Lost in my thoughts as the day came to an end and busy with snaking my way through the crowd which poured out from the front entrance, I would have completely missed Pinkie if she hadn’t grabbed onto my shoulder. She stood at the bottom of the steps, waiting for me.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, mister, where do you think you’re going in such a hurry? We need to talk,” she asserted her nails digging into my shoulder.
“O-okay,” I muttered, feeling a bit awkward, having avoided her for a couple of days.
“The bench?” she asked to which I quickly nodded my head. It was the perfect place for a deep discussion, quiet and away from everyone else. I began to grow nervous as I took a seat, knowing the talk was going to be serious. She sat down closely beside me and stared sternly into my eyes. Her normally vibrant blue eyes seemed to be dulled with concern and worry.
“Look…” she began hesitantly as if unsure of exactly how to start, “I know you and Sunset sort of had a major falling out, but that doesn’t mean you can’t sit with us anymore. You know that, right?” I nodded my head softly in response.
“…Yeah, I know,” I grumbled, rather surprised by how angered the subject made me, “but I just feel like the only reason I was a ‘part’ of your group was to be with Sunset. Don’t get me wrong, the girls are great and all, but I feel like besides you and Sunset, the others were never really my friends. We never spent much time together or chatted, I was just there and so were they. I feel like I was never really accepted into the group. Sunset wasn’t really part of the group either there for a while, but now she is. I’d just be like a bystander or something.” It never ceased to amaze me how comfortable I had grown with speaking my mind about nearly everything with Pinkie. She was the perfect friend that everyone wished for but rarely ever had. I felt even more horrible than I had previously for abandoning her so suddenly after that new found realization. I was sure the answer was not the same for Pinkie, but I truly did consider her my best friend. She was always there to talk when I needed it the most and could easily cheer me up when I was feeling down.
“Yeah… I guess our group is pretty tight nit. Even if we are all about the magic of friendship, it seems like we have a hard time accepting others in. I promise we can try working on it for you though. Just come back, please! I miss you so, so, so much.”
“The others don’t though,” I grumbled as she pulled me into an embrace, one so tight that it literally squeezed the air from my lungs. She pulled away with a frown. It wasn’t her usual teasing pout though; it was completely real. I hated to see her that way, but she needed to realize the truth. “Like I said, the only reason I was ever over there was for Sunset… well, and for you too, I guess. They may have said we were friends, but I don’t think we ever actually were. They were just being nice.” It was as honest of a statement as I could make. The girls always made me feel welcome at their table, and even when spending time together out of school, but never did I actually feel accepted.
Pinkie sighed in defeat and her grip weakened as she looked away in silence. “…I guess you’re right,” she finally muttered, “but I’m your friend. Can’t you sit with us for me?” She looked into my eyes with hope, even though sadness still covered her face.
“No… but that doesn’t mean we’re just going to stop being friends, okay?” I assured her.
“Well, I knew that, but it’s not really what I’m worried about.”
I looked at her curiously as she gazed into my eyes once more. “You’ve been spending a lot of time with those sirens, even after all that they did. I just don’t get it. I know you’re mad about Sunset and stuff, but why go to them? You’re not the type of guy that’d want to get back at her.”
I sighed and shook my head. “I was just sort of looking for something new, like a new start, and they happened to be there. Yeah, I know they’re probably using me, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good company. Once you get to know them, they’re all actually pretty fun.”
“But aren’t you worried about what they can do? They can really screw with you, mess with your feelings and stuff.”
I huffed, growing defensive. “I really don’t think they’re as bad as everyone else does, especially now that they don’t have those amulets. Even if they still did, they’re just doing what comes naturally to them. They’re not really evil, they’re just sirens and that’s what they do to survive.”
“I… but… I mean… they don’t have to do that stuff, especially now that they’re in this world. They’re a lot more girl than they are siren.”
“Exactly,” I said, causing her shake her head in confusion, her curls bouncing about. I was more than happy to explain. “They basically are just girls now, and I’m hoping that’ll make them change. Shouldn’t we be supporting them like with Sunset?”
“I… um… I guess I can’t say that’s wrong, but I dunno if it’s right either. I don’t know enough about them…” she muttered softly, looking down, once again defeated. “I can’t really stop you, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still worried. Be careful for me, okay?”
“Sure,” I said with a nod and smiled softly. I was pulled into another quick hug, and was more than relieved to see her smiling back. “Wanna hang out tonight or something?”
“Uh… sorry, I-” A dark shadow was suddenly cast down upon us, causing my statement to come to a quick stop.
We both looked up to see Adagio, her hands resting on her hips, a vicious smirk on her lips, and fire in her glaring, red eyes. “He’s spending the evening with us.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, almost shamefully.
