The Nerd and the Cellist

by HAKDurbin


Chapter 4

It is the second day of school, and my mom had just dropped me off at the front of Canterlot High. I looked at the two-story building and let out a sigh, still feeling guilty about what happened last night.
After Blueblood fell off the balcony, I called 911 while Octavia rushed out of the restaurant to Blueblood's side. It took about ten minutes before an ambulance arrived, and we rode to the nearest hospital. Blueblood was wailing like a child the entire ride to the hospital, thinking he had been paralyzed and that his "beautiful" face had been disfigured forever. The paramedic kept telling him that he wasn't paralyzed, and Octavia tried to convince him that he wasn't disfigured, but he kept crying until the paramedic gave him a shot to calm him down.
When we got to the hospital, Octavia and I had to wait in the hall while the doctors were working on Blueblood. The whole time I didn't know what to say to Octavia after punching her boyfriend off the balcony. She just stared at the wall, not moving a muscle. After an hour, the doctor came in and told us that Blueblood broke one of his arms, a couple of ribs were cracked, and they put on a neck brace as a precaution. He then said that Blueblood would have to stay in the hospital for at least a couple of days, and then stay at home for six weeks for his ribs to heal. Octavia asked if she could stay with him for the night and the doctor said yes, so she immediately went to her phone to call her parents. After she called them, she ordered a taxi to drive me home. While we were waiting outside, I decided to finally apologize and say that I didn't mean to punch Blueblood off the balcony. It took a few seconds before she gave me a sad smile and quietly said it was okay and it was an accident. When the taxi arrived, she just said goodbye without looking at me and went back inside the hospital while I got in the cab.
Now I'm on my way to my second day of school, hoping to get last night off my mind. But when I went inside, I noticed everyone staring at me. They looked at me like I'm some violent delinquent giving them an intimidating glare. I became uncomfortable about what is making them afraid of me until I heard a familiar voice.
"Rough Draft, over here."
I turned my head to see Starlight Glimmer inside one of the classrooms, gesturing for me to come in with a worried look. Relieved to see a friendly face, I quickly went in, and Starlight immediately closed the door behind me. I looked around the room to find Caramel, Soarin, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy all looking at me. Caramel and Pinkie Pie were looking concerned while Soarin, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were looking at me suspiciously. Fluttershy was as worried as Starlight while Rarity looked like she wanted to tear me to pieces. 
"Uh, hey guys," I said awkwardly. "What's going on?"
"We could ask you the same thing," Soarin said. "Care to enlighten us with what happened last night at the Tasty Treat?"
I looked at him, surprised, and asked, "You know about that?"
"Of course, we do!" Rarity shrieked. "Everyone knows that you tried to murder Blueblood!"
"What?!" I shouted. "I didn't try to kill him."
"Yes, you did!" Rarity accused. "You wanted Octavia Melody so badly that you wanted to get my Bluey out of the way! I'll tear you to pieces and -!"
"Rarity, calm down!" Fluttershy exclaimed, stepping in front of Rarity before she could storm toward me. "Think happy thoughts! Think about your latest frock!"
Rarity's angry face faltered, and she turned to Fluttershy as if she was instantly the most exciting thing in the world. 
"My latest frock?" Rarity asked like she was in a daze.
"That's right," Fluttershy said calmly, knowing that she had Rarity's attention. "Think of how you made it in such exquisite shades of black and gray. How you did the stitching so perfectly, and it didn't look too showy."
Rarity stared at her best friend, and she slowly nodded, saying, "I was aiming for not too showy."
"And yet so many people were amazed when you were wearing it at the music festival," Fluttershy said with a smile. 
A blissful smile enters Rarity's face as she thought about what Fluttershy is talking about. I watched what was happening confused and turned to Soarin.
"Is talking about dresses the only thing that calms Rarity down or something?" I asked.
"Sort of," Soarin said. "Rarity likes to make dresses, so she usually calms down if you talk about them in great detail. The problem is only Fluttershy can really do that because she is so close to Rarity and understands enough about fashion to describe her work, so we can't really get her to chill out when Fluttershy isn't around."
