I sat there, doing absolutely nothing productive despite having homework that needed to get done. I read the message on the TV screen one more time, although I was already familiar with what it said. “No signal. Please make sure there are no obstructions blocking your satellite’s signal such as tree limbs, clouds, or any such object.”
I had already checked outside to see that there were a few clouds forming in the distance, but nothing major. I shrugged it off as terrible connection and looked at the clock for what must have been the twentieth time. Although it only read six o’clock, it felt much later. I let out a sigh and got to my feet, deciding that I might as well start getting ready for the game.
I walked back into my bedroom and flipped on the light. What I saw was nothing more than a simple bedroom set: a bed, a small dresser, and a small TV that stood on a nightstand. It wasn’t much, but it was mine and I liked spending time there so that no one bothered me.
I pulled open my dresser drawers and pulled out a white t-shirt, a red and gray plaid button-up shirt, and a pair of blue jeans along with a set of boxer-shorts. I took my outfit, brought them into the bathroom, and set them down onto the counter beside my sink. I sometimes worried they would get wet if I left them there, but, seeing as nobody would be using the sink while I was in there, I got over it.
I closed the door and locked it behind me out of simple habit. Some people would say that I took too many showers and that I was a clean-freak. I argued that, if it was such a big deal to them, I could stop taking showers and walk around smelling like a dirty gym sock that had been dipped in cat pee. They stopped pestering me soon enough.
I turned on the water and stepped inside after I had prepared a towel. I liked to take long showers. It gave me time to think and relax before I started my day or, in this case, before I left for somewhere even semi-important.
I thought about who was going to be there or, at least, who I knew would be there. I knew Rarity was going, but only because I would be there. Pinkie Pie and Applejack are going to be there, Pinkie to help sell cupcakes, but I didn’t know the reason for Applejack’s attendance. I assumed that Rainbow Dash was going to get a look at the football team to see how good they were, but since I had already told her they weren’t that great, I was no longer sure she would be there.
I recalled Rarity saying that she was only going because I was, which still confused me. I already knew I was one of her only friends at that school, but why would she want me to be there so badly? Perhaps I was over-thinking the whole thing. It must be uncomfortable being the new kid at school, so going with someone you know might help ease the tension.
Pinkie Pie was going to help me sell cupcakes, well, it was more-so the other way around, since I wasn’t even going before she asked. If I wasn’t mistaken, she and I were the only ones who volunteered to help. Not only that, but Chef couldn’t be there either because she had a meeting to go to that took place during the game, so it was only going to be Pinkie and I selling cupcakes that night.
Applejack was our ride to the game, but I had no idea what her reason was for wanting to go to the game. Maybe she was only going to make some new friends like Rarity. She knew Pinkie Pie; maybe Pinkie had convinced her to help us sell some cupcakes, though that wasn’t very likely since they hadn’t known each other for very long.
I knew Rainbow Dash was going to check out the football team... In a non-sexual way, of course... Maybe. Anyway, I knew she wanted to see how well the team played. For what reason, I had no idea. Perhaps she wanted to join the team as a kicker or something like that. I knew of one girl at my school who was a kicker for the football team, but I didn’t know her name.
I stepped out of the shower and dried myself off before putting on my clothes that I had laid out on the counter. I felt a wet-spot on my t-shirt just above my left thigh. I let out a sigh and began to apply the blue toothpaste to my brush.
After I had finished, I reached into my closet to get my deodorant. When I replaced it, I noticed my small bottle of cologne that I hadn’t used in a year. I briefly thought it over and decided to use a bit, but just that one time. I grabbed the thing and sprayed a single mist across my chest.
I’d forgotten how it smelled. It was sweet, but at the same time, it was strong and sophisticated. I began to miss using it solely for smelling it throughout my day. Nobody had ever said anything about it or noticed it, for that matter. I had decided not to waste it if nobody even cared if I used it or not. No one’s said anything since then.
