• Published 16th Mar 2016
  • 10,580 Views, 338 Comments

Vinyl and Octavia: Girl Friends - New Canterlot



Octavia is approached by a very strange girl, and together, they begin their long journey of love and discovery.

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The Friend of a Friend

Having now officially entered fall, the trees around town were beginning to shed their leaves and the usual warmth of the day was becoming brisk. Many students at Canterlot High were taking advantage of the temperate weather by enjoying lunch outside. The environment would be perfect for outside activities if the brown and red leaves didn’t leave an inconvenient mess, but this didn’t stop Bon Bon from insisting they eat lunch out on the courtyard. All fours girls sat in a small circle on the grass with an assortment of prepackaged items from the lunchroom and vending machines that didn’t require a tray to carry. In the center was a small portable speaker playing something called ‘internet radio’, a concept Octavia was very new to and rather intrigued by. Both Vinyl and Lyra seemed to understand this particular function of modern technology well enough, but it still amazed the small cellist at how many things she wasn’t aware of.

All in all, Octavia was enjoying their lunch outside. It felt somewhat nice to be out in the open without having to speak over the usual crowd of students cluttering the cafeteria. The air was fresh, the leaves dancing down to the ground looked pretty, and for the first time in what felt like ages, she wasn’t stressing about anything. Her mother was gone and had not returned once in over a month, and although her home was now quiet and extremely dull, at least she felt safe like she always did with her friends. These days, Octavia was smiling and talking more, but it did take a few weeks for her to bounce back from the ordeal. Thanks to help from her friends, she had stepped one foot out of her introverted bubble, cautiously venturing into a healthy state of social interaction only made possible by constant support, Vinyl’s especially. Since that fateful day, Vinyl was always there next to her every second possible to be a friend. She had made it clear on multiple occasions that if Octavia ever needed a shoulder to lean on, hers would be there. She didn’t say it very eloquently, but Octavia understood.

With a smile, Octavia stole a glance at Vinyl as she fiddled with her phone. Now that the weather was cooler, she had on her electric blue jacket that Octavia nearly forgot existed. It was something so incredibly ‘Vinyl’ that Octavia wondered if anyone else in the entire world owned such a thing. Her big violet-blue glasses covering her eyes and her newly purchased headset around her neck gave her an aura of unique mysticism, and each time she combed her hair out of her face with her fingers, Octavia felt the urge to do it for her. She wasn’t sure if this urge was a feeling born from a basic compulsion or something more, but if Vinyl could do it to her, it made sense that she could reciprocate.

“What about this one?” Vinyl asked as an upbeat dance beat began play.

“Love it.” Lyra said blankly as ripped a shred of jerky between her teeth. While still sporting her usual ripped black jeans and t-shirt, she also had on a light grey jean jacket. After all this time, Octavia was beginning to understand what her sense of style was like. It was the sense of style that her mother described as ‘the devil’s uniform’, a comparison Octavia knew to be completely misguided. Although Lyra’s name suggested a different kind of individual, she liked to play the part of what Vinyl described as ‘punk’.

“Hate it.” Bon Bon added while sipping a carton of milk. Having forgone the usual colorful skirts, Bon Bon was now wearing tight bright blue pants and a candy print blouse. It occurred to Octavia that pants might be a good idea. The weather was changing, and it was rather annoying to feel the occasional cold draft up her long pleated skirt. Unlike her friends, Octavia hadn’t changed her usual school attire. This was more out of availability than choice since nearly all of her clothes were exactly the same like a mass of copied files in her closet.

“Ok.” Vinyl tapped her phone, and another new song began, a more current mainstream tune that any typical radio would feature. “How about now?”

“Sure.” Lyra nodded and began to chew vigorously. Bon Bon gave her own nod as well as an apathetic shrug.

Vinyl turned to Octavia with raised eyebrows. “You good with this?”

“Um, yes.” Octavia gave a slight nod. The music coming from the speaker was not something she recognized, but after nearly five minutes of bouncing to and from songs, she didn’t really care anymore.

“Great.” Vinyl sighed and leaned back on her hands. “Yo, Lyra. Hit me up with some of that.”

“No way, dude. Get your own.” Lyra responded by tucking her bag of jerky under arm.

“Ok, fine. Whatever. I’ll just have some of your chips.” Vinyl reached out with one hand and snatched up Lyra’s defenseless bag of chips before tilting the bag into the air, dumping the rest of the contents into her mouth. A few chips danced around her mouth and landed on the blanket as she crunched loudly.

“Whoa, what the heck, V?!” Lyra gasped angrily as she lunged for the empty bag.

With a victorious smile, Vinyl crunched loudly and shot up a thumbs-up. “Good stuff, girl.” She giggled. “What is that, sour cream and onion?”

“What do you think?” Lyra rhetorically asked as she tossed the empty bag at her face and rolled her eyes. “And what the heck happened to your own food?”

Octavia’s once amused smile now turned to a guilty frown. She exchanged a knowing glance with Vinyl before looking back down at the peanut butter and jelly sandwich in her hands. Everyone else had remembered to grab a couple things from the cafeteria before lunch except for her, and Vinyl was gracious enough to give her nearly all of her lunch, a matter that Octavia didn’t have much say in. Being Vinyl’s ‘bestie’ meant that being offered food wasn’t really an offer, or anything else for that matter.

“I was being nice and shared.” Vinyl said. “Unlike somebody here.”

“Ah-ha…yeah, funny.” Lyra rolled her eyes hard and tossed a piece of jerky at her. “Here. Eat it.”

“Sweet.” Vinyl giggle and snatched up the large piece, quickly biting down into it.

“You want some celery sticks?” Bon Bon asked, holding out a small plastic baggie.

“Nah, I’m good.” Vinyl slowly shook her head and stuck her tongue out in disgust at the vegetables. “You…can keep your rabbit food.”

“It’s not rabbit food.” Bon Bon sighed. “It’s fibrous and a healthy part of a balanced diet.”

“Fibrous?” Lyra asked. “Like as in fiber?”

“Isn’t that the stuff that makes you go poop?” Vinyl added.

W-What??? Octavia nearly spat on her last bite as she choked mid-swallow. A thick pocket of peanut butter lodged itself in her esophagus, and she began coughing.

“Oh, crap, Tavi!” Vinyl immediately scooted next to her and began thumping her on the back. “That’s my bad. I’m sorry.” Despite the somewhat dire situation, she began to giggle. “Heh. Poop…” She muttered towards Lyra while methodically pounding her fist down on Octavia’s spine

Lyra began to giggle back and nodded. “Poop. That’s funny.”

“You two… stop saying that word right now, please.” Bon Bon sighed heavily and palmed her face. “Some of us are trying to eat.” She got up and sat down next to Octavia with a napkin in her hand just incase she might need to spit something out. “I had a feeling that once of these days, one of you would say something so dumb that it might kill poor Octavia here.”

Please don’t kill me… Octavia coughed up the peanut butter and swallowed as hard as she could before gasping loudly. Her face was a bit pink from the lack of oxygen, but after a couple of deep breaths, she felt much better. “It’s…” She cleared her throat and brushed some hair back behind her ears. “…alright. I’m alright…”

“See?” Vinyl shrugged and threw an arm around her shoulder. “She’s fine. No biggie.” She turned her head towards Octavia and leaned closer, taking her glasses off to give her a more thorough once over. “You are ok, right? I’m…totally sorry if I almost killed you.”

