The Haircut

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The classroom for music studies was much bigger and taller than the traditional classrooms that made up the rest of Canterlot High. Instead of rows of desks and chalkboards, the music room had nearly thirty foldout chairs pointing and situated every which way where students felt like sitting. Everyone was gathered into their little groups, chatting and talking amongst each other now that the quiz was over, and some students were already in the process of packing their various instruments for the journey home.

There was one girl in the corner of the room who sat by herself, completely isolated from everyone else. This was due to a couple of reasons. Firstly, her big cello made it difficult to interact with others without getting in someone’s way, but most prominently, she had absolutely no idea how to talk to anybody. Out of all the young freshmen in her class, she stood out as by far the most awkward looking. Her long straight black hair fell down her neck and face past her shoulders which only parted in the middle of her forehead, Her clothes were as equally as (un)stylish. A modestly long black skirt and white button up shirt with a grey bowtie around her neck only added to her plain appearance.

To this girl’s utter surprise, she felt a gentle tug on the sleeve of her shirt during her exit towards the door after the bell rang. At first, she felt her heartbeat quicken in a fear-like response. Someone was probably going to pick on her. It didn’t happen often, but getting picked on was the only form of social interaction she had taken part in since the first day of school at age five. Now, in high school, nothing else had changed other than physical growth.

“Yo, Tavi!”

Her fear being replaced by confusion, Octavia quickly turned her head towards the speaker. Did…she call me ‘Tavi’? With rigid feet and a wide eyes filled with nervous anticipation, Octavia cleared her throat. “Y-Yes?” She asked, her voice accented by years of schooling abroad and parents from across the Atlantic.

“You take bus twenty, right?” The girl speaking to her was the very epitome of contrast appearance. Her short, electric blue hair was swept across her whole head to the side with a giant pair of purple tinted sunglasses positioned on her forehead. Her bright red eyes were incredibly vibrant with energy, as was her boyishly happy smile. She wore a white tank top that hugged her slender waist and a pair of shredded blue skinny jeans that had definitely seen better days. In the places where holes hadn’t taken refuge, there were multiple colors of marker drawings. She also wore a very oversized belt that slouched to one side that was probably more of a fashion statement than a necessity. “Hello?” The girl waved her hand in front of Octavia’s face.

“O-Oh, y-yes.” Octavia nodded before blinking back her surprise. “I do take bus twenty, yes.” Her arm was beginning to ache from holding her cello by her side.

“Sweet! Me too.” That boyish smile grew bigger. “Wanna ride home together?”

“With…me?” Octavia asked while pointing a finger at her chest.

“Yeah, dude.” The strange girl stood and slung her small messenger bag over her shoulder. The brown khaki bag was covered in patches and buttons which Octavia presumed were bands that she had never heard of. “You get off at the second stop, right? Across the street from that fancy organic store?”

"I-I do indeed.” Octavia couldn’t help but smile a little, and her heartbeat began to quicken once more. Even though this was the second term of the school year, this was the first time someone was talking to her like a normal person.

“Cool! I get off at the third stop. You wanna head out? Oh, I’m Vinyl, by the way.” She held out a hand with confidence, and Octavia gingerly held out her own to receive a firm shake. “Vinyl Scratch.”

“O-Octavia Melody.” Octavia drew her hand back after a red tint spread across her face from the physical contact.

“Melody? Cool name.” Vinyl gave her a bright smile. “Nice to meet you, Tavi.”

‘Tavi’…She calls me ‘Tavi’… When Octavia stared into Vinyl’s wildly happy smile, her own smile grew a bit bigger and she held her head bit higher.

-o0o-

“Dude, I’m so glad that quiz is over.” Vinyl leaned back in her seat and rolled her eyes. She had taken the aisle seat and Octavia had taken the window seat. “How do you think you did?”

“I…believe I did fairly well, although I’m quite sure I missed a couple questions.” Octavia spoke with such grace that was unmatched by any of her peers, and it was for this reason that Octavia wondered why Vinyl had suddenly sat up straight and given her a look of perplexed wonder. “Is…something the matter?” Octavia asked nervously, very away of how close their faces were.

Vinyl dramatically sighed and ran her fingers through her wild blue hair. “Oh, mannn… You made such a big sigh after the quiz that I thought you totally bombed. I know I did.”

I-I…see.” Octavia relaxed back into her seat and looked forward. Is that why she approached me?

“My mom is gonna flip. I failed the first quiz, and I really needed a passing grade on this one.” Vinyl laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “Whatever.” She paused for a moment. “Hey, were you here for the first quiz? I don’t remember seeing you in class until a couple weeks ago.”

“Oh, t-that is correct. I transferred my P.E. credit to music theory. My parents believed it would be the best fit for my education.” Octavia brushed her hair away from her face with a finger, her eyes still looking forward.

“You don’t really seem like the athletic type, no offense.” Vinyl remarked. “You got kind of a ‘Urkel meets a butler’ thing going on minus the glasses.”

Octavia knew what a butler was. She had a couple permanent resident butlers at home in her parent’s mansion. However, she had no idea who or what ‘Urkel’ was. “I don’t quite follow.” She turned to face Vinyl with a puzzled expression.

Vinyl opened her mouth to explain her reasoning, but all she offered was a sigh and another shrug. “It’s not important.” She giggled and nudged Octavia’s side. “You don’t watch a whole lot a TV, do you?” It was more of a statement than a question. The show she was quoting was much older than either girl, but popular culture didn’t seem to be a main course for her new friend.

“You are correct. I hardly watch Television. Mother says it is the bane of a growing mind, and I need not concern myself with the vices of a rebellious youth.” Octavia quoted her mother solemnly but truthfully.

“Huh…” Vinyl raised her eyebrows for a second. “I didn’t understand a word of that, but okay.” She drummed her fingers together on the seat in front of her as the bus began to make a sharp right turn. “So I’m guessing you’re not allowed to watch TV then.”

'I…I am allowed.” Octavia clarified as her eyes met the polished tips of her shoes. “It’s just…not a behavior that is fully encouraged in my household.”

"Weird.” Vinyl laughed halfheartedly in an effort to keep the mood lively. She looked past Octavia out the window as the bus began to slow to a stop. This was the first stop on their bus’ route which happened to be on the closer side of the shopping center opposite the weird organic food store where Octavia would usually get off at. “Hey, wanna get a burger with me?”

“Pardon?” Octavia looked up from her feet, grateful that the conversation had been pulled away from her awkward ranting. “Oh, I couldn’t. Mother says one should never spoil a perfectly good appetite with wasteful calories.”

“Your mom sounds great.” Vinyl didn’t bother masking the sarcasm in her voice. “First TV, now food.” She stopped herself from making anymore rash comments when she saw her new friend’s face become somber. Vinyl was beginning to suspect that Octavia wasn’t too happy with her overbearing mom, or at least she herself wouldn’t be if they switched faces for a day. “Well, how about a small ice cream cone then.”

Octavia heard those words, and her eyes grew wide with desire. It had been years since she had ice cream, and right now, the devil on her shoulder was hard pressed to indulge in the sinful pleasures of sugar. “Sure…”

“Sweet. Alright, let’s get off here.” Vinyl swung herself up from her seat and grabbed her messenger bag from beneath the bench they shared.

Octavia stood and navigated her cello case from underneath the bench towards the front of the bus. She was beginning to have second thoughts about this whole plan. If she got off here, she would have to carry her cello over half a mile home, and if her mother found out about this, dinner would not be a pleasant event. “Actually Vinyl, I…I’m not so sure I can-”

“I’ll carry that for you.” Vinyl reached down and grabbed the handle of the cello case, walking out of the bus and onto the sidewalk with ease. A few other students followed after her before Octavia poked her head out the door. “You coming?”

“Y-Yes. I am.” Octavia stepped out onto the sidewalk before casting a glance up and down the street. It was hard to tell exactly what she was feeling. This was the first time she had ever ‘hung out’ with anyone outside of school, and a lot of anxiety surrounded this new experience. “Are you sure this is alright? Do your parents need you home anytime soon?”

“My parents keep telling me to get out more and make new friends.” She rolled her eyes while beginning a brisk pace towards the colorful red building. “I spend ONE weekend on my computer, and now they think I’m a weirdo.” She giggled and motioned for Octavia to follow. “I’m buying.”

“Buying?” Octavia asked. “Oh, you’re buying, I see.” She quickened her pace to walk next to Vinyl up the street to the little Burgerphile. She had seen quite a few of these establishments around the city. They seemed to be everywhere, but she had never been inside of one before. And what a place it was! All the furniture and brightly colored decorations were so eye catching that Octavia nearly pinched herself.

Vinyl put the cello case down and rushed to the counter to order. She came back less than a minute later with a tray full of delicious looking and delicious smelling food. “Wanna sit there?” She asked, motioning to a corner booth with her free hand.

“That would be acceptable.” Octavia said, taking a deep whiff of all the sweet scents floating around the establishment.

The two girls sat facing each other, and Vinyl pushed a fudge dipped cone towards her. “Eat up.” She giggled. “It’s already starting to melt.”

“T-Thank you for this, Vinyl.” Octavia gratefully took the cone in both hands.

“Sure, no prob.” Vinyl shrugged before taking a big chomp out of her burger. Octavia licked some of the fudge running down the cone. It had been a very long time since she had tasted chocolate of any kind since her birthday nearly five months before, the summer before starting high school. “Good, right?”

“Very…” Octavia nodded, unable to completely hide her pleased face.

With their taste buds now introducing themselves to their treats, both girls spent the next couple of minutes indulging themselves. Octavia was a bit more zealous than intended while licking frantically at her cone. Vinyl hardly noticed, but for some reason, she leaned forward. “Is your hair naturally straight like that?” She asked, reaching out with two fingers to grasp at Octavia’s locks, gently pulling down to play with the long strands.

“I-It is, yes!” Octavia jerked back in her seat, her face lit up like a spotlight. “W-Why do you ask???” She gulped as her legs tensed up beneath the table. Is...she petting me?

Vinyl gave her a big smile and let go of the lock of hair before sitting back down. “I just thought you have cool hair. I really like the color. You ever thought about getting it cut?”

'I…” Octavia blushed fiercely and gently twirled a finger through the same lock. “No, I can’t say that I have.” She cleared her throat and put her half eaten cone down. “Did…you presume that I straighten my hair?” As much as she didn’t want to ask, she had to. Any comments about her appearance, although few and far between, couldn’t be ignored without having a negative effect on her already diminutive self-esteem.

“No, I was just wondering.” Vinyl shook her head with that same smile. “Between you and me, I’ll let you in on a little secret.”

This can’t possibly be good. Octavia sighed very softly. “And that is?”

Vinyl leaned forward again. “I always thought you’d look good with a hair cut.”

Vinyl Scratch is incredibly strange… “Um…thank you?”

Vinyl leaned back in her chair and ran both hands through her short blue hair, tossing her head back and forth until her head had the appearance of a porcupine in a wind tunnel. “My hair is getting kinda long. I think it’s time for a haircut.”

Octavia wasn’t sure if she was serious or if this was a joke. Her hair was much shorter than any other girl she had met before, but Vinyl had a strange style that she didn’t fully understand. “I see.” Octavia looked down at the table. “To be honest with you…” She ran a finger across the top of her head down her shoulder. “I seldom do anything with my hair. Does…it perhaps…look strange?”

“Well, you do kinda let it grow wild.” Vinyl giggled hard and nodded her head to the side to let her hair fall back into place.

“I-I see…” Octavia sighed.

Vinyl noticed the slight despondency in Octavia’s voice and features. She finished the last of her small fries and gently tapped her new friend on the shoulder. “Hey Tavi, you wanna get a haircut with me tomorrow?” She asked, smiling again.

-o0o-

With a towel around her head, Octavia stepped out of her shower. Her bathroom was big enough to park a car comfortably, and her bedroom was home to a large princess style bed. She sat on her bed wearing her bathrobe, her face contorted into a very anxious expression. The conversation she just had with her mother at dinner was almost painful, and even after an hour had passed, she was still feeling stressed from the discourse.

“Mother, I…have a request.” She had said while sitting in front of her untouched liver and spinach.

“Yes?” Her mother’s voice had always been strong and forceful. “Use your words, Octavia. You’re a young lady now.”

It had been a horrible fight to witness between her mother and father the previous summer. They had been arguing about where to send their introverted teen daughter for high school. Her father insisted on sending her to a large public school so she could socialize and branch out. Her mother insisted on sending her to a music preparatory school to hone her cello skills. In the end, her father had won, but Octavia couldn’t help but remember the angry voices every time she had to speak with her parents.

“I…would…” Octavia could hear her own voice become more and more quiet, to which her mother was quick to point out.

“Speak up, child. I shan’t tolerate any request lest you speak clearly.”

Octavia cleared her throat and raised her head, her nerves and torso shaking with anxiety. “…I would…like to have my hair cut.”

The request seemed unimportant to her mother, so unimportant that she returned to her own dinner. “If that’s what you wish. Shall I send for your maid?”

“U-Um…” Octavia shook her head. Since birth, her hair was cut by one of the maids who resided in the mansion. “No, mother.”

This time, her mother raised her head while reaching for her glass of wine. “Do you wish to go to a salon?”

“I…” Octavia wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. All she needed right now was a bit of money for the next day. Vinyl was the one who actually had the plan, so beyond that, Octavia had no idea what to expect. “…I believe so.”

“Shall I call and set up an appointment?”

“N-No…I…I made plans to…go with a-” Her last word fell short for a moment. “-friend.”

Her mother’s eyes grew wide with surprise. “A friend? I see.” She took a sip of her wine and smiled.

With a heavy sigh, Octavia laid back in her bed and tried her best to push the awkward conversation out her mind once again. Being in the comfort of solitude in her own room always made her feel better, especially with her cello propped up in the other side of her room next to her sheet music stand. This was her place, and this room had always been her home since before she could remember. The only recent addition to her room was her new cell phone on the nightstand by her bed.

The day before, Octavia had received Vinyl’s number. Octavia had hesitantly put the number in her phone as Vinyl stood by her side. It was impossible to notice how Vinyl’s smile grew a bit wider and brighter with each beep the phone made as Octavia imputed the digits. By now, Vinyl probably expected a text message from her to confirm each other’s numbers, but as she held her phone in both hands, Octavia couldn’t yet bring herself to do so.