I replaced it on the shelf beside my deodorant. ‘Maybe I should start using it again,’ I closed the door and opened the one that led to my hallway. As I walked back into my room, I noticed the clock that sat beside my bed. It was only a few minutes before six-thirty, when I assumed Applejack would be here since the game began at seven o’clock.
I quickly slid my feet into a pair of socks and then into my shoes before grabbing my wallet. I slid it into my back pocket as I made my way back into the living room. Opening the front door so I could see outside, I noticed a car pull into my driveway. It was red and slightly run down. It looked like some kind of sports car, but I was no good with cars, so I didn’t know what kind of car it was.
I watched it pull all the way in front of my screen door, where I was able to see into the driver’s window. My thoughts were confirmed when I noticed Applejack reach for her door handle. I quickly flipped off the light and opened the screen door. I shut and locked the door behind me before making my way down the stairs.
By then, Applejack had opened her car door and was watching me descend the staircase. I looked towards her and waved as I quickly walked around the car to the passenger side. Opening the door and sitting myself inside, I said, “Thanks, again, for taking me,” before shutting the door behind me.
She shut her own door and said, “Don’t mention it,” She then shifted into reverse and backed up in a way that she could easily pull out of the driveway. The inside of her car was neat. Much more so than I would have thought from looking at the car from the outside. The seats were black and leather, while everything else matched in color and style. “So, you live pretty far out here, huh?” she said as she got onto the road that lead to my house.
“Yeah, I just wish we didn’t have to live on these dirt roads. They’re so bad,” The roads got really rough after it rained, so, at that moment, they couldn’t have been very good.
“Yeah, I hear ya’,” She seemed to be a good driver. She had both hands on the wheel and holding a conversation wasn’t her top priority. I had to respect someone who gave driving the attention that it deserved. After all, the driver is the only thing keeping the passengers from death.
“So, you haven’t gotten Pinkie yet?”
“Nah,” she said, easing back into her seat a bit. “I figured it would be easier to pick you up first, much quicker that way.”
I slumped in my seat. It was a little strange that she hadn’t gotten Pinkie by then. I wondered how long it would take before we got to her house as we pulled into a driveway.
“This should be it. I’ll be back,” Applejack said as she pressed the button on her seat belt, pulled the handle and pushed on her door. I watched her as she stepped up onto the front porch and tapped the door with her knuckles.
The door opened and a man stood inside. He had a narrow face along with a tall, slender body. He wore a yellow-orange shirt with an apron covering the front of his body. I watched his orange hair bob as he nodded to something Applejack had said.
He held up a finger, said something else, and walked back inside. Applejack simply stood there and looked around, as did I. There wasn’t very much to see. The yard was nicely kempt with short green grass and a few small decorations scattered around the area near the house. A sign stuck out of the ground near the front porch: Sugar Cube Corner. I wasn’t sure what it meant or why it was there, but I didn’t have long to think about it. I saw Pinkie walk out of the door with a huge grin across her face.
I opened my door and got out. Applejack’s car, being a small sports car, only had two doors. I pulled the lever on my seat and it quickly leaned towards the dash, leaving room for a person to crawl in behind.
I turned back around and was immediately greeted by Pinkie. “Hi, Sky! This is gonna be so awesome!” She then crawled into the back seat of the car before I had a chance to tell her that she could sit up front.
I let out a small chuckle as I leaned the seat back and returned to my spot. “Do you think we’ll make it before the game starts?” I asked after seeing what time the clock read.
“Yeah,” Applejack said as she turned the key in the ignition and started the car. “We’ll get there in time!”
She pulled out of the driveway and I got a chance to see where we were. Strangely enough, we weren’t very far from my own home. I had a split-second to wonder why Pinkie didn’t ride the bus before my thoughts were interrupted. “Are the football games any fun, Sky?” Pinkie asked from in between Applejack and me.