“I am.” Octavia turned to face her with a nod, very happy to be greeted by those pretty and energetic scarlet eyes. A bit of pink returned to her cheeks for an entirely different reason. “Thank you…”

“Can we trying talking about something else now?” Bon Bon asked adamantly while rubbing her palm against Octavia’s back. “I would like to be able to finish my lunch.”

“Yeah, yeah...” Vinyl nodded and lowered her arm. “Again, my bad.”

Lyra crossed her arms and shook her head at Vinyl. “Uh, yeah, you’re bad. Who the heck says THAT during lunch?”

“Lyra…just stop.” Bon Bon pointed at finger at her and shook her head. “You’re not helping, and you know you’re not helping.”

Completely ignoring those words, Lyra giggled and gave Vinyl a little smirk. “Fiber. Nature’s speed dial.” She muttered quietly.

“Right?” Vinyl giggled back. “Not as bad as caffeine though.”

“Sooooo!” Bon Bon loudly injected. “Octavia, you’ve been awfully quiet.”

“I have?” Octavia asked, putting down the remnants of her sandwich.

“You sure have.” Bon Bon nodded. “Tell us how things have been going for you.”

“Um, as well as usual…I suppose.” Octavia glanced back and forth between her friends and smiled. “I’m…doing well.” She said, giving the same answer she always gave every time she had been asked since the big change in her life. “I…haven’t had any trouble recently.”

“That’s good to hear.” Bon Bon patted her on the knee and smiled back.

“Mhm…” Octavia took another small bite of her sandwich and looked down at her crossed legs. “Thank you for asking.” A sudden yet short breeze swished by, and Octavia closed her legs and pushed her skirt down around her thighs to fight back a shiver.

“You cold?” Vinyl asked, already unzipping her jacket.

“No, I’m alright.” Octavia quickly shook her head. “Really, it’s quite alright. You don’t have to do that.”

“It’s fine, babe. Whatevs.” Vinyl pulled her jacket over her head and slung it over Octavia’s shoulders. “Here.”

Octavia sighed softly as her blush returned. The warmth of the coat still retaining much of Vinyl’s body heat felt very nice, and there was a hint of her scent in the fabric. “Vinyl, um…” She held up the rest of the sandwich to her in an attempt to return the kindness. “…Please have the rest.”

Vinyl licked her lips but hesitated. “You sure? I mean, it’s yours. If you’re hungry, you can have it.”

“N-No, I’m full. Thank you though.” Octavia pushed the sandwich up to her face with a smile. “Please, Vinyl. I…insist.”

“Oh, damn, girl!” Vinyl gasped with a comical grin. “Putting the foot down on this one, huh?” Vinyl giggled hard and leaned forward while taking a bite into the crust without using her hands. “You know sthomthing? You’re kinda cuthe when you get liketh thath.”

“So…are you guys ever gonna make it official, or what?” Lyra asked, shaking her head as if annoyed.

Vinyl swallowed hard and scowled. “How about I make my finger in your ear official.” She said, jabbing a finger into Lyra’s chest.

“You better watch your finger, V. I’ll bite that thing right off.” Lyra grumbled back, grabbing Vinyl’s finger with both hands and pulling it up to her mouth. Vinyl trying pulling her hand back, but she had a pretty firm grip.

“Don’t even with me right now. Seriously, don’t even-” Vinyl yelped loudly and screamed. “OW! Lyra you piece a- OWWW!!” Vinyl jabbed her hard in the ribs and flicked her on the ear. She pulled her hand back and wiped her wet finger off on her jeans. “Dude, Gross! Now I got your weirdo spit on my hand. Am I gonna need a check-up now? I don’t need whatever disease you have that makes you super ugly.” The empty chip bag was now on the other side of the blanket, but this didn’t stop her from reaching all the way across the blanket to toss it at Lyra’s face.

“Ah-hahaha…haha.” Came a sarcastic fake laugh. Lyra crossed her eyes and stuck her tongue out while flaring her nostrils. In an overtly mocking voice, she said, “I don’t need blah blah blah weird disease. I’m Vinyl. I’m a dork. I like Octavia. I once ate a cricket in first grade. Uh-doi!”

“S-Shut up!” Vinyl growled and threw one of her shoes at Lyra halfheartedly, making sure not too throw very hard. The shoe harmlessly smacked Lyra’s elbow and landed beside her on the picnic blanket. “You got a big mouth, Ly… Go eat a brick. And no, I didn’t eat a cricket in first grade, you jerk.”

Lyra giggled manically as she rolled back and forth on top of the blanket. She apparently found Vinyl’s reaction hilarious, and it clearly showed by how she gripped her sides. Bon Bon blinked slowly with a painful amount of agitation on her face as she whispered into Octavia’s ear. “I cannot believe these two are actually friends.” She paused and seemed to be deep in though before adding, “I cannot believe I’M actually friends with them.”

This made Octavia giggle as well as she snuggled deeper into Vinyl’s jacket. There was a time where Lyra’s offhanded remarks were embarrassing, but after months of putting up with it, Octavia was surprised to find herself quite used to it. In fact…she rather liked it. It was one more thing that made Octavia feel closer to Vinyl than anyone else in her life. What was more surprising, however, was Vinyl’s continuous defensive behavior as if those particular remarks held an actual bit of truth to them that she was not ready to admit to. It was strange. Vinyl seemed like the last girl in the world to take something personally. Octavia could only speculate, but there was still a grander mystery to Vinyl that she did not understand. As a whole, she wondered if anyone actually knew the real Vinyl. As Octavia looked up at her pale white face and into her intense crimson eyes, she took mental note of her flushed cheeks and her lower lip pinched between her teeth. She’s…genuinely upset. Octavia realized. Maybe…she doesn’t like talking about me… A somber frown tugged at the corners of Octavia’s mouth, but as another cool breeze whisked by, Vinyl’s warm jacket around her shoulders felt a bit comforting.

“Are you done?” Vinyl asked with noticeable agitation. “You sound like a dying parrot.”

“Yeah, sure, V.” Lyra sat back up and belched out one last giggle before tossing her shoe back. “Take your weird shoe. It stinks.”

“You stink.” Vinyl grumbled as she wrestled her shoe back on her foot without bothering with the laces. “And you’re not invited to this kick-ass party this weekend.”

“What?” Lyra sounded genuinely aghast. “Aw, come on… Like, a real party?”

“You’re not coming. Suck it.” Vinyl smirked.

“What’s this about a party?” Bon Bon asked. “Is it somebody’s birthday?”

“Yeah, my buddy’s birthday is coming up.” Vinyl informed. “He’s having like a…dance music thing or whatever.”

“Who your buddy?” Lyra asked. “You said ‘he’, right? So it’s a guy?”

“Yeah, Lyra… A guy.” Vinyl groaned. “…What, am I too weird to have guy friends?”

“You're too weird to have any friends.” Lyra snickered. “I think only the three of us hang out with you, so yeah. You’re pretty weird.”

“Oh, like you have tons of friends, Lyra. I could say the same about you.” Vinyl narrowed her eyes at Lyra and gritted her teeth.

“Nuh-nuh-nuh!” Lyra stuck her tongue out while contorting her jaw into a large overbite. “Whatever.”