"Ah," I said. 
By the time Soarin finished his explanation, Rarity had calmed down, and Fluttershy was patting her shoulder before they both turned to me. Rarity was giving me a big smile that looked as creepy as her vengeful glare as she walked over to me.
"Rough Draft, darling, please forgive me," she said as she sporadically pulled me into a hug. "That was no way to act when you didn't get to explain yourself."
I felt awkward over how Rarity was acting as I said, "Uh, that's okay, I guess." 
"Alright, alright, Rarity is chill now, so let's have our answers," Rainbow Dash said impatiently. "What really happened?"
"What I want to know is what have you guys heard?" I asked as Rarity pulled away from her hug. "Does everyone in school think I tried to kill Blueblood?"
“More or less," Applejack said sadly. "Since you’re new to the school and everything, people seem to think you’re some psychopath because one of the first things you have done in the beginning of the year is having dinner with Blueblood and Octavia Melody, and that somehow ended with Blueblood falling off the balcony.”
“Please tell us that you didn’t try to kill him, Rough Draft," Starlight Glimmer begged.
“No! Of course not!” I exclaimed. “It was completely an accident!”
“How did you accidentally knock him off the balcony?” Pinkie Pie asked, confused.
I sighed before I finally told them everything that happened, leaving out what Octavia and I were discussing while Blueblood was on his phone. By the time I was done, the group was looking at me skeptically until they turned to Applejack. The apple farmer noticed what they wanted from them and sighed.
“He’s telling the truth,” she said. 
Everyone else apart from Rarity sighed in relief, glad to hear what people were thinking about me isn’t true. 
"I hoped this whole rumor was exaggerated nonsense," Starlight said. "I didn't think you were so into Octavia Melody that you'd try to murder her boyfriend."
"Indeed. Now I really feel bad for jumping to conclusions," Rarity said, ashamed. "I'm sorry,  Rough Draft."
I smiled at her, knowing that she meant it this time, and said, "I'm just glad you guys heard me out. Though I wish there is a way I could get rid of this rumor. I don't want to deal with people looking at me like I'm something to avoid like people did in Appleloosa."
"Don't worry about it, neighbor," Pinkie Pie chirped. "We can help clear things up for you."
"Really?" I asked.
"Of course. You're our friend," Applejack said with a smile. "We ain't going to let this rumor tarnish your name in Canterlot High, leastways not while you were starting to enjoy being here."
"I agree," Caramel said.
"I got your back, dude," Soarin assured. 
"Same here," Rainbow Dash said.
"I'll set up banners all over the school and post the truth on social media for good measure," Pinkie said, excitedly. 
"Um, I don't talk to many people outside of our group, but I'll do my best," Fluttershy said quietly.
"It's certainly the least I can do to make up for blowing up on you," Rarity said.
I smiled appreciatively before Starlight grabbed my hand, and clasped it together with her hands as she said, "Rough Draft, I don't know how much help I can be since I'm new here too, but I will do everything I can to clear your name."
I was taken aback by the way she was expressing her proclamation before I smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Starlight. I appreciate you can give."
Starlight smiled back with her purple cheeks turning pink. Suddenly, the bell rang, and we all gasped.
"Oh, man, we're going to be late for class," Rainbow Dash said.
"We better get going," Applejack said.
Everyone quickly grabbed their backpacks, and we all exited the classroom and said our goodbyes as we ran in different directions to our first classes. 

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The majority of the school day was about as uncomfortable as it was when I entered the building. Students were looking at me funny and whispering amongst themselves in class when the teachers weren't looking. The day slowly got better when Soarin was sitting next to me during third, fourth period and he was telling students that the rumor wasn't true on my behalf. Eventually, the glares started to die down as the rest of my friends did what they could to clear things up. Pinkie Pie even set up banners to get the message across like she said before Vice-Principal Luna had them taken down because she didn't authorize Pinkie to put them up. All in all, I was thankful that my friends were there to help me throughout the school day.