I made an attempt at a shrug. “It depends. Sometimes we play well and everyone is happy, but if we don’t then everybody mopes around until it’s over.”
“Is the team very good?” Applejack asked as we pulled out onto the main road.
“Not really,” I said plainly. “They like to think they are, but football is our worst sport,” Each of the school’s teams had at least one award, except football. They were probably the worst in the league. I know it’s bad to say that sort of thing about my own team, but every word is true.
“I’m sure we’ll do great today!” Pinkie said, rather optimistically. She seemed to be so cheerful.
The rest of the ride was mostly full of me telling Pinkie and Applejack about our sports teams. Well, I told them what little I knew about them. We soon pulled up at the stadium with about five minutes to spare.
We all got out of the car and made our way into the stadium. Pinkie and I were able to get in for free, as we were helping Chef with sales. Although I told Applejack that she could just say that she was with us, she said that that would be dishonest and paid her admission fee anyway.
It was a bit more crowded inside than I thought it would be. Pinkie said that we were playing a rival team, so I figured that made sense. Pinkie and I told Applejack that we had to get some things from the Culinary Arts room and asked if she wanted to join us, but she politely declined.
As I began to make my way towards the gate that led to the back of the school where the room was, I noticed that Pinkie was still talking to Applejack about something. I decided to stop and wait for her, since I didn’t want to just leave her.
I watched as Pinkie turned back towards me and waved back to Applejack, who made her way through the crowd of people and into the stands. Pinkie caught up with me and we began to make our way towards the room.
She was a bit more quiet than I remembered her being in the car ride, so I decided to speak up. “So what do we have to get from the room?”
She put her finger up to her chin in thought. “Umm... I think it’s just the table and the cupcakes. But there are a lot of cupcakes!”
I sighed. “Then we’ll have to make more than one trip,” We continued on in silence, which I normally wouldn’t have minded, but it was a bit strange that Pinkie wasn’t talking. “So what’s up?”
She turned to me with a blank expression on her face. “Hmm?”
“You seem kind of... far away,” I began to wonder what she and Applejack had talked about. Before, she was just fine, but after they spoke, she became distant.
“Oh,” She turned back ahead and smiled. “It’s nothing. I’m just a little nervous is all.”
I turned to her and raised an eyebrow as we approached the door to the room. “About selling cupcakes?” It was a little strange for her to be nervous over something she, obviously, cared so much about.
“Not exactly,” Pinkie said as she reached under the mat for the spare key Chef kept underneath it. Yes, it was a cheap method of hiding a key, but Chef didn’t trust anyone with her set of keys and there was too much equipment inside to leave the door unlocked.
She inserted the key into the lock and twisted. The door groaned, but opened with a quick jerk. Inside, the room was almost black. There were no windows and the lights were on the other side of the room, where the doors to the hallway were located.
We walked inside and the door shut behind us. I couldn’t see an inch in front of my face. I sighed and reached into my pocket to pull out my phone only to realize that I had forgotten it at home. ‘Today is, seriously, not my day,” I thought as I put my hands out in front of me and began feeling around for something to grab onto. “Pinkie, can you pull out your phone or something? I forgot mine,” I heard rustling in front of me as a response.
I continued to feel around, trying desperately to find something, anything to hold onto. I wasn’t very comfortable in the dark. I wasn’t afraid of it, not by any means, but I still didn’t like the idea of not seeing anything. Suddenly, I felt something come into contact with my left hand. Almost instinctively, I reached for it with my other hand. It wasn’t until I had both hands on it that I could actually feel what it was. I felt two round things that took up most of the area of my hands and a squeeze revealed that they were actually quite squishy, yet firm at the same time. I was confused for a second, but then felt them rise and fall a single time. ‘Oh, please no,’ I thought as I opened my mouth. “Pinkie?”
