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Description
Maude and Thomas sat for a while. Thomas swung her legs back and forth over the edge of the rooftop. Maude kept hers pressed against her chest, arms rapped around her knees. She wasn't frightened, despite the immense height of this apartment building, but she was cautious all the same. She had a faint smile on her face.

"Didn't I tell you the view would be killer?" Nudged Thomas, smugly.

Maude chuckled dryly. "We're not supposed to be up here..." And she added, with a smirk, "I'm not used to breaking rules."

"You could use a bit of danger now and then. Keeps your life from getting... Dull."

"Somehow, I doubt your life has ever been dull", Maude supposed.

Thomas smiled. But as she gazed out over the cityscape of Tidmouth (which was rather low and tired looking, truth be told) some sour memories returned to her. "Oh, there were times. Believe me."

"Like when?" Asked Maude, questioning with no reluctance. She always got straight to the point. Most kids might have noticed Thomas's uncharacteristic wistfulness and not pressed any further. Maude was not most kids, and wasn't particularly keen on social cues.

Thomas looked over at her. Maude had gotten on her nerves when she'd first met her. As the school hall monitor, she paced the school enforcing even the smallest regulations. Thomas, a girl who had trouble following even the reasonable rules, had taken quite a dislike to her. But it had been a whole two years since then, and in that time she'd seen the other side of Maude. How she'd stick up for the meek and defenseless, talk back to bullies and use her pull with the administration to put the right people in detention. She had strong principles and a good heart. In some ways, they weren't so different. So Thomas had learned to respect Maude; so much by this point that she was willing to open up.

"You went to Wellsworth Junior High, didn't you?"

Maude shrugged. "Indeed I did."

Thomas sighed. "I didn't. My mom and I, we used to live in... Vicarstown."

Maude stirred slightly. She was well aware of that town's reputation. If the governor was to be believed (and she DID believe him, every word he said) then it was the most crime-ridden in the state. All the same, she tried not to show her concern. "And... How was it, there?"

Thomas scowled, remembering. "Horrible. Mom put me in a private school there, thought it'd be better for me... But they wouldn't let me do a damn thing."

"Private, hmm? What was the name?"

Thomas hesitated. Hardly anyone knew about her life before High School. She liked it that way. But she'd gone this far, so she obliged. "Lawson Billinton's School for Catholics."

Maude's face fell. It immediately dawned on her why Thomas's experience had been miserable. Though she couldn't help but smirk. "I don't suppose they allowed you to shave half your head there, huh?"

Thomas rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? We dressed in uniform. These drab brown things..."

"You do love your colors."

"Hell yeah I do. But that wasn't the worst of it. The rules there were totalitarian. I wanted to try out for the soccer team, but they turned me down instantly. That school didn't have girls teams. They told me 'You're all mixed up, Tina! What use has a little girl with sports, anyway?"

Maude paused, respectfully. "They didn't bother to use your name... Your name, I mean."

"Well, that's not why... Back then, I wasn't Thomas. Not for lack of trying... One night, I got daring and died my hair. Mom discovered me in the bathroom, I thought I was toast. But then... She helped me."

"Sounds like her", Maude smiled reverently.

"Next day, I showed up with the blue streaks. I was sick of being a carbon copy of every other 'pretty little girl' in that school... I wanted to stand out! Other girls did too, but they didn't dare. They warned me."

"But of course, you didn't listen."

"I did, for a LONG time... But it became too much after a while. I felt like I was suffocating, playing the role of the sweet, polite little catholic schoolgirl... It wasn't me. It was NEVER me. When I walked onto campus the next morning, I was scared shitless... But I felt FREE. And that made up for it."

"Did the other kids make fun of you?"

Thomas gave Maude a glum look, and then stared into the distance a while. She focused her eyes on a nearby rooftop water tower. To Maude, it seemed she was trying to distract herself from whatever she was imagining. Almost trying to half imagine it.

"They did worse than that."

And that's all she said. Maude stopped with the questions, too. Even she could see that the time for prodding was over. She joined Thomas's gaze toward the water tower. It read "Tidmouth" in big, bold print. Thomas's shoulders eased downward a bit. This town might be small and a little boring, but it was home. Vicarstown never had been. Thomas smiled faintly. The memory seemed to be fading.

"After that, mom knew she had to pull me out of there... Finished Junior High in home schooling. There were no rules there. Mom helped me pick out new clothes and with a bit of convincing, she even gave me this hair do."

And she brushed her fingers over the shaved half of her head with satisfaction, recounting the many dozens of people over the years it had either impressed or pissed off. A reaction was a reaction.

"I felt so much better after that..." She turned to Maude, sternly. "When I left Vicarstown, I made a promise to myself that I would NEVER let other people change me, EVER again. No matter what they do or say, I AM who I AM."

Maude just nodded with great respect. "That you are... Though, you could slow down in the halls now and then."

Thomas shrugged. "Makes sense to listen to other people sometimes... If you can trust them. Good to go out of your comfort zone now and then."

"Yes, it is... Though I think I've had enough of it for this evening." And Maude carefully inched back off the ledge, and onto the rooftop again. "You have a ride home?"

Thomas just grinned, and dragged her skateboard out from behind the ledge.

"You brought that up here?"

"I wanted to see if I could grind on the edge of a five story building... But it's too dark now." She leaped up and tossed the board under her arm with a yawn.

"Thank God for that." Maude sighed, holding the roof access door open for her friend.

"Next time" she gave Maude a toothy grin. And I won't be needing that. You take the boring way down if you like, I'm going for the fire escape."

"The stairs are SO much easier and fas... And, she's gone."

And indeed, she was. Maude simply shook her head, with more admiration than annoyance, and descended the steps. She had a lot to think about.