Finally, it was seventh period, and I went into the classroom for English class. I sat down on my desk to find Sonata waiting for me on her desk beside mine. I gave her a friendly smile, but she looked intimidated as if I yelled at her. I frowned, instantly figuring out why she was acting this way.
"Sonata, whatever you heard, it isn't true," I said.
"You mean you didn't knock Blueblood off the balcony?" Sonata asked, worriedly. 
I hesitated and said, "Well, I did, but it was an accident. He attacked me, and I was defending myself. I didn't mean to send him falling over the edge."
"Then you didn't try to kill him?" Sonata asked. 
"I swear I didn't," I replied.
"Oh, thank goodness," Sonata sighed in relief. "I was afraid the first friend I've ever had turned out not to be as nice as I thought he was."
"I can imagine how you would be discouraged," I said. "Hopefully, the whole thing will be completely cleared up soon, and we can all move on."
Sonata's cheerful smile melted into an uneasy frown, and she said, "Um, that might be difficult, actually."
"What do you mean?" I asked. 
But before Sonata could answer, the bell rang, and Ms. Cheerilee told us to take our seats. I reluctantly took out my notebook and pen and started writing notes, but then I froze in place when I realized that Octavia was not at her desk. I frowned sadly as it hit me that she was likely still in the hospital looking after Blueblood. I wished she at least went to school if for no other reasons than because I wanted to know if she was feeling better. I stared at her empty desk glumly until Sonata elbowed me, so that I could go back to paying attention to Ms. Cheerilee’s lecture. 
For the next hour, I listened to the teacher's lecture and took notes like Sonata and the rest of the class. Every now and then, I would glance at Octavia's empty desk and think of her sitting next to Blueblood's hospital bed all day. As much as it pained me that she was still with that guy, I admired her devotion as someone's girlfriend. Though I wondered what she meant when she said that she knew what it's like to have no friends and if it had to do with Blueblood being possessive of her. If that was so, then that made it even more wrong that he was so proprietorial of his girlfriend that he barely spent time with. I wanted to think there was a reasonable explanation about his negligence apart from his job, but deep down, I didn't regret what I said to him that night.
Finally, the bell rang, and students were putting away their stuff and racing out the door. But before I could follow my fellow students, Sonata stepped in front of me, still looking uneasy. It took a second before I remembered that she had something she wanted to tell me before class started. 
"Okay, so as I was saying, you might have something else to worry about," Sonata said.
"And what would that be?" I asked.
Sonata rubbed her arm nervously and said, "I'm not entirely sure how to put this, but I think Adagio has taken a liking to you."
I gave Sonata a puzzled look and asked, "Are we talking about the same Adagio who uses her beauty to get guys to do her bidding?"
"Yup," Sonata says plainly.
I frowned and said, "Well, then it's a good thing I'm aware that she manipulates guys."
"Actually, I don't think she's planning to manipulate you per se," Sonata began, looking away from me while still rubbing her arm.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Sonata turned her head to face me again and said, "I mean, she kind of likes you, likes you."
I stared at Sonata, perplexed before I asked, "Wait. You mean like she has a real crush on me or something?"
"Well, crush might be too strong of a word, but from the way she's been acting since she heard about you punching Blueblood, she suddenly seems attracted to you," Sonata clarified.
"So, what I'm hearing you say is that she has the hots for me because she thinks I tried to murder Blueblood. Is that right?" I asked.
Sonata hesitates for a moment before she nods. 
"Why would she be interested in me because of something like that?" I asked. "Does she have a special hate for Blueblood to the point that she would want to see him dead?"
"Not that I know of," Sonata answered. "Adagio has no love for Blueblood anymore than anyone else in the school who aren't his aunts or his girlfriend, but she's never shown to hate him particularly. For all I know, she's hoping that she can become more popular in school with him out of the way."
I scratched my head and said, "Okay, I guess wanting more popularity makes a little bit of sense, but wanting someone dead just for that seems a little extreme. Besides, if that's the reason, I don't see how she would accomplish that by trying anything with me."
"And who says I'm interested in you because of that?"