I light appeared in my face as I was able to see her face in front of mine. She held her phone in her right hand and her eyes were closed, almost tight enough to make me think she was in pain. Her teeth were clenching as I looked down to see my hands holding her breasts. “Gah!” I quickly withdrew my hands and looked back at her face to see her open an eye just enough to see me. “Pinkie! I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to...,” My voice trailed off as I lost my train of thought.
She remained silent. Not that I blamed her. “I’ll j-just go get the table!” I quickly walked around her and was immediately covered in darkness again. This time, however, her phone was bright enough so that I was able to partially see my way towards the light switch. I hesitantly reached for the switch and flicked it on, flooding the room with light.
I turned around to see Pinkie standing a few feet away from me, her arms folded across her chest as she faced down towards the rough, tiled floor. I began to make my way towards the storage room door, where the table awaited me. Opening the door, I saw little more than the blackness that had previously filled the Culinary Arts room. I flicked on the lights and found the rectangular, white table standing against one of the walls and immediately grabbed for it, placing it under my arm. It wasn’t very heavy, but, having little in the way of grip, I was forced to use both hands to hold the thing.
I walked back out into the main room and shut the door behind me after fumbling with the light switch. Pinkie was still standing where I left her. “Um... Why d-don’t you grab a couple of stools? We can come back for the cupcakes. Heh, don’t wanna leave those down there all alone, huh?”
She looked up at me and made an attempt at a smile, almost as if to say, “Okay,” I watched as she stacked one stool on top of another before I made my way towards the door that lead back outside. After having made it out of Pinkie’s view, I stood the table against a wall and did the same with myself. ‘This is not how I saw my first time going,’ I thought to myself as I leaned against the wall. I had never had any kind of sexual experience before. I had never even kissed a girl before. A lot of people saw this as a little pathetic, as I was a junior in high school, but it didn’t bother me as much as one would think. I had been kissed before, but only on the cheek and it was in fourth grade. I soon learned that the girl was just being “easy” and wanted the same thing I did: a partner.
I slowly beat the back of my head into the wall for a few seconds before Pinkie emerged from the doorway holding a few stools. I noticed that she had about three or four in her arms, but did little in the way of asking for clarity. I grabbed the table, tucked it under my arm, and walked with Pinkie back towards the stadium.
It was silent for a minute or so. I simply ran scenarios in my mind of how much worse she could have reacted, which brought back the thought of she and Applejack talking before we left. Could it have been that Pinkie planned it? What if she was planning on trying something, but didn’t know how and ended up doing this? ‘That’s ridiculous!’ I thought as I physically shook my head. ‘What kind of person would do that?’
I turned my head towards Pinkie, who was then looking straight-forward with little emotion evident. “Hey, Pinkie?”
She turned her head towards me. “Hmm?”
“Sorry about... you know... back there,” The words were barely able to fumble out of my mouth.
She smiled much more cheerfully than she had before. “It’s alright, Sky! Accidents are accidents! But, um... let’s not mention this again, ‘kay?”
I smiled back at her with a bit of unease. “No problem.”
We arrived back at the front of the stadium and set up the small stand for the cupcakes to sit on. I was just finishing up with positioning the table (Chef claimed that having the table at a certain angle attracted more customers) when I felt a sudden clasp on my shoulder. I spun around to see a pair of magenta eyes staring back at me. “Hey, Sky! Whatcha up to?”
I smiled and took a step back. Personal space was something that I valued. Not that she was annoying or intruding, but it was more of a reflex than anything. I also wasn’t a fan of touching other people or them touching me. I wasn’t a germaphobe, not by any means, but there was just something about physical contact that set off an alarm in my head, as if something bad were going to happen at any moment. “Hey, Rainbow. We’re just setting up this stand so we can sell some cupcakes for Culinary Arts.”
I turned back around to see Pinkie, who was still occupied with setting up the stools because she had helped me with the table. “Pinkie!” She turned to face us. “This is Rainbow Dash. She’s in my Gym class.”
