//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2 
// Story: The Nerd and the Cellist 
// by HAKDurbin 
//------------------------------//

My eyes snapped open at the sound of my alarm clock, waking me up at six in the morning. Normally, I would wish I could smash the evil device for waking me up, but this time I was less annoyed while I hit the snooze button. I slowly got up into a sitting position and looked at my calendar with a tired smile on my face. This was my first day at Canterlot High. 
I got out of bed and took a shower before grabbing my backpack and going downstairs to find that my mother had already made breakfast. I ate my food at a steady pace before my mother and I went to the garage and got into her car for her to drive me to school. Usually, I would dread being driven to school, but I couldn't be any more excited to be in a better high school than the one in Appleloosa. My mom parked near the front entrance, and she kissed me goodbye before I got off her car and happily walked to the front door, where I found Soarin waiting for me with a smile. 
“Yo, Rough Draft, wassup, bro?” He greeted as we high-fived each other. “Ready to start the first day.”
“Very,” I said with an eager smile. “I'm sure I'll hate all the school work we'll have to do, but for now, I'm just excited to be in a better and more friendly school.”
“I hear ya, man,” Soarin said. “Why don't I show you to Vice Principal Luna's office since we got time before first period? I'm sure she already has your schedule ready for ya.”
“That would be great,” I said.
Thus, the two of us entered the school and started walking down the halls to our destination. The entire time we walked, I was looking at the interior of the school in awe as if I was looking at a grand palace. Soarin noticed my reaction and chuckled lightly.
“Pretty enough for ya, Rough Draft?” He asked half-teasingly.
“You bet,” I said with a massive grin on my face. “My old school was this small, one-story building that was old and dull. To say that this is a total upgrade would be an understatement.”
“Yeah, the way you've been describing Appleloosa since you moved in, I'm sure this looks like the whole place is covered in gold by comparison,” Soarin said before his face turned serious. “Speaking of gold, did you remember to bring a certain item with you to school?”
“Sure did,” I said while patting my left jean pocket. “The ring hasn't left my side since I found it.”
“Good. I hope we can find an opportunity for you to give it back to Octavia Melody today; the sooner, the better," Soarin said.
I nodded in agreement, but I secretly still hoped that if I see Octavia Melody again, I will be able to get to know her better. At the same time, however, I feel I should be worried about her boyfriend, Blueblood, after the way Soarin, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash warned me about how him. We discussed the matter a few times over the week, and it sounds like finding another moment with Octavia apart from Blueblood will be complicated. 
“Are they that inseparable in school?” I asked.
“Pretty much,” Soarin said. “The first two years here, Blueblood has been making sure they’re in the same class at the same time no matter what, so there’s no reason to think this year will be any different. It’s kind of strange. I mean, I can understand wanting to be with the girl you like or love all the time, but most people would agree that this is a bit much.”
I nodded and said, “Guess that shows how being rich and related to the principal and vice-principal has its privileges.” 
“You can say that again, bro,” Soarin said as we entered an office where a woman in dark blue skin is handing out schedules to students. She turned to us and gave Soarin an amused smirk.
“Ah, Soarin. Had a nice summer?” she asked.
“Sure did, Vice-Principal Luna,” Soarin said with a grin.
“And who do we have next to you?” Vice Principal Luna inquired.
“I’m Rough Draft, ma’am,” I answered.
The vice-principal smiled warmly and said, “Ah, yes, you’re one of the two students who just moved to Canterlot and transferred here. Welcome.”
“Thank you, ma’am,” I say with a polite smile.
“Hey, there’s another person who transferred here?” Soarin asked curiously.
“Indeed,” Vice-Principal Luna answered plainly. “We also have another junior named Starlight Glimmer who just moved here from Sire's Hollow. She was just here ten minutes ago, and I had Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity show her around the school before classes start.”
“Cool,” Soarin said. “Guess we'll have two new friends to our group with you and Starlight Glimmer, Rough Draft.”
I nodded in agreement while Vice-Principal Luna looked through a folder and handed me two sheets of paper. 
“Here is your schedule, Mr. Draft,” she said before giving the second sheet of paper to Soarin. “Classes will start in ten minutes, so I trust that's more than enough time for Soarin to show you around before you go to your next class.”
“Thank you,” I say politely as I take the schedule and begin to exit the office with Soarin. “Have a good day.”
