Shiny Doom Forum

[Katrina]

Okay, I guess I'll start posting stuff. This is my original fiction Simple Choices (which just got rejected from GlimmerTrain - *sniff sniff*) Anyways, it's about a girl struggling between her religious beliefs and a sudden questioning of her sexuality, rated PG-13 for the content. Enjoy.


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Hello Diary!
I feel I should introduce myself first. My name is Rachel. Pleasure to meet you. You should know you're the first diary of ever written to. I didn't think I would enjoy it very much. But when Dana gave you to me at my birthday a few weeks ago, well, how could I say no? Let me tell you about Dana. She's a very special person to me. We've
known each other since what seems like forever. I think we share a strong connection. Think of the deepest, strongest friendship you could have with a person, and that's me and Dana. Throughout most of junior high and high school, the two of us really didn't have much of a social circle. Sure we knew a couple people, but they were really acquaintances rather than true friends. So I really think Dana and I have come to depend on each other for most of our social interaction. We've shared everything from the happiest moments to saddest times. And now here we are in college. I suppose we'll share a lot more of those times. Well, it's time for me to leave Diary! Can't wait to write you from my new home!

Your truly, Rachel

Verse for today: "Be content with what you have, because God has
said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" (Hebrews
13:5)



Move-in day at college. Who can ever forget it? Out of the house. Your first sweet taste of freedom. I'm sure as the years go on, this will all become very routine for me. But in the meantime, it's my first year of independence and I'm going to enjoy it.

I walked into the room of my new apartment; the weight of the box feeling like it wanted to pull my arms off. I glanced in the door to find my best friend and now roommate sitting lazily on the couch. She was wearing a well-worn pair of jeans and a old white T-shirt. Strands of her short light brown were tucked behind her ears, her green eyes hidden under sleepy eyelids.

"Some roommate you are," I teased. "Why don't you get up and help me? You're the strong one." Dana smiled and walked up to me, lifting the burden off my arms like it was nothing to her.

"Better?" she asked. I giggled and nodded to her. I love to tease Dana, but in truth, I'm so glad she's here. I've heard horror stories about freshman who get terrible roommates their first semester. Everyone scrambles during the summer to find a good friend during orientation so they won't be stuck with a total stranger come the new school year. But Dana and I have been friends since junior high; we clicked instantly as soon as we met. We always hung out together after school, and we've slept over at each other's houses more times than I can count. Our parents just assumed there was a new person living with them now. By high school, we could read each other's thoughts and were always either finishing each others sentences or stating the same thing at the same time. So it really came as no surprise that both of us were looking to get into the same college. No less of one that we're now rooming together.

As soon as our move-in was complete, my cel phone began going off, playing an electronic version of Beethoven's Symphony #9. As I opened it up to check the caller ID, Dana flopped down on the couch and stretched out her legs.

"Yeah. Uh-huh. Sure, no problem. See you soon." I snapped the lid shut and tossed the phone into my purse. Dana opened one eye.

"What's up?" she asked.

"That was Jen on the phone," I informed her. "She found this cute little diner. She wants to know if we can meet her and Amanda there for some refreshments."

"Dunno. Can we?" I passed Dana a sarcastic but cute look as if to say, "Well, what do YOU think?" Dana sighed, but with a smile on her face, and forced herself off the bed. She always read my gestures just as if I were speaking my thoughts out loud. She ran her hands through her hair and yawned.

"Okay, let?s go."

Jen and Amanda both went to our high school. Usually it was just me and Dana, but now and then the four of us would hang out as a group. When the we arrived at the caf?, following Jen?s directions, we found our friends already there waiting for us. We all exchanged greetings with plenty of "How-have-you-been?s" and "Did-you-have-a-nice-summer?s" before finally choosing a table and sitting down. A waiter came by and passed out menus. "Everything looks so good," said Jen, an energetic red-haired girl. "I want to try it all."

"Thought you were on a diet," muttered Amanda, a more quiet and self-contained young woman with dark eyes and hair to match. Jen shrugged her shoulders and ignored Amanda.

After looking over the selection, we all decided we should order milkshakes. The waiter returned to the table to take their orders. Dana ordered strawberry. She almost always got the same thing, no matter where we went. I, on the other hand, was feeling much more adventurous and decided to try the feature flavor: cookies and cream.

