Second Date: Fancy, Sit-down Tacos
I couldn’t wait till next week. I had to ask her out again by Friday. The thought of her waiting a full week getting nothing but whatever food they had at the shelter grated on me. I didn’t know what they had to eat there, but if the school food was any indication of what the county provided, it would be flavorless and cheap.
Friday morning, getting ready for school. In one hand was my phone, in the other my wallet. I was going to have to economize for both our sakes, but right now I was willing to spend a little. I thumbed out a text: “Go out with me again tonight after school?”
Sonata didn’t have the same cell service as me, so I didn’t get the little “text pending” icon. I decided on the policy that a watched phone never vibrates and went back to getting dressed. I was paying more attention to my look the last few days. If she could manage to keep fresh with the same ponytail and outfit all the time, I could certainly do so with my wardrobe.
I heard the beep and grabbed the phone. “For realzies?!” was the reply. Glad she sounded happy, but I would have preferred an unambiguous yes. Oh, well, let’s be bold. “Yeah. We’ll hash out the details at lunch period.” I briefly considered replacing the word hash with an octothorpe, but in the first place Sonata might not get it, and in the second, it was the stupidest piece of humor ever.
Sleepwalking through another day of classes, I forewent my locker as usual to get my seat in the lunchroom. With a tray of what the menu called a Jamaican beef patty, but in fact was about as Jamaican as UB40, I waited for Sonata. But this time I heard her before I saw her.
“…don’t care, I’m going. Hey, Chip!”
She sat down next to me, and I caught the other two scowling. Didn’t even bother to hide it or look away when I noticed. Aria—I learned their names—said, “So are you eating, Sonata, or are we supposed to wait on you?”
“No, don’t wait on me. Go get your own food. I’m saving up my appetite for later!”
“Have anything you like off my plate.” She was openly at my table now, and there was a literal divide between where we were and where the other two sat. I’ll be honest; I didn’t like them, probably because they didn’t like me. But at the same time, if they were Sonata’s friends I didn’t want to pull her away from them. For all I knew, they were the only people she had.
“Don’t worry about them,” she said. “They’re just upset because we have to take a bunch of remedial classes.”
“Oh, wow. That sucks. Was Canterbury High in some state with poor education standards?”
“Canterlot. And no, we just never paid attention in class. Actually, I’m not sure that Canterlot High had any classes. Just extracurricular activities and lunch.”
I wasn’t sure if she was being serious. Was it some sort of progressive school for the arts, like in Fame? A private school? Maybe I was right and her family used to have money. That would be hard on her.
“So, yeah,” she continued, “we all did tests this week and they said we’re way behind everyone else in, like, everything. You would think we would be good at history, but they just want to know when the wars and battles happened, not what caused them.”
Yeah, one of those prog schools where they were all air-quote “holistic” about teaching, meaning that the classes were devoid of facts. Had to be.
“Well, I co—“
She was in the zone and wanted to continue to rant. “And English! We can all speak it. So what’s the big deal if we don’t know which words were invented by William Shakestein?”
“Shakespeare.” The correction was out of my mouth before I could stop myself. Well, she had corrected me on the name of her school.
“Oh, wow, you know him? You’re so smart, Chip.”
“I…not really. I’m not at the head of the class in anything. But at the same time…I could probably help you handle the remedial stuff. Get you caught up by the end of the year.”
“But that’s only a couple months away!”
“No, I meant the school year.”
She blushed. “You wouldn’t want to do that. I’m dumb anyway, and you’d get annoyed.”
“Hey! Don’t call yourself dumb.” She might be fishing for the compliment, but I’ll take that bait if it makes her feel better. “Well, it’s an open-ended offer. You can bring your books here and we can work on stuff. Not like we’re spending the whole time eating.”
“I’ll see.”
“Now, about tonight.”
Instantly she brightened. “Can we go back to the same place? Please please please!”