“You as well,” she said warmly while waving us goodbye.
The two of us walked down the hall for a few seconds before Soarin turned to me and asked, “Can I see your schedule?”
I nodded before giving him the paper, and he briefly scanned through it before pumping his fist into the air.
“Awesome, we have third, fourth, and sixth period together,” he said. “And we have the same lunch period along with the rest of the group. Score!”
“Great!” I said with a smile before something comes to my mind. “Speaking of the group, how many other people are there besides you, me, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash?”
“Let's see,” Soarin said, scratching his chin as we walk. “There's also Caramel, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack's brother, Big Macintosh, who is a senior, but we just call him Big Mac. So that hopefully means there will be ten people in our group total if things go smoothly with everyone else befriending this Starlight Glimmer, which I imagine it probably will knowing Pinkie Pie.”
I chuckled and nodded before I asked, “So how come I haven't met the others before school started?”
“Well, Fluttershy and Rarity have been busy with their jobs over the summer,” Soarin explained. “Fluttershy works at the animal shelter, and Rarity works at a boutique. Big Mac often stays at home and works on the farm. As for Caramel, he's been visiting relatives in Baltimare. I think he only got home yesterday.”
“Wow, that's kinda cutting it close,” I chuckled. 
“No, kidding,” Soarin agreed. “I think you'll like Caramel a lot. He's a little nerdier than I am and loves to play Star Wars: The Old Republic a lot too.”
“Ooooo, I'm excited to meet him,” I said with a smile. “Maybe the three of us could play together sometime.”
“That would be sweet,” Soarin said with a nod. “Anyway, I better show you the rest of the school before first period starts.”



***************************************************************************************


Before long after Soarin showed me around for the entire building, the first bell rung, and so we had to go to our separate classes for first period. The classes started okay with teachers introducing themselves and telling us what we're going to learn throughout the first semester and things like that. I didn't care that much about what we were going to learn, but at the same time, I enjoyed how the teachers were very friendly compared to the ones I had in Appaloosa. Soarin and I saw each other again during our third and fourth periods, which where algebra and physics, respectively, and then I had fifth period before it was time for lunch. I walked into the cafeteria and grabbed a tray of food from a friendly, green-skinned old lady and looked around for a place to sit and eat.
“ROUGH DRAFT, OVER HERE!!!!!!”
I turned my head and smiled to see Pinkie Pie standing up and frantically waving her hand in the air. She was standing next to a long table where, Soarin, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, are sitting down with their lunches along with a short guy with light amber skin and brown hair, a tall guy with the same skin as Applejack, a white girl with purple hair, a yellow girl with pink hair, and a light-purple-skinned girl with dark purple hair with blue streaks. I eagerly walked over to them and found a spot between Soarin and the amber-skinned guy while Pinkie Pie went back to her place in the table. 
“Yay! We're all here!” Pinkie Pie squealed. “Everyone, this is our other new friend, Rough Draft.”
“Uh, hi, everyone,” I said awkwardly, feeling like I'm in a spotlight.
The amber-skinned guy smiled at me and said, “So, Soarin just told me you play Old Republic too.”
I turned to him excitedly and said, “I sure do. You must me, Caramel, right?”
“That's me,” Caramel replied with a friendly grin. “And I got one thing to say to you.”
“What's that?” I asked.
Caramel suddenly gave me a hard glare and leaned close to me as if he was interrogating me. I grew uncomfortable until he asked, “Second to last chapter of Knights of the Eternal Throne: who do you usually choose to save between Vette and Torian?”
I blinked for a moment before I found myself laughing out loud in disbelief that someone asked me a question about the video game.
“Vette,” I happily replied. “I hate seeing Torian get killed, but I don't think I dare to see Vaylin kill Vette.”
Caramel smiled and said, “Good answer. I always go for Vette too. So does Soarin.”
“Yep, guilty as charged,” Soarin states proudly. “I hate to do it to Torian, but I guess I can’t bring myself to have a kind, pretty Twi'lek girl like Vette get hurt. Am I right, fellas?”
The three of us guys laughed and nodded an agreement. The whole time I was smiling to hear not one, but two people share the things I like. If it were a dream, I would never want to wake up even if it put me in a coma. Our moment of bonding was cut short, however, when Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and slapped Soarin upside the head.