Sonata and I turned around to find Adagio standing on the doorway with both hands on her hips. Standing behind her was a girl with pale, light grayish fuchsia skin, and moderate purple hair with light brilliant aquamarine streaks on pigtails. She had her arms crossed and was looking away with a bored, impatient look like a child following her mom while she's running errands. 
Sonata looked at the two of them fearfully as Adagio entered the classroom with her eyes fixed on me. I felt my cheeks heat up from the way she was giving me a coquettish look as she walked toward me with one hand still on her hip. I slowly backed away until my back touched the wall, and Adagio placed her hands on the wall on opposite sides of my head, trapping me. My purple face became redder as Adagio leaned her head close to me until our faces were inches apart.
"I'm hurt that you think I want to use you for something, Rough Draft," she said. "Surely, you can't rule out the possibility that a girl like me would be sincerely interested in a boy like you. Can you?"
I opened my mouth to say something, but I was so uncomfortable with how close she was to me while looking at me seductively that I couldn't say anything. Sonata looked like she wanted to say something on my behalf, but she stayed silent like a dog afraid of upsetting its owner. The other girl smirked while still standing by the doorway, amused with the way I was acting. After a few seconds, Adagio leaned her body closer to me and started slowly walking her fingers from my chest up.
"Well, I suppose I can't blame you to a point," she said with a soothing voice. "I admit that I've been a little manipulative to a few boys."
"Pfff. That's putting it mildly," the girl with pigtails said.
"Shut it, Aria!" Adagio snarled at the girl before turning back to me. "As I was saying, I may have done some bad things, but you shouldn't judge me just on what you've heard."
I broke out of my bashful state for a moment and finally brought myself to say, "I could say the same thing."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Adagio asked.
"Whatever you heard about Blueblood and me isn't true," I clarified. "We were having dinner with Octavia and got into an argument. He attacked me, I punched him to defend myself, and he backed away too close to the railing. I didn't try to kill him."
"Huh. That's a shame. I should have known it was too good to be true," Aria said. 
I felt relieved that Aria was quick to believe me, but my relief was short-lived when Adagio started stroking my cheek, making my face heat up again.
"So, you were just defending yourself from Blueblood, and he fell by mistake?" She asked. "My, how brave you are. It looks like you didn't get a scratch on your cute face too. I'm happy to see that."
I let out a whimper with my mouth closed, still struggling to hold myself together as the orange girl kept running her fingers all over my face. Then she placed her hand on my chest while resting her elbow on the wall and her head on her other hand as she spoke.
"It seems we've both judged the other wrongly. Wouldn't you say?" She said. 
"Uh, I guess so," I lied.
Adagio smirked and said, "In that case, let's make a deal."
I instantly become worried as I reluctantly asked, "What kind of a deal?"
"Oh, you don't have to fret about it, Rough Draft. It's a simple suggestion, really," Adagio said. "I think we should start over with a meet up sometime. I don't know if you've heard, but the three of us are singers at this nice place called the Siren's Cafe. You should come see us there after school, and maybe we could get to know each other better. What do you say?"
Once again, my voice died in my throat as I grew uncomfortable again from the way she was flirting with me. I wanted to find a way to say that I'm not interested, but I couldn't think of a way to politely say it. But even if I did, it was clear that she wasn't going to take no for an answer. I turned to Sonata, giving her a look for help, but she was still frightened of what would happen if she said anything. Aria was leaning against the doorway, eager for me to say something so that the three of them could leave. Finally, Adagio lets out an amused hum and moved back a couple of steps, much to my relief. 
"On second thought, this isn't something that should be decided on the spot. After all, it's not every day a girl approaches a guy on his second day at school," she said. "Why don't you think about my offer while you're still settling in? Does that sound good?"
Once again, I try to think of a way to let her down politely, but nothing comes to mind. Ultimately, out of desperation, I give her the first answer that comes to mind.
"Sure, I'll think about it," I said.
"Is that a promise?" Adagio asked.
"Absolutely," I said without thinking. 
Adagio smirked and said, "Excellent. I'm looking forward to your answer."
