LJ Idol Season 8: Week 22; Bridge - Intersection with alien_infinity
"You’re beautiful.” Vanessa said to the girl on the magazine cover. She just wished that she could say those words to her face and maybe, make her believe them. Then again, she thought Piper was beautiful before the transformation. Now she merely looked like Vanessa had before the procedures. But Vanessa wasn’t talking about the exterior stuff anyway.
"Who is?” A soft voice came from behind her, startling Vanessa. She clumsily tried to hide the magazine beneath the pile on the table. She knew that she no longer looked like her old self, but she feared her guilt would show up on her face to give her away.
"Uhh no one...” Vanessa thought she had the break room to herself; she didn’t know that her co-worker was standing close enough to see over her shoulder.
"Oh, Vanessa Delacroix. She is absolutely stunning,” her co-worker stammered. "I wish I looked like her...”
The girl sat down across from her and flipped open another magazine filled with pictures of starlets in bikinis and articles talking about the best and worst bodies. The photos showed bits of cellulite circled on some while highlighting the protruding ribs and bones in others.
"No you don’t”.
"Hmmph easy for you to say. While you’re no Vanessa Delacroix, you’re still gorgeous. Try being chubby and covered in freckles. No one ever tells me I’m beautiful and means it.”
Vanessa had been working with Brooke for a few month now; their friendship flourished because just like Piper, Vanessa saw a strength in Brooke that she admired. It didn’t hurt that her personality resembled the old Piper in so many ways.
"I think your red hair is stunning. And the freckles? Adorable. I wish I had more of my own.” Vanessa looked at the girl, hoping that perhaps she might get through to her.
"You know I can tell when a person is lying, right?” Brooke gave a small smile while she looked Vanessa in the eye for the first time since she’d sat down.
"Oh really?”
"Mm-hmm. They never look you directly in the eye. They stare at the bridge of your nose instead.” With that, Brooke took her finger and tapped Vanessa’s nose playfully with a chuckle. Her emerald eyes, a distinct contrast to Piper’s beautiful brown, were still very easy to stare into while she spoke.
"Well then. You should be able to see that I’m not lying. I’m staring into your eyes and I think they are mesmerizing.”
Brooke turned as her suddenly flushed cheeks gave her away. Redheads were never very good at keeping their shyness a secret, and Vanessa found it endearing.
"Whatever. I’ll never be as beautiful as someone like your name twin on the cover there.”
"Who says so?”
"Hollywood says so! Men say so! Well in my case, women... But you know what I mean.” Brooke closed the magazine with a sharp thud.
Vanessa leaned back in her chair and took in the beautiful but wounded girl before her. Brooke was curvy where Piper had been frail, but Vanessa didn't see that as a bad thing. Brooke's wavy auburn hair frizzed up on humid days. The bridge of her nose was sunburnt more often than not. Her freckles were dotted haphazardly while Vanessa’s were painted on with precision.
And Vanessa thought those so-called imperfections were beautiful. She didn't understand how one type of woman could be admired over all the others when uniqueness and imperfections attracted her. So many people had copied her own looks throughout the years that she appreciated seeing the differences between people, even if Hollywood or society didn't.
"Well what if I said they are wrong? Why can't we all be beautiful? “ Vanessa gestured wildly, her hands flying in the air to accentuate every word, "The girl on the cover, you, me... All of us. I think we are are all beautiful. And remember, you can tell when a person is lying to you... Am I lying right now?”
Brooke pulled a strand of her hair into her mouth and nibbled on it while looking down at her fingernails. Piper had once done the same thing, and Vanessa scolded her for it. This time she appreciated the vulnerable gesture
"I would say you need to get your eyes checked.” Brooke forced a laugh while rolling her eyes.
"Oh hush you! I have perfect eyesight!”
"Says who?”
"Says my eye doctor of course!”
"Whatever.” Brooke laughed, and this time it wasn’t forced. "I just wish my parents hadn’t been so poor. Maybe I could have been genetically engineered to be beautiful like cover girl there. I guess you got lucky in the gene pool, huh?”
