider, even if that was probably what she was.

 

[Charlotte Honeycutt]

Catherine Williams had had an absolutely amazing summer break. She had gotten a day job at a frozen yogurt place that got her off daily around 2 or 3 depending on their business, but never had to stay later than 3:30. The up and coming high school sophomore had turned 16 right at the end of her freshman year, older for her class as she had been presented with a used car by her parents. She lived a happy life, with plenty of things that she had but didn't really need. She was very fortunate and the redhead knew that. As she rose out of her bed for the first day, she still couldn't get a single thought out of her head from earlier in the summer. It had stayed in her head, and she wasn't quite sure what it was indicative of that she continued to think of it at least once or twice a day.

One day when she had gotten off work, she had been invited by a couple of her friends to go tan down at the beach, something considered 'dangerous' with her being a redhead, which her friends gave her plenty of hell and joking with her about the entire thing. She took it in stride and often found herself laughing along with her friends about the jokes. She had been given an address and had seemingly followed it, but in the long run, had ended up at the wrong place. She wouldn't know until she was halfway down the stairs to the narrow beach as she looked up, her towel slung over her shoulder when she had seen her. The long black hair had run almost all the way down the girls back, but stopped just high enough that Cat had noticed the girl wasn't wearing bikini bottoms. Had she gone to the wrong beach? She had heard of the naturalist and nudist beaches, but didn't know they existed so close to the city limits. She had blushed to herself nervously and began to turn when the girl had turned around, seemingly not noting Cat standing at the base of the stairs. She had amazing curves... with a rounded chest with two smaller orbs protruding perfectly from the girls chest. Cat's eyes naturally wandered as her largest surprise had come next... the girl was unshaven... very unshaven. She had seen the girls bush from that far away as she wondered to herself why anyone would have been that way freely. She was trimmed and clean shaven all over her body, and couldn't tell what else on the girl might be unshaven. She had decided to leave the beach before she was caught staring as she turned and tripped, awkwardly falling onto the wooden stairs and skinning her knee in the process as she squeaked out in pain and ran up the stairs, running to her car and slipping in before texting the girls who had invited her out that she'd have to pass on the beach outing.

The rest of the summer had gone fine. She had quit the yogurt shop the week before school had started and had drifted away from her 'friends' as they had found another clique to hang out with as Cat wasn't necessarily in any sort of clique. It was fine though as they still communicated back and forth. She was sure they would grow further apart though and she'd likely have to find another group of friends down the road, but so close into the school year, she wasn't too concerned about it. She looked up from the doodle she was working on as her eyes widened as she coughed to keep herself from speaking up as she saw the dark haired girl. Looking down at her scabbed knee, still healing from her fall about two weeks before. Even if she was wearing clothing, she knew it was her, and now she had a name to the face. Her face flushed as she realized she was staring as she jerked her head back down to her notebook and tried not to stare as she realized the only open seat in the class was next to her. "shit' she thought to herself as she coughed again and forced a welcoming smile onto her face, biting her lip to try and draw out the nervousness as she mouthed "Hello" to the new girl beside her as she watched her sit. It was different seeing her in clothing... but she figured the new girl had zero friends at all. She... she didn't want to, but she needed to. She sighed to herself. She'd do it... but not right away. Oh fuck it... she sighed as she leaned over and smiled at her. "Hi. I'm Cat... it's nice to meet you. Welcome to Freedom High and the hell that is Mrs. Erickson's English class." She blushed softly as she bit back down on her lip and turned her attention back to her doodle, stealing side glances over at the girl every now and then as the older woman began her lessen where she had dropped off before Leaf had entered the room.

 

[Sigr]

"Hello" Leaf greeted back, seemingly just a customary greeting from the girl sitting next to her. She seemed nervous, maybe the teacher was very strict with talking in her class or was it something else? It had to be something else, as the girl leaned in to keep talking, even introducing herself. "Cat" Leaf nodded, committing the name to memory. "I'm Lea- wait, you already know that" she stifled a giggle noticing her blunder since the teacher had already introduced her. Cat had a beautiful red hair, bright and attention calling, but luckily Leaf was more than accustomed to not stare and make people uncomfortable. "I arrived late, do you think she mind-" Leaf wanted to ask how bad would the teacher take her tardiness, but as their object of discussion stopped talking to loudly clear her throat, she soon backed off to her seat and looked forward during what was left of the class. It was terribly boring, since her admission exam had great results in English due to being a bit ahead of the course, and Mrs. Erickson did nothing that was beyond a monotone lecture that threatened to drown them. It didn't last long though, and before it could get too mind numbing the class was over and Mrs. Erickson went away after glaring at them.

"Ahh... hell indeed..." Leaf protested once the teacher abandoned the class, awkwardly squirming on her seat, still fighting her ill fitting clothes. "I'm sorry if I made you a target for her ire" she apologized, sitting sideways and facing Cat. Maybe talking during class hasn't been her smartest idea, but her father never chastised her about that. Well, Leaf was his only student, so who was she going to talk to if it wasn't him? Oh, this was going to be quite the challenge. Cat kept looking at her, was there something wrong about her? She looked down and her clothes seemed to be in order, so it had to be some kind of new student thing, after all her entrance didn't seem to fit the standards. "Do you draw?" Leaf asked tilting her head to the left, looking at Cat's doodle and wondering what was she supposed to do next. Another teacher was going to come by or did they had to move to another class? She knew she had some kind of schedule lost around in her bag, but she didn't want to look at it, providing it could be found and understood. She had plans for after school, but first she had to survive to her first day going to school anywhere that wasn't the comfort of her own home.

 

[Charlotte Honeycutt]

Cat smiled as Leaf introduced herself to her yet again as she stifled a giggle of her own as she blushed softly, the nervousness gone suddenly as the younger redhead realized that this new girl was just as awkward, if not more, than she herself was as her eyes averted to the cough at the front of the classroom as she blushed apologetically at the old hag teaching what she already knew about some sort of grammar and sentence structural alignment as she rolled her eyes and pretended to Pay attention to the teacher until the older woman turned her back towards the chalkboard as she went back to the blackboard as Cat turned her own attention back to her notebook and the doodles, finding her own mind distracted as it went back to the image of her next next door desk mate naked on the beach as she bite her lip again, wincing in pain as she bit down harder than she thought. For the remainder of the class, she idly traced her pencil back and forth on the paper, trying to Clear her head. It jerked up as the bell rang, signaling the end of the class as Mrs. Erickson picked up her things and left as other students began to file out of the room, soon leaving Cat and Leaf alone. Cat wasn't sure why she had stuck around, but she had a general feeling that the newer girl didn't know where to go to next.

Cat smiled softly as the girl turned to face her as she nodded. "It is in fact hell on earth. The worst class of my day if I'm being honest. Maybe it's because it's first period... maybe its Mrs. Erickson... I'm not really sure to be quite honest." She laughed softly as she turned her attention to her still open notebook as she shrugged. "It's just a little something I do here and there when I'm bored... its nothing serious." She said. It was the first time someone had taken note of her doodles, which could actually be considered art if someone in the art department took a look at it. "I wouldn't call it serious, but I guess you could say I draw for leisure." she said as she shrugged and unzipped her book bag, putting the English notebook back in her bag and pulling out her books for her next class as she stood and turned to face Leaf, her bag slung over her shoulder. "Do you know where you're going next? Or what class you have? I... I could show you the way." She offered to the younger girl kindly, a softer smile on her face as she blocked the beach thought out of her mind for the time being. She was trying to forget it, and Leaf seemed nice enough... maybe she'd be lucky and get a new friend out of it. "Come on." She waved her hand towards Leaf. "We've gotta get outta here before the next class starts to file in. Who knows, you might have to go all the way across the campus to get to your next class." She smiled as she went to the doorway and waited for Leaf to join her.