“I was hoping we could take it up a little. We can go to the Mesón Salsa. It’s a little further away, but it’s a nicer place, clean, private.”
“Aww, but I wanted tacos!”
“You can get tacos there. I made sure and looked up the menu online. I…want to give you a chance for something better than drive-through.”
“All right.” She still didn’t seem enthusiastic, but I was hoping this would be a try-it-you-might-like-it kind of thing. I got the feeling that Sonata wasn’t too happy with change in her life right now, and she had every right to be. A change for the better would help. I hoped.
She went back to sit with her two friends, explaining that if she was going to spend dinner time with me that she owed them some attention too. I was OK with that. From what I could overhear it seemed like she was giving them the details of our date.
The rest of the school day passed quickly—they don’t expect too much from you on Friday after two o’clock. Once again I waited by the bus lane, but this time Sonata came out alone.
“Hey. I missed you the last eighty minutes.” I still couldn’t get her to crack a smile. “Where are Aria and Adagio?”
“They ditched the last class.”
“Cut class?!” Again, I’m not the best in school, but I never just ditched. Too easy to get caught. “I hope you don’t do that. You don’t want to flunk. I don’t want you to flunk.”
“Thanks, but let’s not think about that right now. School’s over for the week.”
“Amen to that!”
So I mounted my Sonata—no! I mean I got in my Sonata—just as bad! I’m talking about the car! The car! I sat in the driver’s seat of my car, and took no prurient action. Just turned the key and started to pull out—of the parking space!—when I heard my radio click on. Oh, dang, I forgot. The car had an adapter for my mp3 player, and I’d left it plugged in. Even if the stereo’s off, it’ll turn on so long as something’s connected. Before I could thump the on/off switch, it managed to get out a singer’s “-tori jana-“ set to some soaring strings.
“Sorry,” I said. “I know you don’t like the music.”
She nodded.
At some point I was going to have to pull her out of her shell, and this seemed like a moment to try it. “Can I ask a dumb question?”
She nodded again.
“If you don’t like music, how come you have a patch of a heart with an eighth note on your jacket?”
Her eyes involuntarily went to the emblem I mentioned. She ran her fingers over it like she’d forgotten it was there. “It’s not a true note.” For the first time I’d heard, her voice had lost all its happiness. “Look at the stem. It’s all jagged and withered. This is a note that’s no good for anyone to hear.”
“I’m sorry. For whatever it is. If you don’t want to tell me, that’s OK. But if you do, whenever you do, I’ll be here to listen.”
Sonata smiled again, briefly and wanly. I’d touched a nerve, but some way I had to get through to her.
“Can I ask you a question?” she said.
“Of course.”
“What was that music? I only heard a bar, but I couldn’t make out the lyrics at all.”
It was my turn to blush. Well, I couldn’t ask her to give up her secrets if I wasn’t willing to share my own. “So back a couple of years ago I was big into anime. I was a regular otaku and one thing I liked was the OSTs. Then I got into J-pop and K-pop in general.”
“Mm-kay, I understood about half of those words.”
“Ha, ha. It’s Japanese. I’d say I have about half regular stuff that you might hear on the radio, and half Asian music,” I said, pointing at the mp3 player. “But you don’t want to hear about that.”
“You want to know why I don’t like music, don’t you?”
“Yes, but only if you’re ready to tell me.”
“I can’t.”
“That’s OK, when you think you can.”
Sonata looked annoyed at me for talking. She put her hands on the sides of her head and said, “No, I mean…I can’t make music. I can’t sing.”
“I see. I mean, I don’t understand entirely, but I can tell how, when you love something that much but you can’t do it, how it would grate on you.”
“And I used to love singing so much, but now…I haven’t sung in months.”
“I think I know a little about that. No privacy. I have a brother and sister at home, so I can’t even sing in the shower without being made fun of.”
“That’s not it. My voice…I can’t make it sound good.”