“Will you two…please…for the love of PETE, knock it off?” Bon Bon sighed loudly. “You’re both weird, ok? Got it?”

Octavia was listening with intensive interest now. She knew Vinyl had many friends, most of whom not currently in present company, but her having a male friends was definitely news. Vinyl never hung out with any members of the opposite sex, or at least that she was aware of, but then again, neither did she. Still, for someone as outgoing and socially knowledgeable as Vinyl, it made sense that she had some male friends. And yet… Octavia found herself asking her heart. …why does this bother me so much? There was a distinctive tinge of jealousy that stung her ears coupled by a slight hint of anger. As ridiculous as it sounded in her head, she couldn’t deny how petty her feelings were. If it was another girl, she didn’t particularly care. But…a boy?

“So, what’s his name?” Bon Bon asked as she began picking up some of the lingering trash around them.

“Neon Lights.” Vinyl said. “The guy’s pretty bomb. He makes his own dance tunes and has a sick setup at home.”

“So he makes music on a computer? Like you?” Bon Bon asked. “Oh, wonderful. Another loud bass thumper.”

“Whatever, Bonny.” Vinyl huffed. “What, do you have something against that kinda stuff?”

“No, I don’t, BUT…” Bon Bon put a finger into the air to emphasize. “I don’t appreciate hearing loud electronic music two blocks away on the weekend when I’m trying to sleep.”

“You gotta learn to live, girl.” Vinyl giggled.

“Isn’t he the DJ dude who ran all the music for the middle school dances?” Lyra asked. “I think I had a class with that guy. Weird…like you.” She pointed at Vinyl. “Always had on big sunglasses and never took off his headphones in class.”

“Like you even pay attention in math.” Vinyl spat. “Every time I turn my head you’re playing games on your phone or passed out on your desk.”

“It’s the perks of sitting in the back, V.” Lyra giggled with a shrug. “You know you jelly.”

S-So…” Octavia’s voice cracked a bit as she heard herself speak. “I…suppose then…you’ve been to his house before?”

“Huh?” Vinyl turned to face her as if she forgot she was there. “What? Oh, yeah. I’ve seen his place. We sometimes make tunes together, so I’ve hung out with him before. He’s a pretty chill guy.”

“How come we’ve never met him?” Bon Bon asked, this particular question being something Octavia was painfully curious about.

“I dunno. He has his own friends too, I guess. I mean, I don’t really know him like, that much or anything. We sorta live kinda close to each other, but…I dunno. We had the same friends back in middle school, but since then we just…stopped hanging out. I haven’t even seen those guys in, like, forever.” Vinyl said with a shrug before flicking her sunglasses back over her eyes. Vinyl smirked a bit as a pinkish tint spread across her cheeks. “But he did ask me this one time-” She stopped short on her words and gave an apathetic shrug. “Uh, nah. It’s whatever.”

“Ask you…what?” Lyra asked.

“Nothing.” Vinyl shook her head and sighed. “It’s…whatever. Like I said.”

“No, what did he ask you?” Lyra pressed. “Did he wanna go on a…date or something?” Lyra gasped and smacked her forehead with her palm. “Oh, snap! You two dated!”

“No, dude! Chill!” Vinyl was sounding defensive again. “Don’t just say stuff out loud like you know things, stupid.”

“Okayyyy.” Lyra leaned back on her heels as if being pushed. “Got it. You guys kissed. So, I am still not on the invite list?”

“Hellllll no! And we SOOO did not kiss.” Vinyl shouted defiantly, before a sly grin crossed her face. “Besides, you can forget about coming anyway… unless you bring the drinks.”

“Aw, sweet!” Lyra clapped her hands together and leaned forward with excitement. “It’s that kinda party, huh?”

“Oh…nooooo…” Bon Bon groaned as she palmed her face before pointing a finger at both Vinyl and Lyra. “You two are NOT going to a party with alcohol.”

“Relaaaaax, Bonny.” Vinyl assured her as she pushed Lyra back with a foot. “I’m only kidding. It’s just a birthday party with music and dancing and…whatever.”

“Oh, music and dancing and…whatever?” Bon Bon turned to her with a suspiciously raised eyebrow. “So there’s gonna be ‘whatever’ there?” She asked while making air quotations.

Octavia’s ears began to mute the conversation as her mind wandered farther and farther away from the present and into her thoughts. She began to go over the facts as she understood them, doing her best to keep things objective. First off, Vinyl has other friends that she doesn’t know about. This wasn’t surprising, but she did feel a little betrayed despite knowing full well how selfish such feelings are. Secondly, Vinyl’s friend was a guy whom she had visited at home before. Vinyl’s…popular. She’s probably been to all her friend’s homes. She paused her thoughts as a realization hit her. But…I’ve only visited the home of one other person…in my entire life! Octavia pulled the zippered ends of Vinyl’s jacket around her shoulders a bit tighter and stared blankly into the distance in the direction of the school. This is ridiculous! She scolded herself. I…feel like…such a child. She inwardly sighed while wondering if words like ‘possessive’ or ‘selfish’ were appropriate. Right now…they probably were, and that made her feel even worse.

And yet…as she watched Vinyl’s lips move as she recounted a humorous time in middle school that no doubt involved this particular boy, Octavia swore she could see Vinyl move farther and farther away into the distance even if she was just sitting there… It was like she was in space, and Vinyl happened to be a comet passing by, moving farther and farther away into nothingness, more and more unreachable and distant with each passing second. This feeling…if it could be called that…was not only new to Octavia, but also very alarming. Regardless of how silly and petty and lacking the reasoning behind her emotions was, she couldn’t shake the thought of Vinyl being anything more to anyone else other than her best friend. Other terrible thoughts began running through her head. She wondered what life would be like if Vinyl suddenly decided to move on, casting away her old relationships in favor of a new existence filled with parties, loud music, late nights, and most importantly…new friends.

If I’m being honest with myself… Octavia thought. …we’re nothing alike, she and I. Octavia looked up again at Vinyl as she shared a laugh with Lyra and Bon Bon, probably about some story or experience from years ago long before they had met. She’ll meet someone more like her…someone more sociable…someone more fun. Octavia bit her lip hard to keep a straight face when Vinyl glanced in her direction for a moment. She turned away and stared down at the blanket like she was looking for something to keep from making eye contact. I’ll probably just be an old acquaintance of hers…like so many others she knew in middle school.

“Yeah, but his is probably way better.” Vinyl said, leaving Octavia stranded in the middle of the conversation. “He’s got like a stage and mixing board and stuff in his garage. Way bigger than mine.”

“Seriously?” Lyra asked, genuinely impressed. “Whoa, with big speakers and all that?”

“Oh, yeah.” Vinyl nodded appreciatively. “It’s tight. With a couple disco balls or whatever, his party will be awesome.”

“As much fun as this sounds...and don’t get me wrong. It really does sound like fun.” Bon Bon interjected. “I just don’t have a good feeling about this.”

“Aw, come onnnnn.” Vinyl groaned. “No one’s gonna be drinking or doing anything stupid. It’s just a dumb birthday party.”

“Sounds like an awesome birthday party to me.” Lyra added.

Bon Bon sighed and shook her head. “Alright, I’ll go too…but if anything happens I’m not comfortable with, I’m leaving.”

