[Timeline: Immediately after Instance: Friend Zone, Kid]
Curt: On the roof, Curt was watching clouds, pretending he didn't have homwork. He kept turning them into various things in his head, like boobs.
Jessica: Jess managed to contain the sigh at her sanctuary invaded. "Hey Curt..."
Curt: He was stunned and quickly looked down at his crotch to make sure there was nothing... standing up to catch her attention. "Oh, uh... Hey! Jess! What's up!?" He asked his voice a little squeaky.
Jessica: "Lunch time..." she held up the plate of pasta and moved to sit down in her usual spot. "Everything okay?"
Curt: "Yeah! Fine. Just... awesome." He sat up straight, clearing his throat he pointed to the clouds. "Just uh... making shapes in the boobs. -CLOUDS! In the clouds!"
Jessica: She blinked at him... then laughed, "Oh yeah? I do that all the time... with the clouds I mean."
Curt: "It's a distraction mechanism... something I do when I don't want to think about uh... Homework." Think about boobs. "I mean, not that I always think about breasts..." Only 90% of the time it's breasts. "It's just... y'know... I got the girlfriend now and so I like uh... hers. And ..." Oh God Laura's breasts! "Not that I think of girls breasts all the time! That's rude!"
Curt: "And gross! I mean, the breasts aren't gross! Yours totally aren't!" OH DEAR LORD JESSICA'S BREASTS!
Curt: "I'm gonna shut up, now." He turned away from her hung his legs off the roof.
Jessica: Jess just laughed and ate a bite of pasta, "Calm down, Curt. I'm not going to judge you for what shapes the clouds take in your frustrated brain."
Curt: "It's not frustrated just.... I have little to go on. So, it's imaginative. I guess." He blushed deep red. "Okay, my V-Card is showing horribly here. Sorry, yeah you're right. Pressure's on, I'm listening to romantic music, writing poetry, trying to create a new type of rose..."
Curt: "I'm pathetic."
Jessica: "You're not pathetic," she frowned a little, "Why would you say that?"
Curt: "I'm talking like some grab-assy, desperate, nerd. But I mean, c'mon! Laura's hot!"
Jessica: "I suppose she's attractive... but I'm not into girls so I wouldn't go that far myself," she smirked slightly.
Curt: "She is beautiful," he insisted. "stunning even. And I am stupidly lucky, in fact it's surreal..."
Jessica: "And you're up here looking at cloud boobs because....?"
Curt: "... I can't look at hers?" He said with an expression that stated obviously.
Jessica: "I bet she'd let you if you asked her."
Curt: "... I bet she wouldn't. And shouldn't. That's not what this is, this is different. We're trying to take our time onto this stuff 'cause she's never been in scenarios like this before. I'm not pressing her. That's wrong." He looked to her sternly.
Curt: "It's wrong, Jess."
Jessica: She held her hands up, "Okay, jeez. I'm not saying press her I'm just saying throw it out there so she can think about it. Don't forget she doesn't know what the normal progression is so you have to signpost stuff..."
Curt: "I can't be the boyfriend and talk to her abotu that!" He insisted. "That's... bias. That's wrong. It's me trying to win. If anything, it should be a close friend." He looked to her with slowly widening eyes. "Y'know... someone who gets it..."
Curt: "Who might be able to relate or help..."
Jessica: Jess blinked slowly at him, "And you can't see how hugely inappropriate that would be?"
Curt: "Why is that? You're a friend, you're giving her advice. Telling her what happens, right? Isn't that what girls do?"
Jessica: "Well for one I don't know what's normal. And for two.... I used to be a prostitute so what do you expect me to say to her exactly?"
Curt: "I don't know, but you sure seemed so certain second ago of what was normal. Like I should just be able to look at boobs?"
Curt: He put his finger under his nose like a faux-mustache and said, in a hum-drum voice, "Hey Laura you sure do look pretty today. Say, how're your breasts looking?" rolling his eyes he reverted back to his normal voice. "See how ridiculous it is?"
Jessica: "Well it is when you say it like that... and I'm kind of used to people asking me that like it is normal so..." she shrugged, "I don't know. You should take these things into account when you talk to me about relationship stuff."
Curt: "Okay... so both you and Laura... and myself as well... all have no idea how to have a normal functioning relationship, at least physically. ... So wouldn't that make you a better candidate than me at least, to try and talk to her about what she expects?"
Curt: "I... I guess I'm afraid of asking. I'm worried if I do, it'll start a conversation we can't back out of."
Jessica: "Why would you want to back out of it? Wouldn't the point of asking to be to get to the end of the conversation and reach a conclusion that you both feel comfortable with?" What was with people and being confusing today?! "You're her boyfriend, you're the one that's in the best position to talk to her about this stuff.... and trust me... you don't want to give her my views on sex. Really."
