The Misfortunes of Lolita

09 | when lolita walked

THIS IS AN UNEDITED AND SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT VERSION OF THE MISFORTUNES OF LOLITA. I AM PUBLISHING IT IN FALL 2021—PLEASE FOLLOW ME ON IG @/ls.akhter and GOODREADS (L AKHTER) TO STAY UPDATED. I am so excited to share TMoL with you again.

CHAPTER 9

"It doesn't work like that. I'm Lolita and people like Frank never happen to me. We are two stars that are meant to collide and destroy, and I know that even now. We are lines - going in two different directions - that are meant to cross and never meet again. We are not meant to be and I hope you understand that I am not okay with that." - Lolita's message to Akima.

When Lolita spoke, it was hard not to hang onto her every word.

Frank noticed that she did this thing - she looked straight at him as she spoke, and god, she spoke with so much conviction. She made it sound like she was telling him the world's most fascinating story.

"No." she laughed. "I hate vanilla. Chocolate is life, Frank."

It wasn't as though she was telling him anything beautiful. It wasn't as though she was reciting poetry - it wasn't as though she was trying to say anything that tugged on his heartstrings until they snapped.

But every single word that came out of her mouth was uttered with something that he couldn't identify. Lolita had something, goddammit. He just didn't understand what it was. He was trying to understand. He never would, though.

"I knew it." He said. "Favourite movie?"

Lolita leaned closer across the table, and her eyes almost seemed to shine. God, her eyes. They were just something. She was just something.

"Honestly, I watch too many." She said. "Tangled?"

Frank groaned. "Tangled?"

"You secretly love it too, Frank." Lolita smirked. She smirked. Or was that even how Frank would describe it?

Smirked.

One corner of her lips twisted up, just a little, and her eyes darkened with humour, and her hair fell around her face as she looked at him. Damn it.

Frank felt almost lightheaded.

He was so plain in comparison. He didn't have her passion; he didn't have the light seemed to radiate from Lolita without her even knowing. He didn't have it.

And the thing was, Lolita wasn't rosy and cotton candy flavored. She wasn't happy - but she was at the same time, and Frank didn't know how she did that. She was not happy, but she was still as bright as the sun - and as soft as the moon and as inexplicable as the stars.

She didn't let her sadness dull her out. He wasn't sure if she was aware of it, but she was the only light that he saw sometimes, at the end of the dark tunnel that his life was turning out to be.

He, on the other hand, couldn't be that way. He could not be bright - not when he felt so dark inside.

"Cora watched it." Frank said. "I watched some of it."

Lolita stared at him. "You look like Flynn Rider, a little."

Frank smiled. "That's just my charm."

"Seriously." She said, smiling. "You do."

"Doesn't he fall for that girl with long hair?" He said, his smile shortening to something April used to call 'hot'.

"Haha." Lolita touched her indeed long hair.

Frank drank the last bit of his hot chocolate, feeling warm beneath his ribcage, right near his heart, in a way that had nothing to do with the hot chocolate.