Pinkie smiled bigger than I had seen her smile for what seemed like ages. “Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! Sky and I are selling cupcakes! Are you helping us?” A little straight-forward, but an introduction is an introduction.
Rainbow inhaled through her teeth as she examined the display before her. “I guess I could. Do you guys need any help?” She turned back towards me with a raised eyebrow.
She almost looked as if she wanted me to say, “No,” but I wasn’t letting her off the hook that easily. After all, she still owed me for making me play against Jingle earlier. “Actually, there are still a lot of cupcakes that we need to get from the room. You could help us carry them back down here, if you wanted to help.” I raised an eyebrow back at her, daring her to turn me down.
She smiled. “Alright. I guess I could help you guys with that. I mean, it’s not like I’m here with anyone else,” I mentally thanked her for agreeing to help, mostly because it would have been awkward going back up there with just Pinkie.
After setting the stools, (I didn’t know how Pinkie knew that we would need more than two) we headed back towards the room. Pinkie did most of the talking on the way there. It was mostly about how she just “knew” that we were going to win the game because her knee was feeling funny.
We grabbed the boxes full of cupcakes, which were divided up to about three per person, and locked up the room, as we wouldn’t have been back for about three or four hours. There were about two dozen cupcakes in each box, but I wasn’t even sure there were that many people in the stadium! It wasn’t a very big stadium, which suited our school’s size, but we normally sold out despite the amount of people who attended.
Having arrived back at the table, we set up shop and took our seats, awaiting our first customer of the night. The game wasn’t set to start for about fifteen more minutes, but for some reason, the game was scheduled to start at seven o’clock. Our busiest times were just before kick-off and half-time, which made sense.
I watched the gates in front of us, waiting for someone to head towards our table. To my surprise, I saw none other than Henry walk through the gateway and make his way towards our stand. As a “friendly” greeting, we always poked fun at each other. “You here to buy something or just to scare customers, Henry?”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pinkie practically burst from her seat and rush around the table shouting, “Henry!” while reaching towards him. She had been sorting cupcakes when he first approached, so she must not have noticed him until I said something. I simply watched on as Pinkie squeezed him in a tight hug. I found myself unable to look away. How could she be so close to Henry? It was like they were...
“Hey, Pinkie! I told you I’d be here!” He returned the hug and embraced her tightly.
‘So they are...,’ I thought as I watched on in what felt like horror. I couldn’t help but watch on until I felt a sudden jab at my side. I reached for it in pain before glaring at Rainbow, who smirked back at me with an accusing expression across her face. I turned back towards the couple, who were then practically cuddling with each other. “Someone’s jealous!” Rainbow whispered just low enough to keep them from hearing, not that they would’ve anyway.
I turned back to her in shock. “No I’m not. I’m just... surprised. She hasn’t even been here that long and she’s already with someone. And Henry, at that!” I didn’t like the thought of Pinkie dating Henry. I knew he was going to hurt her. That’s how all of his other relationships go: he gets sick of the girl then dumps her after he gets what he wants. That sounds harsh, but, more times than not, all he wanted was a girlfriend to avoid feeling lonely. He never put it in those words, but that’s what I got out of what he would tell me.
Rainbow simply smirked again and turned back towards the pair of “lovers,” who were then completely distracted by each other. I had only a few seconds to think before I was interrupted by a familiar voice. “Sky?” I turned towards the voice, almost in shock, to see that Rarity was looking at me with a bit of concern in her eyes.
“Oh, uh, hi, Rarity,” I barely blurted out before I turned back towards where I had last seen the couple, who had apparently run off somewhere. A quick look around the stadium turned up empty.
“Are you alright, Darling?” Rarity said as she straightened herself. I realized that she must have leaned closer in towards me to amplify her voice. “I called to you a number of times before you said a word.”