“Enough with the dorky stuff,” she said. “We gotta introduce Rough Draft to the rest of the group.”
“Great idea, Rainbow Dash,” Pinkie Pie agreed cheerfully before turning to me. “First, we have our beloved fashionista, Rarity.”
“Lovely to meet you, dear,” the white-skinned girl named Rarity greeted politely.
“Next we have, mah brother, Big Mac,” Applejack said. “He doesn't talk much, but he's a good listener and a great help at our family farm.”
“Eeyup,” the tall guy named Big Mac said simply.
“Next to Rarity is her bestie, Fluttershy,” Pinkie Pie said. “She's the nicest girl in town and loves animals with a passion.”
“Um, hi,” Fluttershy said quietly with a shy smile.
“And last but not least, we have another new friend who just moved in from Sire's Hollow, Starlight Glimmer,” Pinkie Pie said.
I turned to the light-purple girl, and she smiled and bashfully gave me a little wave.
“Nice to meet you,” she said. “Guess I won't be the only purple person here in this group.”
I chuckled at the way she acknowledged my purple skin and said, “Yeah, I guess so. So, you're a junior too, huh?”
“Yeah, in fact, everyone but Big Mac are juniors, right?” Starlight Glimmer said. 
“Eeyup,” Big Mac said plainly. 
Starlight Glimmer nodded before she turned back to me and asked, “So, from one transfer student to another, how do you like Canterlot High so far?” She asked eagerly. 
I smiled while chewing on my burger before I swallowed and said, “Oh, there is no competition whatsoever. I hated my old school, and I had no friends in Appleloosa. My only complaint is that I didn't come here sooner.”
“Heck, yeah,” Soarin said before he and Caramel high-fived me. 
Starlight Glimmer couldn't help but giggle at my enthusiasm. I smiled back and asked, “How about you?”
She hesitated before she smiled and said, “I do miss my best friend back at Sire's Hollow, but I'm glad to have a lot of new friends all the way here in Canterlot.”
“And we're happy to be all of your friends,” Pinkie Pie said. “Same to you, Rough Draft.”
The rest of the group all said words of agreement, and both Starlight Glimmer and I smiled appreciatively at them. Thus, we all went back to our meals and entered small talk for about ten minutes before Rarity and Fluttershy finished their conversation and turned to me. 
“So, Rough Draft,” she said. “I heard from Rainbow Dash that you had a run-in with Octavia Melody last week. Is that true?”
I turned to her and swallowed the food in my mouth before I answered, “Yes, that's true.”
“I see,” Rarity said with a frown. “How rude of her to coldly run into you.”
I look at her, confused, and said, “What do you mean? It was an accident. In fact, she was appreciative when I saved her cello from getting run over.”
“Oh, I'm sure she was,” Rarity said sarcastically.
I keep looking at her, confused until Caramel patted me on the back.
“Don't pay any mind to what Rarity says,” he said. “She's not a fan of Octavia Melody.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because she's with my Bluey,” Rarity growled venomously. 
“Rarity, please calm down,” Fluttershy said quietly yet worriedly as she pats Rarity's back.
“Uh, Bluely?” I asked, even more confused.
“She means Blueblood,” Rainbow Dash said, rolling her eyes again. “You need to get over it, Rarity.”
“Never!” Rarity cries out in an over-dramatic way. “He should be mine! Do you hear me? Mine!”
I stared at Rarity even more confused until I turned to Applejack and asked, “So, she has a thing for Blueblood?”
“You could say that,” Applejack said with a scoff. “Rarity used to live in Manehattan and went to the same school as Blueblood until she and her family moved here in the 7th grade. She's been crushing on that pretty boy for the longest time and thought they are destined for one another. When word got out that he was also transferring here, she thought that was her chance to snag him only to learn that he was already dating Octavia Melody, and they were transferring here together, and she's been holding a grudge ever since.”
“I see,” I said, feeling skeptical about the reason Rarity disliked Octavia.
“Judge me as much as you like, dears. I will never forgive her for beating me to him,” Rarity said, aware of how I feel about her reasoning. 
“Come on, Rarity. Blueblood is selfish and self-absorbed,” Rainbow Dash ridiculed. “Can't you see he's not worth it?”
“I know he is,” Rarity said. “But if he just gave me a chance, I just know I can change him for the better.”