“Come on, we’re going,” she commanded, extending a hand to help me up. I stared a moment at the pink, fingerless glove which covered it, wondering if I was making the right decision. Whether or not I was, I had already made my choice, and grasped onto her hand. Her smirk widened even further as she pulled me to my feet.
“Uh, maybe we can do something tomorrow,” I said, turning to Pinkie as I was pulled away, Adagio’s hand grasped tightly around my own.
“O-okay,” she muttered, surprised by my sudden leave.
I felt eyes piercing into my very soul and a sudden sensation of shame overcoming me. I turned to Adagio who glared upon me as if I was a lesser being. “Now, I know you and Pinkie Pie were once good friends, but it’s a shame to think that after all she helped do to us, you could still call her one.”
“I... but…” I muttered, wanting to defend both myself and Pinkie, but unable to think of a credible statement. Pinkie had aided in crushing what little power the sirens had left in my world, but I felt as though it was for the better. Even if it seemed wrong to them at first, good would come from such a defeat. Of course, I was in no way courageous enough to say that directly to Adagio’s face, or even indirectly for that matter. I was sure she wouldn’t be too fond of such a thought.
“But what?” she snapped, her glare growing more fierce and her teeth gnashing together. “If you want to continue hanging out with us, you’re going to stop spending time with that curly haired, bouncy… freak because I don’t appreciate it! I’m sure the Aria and Sonata would feel the same. So, what’ll it be, an overly friendly and completely annoying bitch, or us?”
I had seen the sirens get angry, even enraged before, but it was a completely different feeling when said rage was directed towards me. I’ll admit that I can get quite sensitive at times, and this was one of those moments. I felt like crumbling to the ground and sobbing. It was odd, normally a girl I barely knew yelling out something like that most likely wouldn’t even phase me. There was so little a connection between us that it seemed as though I wouldn’t care what she said about me or others, but I did. I cared a whole lot more than I should have. I felt the need to correct my actions, even if those actions were only wrong in the minds of the sirens. I had to do it for them.
“…You,” I muttered, even though I knew it wasn’t truly what I wanted to say. At the same time, I didn’t want to abandon them either, and the way she put it, that’s exactly what would happen. I had only just began getting to know them, and I wasn’t going to give up so easily. I didn’t want the friendship I had with Pinkie to end either though. Although at that moment in time, I was much more focused on the sirens. I felt as though by doing what Adagio and the others thought was right, I would be rewarded. The reward was never big, but well worth the effort.
“Now that’s an answer I’m glad to hear,” Adagio said with a smirk. “You made the right choice,” she cooed, giving me a wink, her long, beautiful eyelashes shimmering in the sunlight. I couldn’t help but smile, my heart pounding at a wink which oddly seemed much more meaningful then it likely was.
It wasn’t long before we met up with the other girls. They stood at the edge of the lawn their shadows cast in the bright afternoon sun. Although I couldn’t yet hear what they were conversing about, I knew they were arguing as usual. Sonata’s arms flung about vigorously while Aria stood with her arms crossed, her foot tapping against the faded gray pavement and an angered frown upon her face.
“Oh, you’re here,” Sonata commented, completely forgetting about her argument as we approached. “Can we get a taxi or something? I don’t wanna walk.”
Adagio huffed. “Sonata, you know how poor we are.”
“Can we uh… convince the taxi guy to give us a free ride?” she sputtered out.
Aria rolled her eyes. “It’s not that easy.”
“Yeah it is! We used to do it all the time.”
“Aria’s right, nothing is going to be simple without those amulets. It’s going to take a lot more time to convince anyone to do what we want them to now,” Adagio mumbled in a tone of defeat, a tone rather rare for her.
“Ugh, alright,” Sonata said with a sigh, slumping forward in defeat.
As we made our way to the apartment, I began to question whether or not I was truly willing to dedicate myself to the sirens. I knew it was something which I would eventually end up doing if I wanted to gain their appreciation along with anything more. Yet, after I had been yelled at, I was beginning to feel rather uncomfortable in their presence, especially Adagio’s. I knew that Aria, and most likely, even Sonata would do the same if I managed to get on their bad side. Along with that, I felt as though doing what they wanted rather than what I wanted wasn’t really the best way to go about living, or how I wanted to. At the same time, I felt like it would be a weak move on my part. It was the decision I always ended up choosing, running or giving up rather than dedicating myself to a certain person or group. Things would get better if I was persistent and pushed on. Along with that, I knew there was something more to those girls. They weren’t only evil, and I had gotten a feel for what lay beyond it.