“Yeah! Yeah, I’m fine,” Just then, a sudden thought popped into my mind. “Oh!” I turned towards Rainbow. “Rainbow, this is Rarity. She rides my bus,” I turned towards Rarity. “Rarity, Rainbow Dash. She’s in my Gym class,” I motioned towards each of them as I introduced them.
They smiled and made their own little introductions. “So, Sky,” Rarity said after turning back in my direction. “What’s all this about?” She motioned towards the table with a free hand. The other held a small, purple purse, which looped around her shoulder.
I looked down at the table full of pastries. “Oh, this is something I’m doing for Culinary Arts. Pinkie and I were selling cupcakes, but,” I nodded back towards the crowd, which had, by then, thinned out. “Pinkie kind of ran off. So Rainbow’s helping me instead.”
“Yeah,” Rainbow added for effect. “Sky talked me into it.”
“I see. Well then,” Rarity began as she took a seat to my left, putting me in between the two of them. “I suppose I could help as well. After all, I wasn’t planning on watching the, so called, game!”
Rainbow eyed her. “So, then why did you come?”
Rarity tilted her head towards Rainbow, who simply raised her eyebrow in response. “To make friends, of course!”
I turned back towards the crowd as they continued talking, which sounded, to me, more like bickering, though it was clear they weren’t really arguing. The crowd was beginning to dissipate, as the kick-off time was nearing, which meant sales would stop, at least for a few minutes. “Um, I’ve gotta go to the bathroom. Could you guys take over for a bit?”
They both nodded. “Of course,” Rarity said.
“Yeah, no problem!” Rainbow said just before I walked away towards the bathrooms after having thanked them.
There was a small area under the bleachers that served as a small “commons” area. The snack bar was there, along with the bathrooms, which I had no intent on using. The amount of people in this area was still small, but it was significantly larger than the amount near the gate. I assumed that it would be easier to find Pinkie with the help of the mass of hot pink hair that sat atop her head.
After a couple of minutes of searching, I came up empty. I was going back around for a final search of the place when I ran into Applejack. “Hey there, Sky! Whatcha doin’ down here? Ain’t you and Pinkie Pie supposed to be sellin’ cupcakes?”
I glanced around her, hardly even acknowledging her presence. “Pinkie kind of wandered off, so I’m trying to find her.”
“Alright, but maybe you should slow down a bit. You seem awful... irritated,” She cast me a worried glance as she adjusted the drink she had in her hand. I hadn’t even noticed it before.
“Yeah, I guess I am,” I was finally able to see the couple off in the distance, nearly at the end of the stadium. I tried to make my way around Applejack, but was quickly cut off.
“Now, Sugarcube, what’s got you actin’ funny?” She wasn’t any taller than I was, but she stood firm on the ground. She seemed completely confident that she would be able to stop me from moving, if I chose to try.
For a reason I wasn’t able to explain, I felt the need to tell her what was happening. It was as if I could just tell her and she would make everything better. I held out an arm towards Pinkie and Henry, which forced Applejack to turn around in their direction. “That,” I said simply.
She turned back around to face me. “Pinkie’s got a boyfriend? There ain’t no reason to be upset of that, Sugarcube. You should be happy for her!”
“I know that, but I also know the guy she’s with and he’s not good for her!” I threw my arm back towards the couple, who were still oblivious to what was going on around them. “I’m just trying to help her!”
“How d’you know he’s not gonna treat her right?” She raised her eyebrow at me.
“Because I’ve known him since sixth grade and he tells me every detail of his life, including the girls he’s been with!”
“So, he’s your friend?”
I sighed and let my vision drop to the ground as I shook my head. “No, not exactly,” I admitted. “But he’s only in it for himself!” My eyes rose to meet Applejack’s, which, as I had only then noticed, were a deep shade of green.
“Look, Sky,” She laid her free hand across my shoulder, to which I didn’t even flinch. “You gotta let Pinkie make her own mistakes. She ain’t gonna learn if you’re always trying to ‘save’ her from trouble,” Her eyes softened and, in return, eased the tension that I knew was showing in mine.