In a few moments, the drinks arrived. We all sat discussing different things about our new lives. What classes we were taking, what we knew about the teachers they had, which was basically nothing beyond rumors. As I sat and listened, I stirred the thick concoction before delicately taking a sip.

"Mmm... this is really good. Try it, Dana." Dana glanced over. Taking the straw out her drink, she stuck it into mine and had a taste.

"Not bad," she said. The red-haired girl across from her squealed like a small child who just got a new toy.

"Aw, you two are so cute!" Dana looked up perplexed.

"What do you mean?"

"The way you have two straws in the same glass," said Jen. "It's sweet." Dana shrugged and I did as well. It was not out of Jen's character to overanalyze the situation. But as long as the thought was being entertained, I didn't see any harm in playing along with it. I leaned over and began drinking out my straw as well, gently touching my nose to Dana's. Dana pulled back, as if I had scared her. Regaining herself, she pulled her straw out of the milkshake, shook it off a bit, and placed it back in her own. Jen only laughed.

"See, I told you."



Dear Diary,
It's our first night in our new home. I have to say, it's rather nice. We've each got our own little bedrooms, complete with a desk, a drawer of clothes, and one bed. Then there's the general living area, where I'm sitting now. Dana just got out of the shower, which I tried earlier. It's little cramped, but such we'll have to live with. I couldn't believe what Jen said today, about Dana and I looking like a couple. She always over-analyzes things. Well suppose I should I confess, Dana did take me to our prom. But that was only because I couldn't get a date. It was really more of a gag than anything else. Neither of us have ever dated, though I couldn't tell you why. Dana has told me countless times she thinks she turns guys off. I guess that's partly true. Dana's a tomboy with a muscular build that tends to make her look more like a guy than a girl. I think several of the people who saw us at the prom thought she really was a guy, and then proceeded to tell us what a cute couple we made. Honestly, anyone who sees us as anything more than friends is reading far too much into things.

I'll be truthful, I hope I didn't upset Dana today. She seemed a bit startled when I touched her nose like that. I like to tease sometimes, but I really don't mean anything by it. I don't think it would have bothered her near so much if Jen hadn't been making jokes like that. Dana's sensitive I think. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is part of her personality. Me, I take all commentary with a grain of salt. People will be people after all. I'm not a very sociable person. I guess I told you that already, didn't I Diary? I went out a couple times in high school, nothing ever serious. To be honest, I much preferred the nights Dana and I stayed up chatting til 3AM on the phone than any date a guy cared to take me on. I guess I'm still immature. But they all did seem pretty shallow. ^_^ What else can I tell you about myself? Well, I have a soft spot for art. I also enjoy poetry and music. But not rap music. (I actually think it's demeaning to the term "music" to refer to that rubbish, but that seems to be the accepted norm nowadays.) I also read the Bible a lot, but then you knew that since I wrote a verse down this morning, didn't you? I'm a regular at our local church. Anyway, college should offer some new experiences. I'm hoping maybe Dana and I will become involved with some organizations on campus. I can try talking to her about that tomorrow. Right now, I think she wants to go to sleep. I feel we at least got to know each other tonight though, Diary. Sweet Dreams.

Yours, Rachel

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This is only the first chapter, as you can probably tell. The whole thing is seven chapters, so I only posted the first one. But if you guys want me to post more of it, let me know. It's sitting on my website now for those who are dying to read the rest. (*thinks too highly of herself*)
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[Katrina]

Chapter 2

First thing in the morning, I was awake at least half an hour before the alarm clock went off. It was okay; it gave me time to relax and do some reading. Dana, on the other hand, was a different story.

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!" I called, peeking into Dana?s room. She was laying face down with a pillow over her head, the alarm clock still blaring. I walked over and shut it off. "Hurry up, we?ve got English at 8:00!" Dana sat up and rubbed her face.

"Whose idea was it to even HAVE an 8 am English class?" she wanted to know. But still, Dana managed to force herself out of bed and into the bathroom, where she was able to splash enough cold water on her face to wake herself up.

I stood brushing the knots out my hair, long thick and chestnut brown. It was always a mess. I often wondered if maybe I should get my hair cut short like Dana's. It would probably be easier to manage.

A few minutes later, Dana finally emerged from her room. She was wearing a white short-sleeved men?s shirt with a pair of black denim pants.

"What do you think?" she asked me. I looked my friend over as she threw a red tie around her neck.

"Aw, I thought you?d wear the one with the smiley faces on it," I teased. "That?s the one I got you."