Rainbow Dash groaned in annoyance and turned to me and said, “She says this every time we try to get her to get over the guy.”
I couldn't help but giggle a little at the predicament while Rarity rolled her eyes and went back to her lunch with Fluttershy. I go back to mine until my mind goes back to Blueblood and Octavia Melody, and I decide to ask another question.
“Hey, Soarin,” I started, earning Soarin's attention. “You guys have been talking about what Blueblood thinks about himself and Octavia Melody, but what does she think about him? I mean, does she love him?”
Soarin gave me a skeptical look, likely figuring I was asking out of hope that the girl I was talking about doesn't have strong feelings for her boyfriend.
“I think so,” he said. 
I couldn't help but frown and glumly say, “Oh,” before I go back to my lunch.

**********************************************************************************************

Eventually, lunch ended, and I said my goodbyes to Caramel, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, Big Mac, and Starlight Glimmer before Soarin, and I went to our next period together. Everyone said bye back with my new friends saying it was nice to meet me. Starlight Glimmer seemed to be the most pleased to befriend me the way she said it, which confused me, but I decided not to worry about it as I followed Soarin to our next class, which was gym. The gym teacher, Mr. Iron Will, was a tall and muscular guy who didn't waste any time to make us do twenty laps before having us play dodgeball. At first, I was excited to play the game until it turned out that the dodgeballs were hard to the point that it hurt my arm when I got hit by one on the first game. After that, I began to dodge the balls as if my life depended on it much to the amusement of Soarin, who seemed to be used to playing this game this way.
Thankfully, it was time for my final class before I collapsed on the gym floor. Soarin and I said our goodbyes before I went up to the second floor and walked to the other side of the building, where I had English with Ms. Cheerilee. When I entered the classroom, I looked around and saw an empty desk at the far back, and I decided to sit there out of habit from sitting in the back all of the time in Appleloosa. I took out a notebook and pencil before I laid my head on my desk, feeling kind of tired and ready for the last class to come and go. 
But suddenly, my eyes opened wide, and I felt my heart skip a beat when I saw the last person I expected to enter the classroom. Of all people to be walking in, Octavia Melody came in with a smile on her face and sat down on one of the desks in the front row. When the bell rang, announcing that the final class has started, I looked around the room and mentally shook my fist into the air, realizing that no one in the room has blonde hair and wears a tuxedo. I didn’t bother to wonder why Blueblood wasn’t in this class when Soarin assured me they would always be in the same classes. All it meant to me was I could talk to her after class and give her back her ring without her boyfriend around. 
As the teacher started talking about what books we will be reading in class, I was glancing at Octavia while half paying attention. I began to think of ways to approach her as soon as class ended and wondered if she remembered me. 
My train of thought was interrupted, however, when someone nudged me on the side, and I turned to see a blue-skinned girl sitting at the desk next to me, looking at me with a cute, cheerful smile and holding out a handful of papers to me.
“It's the schedule for the semester,” she whispered to me.
It took a moment before I realized that I didn't notice that Ms. Cheerilee gave papers for us to pass to each other. I shook my head and took the papers, silently thanking the girl with a nod before I took out a sheet and handed the rest to the person next to me before I turned my head to face the teacher, trying to pay attention. But no sooner had I done so that the blue girl leaned close to me when Ms. Cheerilee wasn’t looking.
“I'm Sonata,” she whispered. 
I glanced at her while my head is still facing the board. It was clear that she was trying to befriend me instantly. I felt unsure of how to react since she was so upfront, but since Pinkie Pie and Applejack and the others were quick to befriend me I may as well give it a shot with this girl.
“I'm Rough Draft,” I replied.
“Nice to meetcha, Rough Draft,” she whispered cheerfully. “Did you just transfer here?”
“Yes, I moved from Appleloosa,” I whispered.
“Appleloosa? That sounds like fun,” Sonata said. “I hear they grow some of the best apples in all of -”
“Ms. Dusk, is there something you want to say to the class?”
Sonata turned around to see Ms. Cheerilee giving her disapproving glare with the rest of the class turning to look at her.
“No, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am.” Sonata said quickly.
“Good.” Ms. Cheerilee said before she continued discussing the schedule.
