//------------------------------// // I Hope He Is a Gentleman // Story: Where Is Your Dude Tonight? // by Captain Whatever //------------------------------// Fluttershy walked around the animal shelter, carrying different kinds of animal feeds on her shoulder. Being an animal caretaker, no matter how rewarding, was still difficult. Namely, the strain on her shoulder, the caring of the sick animals, cleaning the cages, and then...there was that one rabbit that was always cranky and demanding. She arrived at this particular rabbit's cage, and as she bent down to open the tiny gate, the rabbit seemed to have an angry face. "I'm sorry, Angel, but you know that the sick animals come first." The rabbit just kept staring, keeping absolutely silent, as rabbits usually do. Fluttershy sighed as she pulled out Angel's food dish, filled it with the respective feed, and placed it back in its spot. As she stood back up, she glanced out the window. However, she did not expect to see a boy staring back at her. When she saw the boy, he ran off, leaving her curious as to what the boy wanted. She shook her head, and resumed work. These animals weren't going to take care of themselves. The next day at school, she was going about business as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary, just another day at school. Go to classes, eat lunch, spend time with friends, notice boy from the window...Fluttershy lost her train of thought. Boy from window? She glanced at where she had just seen him, but alas, the boy was nowhere to be seen. Internally, she sighed. As the last bell of the day rang, Fluttershy, planning to sit under the statue with her friends, grabbed her stuff and walked through the school until she reached the main foyer. However, she was tripped, and as such, she fell forward, landing on her stuff. "Holy crap, I'm so sorry, miss. Ya need any help?" That voice was unfamiliar to her. Involuntarily, she said yes, and she was lifted off the ground. She turned around. "Thank yo—" She was now face to face with him. "Sorry for tripping ya. Didn't keep my eyes forward." The boy seemed on edge. He had milk-white skin, lemon-yellow hair, indigo eyes, a black beanie, a grey shirt, and a hole in his blue denim shorts. He also stood a centimeter or two higher than her, and was slightly bony. "U-um, no w-worries. I'm f-f-fine." Fluttershy was unable to compose herself, and felt ashamed, thinking she left a bad impression on him. "I'm Alex Spotlight. You?" "I'm...Fluttershy." The boy contorted his face in confusion. "Sorry. Didn't catch that. Whatcha say?" "My name's...Fluttershy." Alex just shook his head. "Whatever. Nice meeting ya, and now I'm running late for practice." He walked off. Fluttershy called after him, and he promptly turned around. "Yeah?" "Practice?" She was curious about him, and wanted to know him better. "My buds and I form a rock and roll band, and since we have no record label, we just cover other songs. Why, ya wanna watch us practice?" He looked at her with timidity present in his facial features. She nodded. Although... "Can I invite my friends?" He chuckled. "Absolutely. The more, the merrier, eh? Meet in the music room." She smiled. As she walked through the front door, her friends caught notice of her. "Hey, Flutters, wassup?" "Howdy, sugarcube. Where y'all been?" "Salutations, darling." "Hey there, Fluttershy. How are you?" "Hello there. Where were you? We have a lot to talk about, and we couldn't since you weren't here, but now that you're here, we can talk." Fluttershy blushed. It was nice to have such great friends. "Um, girls, I wanna tell you something, but promise you won't get all crazy about it." The girls all directed their attention to Fluttershy, eager to find out just what the cream colored girl had to say. "Go on, deary, we're listening." She suddenly lost the ability to speak. She hated when this happened. She always did this whenever she wanted to say something she felt was important. "C'mon, spit it out already." Fluttershy glared at Rainbow Dash, then proceeded to speak. "I met this boy, and he—" Fluttershy was cut off by Rarity. "A boy, hm? I see where this is going." Fluttershy blushed profusely. "No, no, it isn't like that." However, she saw the fashionista wink at her. "Relax, I'm only teasing, darling." Oh, Rarity, you and your teasing. "Anyway, he and his friends all practice music, and he asked if I wanted to watch him practice. And then I said yes, and then I asked if I could