"Yeah, as a gag gift," Dana answered smiling as she finished the knot. "Now come on, why don?t you stop worrying about my fashion sense and let?s get to class, shall we?" I giggled and nodded in agreement.

The two of us soon discovered the English class was not necessarily a punctual one. There were only six or seven other students in the room when we arrived. We just shrugged and took seats next to each other towards the back. It was a few more minutes before the professor arrived.

The woman who entered the room looked like an artist. She wore a black turtleneck with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows and a black skirt that went just past her knees. As soon as she walked in, she took a piece of chalk, wrote on the blackboard in large cursive letters on the board, "Dr. Ginesburg," and then sat down. A drawing pencil was tucked behind her left ear. She kept taking it out and tapping it on the desk, presumably to get her thoughts going, before placing it back once again. As more students flowed into the room, she passed around a piece of paper, asking each person to sign his or her name for attendance.

When the list reached me, I rummaged into my purse, pulling out my purple ink pen. I sighed my name "Rachel Hillson," as gracefully as was possible, dotting the "I" in my last name with a little heart. Dana looked over my shoulder. Taking her pencil in hand, she reached her arm over mine and scratched down, "Dana Hillinger." I giggled a bit. Everyone in the class must have thought we were so strange, but it didn't matter. I gave Dana a little smile and passed the list on to the next person.

The list finally reached the opposite end of the room, and the last person passed it to Dr. Ginesburg, who carefully looked it over as if she was inspecting the signatures for authenticity. She then placed the sheet of paper on her desk. It was ten minutes into the class before she finally stood and addressed the students.

"Love," she said out loud. She gave the class a few minutes to contemplate the word before she spoke again. "Well, what did I say?" she asked. There was silence in the room. The answer seemed so obvious we wondered what more there was to her question. Finally, one boy in the front row raised his hand slightly. Dr. Ginesburg looked off the attendance sheet.

"Yes, Andrew?"

"You said love?" he asked.

"Yes. But what did I mean?"

"Uh..." Andrew looked around the room to see if the answer she was looking for was somehow magically printed on the walls.

"What does love mean?" Dr. Ginesburg asked the class. "Think about it for a few moments, because that is what your first assignment is going to be." Groans from the students.

"I want you to write. It can be a poem a story, what have you. But you must start with the words ?love is,? and by the end of your paper, I should have your own personal answer to my question." She smiled playfully. "Class dismissed."



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Dear Diary,

Well, it was an interesting first day today. Dana and I both had three classes, which is not too bad. Our schedules are almost identical, so we had lunch together in addition to English class.

I'll tell you a bit about my professors. My biology professor is teaching this class for the first time, usually he teaches genetic engineering. So as you can imagine, his vocabulary goes over most of our heads, even when he says the simplest things. Luckily, the tests are all open-book, so I shouldn't have too much trouble there.

Government? Well, what to say? The professor is really nice, but she seems to be under the impression that everyone in the class loves the subject matter just as much as she does. By the look of some of the students in the class, I can assure her that is most definitely not the case.

The most unusual class today though was first. Our English professor ended the class only twenty minutes into the it. She took attendance, gave us our first assignment, and then dismissed us. How odd is that? Not that I mind, I can use the extra time. ^_^ But what threw me off was the assignment she gave us. We have to write, either a story or poem, that describes what love means to us. Dana was not to happy about it; she's been talking since we got home about how "unpoetic" she is. (Unpoetic, is that a word?) I tried to encourage her, saying I knew she would write some beautiful. I think Dana does have an artistic side to her, she just hardly ever exercises it.

Anyway, the two of us we're both going to write our assignments this afternoon and read them to each other tonight. Speaking of which, I should probably get to writing mine, shouldn't I? Wish me luck!

-Rachel

Verse for today: "He who ignores discipline despises himself, but
whoever heeds correction gains understanding." (Proverbs 15:32)
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It was later that night when the two of us met with our works in hand.

"You first," Dana told me. I had a feeling she would say that, so I nodded, cleared my throat and began reading off the paper in front of me:

"Love is a wave. Starting off small, but growing every day. Love is a river. Guiding me through the calm and tough times. Love is a flower. Its seed is trust." I glanced up, feeling my face turn a slight pink as Dana applauded me.

"Very beautiful," she said, with a nod of approval.

"Thank you," I told her, and folded the paper in half. I looked expectantly back Dana, but she said nothing.