 

[Sigr]

"Serious or not, if you have fun with it and allows to express yourself then it's worth something" Leaf shrugged. "Same reason I like playing the guitar. Maybe I'm good, maybe I'm not, but I don't care" she crowned her shrug with a small smile, her green eyes shining for a moment. Leaf had found someone to talk to quite soon, maybe she wasn't so much of a weirdo in there? After all the main reason her parents had sent her there was to meet people her age and out of their community. She fidgeted and looked around, seeing Cat get up and get ready, not knowing what to do. Leaf was about to ask, but Cat turned to face her and offered her help. "Let me see..." she put her backpack hanging on the front, rummaging through it in search for her schedule. "Where did I put it..." she mumbled, her efforts delayed as she followed Cat outside the class, feeling completely out of her element. "Here it is!" she produced a schedule, holding it triumphant on her hand as if finding it was an exceptional task.

"Lets see, I don't have PE until the day after tomorrow, I have to get something for that..." she started to mumble as she walked with Cat, making mental notes of all the things she needed. She would need something to wear during that, a sports bag and so on. Her face soon turned sour, her findings most displeasing. "Math, I have math next" she said in a somber tone. "Why did it have to be math? I hate math" she passed her schedule to Cat, so she could help her and see if they had more classes together. "I don't want to be a nuisance but... look, I'm completely lost in here" Leaf admitted, and here didn't limit to that exact place, but high school in general. "I kind of don't know how this place works, so I could use the help" her green eyes shone again, pleading for help. "Please?" she pouted as a joke. She needed more help than that, specially if she planned to do shopping later, but she didn't want to suffocate poor Cat with her pleas.

 

[Charlotte Honeycutt]

Cat followed Leaf out of the room as they stood off to the side of the busy hallway, convoluted with students meandering over to the location of their next class as she waited for Leaf to find her schedule so she could figure out where she was headed to next. "Oh, you play the guitar?" She perked up a bit, brushing her hair out of her face as she readjusted her position so she could lean up against the wall as her curiosity was piqued. "I always wanted to pick up an instrument, but never really had the time or wanted to invest the time into it. I have a bad history of starting something and not completing it totally." She admitted with a blush as she watched with interest as Leaf looked through the seemingly never ending bag for her schedule as she stifled another giggle. It was almost cute at hoe flustered the dark haired girl was becoming over finding a schedule she had likely nonchalantly thrown into her bag before the previous class. "Yay!" She exclaimed with a light laugh. It had taken longer than she thought it would, meaning they'd likely both be late to whatever class they had next.

She watched Leaf's eyes glance over the schedule, noting the stark green in the girls eyes that stood out quite a bit in contrast with the almost jet black hair hanging down nearly the length of Leaf's back as she laughed a bit. "I had a feeling you might hate math... who do you have it with?" She asked as she was handed the schedule as she glanced over it. "Hmmm... it looks like we have three more classes together total. We have math together... PE... and a study hall. We also share the same lunch period too." She looked up and handed the schedule back to Leaf. "Now come on." She looked at her watch on her wrist, a tiny little thing she had gotten for her birthday. "Mr. Morris hates it when you come late." She smiled and motioned for Leaf to follow her down the hallway. "Luckily its not too far away." She turned and put her other book bag strap around her shoulder. "As for PE, what do you need to get for it?" She asked her, wondering what materials she did and didn't have. "And dont worry about learning your way around here... I can help you get yourself oriented. How's that sound?" She asked Leaf batting her lashes over her light hazelnut colored eyes as they got closer to the correct classroom. "We can talk more about it when we meet back up for lunch this afternoon, how's that sound?" She smiled warmly at Leaf.

 

[Sigr]

Leaf smiled when Cat said she somehow knew she was going to hate math, it felt somehow a bit random, but maybe that meant that Cat was starting to get to know her? Well, she had a feeling they could be good friends, even if she didn't know why, so she saw Cat's insight as something natural. Some sort of connection, perhaps. Leaf wasn't as spiritual as her mother, so she wasn't all so sure on the unseen energies and all that, but maybe, just maybe, there was something else going on they couldn't understand. After all, she liked to keep an open mind. Seeing how many classes they had together seemed like a sign, that was for sure. "Oh yeah, lets go, I don't want to anger more than one teacher on my first day" Leaf nodded with her eyes wide open.

"I wouldn't worry about starting many things" Leaf said out of the blue on the way to the class. "What you said about not completing them and such..." she added, in case her comment came out too unrelated. "We should never stop trying new things I guess, specially when young. Otherwise I wouldn't be here" she shrugged, showing a small smile. Her parents had been right, of course, she needed this, she needed to open to the world. They were seemingly getting close to the dreaded math classroom, so they didn't have much time to talk. "Prfff, everything" Leaf snorted, but she had little time to explain if they weren't eager to incur in Mr. Morris' anger. "Fantastic, lets talk at lunch" Leaf's eyes shone like grass under the summer sun when Cat offered her help, but it wasn't just her words, but also the warm glow Cat had when she smiled at her.

Wonderfully logic, completely hermetic and terribly dull maths threatened to quench Leaf's joy about finding a friend, specially when they had still a couple more classes before lunch where they wouldn't be together. Cat quickly pointed her where she had to go for her classes before lunch, so she could have time to reach them even if slightly lost. Leaf would stay and talk, but they had to part in different directions. Leaf took note of Cat's directions so they could find each other in the cafeteria later for lunch, and darted out to her classes. History and Geography were nice, Leaf liked those classes, but the teaching was so standardized that it robbed them part of their interest. Because of that Leaf's mind drifted off to Cat more than once, eager to know more about how things worked around, but mostly wanting to know more about her.

Finally the long awaited lunch time arrived, and thanks to Cat's instructions Leaf was able to find the cafeteria, although the workings of it seemed arcane to her. There seemed to be a place where food was served, and a multitude of tables with lots and lots of teens her age split in colorful groups. Her clothes were still bothering her, she had to get something more comfortable soon or she would take the bra off and set it on fire. Her mind was soon busier with finding Cat's red hair in that sea of people than her own attire, reaching for comfort in being distracted. Leaf should be able to figure out how that place worked, she wasn't dumb, but there was a joy in discovering things in good company.

 

[Charlotte Honeycutt]

Cat smiled. She hadn't really known that they'd have the same teacher for math, but she did know it was likely in her schedule for the morning, so she had gotten lucky. She felt oddly excited by the fact that she and Leaf shared several classes together, including their lunch period together. Perhaps she was finally going to have that close friend she had always hoped for at school. She shook her head clear. She was getting ahead of herself, something she always found herself doing as she nodded encouragingly to the dark haired girl as she led her through the slowly emptying hallway to get to their class in time.

Cat turned her head curiously as Leaf spoke back up. She wasn't exactly sure where the suddenness of the comment had come from, but she listened slowly before nodding as she understood the connection from what she had said just a little bit earlier. "You're right." She smiled softly. "We shouldn't ever stop trying new things, else how would we ever learn new things and experiences?" She offered her own little branch of wisdom back to the girl as they arrived outside the door to Mr. Morris' class as she looked at Leaf. She wanted to know more about the girl, but they didn't have the time now with class approaching. She'd have to ask the girl at lunch as she smiled at the exact proportion that Leaf offered. "Fantastic. I look forward to it." She smiled as her own hazel eyes flashed with a happy grin as they walked into the class.