Finally, she turned around and walked away, announcing to the other girls, "Aria, Sonata, we are leaving." Aria doesn't hesitate to leave the room while mumbling, "Finally." Sonata paused, wishing she didn't have to leave me, but I gave her a reassuring nod as a way of saying that I will see her in class tomorrow, and she smiled before following Adagio out of the classroom. I waited for a minute to make sure the three of them are gone before I let out a sigh of relief.
"Now, one of the people I'm supposed to avoid is hitting on me," I mumble to myself. "Soarin, and Applejack, and the others are going to get a kick out of this."
I chuckled to myself as I finally left the classroom and started walking down the hall in the opposite direction from where the Dazzlings left. But as I was walking, my amused smile turned into a frown as the last few minutes replayed in my mind. I shuddered at the way Adagio was flirting while standing so close to me. If I had known accidentally knocking Blueblood off the balcony, I would have let him hit me or let him insult me without making a comeback. I mentally kicked myself in the head for giving Adagio the empty promise. 
"Ugh, I'm such an idiot," I groaned as I made my way to the exit door. "What have I gotten myself into just because of my stupid crush on Octavia?"
Right as I finished asking that question, I opened the door and stopped walking halfway through the exit as I saw two tall men in black suits and sunglasses standing in front of me with a black car parked behind them. I became nervous as the two men stared at me through their sunglasses while one of them walked toward me.
"Come with us," he commanded.
"Uh, why?" I asked.
"The prince has ordered us to retrieve you upon your release from school," he answered.
I tilted my head, unsure of who he's referring to until I remembered that people call Blueblood the Prince of Manehattan. I let out a moan as I realized that the universe just answered my question. 
"Get inside the car now," the second man said impatiently while still keeping a stone face. 
"Fine, fine, fine," I grumbled as I did as I was told. 
The two men got in the car after me on opposite sides, making me sit in the middle. I grew uncomfortable again as the way I was sitting between them made me feel like I was going to be murdered by the mafia. I silently gulped as another man turned on the car and started driving. 

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For the next several minutes, I did nothing but sit down in silence. I thought about asking if we were going to the hospital just to break the silence, but I decided against it, thinking I would be told to keep my mouth shut. Thankfully, when the driver took a turn to the hospital, I felt less tense, knowing that we reached our destination and I will be out of the car soon. The driver parked by the sidewalk close to the entrance on the left side, and the two men got out of the car with the one closest to the door, gesturing me to get out. I eagerly obeyed and followed them inside the building, where we walked to the nearest elevator. 
We went up to the floor where Blueblood's room is and walked over there to find Blueblood waiting for us in his hospital bed with a brace on his neck, a cast on his arm, and his ribcage bandaged up. For a brief moment, I felt my unease go away and felt my heart leap when I saw Octavia sitting on a chair next to Blueblood's bed, giving me a friendly smile. I smiled back, relieved that she was looking better than she was last night, but my moment of joy instantly vanished when her boyfriend spoke with an impatient humph.
"What took you so long?" He snarled. "Did you have to search the entire school to find him?"
The two men remained silent, unfazed that Blueblood was insulting them. Octavia placed her hand on top of Blueblood's, and he grudgingly removed his annoyed look.
"I suppose the important thing is you've brought him here," he said, trying to sound less rude in front of his girlfriend. 
"Indeed, it is, dear," Octavia said.
I frowned at the way Blueblood was still forcing himself to act friendly as I said, "Hey, Blueblood. Feeling any better?"
"Hardly," Blueblood answered. "You're lucky I wasn't disfigured because of your assault."
I gave him an unamused look and mumbled, "At least you're well enough to show off your askew priorities."
Octavia rolled her eyes, sharing my skepticism and said, "He's been in a lot of pain with his ribs and arm and can hardly move his head because of the neck brace. The nurse has been feeding him liquid food."
"Humph. Calling that stuff food would be over kind," Blueblood grumbled before turning to me. "But, I did not have you brought here to talk about my misery."
"Could have fooled me," I grumbled before I asked, "What did you bring me here for, then?"