“Sure, yeah, ok.” Vinyl nodded back.

“Are they at least going to have cake at this party?” Bon Bon asked.

Lyra snickered. “What, are you a little kid or something?”

“No!” Bon Bon hissed. “But cake…would be nice. It is a birthday party, right? Do…we have to buy presents or something?”

Lyra sighed and rolled her eyes. “Crap…I don’t wanna buy presents. I’m broke enough already.”

“Oh, no, no, it’s cool.” Vinyl shook her head and waved a hand dismissively. “Neon is chill about that.”

“Well, I don’t want us to be the only people there without presents.” Bon Bon reasoned.

“Trust me, it’s cool. He just wants a big party. That’s it.” Vinyl pulled her phone out of her pocket and tapped the screen. “Want me to text him and ask?”

She messages him too… Octavia observed, another weak but noticeable blow to her emotional constitution. …I know I’m not the only one she messages, but… I suppose she messages pretty much everyone she knows.

“No, it’s fine.” Bon Bon shook her head. “I’ll take your word for it. Besides, I don’t wanna be weird about this with someone I’ve never met. Are you sure it’s ok for us to go? I don’t even know who he is.”

Vinyl laughed and whipped her head to side, sending her electric blue locks dancing across her forehead. “He’s knows me, and I know you guys. It’s chill.”

“Good enough for me.” Lyra said with a smile. “Free food and dancing, here I come!”

Vinyl turned to Octavia and patted her on the back. “So, what about you, Tavi? I know…it’s not really your thing, but I mean, you’re totally invited.”

“Yeah, you wanna come too?” Lyra asked, turning to look at her as well.

“If you come…” Bon Bon put a hand on her knee with a smile. “…I’ll…try and make sure nothing weird happens.”

“Like what?” Lyra asked, leaning back on her hands. “Like get hit on? You know Vinyl will probably just kick their ass, right?”

“Yeah.” Vinyl nodded with a smirk. “I’ll kick their ass. Cool?” She placed a warm hand on Octavia’s shoulder reassuringly.

With a deep breath, Octavia glanced back and forth between all three of her friends. She wasn’t entirely sure how to answer. A good portion of her wanted to immediately decline the invitation considering the party would no doubt be something of an acquired taste she did not have, but… If I don’t go with Vinyl…she might not want to spend much time with me anymore. I don’t think…I could lose her as a friend… Octavia knew this was a gross understatement. If she did lose Vinyl, she just might lose the will to get up in the morning. Does…she really mean that much to me? Octavia opened her mouth to speak but hesitated to actually say something. I have to do this… “Y-Yes!” She heard herself say a way too much enthusiasm. “I-I’ll go!”

“ALRIGHT!” Vinyl pumped a fist into the air. “Tavi’s on board the party train!”

-o0o-

Navigating to her locker after the last class of the day was always one of the hardest things to accomplish without losing a good chunk of time, but Octavia made sure to be one of the first students out the classroom doors now that she had reason to. Vinyl had messaged her during the last half hour of class, telling her to meet at her locker. Normally, Vinyl would already be there with or without the rest of their friends, but if Vinyl had gone a step further by letting her know, Octavia knew it would be best to arrive ahead of schedule. After dodging and weaving between other students, a skill she hadn’t yet mastered but was picking up quickly, she arrived at her locker to see Vinyl leaning up against it. She too looked like she had a purpose by the way she tapped her foot against the floor with her messenger bag slung around one shoulder. Behind those sunglasses, Octavia guessed her face conveyed much the same.

“Hey.” Vinyl greeted with an upwards nod. “How’s it going, babe?”

Octavia shifted the textbook she was holding from one hand to the other in order to open her locker. “Is…something the matter, Vinyl?”

“No.” Vinyl shook her head and shrugged. “I was just wondering if you had some free time after school.”

I always do… Octavia nodded and placed her textbook neatly beside the rest inside her locker before closing the door. “I do, yes.” She said wearily. “Was…there something you needed to do with me?”

“No, I mean, well, yeah...but it’s not like, super important or anything.” Vinyl alternated between nodding and shaking her head as she spoke. “I was thinking about buying a new outfit for the party. You…wanna come?”

“Um…” Octavia hesitated to answer. Buying clothes would be a completely foreign experience to her, and she wasn’t sure what to expect. “…you want to take me with you?”

“Well, yeah, sure.” Vinyl giggled. “I figured we could pick something out for you too. I mean…you look pretty hot in bowties, but I don’t think you’re gonna wanna wear…” She paused and cocked her head towards Octavia’s torso. “…that to the party.”

“Oh…” Octavia looked herself over with a faint blush. She was slightly embarrassed by the compliment and slightly embarrassed by her appearance. For the second time that day, she felt a little self conscious about her choice in clothing. “If you think a wardrobe change would be appropriate, then…I suppose…I will defer to your judgment.”

“Uh, what?” Vinyl giggled harder and ran a hand through her hair. “I didn’t…catch most of that.”

“W-Well, what I mean is…if you think I should wear something more fitting for the occasion, then…I’ll come with you.” Octavia tried to find the easiest way to put it, but it was rather difficult since she had never had this kind of conversation before.

“Yeah, so you’re down?” Vinyl asked. “Sweet! I saw this killer belt at the mall a while back, and I figured I’d get it.” She turned towards the hallways and began walking, and Octavia followed suit. “Hope it’s still there, though. I should’ve got it when I saw it.”

“How come you didn’t?” Octavia asked, glancing down at the belt Vinyl was currently wearing. It hung loose around her hips and down to one side in a large red circle.

“Uh, I dunno…I see a lot a stuff I wanna buy, but…you know, nothing is really free.” Vinyl sighed softly with a shrug. “It’d be cool if the mall was having a sale or something today.”

“A…sale?” Octavia felt genuinely puzzled. “It was my understanding that everything at a mall is for sale.”

Vinyl giggled hard into her hand and thumped Octavia on the back. “Oh, damn, babe…” She choked back a giggle through a quiet snort and shook her head. “…You are freaking funny!”

I…really don’t understand you, Vinyl… Octavia inwardly lamented. But somehow…you seem to understand me. Her blush deepened as she awkwardly glanced down at her moving feet.

“Sorry, Tavi.” Vinyl composed herself as they turned a corner down a long hallway towards the school’s entrance. “I’m not picking on you or anything. I promise. Please don’t think that I’m…being a jerk or something.”

“Pardon?” Octavia quickly looked up at her. “W-Wait, no, I don’t think that.” She quickly reassured. “I am aware that…sometimes…I say things in a peculiar manner. It’s not your fault. There’s something wrong with how I speak.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoaaaaa…” Vinyl stopped right in front of her and put both hands on her shoulders. “There’s nothing wrong with how you talk, got it? Nothing. You just talk different. That’s all.”

Octavia hesitated to reply. “Are…you sure? I have noticed that I tend to sound confusing to almost everyone I come across.” She blushed again and looked away from Vinyl’s large lenses in her sunglasses. “And…it rather has been a chore during classes.”

“Screw it. Who cares?” Vinyl smiled warmly and put a finger under Octavia’s chin. “You have a fancy way of saying things, and that’s…well, that’s pretty cool. It’s kinda like a super power.”

“Really?” Octavia asked with astonishment.