They weren't lucky enough to sit next to one another for two Classes in a row, but Mr. Morris was much more strict than Mrs. Erickson was and they would've been given zero warnings before being written up. Luckily, Cat had her trusty doodle notebook and spent the entire class doing just that, glancing over from time to time as she sighed more than once, careful not to be too audible as she finished her doodle with the class, meeting up with leaf outside of the classroom and directing her to the next two classes and promising her that she'd see her at lunch before heading off to Spanish and then ironically, to her art class. She found herself thinking back to Leaf through the two classes with two sets of images in her mind. The one of the girl on the beach... and the one of the girl in class. Two very different images of the seemingly shy girl popped through her head as the bell rang, not too enough, for lunch as she waded her way down the mass of students to the cafeteria. Not finding or seeing Leaf, she grabbed a seat towards the rear corner as she waited and watched for the dark haired girl to appear. When she saw her, she smiled softly to herself and waved from her corner, trying to get her attention and waving the younger girl over to her spot, a less populated portion of the filled cafeteria.

 

[Sigr]

Leaf noticed the redhead waving from a corner of the place, and happily skipped there, returning the wave on the way to the table. "Aaah, this place is huge..." she whined while leaving her backpack besides her, sitting down in front of Cat, resting her head on the table and stretching her arms across it towards Cat as she lied flat there. The cold table felt well on her cheek and the forearms that her blouse left bare. Leaf turned her head and looked up to Cat, still holding her position of lazying up on the table. "I need foooood..." she sighed, as if Cat somehow was able to produce it out of thin air and feed her then and there. "Should we go get it or..." Leaf said, tilting her head so she was leaning on her right arm, her green eyes looking around. "I don't know exactly how this works. I hope they have vegetarian food though" she admitted, waiting for advice.

Leaf was looking at Cat's hazelnut eyes, they had a curiosity to them, like they held a million unanswered questions. She liked that shine, that life they had. She was ready to follow instructions and get the food, but even if Leaf didn't want to hog the conversation, that new place was too exciting to just simply stay silent. "That watch on your wrist looks very cute" she said while they went on their food quest, "it suits you" she added, having seen it before but not sure if she should be praising her just like that. It was kind of odd, Leaf was used to not hide anything about her in a quite literal way, and she didn't mind sharing details about her, but at the same time she didn't know how far she could go, how much she could ask or comment. That way, she soon looked shy once more, even if it wasn't exactly that, and limited herself to follow Cat's guide.

 

[Charlotte Honeycutt]

Cat smiled as Leaf came over and joined her at the table as she had to laugh at Leaf's comments about the size of the school as she nodded. "Freedom high is the second biggest in the district... every year they add a new addition or wing... they just keep making it bigger." She nodded as she leaned back against the wall behind her, watching as the younger girl splayed herself out onto the cold, probably disgusting table, but she wasn't going to bring that to Leaf's attention. The girl obviously was dealing with enough stress of a new environment already. She laughed again. "Where'd you come from? Like where was your last school?" She asked as she leaned forward and stood up, waiting for Leaf to join her before moving over to the serving line on the opposite side of the cafeteria. "And the school claims to have a vegetarian option... but what its classification really is is up for discussion." She laughed as they walked to the back of the line.

Cat found her own eyes drifting over to Leaf's, again amazed... they had to be the more stunning and defined green eyes that she had ever seen, and it was kinda odd how much she found herself staring at them over and over again as she looked down at her wrist. "Oh, this dinky thing? It was a gift from my parents on my birthday. Nothing too much... as long as it tells the time. I can't survive without a watch on my wrist." She commented as she nodded and smiled softly. She hadn't really ever thought much about it, but figured it did suit her. " So..." she said as she Gave her student id to the lunch lady manning the counter and guided Leaf through the process, getting the new girl her 'pin' for her lunch as they went through the line. She picked up a chicken salad sandwich as well as a bag of chips with a water for herself and pointed Leaf to the vegetarian options as she grabbed her tray and waited for Leaf to find what she wanted. She kinda hoped she could hurry up so they'd have a little more time to get to know one another before the lunch period drew to a close.

 

[Sigr]

Leaf looked up from the table as Cat stood up and asked her about her last school. "Oh, right on the coast, not far from the beach" she smiled while getting up. "I've been home schooled until now" she explained, giving it not much importance and showing a small smile, but a bit curious about how Cat would react. It wasn't the time to go into many details, but that could kind of explain many things, or so she hoped. "If they don't have one, they don't, I'm not specially strict, but it would be amazing" Leaf seemed to adapt to the menu, as she wasn't picky. Her adventurous nature was more powerful than most of her convictions at that point in life, specially when it came to dietary restrictions. Her mother didn't like that a lot, but she favored her freedom so it was a standstill. "We'll see what they got and then I'll pick" Leaf followed Cat with a spring to her step, happy of having someone.

"Sounds useful" Leaf nodded to the commentary about the watch, as she had to keep a way more firm schedule from then on and she wasn't wearing any wristwatch. "I hate having to pull the phone out of the bag to look at the time, and I don't understand half of the things it does" she added, referring to the smartphone that was lost somewhere in her backpack. After the colorful process of self identification, something that required a little bit more of rummaging among her things to find her id, Leaf ventured with the vegetarian option. "I didn't want to surrender on the first day, you know?" Leaf said, carrying in her tray the saddest example of a salad one could get, something that looked like a depressed fern with cherry tomatoes around. She had also risked to grab a bowl of the most unidentifiable soup she had ever watched, with an almost gray broth with tofu dice floating around. She didn't idle much with her choices as she wanted to spend a lot of time with her newfound friend. Because that was Cat was, or so Leaf had in mind.

Sitting back at the table, attacking the salad with even less passion than the one spent making it, Leaf looked at Cat, kind of awaiting her to bring out whatever topic she wanted, since Leaf was quite lost in the situation.

 

[Charlotte Honeycutt]

Cat turned as Leaf explained where she was from and where she had been in school before coming to Freedom High. When Leaf mentioned the beach, her own thoughts drifted back to the hot summer day where she had come upon the younger girl naked on the beach. She recalled there was a housing division right on the beach not long down from where she had seen her and wondered if Leaf's house was on that little strip. "Oh. Being homeschooled must be so cool." She said in a bit of a mix of jealousy and excitement. "Getting to sleep in. Learning at your own pace on things that actually matter instead of learning where it's appropriate to put a comma or not." She mused and rolled her eyes as she watched Leaf go through the line to get her own food as she squinted her eyes at the choices, having not realized the poor selection of food choices that they had for people like Leaf who were vegetarians.

Walking back towards the table, Cat laughed before looking back at her wrist. "A fair point. I have a smartphone, but just because that's what everyone has these days. I honestly don't do much with it, but if you don't understand some of the stuff it does, I could help you out with that." She offered as she thought before she spoke again. "Plus, it'd be nice to get your number if I ever have any questions about homework for any of the classes we share together." She said, not wanting to sound too awkward in her request. She didn't think of it as anything more than what she had asked, but she was unsure how Leaf would respond as they say back down at the table. "That doesn't look satisfying at all." She said as she eyed the scant salad and the gloop that was identified as soup. She laughed softly. "Your welcome to my chips if you don't want to touch the soup." She offered as she bit into her chicken salad sandwich. "So... I guess I'll start with two obvious questions. How Long have you been a vegetarian?" She asked as she brushed a story strand of her red hair out of her face. "And how have you liked your first day in an actual school so far? Anything interesting happen?" She asked curiously.