bring you along. He said it was perfectly fine, and so I just thought I'd let you know in case any of you wanted to come." She waited a few seconds for responses. Rarity was the first to speak up. "Why, I think that sounds like a great idea, but I'm afraid I have to decline. I actually have to go to work at the Carousel Boutique in a few minutes. However, do tell this boy and his friends I said hello." Everyone else said their own version of the same thing to her. Soccer practice, party planning, and student council, as well as a hello to the boy and his friends. As she went back inside, she headed towards the music room. As she approached the doors, she ran into Alex again. They fell to the ground, both away from each other. "Sweet Potato Pie, I'm so sorry, Miss Fluttershy." He said as they both got back up. She blushed at the use of "Miss." "Oh, please don't call me 'miss.' Just Fluttershy is fine." He shrugged. "If you insist, 'Just Fluttershy.'" Fluttershy chuckled at this, and as she reached for the doorknob, her hand was covered by his. The two blushed, and the two removed their hands. Alex placed his hand back on the doorknob, opened the door, and stood aside, motioning for her to go on in. "Ladies first." She giggled, and walked inside, where she saw four more boys. There was a drummer, a bassist, and two guitarists. Alex pointed to each person he introduced. "This here is Johnny Starcaster. He's a self-centered playboy, so be careful around him." Johnny promptly stuck his tongue at him. "This here with the snapback and hoodie is Mike Drumstick. He's kind of shy and introverted, so he won't say much, but he knows how to party hard." Fluttershy looked in his direction, and he tried in futility to hide his face. "This here with the sweater and scowl is Connor Sqiuer. He hates other people and can be...'gothic' at times, so he's a force to be reckoned with." Connor left the impression that an axe murderer would leave on her, leaving Fluttershy shuddering from his stare alone. "Lastly, this here with the leather jacket and mop top is Jake Gretsch. He came from a rough life and has a heart of gold, so he's purely amazing." The mentioned boy stuck out his hand. "Pleased to meet you. We are The New Wavers. Who might you be?" Fluttershy saw a smile on his face that reminded her of one of the dogs at the animal shelter after it had gotten fed. She reached out and shook his hand, introducing herself to him and the rest of the band, who all greeted her in their own way. She decided to approach Johnny first. "Hey there, hot stuff. You, me, Wentz Tavern, 8:30, tonight. Whaddya say?" She shook her head. As she walked over to Mike, she noticed he was cowering more and more. "...hello..." Fluttershy couldn't help but sympathize with him. As she walked over to Connor, she contemplated whether or not it was a good idea. "Bottom line, don't come within half a meter of me without a good reason, or you'll regret it. Clear?" His voice carried a faint-but-still-there English accent, and Fluttershy still found him unnerving. Alex clapped his hands. "Okay then. You've officially met the gang. We're all happy, except Connor, obviously, and now we can play. Ready to have your mind blown, Fluttershy?" Alex gestured with his hands his mind blowing up. "I guess I am. But what do you do, Alex?" He shrugged. "I just sing." "Oh." Alex walked over to where there was a microphone and tapped it, releasing awful feedback into the air and prompting everyone except Alex to cover their ears. *screech* "Whoops." Alex straightened himself out, and prepared to sing. Johnny strummed his strings, Jake riffed his guitar, Connor plucked his bass, Mike beat his drums, Alex sang his heart out, and Fluttershy watched it all go down, nodding her head to the beat after the first chorus. Once the song ended, Alex looked over at Fluttershy, who, surprisingly to herself, hadn't cowered in fear once, except at the beginning where all instruments came on loud. Alex smirked. "So whatcha think? Ya like or not?" Fluttershy spoke her mind instantly. "That was amazing. I don't normally listen to that kind of music because it's loud, but I definitely liked this performance." Alex nodded. "Glad to hear that. Most people don't visit because of part-time work, or clubs, or not liking our music for whatever reason. It feels good to know someone appreciates us." Fluttershy blushed upon hearing. As Alex prepared to put his microphone away, he tripped over the cord, and