Weiss and Blake returned to the room, and Blake immediately got back into bed to continue reading. It was clear she was still upset, but luckily for her, Weiss didn't know the real reason. Unknown to her though was how bad Weiss actually felt about seeming to be the cause of it.
Damn it, why do I keep doing this? the heiress angrily thought. I come off as such a huge bigot all the time, is that really who I am? I don't have a problem with homosexuals... At least I don't think I do, I can't say I've ever been friends with one before Blake. Well, that is if Blake really still thinks of me as a friend. After the way I reacted to her being a Faunus, and now this, I don't think my apologies are enough. I need a better way to make things right with her...
The girls went to the dining hall with team JNPR not long after Weiss and Blake got back, and it seemed that team RWBY had two distracted members now. Blake seemed very detached, which everyone assumed was because of what happened at the docks. Weiss was constantly zoned out as well, deep in thought about something. Naturally her friends asked what was wrong, but she played it off as just feeling ill. It wasn't completely a lie, she did feel a little sick to her stomach, but because of a new string of thoughts swirling around in her head.
She'd been preoccupied with what to do for Blake until then, but while thinking over the conversation they'd had in the library, a question she'd been asked brought on more thought than she expected. It seemed like a harmless curiosity at first, but the more she rolled it over in her head, the more she realised it was more than that. Blake had unintentionally, and unknowingly, planted a seed that might end up bringing her dream to a reality after all.
No, there's no way... I can't possibly like another girl... can I? Weiss thought, beyond confused about herself. I've always liked boys... At least I think so... I've never been in a relationship before, but I've always seen guys as attractive. Not girls.
The more she tried to deny it, the more she began to notice subtle things she hadn't seen before. A strange feeling from seeing another girl in a cute outfit that she had always thought was just a twinge of envy now seemed like it may have been something else. No, no, this is ridiculous. When I look around this cafeteria I can clearly tell what guys I'm attracted to, and I don't have that same sense when looking at other girls.
Sure enough, she had no problem picking out the boys she thought were cute. However, there were definitely a few girls that caught her eye in a way she hadn't expected. Being able to tell who looked pretty in an outfit was nothing new, but there were a couple girls who gave her the same reaction she had to the other guys. A cute facial feature, a pretty smile, they seemed a lot more noticeable and appealing, and the heiress gasped as she realised she actually felt attracted to them.
No no no no, this is bad, this is very bad. I can't be... I can't! My parents will kill me! Okay, maybe not that extreme, but they would definitely throw me out...
"Weiss? Are you sure you're alright?" Ruby asked, sounding more worried than she had before. "You look like you're about to cry."
Weiss snapped out of her thoughts and looked around at the concerned faces of her friends and teammates. She blinked a few times before putting on her usual, neutral face, not having realised how much her inner thoughts were being reflected outward. "Yes, I'm perfectly fine," she said with a level voice.
Ruby's look of concern only deepened, "Okay, if you're sure... Promise that you'll tell me if there's someone wrong?"
"Fine, I promise," Weiss replied, crossing her arms and pretending to be irritated from the constant questions.
I shouldn't lie to her, but I'm not about to talk about this here. Maybe once I get everything back to normal I'll tell her about it, but that can wait until we're in private and I'm no longer confused enough to think I like girls.
After dinner the two teams split up, but more by their members than by team. Ruby went with team JNPR back to their room to take Ren's spot in a game of Remnant. Ren had decided to go with Blake to the library, both of them preferring to have a quiet evening to read without distractions. That left Yang and Weiss by themselves in their dorm, at least until it was time for Yang to go to her party. Weiss went right to her desk and got out her study materials before Yang had even reached the centre of the room. Studying seemed like a good way to get her head back to where it needed to be, but she quickly found it impossible to concentrate with everything else on her mind. That didn't stop her from trying, but she didn't make a lot of progress.
"Weiss, is everything really okay?" Yang asked after a while, noticing that Weiss hadn't moved at all in quite some time.
The heiress' eyes stayed fixed on her notes for another few seconds before she registered that someone was talking to her. "What?" she finally asked, turning to Yang with a dazed expression after being pulled from thoughts. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine."
She turned her attention back to her papers, but Yang wasn't exactly convinced from her response. The blonde hopped down from her bunk and walked over to the desk, pausing once she reached the heiress' side. Weiss didn't seem to notice her coming over, and Yang could tell that she wasn't actually reading anything. Weiss' gaze was aimed past her notes, and from the sort of glazed look in her eyes, Yang could tell she was thinking hard about something. The heiress' expression slowly began to fall from whatever she was thinking, and Yang needed to know why. With a devious grin, she grabbed the edge of large, open book and slammed it shut, making Weiss jump about a foot in the air at the unexpected sound.