There were a million and one thoughts running through her head. Are we supposed to be friends now? Should…I wait until tomorrow to message her? Why…did she talk to me today? Octavia pressed the message button on her phone and began to type her name. She was about to press the send button before sitting up to sigh heavily. This was a moment of truth for her. Don’t be a coward, Octavia. Press the button…

Almost seconds after sending the message, Octavia heard her phone chime. It was a very alien noise to her that nearly made her gasp. “Yo Tavi!” The message read. “Wuts good girl?”

Octavia couldn’t help but smile a tiny bit. Four out of those five words she understood which was plenty enough to piece together the meaning of the message, but the wording was so grammatically incorrect that Octavia just had to giggle. The compulsive and perfectionist side of herself made Octavia rewrite Vinyl’s message. “Yo, Tavi!” She typed. “What’s good, girl?” …Whoops… Her finger brushed against the send button by accident.

“wtf?”

Octavia had absolutely no idea what ‘wtf’ meant, but it probably wasn’t a greeting. “I am very sorry. I didn’t mean to send that.” Octavia typed out her new message rather slowly. Texting was a skill she didn’t have yet.

“Kool, no bigs. U good?”

“Am I good?”

“Yah you ok? Im askng if yur ok.”

“I am well, thank you. How are you?”

“Mad. I died like 4 times.”

“Pardon?” Octavia reread all of her messages in haste to see if she had missed something or read something out of context. What in the world is she talking about?

“Im playin a game. I died 4 times.”

Octavia sighed with relief, grateful that her new friend was not in any physical danger. ‘Games’ probably meant that she was playing a video game of some kind. She seemed like the type of person who enjoys such a hobby. “I see. Forgive me. I misunderstood you.”

“No bigs. U still down for 2morrow?”

Octavia giggled once again at the irony of what she was reading. Although Vinyl’s words looked like a foreign language, she still understood (for the most part) what was being said. “Yes.” She typed back.

“Sweet! ^_^”

Octavia squinted her eyes at the screen. It appeared that Vinyl was using different punctuation to form a face of some kind. She looked up from her phone to gaze at her wall. I…really do not understand this girl…

-o0o-

After her honors English class, Octavia walked out into the hall. She only had her music theory class every other day, so today she didn’t bother to bring her cello to school. It was nice not to carry the big case around, but her cello had always been her closest friend. She felt emotionally naked without it.

“Tavi!”

Octavia gasped loudly and spun around to face the direction of the voice. She wasn’t too surprised to see Vinyl, that dopey grin on her face as usual, but the sudden rise in heart attacks during the past two days was starting to give Octavia a headache. “V-Vinyl.” Octavia bowed politely. “Good afternoon.”

Vinyl began to giggle and rolled her eyes behind her sunglasses. “Seriously? A bow? That’s too funny.” She held out a hand. Octavia looked up at her face, then back down at her hand. If she had to guess, Vinyl probably wasn’t the hand shaking type, so why was she extending her hand like that. “Really?” Vinyl pushed her glasses atop her head and raised an eyebrow at her. “Just stick your hand out for a sec.”

Octavia did as she was told. A second later, she received a slap on the palm. “Ow…” She whispered to herself.

“So, you ready to go?” Vinyl asked while beginning to walk down the hall.

“I-I believe so.” Octavia followed the cue and began walking alongside her. “Um, may I ask you a question?”

“Go ahead.” Vinyl tipped her glasses back down. “Walk with me to my locker. I gotta grab my jacket.”

'Very well.” Octavia nodded and continued to follow her down the hall. “I was wondering…where do you plan on taking me?”

“Oh yeah, I totally forgot to tell you. It’s just a place I like downtown.” Vinyl put a finger to her chin. “It’s probably not your type of place. I hope that’s cool with you.”

Octavia didn’t have a particular preference considering she didn’t get out much. “I’m sure…I’ll be fine with it.”

“Cool.” Vinyl took a turn down the hall. “I’m just right over here.” They continued a few more feet to the corner of the hallway, and Vinyl began imputing her combination. She opened the locker door and pulled out her jacket.

Octavia eyed the garment with great interest. It was unlike anything she had seen before. The jacket was the kind with those funny hoods stitched to the neck, the material was white as snow, and the stitching and ornamentation was electric green and blue. This jacket definitely complimented Vinyl’s appearance. “That’s a very…interesting jacket.”

“You think so? Thanks.” Vinyl slipped into her hoodie and zipped it up. “I’m surprised you like it.” ‘Like’ was a strong word, but Octavia didn’t dislike it. In reply, she simply nodded. Vinyl closed her locker after stuffing her big headphones into her messenger bag. “Hey, you sure you’re cool hanging out with me?”

Octavia gave her a puzzled look. Why would she ask me that now? She gave a nod and looked away. “I don’t see any reason why I wouldn’t be.”

“Okay, cool.” Vinyl shrugged. “I just thought you only hung out with other smart girls.”

I don’t ‘hang out’ with anyone at all. Octavia shook her head slowly. “It’s…perfectly fine.”

Vinyl let out a loud sigh. “I’m glad you don’t hate me or anything. I was kinda worried you didn’t like me.”

“N-No, please don’t presume that I dislike you, Vinyl. I’m sorry you somehow came under that impression.” Octavia put her hands up in protest.

“Good! That’s a relief.” Vinyl gave her a big smile and slid her arm around Octavia’s elbow. “Let’s get going before we miss the bus.”

“B-Bus?” Octavia tried to ask before being pulled towards the school’s front doors. Vinyl bounded outside, dragging Octavia behind her towards the street. Together, they barely caught the bus in time into town.

Bus rides were nothing new to Octavia since coming to Canterlot High, but taking the city bus was completely different. The sounds and the people scared her a little bit, but Vinyl took her towards the back for a mostly secluded ride. “That was close.” Vinyl laughed. “Missing the bus sucks. This route takes almost a full hour to come back around.”

“I see…” Octavia looked around awkwardly at all the little advertisements in strange places. With so many colors and words next to each other, none of it seemed to make any sense. I didn’t know there are emergency rooms for pets.

Vinyl seemed to be very comfortable with herself while the bus began moving. Octavia surmised that she had taken her fair share of bus rides in her time, and she almost envied her. The way she sat with her body slouched back and her feet propped up on the back of the seat in front of her all spoke volumes to Vinyl’s knowledge of what could be considered the social norms of ‘normal people’. She began to talk to Octavia without a care in the world, bouncing around topics that she had no familiarity with. All Octavia could do was nod her head to assure the speaker that she was listening while wondering to herself Why is she so open with me?

Finally, Vinyl said something that actually clicked with her. “So you play the cello? That’s cool. I tried the violin in third grade. Totally didn’t get it.”

“I do indeed.” Octavia’s head perked up at the opportunity to include herself in the seemingly one sided conversation. Her thoughts drifted to the sparse memories of Vinyl in music class, and she realized that her new acquaintance didn’t bring any instruments to class. “May I ask you something?”

“Yeah.” Vinyl nodded, her expression of amusement partially masked by her glasses. “You don’t have to ask.”

Octavia looked away with a slight nod. “What instrument do you play?”

“I don’t really play any, unless you count my computer as one.”

With a bit of puzzlement, Octavia looked back at her. “Computer?”

“Yeah, I’m a mixer.” Vinyl patted her messenger bag. “Well, I’m more of a DJ.”

Mixer? DJ? Octavia hadn’t heard of such terms. “I…don’t fully understand.” In reality, she didn’t even remotely understand.

Vinyl reached into her bag to produce a very small laptop computer that looked as expensive as her scuffed up combat boots looked nearly worthless. She opened the lid and pointed the screen of the computer towards Octavia, giving her a good view of a MIDI program for mixing and composing music. “I make music with this, you know, like mix a range of sounds and tones using sequencing? It’s kinda like writing sheet music, but I got this bad boy here.”

Most of what she saw and heard went right over her head, but Octavia understood enough to conclude that Vinyl was, in essence, a composer. Just to be sure, she had to ask. “Am I right to assume that you are a composer?”

“Huh…” Vinyl closed her laptop and stashed it safely back in her bag. “Never thought about it like that before, but yeah, I guess you could say that.” She giggled. “That does sound kinda pro, you know?”

‘Pro’ as in professional? Octavia was intrigued; very, very intrigued. Never once had it crossed her mind that the composition of music could be done on a personal computer. Her own music background was so old fashioned that it didn’t dawn on her that the times really have changed. She wanted to ask how it all worked, what Vinyl’s process was, how she found inspiration. “I am impressed.” Was all she could choke out through her racing thoughts.

“Really?” Vinyl’s new smile was full of pride. “Wow, thanks! Coming from a smart chick like you, that’s really saying something.”

Smart?...Chick? Octavia still wasn’t sure why Vinyl assumed she was smart. Her grades had always been ahead of most everyone else in her classes, but that didn’t mean much considering the amount of time she put into her studying efforts. “Um…thank you.” She awkwardly brushed her hair starting at the part in the middle of her forehead down to her shoulder.

“Girl, we really gotta do something about this.” Vinyl placed a hand on top of her head and slid her fingers down the back of her neck. This made Octavia tense up and grow wide eyed with a fierce blush, but Vinyl didn’t notice. “I mean, you’re pretty cute and whatever, but I think this haircut will help out.”

Cute??? This had been the very first time she had been called cute since that frightful day in the back office of Pine’s Pianos when she was nine. She had gotten separated from her father and ended up crying in a corner until a salesman brought her back to the service department for a cookie while waiting for her dad to show up. The salesman had made a passing remark about her appearance just like how Vinyl was doing now. “I-I…”

“Yeah, maybe trim the edges too.” Vinyl grasped at the split end by her shoulder. “Oh yeah, add some red highlights or something. That would look sweet.”

Octavia instantly shook her head. “I-I don’t think that’s possible.” She brushed her hair back in place, and Vinyl took the hint by lowering her hand. Her mother would be outraged to see her come home with such a radical change to her appearance. It was hard enough to convince her to get a haircut by herself.

“I’m kidding about the highlights.” She wasn’t kidding, but she saw how distressed Octavia looked because of the suggestion. “It’s chill, Tavi. I’m not serious.” With a small sigh of relief, Octavia nodded. Vinyl gave her a soft nudge on the shoulder and cast her gaze out the window. Almost immediately, she gasped and shot out of her seat. “Oh, hey, driver!!!” She shouted, much to Octavia’s dismay. “Stop here!!!” Apparently, such crass and demanding words were socially acceptable because the bus driver did exactly as asked without any trouble. Vinyl leapt out of her seat, pulling Octavia by the hand. As they raced out the door, Vinyl shouted, “Thanks!!!” right before exiting with her guest in tow.

-o0o-

What Octavia had in mind was…well, it wasn’t this. She was picturing a salon with lavish décor and magazines of fine taste, perhaps even a strange name that many spas and beauty parlors fancied. Instead, she was smack dab in the middle of, to the best of her knowledge, what resembled the backroom of an underground rock concert. Although there were chairs positioned in front of mirrors as per custom of a haircutting establishment, the entire interior was covered in band posters and spray paint. In the far back of the shop was two reclining chairs where guests would sit to have their ‘ink’ done, as Vinyl put it. The pair of shopkeepers, one a man and the other presumably his wife, were covered in tattoos that contrasted sharply with their absurd hairstyles. Is this really where Vinyl comes to get her hair cut?

“Yo, DJ!” The brawny man gave Vinyl a slap on the palm when both girls entered. “That was quick. Change your mind about that tat you wanted?”

“Nah, I’ll have to pass for now.” Vinyl shook her head. “Unless you wanna give it to me for free.”

The shopkeeper cursed and chuckled. “Funny.” He gave Octavia an upwards nod with his head. “Who’s the doll?”

Vinyl patted Octavia on the back. “I got my pal Tavi today. She needs a cut.”

With a very sheepish smile, Octavia looked up at the man. Between his boisterous voice and Vinyl’s hand on her back, she had absolutely no idea how to act or what to say. In the past hour and a half, she had received a culture shock that wasn’t backing down anytime soon, and standing where she was didn’t help. If it wasn’t for Vinyl’s strangely comforting and friendly presence, she probably would have ran to the nearest police station for a ride back to her upscale neighborhood. “Good Afternoon.”

The man smirked and bowed his head in mock etiquette. “Good afternoon to you as well, mademoiselle.”

Vinyl began cracking up and laughed. “Yeah, Tavi’s kinda weird like that.”

The woman came back from behind the counter and quickly took Octavia by the hand to one of the chairs. “Quit teasing the babe.” She balled a fist up at the other two in the shop. “Sorry about that. My husband’s an ass. You want a soda or something?”

Feeling very grateful to not be the subject of further conversation, Octavia shook her head. “I-I, believe I can suffice without refreshment. Thank you for the offer.”

The woman smiled very warmly, a feat nearly impossible to do under her piercings and angry looking red mohawk. Vinyl approached her and peered into the mirror to inspect herself. She flipped her head to the side, making her electric blue hair dance, an action that Octavia often thought to be painful. The man strolled towards the back of the shop and began messing with the stereo in the back. “Want some tunes, DJ?”

“Nah.” Vinyl shook her head and face the back of the store to speak. “It’s cool.” Normally, Vinyl would have picked the music herself, but she had a feeling Octavia wouldn’t be too comfortable with punk rock or some other style of ‘tunes’ blaring in the background with eardrum shattering volume. The man shrugged and sat down in one of the tattooing chairs with a magazine in hand.

“So, what are we doing today?” The nice yet strange looking lady asked while lifting Octavia’s hair up and sweeping it to the side wildly. “Want some lift and some color?”

If her new stylist’s appearance was any indication, Octavia surmised that any suggestion would probably lead to her looking like a peacock trying to attract a mate. “I…am not so sure.”

The woman smoothed Octavia’s hair out and giggled. “I’m guessing you want something less wacko.”

“Yes.” Octavia nodded slowly, very aware of her appearance in the mirror. She looked completely out of place like the first time she saw a jet plane in the sky as a child, and she wondered if Vinyl’s choice in taking her here was a big mistake. Perhaps I should have gotten my hair trimmed by the maid after all… But there was no turning back now that she had stepped inside and taken a seat. “Perhaps…” She glanced at Vinyl through a mirror for a moment. “V-Vinyl?”

Vinyl stuck her hands into her pockets. “Yeah?”

“Do…you…perhaps have something in mind?” Octavia turned to Vinyl to look up at her with a polite eagerness.

“Me?” Vinyl dumbly pointed to herself. “Uh…” She took her glasses off to get a better look at Octavia’s features. “You sure? It’s your hair, girl.”

“Um…” Octavia stuttered. “W-Well, I think…you might be the best person to make this decision. I don’t believe I can make this decision on my own.”

