//------------------------------// // The Blank Page // Story: A Night Gone Awry // by TheOriginalDash //------------------------------// I didn't wait too long. "Scratch, I don't know why I did what I did last night. I'm not going to try to excuse it, because it was my actions that caused this mess. I can say, though, that you've been there by my side for ages, and that means a lot to me." She reached across and took my hand in both of hers, rubbing circles on it with her small thumbs. We both found comfort in the simple gesture. "All of that just makes this harder for me, because even though I haven't had Noteworthy around for that long, I don't want to break his heart. But I don't want to hurt you, either. I love you both, just in different ways. Or so I thought anyway. Last night kinda disproves that theory, doesn't it?" I smiled a little at her weak attempt at ironic humor. My heart was breaking, seeing my best friend like this. She seemed to enjoy the small comfort hidden in my familiar crooked grin, a slight upturn briefly gracing the corners of her mouth. "Look, Octy, I'm not asking you for anything more than our friendship. I could never force you to choose. Do what your heart tells you." She smiled sadly, dropping her head and shaking it slightly as a humorless chuckle escaped her mouth. She placed my hand back into my own lap before patting it lightly, and standing up to pace the no longer so welcoming room. I had practically grown up in this room from sixth grade onward, but right now it felt as unfriendly as a doctor's office. Octy paused when she reached the pictures hanging on the wall. I watched nervously as she plucked one from the wall. It was the one from our spring band trip last year to Canterlot. We were standing in front of the tulips planted in the royal gardens; she agreed to it because I really love those flowers, even though her allergies practically murdered her later. She's always been so kind to me, the only one of our friends to ever truly return all of the kindness I've shown her. She's taken care of me like a little sister since the day we met, always standing up for me against the cruelty of other kids. It was kinda funny sometimes, watching her defend someone who was nearly a half foot taller than her. She only did it because she knew I wouldn't do it for myself; I preferred to avoid conflict whenever possible, which usually led to my submission to bullies and low self esteem the few times she wasn't there to protect me. Replacing the picture on the wall, Octy glanced at the photos containing Note for a second, before sighing as if she had reached a decision. She slotted her hands into place on her hips, the very image of frustration. "I can't believe I'm even considering this. Ordinarily I wouldn't, but it's you. You at least deserve a shot. So, I'm going to draw up a list of pros and cons for both of you, and I'll decide from there. It's too hard otherwise." I stared at her, mouth hanging slightly open. She smiled a little at the expression on my face, and then grabbed a couple sheets of notebook paper and set to work. I couldn't believe this was happening. I still gaped at her as she put on her purple framed reading glasses and picked up a pencil. The situation didn't really hit home until her pencil hit the paper. This was unfolding like a scene from a movie, as if there were someone dictating our actions and controlling the outcome. But this was even better, because it was real. I don't know the exact amount of time Octy took to finish the lists, but it was long enough for the sun to move just enough to shine directly into my eyes where I was sprawled on the floor. It bothered me only slightly as I dozed. What really woke me up was Octy throwing a pillow onto my face and ruffling my hair in that affectionate way she has. I stretched out for a few seconds, making weird little baby cat-dinosaur noises that made Octy giggle. Sufficiently stretched, I hopped up to lay on the bed next to Octy, folding my hands together on my stomach and staring up at the ceiling. Suddenly, scribble-covered paper blocked my view of the lovely white plaster. I held it a few inches above my face in an aura of blue magic, and waited for my still sleepy eyes to focus. It was Note's list. The left side of the paper was covered in pros, and the various notations that pertained to each. Octy was just as thorough and methodical as ever, despite her confusion and stress. As I glanced at the right column, there were few downsides. The most prominent was underlined and circled several times. It read, 'Not dating Scratch. Potential awkwardness in friendship,' in Octy's neat handwriting. What was that supposed to tell me? Before I could answer that question, a second sheet was placed in my hands. This was my list. I squinched my eyes shut, not quite ready for what she had written about me. I felt a reassuring hand rest on my shoulder, and Octy rubbed her thumb back and forth across the joint. Gathering bravery from her touch, I forced my eyes open. She had written almost nothing on it. There were the start of several sentences on the left side that were scribbled out. There were no cons save homophobia. I was almost disappointed until I saw the top of the paper. My full name was written at the top, and underlined