Chapter 2: Gnot the Only One

     Magenta was upset with Leonard.  But, then again, Leonard wasn't sure when she'd ever been happy with him.  In fact, Leonard was wondering why they were even friends.

     "Leonard, why can't you just get over this?  You've spent two entire days watching and creeping on that Shannon girl like a stalker.  You're so strange.  You think she'd ever want to love a filthy, chipping gnome?  We're all never going to find a human lover... just accept it.  I'm happy that way.  Why can't you be?"

     Leonard, usually a quiet, shy gnome who usually let Magenta do all the talking, stood up straight.  He stared right at Magenta.
     "I am not a stalker.  I give Shannon privacy when she uses the bathroom or gets dressed.  I don't even go in the bathroom!  I think you're the strange one.  I act like a friend to you but you treat me like a piece of... of... well, you treat me like that plastic pink flamingo, who never did any harm to you!"  Leonard's voice wavered.  "I'll get Shannon to love me.  I'll show you!  Maybe you'll never find love, but I sure will!  
     "Who are you to call yourself my friend?  All you do is tell me that my opinion and thoughts are wrong.  All you do is insult me.  Don't bother pretending to be my friend any longer.  I won't listen to you.  I can do whatever I want, and you cannot stop me."

     "Fine!"  Magenta huffed.  "See if I care.  You never were that bright.  I'll have to watch you get thrown away by that poor girl you are stalking.  I won't even try to save you.  And if you cause them to throw away us all, you're gonna get it.  From me."  Magenta fled, not looking back.
     Leonard felt like the tiny earthworm he had accidentally stepped on a few years ago.  He tried to nurse the poor thing back to health.  He even let the worm share a part of his 'perfect' patch of grass (which really wasn't so perfect), but the worm had died a few minutes later.  Leonard had been heartbroken.  "Will anyone understand me?" He asked himself.

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     Lucy gazed at herself in the mirror.  No way was she ever going to wear this thing out in public.  She couldn't believe she had let Shannon talk her into wearing it while they were going to work out together.  Lucy had always thought of herself as an artsy girl who was a tad bid tomboyish.  It was Shannon who was into all the fashion!  Shannon was the girlie-girl.

     But, mostly, Lucy was fretting over something else, something that had nothing to do with clothes or style.  Lucy was worried because her sister was coming today and was going to stay the entire weekend.  Lucy would rather jump in a freezing-cold pond, so cold you could see ice floating around.  That would be much more preferable.  

     Lucy crept down to the living room.  Shannon wasn't there, so Lucy decided to get started early without her.  Besides, Shannon liked to work out longer, anyway.  Lucy sighed at the sight of Magenta on the coffee table.  She shook her head, completely dreading this day.

     About a half an hour later, Shannon came down, drenched in sweat.  Lucy wrinkled her eyebrows, then said in between gasps,  "Shan, where were you?  You're so late!"

     Shannon apologized.  "Sorry, Luce.  I was doing my push-ups."

     "It took you a half an hour to do push ups?"

     "Well, yeah.  It did.  I did six sets of thirty."

     Lucy gasped, mouth agape.  "Are you freaking kidding me?  You did that many?  How... in the world..."

     "It's really not that bad.  I just have to keep a slim figure.  I'm really trying to lose weight.  Lately I've been adding a few pounds and I've really gotta work it off."

     Leonard quietly hopped up on the table.  He avoided looking at Magenta.  He figured he'd better work out, too, so he hopped up into a handstand.

     "Shan," Lucy said with a worried look on her face, "you really don't need to lose weight.  Look at you!  You're skin and bones.  Do you really need to work out so much?"

     "Of course I do!  I just do a bit everyday."

     Lucy wanted to argue more, but didn't.  She didn't want to upset her friend.  She knew that Shannon was very picky about her weight, but she had a sneaking suspicion that her friend might be a little too picky.

     "Michelle is coming over tonight.  At five-ish." Lucy said, trying to control her voice and expression.  She looked over at Shannon, who looked back at her.
     "Oh, yeah...  Is there anything I can do to help you?"
     "Uh," Lucy shook her head.  "I guess not.  Just, you know, give me some room and space to vent my feelings when I need to.  I suppose that's all."
     Shannon nodded.  Lucy finished her own workout with a sigh of accomplishment.  "I'm gonna get some lunch."
     "Okay.  I won't be too much longer.  I'm trying to space out my workouts.  I'll do another one later."
     Lucy raised her eyebrows.  "Another?"
     "Yep."

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     Just as Lucy sat down to a healthy lunch, Shannon plopped down beside her.  She had changed into her bikini, and although it was lunchtime, she had not taken any of the leftover food Lucy had prepared for the two of them.

     "Oh, my gosh, that looks delicious." Shannon gushed, regarding the salad.  Leonard watched from the safety of the tiled patio.

     "Why don't you grab a plate, Shan?  There's plenty left!"

     "I told you.  I'm on a diet."

  

     Lucy nearly choked on her leafy greens.  She had caught an itsy bitsy tomato in her throat.  "Shan, are you serious?  Healthy diets include eating three meals a day.  You shouldn't have to starve yourself.  You don't need a diet.  I weigh more than you do."

     Shannon rolled her eyes, losing patience.  "My upper body's a little pudgy," she admitted. 

     "Seriously, though.  What does that make my body? Fat? If you think you're pudgy, I must be a freaking load to you."

     "My gosh.  Would you give it a rest, Lucy?  I really don't want to talk about this with you.  You screw everything up."

     Lucy gazed suspiciously at her friend.  "Does this have anything to do with Neil?"

     Shannon jumped out of her chair, scraping against the tile like nails on a chalkboard.  She glared at Lucy. 

     "Stay out of it!  I'm doing what I think is right.  I need to lose a few pounds.  So what? You need to stop interrogating me."

     "Shannon, I just want to make sure you're okay.  I care about you.  You're my best friend.  I just want you to be happy and healthy!"

     "If that's what you want, then leave my food and athletic life out of this."  Shannon shook her head disgustedly.  

     Leonard wondered what was so important about food.  All it seemed to do was go bad.  The humans spend hours cooking, and minutes eating.  It just didn't balance out.  Leonard remembered the day when someone tossed an apple core out of their car window.  It fell near Magenta's patch of grass, where it continued to decompose.  It was completely and utterly disgusting.

     As the girl of his dreams proceeded to jump in the pool for a swim, he also realized something about Shannon Whitt and Lucy Gore, and himself:  He was not the only one who had problems of his own.

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