“Wow…cool!” Vinyl smiled and gave Octavia a nod of enthusiasm. “Are you totally sure?” She received a nod back.

“Then let’s get started.” The woman reached towards the mirror for a spray bottle filled with water and a bigger comb. She began her work with Vinyl standing next to her, and they began to talk amongst each other.

Octavia cast her eyes toward the ground. Her heart was beating out of her chest from an intense apprehension. What else could she say? It would be horribly impolite to sit there undecided for the next half hour, so she had resorted to her last and most logical option. Vinyl had been the one to comment about her hair, Vinyl had been the one to suggest getting her hair cut, and Vinyl seemed to be the only one of her peers to seek out her attention of any sort or even bother to talk to her. Perhaps Vinyl had a plan for her appearance all along. Who was she to deny her new acquaintance of any such policy? Besides…she seems rather informed of the latest fashion trends… I suppose whatever she has planned couldn’t hurt.

A terrible thought crossed Octavia’s mind, a possibility she had not considered until now of all times. Could…this be a trick? Octavia could feel an intense heat of panic run up her spine. Is it possible that she’s playing a trick on me? Maybe she wants me to look ridiculous so she can laugh at me at school. Octavia knew this was highly unlikely. Although it had only been a couple days since they had met, Vinyl had never given her any reason to doubt her sincerity. She had never laughed at her or poked fun at her, never once doing anything cruel. Still…I hardly know her… Octavia shifted her feet uncomfortably when she both saw and felt a good portion of her bangs get cut off and fall to the floor. …She could be planning to make a mockery of me at school. Oh sweet heavens! What would my mother say if I came back home with half of my head shaved!?

Octavia brought her head up in preparation to protest, but Vinyl quickly squeezed her shoulder with a grin. “That should do it!” She said through an accomplished laugh.

The woman brought lowered her head down by Octavia’s shoulders. “Like what you see, dollface?”

With very hesitant eyes, Octavia looked towards the mirror. What she saw both surprised her with simplicity and astonished her in delight. Instead of a weird mess of a bird’s nest, her eyes were greeted with something truly beautiful. Her hair kept most of its length, but her bangs had been cut and swept gently to the side in a way that framed her face and now visible eyes. She had always hated her eye color, but the way her hair now contrasted their dark tint made all her lovely features stand out for the rest of the world to see. The locks of her hair from her temples to her ears had been blended to enhance the look, and Octavia couldn’t help but softly gasp. “Dear…me…” She nearly whispered.

“Crap…” Vinyl palmed her face. “You hate it, don’t you…” She quickly grabbed Octavia’s hands and looked down at her with an apologetic expression so unlike her. “Tavi, I’m so sorry, I’m so-”

“B-Beautiful…” Octavia muttered.

Vinyl raised an eyebrow. “Who? Me?”

The tattooed woman laughed hard and flicked Vinyl in the back of the head. “Not you, dunderhead. Her!” She placed her hand atop Octavia’s head and pecked her ear in a friendly way that made the cellist smile. “You look amazing, dollface.”

“Y-Yeah?” Vinyl held her breath before sighing heavily in relief. “Oh man, I was SUPER scared for a second. I thought I screwed up! Seriously girl, don’t do that! You’re gonna give me a brain tumor or something.”

“Vinyl…” Octavia squeezed her hands back. She looked up at her with a big smile that was also very unlike her. She slowly stood and wrapped her arms around Vinyl’s shoulders, leaning forward to give her a warm hug. “…thank you for this.”

-o0o-

There was a different feeling surrounding her when Octavia stepped towards the door to her music class. She always loved this class, but now there was something special about today. For the very first time in her life, she was walking into a room to greet a friend. Two days ago… Octavia thought as she stepped through the door and brushed her bangs to the side. …It was only two days ago… She took a deep breath as she scanned the room with her cello by her side. …that I met her.

“Yo, Tavi!” Octavia turned her head towards the voice and smiled when she saw Vinyl sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, her glasses propped up atop her head. “Over here!” She was waving an arm to flag her down.

When Octavia approached her, she noticed two other girls sitting beside her. One was dressed very well in a frilly skirt, purple, pink, and white accenting her entire appearance. With her curly hair, she looked like a model from a sixties magazine. The other girl was dressed almost as shabby as Vinyl was yet with the same style. There was a small case by her side that appeared to house a harp, if Octavia’s guess was correct. She wore a blank tank top and black ripped jeans that did a surprisingly good job highlighting her pale green face and short mint hair. Both girls had warm and welcoming smiles just like Vinyl despite never once meeting the newcomer. “Good Afternoon, Vinyl.” Octavia bowed her head. “And to you both, of whom I have not met.”

“Sup, Tavi? Had a good lunch?” Vinyl asked as she patted the floor beside her. Octavia understood enough about social cues, so she sat down politely with her ankles beneath her hips.

“Way cool.” The mint haired girl looked Octavia over before nodding her head towards Vinyl. “You’re right, V. Toooootal babe.”

The curly haired girl shook her head and palmed her face. She reached out with one hand and patted Octavia on the thigh. “Sorry about Lyra. She’s a HUGE dummy. Just says whatever comes to mind.”

“Oh, you are NEVER getting my pudding again.” Lyra gave the yet unnamed girl a soft punch to the shoulder.

“H-Hey! Be nice.” The candy striped girl flicked Lyra in the ear.

Vinyl took a big breath and sighed very loudly and very dramatically. “These are my sort of friends. Lyra and Bon-Bon.” She pointed to each girl respectively.

“Sort of friends?” Lyra crossed her arms and snarled. “Looks like no one is getting any pudding from me.”

Bon-Bon giggled a bit and scooted closer to Octavia. “You must be Octavia, right? Vinyl told me all about you.”

“Us.” Lyra interjected. “She told us.”

“Yeah, but you never listen.” Bon-Bon wiggled a finger at her before turning back to Octavia. “Just before you got here, Lyra kept trying to guess your name.”

“No, no, no, nuh-uh!” Lyra shook her head again. “Seriously, Bon-Bon? Just gonna throw me under the bus like that?”

Vinyl scooted closer to Octavia and put an arm around her, causing the cellist to blush hard. “Since you’re my pal, you have some new friends. Bonny’s a dork and Ly-Ly’s a wacko, but we’ve been friends since middle school.”

Bon-Bon shrugged. “Being dorky isn’t the worst thing in the world.” She squeezed Octavia’s hand and smiled at her happily. “It’s really nice to meet you. Having a fresh cute face in our little circle is a nice change of pace.”

“Wow, you’re just mean today.” Lyra sighed. “Don’t feel freaked out, kay? Bonny rips on me and Vinyl all the time.”

“Well, mostly you.” Vinyl giggled and dropped her arm to point to Lyra.

“Fine. Mostly me.” Lyra ran a hand through her short mint hair and rolled her eyes. “At least I get the best grades.” Both Vinyl and Bon-Bon began giggling loudly at that completely false statement.

Octavia’s face broke out into a soft smile, and for the first time in her life, she began to giggle wholeheartedly, joining in on her new friend’s humor. She had no idea how much fun it was to have friends like this and be a part of a simple and pointless conversation. Just watching them go back and forth was an experience she was relishing. As she calmed her giggles, Octavia began to wonder if she was dreaming. This seemed just too unreal for her, almost impossible. Never once did she think she would be accepted like this by strangers she didn’t know. At least Vinyl was here, but Octavia didn’t in the least feel uncomfortable. Vinyl’s close proximity and physical contact made her feel very safe somehow, something even her own parents couldn’t do.

“So, in case somebody wasn’t paying attention earlier,” Vinyl gave a wink to Lyra who replied with a cute snarl. “This is Octavia Melody.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you all.” Octavia bowed her head towards both girls.

Lyra leaned back on her hands with a smile. “So you go by Tavi? Cool.”

Do…I go by ‘Tavi’ now? Octavia took a moment to nod her head. I suppose I have a new nickname now. This thought made Octavia smile. “Yes, it would appear so.”

“Isn’t she a doll?” Vinyl laughed and began rubbing her on the back, much to Octavia’s immense surprise and shocking delight.

“You do look sort of familiar.” Lyra crossed her ankles, and Octavia noticed that her Converse sneakers had gum stuck to the sole.

“No duh, genius.” Bon Bon giggled. “We’ve been in the same music class since school started.”

“Really?” Lyra raised an eyebrow.

“See?” Bon Bon giggled again and laid her head on Octavia’s shoulder for a moment. “Ly-Ly is in another world half the time.”

Vinyl let out a loud yawn before laying her head abruptly on Octavia’s lap. “Man, I could go for a big a Redboar right now.” She adjusted herself into a comfortable position on her back, and Octavia peered down at her with an intense blush on her face which was easily visible thanks to her new haircut. W-What is s-she doing??? “Hey, you guys wanna hit up Starbits or something after school?” Vinyl asked while flipping her glasses down over her eyes.

”Sure.” Lyra nodded and reached into the pocket of her ripped pants for her phone. “Where’s our teacher? Wasn’t class supposed to start ten minutes ago?”

“Since when do you care about class?” Bon-Bon asked. “You’re only in here because I signed up for this class.”

“You don’t even play any instruments!” Lyra protested. “I play the harp, what do you play?”

Vinyl reached up with one hand and put her palm against Octavia’s cheek. This accomplished two things. One, Octavia had no choice but look down at her. Two, Octavia felt a blush cross her face that made her ears tingle. “You gotta learn to tune them out sometimes.” She giggled in a whisper. “Between you and me, I think they should just screw and get it over with.”

Octavia’s jaw dropped a bit in surprise by everything, especially the words coming out of Vinyl’s mouth. “Oh…dear.” She whispered. Did…she just say what I thought she said? H-How old is Vinyl? She can’t possibly be any older than I. At a young age of fourteen, Octavia was feeling that familiar culture shock just like yesterday.

“I do too play an instrument!” Bon Bon exclaimed. “Ever heard of a piano? I know, it’s a big word.”

“A piano?” Lyra scoffed. “What, are you like five or something?”

“Just imagine you’re like, on a big boat or something.” Vinyl whispered again before yawning very softly. Beneath her glasses, she closed her eyes and tilted her head back to nap.

“I…see…” Octavia slowly turned her gaze upwards to the other two girls. The more they argued, the closer they got to each other until their faces were less than a foot away. So…these are my new friends now… Octavia smiled with amusement, unaware that she had placed her hand atop Vinyl’s head.

The MP3 Player

View Online

One Week Later

Having friends proved to be just as much work as it was fun. Octavia couldn’t remember a time when she felt as alive and free in her whole life, and Vinyl was doing everything in her power to show her more of her crazy world. As Vinyl’s self proclaimed ‘bestie’, Octavia had a difficult time keeping up with her day to day. She was so full of vigorous spirit and overflowing with caffeine fueled energy (which usually wore off after lunch) that Octavia often felt her mind overwhelmed with stimulation. Vinyl made every effort to include her in every part of her life, an experience that, for the rest of Octavia’s days, would never become boring. The biggest push Vinyl made into Octavia’s life was through their shared love of music, regardless of personal taste.

During lunch period at the start of the week, Vinyl had jammed her big headphones over her ears and cranked up a tune so full of bass that she could feel her chest vibrating and her eardrums popping. It wasn’t particularly enjoyable, but Octavia was grateful for the learning experience. It was sound that, if given some time, she could learn to enjoy as well if in the right mood. If Vinyl was so happy listening to it that she would start dancing in the middle of the cafeteria, then Octavia had to acknowledge the fact that there was something special about her choice of music. It inspired Vinyl the same way classical music inspired her, so much so that Vinyl even wrote her own. That was a feat even Octavia hadn’t attempted.

The biggest hurdle that Octavia had to overcome in this newly formed friendship was the now constant use of her new phone which required her to quickly learn how to use the device. Although she occasionally received messages from both Bon Bon and Lyra, Vinyl was the one texting her every chance she got. This didn’t bother Octavia so much unless it was during class. Vinyl would text her saying everyone wanted to go somewhere after school for burgers or something, but she would quickly change her mind and say they would be going roller skating. Octavia did her best to reply back, but most of the time, it was in vain. Her own replies were no more than a few words in length that either acknowledged having read the previous message or an announcement that she was in class and couldn’t be bothered. Vinyl didn’t seem to care one bit about that, but Octavia couldn’t help but feel incredibly welcome to be included in a social circle despite Vinyl’s complete lack of boundaries.

On one of her days that didn’t include music class, Octavia found herself smack in the middle of a conversation about backpacks. School had just ended, and the four girls minus one had gathered on the lawn outside. “Seriously, your bag is freaking heavy.” Vinyl complained to Bon Bon while wearing the same usual jeans and belt. Her shirt was different today. It had some sort of face printed on the front complete with huge round bunny ears and the letter ‘X’ for eyes. “Why am I carrying it for you?”

“We made a deal. You get my cupcake, you carry my bag.” Bon Bon wiggled a finger at her like she was scolding a small child. Her skirt and top matched her features, and Octavia was beginning to realize that many girls would coordinate their fashion choices. Bon Bon was no doubt the only girl in their group who employed real trends in her appearance.

Beneath her glasses, Vinyl was glaring angrily. “You planned this, didn’t you…?” She grumbled. “Tavi, you gotta feel this thing! You can crush a car with this bag of bricks!”

Octavia took an awkward step back and put her hands up in protest when Vinyl had pressed the bag against her chest. “I...will take your word as truth, Vinyl. There’s no need for first hand experience.”

“She’s got the right idea.” Came a new voice. It was Lyra, her black jeans now sporting a new hole for some reason. “Bon Bon always takes her books home before a big test.”

“You set me up.” Vinyl grumbled again at Bon Bon and shouldered her bag uncomfortably. “And who studies for tests anymore?”

Octavia looked back and forth between each of her friends. “Test?” She asked. “Do you have an exam tomorrow?”

“More like a midterm.” Bon Bon nodded. “Shouldn’t you study too, Ly-Ly? Mr. Doodle isn’t going to cut you any more slack.”

Lyra sighed and shoved her hands into her pockets. “I’m done with school…”

“School just started like three months ago.” Vinyl giggled. “And we have three more years to go.”

Lyra shrugged. “Not listening…”

“As usual.” Bon Bon snickered.

“Do you three have other classes together?” Octavia asked before quickly covering her mouth with one hand.

“Yeah.” Lyra nodded. “We have…what, like four classes together? Right?”

“I think so.” Vinyl shrugged. “Not sure. I kinda sleep through the first two until lunch.”

“I really hate to say it,” Bon Bon put her hands on her hips, obviously not hating to say anything. “But you two really need to buckle down if you don’t want to get held back.”

