The next few weeks went by swimmingly. My mom called to tell me that she'd be able to take a quick break from work out in Vegas to watch my graduation. Unfortunately, as she hadn't been able to find a buyer for my grandma's house, she'd have to go back afterwards.
Our grades also managed to stay up, even with the huge influx of projects and other Senior activities our teachers gave us. It's ridiculous, from Hamlet to psychological experiments, our schedule was pretty full. We now had six weeks to finish all of it, and then, graduation!
Unfortunately, I also had a plague on my mind. That is, I was still dreading the inevitable parting of ways with the girls. Almost every night, it was the same thing. I'd toss and turn, thinking, and going through different scenarios. Some, I'd beg for them to stay, other's, for them to leave, and get it over with. Some ended happily, some, well...Didn't end so great. Thankfully, whenever I'd wake up and see them in my kitchen, all feelings of grief were quick to fade away.
It was on Friday, in third period that I got an insane idea. We were sitting in class when the announcements started, reminding us of prom. "I can't wait for prom!" Dani, a friend of mine who sits behind me, said in excitement. A few of the others students joined in, gushing about their dates, dresses, etc. I sighed and rolled my eyes, until Dani spoke to me. "Hey, Alex! Who're you goin' with?" She asked.
"...I don't think I'm going, Dani." I replied quietly, so as not to catch anyone else's attention.
"Why not?" She asked, tilting her head to the side a bit.
"I never asked anyone." I sighed.
"Really? Gray asked me this morning..." Rainbow said from my right. If I were drinking anything, I would have done a spit-take right there. Instead, I stared at Rainbow, mouth agape.
"Wh-what? When?" I gasped.
"This morning. Why, what's the big deal?" She asked, dumbfounded. I groaned and sat back in my chair.
"Well, Scott from mah fifth period asked me, too. I just didn't know what ta say." Applejack said from in front of me.
"And I think Jason from Psych was gonna ask me..." Twilight mumbled. I glanced over at her, and she only gave me a small grin, averting any eye contact. I sighed again, shaking my head.
"Why not ask Dana?" Rarity suggested.
"Well, who are you goin' with?" I asked her, turning in my seat and awaiting an answer.
"That'd be me!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, plopping herself in the seat next to Rarity.
"...What." I asked, my tone completely deadpan.
"Well, no one here asked me, Raine, or Faith. So, I figured, why not!" Pinkie explained. Rarity, on the other hand, stared at Pinkie in confusion.
"Patience...When did we all agree to this?" She asked slowly.
"We didn't! I just decided now!" She replied happily.
"So...That still means Faith hasn't been asked, either, Alex." Dani cooed. I gulped, looking over at Fluttershy, who apparently hadn't been paying attention to the conversation, as it took her a moment to realize I was looking at her. She looked up from her notebook, made eye contact with me for a moment, and blushed lightly, giving me a small wave. I smiled back, and waved as well. "See! You two are perfect for each other!" Dani gushed. "I can see it now, you two, dancing together to the perfect slow dance..."
I completely ignored Dani after that, feeling a bit warm, maybe even flustered. My stomach started feeling funny, too, so I assumed I must have eaten something bad.
That wasn't such a bad idea...Come to think of it, me and Shy have been getting pretty close the past few weeks...We'd sit in my room and talk, laugh, mess around on the internet... We have indeed been spending a lot of time together and enjoying each other's company...Maybe...
"Alex?" Fluttershy called out.
"Huh?" I mumbled, shaking my head and looking up. "Yeah?"
"Well, um, it's just... The bell rang..." She replied quietly. I glanced around the room, and, aside from the six of them, I also saw a chuckling Mr. Donnovan.
"Go home, Alex. Get some sleep." He said, pushing up his glasses and going back to grading work. I snickered, standing up and walking out of class with the girls. When we returned home, I secluded myself in my room to give myself time to think. I only had about an hour to myself, until a knock on my door was heard.
"Yeah?" I called. The door opened, and I smiled when I saw who it was.
"Um, Alex? Gray and Dana are here..." She informed me in a near whisper.
"O-oh. Cool. I'll be out in a sec." I replied absently.