“But what if she gets hurt?” I asked as if I was trying to prove my point to her, which I hardly believed in anymore, myself.
“Then she’ll know to be a little more careful when she meets new people. It’s like a little kid playin’ with fire: if he never gets burned, he’ll never know it’s bad,” She lowered her hand from my shoulder and hinted at a smile as she watched my expression shift.
I smiled back at her. “Yeah, you’re right. But,” Her expression firmed up a bit in response to my sudden outburst. “can you do me a favor?”
Her head tilted as if she was saying, “What?”
“Will you just keep an eye on her for me?” Her face shifted towards the ground, but her eyes stayed focused on mine as I watched a smirk creep across her lips. “Just so I know he doesn’t pull anything.”
She let out a chuckle and replied, “Alright, Sky. I’ll watch her as long as you promise not to worry ‘bout her,” She placed her hand in the space before her.
I smiled and grabbed her hand in my own, noticing it was firm, yet comfortable. It assured me that I could trust that she would keep an eye out for Pinkie, just as she promised. “Deal.”
I waved a goodbye in her direction and began making my way back towards the table, where I found that Rainbow Dash had, apparently, wandered off into the stands. “Where’s Rainbow?” I asked Rarity after having made myself known.
“I believe she mentioned something along the lines of, ‘checking out the team,’ before she rushed into the bleachers,” she said before handing a cupcake to one of a couple of people standing in front of the table and thanking them for their business afterwards.
I took my seat on the stool that sat next to Rarity’s. We sat there a moment in practical silence, our minds having been occupied on, nearly, the same subject. “I don’t mean to intrude, but who was the girl you were speaking to just now?”
I felt my head dart towards her as my eyes widened far more than they should ever have. “Oh, she’s, uh... just a, uh, friend... of mine,” I mentally kicked myself for stumbling around on something as simple as the truth.
“I see,” Rarity said. “She looked like a nice person. Would you mind introducing us sometime?” She turned to me and lifted on one end of her mouth, thanking me in advance.
I smiled back before noticing that her smile was not as happy or thankful as I had thought. Her brow was, almost unnoticeably, furrowed. “Sure,” I said, despite seeing through her rouse.
The rest of the game passed with little in the way of events. A few touchdowns were scored, almost none of which by our own team, and the end of the game drew nearer and nearer. Rainbow had returned just after half-time, which she apologized for by saying that she just had to see how the team was playing and that I was right when I told her that they weren’t any good.
The game continued on until there were only seconds left on the clock, at which point our team forfeit, seeing that there was no way they could have possibly scored three touchdowns in twenty-nine seconds. In my opinion, that’s still quitting and it’s still worse than having lost to the other team.
The bleachers began to empty, so we began to pack up our things and make a few last-minute sales. Rarity, clearly having been the best salesperson out of the three of us, was finishing up a sale of her own when Pinkie Pie, accompanied by Applejack, found their way towards us.
“Sky!” Pinkie called to me, although she was only a few feet away from me at the time. “I’m so sorry I left you all alone! I was with Henry and we had so much fun and I lost track of time! Please don’t be mad!” Her eyes widened and her lips puckered as she stared intently at me.
I couldn’t help but smile. “It’s fine, really. Rainbow and Rarity helped me, so I wasn’t alone,” I made introductions after we had all circled into a small group and when Rarity finished her sale. “Okay, now that that’s done, would you all mind helping bring this stuff back to the school? It’d be a lot faster than doing it all alone,” I said to no one in particular, but everyone agreed to help anyway.
We had just finished grabbing all the stools and boxes (empty and cupcake-filled, alike) when I felt a drop on my hand. My eyes looked up towards the sky in the distance and I saw a streak of lightning before hearing the booming thunder only moments behind.