“Yeah yeah yeah, whatever whatever.” Vinyl waved an arm dismissively as if she was trying to avoid the subject like a plague. “Can we go now? This thing SUCKS!” She shrugged her now aching shoulder while pointing to the bag.

Octavia reached out with a hand towards Vinyl slowly as if she was going to tap on her shoulder. “Perhaps, I could be of some assistance. If necessary, I could carry it for you.”

“Really? You didn’t seem too thrilled earlier.” Vinyl put the backpack down on the grass once realizing that no one was walking anywhere yet.

“True…but, I would like to help if you need me to.” Octavia blushed slightly as cast her eyes down to the ground.

Vinyl smirked a tiny bit at the sight of the cellist’s pretty face. “It’s fine, Tavi. Don’t worry. You just keep standing there looking good.”

This made Octavia blush even harder and Vinyl smile wider. She always says stuff like that… “U-Um, well, thank you, Vinyl.”

“Blech!” Lyra opened her mouth and stuck her tongue out while rolling her eyes. “Seriously, V. Get a room!”

Bon Bon began walking away towards the sidewalk, dragging Octavia by the hand beside her. “If we keep talking to them, we’re never going to leave.”

“I-I see…” Octavia awkwardly followed beside her until her hand was released.

“H-Hey, wait up, Bonny!” Lyra bounced into a quick pace to trail after them, taking a position on the opposite side of the candy striped model student.

“Aw, come on!” Vinyl whined as she painfully marched herself in the direction of her friends. “I can’t move that fast right now.”

“Exercise is good for you.” Bon Bon giggled.

“Are you calling me fat?” Vinyl scowled and angrily quickened her pace, the backpack now proving to be less of a burden than she was trying to convey. “That’s really low, Bon. I’m like half your size!”

Octavia put her hand up into the air for a moment to get everyone’s attention. “Pardon me, but I do have a question. Could someone tell me where we’re going?”

“Didn’t you tell her?” Lyra asked Vinyl.

“Um…did I?” Vinyl thought for a moment. “Did you get my text, Tavi?”

“I believe so. You said something about coffee, then said something about a movie, then said something about going to the park.” Octavia dutifully summarized the linty of texts she had received in class.

Bon Bon shook her head in exasperation, something that Octavia was beginning to learn was her way of helping her other two friends get to the heart of the matter. “We’re going to the arcade.”

“Oh, really?” Vinyl’s voice was full of excitement. “Aw, sweet! Gonna shred me some GuitarWarrior!”

“You totally suck at that game.” Lyra giggled. “If you wanna see a real champ, check me out.”

Bon Bon put a hand on Octavia’s shoulder and sighed. “I’m so sorry you have to deal with us.”

“I-It’s quite alright.” Octavia blushed a bit and shook her head. In truth, she was delighted to be a part of something bigger than herself and the solitude of her room. Besides…I can honestly say that I am enjoying myself.

“Yeah, I’m not carrying this anymore.” Vinyl took the backpack off and slung it over Bon Bon’s shoulders before she could protest.

“Um, excuse me, young lady.” Bon Bon spoke in a way that reminded Octavia of her own mother. The difference was that she wasn’t feeling dread from listening to those words. Instead, she felt amused. “I believe we made a deal.”

“Yeah, well, deals off, sister. You can have my ice cream tomorrow or whatever the desert is.” Vinyl grabbed Octavia’s hand and began jogging down the street. “Come on, Tavi! Let’s get there before all the stupid middle-schoolers hog all the tokens.”

“Hey! Vinyl, you are not off the hook!” Bon Bon shouted after her.

Lyra sighed and slung the bag off her friend’s shoulder to carry it for her. “I got it, Bonny. No worries.”

“Thank you, Ly-Ly.” Bon Bon wiggled a finger against Lyra’s chin with a smile. “At least I know you’re a better friend than her.”

“Hey! Lyra!” Vinyl called out from down the street. “Why don’t YOU get a room?”

“Why don’t you shut your face?!” Lyra shrieked back while cupping her hands around her mouth to distance her voice.

“Make me!”

Octavia began to feel her thighs burn a little with each new step. The quick pace Vinyl had set was much too physical for her, and she realized that a PE class wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all. Although having to run was tedious, she was admittedly having fun. Vinyl’s enthusiasm and cheery smile made her feel so welcome and carefree, and she started to feel a little jealous for not having more than just one class to share with her. It appears I am the odd duckling in this assembly. She nearly tripped when Vinyl took a sharp left down another empty sidewalk. “Um, Vinyl? Could we perhaps slow down?” She requested through minor heavy breathing. “I am becoming rather winded.”

“No time, babe!” Vinyl shook her head and quickly swiped her glasses off her nose to keep them from falling off. “I wanna buy all the pepperoni pizza before Lyra gets a slice!”

Oh dear… Octavia inwardly sighed as felt Vinyl’s grip around her hand tighten. Her eyes widened with disbelief after her brain had an extra second to compute Vinyl’s words. What did she call me?

-o0o-

Zombies, or some other form of unholy undead, were advancing toward her. The sight was partially terrifying and intensely bewildering. Octavia could honestly say that she was helpless. Vinyl, on the other hand, seemed to be smack dab in the middle of her own element. Her flawless reloading skills and perfect aim made quick work of every impending danger walking towards the pair, a much needed performance to pick up Octavia’s proverbial dead weight. “Yeah! Aw, sick! I just blew that guys head off! Boom! Suck it, loser!”

“H-How do you reload again?” Octavia asked, still pulling the trigger of her handgun in the hopes of a miracle.

Vinyl reached for her hand and shook the weapon with the barrel pointed to the side. “There, now shoot, girl!”

Octavia brought the weapon up towards the enemies and began shooting. Of all the thirteen rounds, only one hit a single target. “I-I can’t do this! There are too many!” She exclaimed in exacerbation and fear.

“Crap! I’m out! I’m out!” Vinyl dropped her weapon and took a position less than an inch behind Octavia with her hands squarely gripping around Octavia’s own. She began pulling on Octavia’s finger while forcing her weapon side to side, effectively controlling her movements. “Whoooh!!!” In the worst possible moment, nearly ten more zombie-like creatures jumped the nearby wall and advanced on their position. “Aw, come on!”

The sound of Vinyl’s voice was deafening in her ear, but that hardly weighted on Octavia’s mind. Her face was bright as a red taillight thanks to Vinyl’s bosom against her back and her arms wrapped around her body. She could feel her electric blue heartbeat against her shoulder and her warm labored breath against the back of her head. Between all the stimulation of terror in front of her and intimacy behind her, Octavia had half a mind to collapse. She could feel her own heart beating out of her ears and deafening everything else around her.

Finally, her miracle came. The game ended when both players lost all of their lives, and Vinyl took a step back and ran her fingers through her hair. “Well, that sucked. Man, I’m like, super thirsty.”

Octavia lowered her arm and dropped the weapon into the plastic holster mounted into the side of the arcade machine. According to the words on the side of the monitor, the game was called ‘Home of the Dead’, a name that had deterred Octavia long before she was forced to play. “It’s over…” She muttered to herself with a big sigh of relief. “Finally…”

Vinyl giggled and leaned up against the monitor next to her for a virtual pinball game. “Wow, Tavi, you realllllly suck at shooting zombies. Seriously, if we get trapped in the same barn together after World War III, remind me to take your gun.”

“I…apologize for my poor performance.” Octavia continued to blush, still reeling from the intense lack of personal space merely seconds earlier.

“I’m totally kidding, girl.” Vinyl shook her head and took her sunglasses off the top of her head, hanging them between her breasts with a complete lack of grace. “You did pretty good for your first time. But, I’m kinda surprised this is your first time at an arcade.”

“I-Is it?” Octavia felt the embarrassment return. "I suppose…I haven’t had many opportunities to go to any.” Nor do I particularly enjoy them…especially by myself.

“Well, we can keep coming back here if you want. This place is pretty cool on the weekends when pizza is half off.” Vinyl patted her on the back with a smirk. “Right now, I can totally go for a float. You want one?”

“A…float?” Octavia cocked her head to the side. Is she referring to one of those flower parade constructions?

“What??? You’ve never had a float before?” Vinyl grabbed her hand and pulled her firmly away from the ‘Home of the Dead’ console. “Oh, you are sooo getting a float!”

As it turned out, what Vinyl was referring to had nothing to do with flowers. What Octavia now had in her hands was a massive glass mug filled to the brim with foaming soda and couple scoops of ice cream bobbing up and down against the brim of the glass. With a float of her own, Vinyl led her back to their booth with a table where Bon Bon and Lyra had pizza in front of them. The pizza was very marginal in quality, but Octavia was beginning to understand the pedestrian charm of middle class food. It was neither good nor bad, merely something to be enjoyed for the sake of enjoyment. The float, however, was something else entirely. Whoever comprised ice cream and soda should receive a Noble Prize!

“She kicked your ass, huh?” Lyra asked while covering her pizza slice in pepper. “Vinyl’s way too into that weird zombie game.”

“Hey, it’s called ‘skill’, girl.” Vinyl raised an eyebrow at her. “You don’t got none.”

Bon Bon patted the spot next to her opposite of Lyra, and Octavia took a seat. “You hungry at all? I got pepperoni, but if you’re not a meat person, you can throw them away.”

“Or give them to me.” Vinyl sat next to Lyra and gave a thumbs up.

“Or do that.” Bon Bon rolled her eyes and daintily bit into her slice.

Vinyl showed no hesitation when picking up a slice and shoving half of the poor thing into her mouth. She bit down and chewed loudly with a dumb smile. “So uh,” She began speaking with her mouth full, spewing bits of cheese onto the table. “Anybody want my extra tokens?”

“Oh, yeah over here!” Lyra held out her hand in front of Vinyl’s face.

“Uh…” Vinyl swallowed and shook her head. “Okay, anybody ELSE want my extra tokens?”

“Just give me the tokens, V.” Lyra flicked her in the nose and kept her hand below her chin. “Come on.”

“Seriously. Any takers?” Vinyl pointed at Bon Bon, and she shook her head. The same thing happened with Octavia. With a sigh, Vinyl reached into her pocket and gave Lyra the tokens. “Fine…”

“Sweet!” Lyra took them and began climbing over Vinyl’s lap with a pizza slice in her mouth.

“Lyra! Not cool!” Vinyl growled as she painfully felt the mint girl clamber over her to exit the booth. “You’re right on my nuts, girl!”

With a giggle, Lyra stood by the table and patted the grumpy girl on the head. “Hey, be nice or you’re not getting anything from the prize counter.”

“I really don’t care.” Vinyl shoved her hand away and stuck her tongue out at her.

“Are you sure? I’ve seen you looking at that Devil May Try poster. Isn’t that your favorite game?”

“Not listening.” Vinyl shrugged and continued to drink her float.

Octavia was only vaguely aware of the conversation around her. Most of her attention was engrossed in her float. The flavor of the soda was overwhelmingly sweet, but it was made sweeter by the bits of ice cream that danced across her tongue. She lowered her head and stuck her tongue down into the mug to try and scoop the ice cream up into her mouth, but it was a vain effort. The ice cream defied her will, only making her look ridiculous. It wasn’t until everyone around her started giggling did she look up from the mug. “Did…I miss something?”

Vinyl was trying to hold back her giggles while speaking. “Here, Tavi.” She reached out with a napkin to wipe the cellist’s face. “Slow down, babe. You’re gonna get a brain freeze.”

“I-I see…” Octavia swallowed hard and subconsciously wiped her chin with the back of her hand. B-Babe? She really likes that word.

“Don’t tell me this is your first time eating a root beer float.” Bon Bon was covering her mouth with a smile. “Octavia, you are just too precious.”

Lyra slapped her knee and chuckled before grabbing the pepper from the table for her new slice. “You’re such a weirdo, Tavi!” She laughed a bit harder and began making the same ridiculous face that Octavia sported while endeavoring to slurp the ice cream.

Octavia finally understood why they were laughing, and as she wondered what her face looked like while absorbed in her desert, her face turned red with embarrassment. She knew her friends were only teasing her with good natured intentions, but it was still somewhat uncomfortable. “…Perhaps I need a spoon.”

“On it.” Vinyl got up and gave Octavia a warm smile. “Be right back. Let’s go, Ly.” Both she and Lyra walked away deeper into the arcade.

In an awkward silence, Octavia stared down at the remainder of her float. Since she was all alone with Bon Bon, she had no idea what to say. Being alone with one of Vinyl’s friends had never happened before, and Octavia was worried that Bon Bon was just as aware of the tension. However, instead of speaking to break the silence, Bon Bon slid a paper plate with a slice of pizza in front of her new companion. “Here you go, Tavi. Please have a slice before V and Ly-Ly go crazy and eat the rest.”

“O-Oh, um, why thank you.” Octavia nudged the plate with her finger and turned to Bon Bon for a moment to see a pleasant smile grace her pretty features. She turned back to her pizza and brought the plate up a few inches to take a tiny bite out of the tip of the cheese. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth watered in response before she took a much larger bite.

“First time having pizza?” Bon Bon asked, putting a hand on Octavia’s shoulder. “I had the same reaction too my first time.”

“I-I see…y-yes, this is my first time.” Octavia nodded her head slowly and swallowed, her face still a bit flushed.

“Hey, Octavia.” Bon Bon’s voice now sounded serious. “Listen, I want to apologize if hanging out with us is…too much sometimes.”

Octavia lowered her plate and turned to her politely. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Well, what I’m trying to say is…” Bon Bon wrapped a colorful curl of her hair around her finger. “…Vinyl and Lyra can be a real handful sometimes, and I can tell you feel a little out of place.”

Very true… “I…suppose it has happened once or twice.” Octavia blushed even harder and returned her gaze downward at the table.

Bon Bon put an arm around her elbow and laid her head on her shoulder for a moment. “Well, all I’m trying to say is…I’m sorry if Vinyl’s been driving you crazy.”

“She…hadn’t done so…” Octavia shook her head and smiled softly, the physical contact of Bon Bon’s light embrace somehow comforting. “…Vinyl may be a free spirit, but I do enjoy her company.”

“Oh, that is such a RELIEF!” Bon Bon giggled and let go of her arm. “I was really worried that you didn’t want to be here with us.”

“It’s quite alright.” Octavia gave her a reassuring smile. “I wouldn’t wish to be anywhere else right now than with my new friends.”