just once. It caught my attention, because Note's didn't look like that. I looked to Octy for explanation. She smiled lightly, giving nothing away. "Octy, why is the paper mostly blank? Could you just not think of anything positive?" I was a little hurt by her apparent lack of good thoughts about me. I'm not that mean to her, am I? "Scratchy, do you see the scribbled out bits?" I nodded my head, still confused and mildly upset. " I kept trying to write good things, but none of it came out right. It never seemed good enough to describe what you are, and what you mean to me. I couldn't put you into words, because no amount of words could even aspire to capture what you've done and continue to do for me. That's why I just wrote your name. You are the good things about dating you. Just you, because you're perfect, and loyal, and beautiful, and smart, and funny, and..." I covered her mouth with a hand to prevent her from finishing the thought, because I was on the verge of tears. No one has ever said anything like that to me and actually meant every word. Nobody, not once, not even my own parents, had ever been that kind to me. I slung my arms around her shoulders and hugged her as tightly as I could without hurting her. She started to speak again, but I shook my head and shushed her. No matter what her decision would be, she had just proven she deserved to be my best friend. "Scratchy, I love you. But I can't date you. Sorry." Silence fell like an atom bomb over the room. I take it back, her decision does matter. I've fallen in love with her now. I stiffened a little, and Octy noticed. She pulled back to look me in the eyes, and she smiled. It was a brighter smile than she had ever shown me before. If anything, this shattered my already hurting heart. She took my hands and held them, trying to comfort me, I suppose. Before I could pull away, Octy began to speak. "I can't date you because that might mean we would break up, silly. And I couldn't handle that. But, I will promise to stay with you until the end of time. Until death do we part and all that good stuff." My eyes widened as I realized what she was getting at. Was she... Nah, couldn't be. But my curiousity got the better of me. "Octy, what are you trying to say? Were you hinting at a wedding, perhaps?" She smiled mischievously. "Depends on what your response is. Would you, Vincenza Maria Sachetti, agree to be saddled with me for the rest of your life?" I was giddy with excitement. "Well, we did always say our kids were going to grow up together... Octavia Legata Philharmonica, you have yourself a deal." I grinned at her, and instead of hugging her, I shook her hand firmly. She giggled at my actions. "So, since we're already in bed, and nobody else is awake, why don't we get started on making some kids to play together?" I winced as Octy slapped my shoulder particularly painfully. "Hey, I didn't know you liked it rough. When'd you get into that?" This was met by another slap, this one across the side of my head. "Scratch, even if it were biologically possible, I'm not having kids with you right now. That can wait for a long time from now. No sex before marriage. And I am not into that sort of kinky stuff. Wherever would you get such an idea?" I just smiled and laughed. She sighed and leaned into me. I curled my arm around her waist. "So no sex, huh? Not even a little? Come on, please? It's not like we can get each other pregnant. No harm, no foul?" She punched me lightly in the chest. "No, Scratch, none. That hasn't changed, even if we are dating now. I'm wearing a white dress at our wedding." I laughed at the thought of that. It all seemed so far away. " So, I can wear any color I want, just not white? Maybe I'll wear red, like the color of the blood from the first time..." Octy sat up and looked at me, horrified. "Why would you say something like that? That's disgusting!" Once again, she punched me, this time in the arm. I winced a little. "Calm down. I was kidding. I know, it was an awful joke. It was meant to be. I'll be wearing white, too. It's not like I can convince you to give in." She still looked perturbed by my macabre sense of humor. Finally though, she laid back down in my arms. I stroked her silky hair softly, and we talked about little things for a long time. Just as she began relaxing, an urgent question presented itself to me. "Hey, how're we gonna tell Note?" She shook her head slowly, realizing the problem we still had. " I don't know, but we'll figure it out somehow. I don't think he would go so far as to hate us and cause trouble, but he'll be a bit hurt. Honestly, though, I think he was losing interest anyway. We haven't gone on a date in awhile, and he hardly spends more time with me than he has to." I had noticed that, too. There was one time I purposely flirted with Octy right in front of him, and instead of getting mad, he just shrugged and walked away, leaving Mollie and I confused. Well, and Octy punched me for doing that. We decided to lay there for another hour and talk, as it was still before nine, and her parents wouldn't expect us to be up until at least ten. Eventually, though, we got up and got dressed for the day ahead, and when the clock struck ten, we left the room to go on a morning walk down through the neighborhood.