 

[Sigr]

"I guess that it is nice to have that degree of freedom" Leaf mused, as Cat seemed delighted with the idea of being home schooled. It sure was nice, she wasn't going to say the opposite, but it had it's bad parts as well. "It's a bit weird when your father is your teacher" she added with a smile. "And it's lonely" her tone changed a bit, her eyes looking a tad dull, but she soon returned to what seemed her usual curious self and got her food ready.

"Oh yeah, of course..." Leaf wandered back in her back pack once more, and managed to retrieve a pretty standard smartphone from the depths of it. "Here, add your number to it and look at mine, I don't know it" she said giving her the gadget. As a wallpaper it had a pretty sunset picture of a beach Cat couldn't get out of her mind despite barely stepping on it, and it's customization didn't go any further, so it was quite easy to move around. "That way we can talk, send messages... I know how to send pictures too" Leaf commented as if she had managed to step on the moon. The salad was as soggy as unappetizing, but at least it was edible. "I won't say no to a couple chips, but I want to try the soup first" Leaf said, moving it around with a spoon as that could somehow make it better. Leaning in and getting a spoonful of it, Leaf smelled it as a mouse, winced a bit, and then took it into her mouth.

She winced. Then she swashed it inside her mouth like she was tasting wine. An audible gulp preceded a slight watering of her eyes and the return of the spoon to the tray. "It's not just awful, it's also unidentifiable. I don't dare to guess what ingredients it has besides water, and even of that I'm not sure" she commented, changing the taste in her mouth from horrible to sad with another salad bite. "I can only think of a giant barrel full of some kind of soluble dust that reads Vegetarian Soup on the label and you need a chemist degree to understand the ingredients listed" she briefly shivered over her own idea. "I can't quite remember... three or four years, on and off, a few months a couple of years before that..." Leaf tried to remember to answer Cat's question. "I try to be, I like it, but sometimes I drift off and end up eating whatever. My curiosity makes easy to break it, as much as it irks my mom" she admitted.

Leaf took one of the offered chips, wanting to add some salty taste to her life after the horrible vegetarian adventure. "If I want to keep it vegetarian I better bring actual food from home" she shook her head. Leaf tilted her head, as if she didn't quite understand Cat's question about her first day. Sure, they haven't been together all the time, but for Leaf the answer was so obvious that it took a moment for her to think if she didn't misheard what she was asking. "Oh, that's easy, it has been amazing!" Leaf's eyes shone bright. "I made a friend!" she added enthusiastically, taking a second chip from her.

 

[Charlotte Honeycutt]

Cat continued to eat her sandwich as she opened her bag of chips and prematurely put them in between the two of them. She figured that Leaf would dispose of either the salad or the soup and would likely still be hungry as she leaned back and listened to Leaf. She tried to imagine her own businessman of a father being her teacher for things like history or English as she blushed softly. "Yea, that'd be pretty weird honestly." She admitted with a nod. She hadn't given much thought to the idea that it would be lonely as she slowly nodded. "Yea... I guess you have a fair point, but getting to learn at your own pace is a definite plus, right? I mean... you get all this free time to do whatever you want." She shrugged as she took another bite of her sandwich as she continued to listen, slightly misunderstanding the meaning behind Leaf's statement that the girl likely was lonely and had never really had any friends.

As she grabbed Leaf's phone, she paused for a moment to look at the background as she blushed at the sight of the beach. She looked quickly back up at Leaf as she automatically found the address book in her phone. It had just a few contacts in in.... grandma, mom, dad... and several others, but nothing too much. As a pretty standard smartphone, it could do just about anything that her own phone could do, but at just a bit slower pace. "Oh... do you... ah like the beach?" She asked her as she put in her number and sent a quick text to herself so that she'd have Leaf's number in her phone before handing Leaf back her phone, wondering if the younger strange girl just threw everything down into her backpack as she quickly added Leaf's contact into her own phone as she laughed as Leaf leaned down towards the soup as she eagerly awaited for the reaction to the gray goop.

She only laughed harder at what Leaf's reaction was to the soup as she bit her lip to keep herself from laughing harder and harder at the younger girls reaction. "Well it's safe to assume that I'll never be getting the soup... I mean... I never planned to in the first place, but that only further confirms it." She giggled softly as she handed Leaf the full bag of chips. "Here, you obviously need these more than I do. I don't want to hear your stomach grumbling throughout the entirety of the rest of the day." She laughed softly as she leaned back and nodded at Leaf's response. "That makes sense honestly... but it's very admirable. I don't think I could ever go without a good burger or piece of chicken." She blushed and shrugged. "But I totally respect your choice. I think it's kinda cool you're like that." She nodded slowly as she finished her sandwich and sipped at her bottled water.

"Yea... I think it'd be much safer to bring your own food if you wanna stay being a vegetarian... or who knows... maybe you could go to the admin and talk about the lack of options. Kick their butt into gear." She suggested. "It's like a petition process, but who knows, you might get some support for doing so." She shrugged as she watched Leaf eat the chips as the younger girl gave her response to the third and final question as her eyes lit up in surprise as she blushed at the comment. "Oh my goodness." she exclaimed. "I guess we have... friend." She smiled warmly, not believing how close they had seemingly come through several chance interactions to be calling each other friends on Leaf's very first day. "Well... friend... surely you've got some questions for me. This isn't all about me getting to know you... friends should know one another." She smiled softly as she finished her water.

 

[Sigr]

"Hmn?" Leaf mumbled when Cat asked about the beach, being caught unaware and munching on a sad piece of lettuce. She noticed that Cat was looking at the wallpaper on her phone, a feat that took her a while to manage to get the proper picture placed as she wanted there. "Oh yeah! I love that place! It's almost by our house, you should come sometime" she finally managed to answer with a mostly salad free mouth. "It's so relaxing, I feel completely free in there" she tried to explain why she liked it.

After the soup incident, she puckered her lips a bit to a side, as she was thinking about something, or more precisely, about how to word something. "I don't know if it's admirable, I like veggies and such most so it's kind of an easy choice?" she looked down to that mockery of a salad. "Proper veggies, that is. But thanks for thinking I'm cool" she smiled, and if her tanned skin didn't make it so difficult to know for sure Cat could swear that Leaf had blushed a little. Clearing her throat, Leaf reached for her water, helping her to wash out the nasty soup taste.

"It's tempting to ask for better vegetarian options, but I don't want to be a pain. If there were more vegetarian people there would have protested over it by now, no?" Leaf wondered. "Well, unless all of them think what I just said now..." she realized. "Maybe I will, but I'm sure that my mom will be happy that I bring her food here, she's not very fond of the mass produced kind..." she pinched a chip and moved it in the air as a prime example of what could draw her mother's ire, but she ate it with a smile anyways.

"A question..." she mused, thinking for a moment. "I know!" she leaned over, holding one of Cat's hands with both of her own, her eyes dancing bright as she looked at her. "What's your favorite thing to do? Is it something we could do together?" Leaf asked wanting to know what that girl liked since they came from different worlds, and maybe they could share it, or Leaf could experience something new.

