Faye would cry, but she now sees Paul looking at her from a distance. She’s tired of humiliating herself in front of the others and having them put her down. If she walks off, someone will just follow her and ask if she’s okay. If she stands there, she’ll cry anyway or react in anger, so she looks around for a third option. The only choice is the nearest window. She dances herself over there, trying to hide her shattered emotions. Now, she can safely turn away from the others until she is forced to continue the trip and face her consequences. “And to think,” she says to herself aloud, “I was given the chance to skip this trip.”
As veteran System Guards can be seen in the distance walking here and flying there, a new form glides across Faye’s view from the window. It’s the shadow of Grace. That’s right, Faye’s suspicion was accurate.
“So, how’d that go?” Gigi tries to hold back the lecture she’d been saving since the handholding trick.
“Just like you wanted it to. Now, leave me alone.” Faye leans her head on the glass as the tears begin to prevail.
“Faye,” Gigi treads lightly, “I know we don’t get along, but I do like you, you know. I just get annoyed when you harass my brother. He’s my brother, so it’s logical I’m defensive of him. He likes you, too. You just get irritating to us because you won’t stop that one thing.”
Even though it’s old news, Faye seeks to understand it more. “But when I backed off, Elfie wanted to date that Tiffany girl. She was a bad girl while I was good, and he went for her. When I turned and tattled on her, I got her killed and Elfie was hugging me and everything. So, I thought I was being too much of a goodie girl. But when I tried the other direction, now he hates me. Am I really that naïve?”
“Yes,” Gigi couldn’t help but say this with a snicker. “You are the most adorable, naïve creature, and that makes me and Elfie love to hang out with you. We don’t like to make fun of you or pull pranks on you. I mean that you can be such an innocent, genuine person, who sees the best in everyone, isn’t afraid to say what she’s thinking and follows whatever idea she comes up with to her best ability. I don’t know who put all these ideas about dating in your head, but it’s stealing Faye away from being the sweet, carefree, yeah kinda’ vain, kid we adore. Besides, you can’t marry for years on end, so it’s a distraction now.”
“I can’t help it. Elfie means the world to me.” Faye loses the battle of holding back her smile at the surprising compliments she’s getting from Gigi of all people. The short one taps her foot against the wall. “How do I be me if all I can see is me losing him, no matter what I do?”
“So, what if you lose him? If you do good, he goes for another girl, but he’s your friend. If you’re bad, you lose him altogether.” Gigi puts her arm around Faye. “What if Owan really is your future husband. Don’t you think it’s selfish of you to treat Owan like a fly on the wall? Don’t you think it’s selfish to force Elfie to do what you want? I mean, I can honestly say I’d have no problem calling you my sister-in-law fifteen years from now, but if I don’t, it’s not the end of the world. If Elfie doesn’t like you, and if Owan doesn’t like you…do you cease to exist? Do you die? Do you lose your value in life?”
Faye sees where this logic is going. “My value is dependent on Christ. As a PAC, my mission in life is to point to Him, whether or not I have a boyfriend or a husband. Yeah, I know this, but it’s so hard, Gigi. It’s so hard, and I’m so emotional. I can never control them, and I just get myself made fun of. I hate being the lovesick drama queen, but I can’t stop. I’m addicted to my lack of reserve.” She thinks of something else to say, but before she says it, she takes a deep breath. “I said this to Entoni a moment ago, but I had bad intentions in mind. One, I’m sorry for acting inappropriately with your brother today. Second, as your friend, can I ask you to genuinely help me? I’ll probably change my mind when it gets hard, and we’ll probably argue like normal, but while the real Faye is talking, even if for one microsecond, I want help, Gigi. I can’t do this alone.”
Inner Man Theatre 