"To settle accounts," Blueblood announced. 
"Over what?" I asked.
"Over you paying for my hospital bill and my suit," Blueblood answered.
"What?!" I screamed. "Who says I have to pay for those things?"
"I do," Blueblood said. "It's because of you that my suit is ruined and I fell off the balcony. Therefore, you should make restitution for what you've done."
"Restitution? You attacked me, and I defended myself, you moron," I rebuked. "Heck, I helped put out the fire and tried to stop you from falling over the rail. Surely, you know that I didn't mean for you to fall off the balcony."
"I don't care about your excuses, and neither do my father's lawyers," Blueblood countered. "There is no video or anything to prove what you say."
"What about Octavia?" I asked. "She was trying to get you to stop fighting me."
"I have tried to explain it to the lawyers, but apparently, my word is not enough," Octavia said. "They said something about there needing to be at least two witnesses who aren't the guilty party to prove their innocence."
I looked at her in disbelief and then turned to Blueblood, who was smirking, pleased that I understood the gravity of the situation.
"How do you expect me to pay you back?" I asked.
"I don't," Blueblood said matter-of-factly. "As much as I would like to sue you and your baseborn family, my girlfriend has pointed out that it wouldn't accomplish much, seeing as you are from a pitiful place like Appleloosa."
"Blueblood!" Octavia hissed. "I did not phrase it that way, and you know it!"
"Well, whatever way you phrased it, the point is made all the same," Blueblood said with a wave of his free hand. "In any case, a compromise has been made that appears to satisfy Octavia's need to protect you."
I turned to Octavia, who was giving me a soft smile, assuring me not to worry. I felt less tense by the way her violet eyes were comforting me before I reluctantly looked away to look back at Blueblood. 
"What kind of compromise?" I asked. 
Blueblood's smirk grew, and he said, "You are going to be working for Octavia as her servant."
"Assistant, Blueblood," Octavia corrected with a disciplinary tone in her voice.
"Alright, assistant," Blueblood huffed. "To elaborate, I will be required to stay at home for quite some time because of your assault, and so will be unable to attend school with my dear Octavia or attend any concerts she partakes in or go to any future dates we have planned. Fortunately, she seems to have taken a liking to you, and I would rather she not be alone just because she has to spend so much time away from me."
Octavia gave Blueblood a sweet look that made me wince as her boyfriend continued.
"Therefore, as her serv - er, assistant, you will accompany Octavia in my stead," Blueblood said. "Whatever need she has for school or outside of school such as holding her bags when shopping or watching her perform even when she's only practicing her cello or wants to do anything else without being alone, you will be there and obey her every word to the letter. Do this until I've fully healed, and consider your debt paid."
I looked at Blueblood, befuddled before turning back to Octavia, who gave me a warm smile. My heart skipped a beat again, instantly liking the idea of spending so much time with her. It sounded too good to be true that Blueblood was threatening me to be by Octavia's side, and she helped him make the decision. Even though I knew my crush still cared about her boyfriend, I still felt happy that I could be with her and make her happy however she wanted me to.
"Well, do we have a deal or not?" Blueblood asked impatiently.
I snapped out of my thoughts and answered, "Yes, we have a deal."
"Good," Blueblood said before giving me a warning glare. "But understand that I do not offer this job lightly. It's only because of Octavia that I allow you to be by her side. As soon as I am fully healed, you are never to speak to her or be anywhere near her again. Understood?"
I frowned and reluctantly said, "Understood."
"Very good," Blueblood said before looking away from me and waving his free hand. "Now, get out of my sight."
Before I could say anything, the two security men grabbed my shoulders and started dragging me back to the elevator. I struggled to free myself, trying to show them that I can walk by myself, but their grips are too strong. The man on the right presses the button next to the elevator, and we wait for the door to open until we hear Octavia's voice from behind. 
"Just a moment, gentlemen," she said, making us turn around to see her walking towards us. "I would like to speak with Mr. Draft alone."
