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epitome of incomprehensibility
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She showed off about Latin in the first class we had together, making me think her annoying. Then again, was that just because *I* couldn't show off about Latin? Did I feel inadequate because I never learned Latin (despite singing in it sometimes)?
And she's younger than me, and younger people change more quickly. She didn't seem an annoying sort of show-off later, when we had some good talks in the TA room, and she wasn't young-young but about 25 to my then 34. In her frightening similarity to me - the frightening recognition that people can be very similar and very different all at once - she seemed a good candidate for a friend, but I've been neglectful at communicating with people, leaving me friend-lonely.
But the similarities! Bi, ADHD, into historical linguistics, almost the same hair colour for goshsakes. And then the differences! Confident way of speaking, maybe more anxiety somehow, hair that falls in an organized angle near her shoulders, not caught up in a messy ponytail (I haven't had mine cut for what, five years?)
Even with acquaintance-friends, you want them to be happy. When we were at the trivia night last term, I wanted to be on her team at first but I was also glad she had enough people because she was with friends and seemed particularly happy with her new girlfriend being there. She seemed cool too - talked with friendly flair, was pierced punkishly, and, if I heard right, is in Classics rather than Linguistics.
(Time for a dad_joke: Learn Latin, and ancient texts aren't all you'll be dating.)
But am I competitive with people? I don't mean about the trivia night, that was just for fun, but about academic stuff? I don't think I usually am, but I did feel a twinge of jealousy when I saw she got the TA spot for Historical Linguistics.
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