"Well, what did you write?" I asked. Dana made an attempt to hide the crumpled piece of notebook paper in her hand.

"Nothing," she quickly answered. "I didn?t finish it." Well, I couldn?t just let Dana get away with that.

"Yes, you did! Let me see it!"

"It's none of your business," Dana teased. To that, I tackled her playfully, clutching my arms across her chest and pulling her towards the floor.

"Come on!" I said holding Dana still.

"Okay, okay!" Dana pleaded, holding the paper up. "You win. Here." I triumphantly snatched the paper from Dana's hand. Success! Unraveling it from its distorted shape, I spread in out on the coffee table, carefully clearing my throat before reading it aloud.

"Love is," I began. "Love is that rare occurrence, that sacred connection between a man and a woman. When you find the one, the one you know you?re meant to be with, and your heart trembles within you, your soul melts, and you know this is what you?ve been searching for... Oh Dana, this is beautiful, how did you come up with this?" Dana shrugged.

"Dunno. I guess I know I have no chance for love in real life, so I take it out in poetry." She sighed, crossing her arms behind her head. I wasn?t sure if I should say anything or not.

"You could have a romantic relationship if you wanted," I finally told her, but Dana only laughed.

"If you're suggesting I start dating, the answer is no," she said. "I know what guys think of me - I?m an object of mockery, not love." After a long pause, she finally added, "I will just have to be satisfied with being alone." I looked compassionately into Dana?s eyes. It was always like this. Dana was a great friend, but I knew that deep inside her, she often felt lonely.

"You know you?ll always have me," I said gently. Dana smiled and placed her hand delicately on top of mine.

"I know. Thank you."
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Check it out! I finally remembered my login for this account. I can do crazy things like put text in my signature and change my avatar so it doesn't say NaNoWriMo 2005.

[Katrina]

Chapter 3

The next day Dana and I walked to school together. Usually Dana drove, but since it wasn't very far, and it was a nice day anyway, I insisted that they get some exercise. It was all right. Parking was atrocious anyway.

A sidewalk lined the busy road leading up to the campus. Dana and I walked with our steps in almost perfect sync with each other. Across the street, a bus stopped by to pick up passengers on their way into the workforce and drop off commuting students for their first classes. I perked up when I recognized a few of the people from English and other general education classes. I waved hello, and several of them returned the gesture. Dana, however, was silent. I noticed she had been slowly turning her head from one side to the other as we walked, gazing at the world around her. But now her wandering eyes had somehow become locked on a certain young man who had just gotten off the bus. He was unfamiliar to both me and Dana as far as I knew, but he seemed nice. His strands of his thick brown hair waved in the wind, occasionally brushing against his deep hazel eyes.

I stopped short in front of Dana to try and catch her off guard, but Dana did not seem to notice. She merely slowed her pace alongside me and continued to lock her gaze over her shoulder. Finally, I jabbed her elbow into Dana?s side.

"Dana Hillinger," I said with an almost taunting tone.

"What?" Dana asked.

"I didn't think you didn?t liked guys."

Dana shrugged. "I don?t," she replied simply.

"You seem to like that one," I said, directing Dana's attention towards the young man who had gotten off the bus.

"And I think you?re as bad as Jen," Dana remarked and turned to go. Only she didn?t get far. Bang! Dana stumbled back as her head collided right into someone else?s. Her notebook spilled onto the sidewalk. Rubbing her head, she looked up to see it was the same boy she had just been watching a few minutes earlier.

"I?m sorry," he said apologetically. "Really. I didn?t see you there."

"That?s okay," Dana answered. She reached down and scooped up her notebook. The boy did the same, gathering a few sheets of loose paper that had fallen out and handing them back to her. Dana thanked him, and then stood up to push her bangs away from her face.

"Off to classes?" the boy asked.

"Y-yeah. English. You?"

"Well, I actually got here early, so I don?t have my statistics class for another hour."

"Wait! Do you have Mr..." Dana thought for a moment and then reached into her binder, pulling out the piece of paper she had printed out her schedule on. "Mr. Politza? At 9:00AM?"

"Yes, that?s him! You have the same class?" Dana nodded and put her schedule away.

"Yeah I do."

"Cool. Guess I?ll see you in class then."

"Yeah. Guess so."

"By the way, my name?s Taylor. What?s yours?" Taylor held out his hand.

"Dana," she replied, taking his hand. "Dana Hillinger."