face planted into the linoleum flooring. *smack* "Omygosh, are you alright?" Fluttershy rushed over to him. Contrary to what had just happened, Alex just got up and shook it of. "Relax, I'm fine. I'm much more used to falling down the stairs in the morning." Fluttershy grimaced at the image he had planted in her head. "Don't worry, I'm tough, I can handle it." As he and the other band members were putting their stuff away, she began looking at them and thinking private thoughts. Mike, the introverted drummer...Johnny, the perverted guitarist...Jake, the kindhearted guitarist...Connor, the grumpy bassist...and Alex, the...singer. And they're all friends? She came back to reality when a hand waved in front of his face. "Yoohoo, world to Fluttershy, anybody home?" She hiccuped, and realized they were all staring at her. "Sorry. Just thinking about stuff." She giggled, hoping she didn't embarrass herself. Alex merely shrugged his shoulders. "Happens to me all the time. No one's perfect." She looked at the clock hanging nearby, and noticed that her shift at the animal shelter was about to begin. "Oh my, I better get going. Those poor animals need me." She bid them adieu, and practically ran to the animal shelter. When she got there, her supervisor stood behind the counter, smiling as he always did. "Welcome back, Fluttershy. Did you run all the way here?" "Sorry, *gasp* Sandal *gasp* Wood. *gasp* I was *gasp* delayed a *gasp* bit. *gasp*" He merely chuckled. "Relax, Fluttershy. You always volunteer here, willingly I might add, so I don't mind excusing you for being late every now and then. Take a breather, and then you can get started." Fluttershy silently thanked him, then went to sit in a chair placed against the wall. As she sat down, she began letting her mind wander. Alex...charming...beautiful voice...definitely kind...a little clumsy...never seen him around before, except the one time...get to work, please...wait what? "Fluttershy...Fluttershy...Fluttershy!" The shy girl almost fell out of her chair, startled by her supervisor. "You doing alright? You seemed kind of spaced out there." The boy showed genuine concern for her. "My bad, SandalWood. It won't happen again." She felt her cheeks warm up. Once again, Mr. Wood chuckled. "Is something troubling you? Because I am also sort of a therapist, as well as a friend of yours, and we go to the same school." She sighed. "It's not important. I'll just get to work now." She walked behind the counter, towards all the cages. "Alright," he called over to her. "Just remember, I'm here to help." As she approached Angel's cage, her mind began wandering again. Alex Spotlight...why does that name seem vaguely familiar? Hmm... Before she could finish her thoughts, she walked right into a wall. *smack* "Ouch. Gotta stop letting my mind wander." She searched around her, and saw Angel staring at her, confusion plastered onto his face. She grabbed the bag of feed off of the top of his cage, only to find it empty. "Oh no. Not again. Not today. How did you run out of food so fast?" As she walked toward the counter, she saw that Sandalwood was attending to the cat cages, so she changed her direction of travel. "Sandalwood?" The boy turned to answer her. "What's up, Fluttershy?" "We're out of rabbit food." He facepalmed. "That's right. My bad. I'll pick some up later today. Thanks for reminding me." She smiled. "Anytime." Suddenly, they heard the jingle of the front door opening. Fluttershy instinctively walked toward the front of the shelter. "I'll go see who it is," she said. As she got to the front, she paled. It was him. "Oh, hey Fluttershy. How ya doin'?" She was at a loss for words. Sandalwood looked at her, noticing her inability to speak, as well as her stiff, unmoving body. He then looked at the boy behind the counter, and right there he put two and two together. He walked over to the counter. "Hello there, mister. How can I help you?" The boy shrugged his shoulders. "I was wondering if you guys sell pets here. See, I need a pet to keep me company, seeing as how I live on my own." Sandalwood nodded. "We do indeed sell pets here. What kind of pet would you like? We have cats, dogs, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and the one rabbit that pretty much hates everyone." As the boy thought it over, Sandalwood looked over at Fluttershy, who was still in the same position as before. So this is what's on her mind. Gotta say, this is interesting. Never thought she'd