Editing Character Vignettes (section)

=='''What is Love?'''==

Jason looked out the window and sighed.  There she was again--- Judy Nesmith.  His sister's best friend... and his first love.  He wasn't sure when he'd fallen for her, but, thinking back, it had been a while now.  She'd been so pathetic and sad when she first started staying over at the Jeong residence-- his heart had gone out to her, the more so when he realized how incredibly smart she was.  He'd wanted to help her, to make her smile... to impress her with his kindness and intelligence and ability.  But it had always been in vain.  He'd tried telling her how he felt as best he could, but he could never find the right words.  He'd hoped, as clever as she was, that she could figure out his feelings for her, but it never happened.  No matter what he did, whenever he saw her, she was with Hana, oblivous to his feelings for her.  It didn't help that Hana's gang turned up a little too often, either-- they'd started out by ignoring him or regarding him contemptuously, but lately, it felt like they were deliberately sabotaging his efforts to get closer to Judy.  At least Hana herself wasn't interfering.  He wasn't sure what he could do if she did-- he didn't like to admit how frightening she could be, but she was.  He found himself frequently wishing that Hana would find a boyfriend already, as well-- it might keep her busy, giving him a better chance with Judy.  If he could only get up the courage.

And there was Judy, outside.  With Hana, and several of Hana's hangers-on.  Again.

----

"Goddamn ''bastard!''" snarled Grace as she threw her cell phone down at the ground hard enough to break it.  "After all that, he's ''breaking up'' with me!  What if I really ''am...'' you know..."

Sorcha shook her head.  "You have got the worst luck with men, Grace.  D'you want us to invite Timmy-boy over for a little boot party?"

"No, damnit," Grace groaned.  "No, he's just like the rest of 'em.  One little hint--"

"One broken Trojan--"

"One hint that he might have to take some responsibility for something in his life, and Tim's gone.  Just like every other boy I've gone out with, damnit."  Grace kicked the remains of her phone along the street.

"You've had better luck than me, though," Sorcha pointed out.  "I can't get two dates with one guy."

"Maybe.  But I fall for them more than you do, too.  And they always either play around with other girls, or run out on me!" Grace snarled.  "Damnit, isn't there anything better?"

"Well," Sorcha grinned, "if you was to ask Judy, now..."

"Not an option," said Grace, firmly.  "I like boys.  Period.  And there are no good ones, anywhere."

"You might just be right, there... you might just be right."

----

"All right.  I'll see you at eight," said Blue, closing her phone.

Ruby shook her head.  "We're on our way to meet the others, Blue.  This might run late, and are you really going to go on a date after, ah..."  She glanced around the crowded bus.  ''"Business?''  You won't really have time."

"I'm not," answered Blue firmly.  "I'm standing him up.  His pride needs to take a hit, or he'll think that he's in charge."  As far as Blue was concerned, this was not an option-- if she was dating someone, what she said, went.  

Or if it wasn't going to be that way, whoever she was dating had better damn well stand up for himself.

"If I treated boys the way that you do, Blue, I'd never have a boyfriend," said Ruby.  

"And instead you've got Justin, who is entirely weak and useless," replied Blue.  "Does he ever do anything but what you want?"

"Now wait just a minute, Blue," said Ruby, angrily.  "That's exactly what you're trying to turn John into!"

"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of simple minds."

----

Tilly tried to conceal her disappointment as she approached the others.  She shouldn't have been surprised that Judy was already talking to Hana, of course, and she didn't want to get in the way of Judy's feelings, if Hana returned them.  But Hana seemed entirely oblivous to Judy's feelings, just as Judy seemed to not notice Jason's attraction.  

''Really,'' she thought, ''this entire gang is one big soap opera.  Malika likes Jason.  Jason likes Judy.  Judy likes Hana.  I like Hana.  Hana likes... well, I don't know.  Fighting, I guess.  And then there's Blue and her boys, and Grace and ''her'' boys... at least Ruby's been halfway steady with Justin, even if he is a total wimp... and pretty much none of them have noticed when somebody likes them.  I don't see how they miss it.  I'm pretty sure ''I'd'' notice if somebody liked me... maybe I should write a poem about that.  Oh, God-- here comes Chloe... I hope she doesn't...''

----

Malika couldn't help but laugh as Chloe put Tilly in an arm bar.  Chloe's behavior, while erratic, was still pretty funny at times, and she seemed to have latched onto Tilly as the perfect person to torment in strange way, like now, as she tried to force a Hello Kitty temporary tatoo onto Tilly's arm.  ''Well, Tilly really needs to learn to stand up to her better.  At least she's stopped bothering Emma...''  Emma had spent the night with Malika's family again, and was watching Tilly and Chloe wrestle with amusement.

''That's good.  I wonder if...'' Malika looked up at the window to the Hana's apartment.  Sure enough, there was Jason, looking down on him.  ''Jason... he's so nice.''  She waved up at him, and his face disappeared instantly.  ''Shy, too.  And clueless.  Like Hana.''  Malika looked at Hana, who was laughing as she talked to Judy.

''I think I've been friends with Hana longer than anybody but Judy.  I gues I'm kind of clueless, too-- I didn't see what was going on with Judy until Sorcha pointed it out-- but I'm still ahead of her.  I mean, Hana's in a class of her own.  I can see why she'd miss Judy liking her, but there were those two guys, last year, and the year before that.  And she just didn't get it at all.  No matter what they did, she just didn't get it.  Nobody else could have missed it... maybe it runs in her family, though.  I mean, Jason's missed it every time that I've flirted with him, and he's totally missed that Judy likes Hana.''

----

Judy laughed at Hana's joke, and gave her a sad smile as Hana ruffled the hair on Emma's head.  ''Hana... I don't know if I'll ever be able to tell you.  I could stay like this with you forever, really.  As long as you're happy.  Even if you decided that you liked some boy, or even Tilly.  Although you might have some competition if you liked Tilly... but I don't think that's going to happen soon.  And that's fine.  Even if I can't be as close to you as I want, if I can stay by your side.  If you can be happy.''

''That's all that matters.  Because I love you.''