I decided to make a bold move. I slapped the on/off button again. If my ears were right, the song that had been playing was finishing a chorus and going into the bridge. I waited for the moment…
And in my most cacophonous falsetto, in broken pseudo-Japanese that couldn’t be understood by anyone, belting out all the power in my lungs, I sang along.
Sonata needed a second to comprehend what was going on, but then it happened. I broke her. She burst out laughing. I didn’t stop, but glanced over at her with a winking grin as I butchered the accidentals in the final chorus before coming up a good three steps flat on the final high note.
Not wanting to belabor the point I turned the stereo off before the shuffle could pick up the next song. She was shaking her head and still laughing, her eyes squinting in a way that made her look even cuter. When she found her breath she said, “Oh, my…you suck!”
“Of course I do. But that’s not going to stop me from singing the songs I love, even if it’s only here in the car. I mean, I can see why you wouldn’t want me to do it while you’re here, but—“
“No, I want you to do that again! You’re the only person I’ve heard worse than me.”
“Maybe on the way back.”
We finally reached the Mexican restaurant, and Sonata went back into her self-conscious shell. I remembered that this was higher end dining than she was accustomed to, and I wanted to make it as easy as possible for us. I took the lead and asked for a booth in the corner.
As the hostess led us, we passed another booth where two people in hoodies were sitting. I did a double take as I saw their orange and purple hair. Aria and Adagio had beaten us here; had Sonata told them to get some protection? Or maybe their opinion on whether I was up to snuff.
Of course, it was also possible that they came without her knowledge and that she, like I, decided not to call them out on it. We passed right by them, so there was no way she couldn’t notice.
Remembering my Encyclopedia Brown, I let Sonata sit against the wall to see and be seen, which put my back to the hooded pair. I decided to ignore them as best I could. Sonata looked over the menu and breathed in sharply. “This is in Spanish! I can’t read Spanish!”
“Yes, but ‘tacos’ is a Spanish word. Here, it’s right here.” I pointed at her menu after I found it my own. “Unless you want to try something else.”
“Nope! Thanks a lot. You’re a big help. I…I don’t know how to say this, but I…I know I make a lot of stupid mistakes, and yet I’m happier to make them if you can correct me.”
I still had my hand near her menu. Hers was on the table, so I pulled mine down on top of it. She breathed in again, but in a different way from when she couldn’t understand the menu. The waitress, with the impeccable timing of her profession, came over to break up the moment and take our drink orders.
The meal came quickly, as it doesn’t take long to make Mexican food. It half made me wish that Sonata had a penchant for barbecue instead so that we could talk and look into each other’s eyes while our brisket slow cooked over several hours. As it was, she dove into her tacos and crunched away while I took my time with my fajitas. By the time she’d finished and downed her soda—both of us too young to drink—I still had a few tortillas left and of course too little of the filling.
“Come on, finish up,” Sonata said.
“Are you that keen to get away from me?”
“Oh. No, I just want to get into the car again so I can hear you sing.”
“Well, at least let me finish my drink so I can moisten my throat if I have to give a command performance.”
We laughed, and this time it was she who put her hand on mine. I ate a little faster.
Waiting for the check, I saw the first uncaused change in her personality. Sonata could be a little cold, or she could be happy, but now I saw her worried. “Look,” she said, “I haven’t told you everything about me. I’m not an ordinary high school girl. I—“
“It’s all right. I know.”
“You do?!”
“Yes.” From behind me I heard a glass hit the table fairly hard.
“And you can still want to date me, knowing?”
“Hey. Listen to me. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that.”
Sonata seemed taken aback. “I guess I’ve never been ashamed per se, but since I’ve come around here there are a lot of people who wouldn’t be happy. I don’t want people to know. If this is what I’ve got to be, I just want to be normal.”
“And I can help you with that. I definitely promise not to tell anyone. Do you want to tell me how you got this way?”
“It just all came in a blast. We were doing well, and then they fired….We just collapsed”
“They’re all bastards.” I was trying to be sympathetic.