“Vinyl was right. You are a total doll!” Bon Bon wrapped her arms around her neck and squeezed tightly. “You have no idea how badly Vinyl wanted to talk to you at the beginning of school.”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Vinyl shouted as she dropped two plastic spoons on the table and quickly scooted into the opposite booth across the table, clapping one hand over Bon Bon’s mouth. “Don’t listen to her. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

Octavia couldn’t help but notice Vinyl was flustered. Her pale white face was as red a stop sign, but she had great control of her facial expressions. If it wasn’t for the blushing, Octavia wouldn’t have known any better. She…looks quite pretty when self-conscious…quite unlike myself. With a bit of shock, Octavia looked away from her when she felt her heartbeat quicken. There was an incredibly powerful feeling rising up within her chest, and it was scaring her. Be still my heart!

Bon Bon rolled her eyes and brushed Vinyl’s hand aside. “It’s true though. You’ve asked about her nonstop to everyone in class.”

“Ok, that is enough out of you.” Vinyl sat up and flicked Bon Bon on the ear.

“Ow!” Bon Bon giggled hard and rubbed her ear with her fingers. “Poor girl…” She put a hand on Octavia’s back and cooed. “To have to deal with this poorly dressed jerk everyday. How do you do it?”

Octavia reached for her spoon and focused all her attention on eating her floating ice cream. Unfortunately, her racing pulse and thoughts proved too much of a distraction to enjoy her ice cream to its full potential. It was too bad really…she didn’t have many opportunities to indulge her sweet tooth. As everyone went back to their food, the silence around the table continued for the next few minutes until the fourth of the group came back, huffing and puffing for breath. “Y-You guys!” Lyra exclaimed as she put her hands on her knees to breathe more deeply. “You aren’t gonna believe this!”

Bon Bon lazily turned her head and blinked slowly. “Oh, Lyra. You’re back. And what are we not going to believe, hm?”

“Did you see another Sapphire Shores look-alike?” Vinyl sighed and gave an apathetic shrug.

“Okay, for the LAST time, it was Sapphire! You guys NEVER believe me!” Lyra threw her hands up in frustration. “Just, whatever! Forget about that. You guys gotta see this!”

Vinyl sighed louder and looked up from her float. “This better be good.”

“It’s back.” Lyra put her hands on her hips with a smile. “It’s back!”

“What are you referring to?” Octavia looked up from her float, very thankful that all attention and focus had shifted. “I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

“Wait…the photo booth?” Bon Bon gasped. “The photo booth?!”

“What? Seriously?” Vinyl’s face grew into a smile. She bolted out of her seat, looking side to side. “Where???”

“Over there by the old air hockey tables.” Lyra pointed with a finger to the backroom of the arcade where all the old machines ended up, mostly unused but still functional.

“Aw, sweet!!! Come on, Tavi! Let’s hit that up!” Vinyl grabbed Octavia’s arm firmly and pulled her out of her seat.

“B-But, V-Vinyl, I’m not finished with…” Octavia sighed heavily and gave into Vinyl’s lead, very saddened to say goodbye to her dessert.

“Hang in there, Octavia! Be strong!” Bon Bon called out after her.

“Would you shut it!?” Vinyl growled back before marching swiftly to the backroom. She stopped with Octavia by her side, both girls standing directly behind an ancient looking photo booth old enough to accept nickels, dimes, and quarters instead of tokens. “Ohhh….awesome. We are SO doing this!”

Bon Bon came up behind her and patted Vinyl on the shoulder. “You are such a kid sometimes, V.”

“Whatever. You got any change?” Vinyl turned to her. “I spent all my quarters on tokens.”

With an overtly warm smile, Bon Bon produced a few quarters from the pocket of her skirt. “You’re lucky I like you so much.”

“Gross. You’re making this weird.” Vinyl took the quarters and inserted them into the slot by the threshold from which the curtains hung.

Lyra shoved all three girls inside forcefully, cramming their warm bodies against each other for a moment. “Let’s do this already! Come on!”

“Lyra!” Bon Bon shrieked. “You’re putting wrinkles in my blouse!”

Octavia could feel herself being pressed into Vinyl’s chest with her head against her shoulder. She expected Vinyl to flinch and recoil back, but instead, she had put an arm around her. When Octavia looked up at her, she saw Vinyl’s big red eyes and wonderful smile that showed a great deal of amusement. “You okay there, babe?” She asked through a playful snicker.

She keeps saying that…babe. And…I never know what to say. Octavia blushed fiercely, her whole body heating up. She quickly stood and brushed herself off while looking away. “I apologize for that, Vinyl. Forgive my clumsiness.”

“Girl, if this is you clumsy, then I’m not complaining.” Vinyl laughed and pinched her very gently on the hip. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to make the poor cellist ‘yip’ and nearly jump. The blush on Octavia’s face was now showing through her grey complexion with an intensity unlike anything she had ever felt before. It was more surprising to see her image on screen through the camera.

“V, can you not right now? This isn’t a hotel room.” Lyra began tapping the colorful oversized buttons beneath the screen in front of them.

“Oh, I really like that filter.” Bon Bon pointed to one of the selections on the screen.

“This one? The candy one with all the licorice?” Lyra raised an eyebrow. “Seriously, how old are you again?”

“Let’s just take the picture first and deal with the dumb stuff later.” Vinyl suggested. “I’m missing my float right now.”

“Okay, Okay, hang on.” Lyra set the timer on the screen for ten seconds. “Everyone say ‘Bite me!’.” No one did as she requested, and Octavia wasn’t sure why. In her defense, however, she was still trying to recover from Vinyl’s strange display of affection. “Come on… I said ‘Bite me!’.” Bon Bon did exactly so. She bit down on Lyra’s shoulder just as the flash went off. “OW!”

-o0o-

The sun had already set with only the crowning tip of an orange glow still lingering in the coming night sky on the horizon. With their little arcade adventure over, Vinyl and Octavia made their way down the sidewalk away from the middle of town. They walked side by side, an earbud in each girl’s ear that connected to Vinyl’s MP3 player. Although they didn’t say anything, Octavia felt grand and free.

However, being out late worried Octavia a little. Her mother could be downright overbearing with her daughter’s daily whereabouts, but ever since she had made new friends, her mother had mysteriously provided a great deal of leniency. At first, she was incredibly suspicious of her new friends, but after a long fight between her mother and her father that Octavia would not soon forget, the cellist found herself spending a great deal more time out of the house and away from her family. It was probably her father’s doing. He desperately wanted his daughter to be more outgoing and sociable, traits that her mother obviously didn’t care too much for. Still, whatever the reason might be, Octavia more than welcomed the opportunity to be away from her wretched parents.

“Not bad, right?” Vinyl looked to her side down at Vinyl with a smirk. “I found this band online a few days ago, and I am HOOKED! Sick ass drops, right?” She had taken her big headphones off from around her neck and shoved them into her bag, favoring earbuds in order to share the music. Although the sun was almost gone for the day, she had her big sunglasses on again.

“I…would have to agree.” Octavia dutifully nodded up at her. In truth, she didn’t know how she felt about Vinyl’s new tunes. She neither liked nor disliked it at this point, but she was just happy to have someone willing to share her life with like this.

Vinyl shrugged and put the earbuds away. “I know it’s not totally your thing. Sorry…” She rubbed the back of her head. “I don’t really have anything else on my thing.” She held up her music player for a moment before sliding it into her pocket. “So, I’m kinda curious. Do you like, have a favorite band or are you just all about classical stuff?”

“Um…” Octavia put a finger to her chin to think. “I…suppose…I may not have a favorite composure, in the definitive sense. I moreso enjoy the collective works of late eighteenth century-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on.” Vinyl shook her head slowly and ran a hand through her hair. “I didn’t understand a word of that.”

“I…I’m sorry.” Octavia sighed. “I’m afraid I’m not proficient at speaking well.”

“Sooooo…like, it’s hard to…talk?” Vinyl raised an eyebrow.

Octavia looked up at her for a quick moment before gazing down at the sidewalk. “…I believe that’s what I meant to say.”

“Oh, got it.” Vinyl smiled and began kicking a pebble down the sidewalk as they strolled onward. “I think I’m starting to get you, Tavi. You’re not just smart, you’re like a deep thinker or something, huh?”

“Deep…thinker? I-I wouldn’t presume to make that comparison.” Octavia blushed a bit. “Perhaps…I think I think too much.”

“Nah, well maybe a bit, but you make it cute.” Vinyl giggled. “You have this adorable face when you’re thinking hard.”

Oh dear…again with the compliments. What am I supposed to reply with? “Um…th-thank you?” Octavia slid her hands into the tailored pockets of her sweater vest. “V-Vinyl? Could…I ask you a question?”

“Uh, yeah sure. Go for it.” Vinyl shrugged her shoulders in an effort to crack her back.

“…Why…me?”

“Huh?” Vinyl turned her head and raised her eyebrow again. “Why you what?”

Octavia sighed and shook her head. “Please forgive me. I…am just merely curious as to why you decided to talk to me that day.”

“Oh…well, I dunno.” Vinyl giggled a bit. “You seemed pretty cool, I guess. I dunno, maybe it was because you play the cello or something. I just thought that was pretty dope. It’s like meeting somebody who plays the bagpipes. Kinda just makes you go ‘whoa!’, you know?”

“I…suppose.” Octavia smiled a bit when she saw Vinyl throw her hands up during her funny verbal demonstration. “I do have to admit, meeting a musician such as you without an actual instrument is quite an experience as well.”

“Really?” Vinyl smirked. “Thanks, Tavi. Coming from you, that really means something.”

“From…me?”

“Well, yeah…” Vinyl shrugged. “I guess…you’re my first friend who’s like, an actual musician. I don’t really know anybody who can play like you.”

“I…don’t quite understand.” Octavia fidgeted with her bowtie.

“Um, well, shouldn’t you be in a music school or something? You kinda seem way too smart for Canterlot High. Besides, you’re like, WAY ahead of everyone else in class. A lot of us just take the class to get out of running circles on the track.” Vinyl pushed her glasses up atop her head and cast a remorseful smile to her.

“O-Oh…um…” Octavia looked down from her gaze and bit her lip before replying. “W-Well...my father believes I need to interact with others more…”

“So that’s why you’re slumming it up down here with us?” Vinyl laughed and patted her on the back. “I’m totally kidding.”

“Mn…” Octavia continued watching the cracks in the sidewalk as the pair marched onward.

After a few moments of silence that was driving Vinyl crazy, she asked, “So, what do you usually listen to? Would it be cool if I borrowed your MP3 tomorrow and check out your tunes?”

“I…don’t have one.” Octavia shook her head apologetically. “Sorry.” Vinyl stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes wide and mouth open in surprise. Octavia noticed she stopped walking and turned to face her. “Is…something the matter, Vinyl?”

“Uh, yeah there is! You don’t have a MP3??? Seriously?” Vinyl put both hands on her head and gasped before grabbing Octavia’s hand, pulling her down the sidewalk in a brisk pace. “You are coming home with me so I can give you one of mine.”

“I…I-I…I’m not sure this is such a good idea.” Octavia stuttered with hesitation in her steps. “My mother will be furious if I’m not home soon. It’s already past six!”

“Just, I dunno. Give your house a call or something really quick.” Vinyl suggested while continuing her pace. “Girl, this is a music emergency. I need to make this happen.”

“W-Well…I-I…” Octavia followed her down the sidewalk quickly to ease the tension she felt in her arm while being forcefully pulled. She reached for her phone and began to dial her mother’s number, but quickly decided against using it. She knew her mother wouldn’t be particularly happy about her staying out late on a school night, but if she made it home eventually and her mother had her fill of chardonnay, then it would probably work out in the end. Between choosing either my mother or Vinyl… Well, it was an obvious choice, but a choice that she knew she would eventually regret a little. “A-Alright, I suppose perhaps for a few minutes then.”

“That’s my girl!” Vinyl smacked her on the butt gently and let go of her hand. “Just wait until you see my stereo. It is, are you waiting for it? It is BOSS.”

T-That…kind of hurt! Octavia rubbed her backside with one hand while marveling at how bold Vinyl could be. Her lack of personal space could not be rivaled by any other in Octavia’s memory. She also felt extremely flustered now, something she was trying to get used to but was having a difficult time doing so. “Vinyl, I really don’t think that was neccessar-” She looked up from the sidewalk but stopped speaking when she realized that Vinyl was already at the end of the block.

“Are you coming or what, Tavi!? Girl, you are SLOW!” Vinyl shouted back at her, two hands cupped around her mouth. After a grueling ten minutes of power walking and five minutes of waiting at street corners to safely cross, Octavia was led deeper into downtown. Vinyl’s house, if it could be called that, was a small duplex style building that looked liked a cereal box jammed in between two other and much bigger boxes. Octavia guessed that the house was actually longer than it was wide, probably a consequence of midtown construction. It was the strangest thing for Octavia to see houses so close together without any décor or lawns in front of them, a sharp contrast to her own home which required a near army of people providing upkeep.

Without any hesitation, Vinyl unlocked her front door and bounded inside, kicking off her shoes in mid stride. Octavia gracefully removed her own shoes and watched Vinyl leap towards the stairs. “Um, should we perhaps be more quiet?” Octavia asked.

“Quiet? Why?” Vinyl stopped at the top of the stairs to face her.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to upset your parents by making too much noise.”

“Oh, it’s just us for now. I live with my mom, and she works kinda late.” Vinyl motioned for her to follow. “Come on. I wanna show you my room.”

“Um…well…” Octavia took a hesitant step towards the stairs. “I…really should be heading home soon…at the very least by eight o’clock.”

Vinyl gave a big shrug. “It’s fine, girl. Relax. I’m sure I can convince my mom to take you home when she gets back.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to be an imposition on your family.” Octavia protested but still took steps forward.

Vinyl ran partway down the stairs to grab Octavia’s arm before pulling her up in a frenzy. “It’s fine, it’s fine, babe. I can talk my mom into almost anything.”

I have a bad feeling… Octavia stood on the steps in silence for a moment before begrudgingly nodding her head. “If that’s the case…”

“Sweet!” Vinyl led her to her room and blew open the door with pride, moving her hand in a welcoming gesture through the threshold of the door.

Octavia could see now why Vinyl was so excited. The entire room looked absolutely nothing like the rest of the house. The walls and ceiling were padded in specially designed foam which resembled the inside of a music studio. There was a small twin bed, sheets and pillows in a messy pile, a big TV in the corner of the room which must have cost a pretty penny, and even a massive soundboard just like what a true music studio would have. The top corners of the room were home to suspended speakers the size of small car tires as well, but with the big bundles of wire nailed beneath them, it was evident that an amateur had installed them. “…Your…room?” Octavia asked through a hard swallow.