“Uh... Maybe we should hurry and get this stuff inside,” Applejack said after a moment of stunned silence. No one objected, so we made our way towards the back of the school, at which point the rain fell with sudden intensity, pelting us and everything we held.
After a few minutes of shouting and fidgeting under the black sky, the five of us made it inside the door after I had fumbled around with the single key. We dropped our items in any spot they would fit and took a moment to catch our breath. Afterwards, Applejack peeked out the door, only to slam it shut as a crack of thunder made itself known to us.
“Jeez,” Rainbow said over the rain that beat against the ceiling. “Why’s it so dark in here?” I tensed up and could nearly feel Pinkie do the same. I only eased when she had taken out her phone to see with.
I pointed when I knew she could see me. “The light switch is over there,” I said as I watched her spin around in the direction I had shown her.
The lights flicked on and I noticed that everyone was soaked beyond what I had thought. Pinkie’s dress was weighted with water and was dripping on the floor, forming a small puddle. Applejack was soaked to the bone, almost shivering in her wet outfit. Rarity’s white dress made little effort to fend off water, as it had become almost see-through. Although Rainbow wore a light jacket over her shirt, it was open in the front, as it had been a slightly warmer-than-usual night, and allowed the front of her shirt to become drenched. I looked down at myself and saw that my arms had instinctively wrapped themselves across my body, which was covered in wet cloth.
“Well, this is wonderful,” Rarity said, dryly. “I’m soaking wet and there’s a storm outside!”
“Um, Rarity?” Applejack spoke up. “We’re all soaking wet.”
“What now?” I said, mostly to keep things from getting any worse. “Do you guys want to try to make a run for it?” My answer was a resounding “no.”
“Why don’t we just stay in here until the rain stops?” Pinkie suggested. “I don’t think Chef will mind, especially since it’s storming. Plus, we almost sold out!”
I wasn’t sure what that last part had to do with anything, but I agreed with the first part. “Yeah, she probably won’t mind,” I said, referring to Chef.
“What about our clothes?” Rainbow mentioned before crossing her arms over her chest to fend off the cold.
I looked around the white room and found little in the way of help. “Uh,” I began before turning back towards the girls, “There isn’t much to help with that. Sorry,”
“Wonderful,” Rarity said through a pout. “What are we supposed to do now? I am not going back out there!”
“It might be warmer in the theater,” I mentioned. There was a small theater (simply called the “Little Theater”) that was behind the stage in the cafeteria. I didn’t know when it was built, but I supposed it may have been made to make the school look more professional when they held performances.
“What makes you say that?” Pinkie said, almost as if the cold didn’t bother her in the slightest.
I shrugged. “It never gets used, so the school never turns on the air conditioner in there. It’s always a little warm whenever they hold a meeting there,” Meetings are generally a rare occurrence, but, on the slim chance one is held, everybody always complains about how hot it was. It was most likely because of the large amount of people in an area meant to hold no more than a hundred people, but nobody ever seemed to do anything about it.
“What about the cameras?” Applejack pointed out. “Won’t we get in trouble if they see us?”
Looking back, it reminds me of planning a robbery. Watching out for cameras and sneaking into the room where the good stuff is, in this case, warmth. “We don’t have any,” I replied, “Never did. I think there are a few in the front of the school, but no where else.”
“Why not?” Rainbow questioned.
“I really don’t know. The kids here really aren’t that bad, so, I guess, the school decided not to waste any money on them. Just another way to try and save money, I guess,” I did know that the school had a tight budget. In fact, I’ve never used a textbook that was less than a few years old, at the minimum.
“Then let’s go!” Pinkie shouted, practically bouncing out the door towards the hallway.
As we walked out the door, I made sure to place the wooden door-stopper in place between the door and its frame. The door locked from the inside and only locked the outside handle, and, seeing that that was our only way back out, I confirmed the stopper’s position before catching up with the girls.