“I know, and everyone loves them.”
I wasn’t sure about that, but whatever. “Just try not to get depressed. You’ve got people who care for you, including me, and someday you’ll get out and make a better life for yourself.”
“Wait, what are you talking about?”
“About you being homeless. Why, what were you talking about?”
“About me being a siren!”
Before I could get out my “Huh?” I heard the glass hit the table again, and then our booth for two was occupied by four. Adagio bumped me to the side while Aria got next to Sonata. They flipped down their hoodies.
“Hey!” said Sonata. “You guys came here too? What a coincidence!”
Again I wasn’t sure whether to believe her. We had walked right past them, but maybe she was so used to seeing orange and purple hair that they didn’t stand out for her like they did for me. And if she was lying, she was the best actress ever. In any case, I was still stuck on her being a siren and what that meant.
Adagio acted like I wasn’t even part of the conversation. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m on a date!”
“I mean telling him about us.”
“But he said he knew I was a siren. Or, former siren, I guess.”
I tried to get a handle on things without raising my voice enough to cause a scene. Fortunately, from all anyone could tell, two tables had just combined. Adagio slapped her forehead. “He had no clue until you blurted it out.”
“I’m sorry. Can someone explain the whole siren thing?”
Sonata turned her focus from Adagio to me like she could only focus on one of us at a time. “So basically we would sing and make people do what we wanted, and we had these magic jewels that let us feed on the negative energy we would get from making people fight."
Aria joined in the eye-rolling and face slapping. “Aaaand, now he thinks you’re crazy and a liar. Come on Sonata, we’ll take you home. Sorry, um, whatever your name is—“
“Chip.”
“Don’t care. Probably best that you just forget about this. Just a silly girl who told you a story you don’t believe.”
“Excuse me.” I shouldered aside Adagio to stop being so cramped. “I never said that I didn’t believe her.”
That finally got them to pay attention to me. “You believe her?”
“Well, let’s start with this. You’re her friends. Are you calling her a liar?”
“We’re not,” said Adagio, “but we know her and were sirens too. Now you’ve got me saying it! Forget it! You two are made for each other. The ditz and the gullible fool. Come on, Aria.” They shuffled out of the restaurant and left me with Sonata.
“So, you really believe me?” she said.
“I don’t fully understand what I’m being asked to believe. But I’m definitely not disbelieving. Let’s talk about it.” I signaled for the check.
“Later. Right now I want you to take me home. In your car.”
“Yeah?”
Sonata swung around to my side of the booth and put her arm around me. “I want to sing with you.”
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I hope this story doesn't end like the last one.
5159105 Which one was that, please? I'd like to read other Sonata stories and make sure I'm not ripping them off.
5159107 A Bedazzling Job Offer by Cetuximab
It was a fic my buddy sent me to its's more of a clop fic but the end is what I hated on it. What happened in the last chapter wasn't his fault.
I have wanted to read a Sonata romance fic since watching RR, thank you for writing this, I am so happy right now! This story is uber kawaii so far. Sonata is best siren!!
This story...it's doin' things to me
Whatever it is...I love it
Well this is interesting, I wonder why Adaigo wanted to go to a school that would have Griffins in it.
You had my curiosity but now you have my attention.
I'm dying!!!!
About the chapter: this chapter was absolutely wonderful, there was this air built up by the first chapter that made this scene a bit less cheesy than it should. However, I'm not calling this story cheesy. The story has the right idea, but not enough description on scenes, leaving me to fish settings and people from previous stories and personal memories. I feel like there should be more done to this. This story still pulls off a 7.5/10 good job sir
Like and favs +1
5159275
I'm going to call that a feature and not a bug. It's an advantage of writing fanfic for a targeted audience. I want you to picture your own restaurants, your own school, your own view of Chip; while still understanding the stories.
"The ditz and the gullible fool" yes, yes and yes.
5159119
True. He did write that story before the movie was released.