Description
Maude and Thomas sat for a while. Thomas swung her legs back and forth over the edge of the rooftop. Maude kept hers pressed against her chest, arms rapped around her knees. She wasn't frightened, despite the immense height of this apartment building, but she was cautious all the same. She had a faint smile on her face.

"Didn't I tell you the view would be killer?" Nudged Thomas, smugly.

Maude chuckled dryly. "We're not supposed to be up here..." And she added, with a smirk, "I'm not used to breaking rules."

"You could use a bit of danger now and then. Keeps your life from getting... Dull."

"Somehow, I doubt your life has ever been dull", Maude supposed.

Thomas smiled. But as she gazed out over the cityscape of Tidmouth (which was rather low and tired looking, truth be told) some sour memories returned to her. "Oh, there were times. Believe me."

"Like when?" Asked Maude, questioning with no reluctance. She always got straight to the point. Most kids might have noticed Thomas's uncharacteristic wistfulness and not pressed any further. Maude was not most kids, and wasn't particularly keen on social cues.

Thomas looked over at her. Maude had gotten on her nerves when she'd first met her. As the school hall monitor, she paced the school enforcing even the smallest regulations. Thomas, a girl who had trouble following even the reasonable rules, had taken quite a dislike to her. But it had been a whole two years since then, and in that time she'd seen the other side of Maude. How she'd stick up for the meek and defenseless, talk back to bullies and use her pull with the administration to put the right people in detention. She had strong principles and a good heart. In some ways, they weren't so different. So Thomas had learned to respect Maude; so much by this point that she was willing to open up.

"You went to Wellsworth Junior High, didn't you?"

Maude shrugged. "Indeed I did."

Thomas sighed. "I didn't. My mom and I, we used to live in... Vicarstown."

Maude stirred slightly. She was well aware of that town's reputation. If the governor was to be believed (and she DID believe him, every word he said) then it was the most crime-ridden in the state. All the same, she tried not to show her concern. "And... How was it, there?"

Thomas scowled, remembering. "Horrible. Mom put me in a private school there, thought it'd be better for me... But they wouldn't let me do a damn thing."

"Private, hmm? What was the name?"

Thomas hesitated. Hardly anyone knew about her life before High School. She liked it that way. But she'd gone this far, so she obliged. "Lawson Billinton's School for Catholics."

Maude's face fell. It immediately dawned on her why Thomas's experience had been miserable. Though she couldn't help but smirk. "I don't suppose they allowed you to shave half your head there, huh?"

Thomas rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? We dressed in uniform. These drab brown things..."

"You do love your colors."

"Hell yeah I do. But that wasn't the worst of it. The rules there were totalitarian. I wanted to try out for the soccer team, but they turned me down instantly. That school didn't have girls teams. They told me 'You're all mixed up, Tina! What use has a little girl with sports, anyway?"

Maude paused, respectfully. "They didn't bother to use your name... Your name, I mean."

"Well, that's not why... Back then, I wasn't Thomas. Not for lack of trying... One night, I got daring and died my hair. Mom discovered me in the bathroom, I thought I was toast. But then... She helped me."

"Sounds like her", Maude smiled reverently.

"Next day, I showed up with the blue streaks. I was sick of being a carbon copy of every other 'pretty little girl' in that school... I wanted to stand out! Other girls did too, but they didn't dare. They warned me."

"But of course, you didn't listen."

"I did, for a LONG time... But it became too much after a while. I felt like I was suffocating, playing the role of the sweet, polite little catholic schoolgirl... It wasn't me. It was NEVER me. When I walked onto campus the next morning, I was scared shitless... But I felt FREE. And that made up for it."

"Did the other kids make fun of you?"

Thomas gave Maude a glum look, and then stared into the distance a while. She focused her eyes on a nearby rooftop water tower. To Maude, it seemed she was trying to distract herself from whatever she was imagining. Almost trying to half imagine it.

"They did worse than that."

And that's all she said. Maude stopped with the questions, too. Even she could see that the time for prodding was over. She joined Thomas's gaze toward the water tower. It read "Tidmouth" in big, bold print. Thomas's shoulders eased downward a bit. This town might be small and a little boring, but it was home. Vicarstown never had been. Thomas smiled faintly. The memory seemed to be fading.

"After that, mom knew she had to pull me out of there... Finished Junior High in home schooling. There were no rules there. Mom helped me pick out new clothes and with a bit of convincing, she even gave me this hair do."

And she brushed her fingers over the shaved half of her head with satisfaction, recounting the many dozens of people over the years it had either impressed or pissed off. A reaction was a reaction.

"I felt so much better after that..." She turned to Maude, sternly. "When I left Vicarstown, I made a promise to myself that I would NEVER let other people change me, EVER again. No matter what they do or say, I AM who I AM."

Maude just nodded with great respect. "That you are... Though, you could slow down in the halls now and then."

Thomas shrugged. "Makes sense to listen to other people sometimes... If you can trust them. Good to go out of your comfort zone now and then."

"Yes, it is... Though I think I've had enough of it for this evening." And Maude carefully inched back off the ledge, and onto the rooftop again. "You have a ride home?"

Thomas just grinned, and dragged her skateboard out from behind the ledge.

"You brought that up here?"

"I wanted to see if I could grind on the edge of a five story building... But it's too dark now." She leaped up and tossed the board under her arm with a yawn.

"Thank God for that." Maude sighed, holding the roof access door open for her friend.

"Next time" she gave Maude a toothy grin. And I won't be needing that. You take the boring way down if you like, I'm going for the fire escape."

"The stairs are SO much easier and fas... And, she's gone."

And indeed, she was. Maude simply shook her head, with more admiration than annoyance, and descended the steps. She had a lot to think about.