Vanessa wasn’t sure how to respond. While she had modified her physical features a bit to fit in with regular society, she hadn’t done a whole lot. Her hair was much shorter now, just gracing the bottom of her chin, and it was dark brown instead of blonde. She had her cheeks filled in a bit and her nose made a little less perfect. But apparently she hadn’t changed enough of herself to fully fit in. Maybe it was her own vanity or notions of beauty that had kept her from doing something radical to her appearance, she thought.
"I guess so.” She mumbled softly.
"My genes weren’t too kind to me apparently...” She trailed off while once again staring at the fake girl on the cover, "I keep thinking maybe one day I’ll save enough money to have cosmetic surgery done so I can look more like her, but I seem to be getting nowhere working at this coffee shop. My folks couldn’t afford college either so I’ll never be that well off.”
"I’m sorry.” Vanessa wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. She wanted to tell Brooke that she was beautiful as is and to never get surgery; that some sweet girl would come along and fall madly in love with that face. She wasn’t sure if it would be welcomed or not though.
"I wish I could say something to make you believe me,” Vanessa said.
"It’s okay. No one has ever told me I was beautiful and meant it. I’ve kinda gotten used to it.”
"Well I mean it. I just wish you could see what I see.” Vanessa had the sudden desire to reach across the table and stroke the girl’s cheek, or perhaps to just hold her hand. Maybe it was her personality that reminded her of the girl she lost; or maybe it was something more. But Vanessa knew that she would do anything to fix Brooke but she didn’t know how.
"The strangest thing... I do almost believe that you mean it.”
Their eyes met and for a brief second, Vanessa felt things click into place. She no longer held herself back and touched the girl's hand softly.
"Hey girls, break time's over.” Their manager stuck her head in the room, "There's a line of people backed to the door all in need of their morning caffeine fix.”
The girls shared a smile before pulling their hands away.
"I guess I'll see you out there.” Vanessa slowly pulled her hand away and slid out of her chair. She made sure to look into Brooke's eyes. "Oh and for the record, you are beautiful. Very beautiful.”
She slipped out the break room door before Brooke had a chance to protest anymore.
(Another week of intersection in
therealljidol and my partner this week is the awesome 
alien_infinity who you can read here. Our entries can be read in any order. This is another installment in my ongoing story that is tentatively called "The Princess and the Piper" because I'm goofy enough to like that name. You may read my first installment here, and my second installment here.)
"Who is?” A soft voice came from behind her, startling Vanessa. She clumsily tried to hide the magazine beneath the pile on the table. She knew that she no longer looked like her old self, but she feared her guilt would show up on her face to give her away.
"Uhh no one...” Vanessa thought she had the break room to herself; she didn’t know that her co-worker was standing close enough to see over her shoulder.
"Oh, Vanessa Delacroix. She is absolutely stunning,” her co-worker stammered. "I wish I looked like her...”
The girl sat down across from her and flipped open another magazine filled with pictures of starlets in bikinis and articles talking about the best and worst bodies. The photos showed bits of cellulite circled on some while highlighting the protruding ribs and bones in others.
"No you don’t”.
"Hmmph easy for you to say. While you’re no Vanessa Delacroix, you’re still gorgeous. Try being chubby and covered in freckles. No one ever tells me I’m beautiful and means it.”
Vanessa had been working with Brooke for a few month now; their friendship flourished because just like Piper, Vanessa saw a strength in Brooke that she admired. It didn’t hurt that her personality resembled the old Piper in so many ways.
"I think your red hair is stunning. And the freckles? Adorable. I wish I had more of my own.” Vanessa looked at the girl, hoping that perhaps she might get through to her.
"You know I can tell when a person is lying, right?” Brooke gave a small smile while she looked Vanessa in the eye for the first time since she’d sat down.
"Oh really?”
"Mm-hmm. They never look you directly in the eye. They stare at the bridge of your nose instead.” With that, Brooke took her finger and tapped Vanessa’s nose playfully with a chuckle. Her emerald eyes, a distinct contrast to Piper’s beautiful brown, were still very easy to stare into while she spoke.
"Well then. You should be able to see that I’m not lying. I’m staring into your eyes and I think they are mesmerizing.”
Brooke turned as her suddenly flushed cheeks gave her away. Redheads were never very good at keeping their shyness a secret, and Vanessa found it endearing.