Sonata blushed in embarrassment and back to facing the teacher while I went back to thinking about how to approach Octavia Melody after class. I had my hand on my jeans pocket to feel the ring inside to make sure it's still there while I tried to pay closer attention to Ms. Cheerilee. Finally, after fifty-five minutes of waiting, the bell rang, and we all got up from our seats and gathered our things. Ms. Cheerilee called out to us something about homework for tomorrow, but I didn't pay attention to what she said. All I cared about was Octavia Melody grabbing her backpack and heading straight to the exit. I quickly grabbed my backpack, shoved my pen and notebook in, and tried to squeeze my way through the students who were also trying to make their way to the exit. Once I left the room, I looked around eagerly for Octavia Melody only to find her already walking far towards the other side of the hall. I was about to run when I suddenly found Sonata standing in front of me with a friendly smile.
“Hey, Rough Draft,” Sonata said. “So, as I was saying -”
“Look, Sonata,” I began, trying to hide my frustration. “I don't want to sound rude, but I need to talk to someone right away.”
I don't give her a chance to reply before I went past her and raced toward the gray-skinned girl. By the time I was halfway there, Octavia Melody had already taken a left turn to the staircase. I made the turn as fast as I could to find her already halfway through the stairs before I called out to her.
“Octavia Melody!”
It took a moment before she stopped walking and turned around to look at my direction in confusion, making goosebumps appear all over my body. I quickly shook my head before my cheeks could heat up and promptly went down the stairs to catch up with her. She was staring at me, unsure of how to act until I cleared my throat.
“Uh, hey. My name is Rough Draft,” I said nervously. 
Octavia Melody stayed silent for a moment before she said, “Greetings. Can I help you?”
“Uh, well, you probably don't recognize me,” I said with an awkward grin. “I'm the guy you ran over a week ago.”
Octavia Melody's eyes widened and said, “Oh, I'm so sorry about that. I hope I didn't hurt you too hard.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” I said. “I just got a little bump in the head, but it's gone now.”
“Well, that's a relief,” she said with a kind smile. “Though while we’re on the subject, I really appreciate that you saved my cello. It means so much to me, and I don't know what I would have done if I lost it.”
I blushed at the way she kindly said that to me before I shook my head and tried to keep my cool. 
“You're very welcome,” I said. “But now that we are on the subject, there's something else I want to give back to you.”
She looked at me curiously again until I reached into my pocket and took out the ring. Octavia Melody let out a sharp, high-pitched gasp and covered her mouth with both of her hands. Her eyes were wide, and her pupils were the size of raisins. She stayed frozen in this position for so long that I grew uneasy while students are passing by, minding their own business. Finally, Octavia swiftly walked over to me and snatched the ring from my hands. She stared at it in shock for a moment before she smiled joyously and kissed the ring before putting it on her finger. Then she turned to me and pulled me into a tight hug, taking me by surprise.
“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She cried out while squeezing me. “I thought I lost this forever! Blueblood has been so upset that I wasn't wearing it. I was so worried that he would never forgive me for losing it after promising him that I would keep it with me always.”
I felt a numbing pain in my heart at the mention of Blueblood, but the pain felt outweighed by the feeling of her hugging me so tightly again. I can feel my cheeks burning up, but this time I let it happen and hug her back, figuring I should enjoy this moment while it lasts. 
“You're quite welcome,” I said. “I'm glad I got to give it back before -”
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?!”
Octavia Melody and I broke the hug, and I turned around only to find a white hand grabbing me by the throat and slamming me against the wall. The next thing I knew, I was face to face with a tall guy with white skin, golden-blonde hair, and wearing a tuxedo with a red rose attached to it. The guy had a livid look on his face as he grasped on my throat. 
Blueblood.
“You have some gall to so much as touch my lady, you filthy scoundrel,” he growled.
“Blueblood!” Octavia cried out. “Let him go! This is a misunderstanding!”
“Quite right, my dear. This is a major misunderstanding,” Blueblood snarled as he moved his other arm back, preparing to punch me in the face. “This fool fails to understand that he should never try anything with my girlfriend.”
“He wasn't trying anything!”
The three of us turned our heads to see Sonata walking down the stairs toward us. 
“Rough Draft was trying to give Octavia her ring back,” she protested. 
“And why should I believe the stupidest and the most annoying of all the Dazzlings?” Blueblood barked. “Are you defending this guy because your big sister wants to use him next for her little games? Well, you can tell Adagio that if she wants her toy, she can collect it herself instead of her bimbo pawn.”