"...Is everything alright?" She asked me, approaching me and placing a hand on my shoulder. I chuckled and nodded, putting my hand atop hers.
"Yeah, just thinkin'." I replied.
"Oh. Okay."
"Anyway, let's get out there." I suggested. Fluttershy smiled and nodded, and I stepped out of my room and into the living room, to meet Gray and Dana.
"Hey there, ya ruttin' hermit." Gray chuckled. "I heard you had a very interesting third period." He teased, nudging my side and winking.
"...Okay, who-?" I started, but, judging by the massive grin on Pinkie's face, I didn't even bother finishing my question.
"Whatever. Bring the carne?" I asked. Grayson nodded, pointing to a bag on the kitchen island that had meat and other various vegetables in a special seasoning. "Shiny. Let's get to cookin'."
Me and Gray started up the grill and got to cooking, while the girls stayed inside to prepare desert. I took a drink from my soda, and sighed.
"So, what're ya gonna do?" Gray asked me, leaning against the wall.
"About what?" I asked, flipping a piece of meat.
"You know what about. About prom." He explained.
"What about it? I'm not going. Didn't go last year. Don't need to go this year." I said simply, taking another drink.
"So, what, you're gonna let the girls go while you just chill at home?" He asked with a scoff. I thought about it for a moment, until I nodded.
"Pretty much." I chuckled. "Besides, how do you know those six will be going, anyway?" I asked.
"Well, I'm taking Rainbow, as a friend, of course," He started, though my teeth clenched when he mentioned that. "Then I'm sure Twilight and AJ have dates. Dana, Rarity, Pinkie, and Shy are the only ones that don't, and I think they're just gonna go in their own little group. Though, I heard someone wants to ask Fluttershy." He said with a grin.
"Shut up." I mumbled, turning up the collar on my polo to hide the oncoming blush.
"Ah, come on, man! It'd be perfect!" He stated. I sighed and nodded in defeat.
"So, what, should I ask her now?" I inquired.
"Uh, no. You take her out first, duh." He scoffed. I furrowed my brow.
"What? So, what, you took Dash out when you asked her?" I asked. He shook his head and replied.
"No, man, I already said, me and her are only going as friends. This, though. This is different. And before you ask how, let me explain. You and Shy have been getting real close, anyway! Plus, you know you wanna take her, man. We can all tell, by the way you look at each other during breaks, how you're always around each other, and even the way you talk to each other. This is gonna be the real thing, man." He said with a smile. I quirked a brow, and sighed in defeat.
"Alright, fine. I'll ask her later..." I murmured.
"Ask her now, gorramit!" He urged. I huffed, and nodded.
"Fine." I snapped, and, wouldn't it be my luck, Fluttershy and the others all stepped outside.
"Is it almost ready?" Applejack asked. She took a quick sniff in the air, and smiled. "Smells great." She commented. I removed a tortilla from the grill, and handed her the plate with the others, along with another plate that had a layer of grilled vegetables.
"That it does." I replied simply, glancing over at Fluttershy, then Gray, who motioned his head towards the shy girl who took a seat at the patio chair. I retreated under my aviator sunglasses, and turned my attention elsewhere. Unfortunately, I didn't notice until the last minute that Gray had chugged his soda, and chucked the can at me.
"Wha- hey!" I barked, glaring at him. He motioned towards Fluttershy again, and I growled in annoyance. "...Fluttershy?" I said after a moment's hesitation.
"Oh, yes?" She asked, looking up at me with a small smile.
"I was wondering, erm..." I began, and I swear, girls must have some kind of sixth sense, because they all started to beam the second I started speaking again. "I was wondering if you'd let me take you out tomorrow, or, something..." I asked, ignoring the immense blush that painted itself on my face.
"...T-take me out?" Fluttershy replied meekly, and I saw that her face was beet red.
"Y-yeah, you know...The two of us?" I added, clearing my throat. Gray and the other girls just looked on with small smiles.
"...Okay." She squeaked, and I had to strain just to hear her.