"Whatever. I’ll never be as beautiful as someone like your name twin on the cover there.”
"Who says so?”
"Hollywood says so! Men say so! Well in my case, women... But you know what I mean.” Brooke closed the magazine with a sharp thud.
Vanessa leaned back in her chair and took in the beautiful but wounded girl before her. Brooke was curvy where Piper had been frail, but Vanessa didn't see that as a bad thing. Brooke's wavy auburn hair frizzed up on humid days. The bridge of her nose was sunburnt more often than not. Her freckles were dotted haphazardly while Vanessa’s were painted on with precision.
And Vanessa thought those so-called imperfections were beautiful. She didn't understand how one type of woman could be admired over all the others when uniqueness and imperfections attracted her. So many people had copied her own looks throughout the years that she appreciated seeing the differences between people, even if Hollywood or society didn't.
"Well what if I said they are wrong? Why can't we all be beautiful? “ Vanessa gestured wildly, her hands flying in the air to accentuate every word, "The girl on the cover, you, me... All of us. I think we are are all beautiful. And remember, you can tell when a person is lying to you... Am I lying right now?”
Brooke pulled a strand of her hair into her mouth and nibbled on it while looking down at her fingernails. Piper had once done the same thing, and Vanessa scolded her for it. This time she appreciated the vulnerable gesture
"I would say you need to get your eyes checked.” Brooke forced a laugh while rolling her eyes.
"Oh hush you! I have perfect eyesight!”
"Says who?”
"Says my eye doctor of course!”
"Whatever.” Brooke laughed, and this time it wasn’t forced. "I just wish my parents hadn’t been so poor. Maybe I could have been genetically engineered to be beautiful like cover girl there. I guess you got lucky in the gene pool, huh?”
Vanessa wasn’t sure how to respond. While she had modified her physical features a bit to fit in with regular society, she hadn’t done a whole lot. Her hair was much shorter now, just gracing the bottom of her chin, and it was dark brown instead of blonde. She had her cheeks filled in a bit and her nose made a little less perfect. But apparently she hadn’t changed enough of herself to fully fit in. Maybe it was her own vanity or notions of beauty that had kept her from doing something radical to her appearance, she thought.
"I guess so.” She mumbled softly.
"My genes weren’t too kind to me apparently...” She trailed off while once again staring at the fake girl on the cover, "I keep thinking maybe one day I’ll save enough money to have cosmetic surgery done so I can look more like her, but I seem to be getting nowhere working at this coffee shop. My folks couldn’t afford college either so I’ll never be that well off.”
"I’m sorry.” Vanessa wasn’t exactly sure how to respond. She wanted to tell Brooke that she was beautiful as is and to never get surgery; that some sweet girl would come along and fall madly in love with that face. She wasn’t sure if it would be welcomed or not though.
"I wish I could say something to make you believe me,” Vanessa said.
"It’s okay. No one has ever told me I was beautiful and meant it. I’ve kinda gotten used to it.”
"Well I mean it. I just wish you could see what I see.” Vanessa had the sudden desire to reach across the table and stroke the girl’s cheek, or perhaps to just hold her hand. Maybe it was her personality that reminded her of the girl she lost; or maybe it was something more. But Vanessa knew that she would do anything to fix Brooke but she didn’t know how.
"The strangest thing... I do almost believe that you mean it.”
Their eyes met and for a brief second, Vanessa felt things click into place. She no longer held herself back and touched the girl's hand softly.
"Hey girls, break time's over.” Their manager stuck her head in the room, "There's a line of people backed to the door all in need of their morning caffeine fix.”
The girls shared a smile before pulling their hands away.
"I guess I'll see you out there.” Vanessa slowly pulled her hand away and slid out of her chair. She made sure to look into Brooke's eyes. "Oh and for the record, you are beautiful. Very beautiful.”
She slipped out the break room door before Brooke had a chance to protest anymore.
(Another week of intersection in
therealljidol and my partner this week is the awesome alien_infinity who you can read here. Our entries can be read in any order. This is another installment in my ongoing story that is tentatively called "The Princess and the Piper" because I'm goofy enough to like that name. You may read my first installment here, and my second installment here.)