My eyes widened in realization, and I turned to Sonata, who is visibly hurt by his insults. I couldn't believe that I forgot that Applejack mentioned that one of the Dazzlings is a girl named Sonata. She looked like she was on the verge of tears before Octavia Melody stood between Blueblood and Sonata and held up her hand that has the ring.
“No, she's telling the truth!” She protested. “Look, dear, he gave it back to me. He found my ring and went looking for me so that he could return it.”
Blueblood's eyes immediately turned to the ring, and his anger slowly melted away. He released me, and I cough violently while rubbing my throat. But on the inside, my heart was hurting more as I watched Blueblood take Octavia's hand that had the ring and kissing it affectionately, earning a smile from her. 
“Oh, how wonderful,” Blueblood said excitedly. “The ring is back. Thank heaven! Oh. What a happy day!”
“Yes, yes, the ring is back,” Octavia Melody giggled before her face turned serious. “But, you owe some apologies for your behavior.”
“Oh yes, you're quite right,” Blueblood said. “Sonata, I'm sorry that I was mocking your sister. Alright, let's go, my dear.”
Octavia Melody frowned and said, “And Rough Draft too.”
Blueblood winced and let out a little whimper. Octavia Melody and Sonata didn't seem to notice it, but it was clear to me that he did not want to apologize to me, in particular. With a forced grin, he turned to me and patted me on the back begrudgingly.
“So sorry, dear boy,” he said with his teeth clenched together. “I fear I have a terrible habit of being overprotective when it comes to the lady of my life.”
He robotically offered his hand to me, and I gave him an unconvinced look before I decided to give him a forced handshake.
“That's alright,” I lied. “I'm sure I would act the same if I saw my girlfriend hugging some dude I don't know.”
“Yes, quite right,” Blueblood said with a nod before quickly letting go of my hand. “Well, now that we have this matter taken care of, we must be on our way.”
Blueblood turned around to walk down the rest of the stairs, but Octavia Melody frowned disapprovingly and walked in front of her boyfriend with a glare.
“Is that all you have to say after he bothered to give me back my ring?” She rebuked. 
Blueblood stared at her for a moment before he let out what I can best describe as a fancy chuckle.
“My, my, what a pickle I'm in,” he said playfully. “My dear Octavia is most displeased. What to do? What to do?”
Blueblood pretended to scratch his chin in thought before he snapped his fingers and winked at Octavia Melody before turning to me. 
“Dear boy, if you don't have anything planned, would you like to join us for dinner?” he asked. “We're are going to this new restaurant called The Tasty Treat, and you would be more than welcome to join us. My treat. Er, no pun intended.”
I raised my eyebrow at how his offer sounded like he just thought of it from watching Titanic, but I also noticed that Octavia seemed to be pleased with Blueblood’s idea. I turned to Sonata, who nodded vigorously like a little child. I didn’t like the idea of being offered to dine with Octavia Melody and her boyfriend in such a superficial manner from the latter, but it did mean I could spend more time with Octavia Melody and get to know her more. Maybe I'll even learn why she is dating someone like Blueblood. 
“Sure, that sounds like fun,” I said with as much genuine enthusiasm as I could muster.
“Tremendous,” Blueblood said with a grin. “We shall see you then at 7:00 sharp. Kindly don’t be late.”
I nodded in response, and Blueblood turned around with his head up high and proceeded to walk down the steps with his arm around Octavia Melody.
“I look forward to seeing you there, Mr. Draft,” She called out as the pair leave.
“I do too, Ms. Melody,” I called out back before they are out of sight.
For a moment, silence filled the area while Sonata and I were still standing in the middle of the staircase. By now, all of the other students were long gone and likely most of the teachers too. I was back to feeling bad from the way I treated her, and she was probably still hurt with what Blueblood said to her despite his forced apology. I decided to break the silence by clearing my throat and turning to Sonata with a humble look.
“Uh, thank you for helping me back there,” I said.
Sonata’s face turned slightly cheerful again, and she replied, “You’re welcome.”
I gave her a small smile back before I rubbed my arm and said, “Listen, I'm sorry about the way I acted earlier. I know you were just friendly and I was rude and -”
“That’s okay,” Sonata interrupted with her face looking sad again. “If anything, I should apologize that I was getting in your way with trying to give Octavia Melody her ring back. I’ve been told that I annoy people all the time. It’s why I don’t have any friends.”