"Alright! Drinks all 'round!" Gray exclaimed, going in to grab more sodas...At least, I hoped they were sodas. The other girls were all giggling and talking amongst each other, like the bunch of schoolgirls they were. Though, I did notice one thing. Dana wasn't anywhere to be found. I then got the feeling that this would all come back to bite me in the ass when it was all done.
And I was definitely right. Later that night, I had found out that Dana bailed, giving us an excuse somewhere along the lines of. 'I'm not feeling good. At all.' It's probably safe to assume that's all in half truth, but, when I found out, I wasn't too worried about that.
"This was a mistake." I told Gray, as we sat outside, only being lit by the shining moon.
"How so?" He asked, taking a drink of milk after chowing down on the brownies Pinkie had made.
"Because I'm in too deep. Far too deep." I sighed. He didn't reply, only stared at me with a strange expression. I quirked a brow, but then, grimaced. "Oh, god, not like that, you twit! I mean emotionally. With Fluttershy."
"Care to elaborate?" He then asked.
"Well, I mean...Now it's gonna be even harder." I mumbled in reply. A look of understanding passed over Grayson's face.
"Oh, I think I know what you mean now." He replied, nodding his head.
"I mean, it's all a matter of time. Each and every day, my chances of losing the girls grow, each minute could be my last. It's like I'm playing Russian Roulette." I rambled, shaking my head.
"I get it." Gray interjected.
"I mean, Christ! Now I've gone and asked Fluttershy out on a date! And I'm gonna be taking her to prom! For what? Just to go and lose her the next day? I mean, Celestia, at any time, can just waltz right in! 'Hey, Alex, time to go bye-bye!'"
"Alex."
"Seriously, Gray, it's only a matter of time, and now, it's gonna be 20 percent worse on me-"
"Alex!" Gray barked, standing up.
"...The hell's wrong with you?" I scoffed.
"It's not what's wrong with me, it's what's wrong with you!" He retorted. I raised a brow, completely taken aback. "You're always thinking about that, man! You're always thinking too far ahead, or living in the past! You're oblivious to what's right in front of you!"
"Yeah? And what's that, Gray?" I argued.
"Happiness." He stated calmly. "You have the chance to be with someone who likes you for exactly you. A kind spirit that wants to know you as well as you know her. And you're too worried about what might come ahead, instead of what is happening now. Jesus, Alex. Stop for two seconds and live a little. Live in the now, instead of trying to worry about the future, or your past." He finished, and it was quiet for a moment, until he shook his head and walked towards the door. "I'll see you tomorrow, man." He said, before heading inside to say goodbye to the girls. A few minutes later, I heard his car engine start, and the engine softly get further away.
I sat there for a while, all by myself, thinking about what Gray had just said. No, it was crazy to think that. Of course I can see the happiness. I don't think too much about other stuff, do I? I mean, sure...I spent a while grieving over my brother's death...Three years. And I mean, I suppose I didn't deal with it in too healthy of a way. And, yeah, I thought an awful lot about when the girls left...I hardly thought about them at all, actually. I only thought of how hard it'd effect me, and...
Damn... I was wrong. Gray was right. Maybe I should start thinking of my happiness. People like me better when I'm happy. The girls like me better when I'm happy.
I like me better when I'm happy. So that's what I'm gonna do, I told myself. I'm gonna enjoy what I have. I'll cross any bridges when I come to them, but for now, I'd enjoy the journey.
With that, I stood and sighed contently, going back inside to my friends. I bid them goodnight, and decided I'd head to bed. I had a big day coming up, after all.
( Wow. Whenever I have a hiatus, I have a hiatus.
Terribly sorry it took so long to update, but you know how me and my good ol' pal Writer's Block get along.
That is to say, not well at all.
Anyway, enjoy, and thanks for reading. To everyone who's supported me throughout this whole thing, I'd like to say thank you.
To anyone who has disliked this work or has trashed it, I'd still like to thank you for giving it a chance.
To those who have been nice enough to give me kind words, either of encouragement, or of how much you adore this story, I thank you for those kind words.
Every single one of you. Thank you.
Remember to check out my blog. Since it's Halloween, it's name is changed to alexspookhorn.tumblr.com but will be changed back to normal by tomorrow. Thanks, everyone. Have a good day. )