Maybe the magic of friendship, good magic, will bring out the true magic of music in Sonata, thanks to Chip? After all, people can change, and nothing is lost forever.
The only time I've seen kids in class was in the comics and on Twilight's "Strange New world" montage.
Yay! Adorable chapter!
Good chapter, I personally like that even with vague descriptions of sensory you allow me to pull my own take on where they are. I am curious as to how Aria and Adagio are going to react if/when Chip and Sonata's relationship deepens. Great story so far keep up the good job.
I really started to like Sonata the same way i started with Fluttershy, and because of Fluttershy i watched it the first time. I hope you don´t make the story to short or at least allow the story a sequel, i would like that.
Defiantly a better ch., but, I still think it could have been better paced and excicuted
also, just wondering: since it was a concert, think there's a video of it on the internet? recorded either by a phone, or, if it was approved by Principal Celestia, recorded for highlights for graduation?
This is mad good; you've got a great balance of comedy, tension and 'd'awww'. Keep it up!
5160391 For the purposes of the story, everyone was too in awe of both bands to think of it. Suffice it to say that the only records of anything happening at CHS are the kind of subtle evidence that only a geek like Twilight could figure out.
5160454 darn.
5160342 Could you be more specific? What did I pace too fast (or slow?)? What did I execute poorly? I like negative criticism when I can get it.
5159273 Seconded.
5160458 good for you. And I wish I could give a clear answer, it's a matter of practice I guess. Although, if I had to pinpoint as best as I could, I'd say you should have added some more dioluge between Sonata and Chip a bit more before the siren reveal. But now that's done, so you'll just have to practice more. My best advice, read some stories that people say are well paced. I can't link the on my phone, but look for the stories in my favorites called Seven Minutes In Heaven and the Long Road to Friendship to get some ideas
D'aww
This is nice. Kinda cute, kinda sad, all good.
Though if Chip reacts to their names that way, wonder how he'd react to "Twilight Sparkle", "Pinkie Pie" etc.
Well at least you admit it, but still...
mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw3646-6da.gif
Also, FINALLY, a fic where someone takes Sonata for some REAL Mexican food, instead of that cheap knockoff crap from places like Taco Bell THAT DOESN'T DESERVE TO BE CALLED FOOD, LET ALONE MEXICAN FOOD!
Now, if you'll excuse me, I want quesadillas now...
5160584
...I don't even know how to put this...
Whatever, I agree.
You definitely have my attention.
Moar plz
5160584 I third the motion!!!!
You had my curiosity. Now you have my attention
Very well written!
Looking forward to the next chapter
5165298 I agree
Oh, this is sent to favorites.
*Looks at my favorites*
I have waaaaay too many romances in my favorites.
5173369 no such thing
Also, this story is incredible and I will continue biting my nails waiting for the next chapter <3
Here's a joke I've been dying to try out for a long time:
"I'm majoring in English."
"Why? Are you moving to England?"
I don't know why my idiot brain didn't track this before, I'm so sold!
Was almost expecting some kind of hands-on confrontation from Adagio and Aria the moment they reached Chip and Sonata
You know... I let the first Sonata joke go without a comment because when you mentioned the car i said to my self. "it's gonna be a sonata, i know it." I would've done the same thing.
But this!
You just couldn't help yourself YOU SICK BASTARD!! I love it!! Keep going
The last line was ADORABLE.
Case closed.
Spanish Taco
References, All around
Canterbury [tales]
Fame musical
Shakespeare
Encyclopedia Brown
This fanfic is rated E for Everyone, NO SEX JOKES, OR SWEARING SHOULD BE ALOUD!!!
5205021 You're right. I will change it to Teen.
She missed the opportunity to use an interrobang.
Unless her phone doesn't support the character, but in this day and age, there's no excuse not to. It's like a media player not supporting .ogg.
Woah. That’s... deep. And depressing. Poor girl. And good on Chip for making her feel better!