I frown at the last thing she said.
“Who told you that?” I asked.
“My sisters,” Sonata replied. “They always get everyone’s attention even though we’re a team, especially Adagio. All the guys fawn over her, and a lot of girls wish she can be as pretty as her. But me? I’m just the annoying one.”
My guilt grew as she said those words. It sounded to me that Sonata is going through the same I was before I moved here, and what’s worse is that I may as well have supported what this Adagio says to her. I gave her a small smile before putting my hand on her shoulder, which surprised her.
“Tell you what, let’s just call it even, and we can be friends,” I offered.
“Wha..what? Really?” Sonata asked with her voice high-pitched.
“Sure,” I said with a reassuring smile. “I mean, you did help me out and all, and, hey, I know what it’s like to be outcast too.”
“For realsies?” Sonata asked before she smiled brightly and pulled me into a tight hug. “Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou, THANK YOU!!!!” 
I struggled to breathe until she broke the hug. I rubbed my back while she giggled cutely. 
“Sorry, I guess I don’t know my strength, buddy,” she said with her hands behind her back.
“You don’t say,” I said with a little chuckle. “I guess that comes to show how you don’t get to hug people much like me.”
Sonata giggled again over me talking more about what we have in common. But then her friendly smile turned into a sly smirk, and she walked over to me until our faces are inches apart.
“Speaking of hugs, though, I noticed you were turning red while Octavia Melody was hugging you,” she said teasingly. “Care to enlighten a girl as to why?” 
I feel my cheeks heating up again, realizing she caught me. Her grin grew as she waited for me to admit to my crush on the girl that I know I cannot be with. It looked like there was no way to get around it until…
“SONATA!”
Sonata gasped, and we both turned our heads to see a girl with light, yellow skin, and long orange hair. She had an irritated look on her face and had her hands on her hips as she walked up the stairs toward us. I did my best to keep my eyes on her face as she had an inconceivable figure that I imagined would indeed bring guys to do whatever this girl desired just as Applejack warned me. 
“What do you think you’re doing?” she snarled at Sonata. “We need to be in the cafe now! This is no time for you to irritate this stupid boy right.”
“But...bu-bu-bu-bu-” Sonata stuttered fearfully like a child in trouble.
“No excuses,” Adagio growled. “We’re leaving now.”
Without another word, she grabbed Sonata firmly by the arm and dragged her down the stairs. Sonata whimpered in pain from the grip and turned to me with a sad look. I stand there, unsure of what to do before I give her a small smile as a way of saying, “I’ll see you in class," silently. She seemed to read my facial expression as she smiled back before her sister dragged her out of sight.
With that, I let out a deep sigh and leaned my back against the wall. I felt like a lot of energy was drained from me during the last several minutes with giving Octavia Melody her ring back, almost getting pummeled by Blueblood, offered to come to dinner with them tonight and befriending Sonata before her sister dragged her away. Add all of that with joining Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Soarin, and Applejack’s group and becoming friends with Caramel, Fluttershy, Big Mac, Starlight Glimmer, and sort of Rarity, as this made my first day at my new school a rather exciting one. Now all that was left is figuring out what to do for the next four hours or so before going to dinner with Octavia Melody and her boyfriend.
Just then, I felt my phone vibrating, and I take it out to see I have a text message from Pinkie Pie. I stare in confusion as I was pretty sure I haven’t exchanged numbers with her or any of our friends. After a moment of hesitation, I open the message and read the text.
Pinkie: Hiya, Rough Draft. I hope you don’t mind, but I secretly added me, Dashie, Applejack, Soarin, and the rest of our friends into your contact list while we were at lunch. Anywho, the whole group is about to come to Sugarcube Cafe right now since Starlight Glimmer hasn’t gone before. Wanna come?
I felt a little uneasy at how Pinkie Pie just up and added everyone into my contact list without telling me even though I probably would have asked everyone for their numbers later, but after making a mental note to tell Pinkie Pie to leave my phone alone, I smiled, feeling excited to hang out with my new group of friends.
Me. Sure, I’ll be right there. 
And with that, I put my phone away and start proceeding to the cafe, thinking about how to tell everyone how returning the ring went.