The security men looked at each other before they let go of my shoulders and walked over to a waiting room near the elevator. I rubbed my shoulders as Octavia walked over to me with a sympathetic smile.
"Are your shoulders alright?" She asked. 
"Not really," I said. 
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'll make sure that they stop."
I smiled at her appreciatively, and she smiled back before she cleared her throat to change the subject.
"Right. Let's get to the matter at hand," she said. "Firstly, I want you to know that I did everything I could to get Blueblood and his father to drop their frivolous accusations against you."
"I know you did," I said. "And thanks for convincing them not to sue my family or anything.
"Think nothing of it. I wouldn't dream of letting them do something so childish," Octavia said. "Though while we're on that subject, I hope you don't think less of me for coming up with the suggestion of making you work for me because of this."
"Not at all," I said assuringly. 
"Are you sure?" Octavia asked. "You don't have to do it. I could just lie and say that you've been assisting the whole time to save you the trouble."
"I appreciate that, but Blueblood seems persistent enough that he would find a way to make sure that I'm by your side or something," I said. 
Octavia thought about it for a moment and said with a sigh, "That's true. I do have a very stubborn boyfriend." 
I nodded in agreement and said, "And besides, I'm perfectly happy to be by your side. Wouldn't have it any other way."
My eyes widened, and I covered my mouth, realizing what I just said in front of her. Octavia tilted her head and asked, "What do you mean by that?" 
"Uh, duh, that is, um, I don't like the idea of you being alone either," I answered sheepishly. "I think Blueblood made an excellent point when he said you shouldn't be alone while he's healing. I mean, you did say last night how you know what it's like not to have friends, so I could be your friend that supports you however you want while your boyfriend is not there. Besides, I may not be in all of your classes, but it would be a good idea to share you some of my notes from English since you weren't there today."
Octavia continued to look at me confused after I finished my explanation. I became worried that what I said first might have given her a clue about my real feelings for her. Thankfully, she gave me a sweet smile, touched by my words.
"You are a very sweet guy. You know that, Rough Draft?" She asked. 
My cheeks warmed up, and I looked away from her while rubbing the back of my head as I answered, "I can't say I've been told that before."
Octavia's smile turned into a teasing smirk, and she said, "Yes, well, I suppose having a pretty girl say that to you would warrant you acting so bashful."
My cheeks turned redder, and I looked away, making Octavia giggle. But the way Octavia was making me blush wasn't making me uncomfortable like with Adagio. Instead, I felt my heart flutter from the way my shyness was making her laugh. I turned my head to face her, and she was smiling at me out of genuine care as opposed to a suggestive agenda, and I smiled back, glad that I was making her happy. We stared at each other in silence for a moment before Octavia cleared her throat. 
"Anyways, I would be more than happy to have you as my friend," she said. "Understand that I'm counting on you to stick with me to the bitter end no matter what I ask you to do, though."
I smirked and gave her a bow as I said, "I solemnly swear never to let you down, my lady."
Octavia giggled again and said, "Well then, shall we exchange numbers and addresses then?"
"I would be honored," I said with a bright smile.
Thus, we handed each other our phones and added ourselves to the other's contact list. After we gave back each other's phones, Octavia turned to the security men and said, "You may return him home now. But do not drag him by his shoulders. You are hurting him, and he can walk himself."
"All due respect, ma'am, we are following our orders from our boss," one of the security guys said.
"Your boss is also my boyfriend who knows better than to upset me," Octavia countered. "And if I find out from my assistant that you are not doing as I asked, I will be quite agitated and take it out on your boss who will take it out on you. Understand?"
The two men looked at each other for a couple of seconds before they shrugged and said, "Yes, ma'am." 
"Good," Octavia said before turning back to me. "I look forward to our time together, Mr. Draft."
"As do I, Lady Melody," I replied. 
With that, she smiled again before she turned around and started walking back to Blueblood's room. I watched her leave until the security men cleared their throats and gestured me to follow them. But even as we got on the elevator, I still had a smile on my face, excited to be spending more time with Octavia. Even if it's for only six weeks, I hoped I will make her as happy as possible as her one true friend.