Vinyl nodded as her smile grew bigger. She gave Octavia a gentle flick on her nose before turning towards the entrance again. “Yeah. It’s a talent, girl. Plus, it’s kinda sexy how you talk.”

Oh…dear… Again with those compliments. Octavia mused as her blush deepened to a bright pink. It’s seems I’m not the only one who has a way with words. “W-Well…um…thank you, Vinyl.” Octavia said. “That’s…rather sweet of you to say.”

“Yeah, well, what can I say? I got the hots for you, girl.” Vinyl giggled again and threw her arm around her shoulder. “Come on. We gotta catch the bus downtown in like, ten minutes.”

“O-Oh, yes…of course.” Octavia stuttered very noticeably as her the tips of her ears began to tingle. It felt rather nice to hear Vinyl express such fondness for her in her own way. Much of her fear of abandonment was put to rest through the playful teasing, but there was still a lingering doubt in her mind she couldn’t fully shed. She thinks I’m cute… She thinks I’m funny… Octavia thought. But what if she meets someone she likes better than me?

Vinyl reached out to grab her hand and pull her outside through the entrance and down the steps. “I promise I won’t get weird about clothes like I did last time.” Vinyl announced.

“Um, weird?” Octavia asked, squeezing Vinyl’s hand on impulse. To her pleasant surprise, Vinyl squeezed back.

“Yeah, remember? You came over that one time and I had you wear some of mu stuff?” Vinyl asked, making her way across the courtyard to the street.

“Oh…” Octavia remembered that day very well, but it wasn’t for that particular reason. “…I…understand.”

“Cool.” Vinyl nodded and continued to lead the way towards the street, turning a corner past the school’s gate. “So…I’ve been meaning to ask something.”

“Hm?” Octavia looked up at her as she stepped in stride beside her.

“I noticed you have a driver…or something?” Vinyl began. “I wasn’t gonna say anything cause…well, I didn’t wanna be weird about it.”

“Oh.” Octavia nodded and looked down at the sidewalk with a hint of disappointment as Vinyl let go of her hand. “Yes, as it happens, I do.”

“That is sick!” Vinyl exclaimed. “Girl, I would KILL for someone to drive me around everywhere.”

I…certainly hope not… “Well…it was more of an insistence by my mother...” Octavia clarified as she adjusted her bowtie. “…My parents didn’t quite approve of me taking the bus to and from school.”

“Yeah…the bus kinda sucks, huh… Hey, do you need to cancel your ride or something?” Vinyl asked while taking a casual glance towards the street.

“No, it’s alright. I usually call to request a driver.” Octavia shook her head.

“So, if you don’t call, then we’re cool?” Vinyl received a nod in response. “Alright, sweet.” She paused for a moment as they began walking down the street. “Uh…so…have you seen your mom lately?”

“No, I-I haven’t.” Octavia shook her head and inhaled sharply at the question. “It’s…been over a month.”

“Uh…well, that’s cool.” Vinyl stammered while rubbing the back of her head. “So, are things at home ok? Your dad nice enough?”

“He…is.” Octavia slowly nodded. “Although, I hardly see him at all. Most days he comes home after I go to sleep.”

“Wow…” Vinyl turned to her and raised an eyebrow. “So, like…you don’t have any parents at home?”

“I…suppose I don’t.” Octavia replied, nervously fiddling her thumbs together. “But I do have the manor’s staff there with me.”

“Manor’s…what?” Vinyl’s eyebrow rose a bit further. “Like…butlers or something?”

“Um…we do have a few butlers, yes.” Octavia nodded.

“Holy crap, girl! That’s awesome!” Vinyl nodded approvingly as they approached a bend in the road. “You must live in a big house then.”

“Um…” Octavia smiled sheepishly. “It…is bigger than some I suppose.”

“Yeah.” Vinyl giggled and rolled her eyes behind her glasses. “I bet it is. You totally gotta have me over some time. I wanna see this place.” Octavia didn’t reply right away, so Vinyl quickly added to her previous statement. “I mean…if you know, you want. I’m good either way.”

Having friends over at her house was something she had never tried, so she really didn’t have a clue how to host any company. Even if she did, there probably would be a fair amount of planning necessary with the staff to allow company over. “I’ll…try and make some arrangements…if possible…” Octavia said as graciously as she could.

“Yeah, ok.” Vinyl said with a smile. “One a these days. No rush, babe.”

“S-So…um…” Octavia thought frantically in order to change the subject. “How’s your mother doing?”

“She’s good. Kinda busy with work, but pretty good I guess.” Vinyl began as they turned the corner with the bus stop in view. “You know something?” She asked with a slightly embarrassed giggle. “My mom likes having you around.”

“She…does?” Octavia gasped very softly. “That’s…a relief. To be completely honest, I…wasn’t entirely sure if I had been overstaying my welcome.”

Vinyl laughed hard and thumped herself on the chest, nearly tripping over her own feet. “Babe, stop…please, you’re killing me!” Vinyl’s laughing morphed into giggling, then finally into an amused sigh, completely unaware of Octavia’s flustered complexion. “Really? You really think that? That’s crazy!” Vinyl threw an arm around her shoulder and pressed their heads together with an affectionate squeeze. “My pad is your pad, girl. We love having you over, and you don’t ever have to leave if you don’t want to.” Vinyl giggled softly again for a moment. “I’m kind of a pillow hog, but I think we can make it work.”

Ohhhh...Vinyl… You have absolutely NO idea how much I want that. Octavia didn’t say anything as they approached the bus stop’s bench, but her eyes did water a bit as a big smile spread across her face. “Thank you, Vinyl…” She muttered softly while pressing her forehead into Vinyl’s shoulder. “…You are…so nice to me…” She looked up into Vinyl’s big sunglasses with a sense of bewilderment. “…and I have no idea why, but…I’m glad you are.”

“Awwwww, damnnnn!” Vinyl gave Octavia a gentle tug on her ear as a noticeable blush graced her smiling face. “You KILL me with how CUUUTE you are, you little doof.” She teased, pressing her nose against Octavia’s ear.

Octavia giggled loudly as she wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve. “And…you are a good friend, Vinyl. I…um…really can’t tell you how appreciative I am to have you.” She paused and bit her lip as a burning hot set of tears replaced her previous ones. A powerful wave of emotion washed over her as her heart began to open up. “…Y-You…” She began to choke up as she moved her arm up to cover her face. “…really helped me…a great deal…these past couple of w-weeks…”

Vinyl stopped in front of the bench and turned around to face her. By her reaction, it seemed like the sudden change in Octavia’s tone caught her by surprise. “Whoa, whoa, hey, hey, hey, heyyyy…” Vinyl wrapped her arms around Octavia’s entire body and hugged her tightly while pressing her nose into her long black hair. “…Don’t cry, babe…” She reached up to quickly take her glasses off the shove them into her pocket before returning the arm back around Octavia’s waist. “I got you…I got you…”

“I’m…s-so…sorry, Vinyl.” Octavia shook her head and cleared her throat gently before sniffling. “You must thing I’m so silly…”

Vinyl cracked a smile and rolled her eyes. “Well…yeah, but…you make it work.” She said before doing something she never had before. It was over as fast as it began, but Vinyl did indeed plant a little peck on the top of Octavia’s head. “…I know, uh…life can kinda suck sometimes.” She muttered while rubbing Octavia’s back. “…I’ve been there…so…I sorta kinda know the feeling.”