 

[Charlotte Honeycutt]

Cat blushed softly as Leaf talked about the beach, wanting to speak up and say that she knew that Leaf liked that beach. She had seen her there before, and was unsurprised to learn that it was close to her house. The younger teen had likely walked down the beach in the nude to where Cat had run into her. Shutting her eyes quickly, Cat silently cursed herself for thinking of the summer scene on the beach as she slowly nodded and reopened her eyes at the dark haired girl. "I'd love to come by and hang out with you sometime." She said as she wondered what Leaf's home was like. Were they nudists too? She again closed her eyes and tried to divert her mind as she listened to Leaf again explain her affinity for being a vegetarian.

Cat smiled and laughed and shrugged. "You're right... admirable may be the wrong word, but you're like the first vegetarian I've run into around here. Believe it or not." She laughed. California was a bit more of a progressive state, so it was naturally assumed there were plenty of vegetarians and the like in the state, but they must have known to avoid Cat, because she could probably count on one hand how many she actually knew, but that was beside the point as she nodded and smiled. "Of course you're cool. Coming in all swag like a couple of days late to the start of the school year. What a badass." Cat exclaimed as she immediately blushed and covered her mouth before giggling. "I just said the word swag and cursed. I'm so sorry." She began to giggle harder in embarrassment as she slowly calmed down and listened to Leaf's response about a potential petition.

Shrugging, she leaned forward to face her new friend. "I'm sure you wouldn't be a bother. They don't want to have angry students, and they especially don't want to have upset parents." She said before leaning back and drinking her water before nodding again. "I'm sure you wouldn't be a bother, and that there are others the same way, but it sounds like your mom would be more than willing to pack your own lunch." She observed. "I guess in the end though it's really up to you I guess. I couldn't ever touch what they call soup and that measly portion of a salad without the even cut up tomatoes." She smiled up at Leaf as she looked up at the clock on the wall, it was nearing the end of lunch time, but they still had a little time to chat.

Cat was taken a bit aback by the sudden, well suddenness of Leaf's response as she smiled softly and leaned forward, watching as Leaf's hands moved across and held onto her own as she bit her lip softly, the girl had a pair of extremely soft hands, and it was only until now that she realized how tanned Leaf was as she looked up at the pair of hazel eyes dancing back and forth with sudden delight. She laughed at the question, with the way that Leaf had asked it making it sound like it was an imperative question, when it was just something normal as she thought for a moment, continuing to hold hands with her. "I just really like to explore... go on long walks through parks or hiking trails... sometimes I'll ride my bike... I love to read...really anything to do with the outdoors. I'm a great swimmer too." She smiled, waiting to see if Leaf liked any of the answers.

 

[Sigr]

"I'd love for you to come visit as well" Leaf echoed Cat's feeling, but she didn't go into specifics, as she had never received anyone home that didn't know about or shared their lifestyle and she thought that Cat could feel weird in such an environment. "Hahaha!" Leaf laughed brightly and openly when Cat blushed and giggled about cursing and using certain words. "It's fine, it's fine..." she said, still giggly, realizing how cute Cat was when she giggled herself. It kind of suited her, that happy and playful state. Leaf found odd that she apologized for saying something like 'badass', but maybe her parents were more strict than her own. Well, no, scratch that, it was a given that Cat's parents would be more strict than Leaf's all things considered.

"Well, then maybe next will I'll try to do something about the food" Leaf nodded, seeing that Cat deemed it possible that she could push some positive change on the school without being too much of a trouble. After all, Leaf knew nothing about how pliable the school could be, as her experience had been mostly limited to quite the inflexible looking teachers of that morning. "I don't want to start anything this week after arriving late due to paperwork and things, badass or not" she added with a smile.

Leaf eagerly awaited for Cat to answer, as she looked at those warm eyes dance around for an answer, she kept holding her hands, rocking a bit left and right. Cat's giggle was cute, and her laugh was somewhat contagious, causing Leafs smile to broaden before Cat started talking. "Going outdoors! That's cool and there is a lot of places we can go, you could show me yours, I could show you mine, and we could discover new spots to go to" Leaf was delighted, she wasn't specially good on a bike, but she could handle herself and there were many places to walk to, hike, maybe even camp. But the fact that Cat had showed interest on her house and the beach next to it, and now said she was a great swimmer called for an invitation that seemed unavoidable in her mind.

"It's still warm and we are already at Wednesday" Leaf considered, since she had started a couple of days late. "How about you come to my house on Saturday?" she asked Cat, leaving the explanations about her lifestyle for later, after school. "You don't have to answer now, but we could go to the beach, swim on the sea..." she proposed, her emerald eyes gleaming with the thought of sharing with her newfound friend her favorite place.

 

[Charlotte Honeycutt]

Cat’s own parents were very strict. She had grown up in a household full of rules and regulations, as well as a strict religious upbringing. Well, at least the fact that her parents had dragged her to church every weekend of her life for as long as she could remember. She blushed harder as Leaf laughed at her response and her embarrassment and quickness to try and correct herself as she shifted nervously in her seat. “Honestly, I’d love to come and visit sometime.” She grinned softly as stared forward at Leaf’s dark green eyes as she blinked softly and then looked away. They seemed to be threatening to pull her in, but that seemed silly. She shook her head and coughed as she took another sip of her water as she listened to the dark haired girl giggled. It was a shy laugh, one that carried her youth and her innocence as she watched Leaf stare at her. The new girl probably thought she sounded like a prude or crazy person with the quickness that she had gone to try and correct herself. She chose not to think too much on it as she listened back into Leaf’s conversation.

Cat had seen how easy it could have been to pass several resolutions the year before for a new snack machine, and a longer lunch period, and thankfully the school board and school had complied with each of the requests. Frankly she was surprised nothing had happened yet with horrible selection of vegetarian options, but there was still time, and maybe Cat’s newest friend would lead the charge on it. “We’ll certainly have to really see then.” She shrugged and flashed another smile and soft blush at Leaf’s last comment. “I mean, you don’t have to… you make it sound like your mom would prefer you to bring the ‘non-mass produced’ food.” She nodded to Leaf as she glanced up at the clock. They had just a little bit longer to talk before they had to head off to their next classes for the afternoon. “I’m sure you’d be quite the badass if you decided to make that petition.” She smiled and blushed at herself as she used the same word again, not correcting herself the second time as she nodded and hoped that she and Leaf had some outdoor hobbies in common.

The innuendo flew completely over Cat’s head as she listened to Leaf respond as she continued to hold the dark haired girls hand as she looked forward. Leaf had likely not recognized the innuendo, and didn’t at all make the connection that she had really already ‘seen’ Leaf back on the beach that day as she nodded. “I know lots of trails around my house and just outside of the city. My family and I will go on hikes or even camping sometimes, so I’ve got a pretty good handle on what’s out there.” She smiled softly. Cat had had a feeling in what she had finished with was a natural lead up to an invitation to the beach as her face flushed as she slowly nodded. “I’d love to show you one of my favorite trails this weekend… it’s got a great view of the city.” She said excitedly, obviously excited about the idea of showing someone else her favorite spots to go and get away from the world.

Keeping her face calm and collected, she blushed softly. “Ahh… that sounds like a wonderful idea!” She said, not thinking too much currently about what kind of lifestyle that Leaf and her parents lived at home. “You don’t have to ask me twice to go swimming in the ocean. I love a good day on the beach and the water… and we’ve not got much warm weather left either.” She reminded Leaf as she stood up. “We should get going…” She grabbed her tray. “I’ve got to get to Chemistry.” She rolled her eyes at the thought of going over chemical equations and compounds. “But we’ll see each other at study hall last period.” She smiled. “And…. Uhhh. I heard you needed to get some gym outfits for tomorrow. So, maybe we could… umm Hang out or something and go get you some?” She blushed softly at the offer, her feet planting like hard stones at how embarrassed she was by the way she had just asked the girl as she thew her trash away and put her tray up to stare at Leaf and the younger girls dark green eyes.

