Scott preparing for his first date without Jean and her reaction to finding out that he might be playing the field with no desire to incite jealousy in her by doing so.
“Sara’s showing some of her filmography in the big screening room, downstairs. Coming?”
Scott was busy fiddling with a proper bow tie. “Sorry, I’ll catch up with it all, later. I have a date.”
Jean startled, all of the things Xavier had told her not to do were bubbling temptations in the back of her head. But so, too, was the knowledge that Xavier had more than one reason for not doing certain things. Primary amongst those was the fact that he’d experienced or witnessed the downside of doing them. So, instead of seventeen different types of mind-rape, Jean put on a fake smile and said, “A date? Who’s the lucky girl?”
“Kylie Mavert. She’s apparently had a thing for me and I thought - hey, I know exactly what that’s like, so… Y'know.” He shrugged as he untied and attempted to re-tie the tie again. “We’re trying it on for size. See if we click.”
“And no ulterior motives.”
Scott boggled at her and messed up the tie again. “Damnit…”
Jean could tell by his waves of confusion that he didn’t know what she was talking about. “Come on, let me help.”
“I should be able to,” Scott protested. “I have diagrams and everything.”
“Mmmm. Diagrams versus someone who’s been tying bows her entire life…”
“Okay. I surrender.” He handed her the diagram anyway.
Ha. He’d forgotten the tuck-and-twist bit. “Why a bow tie?” She got it sitting pretty.
“Bow ties are cool. I have it on top authority.”
“Sara or Kylie’s authority?”
Another boggle. “Kylie’s of course. A gentlemen should always dress and act to please the lady.”
That one struck to her heart. If he was mine… But no. She’d chosen Duncan, because it was more ‘normal’ to date the high school lead jock. Because seeming normal was the be-all and end-all and still was.
Because she wasn’t as brave as Sara, who said, “Normal is boring.”
Because of all of that, she had to watch him go out to meet a different girl, who would get more than any girl ever deserved because Scott believed whole-heartedly that every woman deserved to be put on some kind of pedestal. Or at least a step-stool that topped out above the sea of ingrained misogyny.
She hadn’t seen it, before now.
Scott would have been good for her. She and he would have made a cute couple. And because she was too scared to be 'weird’, she missed out on it.
She wished Kylie well. She did. It was herself she wanted to strangle.
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