I know you do, Vinyl… Octavia thought as she dug her fingers into the back of Vinyl’s jacket. Somehow you completely understand me… She sniffled louder and echoed a soft sob into Vinyl’s shoulder. You always have.

“Uh…” Vinyl sighed and ran a hand through Octavia’s hair. “…So…I know that…stuff is hard to talk about sometimes, but…um…” She paused to kneel down a very tiny bit to look Octavia in the eye. “…I’m…well, I’m here, Tavi…” Vinyl used her wrist to wipe some of the tears away from her cheeks. “…So, talk to me, ok? I wanna know. I mean…I know I said that you don’t have to tell me anything, and you don’t have to… It’s totally cool if you don’t wanna tell me. Just…” Vinyl blushed uncharacteristically deep and looked away for a moment. “…know that I’m here, ok?”

Octavia nodded a few times as she gazed into Vinyl’s deep red eyes. It wasn’t a motherly love she saw in her face, it was something else. It was something she didn’t recognize at all, but she did see genuine concern the deeper she stared into Vinyl’s features. “T-Thank you, V-Vinyl…” She choked in a hoarse whisper.

“Hey…” Vinyl put both hands on Octavia’s cheeks as she made a reassuring smile. “…I love you, Tavi. I got your back, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Octavia’s eyes widened from a surreal amount of astonish. How…does she always know exactly what to say??? With a very relieved smile, Octavia nodded once more. “Thank you again, Vinyl…” She said, her voice a bit more clear but not by much. “I…” She blushed fiercely as a rush of heat nearly made her lightheaded. “…love you too.” The words came out of her mouth with surprising ease, but they felt so incredibly right. The way they rolled off her tongue and parted through her lips felt like the most comfortable and satisfying words she had ever said in her entire life. It wasn’t a confession of desire or an expression of infatuation, it was genuine attachment. It was genuine care and satisfaction that she now understood for the first time. Vinyl had showed her the same love and concern the moment they became friends, and now Octavia had the time to experience it, she finally understood it.

A very contented smirk spread across Vinyl’s face, and she ruffled the top of Octavia’s head. “You’re gonna be ok. We got this.”

I love you, Tavi… Octavia played over and over again in her head. I got your back, and I’m not going anywhere. It was a piece of audible gold, something Octavia now desperately wished to have captured tangibly through some form of recording. Those words…those simple words Vinyl said meant nothing more than their original context, yet Octavia knew that she had never heard anything as sincere and real in her entire life. It was hard to believe those words even happened, yet somehow…they had. Her best friend, the person who cared about her the most, despite her sometimes off-putting quirks and peculiar attitude, meant the absolute world to her, and she was grateful. She felt grateful for everything in her life as she nuzzled her face into Vinyl’s reassuring shoulder, everything that had led her up to this point. Even though times had been tough recently, it was all worth it for this moment. Octavia giggled very softly as she gripped the back of Vinyl’s jacket a bit harder. Vinyl…you would be a wonderful mother.

-o0o-

The next day, Octavia saw very little of Vinyl. She had left their social circle the entire Thursday to spend time with Neon Lights in order to prepare for the party. Through a text that morning, she told Octavia, “Hey srry babe Im gonna be super busy 2day. Party stuff. <3 U miss U call U 2night.” This meant that Octavia had little choice but to go home after school. To combat the boredom and loneliness, she decided to do something she hadn’t done in quite some time. For nearly four hours, she practiced playing her cello. There were a couple of musical pieces she had been working on since the end of middle school that she tried to work together, and although she was a bit out of practice, her skillful fingers soon found their place along the strings.

There had been a time in her life where playing the cello was the singular source of comfort and relaxation in her life. She enjoyed her cello more than anything in the world, but now that she was playing in the solitude of her room, she realized something grand. Yes, she still enjoyed playing very much, but it still didn’t compare with one other new yet dear aspect of her life. Vinyl. Octavia stopped playing when she heard her phone go off on her nightstand. With great relief, she answered.

“Hey, Tavi. Yo.” Vinyl sounded a bit tired. “Sorry, it’s kinda late. And…I’m really sorry for not hanging out today.”

“It’s not a problem.” Octavia replied. “I’m…just happy you called. How are you?”

“I’m good.” Vinyl giggled. “Better now that I get to hear your sexy voice. Seriously, it blows not hanging out. I didn’t get a chance to see you in your new stuff.”

“Actually…I haven’t worn any of my new clothes yet.” Octavia informed her. Since I couldn’t see you today…I didn’t bother wearing them.

“Oh, well, that makes me feel better.” Vinyl yawned into the phone. “Oh, dude…I’m yawning… I forgot how hard it is to set up parties… Sorry, I don’t mean to call and be all out of it.”

“Um, Vinyl?” Octavia paused to word her next question as graciously as possible. “Did…you go to school today?”

“Uh…heh…” Vinyl giggled again. “Don’t tell my mom, but…uh…no, I didn’t. Me and Neon were at his house all day setting up for tomorrow.”

“Oh…” Octavia giggled back and shook her head with a smile. Although she was somewhat disappointed in Vinyl’s decision to skip school, she was rather amused. “Well, please take care of yourself. If…you’re tired…remember to get some rest.”

“Awww, damnnn.” Octavia could actually hear the mischievous smirk in Vinyl’s voice. “You are too good to me, babe.”

I believe the feeling is mutual. Octavia blushed a bit and merely replied with another giggle.

“Heyyy, uh…sorry, babe.” Vinyl quickly announced. “I gotta head home before my mom, so…I gotta go. Sorry we couldn’t talk more.”

“It’s alright, Vinyl. Go ahead and get some rest.” Octavia said with a nod more to herself. “Um…see you…tomorrow then?”

“Hell yeah! Can’t wait. Tomorrow’s gonna be epic. Oh, don’t forget. You got some sexy new stuff to show off your goods, so wear it, ok?”

“Oh, Vinyl…” Octavia sighed and blushed even harder. These particular compliments were becoming more and more frequent as of late, but although Octavia found them a bit off-putting, she was very flattered every time. “…Have a good night.”

“You too, Tavi. Be good. I’m out.” Vinyl said with a laugh before hanging up.

It had been short phone call, but Octavia was overjoyed as she put her phone down. As promised, Vinyl went out of her way to keep in contact, and this made her day. She didn’t sleep very well that night, the excited butterflies in her tummy keeping her awake longer than she would have liked, but the sleep she did get was filled with happy thoughts.

So, when Friday morning came, she surprised herself by waking up nearly an hour before her alarm at five in the morning. On rare occasions like this, Octavia would’ve spent her extra hour of the day studying or polishing and oiling her cello, but instead she found herself rummaging through her recent purchases from two days ago. Vinyl had made clear of her ‘sexy’ expectations the night before, and although Octavia wasn’t fully conscious of it, she did not have any intention of disappointing her.

Did I really buy all this? She asked herself as she laid out the nearly twenty articles of new clothing on her bed. Under normal circumstances, she would never have considered making any of these purchases, but now that she had access to an allowance made available by her father, Vinyl’s approval of the clothing was the last prodding she needed to use something called a ‘debit card’ for the first time.