“Kick-ass, right?” Vinyl put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows.

Those definitely were not the words Octavia would have used, but nonetheless, it was truly something. “Quite…” If it wasn’t for the presumably dirty clothes on the floor, this would be the perfect room for someone like Vinyl. Is…that her…underwear?

“Alright! Let’s get to business.” Vinyl began rubbing her hands together like she was about to lift a heavy object. She sat in the chair in front of the soundboard and pulled her laptop out of her bag.

Octavia stood by her side and watched her click and type occasionally, all the while wondering where to sit. As if to answer her question, Vinyl pulled her down onto into the same chair beside her. The physical contact she was now experiencing was undeniably both abrupt and surprising. “U-Um…”

“Hang on, just give me a sec.” Vinyl mumbled as she booted up a program. “Oh, right!” She leapt out of the chair in a clumsy haste to dive under her bed for a small box. Inside the box was an assorted number of MP3 players, all different shapes and sizes. She sat back down beside Octavia will a large pill shaped object and forcefully jammed the device into the USB port with a loud crunch which, even for someone like Octavia who knew nothing about computers, could reasonably assume this probably wasn’t healthy for either machine. “Ok, so you just tell me what songs you want, and I’ll get them on this thing.”

Octavia stared blankly at the computer screen, fully appreciating her ignorance towards all things technology. “Um…do I need to pay for anything?” She asked, a finger tapping her knee.

“Oh, heck no.” Vinyl laughed. “I get all my music for free.”

I can’t believe I’m going to ask… “How…do you manage to do that without any form of payment.”

Vinyl turned to her and winked. “Yeahhhh, this isn’t like, completely legal or anything, so just keep it between us and maybe Lyra.”

“I…see…” Octavia swallowed harder than ever. Oh heaven help me…Vinyl is turning me into a criminal.

“So? You want classical, right? That’s your thing?” Vinyl impatiently drummed her index and middle fingers against the soundboard.

Octavia merely gave a solemn nod, and for the next few minutes, Vinyl began compiling a list of songs and artists of which she imputed into a new playlist library. Each song that was added was automatically searched in Vinyl’s favorite file-sharing site, and each file was burned into ‘mp3’ format and uploaded into the device. So far, there were only a little over twenty songs that used up just shy of a tenth of the device’s storage capacity. “Oh, and perhaps Pachelbel’s Canon in D major.”

“…Right.” Vinyl was clearly bored to tears with classical music playing in the background, but she soldiered on. “Anything else?” She asked while trying her hardest not to let Pachelbel’s music numb the insides of her ears.

“…I can’t think of anything else off the top of my head.” Octavia shook her head, a small level of excitement now brimming inside her chest in anticipation of listening to her favorite pieces.

“Great!” Vinyl sounded just a tiny bit too enthusiastic to stop. “While that thing is working,” She pointed to the computer. “Let’s find you some headphones.” She got up from the chair and shoved her hand into her bag. “Here.” She held out the same earbuds they had been using while walking home together. “You can keep these.”

“Oh…Are you sure, Vinyl?” Octavia gasped. “I couldn’t possibly accept so many gifts in one night.”

“Uh, you’re not.” Vinyl laughed. “Besides, you can’t listen to music without headphones. Just take them, ok? I want you to have them.”

“…Th-Thank you.” Octavia reached out and gently cupped her hand around the long rubber wired pair. “You really didn’t have to.”

“Actually, I did. You can’t tell me you don’t have an MP3 and NOT expect me to get you one. It’s just…you know, like common niceness or whatever.”

I believe the word is decency. Octavia gave a smile and nodded. “Thank you, Vinyl.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Vinyl visibly blushed and rolled her eyes. “If you keep thanking me, you’re not getting anymore of my stuff.”

It was Octavia’s turn to blush, and she diverted her eyes to the big speakers around the room. “…Understood.” She giggled softly.

“So…I bet you wanna hear these guys blast.” Vinyl exhaled hard and pointed to the speakers in an effort to change the subject.

Yet again, those were not the words she would’ve used, but Octavia was curious. “Well…if it’s not an inconvenience.”

Vinyl giggled and slowly shook her head before standing up. She patted Octavia on the head and smiled. “Damn, you are just too freaking cute.” She walked towards the door and flicked a couple of switches on the wall that made the speakers softly ‘pop’ as current was supplied to the drivers. “Hit the space bar on the computer real quick.”

Octavia, still in the midst of an emotional overload from Vinyl’s sudden affection, took a moment of blank silence for the command to fully reach her brain. She did as she was told and was immediately treated to the sound of Pachelbel’s Canon filling the room with the same volume and depth as a concert worthy theater. Vinyl dimmed the lights while moving the knob for the speaker’s volume higher. “Oh…my…word…” All of Octavia’s thoughts and feelings from that previous moment seemed to disappear as her ears were filled with the sound of a grand piano echo through the room like a whistle into a massive cave.

“Sweet, right?” Vinyl nodded her head, very pleased at Octavia’s reaction. This type of music wasn’t exactly what these speakers were designed for, but it was still impressive. Vinyl watched as Octavia’s smile grew bigger and bigger, her feet began shuffling slowly back and forth across the floor as if in a dance.

This was exactly right. Octavia was completely enraptured by the sound of music. Without any care towards the scattered clothing on the floor, she whisked her arms side to side. “Vinyl, your room is magnificen-” Octavia gasped softly when she felt Vinyl gently grab her hands, their faces only inches apart. “V-Vinyl?...Is something…wron-”

Her smile now replaced by a somber and apologetic frown, Vinyl muttered just loudly enough to be heard over the music. “I’m…sorry, Tavi…”

The Conversation

View Online

“W-What…d-do you…do you mean?” Octavia’s voice was muddled by dozens of frogs climbing up and down her throat. Her feet shifted uncomfortably, and her face burned from a flustered heat the likes of which she had never experienced before. Each breath she took was short and labored from the tension running up and down each of her limbs which wasn’t helped at all by the feeling of Vinyl’s warm exhaling against her cheeks.

Vinyl sighed for a long moment, swinging her head side to side in an effort to find the right words. “I…” She sighed again and put her hands on Octavia’s shoulders. “…I’ve been kinda…going crazy with you I guess.”

Octavia slowly shook her head and struggled to gulp down what little saliva her dry mouth would allow. “…I…don’t understand.” This was a gross understatement. Most of the time, she had absolutely no idea what Vinyl was talking about, but this moment truly was the blue ribbon pig. V-Vinyl, y-you’re scaring me… Octavia had every intention of speaking those words, but her throat closed up completely while she saw Vinyl’s frustrated face.

“I mean…I’m sorry for, you know, dragging you places and getting in your business…” Vinyl began to breathe easier now that words were flowing out of her lips more easily. “What Bon Bon said earlier today…” She cast her eyes down at the floor and dropped her arms to her side. “…I guess it started to make me worry.” She looked back up at Octavia with a solemn expression. “…I’m kinda worried that I’m…getting way too into your life. I think…well, I got this feeling that I bother you sometimes.” Vinyl closed her eyes and dropped her chin a bit, some of her messy blue hair falling across her forehead. “I dunno. It’s like I’m…invading your space, you know?”

Yes, Vinyl. I do know… Octavia thought, more aware than ever of Vinyl’s physical proximity. She slowly nodded her head while swallowing hard. Maybe the irony of Vinyl’s words was lost to the person saying them, but they certainly weren’t lost to her.

With a massive sigh that noticeably drooped her shoulders, Vinyl cast her eyes down again. “I’m doing it…all over again…to you right now.” Her words were dripping with self-hate and disappointment.

It was taking longer than she would’ve liked, but Octavia eventually comprehended her situation. After nearly a minute, she had somewhat gotten used to Vinyl’s close presence, allowing her mind to think more freely. Vinyl was feeling guilty for something. It had something to do with herself and coercing herself into spending prolonged periods of time with Vinyl. But what does she mean by ‘all over again’? And…’to me now’? As if on impulse alone, Octavia slowly brought a hand up to Vinyl’s chin, her fingers barely pressing against the pale girl’s cheek. She couldn’t help but take notice of Vinyl’s pretty eyelashes that surprisingly matched her electric blue hair. She…doesn’t dye her hair? “V-Vinyl…” Octavia nearly whispered. “Please…don’t feel bad…”

Vinyl’s eyes opened suddenly as she looked upwards again. “…I-I can’t help it, Tavi…” A tear was beginning to form around the corner of her left eye. “…I gotta know. Do I bother you sometimes? I-I’m not gonna be l-like, mad or anything if you say yes. I just…I gotta know.”

Octavia took a deep breath and rubbed her thumb against Vinyl’s soft cheek. “It’s alright, Vinyl…Please, don’t be upset.” She slowly wrapped her arms around her new bestie and squeezed gently. “I promise you, I am not bothered at all. Spending time with you…yes, I suppose it can be overwhelming sometimes, but…I’ve never had this much fun before.” Octavia didn’t realize just how many times her thumb brushed against Vinyl’s parting lips.

“You…really mean that? Cross your heart and hope to fly?” Vinyl cracked a small smile and hugged back. “You really don’t think I’m pushy?”

Hope to what? Octavia giggled softly at the strange euphemism. She had no idea where Vinyl picked that up, but it was rather amusing. “I really do. I truly mean that.” Octavia smiled and bit her lip to keep from giggling again. “Yes, Vinyl, you can be pushy sometimes. Perhaps if I was someone else, I wouldn’t be very happy about it. However…I suppose…I don’t really mind it.” This made Vinyl’s smile brighten a little. “In fact…I rather like it.”

Vinyl stepped back and put both hands on her head before exhaling the biggest sigh Octavia had ever seen. She then began to giggle and run her fingers through her head. “Oh, good... Good good good good good…” Vinyl proceeded to quickly hug her much tighter. “That is a HUUUUUGE relief. Holy crap, you have no idea how freaked I was.”

Octavia was still learning Vinyl’s strange language, but even she knew that being ‘freaked’ was probably not a pleasant experience. “I-I’m very happy…to hear it.” Octavia felt like giggling some more too, but the pressure around her torso was making it hard to breathe let alone laugh. “Vinyl, you can…” She coughed. “…let go of me now.”

“O-Oh, yeah…sorry.” Vinyl let go and nervously shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans while whipping her head gently to the side, her hair flowing down the side of her head.

Octavia daintily put a hand on Vinyl’s shoulder with a soft smile. “Thank you for inviting me over today.”

“Even after I dragged you over here?” Vinyl asked with a sheepish smirk and rolled her eyes at herself.

“Yes.” Octavia lowered her arm and gently squeezed Vinyl’s fingers between her two palms. “Vinyl…you are my friend…” She blushed at her own words and gazed down at their interlocked hands. My first friend, really… Octavia very gently cleared her throat and forced herself to look back up. “…and I hope you…still want to be my friend for a while.”

“Are you kidding?” Vinyl snickered. “You’re awesome, girl! I’m hanging ON to you, babe.” This made Octavia’s blush deepen and caused her to make a cute, embarrassed giggle.

With no cue and no time for preparation, a solid knocking rapped against Vinyl’s bedroom door that made both girls nearly jump and turn their heads toward the noise. “Vine?” An older woman’s voice asked. “Vine? You in there? I hear classical music. Is everything ok?”

“H-Hey, mom.” Vinyl raced towards the door and turned the music down before opening the door to reveal a tall, slender woman with electric silver hair that danced the very same way as Vinyl’s.

“Did you remember to take out the-” The woman stopped and abruptly face Octavia. “Oh, didn’t know you had company over. Hi there.” She gave a little wave and a nod. “New friend of yours, Vine?”

“Oh, yeah.” Vinyl nodded and pushed her hands back into her pockets. “Mom, this is Tavi.”

“Tavi?” Her mother raised an eyebrow.

“Octavia.” With an outstretched hand, Octavia stepped forward and politely grasped the woman’s palm to give a graceful little shake. “Octavia Melody.”

“Ohhhhhhhhh.” Vinyl’s mother laughed and ran her fingers through her hair just as her daughter would. The similarities didn’t stop there. Her sense of style and her features were almost like Vinyl’s personal mirror into the future, minus the blue. She wore brown cargo pants with visible black streaks along the thighs and a khaki colored shirt with the name ‘Silver’ above the right front pocket. The left front pocket had a label that said ‘Canterlot Utilities, INC’ embossed in giant letters which seemed to grab the eyes. To top everything off, she wore a very functional looking watch over an entire sleeve of ink covering her left arm. Octavia had absolutely no idea what any of the ink meant, and she couldn’t help but feel intimidated by it. “Octavia…Tavi…got it.” Silver put a hand atop her daughter’s head and messed up her hair. “You got yourself a real doll here, kid.”

“Aw, come on, mom. Don’t make this weird.” Vinyl visibly blushed, but instead of shying away from embarrassment, she brushed her mother’s hand to the side and jabbed her in the ribs with her knuckles.

Octavia’s heart nearly stopped at the sight of horseplay. The very idea of engaging in any form of physicality with one’s own mother was a thought that Octavia had never once considered let alone entertained. At first, she wondered if Vinyl’s mother would send her away to the library or force her to wax and polish the pianos in the study. She couldn’t have possibly just… It wasn’t until Silver had put her daughter into a playful headlock did Octavia realize that this was not her home. There was no library full of books that needed sorting and no study that constantly smelled like furniture polish. This was Vinyl’s home, filled with loving, blue color type individuals who didn’t waste time on strict dress codes or routine schedules.

Vinyl’s mother now had her daughter’s head tucked into her elbow while administering what Octavia later learned was a ‘noogie’. It looked, above all else, painful. Vinyl, however, didn’t seemed to mind it too much. Her only complaint was about the possibility of her hair getting messed up, something that seemed almost impossible considering its natural state. “M-Ma! Come on!”

Silver let her daughter go with a hearty chuckle before turning to Octavia. “You want a chicken wing or something?” She asked. “I bought some grub on my way home if you girls are hungry.”

“O-Oh, I…I couldn’t possibly at the moment.” Octavia shook her head before bowing slightly. “I must be heading home as soon as possible. I’m sure my mother is very curious as to my whereabouts…even as we speak.” Having reminded herself of her mother’s wrath, Octavia immediately remembered how important it was to return to her mansion.

Vinyl shook herself off and whipped her hair back. “Can Tavi get a ride home?”

“Hmm…” Silver nodded her head, but she held off on giving a full answer as she thought for a moment. “Well, my car is a mess. Is that ok?”