"Oh... Dana Hillinger," he said, letting the syllables slowly roll off his tongue. "Wait a second! What high school did you go to?"

"Nickolson High."

"I knew it! And you were on the track team, right?"

Dana nodded nervously. "How did you know that?"

Taylor laughed warmly. "I went to Crossroads High School. We played you every year, and our girls team always got so frustrated because you were the one opponent they couldn?t seem to win against." Dana beamed.

"Well, thank you," she said proudly. Taylor laughed again.

"I should get going now. But I?ll see you in class, Dana."

"See you!" Dana answered. With that, Taylor picked up his schoolbag and walked full of energy down the street. Dana watched him go like a disappointed child. The conversation had been unusually lively and sincere. I promptly gave her another jab in the side with my elbow.

"You were friendly with him, weren?t you?" I asked.

"Don?t be ridiculous!" Dana answered, almost insulted. "We just happened to have a lot in common. It?s not a big deal. Now let?s get going or we?ll really be late." I shrugged my shoulders in a sort of sly whatever-you-say manner and continued down the sidewalk. I noticed that Dana was careful to stay a step behind me until we arrived at class.

As was typical, English started ten minutes after it was supposed to. While the students began filing in, each one placed his or her paper on the professor?s desk and then found a chair. When everyone was seated, the professor addressed the class.

"Let?s see what you came up with," she said. She shuffled the pile on her desk a bit. Then she took up the top paper and began reading, "Love is that rare occurrence..." I glanced over towards Dana who was slumped down into her chair. She had recognized her own writing immediately and cringed with every word read out loud: "That sacred connection between a man and a woman. When you find the one, the one you know you?re meant to be with, and your heart trembles within you, your soul melts, and you know this is what you?ve been searching for." When the professor was finally finished, she placed the paper down on her desk, and Dana looked about a foot tall.

"Comments on this piece?" she asked the class, her eyes conveying not even a trace of her own opinion. One of the young men in the class raised his hand.

"Yes, Zachary?"

"It?s very nice, but I don?t like the line about love being only between a man a woman. I think that?s too restrictive." A bit of murmur circulated around the room.

"Well," said the professor. "You bring up an interesting topic. I?ll open it up to the class. Is love only meant to be between a man and woman?" Dana went down even further in her seat, embarrassed that it was her writing that started off this discussion. I think her maneuver was meant to look inconspicuous, but somehow it produced the opposite effect. The professor pointed right to her.

"Dana, what?s your opinion?"

"My opinion?" Dana cleared her throat and straightened up a bit. "I don?t think my opinion really matters. If someone?s already made up their mind about that, then nothing I say will change it."

"Interesting. Rachel?" Now all this time I had been writing in my notebook, so when I was suddenly called on, it caught me a bit off guard.

"Me?" I responded. "Well, I suppose..." I began tapping my pencil on the desk in the same manner the professor had. It was an important topic; surely I had an opinion. But when I thought about it, none came. "I really don?t know." I finally admitted. "I?ve never really thought about it before." I glanced around the classroom for a moment and then went back to writing.

"Hmm..." said the professor. "We have one student with strong opinions, and two other students with apparently no opinion. Interesting."

"Why does she say the word ?interesting? so much?" Dana mumbled. She opened her chemistry book and stared at the cover page for the remainder of the class.

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Salutations, Diary!
Yes, I just feel like exercising my vocabulary a bit today. I felt so bad for Dana in English, she was so embarrassed by having her piece read out loud. I thought it was very beautiful, but of course, she doesn't believe me.

The professor brought up a tough subject... about whether love is meant to be just between a man and woman. Naturally, she calls on me to give my opinions, which are basically none. I don't know. Most people who object to that do it on religious reasons. I mean, I believe in God honestly and with all my heart. And I've made up my mind on a lot of controversial issues. But on that topic, I've never really thought that deeply. I've never had a reason to. Sure, people tease about me and Dana a lot. And I go along with it sometimes, I admit. But there's nothing there between us other than close friends. I'm just not that type of person.

Anyway, on the up side, Dana may have a new friend. His name is Taylor. She met him this morning and seemed to take a real liking to him. Me? I don't know. I suppose he seems like a nice guy. I don't really know him that well. But as it turns out, he and Dana are both interested in track, and they're in the same statistics class. Amanda is in that class as well. (I feel so left out!)