All in all, Octavia was now the proud owner of several pairs of dark pants which Vinyl said “Makes your butt look tight!” and a multitude of dark grey button up shirts. Originally, Octavia had considered adopting Vinyl’s sense of style, but Vinyl didn’t agree. “It’s the bowtie.” Vinyl had said while pinching the knot and giggling. “It’s freaking adorable. You gotta keep it going.” Octavia smiled down at the pile of clothes. Somehow, Vinyl had picked for her the perfect wardrobe. It was modern stylish yet still… “You.” Vinyl pointed out. “You gotta be you, girl.” She was going to be herself today, as much herself as she could possibly be. With Vinyl’s help, it was getting easier to do especially now that she had constant encouragement to express herself in a way her own parents never taught how.

As she began the drive to school in the back of one of her family’s towncars, Octavia had high expectations for the day. She had no idea what to expect, but she knew tonight would indeed be, in Vinyl’s words, ‘epic’. If only she knew just how right she was, Octavia would’ve been inclined to applaud this moment of excellent foresight.

-o0o-

After school, Octavia went home with Vinyl to get ready. It was amusing to watch Vinyl scramble in and out various outfits for the event, and she finally settled on one before they left. It was pushing half past four, and the daylight was still pleasant and warm when they left Vinyl’s house. Octavia had to admit that some of Vinyl’s enthusiasm was rubbing off on her, adding to her already growing anticipation of what would be to come. But before they could go to the party, they would have to meet up with Lyra and Bon Bon by the bus station near her house.

After a few minutes of brisk walking, something Octavia was also getting better at, they saw their friends in the distance. “Hey!” Lyra called out from up the street while waving a hand.

“Yo!” Vinyl waved back as she and Octavia approached the street corner where Lyra and Bon Bon were waiting.

“What the heck are you wearing?” Lyra asked, pointing with a finger in Vinyl’s general direction. For the occasion, Lyra had left the black jeans at home in favor of a yellow pair of capri pants and a yellow top. It was a simple outfit, yet it paired rather nicely with her eyes. For once, she didn’t look like she was about to go ‘fight the establishment’ or whatever punk thing Octavia could think of.

“Oh, this?” Vinyl asked, raising her arm up. On her wrist was a large leather bracelet with blue colored metal studs riveted into the material.

“No, I mean the weird the skirt.” Lyra shook her head, moving her finger towards her waist.

“Oh, yeah.” Vinyl giggled and wiggled her hips, making the frills of her very short white and blue plaid skirt dance. Around her waist was a loosely hung and newly purchased belt. It wasn’t fastened to anything, more of an accessory for show. Her legs were covered in black pantyhose tucked into worn out combat boots. For a top, she wore an oversized tattered black tank top with a panda bear holding a folding chair over its head. “Like it? Octavia helped me pick it out.”

“Really?” Bon Bon asked. “Again with the short skirts, hm? Sometimes I wonder just how your mother lets you leave the house looking like this.” For the party, Bon Bon had decided on a casual but frilly dress that matched the color of her hair. It was pink with blue and yellow trim with a blue ribbon around her waist with a knot shaped like a piece of candy. “Don’t tell me you walked all the way over here like that.”

“Aw, come on. This is general issue for a dance party.” Vinyl said while putting her hands on her hips. “Seriously, how do you guys not know this?”

“I am really sorry you had to deal with this all day.” Bon Bon mockingly said towards Vinyl as she put a hand on Octavia’s shoulder. “At least YOU look nice.”

“O-Oh, um…thank you?” Octavia blushed a bit as she shifted her feet, an action more noticeable than ever now that the silhouette of her legs and hips were now visible. She wore a pair of tight fitting dark grey khaki style pants, a perfect fit on her both physically and visually, and a long sleeve grey button up shirt with an open collar. Underneath was a white dress shirt, an already usual part of her wardrobe that accommodated her purple bowtie.

“Yeah, you…actually look pretty good.” Lyra agreed. “I’m…surprised. I figured Vinyl would’ve made you wear some crazy stuff again.” She turned back to Vinyl and shook her head. “You though…youuuuu look like a bad eighties teen movie extra.”

Vinyl made a sarcastic laugh and shoved Lyra gently on the shoulder. “Ah…ha…ha… Screw you.” She took a step forward down the adjacent street. “We going or what? I told Neon I’d get there a little early to sound check all the gear.”

“Aw, dude…” Lyra groaned and slumped her shoulders. “So we gotta wait around while you two get all techy weird before the fun even starts?”

“Oh my gosh, it’s free food and a good time.” Vinyl groaned back. “Quit whining, you dork.”

Bon Bon shook her head with a smile and gave Octavia a pat on the back before continuing in the other two girl’s direction. “Don’t be nervous, ok? It’ll be fun.”

“Hm?” Octavia turned towards her as she strode forward. “Oh, um, yes, of course. Although, I am happy to say that I am not nervous.”

“Really?” Bon Bon asked with a pleased expression. “Well, that’s a relief. For some reason, I thought you might be.”

“I’m alright.” Octavia reassured once more. “…Was there…a reason to be nervous?” In truth, she was initially hesitant to accept Vinyl’s invitation to the party, but Bon Bon hopefully wasn’t aware of the reason why.

“Wellllll…” Bon Bon sighed heavily as she lazily pointed to Lyra and Vinyl a few strides ahead of them. Both girls were having an animated conversation about some dance move that, judging by their attempts, neither of them could pull off. “…we are going to a party with those two.” She said with a giggle. “And I’m sure there will be a bunch of other people like them there.”

“I see…” Octavia giggled slightly at the idea of a room filled with thirty or so Vinyls all high-fiving and fist-bumping each other. “From that perspective, I might be inclined to agree.”

“Well, I just wanna let you know that if you ever feel uncomfortable or something, just tell me.” Bon Bon said with a warm smile before turning towards the other two girls once more with a blank stare. “I’m not sure Vinyl’s head will be allllll there once the party kicks off.”

I’m beginning to think mine won’t be either. Octavia realized as she watched Vinyl attempt what she would later learn to be a ‘moonwalk’ as she continued down the sidewalk. For a little while, Octavia continued to watch Vinyl’s energetic behavior with great amusement. It was painfully obvious that Vinyl was not a natural dancer from the way she was ‘warming up her goods’ as she described, but there was a sense of experience and confidence in her posture that Octavia longed for. One day… Octavia thought. One day…I will actually start to understand her better. From a distance, her ears picked up the sound of music. It was faint, but considering how far away it sounded, it must have been pretty loud.

“We’re close.” Vinyl announced with an excited grin. “Aw, man…this is gonna be tight! I haven’t been to a party since last summer!” Lyra seemed almost as excited as she nodded her head and threw a fist into the air. “Come on!” Vinyl motioned for everyone to follow as she picked up the pace.

“Oh boy…” Bon Bon sighed before giggling again. “Have you ever seen Vinyl drink two energy drinks at the same time?”

“No?” Octavia shook her head while raising an eyebrow. Although I’m not surprised she could do something like that.

“It’s gross. She pours both into her mouth and then burps as loud as she can.” Bon Bon rolled her eyes dramatically and shook her head. “You’re probably gonna see her do that tonight….so fair warning.”