“Um…I…don’t think that will be a problem.” Octavia shook her head. In truth, she wasn’t entirely sure. If Vinyl’s room was any indication, her mother’s car probably wasn’t any better.

Sure enough, her intuitions were correct. Octavia was quickly brought outside to Silver’s vehicle, and not only was the small SUV full of rolled up sandwich bags and empty soda cans, the interior had a faint yet unmistakable aroma of stale cigarettes. “Hop in the side there.” Silver motioned towards the passenger door while swinging herself into the driver’s seat. “You can kick the cans around if you want.”

Octavia’s head nearly jerked back at the sight and smell of the vehicle, but she did her best to restrain her cringing while gingerly positioning herself into the seat. “This is…quite the vehicle.” She heard herself comment. It didn’t dawn on Octavia until then that she had very rarely ever ridden in the front of a car. Having been driven around by a family chauffeur all her life never afforded her the luxury of actually being in the front seat.

“It’s a piece of crap.” Silver laughed. “One of these days I’m gonna buy one of those kick-ass hatchbacks and sell this junk.”

To Octavia, this sounded like a good idea. She had no idea what a ‘hatchback’ was, but a step up is a step up regardless. She was about to buckle her seatbelt just as Vinyl ran out the front door, the MP3 player in one hand and half a chicken leg in the other with the other half crammed in her mouth. Vinyl knocked on the passenger window, and Silver flipped the switch to roll it down. “Tavith, you fothoth thisth.” She held out the MP3 player, a pair of headphones wrapped around the large pill with a smaller device beside it. Vinyl swallowed and spoke again. “You’re gonna need a charger too.”

Octavia gratefully accepted the gifts and placed in her lap. “Thank you, Vinyl.” She said with a happy smile. “I very much appreciate this gesture.”

“Aw, come on. It’s no biggie. Just don’t be surprised if I want your pudding tomorrow.” Vinyl said with a wink.

-o0o-

“And if they perchance leapt from a cliff, would you?” Those were the last words she heard before going to bed the night before. Octavia had to admit that the previous day was one of the happiest times of her life, but her mother had drained nearly all the joy from it.

When Octavia returned home that previous evening, it had been almost eight at night. Her mother had been watching the window, the ornate home phone in one hand in preparation to report a missing child to the police. When Octavia walked through the front door, she received a long slew of lecturing words about her changing behavior and strange new attitude. Alright, the behavior Octavia could agree with, but the attitude was very far fetched. In reality, Octavia had spent little to no time with her mother in the past week, so any change in her ‘attitude’, as her mother put it, was completely false. This was her mother’s way of punishing and shaming her, knowing that Octavia would never disagree or retaliate. Without her father home, Octavia had the misfortune of getting quite the earful about her new friends, none of whom her mother had ever met or even seen pictures of.

By the time Octavia reached her room, she decided enough was enough. Something inside her had actually changed, even if only miniscule. In a way, her mother was partially right. Maybe her attitude was indeed different, and maybe hanging out with Vinyl had given her the courage to speak her mind to her mother for the first time in her life. “I don’t care, mother.” She had said with sternness in her voice that was quite unlike herself. “I enjoy the company of my new friends, and I believe them to be decent people.”

“Oh, heavens, daughter!” Her mother had exclaimed with her usual evening wine fueled temper. “Are these new girls teaching you to forgo all your manners?” Octavia had nothing to say after that. She continued to stand in the threshold of her bedroom while allowing her mother to rant. “I suppose these new friends of yours showed you quite the life, didn’t they? You probably wasted plenty of time speaking to boys of ill repute and listening to all manner of unsavory music when you should have been here, at home, practicing for your next recital! I believe I understand your new friends quite clearly now, Octavia Melody.” She always used Octavia’s full name when speaking down to her. “And if they perchance leapt from a cliff, would you?”

The anger that was building up within Octavia’s chest had become so heated that she actually slammed her bedroom door closed right in front of her mother’s face. That had been the last time they had spoken with each other, her mother refusing to even acknowledge her presence when breakfast was being served by their kitchen staff the following morning. Octavia’s means of escape while falling asleep that night and while being driven to school that morning had been Vinyl’s gift. The MP3 player was an immense source of much needed relaxation and joy that did wonders to lift her spirits by the time she made it to school. She felt even better after being greeted by a certain someone at her locker.

Vinyl was hiding behind Octavia’s open locker door, waiting for the right moment. When Octavia closed the door, she smiled brightly. “Good morning, Vinyl.” She said, her words full of sincere warmth.

“What up, Tavi?” Vinyl leaned against the lockers and returned the smile. “You know what day it is?”

“Um, I don’t believe so.” Octavia shook her head and took note of Vinyl’s strange choice in wardrobe. Although she always dressed rather peculiar, what she was wearing today caused Octavia to be quite flustered. Her mother…let her leave her home looking like this? Today must be special because Vinyl had on a VERY short white and blue pleated skirt, white nylon tights, big furry socks covering her ankles, and a white dress shirt with a tie with oversized sleeves hanging past her wrists. Octavia’s attention was mostly focused on the tie, and it wasn’t just any tie.

“It’s wacky tie day!” Vinyl announced. “But it looks like you got that covered already.” She smirked while flicking the bowtie around Octavia’s neck.

“My bowtie isn’t…wacky, as you put it.” Octavia couldn’t hold back a small giggle. “Unlike yours, however.” And might I add, the rest of your…attire.

“Oh, this thing?” Vinyl looked down at her tie and flipped it around two of her fingers. Although its shape and function was like any other tie, this one was completely transparent with a bluish tint. “Is cool, huh? It glows in the dark.”

“I see…” Octavia peered at it with genuine amazement. She pondered why anyone in their right mind would need something like this. What type of occasion called for a glow-in-the-dark tie? Vinyl definitely seemed like the type of person who would know the answer to such a question.

“I’ll show you at lunch in the bathroom.” Vinyl flipped the tie with her thumb and dropped her hand, completely oblivious to just how creepy her words sounded until listening to the awkward silence surrounding the cellist. “Wait…that came out wrong.”

Yes, Vinyl…it did. Octavia chose to ignore that statement and tucked her textbook against her waist, desperately fighting back an ill-mannered giggle. She nervously cleared her throat and tried to start another conversation. “I suppose this explains the statistically significant number of students wearing ties today.”

“Yeah, it’s catching on, girl. I think you started it.” Vinyl joked while pointing a finger lazily at a passing student.

“Me? That…I am very hard pressed to believe.”

“Oh, come on. You’re like, the only person I know who actually wears a tie to school.” Vinyl took a step next to Octavia’s side before beginning their little walk towards the other end of school. “Besides, you know, the teachers and whatever.”

Octavia looked herself over quickly and noted her rather bland wardrobe. Dark grey accented everything she wore, everything very formal and plain. After spending so much time with her new friends, she was beginning to wonder if a change in appearance was in order apart from the new hairstyle. “Hm…” Octavia ran her palms down her sides and continued to walk forward. “Is…the skirt…part of this new holiday as well?”

“What?” Vinyl giggled. “Oh, no way, babe. This skirt is just sexy.”

It was easier not to cough since Octavia wasn’t drinking anything, but if she did have a mouthful of water, she would’ve choked. “P-Pardon me?”

Vinyl put her hands on her hips and shook her tooshie side to side. “Come on, Tavi. You can tell me. Is it hot or is it HAWT?”

“How about NOT.”

Vinyl whipped her head a full hundred and eighty degree backwards to stare down the newcomer. She didn’t have to ask who it was. “What did you say?”

“Hey, it just doesn’t work for you, V.” Lyra said with a shrug. “Octavia could probably pull it off better than you.”

“M-Me?” Octavia pointed at herself, immediately imagining what she might look like in such a short skirt. It was picture that both seemed impossible and ridiculous. “I-I couldn’t possibly.”

“I dunno.” Vinyl put a finger to her chin and began roaming intense eyes up and down Octavia’s figure, having found the discipline to ignore Lyra’s insult for the time being. “I think you could totally do it. Your butt can’t be worse than mine.”

Lyra snickered and nodded her head while sticking her thumbs into the pockets of her ripped black jeans. “Yeah, and Vinyl’s ass is nothing great either.”

Vinyl glared at Lyra again. “You wouldn’t know a good ass if you had one in your hands.”

“Talking from experience, V?” Lyra snickered louder. This made Vinyl’s face scowl hard into a fierce frown, anger very evident in her face.

“Good morning, girls.” Bon Bon interjected while walking up behind Octavia. “Would you two excuse us? I think Octavia and I need to visit the little girl’s room before class.”

“W-We do?” Octavia asked with a stutter as she felt Bon Bon gently tug her away from the other two girls.

“Aw, come on, Bonny. I just got here.” Vinyl groaned obnoxiously. “You’re gonna leave me alone with this jerk?”

Lyra crossed her arms and raised and raised an eyebrow at her. “Oh, I’m the jerk now? What about when I gave you my last pencil on Monday?”

Bon Bon shook her head with exasperation and pulled Octavia down the hall and around the corner. “I am so sorry about them, Octavia.” She said with a sigh. “I saw Vinyl dressed like that this morning, and I should’ve warned you.”

“Warned…me?” Octavia felt very puzzled, partly because they were nowhere near a bathroom.

“Yeah, um…” Bon Bon looked around the hallway as if to check for acceptable privacy. “Vinyl gets kinda…weird. I’m sure you know that by now. That, and with Lyra around…ughhh…”

Octavia giggled softly for a moment. “Well, perhaps. But…I must admit, even after our brief time together, I have grown somewhat accustomed to her behavior.”

“That’s…gooooood.” Bon Bon drew out her words with a slow nod. “At least she doesn’t drive you crazy. But…I think I should tell you that, well, I’ve noticed that Vinyl can get, um…extra weird around you.”

Now Octavia felt very puzzled. “I don’t…quite understand.”

Bon Bon cleared her throat. “What I mean is…Vinyl has been acting EXTRA weird around you.” She repeated herself while added emphasis to help clarify. It wasn’t working, so she continued to try and elaborate. “And today…I wasn’t going to bring it up, but…” She sighed heavily. “…When I saw her dressed like that…”

“Extra…weird?” Those two words used in the same sentence didn’t feel quite right coming out of her own mouth. Octavia could actually taste the badly structured letters rolling off her tongue.

“Mm, yeah.” Bon Bon nodded once and patted Octavia on the shoulder. “Just…uh, just tell me if Vinyl does something stupid or…uncomfortable. I’ll talk to her about it.”

Octavia merely gave a nod of her own. Should I be…worried? She raised a finger as if to say something, but she uttered no sound for quite some time, allowing a moment of silence to pass. “…Am…I to understand that…my presence has created some form of nuisance?”

“Oh, no no no, of course not.” Bon Bon gave her hug and rubbed Octavia on the back for reassurance. “I think it’s wonderful that Vinyl has a positive influence in her life now that you’re here. I’d hate to think what she’d be like by the time she’s a senior if she was left alone all the time.”

“I…see.” This did reassure Octavia a little, but she still felt unsure of herself. “Forgive me, but…why does she only act like this around me?”

“Uhhhhhh…” Bon Bon’s eyes grew wide as she slowly looked away. If she had been talking to any other girl, it would’ve been fairly obvious what that kind of expression meant, or at least any other girl would have a very good idea. However, this was Octavia, and the innocent mind in front of her didn’t quite get that level of intricate body language. “Yeah, ummm…let’s just say that…Vinyl really digs you.”

“So, Vinyl really enjoys my company?” Octavia pressed further for more relevant information to ease her mind. This was one of those times where basic words were being used out of context, and Octavia felt more confused than ever.

“Y-Yes!” Bon Bon awkwardly giggled and nodded, grateful that she didn’t have to explain any further while keeping Octavia’s ignorance intact. “She really likes hanging out with you.”

“I am rather happy to hear it.” Octavia smiled with some relief. “I enjoy her company as well.”

“G-Great! Ok, I’m glad we had this talk.” Bon Bon lowered her arms and took a step back. “I…gotta go to my locker before class starts, so I’ll see you at lunch.” She turned to walk away before stopping to turn around for one quick second. “Just tell me if she does something weird, ok?”

“I…will endeavor to keep you informed.”

“Oh, boy…” Bon Bon groaned inwardly as she muttered softly to herself before speaking up to give a full reply. “Ok, good. See you later.” She waved and began walking away, leaving Octavia standing next to a pair of lockers all by herself in a hallway she had never been in before.

-o0o-

With a very intent glare at the textbook on her desk, Octavia darted her eyes up and down the open pages. Her feet fidgeted against the hard floor as a pen tapped against the desk in her hand. To her teacher, Octavia looked to be hard at work, eagerly putting all mental effort into learning today’s material. This, however, could not be farther from the truth. Octavia’s analytical mind was spinning at terminal velocity, but she wasn’t thinking about school or about the functions of a biological cell. Instead, she was severely contemplating the conversation she had with Bon Bon.

True, she did acknowledge that Vinyl was and will forever be ‘weird’. This was not news to her, nor did she find it unappealing. It was part of her pedestrian charm, and Vinyl made it work very well. But… Octavia sighed very softly and bit the tip of her pen, a behavior her mother would have been livid about. …what is Vinyl not telling me? She couldn’t deny the heresy evidence presented to her. Bon Bon was very clear and very adamant about Vinyl. In a way, Octavia felt like she had just been warned of some sort of danger that Vinyl imposed. It’s nothing I need fret about. Vinyl means well. I’m sure it’s nothing…

All of this consternation and worry would have gone right over her head if Octavia hadn’t been subject to a smaller yet strikingly similar conversation the night before with Vinyl’s mother. As she was being driven home, Octavia heard Vinyl’s mother ask, “Has Vine been nice to you?”

Octavia’s reply was a resounding “Yes, of course. She is very considerate.” This was all true, but Octavia had said this mostly to ease the mind of a worried mother without paying much thought to any implication in those words.

Instead of replying with a brief acknowledgement of understanding, Silver had actually followed up with more. “Ok, good to know. Is, uh…Vine giving you enough, uh…space?”

“Space?” Octavia’s confusion was genuine at the time despite being half-hearted.

“Yeah, I mean, she’s not like, uh…you know, getting super close to you or hugging you…too much?” It was very clear that Vinyl’s mother was making every effort to sound and appear nonchalant, but the sincere worry and concern in her voice was larger than the growing pile of cigarette ashes in the cup holder by the steering column.