"Excuse me, can I help you?" the heiress angrily asked, standing up from her chair. "I'm trying to review for next semester."
Yang rolled her eyes, "Bullshit. You were completely zoned out. Talk to me, because I'm not buying that nothing's bothering you. You've been acting distracted ever since you got back from the library. It's not like you. Now tell me, what's the matter?"
"I-I... I don't really want to talk about it, okay?" Weiss replied, not feeling up to lying about it.
"Why not?"
The heiress sighed, "It's... personal. And really confusing, and... It's hard to explain. It's something I need to figure out on my own."
"I somehow doubt that," Yang said as she pulled another chair over and sat down. "You know your team is always here for you no matter what. Whatever's wrong, we can work through it together. You don't have to do everything on your own anymore."
"I really wish you could help, but I need to think this over on my own," Weiss said, although her tone didn't reflect the confidence of her words. "Just trust me on that, okay?"
Yang was hesitant to just drop the subject, but it was clear that she wouldn't make any headway if she continued to pry like this. "If you're sure," she said a little dejectedly before standing up and putting her chair back. She went to jump back into bed, but then an idea crossed her mind. "Hey Weiss, wanna come with me to the party tonight? I know it's not really your thing, but I've been talking with Ruby, and we think it'd be good for you to step out of your comfort zone once in a while. And hey, maybe it'll help take your mind off whatever's bothering you."
Oh my God, why can't she just leave me alone? Can't she see I'm busy studying... Oh who am I kidding, I'm not in the right mindset to study. I suppose it couldn't hurt to try and forget this whole Blake and liking girls thing for a while... But a party? With Yang? That sounds like an absolute recipe for disaster!
Weiss sighed, "Look, I admit I'm not always the most... flexible, but I really don't think that going to a party is a good idea. Besides, I—"
"Oh come on," Yang interrupted, not in the mood to listen to more of Weiss' excuses. "It's not like I'm saying you have to do a keg stand, which there won't be. I'm just asking you to come and hang out with me. You don't have to drink, you don't even have to talk to anyone else, but you really do need to take a break from school and just chill."
Weiss went to give a quick comeback, but hesitated. Well... I guess it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world to go. I'm sure it'd take my mind off of all this. But she'd better keep her word.
"Alright, fine," Weiss finally replied. "I'll go to the party, but you'd better not be lying."
Yang rolled her eyes, "Don't sound too excited. Okay, let's get ready to go then. Party starts at eight, so we'll leave a little after so we're not the first ones there. I know that'd make you uncomfortable."
"This whole thing makes me uncomfortable," Weiss pointed out, but Yang ignored the comment. The heiress walked over to the dresser and started to look through her more casual outfits, assuming that they would be the most appropriate to wear. Her eyes fell on a cute, blue, low-cut t-shirt, but she wasn't sure if it was too revealing for her to wear out to a party. "Hey, what do you think I should wear?"
Yang shrugged, "I dunno, whatever you want. You'll be fine in your usual outfit, and it'll probably keep guys from coming up and hitting on you."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that wearing a really conservative combat skirt and blouse sends a pretty clear signal that you're not interested," Yang replied with a laugh. "Don't worry, the boys will probably be lining up for me anyway."
Weiss glared across the room, "What, you don't think I could attract a good-looking guy?" There was a little more of a bite in her tone from her current inner conflict, but since she was usually this easy to get angry, Yang didn't notice the difference.
"Are you saying you want to?" the blonde asked with an amused smile. "Cuz if you do, then that blue tee, your black miniskirt, and your taller heels are the way to go."
"Oh shut up," Weiss shot back. It was strange to her, but she didn't actually feel as irritated as she seemed to be. She was somewhat enjoying the sort of friendly banter with Yang, something she knew she wouldn't have a few months ago. "Alright, I guess I'll go with what I've got on. Is there anything else I should do to get ready?"
"Um... Nope, I think you're good. Let's see, it's just after eight, so we should probably get going. Anything you need before we head out?"
"Besides a place to hide so I don't have to go?" Weiss joked, getting a chuckle from Yang.
"Be honest, you're actually really happy I asked you to come. I know you are."
Weiss rolled her eyes, "No, I really don't want to go. I'd be much happier staying in for the night. But, if the team insists that I go, I'll go."
"At least we got you to agree," Yang replied, taking a quick pause after seeing herself in the mirror to fix her eyeliner. "You wouldn't have even considered going last semester."
"Yes, that's because the old Weiss had a better sense of judgment. You can thank your sister for slowly wearing that down."
Yang gave a smug smile, "You're welcome. Alright, let's go!"