Octavia giggled hard and watched Vinyl dance up the sidewalk towards the source of the noise. It was true, Neon Lights didn’t live very far from her home, and his garage door was completely open. Inside was a small stage set up in the back with a mixing board, and along every wall and tucked into every corner was a speaker the size of someone’s head. She realized that the music playing was only coming from just one of those speakers, so it was very hard for her to imagine just how loud things would actually get once the party started.

“Neon!” Vinyl screeched as she slid to a stop inside the garage. “Where you at, homie!?”

A tall and lanky boy emerged from inside the house with very pale blue skin and dark grey hair messed into spikes atop his head. He wore big dark sunglasses much like Vinyl’s but with a different tint, and he was dressed in a black dress shirt with am oversized sparkling tie and grey skinny jeans. “V!” He clambered around a mess of wires leading inside the house to shut off the music before making a proper greeting. “What up, loser?” He jabbed Vinyl rather hard in the shoulder which earned him a jab back. They laughed at each other before commencing a rather complicated handshake that Octavia couldn’t follow.

“Neon, these are my chicks.” Vinyl pointed to Lyra and Bon Bon first. “That’s Ly, that’s Bonnie, annnnnnd this here…” She paused to throw an arm around Octavia’s shoulder with a big silly grin. Octavia could only blush and giggle nervously. “…is my main squeeze, Octavia.”

“Oh, gross…” Lyra stuck her tongue out and coughed. She raised a fist, and Neon promptly ‘bumped’ it. “Sup.”

“H-Hi…” Octavia held out a hand and forced herself to make polite eye contact. “…It’s nice to meet you.”

“Whooooaaaaa, dude!!!” Neon mistook the gesture as a high five, giving Octavia a throbbing palm before smacking Vinyl on the shoulder. “A cute foreign chick!? Nice!”

“Foreign?” Vinyl asked, very confused. After a couple seconds, she gasped. “Ohhhhhh, the accent. No, she’s not foreign. She just talks like that. Sexy, right? Wait.” She turned to Octavia with a raised eyebrow. “Are you foreign?”

“Um, w-well, no…but my parents did immigrate from Manechester, England before I was born.” Octavia’s blush had become much worse during the past minute.

“No kidding?” Vinyl sounded very surprised. “Wow, I feel stupid. I never knew that about you….”

Lyra forced a cough while muttering under her breath, “You are stupid.” This earned her a scowl from both Vinyl and Bon Bon.

“I-It…never really came up until now.” Octavia said. “Sorry…I…didn’t think to tell you.”

“It’s no biggie.” Vinyl said with a shrug. “I don’t care where you’re from. You’re still hot.” She gave Octavia a squeeze before dropping her arm. “So, we all good? Still need me to sound check some stuff?”

“Yeah, I can’t figure out how to hook up those tweeters you brought over.” Neon said, pointing a cardboard box by the stage.

Vinyl giggled and combed her hair out of her face while holding her head up high. “You gotta be pro with my gear, man. Don’t worry, you’ll get there.”

“Eat a brick, dude.” Neon held out a certain finger towards Vinyl in a gesture that Octavia had a hard time believing she was seeing. He turned to the rest of the girls with a smile. “So, you girls want a drink or something?”

“Long island.” Lyra immediately answered with a smirk.

Bon Bon shook her head and waggled a finger in Lyra’s face. “Don’t even joke about that.”

“Yeah, I don’t got any booze.” Neon said. “My parents would flip. I do have, like…ten different kinds of soda though.” It was extremely perplexing to listen to Neon talk. His syntax and vocabulary were nearly identical to Vinyl’s, and if it wasn’t for his deeper more masculine voice, Octavia might have easily been fooled.

“Hey, Neon!” Vinyl shouted from across the garage with small speakers in her hands. “That other chick here from yesterday? You know, the food girl?”

“Oh, uhhhh…” Neon nodded. “Yeah. She’s inside the house making something.”

“Does she still have those espresso shots?”

“Hang on.” Neon turned to the garage door and cupped his hands over his mouth. “Hey! Pinkie!”

A very high pitched voice answered back from inside. “Whaaaaaaaaaaat???”

“Espresso shots???” He replied.

“Okkkkkkaayyy!!!” Half a minute later, a girl emerged from the door. Her appearance was unlike anything Octavia had ever seen. Almost everything visually about her was some various shade of pink except her blue eyes and white trimmed clothes. Her eyes looked painfully alert as she seemed to somehow slide sideways across the garage floor without moving, two mugs of pungent coffee in her hands. She gasped louder than anyone Octavia had ever met, and after less than a second of handing Neon the mugs, she threw her arms around Octavia in a hug so tight that the cellist hoped her lungs would still be in one piece. “NEW FRIENDS!!!”

Both Lyra and Bon Bon instinctively stepped back, but the boisterously energetic girl was quick. She released her hold on Octavia before throwing her arms around them both. “HUGS!”

“Ow…owww….” Lyra hoarsely whispered as she felt her eyes bulge from her face. “….this girl is crazzz-zzyy…Accckk…” Bon Bon couldn’t say anything as the wind was knocked out of her chest.

With one last squeeze, this incredibly peculiar girl let go and took a step back. “Hi, girls! I’m Pinkie Pie! I’ll be the one making all the food for the party!”

“Great…ughh…” Lyra put a hand to her tummy and sucked in a deep breath.

Bon Bon forced a smile up at her as she slumped over a bit. “It’s…nice to meet you, Pinkie…” She stood up straight and blinked hard a couple times.

“Y-Yeah…super.” Lyra added as she coughed hard, this time a genuine cough.

Octavia was left dizzy and a bit disoriented. It took every iota left of her concentration that hadn’t been squeezed out of her thumping head to keep on her feet. All she could do was make a simple wave. And I thought Vinyl had a caffeine problem.

Vinyl came back over while wiping some imaginary dust from her hands. “All done. Like a boss. Now gimme one a those mugs.” She snatched a mug from Neon’s hands and sipped. Her face contorted from the taste, but she forced herself to swallow the extremely bitter solution. “Oh…y-yuck…it’s perfect.”

“Vinyl!” Pinkie bounced with excitement in front of her. “Introduce me to your friends!!!” She got on both knees and clawed at the bottom of Vinyl’s skirt while rocking back and forth. “Introduce meeeeeeeeeeeee!”

Vinyl seemed completely immune to this girl’s behavior. “The dorky looking one is Bonnie, the ugly one is Lyra, and the foxy one is Octavia.” She said apathetically while waving a hand dismissively. Her attention was mostly focused on her coffee. It was cold and almost a day old, but it didn’t look like she cared much.

“Really, V?” Lyra groaned in pain and annoyance. “I’m at least an eight. You’re like a five.”

“A five?!” Vinyl laughed.

“Well, a solid five.” Lyra added with a slight giggle.

“Oh, silly goosies!” Pinkie giggled with a snort. “You’re all tens in my book!”

“Yeah.” Neon nodded in agreement. This caused Vinyl to jab him in the side and shake her head. “What?! Your friends are hot. Sue me.” He grumbled as he rubbed his side.

“Oh, good griiiiiieeffff…” Bon Bon groaned. “We’ve met a boy version of Vinyl…”

Both Vinyl and Neon turned to her and shouted in unison, “Heyyyy!”

Author's Note:

It was a loooonnnnggg time coming, but a new chapter is finally here... I don't have the energy for a long author's note, so I will leave you all with this. Thank you so much for reading, and I will see next time.