get flustered about a boy. "I think I'd like a cat. What kind of cats do you have?" Sandalwood invited him behind the counter. The boy promptly followed, and he was amazed by how many animals there were. "We have this orange cat right here. He doesn't really do much. Just eats and sleeps." Alex shook his head. "How about this white one? He's pretty energetic, but he does have a tendency to wander off into civilization when outside." Alex nodded. "Alright then. Lemme just..." Sandalwood reached into his pocket and produced a set of keys, one of which he used to unlock the cage of the white cat, which was labeled "Casanova." As the two made their way back to the counter, they noticed Fluttershy was still standing stock still. "What's with her?" asked the boy. Sandalwood just shrugged, albeit secretly knowing the truth. "So one white cat. Is that all?" "Do you perchance have any cat food? I'd like to not go to the market for that. I mean, I practically live on the other side of town from it." Sandalwood chuckled. "Sure. Lemme just grab a bag." As he went to the back of the shelter, he began thinking. How does Fluttershy know him? Did they meet at school? After school club? Brother of one of her friends? I'll have to ask about that. He reached the cabinet where the cat food was, and as he reached for his pocket, he looked back at Fluttershy, who was now moving around. Well, actually, she was talking to the boy. They seemed to be carrying on a conversation really well. As he grabbed the cat food and walked back, he spoke again. "One cat, one bag of cat food. Will that be all?" The boy nodded. "Very well. That'll be $30, please." The boy reached into his pocket and produced a twenty and a ten, which he handed over to Sandalwood. "Thank you, and have a great day. And do consider volunteering here." The boy walked out the front door, and Sandalwood turned to Fluttershy. "So who was he, Fluttershy?" Fluttershy was caught off guard. Had he witnessed the whole thing? "U-uh, what? What did you say?" Sandalwood repeated his question. Fluttershy was unable to answer, out of sheer embarrassment. Sandalwood, as patient as he usually was, had become eagerly curious. "So that boy is what's troubling you. Might I ask his name?" Fluttershy tried to say it, but then her mind went blank. "I'm sorry, Sandalwood, I can't seem to remember." He sighed. "Fluttershy, do you like him?" Immediately, her cream colored cheeks turned bright red. "What? No, not at all. I only met him earlier this afternoon. I barely even know him." Sandalwood was unconvinced. "If you like him, I won't judge you. Besides, it could just be a teenage crush thing. You'll probably get over it someday." Fluttershy was at a loss for words. Should she just tell him yes, and avoid trouble, or should she say no, and further continue the conversation? "I don't know at all. He seems nice, but I've never really seen him before. For the most part, he's just another face at school." "So why did you tense up at the sight of him?" Fluttershy knew he had her there. She had practically disconnected from reality, no doubt about it. She hung her head. Sandalwood almost instantly regretted starting the whole conversation as he saw tears run down Fluttershy's face. "Please stop. It hurts enough to talk about it. I don't know anything about him," she said through sobs. The boy wrapped his arms around the crying girl in an attempt to hug her. "I'm sorry, Fluttershy. I went overboard again." She sniffled a little, then returned the hug. "Don't worry, Sandal. Nobody's perfect." A few hours later, Fluttershy's shift ended and she went home. On her way, she bumped into Mike, who instantly freaked out. "Eep! I'm sorry, please forgive me, I didn't mean it, please don't hurt me." Compared to how Fluttershy was just a few hours ago, Mike was like a Chihuahua in front of a Rottweiler. Fluttershy couldn't help but feel pity for him. He seemed more than timid. From her point of view, he was downright paranoid. "Don't worry, it's okay. It was just a small brush, no big deal." Mike still seemed paranoid, and he was even shivering. Suddenly, Fluttershy had an idea. "Come to my house, Mike. We can talk about your problem." Mike was hesitant at first. "But I don't wanna intrude on your property. I don't wanna invade your personal space. I don't wan—" Fluttershy put her finger on Mike's mouth. "Please. I insist. I mean, if that's okay with you." Reluctantly, Mike agreed, and they walked towards her house.