Evening. Just had a really fun afternoon, and I thought I'd share it with all of you. And this is has the side-effect of pissing off my favorite cryptic poster, Disputing Madness!

So, without further ado, let's begin.

I was home alone earlier this afternoon since my parents were going out for their anniversary, just... well, not doing anything, really. Not much to do around here, and my neighborhood is  devoid of any people my age. And Daniel's been busy fixing his car, so we couldn't hang out today, either. Looked like another boring afternoon.

That's when I heard a knock on the door.

I walk to the front of my house, expecting the mailman or something. I open the door and there stands the last person I expected to find at my house: Vivian Foster.

She was dressed in blue jeans and a dark green hoodie, her brown hair pulled back in a ponytail. She smiled at me, saying hello, while I stood there like an idiot and unsure of what to do. Look, I've never had a cute girl appear at my house before, okay? Don't judge.

It was strange, though. I expected Vivian to act more... dominant, I guess, after reading Lois' journal and hearing Daniel describe her. But she seemed almost... shy, just like me. Maybe she was just pretending to make me feel better.

I invited her in and thus began the awkwardest moments in my life. We didn't say anything for a little while, just walked into the living room and sat down. I finally asked her if she wanted something to eat or drink, but she said no. And... well. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: "So..."
Vivian: "Hm?"
M: "Uh, I was just wondering what you're doing here. I thought... well, I thought you were busy or something. That's what Daniel tells me."
V: "I don't know what I'd be busy with."
M: "Visiting people, I think?"
V: "Well... then in a way, I guess I am busy. I'm visiting you, aren't I?" (She smiles upon saying this)
M: "Oh... right, haha. So... that's all this is, then? Just visiting me?"
V: "Well... it occurred to me that you've been a part of Danny's little group and I've neglected to introduce myself. But... you already know who I am, of course."
M: "Not by reputation, though! Ah... not saying you have a reputation or anything. I mean, ah... nevermind."
V: "Well, I do have a little bit of a reputation... But I'm referring to Lois' journal."
M: "Yeah, that's, um, what I meant."
V: "Of course."
M: "...Well, I'm Vincent. Nice to... finally meet you, I guess."
V: "Likewise." (She smiles again)

After that horribly awkward conversation, we got to talking about... well, pretty much everything, really. How school was going for us, what we thought of other members of Daniel's group (don't worry, they were all positive things), what we thought of other people at school... normal conversation topics, you know? Or I guess they're normal. Never really had a conversation like I had with Vivian...

Anyway, we decided on going out to eat since there's not a lot to do at my house. Not anything fancy, just this Italian place downtown. And it was really nice; we laughed a lot throughout our meal over random stuff. Daniel was not kidding when he said Vivian had a great sense of humor - she can find something hilarious in almost anything, and will immediately point it out.

We went to this bowling place after dinner and it was kind of fun. I found out that I'm actually kind of good at something; managed to get a 190-something score on my first game, and Vivian said that wasn't bad at all for a first timer. We stayed there for around three hours just bowling and talking, and after awhile it was just us in the place (aside from the owners, of course).

There was one thing that struck me as odd, though. Vivian was about to go but paused, as if thinking about something. She turned to me, almost like she was confused, and I saw... I don't know, I think I saw fear in her eyes. She seemed... afraid. I asked her what's wrong and she sat down, putting the bowling ball on the seat beside her. Her eyes were on the floor and she didn't speak for a few moments and I thought about asking her again when she started to speak.

"Do you ever feel like... you're not the same person you were?"

The question caught me off guard. "What do you mean?"

She just shook her head. "Nothing, it's just... I feel like sometimes I'm losing myself, bits and pieces day-by-day. I guess it's me growing up, but I feel like it's happening too fast." Vivian hugged herself, almost like she was cold. "I don't like it. I... I want to be me, Vince. I don't want to be something else. Do you know what I mean?" She turned to look at me, that scared look still in her eyes.

I honestly didn't know how to respond, but I attempted to do so, anyway. "Well, I guess I do. I think I'm kind of the opposite, really... I've always been sheltered to the point where I can't relate to a lot of people, but through the past month and a half... meeting Daniel and you, for instance... I feel like it's making me a different person, but for the better. I think you just have to look at the positives, you know?"

I don't know if she understood or not, but she nodded her head. She closed her eyes for a few moments and when she opened them, that look of fear was gone. In fact, she looked almost... determined. Considering her next statement, that look made sense: "Bet you can't beat me at another game!"

We got kicked out about twenty minutes later, and since it was getting late we decided to part ways. Before she left, Vivian kissed me on the cheek. "Thanks, Vince. You're not such a bad guy after all." And... well, she walked off, nothing more than that.

And... that was my night. So, yeah.