 

[Sigr]

"Really?" Leaf opened her eyes wide, glad that Cat deemed the beach idea a wonderful one. She was almost bouncing on her seat, but managed to keep herself down. That meant that she would have to talk with Cat about her lifestyle, sooner than later. Leaf loved the idea of going hiking as well, and that would require no explanation at all, but... one thing was not talking about it at the first sight, like 'Hi I'm Leaf and I like to be naked', but if she went out of the way to not go to the beach so she could avoid telling her... that was the same as lying. And she didn't want to lie, specially to her newfound friend.

Cat had been nothing but supportive, not only guiding her, but admiring her vegetarian diet even if she had admitted to skip it from time to time. Cat also encouraged her to fight for the right thing, even it it was about having a decent menu, and shared her favorite things to do without a second thought. She was also cute, with those warm welcoming eyes and how she slightly blushed from time to time. Well, that didn't have to do with anything, Leaf didn't know why that came to her mind, the thing was that such a nice girl didn't deserve to be lied to, so Leaf wasn't going to. As Cat let her hands go and got up, Leaf woke up from her daydreaming, realizing that they didn't have much time left before class.

"Get going... yeah" she mumbled, following her with her own tray, mostly full of nasty food yet, ready to get disposed of. How was the polite way of bringing the topic up? And when? It didn't seem something that was shared on school, right? It wasn't as Leaf was embarrassed of it, after all it was only the natural thing to do, but she didn't want to scare Cat off. Maybe after the classes there would be a chance, but she had to go shopping so it would be weird. "You want to do that with me?" Leaf suddenly returned to her usual self, all energy and expressive eyes. She found the idea of shopping for clothes she needed but didn't want quite boring, but maybe with Cat it would be somewhat fun. Not to mention that having a guide to teach her where the bus stopped or where was the mall was fantastic. Perhaps the shopping would be the perfect time to bring out the topic that worried her, or at least as good as she was going to get.

"Yes, I'd love to hang out and get some" Leaf said, nodding vigorously. "I need something for gym, and mom gave me money to get some new clothes that I found comfortable since these ones she picked are feeling odd..." Leaf squirmed, seemingly on her way of a lengthy tirade but having enough reason to stop beforehand. "Class first, then we'll see each other on study hall, we don't want to be late and end up in detention" she said, hectic and happy. Getting rid of food and tray, Leaf bolted out the cafeteria in the wrong direction to her next class, soon turning around to walk fast in the proper course.

 

[Charlotte Honeycutt]

Cat smiled softly as she watched Leaf’s reaction to her suggestion as she stifled a small giggle. “I’m glad you suggested it. I can’t wait to hang out on the beach this weekend.” She smiled to her new friend as she thought back to the day that she had seen Leaf on the beach as she blushed softly as she tried not to think about it too much. Would Leaf be naked when they hung out that weekend? Did her parents walk around naked at home? She bit her lip softly as she tried to dispense her thoughts out of her head. She wondered what she would tell her parents. ”Hey mom and dad… I’m going to the beach this weekend to hang out with my new nudist friend” Her face flushed more at the absurdity of the thought as she stood alongside Leaf and walked with the flood of students towards the trash cans.

As they walked, she turned her head over to the black haired younger girl and looked over at her smaller frame. Leaf just gave out this air and sense of happiness and curiosity. Cat liked that and wished that she herself were more curious in life about certain things, but she was unfortunately not. Sure, she liked the outdoors and went exploring, but that wasn’t much to write home about. She wondered how Leaf was so happy? Was it the vegetables? She wondered as she blushed at the absurdity of the thought that crossed her mind as she shook her head. There was another thing besides her hair and her tan skin, and it was her eyes. They were almost a deep emerald green, and every time Leaf spoke, Cat found her own eyes drifting towards Leaf’s. It made her feel weird inside and she wasn’t sure why. She had never felt anything like that before, and it confused her.

Cat waited and watched as Leaf dumped the remains of her food into the trash can before putting her plate and tray up before rejoining her as they walked towards the exit. At the mention of the shopping, Cat smiled and couldn’t help but giggle again at the sudden return of joy and excitement to Leaf’s face. The younger girl had been seemingly daydreaming or thinking really hard about a certain question it seemed, and had been distracted. As she stopped laughing, Cat nodded. “I love shopping, even if I don’t buy anything. It’s fun to just go shop around.” She nodded. “I’d be more than happy to help you find some gym clothes as well as some more nicely fitting clothes.” She shrugged a bit as she looked at the outfit Leaf was wearing as she realized she had seen Leaf tugging at it and scratching at it several times throughout the day and had wondered if she was uncomfortable, thinking it rude to ask her if she was as they walked out of the cafeteria.

Cat nodded to her new friend. “I’ll see you next period then.” She smiled softly as she watched Leaf head off before doing a quick 360 degree turn as Cat laughed. “I’d hate for you to have gone the wrong way.” She called out as she laughed to herself and headed off to her chemistry class, arriving just in time to sit in her back seat where she pulled out her doodle notebook. She knew most of the material anyways, and figured if she didn’t know something, she could google it or find it in the book. She spent the entirety of the class thinking instead of what she and Leaf were gonna do after school and what stores she would take her new friend to and her mind kept slipping back to the day on the beach as she looked down at her skinned knee and sighed, trying to turn her focus to something else by doodling and drawing circles on her notebook. Soon enough, not nearly soon enough, the bell rang and Cat sprang up from her seat and found her way quickly to the study hall room, which wasn’t terribly packed as she commandeered a table in the back and waited for Leaf to arrive, sending her a quick text. “I’m in the back of the library study hall rooms. See you soon!” she hit send before laughing a bit at the realization that Leaf likely wouldn’t even get the text as her mind went back to the image of Leaf digging the phone from the bottom of her book bag at lunch and then of her new friend throwing it down into the deep hole of her backpack as she pulled out her doodle notebook and occupied herself by drawing some, quickly losing herself in the drawing she had been doing, a scene of a trail in the woods back behind her house that she knew from memory.

 

[Sigr]

Even if it wasn't the worst of the classes nor the most boring one, it felt dull as hell to Leaf, eager as she was to reunite with Cat and discuss their plans for shopping and the weekend. Of course, that would mean that she had to talk about her lifestyle with her, so she hoped not to spook her friend, but she was optimistic. She liked to try knew things, to walk along new paths, that spoke to Leaf about a free character that may not share her views, but certainly would understand. Right? Right? The class couldn't end too soon, that was for sure.

As soon as the bell rang, Leaf darted out of class, not entirely, completely, doubtlessly sure of where the library was and what study room she had to head to, but she had a pretty accurate idea, so she would be there. Eventually. In the end it didn't take that long, and Leaf started to wander around looking for Cat. A sign about silencing your phone made her retrieve her gadget from the backpack to do so, seeing that she had a message from Cat detailing where she was. After fiddling with the phone more than the minimum needed to make sure it didn't sound, Leaf managed to find Cat, seemingly absorbed by her drawing. For a moment she considered waiting for her to finish without approaching, but she was just too excited to be that thoughtful at the moment.

