Welcome to Gaia! ::

Mae pursed her lips, folding her legs and placed her hands in her lap, watching Adrian make a fool out of himself. She bit her lip to refrain from laughing out loud; she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. But by the looks of him, his usual outlook was not so apparent. She gave a small wave and motioned for him to sit next to her by scooting over on the bench and putting her book on the other side of her.

“So, Sir Klutz, what brings you here? Are you feeling okay? Better?” Her tone lifted a little, as did her boundaries. She was unsure if she should continue but resumed trying to at least be understanding to him.

“Ahh, really? I thought life would be easy for you, Adrian.”
Mae looked at him thoughtfully, thinking for a moment before nodding.

“Sooooo….What does a person like yourself stress about? And let it out, I love the juicy detail,” she murmured whilst rolling her wrist. She leaned back into the bench, tilting her head slightly upward. The sun was setting, making the sky look like a painting. Pretty sight it was. “Pretty,” she whispered, dark eyes alighting when she saw the heavens.

Eyes still fixated on the sky, Mae cleared her throat to speak.
"Popular is just a word to describe how admired you are by other people. For some people, that's all they look for. I mean, I think it'd be sort of nice to have people like you for who you are. Sure, there are those who go by appearances but they tend to drift of to the next good looking icon there is sometime. You're just a likeable person. You're nice and charismatic and probably optimistic. The crowds of people that surround you just go to show how much of a great person you are. Embrace it. And if you don't like the fawning over you constantly, say it," she replied.

Mae's eyes softened, dulled almost, as she thought about her words. She bit her lip and looked down.

"Friends, or people you label close to you as friends, will end up only betraying you or hurting you with their feelings. It takes a lot of hassle just to find the right person to call a true friend. So good luck with finding one. I mean, it must be nice to tell you're feelings to some one. To be close to someone and care for them," obviously she hadn't had someone like that,

"Who wants to be alone, right?"
Mae looked broken. Lonely. Isolated. She had no one to tell about her day or how she felt about certain matters. She didn't consider her mother the best person to gossip to. In all her life, she never considered anyone a real friend.

A memory came to mind about why she was so cynical about other people.
The beads incident.
Her face turned bitter, though still retaining a lonely look about her eyes.

Mae smirked and looked at him thinking he was silly. “That’s your only fault, I think. You always try to please other people before yourself. If they truly cared about you, I think they’d understand you want space. So it really shouldn’t matter to you. I mean, why should they be sad if you just want to be the real you?” Mae looked down again, her mood lightening.
She pulled up her legs so that she hugged her knees. She then laid her chin gently on them, staring off ahead. He wanted to know how her day was? Why? She had wanted to ask that but decided not. She thought it’d probably be nice to speak to someone how she felt. She was a bit shy, speaking with hesitation. She was unsure how to open herself up to others.
“Ahh...Uhmm…Good…” She murmured a little flustered. She lowered her eyes some. “I’ve had a vacation from work so I’ve been pretty by myself the whole week. It’s alright though. At least I can watch my shows on TV instead of waiting for their reruns a week later.” What else was she supposed to tell him? “I baked a cake! At my house when I got home from school! You want some?!” It sounded a bit over enthusiastic. She never invited anyone over before.

Mae stood, straightening the blouse she wore. She looked girly enough to look approachable if it hadn’t been for the scowl always seen on her face. But her lips were not that of a frown but of a small curved line, not fully a smile but definitely not an unhappy face. She picked up her book then, holding it to her side. “The apartment is not far at all,” she commented, motioning for him to follow. She didn’t really know her reasoning for inviting him over but it didn’t matter anymore. He looked pretty excited to come over as well so she couldn’t exactly not invite him over. Nonetheless, she felt this was a new experience for her. A good one, she thought. Though she despised Adrian socially, she didn’t mind him. Of course, his personality was a tad annoying to her but he made up for it with his optimism. Mae had led him out of the park and eventually down the street, rounding a corner. These sidewalks she’s walked down so often, today was the first she walked down them with someone else. Her face was placid, turning another corner and eventually coming to a stop in front of an apartment building.

She started up the stairs and then went down the hall to the apartment marked ten. It was at the end of the hall, the door painted red. Mae dug into her pocket for the key before putting it in the lock. She glanced at Adrian warily before turning the key and opening the door.

Mae fully opened the bright red door, closing it behind Adrian. Her cat, Marshmallow, greeted them with a meow. He ignored Adrian and went directly for Mae’s legs, rubbing himself on her jeans and purring. Mae bent to pet the cat before walking into the kitchen. The apartment was small, but not tiny. It was comfy, was all. She put her keys and her book on the counter before washing her hands. You could make yourself comfortable on the couch,” she called and uncovered the cake cover. It was not cut and iced from top to bottom. Strawberry shortcake. She pulled out a knife and proceeded to cut two slices. She placed the two plates with forks and napkins on the table. “Would you like anything to drink?” Mae straightened and looked at him, unsure of how to proceed but liking the feeling of another person with her.

Mae brought him a bottle. She had herself a glass of milk. Settling on the couch besides him, she pulled the plate closer to her and took a large bite, licking the icing off her lips. She looked at him before looking down at her cake. Was that lady-like? She wiped her mouth with a napkin self-consciously and sipped her milk. It was a rather awkward pause after that as Mae tried to find something to talk about.
“Why do you kiss girl’s cheeks?” She finally blurted out. She averted looking at him, playing with a strawberry on her plate with her fork.

Mae nodded, eating the strawberry eventually with a nod.
“I think it’s really cool to show off your heritage. Though kissing girls may be a bit extreme, it’s a good way to keep in touch with your heritage,” she murmured, eating her cake. Her family wasn’t very cultural.
Her cat hopped onto the couch and onto Adrian’s lap, sitting there like a pillow. Mae finished her cake. “But ever since I met you, you haven’t kissed my cheeks once.” She poked her fingers. “Am I not special?” She played, teasing him with a grin. He probably didn’t do so because he probably didn’t know she existed. That, and because she probably wasn’t someone who he’d want to kiss and greet either. She stood and took her plate, getting another slice.