At his suggestion during class, the three of us are going out to dinner tonight. You know, get something to fill our stomachs besides the campus food. I will report later, Diary. Until then, keep my secrets safe like you always do.

-Rachel

Verse for today: "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." (Romans 12:18)

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The eatery of choice that night was one of Dana?s favorites. It was a small but rather nice little restaurant near the park. The type of place that you didn?t need to change into your Sunday best for, but you could show up and not have a greasy plate of cheese show up as the main course. When we arrived, a tall skinny waiter directed the three of us to a table that sat snugly in the corner of the building. I quickly sat herself on one end of the table, not moving over when Dana came near. Dana cleared her throat walked past me, filing into the opposite side. Taylor sat himself next to her. Perfect, I thought. This way maybe they?ll actually talk to each other. Dana sighed and opened her menu.

"Guess I?ll have the chef?s salad," she said.

"Again?" I asked smiling. "You get the same thing every time we go out. Don?t you want something different?" Dana put her hands behind her head.

"Nope," she said with a grin. "I?ll never change, I guess." Taylor glanced over at her, but didn?t say anything. The skinny waiter came back with the drinks and took our orders along with the menus. Dana put her hands back on her lap. She was a bit more relaxed now, but I think the lack of conversation made all of us feel at least a little nervous, if not out of place. I glanced out the window. There was a gorgeous view of the lake. With the overhead moon shimmering down on its surface, the water looked as if hundreds of delicate fairies were dancing on it. There was a path that led all around the lake and a bridge off in the distance, where a few couples were out taking a walk. I looked back at the table to see that Dana was staring outside as well. I guess she saw the same thing.

"Your dinner, ma?am," I heard a voice say. I turned around to see the waiter standing there with our platters.

"That was fast," Dana commented.

"They usually are," I replied, as I pulled out my utensils, delicately placing the napkin on my lap. Dana and Taylor did the same.

The meal was eaten mostly in silence, with a bit of light conversation here and there that got gradually stronger as the evening progressed. Taylor asked Dana all sorts of questions about her experience on the track team. Dana was only too proud to comply and give out her stories of victory to the fullest thrilling detail. I mostly sat and watched as Dana and Taylor spoke. How sweet they looked sitting and talking to each other, leaning on each other?s words. They seemed to have much in common. Just like a couple.
I hated to see them pulled apart, but when the meal was finally over so was the conversation. The waiter was quick to bring the bill as there was still a long line of people waiting for a table.

As the three of us stood in line waiting to pay for the meal, I swayed lightly from one leg to another. I looked out into the distance, back out to the scenery Dana and I had been watching earlier. Something was pushing me to say something, but I couldn?t say what...

"There?s a lovely path around the lake out there," I finally blurted out. "Might be nice to take a stroll on a night like this." Dana looked at me like I speaking in tongues.

"All three of us?" she questioned.

"Hmm?" I asked, pretending not to have heard her. "Oh no, not me. I have too much homework to do. But the two of you can go if you like."

"If you don?t want to go, that?s fine with me," said Taylor. "It?s not a big deal." His voice suggested just the opposite.

"Oh no, I?ll go with you," Dana volunteered. I smiled.

"I?ll see you back at the apartment then," I said to Dana. "Bye!"

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Dear Diary,
Just got back, sorry for writing so late. It's just me at home right now so I've got some time to myself. I hope Dana and Taylor are enjoying themselves. They really seemed to hit it off. I was surprised, because I honestly thought that Dana and I would be the ones talking the whole time and leaving Taylor out. But instead, Dana and Taylor did most of the talking. It was okay, though. I mean, I can talk to Dana anytime. I live with her, after all. I can't say what pushed me to suggest they go walking together. I think it was a spontaneous thing. I don't know... Dana seems so carefree and full of life around him. Not that she isn't otherwise, but.. oh you know what I mean, Diary.

I read an interesting passage the other day. It basically said that some people have a tendency to point out others faults but never see their own. None of us should judge other people, because we ourselves will be judged. Do you think I do that, Diary? Judge others, I mean? I'd like to think that I'm open and don't criticize others, but then that might just be me not seeing my own faults, wouldn't it?

Well, it seems Dana is not home yet, and I'm getting tired, so I'm turning in for the night. Talk to you in the morning, Diary.

-Rachel
_________________
Check it out! I finally remembered my login for this account. I can do crazy things like put text in my signature and change my avatar so it doesn't say NaNoWriMo 2005.