"Found you" Leaf said, shaking her phone in the air, showing that she had read her message. "You'll say what you want, but that looks like a very nice drawing to me" she nodded, looking at Cat's notebook. Leaf sat down, adjusting the collar of her blouse, moving her shoulders to adjust her bra. "Is it somewhere you like or is someplace imaginary?" she wondered, her eyes dancing back and forth from the illustration to Cat's face. "Anyways... I'm in desperate need of help" she said with a dancing smile. It was clear that she was mostly joking, but she was still a bit tense about what she had to do and how much she had to depend on Cat.

"I don't know where we can pick the bus to the mall" she admitted, unaware of Cat's age and freedom of transportation, "and I kind of... suck at picking clothes?" she added, something that shouldn't have sounded like a question but still ringed as one. "There is something you should know and..." Leaf looked around, noticing something. "Can we talk here? I mean... what does one do on study hall? There is no teacher?" she asked, putting her backpack on the table, making it do a puffing sound as she rested her head on it like a pillow. "If we can talk... I want to tell you something. No secrets between friends right?" her green eyes shone hopeful, their brightness both eager to accept Cat in themselves, but also in search of acceptance.

 

[Charlotte Honeycutt]

Cat had been completely lost in her drawing, focusing on even the minor details of a limb she swung from a little that hung down from the tree on the trail. Next, she was going the try and draw a tiny animal, probably a squirrel somewhere in the drawing. She didn’t here the footsteps approaching her table in the back so she was startled when she looked up, gasping bit and jumping out of her seat as she blushed up at Leaf, the dark haired girls green eyes shining down on her curiously as she panted softly. She had always been easy to scare, and supposed this time was no different as she pulled out the chair for Leaf to sit down as she smiled up at Leaf.

“You scared me.” She blushed softly as she looked at the phone in Leaf’s hand. “So you do use your phone sometimes… don’t you?” She said in a joking manner, trying to keep her voice down in the library as she smiled. She looked back down at her notebook and then back up at Leaf. “Oh, this? Umm… it’s actually a real place. It’s in the woods behind my house.” She smiled proudly, appreciating the comment on her drawing ability as she watched her sit down across from her, watching the younger girl adjust her top and her bra, visibly uncomfortable in her outfit as Cat frowned for a moment before smiling. “I like to hang out there all the time when I just need to get out of the house, so I’ll go back here and walk around or hang up my hammock or something like that.” She explained with a smile. She kept the smile on her face as her eyes looked curiously at Leaf. She wondered what the younger girl needed help with. Cat flashed back to the conversation at lunch about the outfits as she assumed it was about as she slowly leaned forward, sliding her doodle notebook off to the side.

“Oh.” Cat laughed softly as she grinned at Leaf’s comment. “We don’t need to worry about the bus, I’ve got old rusty.” She smiled. “Old rusty is my car… he’s kinda old, but as long as it’s got four wheels and an engine that works, I see no reason why I should complain.” She shrugged. That’s what her parents had told her at least as she thought back to the day her parents had given it to her. The A/C didn’t work, and the CD player/radio combo didn’t work half the time, but it was her little 2002 silver Camry, and she was proud of it. “No worries about picking clothes out. I can help.” She nodded as she looked at Leaf as her brain lit up with the image of the beach. ‘Is she going to tell me? How should I react? Should I bring up that I saw her on the beach? she asked herself as she leaned forward as she snapped out of the questions spinning around her head. “We can talk here… we just have to be quiet is all.” She explained softly to her as she nodded. “No secrets…” she agreed with a nod. ‘Does that mean I’ll have to tell her about the beach day?’ she wondered again. “No secrets at all.” She repeated with a soft smile. “Imagine that there’s a secret free judgement free zone bubble around us.” She said, laughing softly as she made an imaginary bubble with her hands as she turned serious, facing her new friend as she leaned forward closely, her own hazel eyes locking in with the dark emerald eyes of Leaf.

 

[Sigr]

Leaf listened to Cat's explanation about her drawing, thinking how fun could be to see those woods with her. Cat talked about sometimes needing to leave the house, and even if Leaf could share the need of getting out, going places... she didn't read anything else behind her words, not thinking yet about the reasons one would not only want, but need to leave their own house. Leaf wanted to see those woods, talk to each other, nap together in a hammock, as Cat painted an interesting picture on her mind. But first she had to do the serious talk, the kind that was needed and nobody liked, so she kept herself silent about the picturesque woods.

"You've a car?" Leaf couldn't hold her composure much, and managed to sound bright and jolly even in a whisper, rising her head from her backpack for a moment. "That's awesome but that means..." she noticed, "that you are sixteen already. My birthday it's not until November" she confessed, poofing her head back against her impromptu pillow, having thought that Cat was a bit younger than her. It was her attitude perhaps, or how cute she was, but Leaf had thought herself was older and was completely wrong. Leaf brushed away her hair, in disarray all over her head so she could look at Cat properly. "I count on you and old rusty to take me to the mall then" she whispered, following with a sigh.

She had to tell her, Leaf knew that, after how welcoming and gentle she had been she deserved to know it. Normally Leaf wouldn't worry about what people thought, but Cat wasn't just 'people'. "Secret free" she mused with a thread of voice. "Judgment free" she repeated, a small gasp of surprise escaping her lips when Cat leaned in close. Leaf would have been able to distinguish every small detail of her skin, providing she could look away from her warm hazel eyes, how they danced from golden to amber to brown, small specks of color here and there. With Cat so close Leaf felt safe, and she resisted the impulse to look around if people were close, since it felt like they were alone in there.

"My parents have always been a bit... hippie? It's an oversimplification but... that should work" she shared. "I guess that the whole vegetarian, home schooled stuff kind of gives a weird vibe away, but that's not all" she talked, preparing Cat for it, or maybe just delaying the inevitable. "I'm not as... militant on some stuff as them, I mean, mom can be a bit noisy with her vegan stuff, and dad loves his politics talks, but there is something of their lifestyle that they have almost left behind... but I embrace it" she admitted, looking a bit flushed although it was hard to say with her tanned skin. "I like to be free, to feel free..." Leaf sighed. Why did it to be so hard? She never had a hard time with those things before. Her green eyes fleetingly looked away, but they returned to Cat's hazel ones as they had their own gravity to them.

Leaf moved her right hand over the table, putting it between their faces for Cat to hold. "I prefer to be naked" she just blurted, forcing herself to say it so there was no going back. "At home, at the beach, wherever is possible. It's so comfortable, so liberating, so natural..." her green eyes shone bright, clearly feeling good talking Cat about it. "I'm also... a bit... It's not like I don't trim it slightly from time to time when it gets way too long but..." Leaf moved her left hand towards the right short sleeve of her blouse, her right hand still holding Cat's. "I don't shave" she stated, rolling the uncomfortable garment a bit, showing Cat the tips of a few very black hairs on her armpit. "On my arms and legs I have mostly fuzz but everywhere else..." she said, a nervous smile on her face, wondering what Cat would think of all that.