Curt: "..." He wasn't sure he would've agreed with her. "Look, I'm... just... nervous. About talking to her about this stuff. I feel like it's pushing it. We discussed kissing more frequently, but I dunno... It's a really awkward relationship. I want it to be natural, but it can't be, not yet. Something
needs to happen."
Curt: "I don't know if it's walking in the rain in Paris, getting flowers in a giant meadow in Mid Western America... I don't know if there's supposed to be this great big awakening of... romantic emotions from within her. I don't know."
Curt: "I dunno..."
Jessica: "And what are you going to do if she doesn't have this awakening of romantic emotions? Curt you have to stop putting this stuff off if you want it to happen. Just talk to her about how you feel... and if that doesn't feel right to you then find someone else because I'll really just make it worse."
Curt: Curt put his hands up, preparing for explanation mode. "But... look, Hemingway once said that love that is true and real creates a respite from death. All cowardice comes from not loving, or not loving well. It's the same thing. And when the man who is brave and true looks death squarely in the face, it is because they have loved with sufficient passion to push that out of their minds."
Curt: "I... want to tell her that. And other things. I want to design a happy, beautiful, passionate, loved life for all time. I want to make up for this traumatic, almost volcanic life she's had."
Jessica: "So then tell her that. Why is that so hard?"
Curt: "I'm worried because it's been eruption after eruption, creating an empty, vapid, chasm of emotionless reactions, disguising herself as fitting in. For once she does and she feels strongly for someone! And I just... I feel strongly for her too! And I dunno..."
Curt: "I'm a hopeless romantic."
Curt: "And I don't want to scare her off..." he said, looking away.
Jessica: "You're not going to scare her off. She's not fragile, Curt. She's a lot more stable than you seem to think she is. Just talk to her and if it goes badly then I'll help fix it but it won't. The only way it'll go badly is if you insist that I talk to her first."
Curt: "Alright... alright, okay. I agree. Thank you. You're a good friend." He frowned. "You deserved better than Danny. I'm really... I haven't really had a chance to tell you that. I need you to know, you deserved someone who was as fun as he wanted to be and as nice as he knew he should have been."
Jessica: "Well thanks but... I don't see that happening any time soon." And now she wasn't hungry. She set her plate down.
Curt: "Jess, you're gonna be surprised. Someday, some awesome guy is gonna come along and just sweep you off your incredibly difficult-to-sweep-off-of-feet." He assured her.
Jessica: "And then they'll turn out to be an asshole too... or they'll die." she looked away.
Curt: "Or neither? You don't want a guy who knocks sheilas back and notches his belt, you don't want some guy who tirelessly throws himself out at danger, why don't you just wait for the breeze to blow in someone worth the wait?"
Jessica: "Curt, I don't think I can have this discussion right now." She swallowed, "I don't want to think about this stuff... I don't think I'm relationship material. I'm too.... damaged..."
Curt: "Sounds like you should getting talked to by Laura. Tell me, who in this group isn't damaged goods?" He pointed to his missing arm. "Physically or emotionally?" He blinked and flashed reptillian eyes to her, which with the next blink, reverted back.
Curt: "You don't have to talk about it, but you need to know what we all know. You'll bag yourself a guy."
Jessica: "Maybe I don't want to... I wasn't ready the first time and now..." she sighed, getting to her feet. "No one's going to want someone long term that can't say she loves someone."
Curt: "Maybe you didn't love him?" Curt said bluntly. "I mean, have you thought about that yet? Maybe you genuinely didn't love him. You may have thought you did, but maybe a part of you knew better..."
Jessica: "What if I did and I couldn't say it? What if I'd been trying and just couldn't?" She put her face in her hands, "It doesn't matter. This isn't about him. This is about me and that I'm broken."
Curt: Curt stood up to give her a hug, but as he went to, his foot slipped and with a "Whoop!" he fell off the roof.
Jessica: "Woah!" Jess dived after him without even thinking about it to catch him before he hit the ground.
Curt: Curt was being held upside down as he screamed in horror, closing his eyes shut, tight. "Gaaahhh! AAAHHHH!!!"
Jessica: Jess wrapped her arms securely around him and righted them both before landing carefully on the ground. "Are you alright?"
Curt: "No! I almost died! Oh my God!" He wrapped his arms tightly around her. "Thank you! OHMIGOD, thank you!"
Jessica: Jess blinked a little in surprise but hugged him back because it seemed like he needed it. "You're welcome..." She rubbed his back in what she hoped was a soothing manner.
Curt: "Oh man... oh wow... My whole life flashed before my eyes...." He shot up. "I need to go tell Laura. I need to tell her everything! Thanks, Jess! Bye!"
Curt: He hopped through the window and tore off down the hall towards Laura.
Jessica: "You're welcome...?" She looked after him somewhat bemused. Maybe she'd just avoid the school for the rest of the day and go into town....