 

[Charlotte Honeycutt]

Cat watched Leaf’s face as she gave her explanation of where her drawing was from. Leaf seemed interested enough, and if she ever came and visited Cat’s house with her, she’d be sure to have to show the younger curious girl the path behind her house. Not even her parents new about her solace in the woods. They assumed she was out riding her bike or up in her room doing work, so it was a very sacred spot for her go and rest or just get away from it all. As she explained it to Leaf, she could tell the younger girl was nervous about whatever she had to tell the redheaded as she pursed her lips silently as she hushed. She knew she should stop speaking and blabbering for once and actually listen to others and what they had to say as she slowly leaned back forward, resting her own arms on her backpack much like Leaf was doing

She smiled softly at Leaf’s surprise that she had a car as she slowly nodded. She was surprised to hear the dark haired girl was younger than she was. She had figured that Leaf was older, but not by much. She certainly carried a perfect mix of youthfulness about her that mixed with maturity and curiously that made it so she couldn’t exactly pin where she was as she nodded. “Have no fear, old rusty will be our trusty steed to the mall.” She proclaimed with a whisper as her face flushed in immediate embarrassment at the comment, regretting the corny attempt at humor on her part as she looked forward at Leaf. She’d have to remember November so that she could get her new friend a proper birthday present. She’d have to learn what the younger girl liked and didn’t like so she could get the right present. Maybe she’d draw the younger girl a picture. She blushed as she realized her train of thought was escaping her again as she turned her head back to face Leaf, her own hazel eyes staring into the dark green of the dark haired girl as she bit her lip to stop herself and refocus on Leaf and what the younger girl seemed to be increasingly nervous about.

Cat nodded again as Leaf repeated the ‘judgment and secret free’ talk that she had just mentioned as she leaned in closer. It’d have been better off if they were laying on the table with how far they were leaning over it as she blushed a bit. She could see every detail of Leaf’s smooth, tanned face. Her pursed lips, her tiny nose and the dark green eyes that always seem to be dancing back and forth or drawing her own gaze in as she nodded. She didn’t want to speak as Leaf began, but she’d nod. She had figured Leaf’s parents were a bit leaning that way the second Leaf had mentioned she was a vegan. Cat realized it was a stereotypical thought, but knew she was somewhat right on the issue itself as she continued to nod. Her brow rose at the comment of her liking to be free. Was she about to say what Cat thought she was? She flushed a bit and bit down on her lip. If Leaf was going to tell her, would Cat have to tell her she saw her new friend naked on the beach already before? She couldn’t possibly do it just yet. No, she had to hope it wasn’t what she thought Leaf was about to tell her as she recomposed her inner thoughts. ‘Focus yourself!Let her speak!’ she reminded herself silently as Leaf continued.

Cat’s eyes widened a bit as Leaf just blurted it out as she had to stifle what she thought would be the mix between a gasp and a giggle at the suddenness of the secret that Leaf had just told her new friend. It was evident that Leaf trusted her enough to say that, and it meant a lot. She composed herself, a small smile creeping onto her face. She couldn’t help that, it was just so funny how Leaf just let it all out like that, but there was more? She looked curiously as she looked up and stared up at Leaf, staring as her eyes widened a bit at the second revelation that the younger girl didn’t shave. She thought she had seen something back at the beach that day, but hadn’t been sure if she had seen it or not. She watched as Leaf pulled up her blouse and revealed that small wiry black hairs underneath her arm as she blushed a bit. She looked up at them before Leaf rolled back down her blouse. Now she realized why Leaf seemed so uncomfortable in the clothing she was wearing all day and kept itching and grabbing at it. What did she mean by other places? She thought for a moment before looking down as her eyes widened a bit as she let out and audible. “Ohhhhhhhhh.” She said as she looked up and blushed before letting out a soft giggle a bit. Immediately embarrassment that she had giggled as she looked back up and sat up a bit, staring at Leaf silently for a moment as she processed the sudden revelation, staring silently at Leaf for a moment. She didn’t want to stay quiet for too long and let Leaf think that she had stunned her or anything as she thought for a moment before speaking again.

“So…” she paused softly, not wanting to come off rude. “What you’re telling me is that you’re… you’re a naturalist… is that the right word for it?” She asked slowly as she stared up at Leaf, hoping that she hadn’t said anything offensive about it. “And… by being that… you dont shave.” She said as she took a deep breath. She imagined she’d be taking it a lot worse if she hadn’t seen Leaf naked on the beach that day as she slowly took another deep breath. “Sorry.” She blushed apologetically as she took another breath. “It’s a lot to take in.” She admitted with a nervous giggle as she stared back up at Leaf. “So you participate in it, but your parents don’t?” She asked confused as she stared at the relatively curvy girls body which were obscured by the baggy clothing. She had so many more questions, but wanted to give Leaf a chance to answer some that she had already asked, and to give the dark haired girl another chance to explain a bit more about her odd lifestyle, choosing not to bring up the beach incident for the time being as she leaned back forward and stared up at the younger girl.

 

[Sigr]

Leaf felt comfortable with Cat, she seemed to be filled with genuine interest and a curious spirit, and even if she blushed every time she said something goofy, that didn't keep her from being herself. She noticed her biting her lip, as if she was worried about something, but as Cat's hazel spotlights focused on her, Leaf noticed that it was herself the one nervous, not her friend. Encouraged by Cat, Leaf revealed those details about her lifestyle, about her body, and the more she talked, the more relaxed she felt. Cat gasped and giggled, smiled and stared, and by the end of Leaf's confession, in that brief moment of silence, of complicity over a shared secret, she sighed feeling content, knowing that she had made the right choice by telling her.

The shine on her green eyes wavered, eager to see what Cat thought of it, and it seemed that the curious girl was far from spooked or disgusted, as she had a few understandable questions to make. "Natural- wait. Naturist" Leaf corrected herself. "I mix the words from time to time, making my father frown. Naturist is supposed to be the right one, other people call it nudism... but don't fret about it" she shrugged, giving the label no importance. "Some are vegan and vegetarian since for them it's about the environment, others abstain from smoke and alcohol focusing on healthy life, it can also be about pacifism and such... it's a bit of everything with respect for the self and the others at it's core" Leaf tried to explain, seeing that she was getting lost herself. "I mean... it's like having six people in a coffee shop, they will all order coffee, but none of them will like it exactly the same way" she smiled with her own explanation, hoping that it kind of made sense.

"Don't be sorry" Leaf surrounded Cat's hands with her own, holding them together. "I know that's it's a bit odd" she added, being fully aware of what other people could think. "You have taken it quite well, to be honest. I was nervous of scaring you away, thinking I'm some kind of weirdo" her dark green eyes looked at Cat, while one of Leaf's thumbs idly caressed the back of Cat's hand. "I'm thankful of having found you, or you finding me, whatever" another shrug, another smile, Leaf felt more and more at ease, but there were questions to be answered yet. "My parents did it a lot on their youth, and they still do take part from time to time, but for them was more of a rebellious thing, an act against the norm" she explained. "But I was sort of educated on it since I was a kid, and took a liking to it. You know that when you are a kid you don't care about being nude and just walk around? It's not like I never learned what modesty is, but I guess I'm not wired to care as much as other people do" Leaf noticed that she had talked about the motivations of her parents, and the general feel of it, but not about why did he do it herself.

"I guess that for me it's about freedom and self esteem. I may doubt myself in many things, like... dunno, Math" she said with a giggle. "But my body isn't one of those things. That doesn't mean I don't trim it a bit when it's uncomfortable, but I don't try to look like someone else, just myself" her explanations were a bit iffy, but the sentiment was sincere. She didn't mean that girls that did get rid of their hair were wrong, but it was about doing it for themselves, not about some beauty rule that was imposed by society. Either way Leaf didn't want to get all political with Cat, so she skipped further explanations, as seeming more militant than she really was would be dishonest. "Feel free to ask whatever" Leaf added, her hands abandoning Cat's, adjusting her blouse. "This thing is killing me" she protested, trying to fix the bra on its proper place.