At that time, Octavia just shook her head. It was another one of those moments that had happened with her other friends in the past, another casual worry that Vinyl might be making her feel uncomfortable because she was, well, different. Yet again, it was another time where Octavia underestimated the gravity of her new friendship. “I…suppose not.” She stated. “Vinyl was somewhat overwhelming at first, but I know she means well.”

Octavia took a deep breath and closed her eyes in order to follow her working mind with better focus, putting the pen down beside her textbook for good measure. What am I not being told about Vinyl? She wondered, letting the words echo in her mind. Vinyl, what are you not telling me? It wasn’t all Vinyl’s fault. There were at least two other people who knew more than she did and were not fully willing to go into detail. Vinyl’s mother, and Bon Bon….

Well, asking Silver about her daughter was probably out of the question. They had only known each other for not even a full day. This only left Bon Bon. Of course, Bon Bon had no physical relation to Vinyl, and from what Octavia understood, they were just friends who spent intermittent time together. Still… She knows something…and I hate to admit it, but…my curiosity is becoming quite unbearable.

All at once, her teacher called her name, and Octavia’s head shot up from the textbook. “Did you hear me, Ms. Melody?” A very gruff and low male voice asked. The teacher’s name was Mr. Doodle, but in secret, students called him Cranky. At first, Octavia thought this was just a tasteless mockery of his personality until searching his name in last year’s yearbook.

“P-Pardon?” Octavia could actually hear the broken crackling of her adolescent voice, probably due to being shocked out of her thoughts. “I-I am terribly sorry. What was the question?”

The entire class snickered and giggled. For them, it was a real treat to see the star pupil brought down to their level, but Mr. Doodle flat out ignored them. “Which organelle provides energy to the cell?” He asked, clearly not enjoying having to teach any form of science. Mr. Doodle prided himself on being a history teacher, but part of being a high school teacher means substituting for a colleague.

“The…” Octavia hesitated to answer, her mind still not fully returned to the present. “…the…mitochondria?” Even if the pronunciation was off a little, Octavia had given the right answer even if Mr. Doodle did have to check his own textbook in hand just to be sure. This meant that, instead of snickering and laughter, the class had returned to glaring at her like the smart know-it-all she was accustomed to being.

When the lunch bell rang, Octavia was one of the first students out the door. She hurried to her locker and shoved her textbook away into the little alcove before closing the door and turning her back to lean up against the wall. She closed her eyes and sighed slowly. An undeniable sense of apprehension and worry was beginning to overtake her once she had come to a horrible realization. There were two possibilities that awaited her, depending on her actions. If she made the decision to press Bon Bon…or even Vinyl…then she might damage the only friendships she had at the moment. But…if she did nothing and went about her own business, then whatever ‘weird’ thing Vinyl might do would probably happen given enough time, and that could end up being just as bad or possibly worse. Oh, dear… Why did I have to make friends? Octavia quickly opened her eyes, feeling a small urge to slap herself in the face. Don’t say that, Octavia! She internally scolded herself. You’re just…new to the concept of friendship. I’m sure this is still nothing monumental. Vinyl won’t hate you if you…if you…learn more about her. Isn’t that what friends do?

Octavia experienced a bit of relief and allowed her shoulders to relax. In her mind, this was a very good plan. She valued Vinyl and the relationship they shared, and she was determined to make things work. See, Octavia? She thought with a smile. Every problem can be solved with logical thought and a reasonable solution.

“Um, excuse me?”

A very soft voice stirred Octavia back into the present reality. She turned to face the voice and was surprised to find that she needed to look down. In her own experience, Octavia had always been very far from being the tallest in her class, so whoever this person was had to be very short indeed. In front of her was a tiny little girl with pale yellow skin and hair pink like plush blanket. “Y-Yes?” Octavia asked, both hands now clasping the handles of her cello case.

“Um…w-well, if…it’s ok…” The little yellow girl’s voice was high like a grade schooler and her physical build was no better. “…could…I-I get to my…” She pointed with a slender little finger at the wall behind Octavia. “…locker?”

“Oh, y-yes, of course.” Octavia stepped out of the way and bowed respectfully. “My sincere apologizes.”

“T-Thank you…” The little girl slowly approached her locker and began fiddling with the combination lock.

While unconsciously staring at the small individual with great intrigue, Octavia’s vision suddenly blackened. She felt a warm pair of hands clasp around her eyes and a comically evil voice say “Guess who?”

“V-Vinyl?” Octavia slowly turned to face her.

“Kinda obvious, huh?” Vinyl smirked. “Guess you know me pretty well by now.”

Not as well as I would like, but I suppose... “Perhaps…” Octavia nervously lowered her eyes. “I think I am starting to recognize your voice.”

“Hey, you ok?” Vinyl asked with a genuine look of concern. “You look like you just took a math test or something.”

“No, nothing like that.” Octavia shook her head. “I’m sorry. My mind has been…rather busy these past couple of hours.”

“Oh?” Vinyl circled an arm around her neck. “What happened? You have to take a bunch of quizzes?”

Octavia dutifully shook her head. “No, it’s…” She paused to consider her words. Now probably wouldn’t be the best time to pose any questions. “…nothing.”

“Ok, well, if it’s nothing, then stop thinking so hard.” Vinyl giggled. “Seriously. You’re gonna give yourself a brain tumor or something.”

“Is that how that works?” Octavia asked.

“I dunno.” Vinyl shrugged and dropped her arm. “Oh, hey, I was thinking. After school, do you wanna go to the mall again?”

“Again? I-I’m not sure. I don’t think my stomach can handle any more sugar and pizza.”

“No, dorko.” Vinyl laughed. “Not back to the arcade. I thought we could check out the music shops. There’s a new album out this week and I wanna find the best price.”

“I-I see.” Octavia thought for a moment. “…Will it take too long?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I’m not gonna keep you out super late like last night.”

“Then…yes, I would like to accompany you.”

Vinyl began laughing harder. “You make it sound like I’m asking you to prom or something.”

“Am I?” Octavia blushed a bit and awkwardly shifted the cello case in her hands. She may be thick when it came to social events, but even she had heard of prom. “I really wasn’t trying to.”

“It’s ok, babe. Don’t worry. I’m starting to kinda get how you talk.” Vinyl gave her a pat on the back. “Besides, it’s kinda cute. You got this ‘damsel in distress’ thing going on.”

“I-I…do?”

“Yeah. I could totally see you locked away as a child in a big castle with maids and stuff.”

Oh, Vinyl…If only you knew just how right you are… Octavia blushed harder and lowered her eyes even farther. “I-I see…”

Vinyl put a hand on her shoulder and leaned in to speak in a quiet voice. “You sure you’re ok, Tavi? I gotta be honest…you don’t look a hundred percent there.”

Before Octavia had a chance to reply, she saw Vinyl snap her head to the side while shifting her feet in an awkward attempt to recoil. “V-Vinyl???”

“O-Ow!” Vinyl rubbed her cheek and narrowed her eyes in the direction of the assailant.

“Gotcha!” Lyra strolled up to the pair, her hand cocked into the shape of a gun, a rubber band draped around her thumb. “Suuhhh-nappp!”

Vinyl quickly stepped forward and jerked her elbow against Lyra’s stomach. “Snap this!”

“Geez, V! I was just messing with you!” Lyra grumbled while rubbing her side after taking a moment to get air back into her lungs “Hey, Octavia.”

“Hello.” Octavia gave a quick little wave and began fidgeting with her hair.

“I heard something about the music store?” Lyra stuffed her gun into her pocket with a smile.

“Yeah, you’re not coming.” Vinyl bluntly spoke while rolling her eyes.

“Oh, well ok, dad.” Lyra shrugged. “Let me ask mom. Hey, Octavia? Can I go with you to the music store?”

Octavia’s eyes grew wide as she brought her gaze back up. “U-Uh…w-well I-I…”

“Honey, no.” Vinyl slipped an arm around her waist. “Lyra’s been a bad girl today, we can’t take her. I think she should be grounded.”

Octavia blushed incredibly hard and barely met Vinyl’s comically serious gaze. But when she did, she couldn’t help but giggle. “N-No, um…dear. I think Lyra needs a time out.”

“Really?” Lyra put her hands on her hips. “Even you, Octavia?”

“Hey, watch how you talk to your mom, kid.” Vinyl growled.

While the trio was engaged in their social fun, the tiny little yellow girl had put her books away and closed her locker door. Unfortunately, she was now completely boxed in against the lockers. She saw the two taller girls, the blue hair and the green hair begin jabbing and poking each other again. The only one left to try and communicate with was the grey, plain looking individual next to her. She reached up with two fingers and gently tugged on her sleeve.

Octavia turned when she felt her elbow being jerked down against her side. “Y-Yes?” She asked, surprised that this girl was still here.

“U-Um…c-could…could, could I…slip by you really quick?” She asked with the same, almost inaudible voice.

-o0o-

“What about this one?”

“I guess, but I don’t feel like buying three disks.”

Vinyl palmed her face and pointed to another column of CDs. “Ok, well how about we split the price.”

“Really?” Lyra asked with astonishment. “You sure?”

“Yeah, I mean, I can burn the songs on my computer and you can keep the disks.”

“Wow, that’s pretty cool. Sure, I’d be down.” Lyra nodded with a smile before turning to Bon Bon standing a few feet away, thumbing through a stack of jazz records. “Hey, Bon. Vinyl said she can bur-”

Vinyl quickly slapped a hand over Lyra’s mouth to shut her up. “Girl, chill!” She hissed. “You wanna pipe a little?”

Lyra shoved the hand away and rolled her eyes. “Sorry, sorry…geez.”

“Are you two ever going to pick something?” Bon Bon said with a sigh before pointing to the solitary figure by the record player, headphones on her head. “I think Octavia is about to die from boredom.”

“You can’t actually die from boredom.” Lyra interjected.

Vinyl rubbed the back of her head, causing her eclectic hair to dance over her eyes. “I dunno. I guess if you can die from eating too much chocolate, you can die from boredom.”

“You’d have to eat a lot of chocolate…” Lyra put a finger to her chin. “Like ten bars or something.”

“Um, probably more than that.” Vinyl gave a shrug. “Try fifty.”

“How about you two try and pick something so we can get out of here.” Bon Bon sighed again and shook her head. “If I have to reread another poster in this place, I’m going to pinch you both on the cheek.”

Vinyl turned around to face her with a mischievous smirk. “You promise, Bonny?”

“Yeah, maybe a little lower.” Lyra added.

“And from behind.”

“Oh, good grief… You two are worse than the boys in my gym class.” Bon Bon palmed herself in the face hard enough to make some significant noise. She began walking away towards Octavia, taking care to stand next to her within view so she wouldn’t startle her. “Octavia?” She gently poked her in the side.

“Hm?” Octavia took the headphones off and put them down on top of the record machine. “Is…everything alright?”

“Mhm.” Bon Bon smiled warmly and leaned her head to the side to whisper. “I’m just checking up on you. What are you listening to?”

“Oh, this is Tocatta in D minor.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“Well, it is a lesser known piece when compared to Minute in G or Ode to Joy, but after a few years studying the later works of-”

Bon Bon shook her head politely. “Sorry, Octavia. I’m not going to lie to you. I really can’t follow.”

“O-Oh.” Octavia blushed a bit and nodded. “Forgive me. Sometimes I make the assumption that everyone around me knows of what I speak of.” She paused for a moment and turned to Bon Bon with a more apologetic expression. “Oh, n-no, I didn’t mean it in such a way. I did not mean to sound condescending.”

“It’s ok.” Bon Bon calmed her down by giving her a quick little hug. “I’m not offended or anything. I actually think it’s really nice that you enjoy something so much. To be honest, I was wondering if you listened to any music at all.”

“I…do my best to make the time for it.” Octavia remembered the MP3 in her pocket and squeezed it gently. “Although, Vinyl was thoughtful enough to make it more convenient.”

“She…did?” Bon Bon was confused. “What do you mean?”

“She gave me something.” Octavia reached deeper into the pocket of her skirt and retrieved the device, holding it out for Bon Bon to see.

“Oh, an MP3 player.” Bon Bon giggled. “It’s called an MP3.”

“Is it?” Octavia thought back to the night before. “Oh, that’s right. Vinyl said the same thing.”

“It’s ok.” Bon Bon giggled again and pressed her cheek against Octavia’s shoulder for a moment. “You know, for the longest time until I was six, I thought clouds came from big factories.”

“I…see…” Octavia blushed again. Me too…until I was twelve. “Um, Bon Bon…I wanted to…talk to you about this morning.”

“Oh?” Bon Bon straightened up a bit and discreetly cast a glance back at the misguidedly dressed pair in the back of the shop.

“…Y-Yes.” Octavia gave a slow nod. “I do…apologize. I know I shouldn’t press the matter, and it really isn’t any of my business. H-However…I…”

“No, I’m the one who’s sorry, Octavia. I brought it up, and I don’t think I should have.” Bon Bon put a hand on her wrist to comfort her. “I mean, it wasn’t really my place to say anything. I just don’t want you to feel awkward or anything. It’s not a big deal, so let’s just forget about it.”

“Well, alright. But I am…actually glad you told me.” Octavia gave a sheepish smile. “Does…this mean that you trust me?”

“What?” Bon Bon rolled her eyes with a smile. “Of course I do. We’re friends now, aren’t we? Between you and me, I think you’re the best out of the bunch. You make hanging out with V and Ly-Ly way easier.”

“I see.” Octavia giggled for a moment and quickly covered her mouth. “I appreciate the sentiment.”

“Oh, you are very welcome.” Bon Bon gave her a quick hug and smile back.

Octavia retrieved the record from the player and gently slid it back into its paper cover. “Since…it’s just you and I for moment, I was…curious.”

“Hm?” Bon Bon flipped the power switch off on the player. “What about?”

“I know…you said it’s no big deal, but I…” Octavia turned to face her and took a deep breath. “If Vinyl values me as a friend, I would like to know more about her. I value her as well, but…I have yet to find the courage to ask her directly.”

“Ohhh…” Bon Bon put a finger to her chin and bit her lip. “Well, there isn’t much to her that isn’t out in the open. She likes that strange electronic music, and she’s a little crazy.” Bon Bon slowly shook her head with a smirk.

Octavia nodded in agreement. “…But…is there anything I don’t know?”

“Huh…” Bon Bon nodded slowly, the smile gone. She paused and cast another glance at the duo behind them. “Well, sure. I’ve known her longer than you, so yeah, there is some stuff. It’s not all that important though.” She suddenly began to stare at the wall of the shop again, blankly looking at a poster she had already read five times. “But…”

“…But?” Octavia’s heart began to beat faster when she noticed the possibility for an opportunity to learn about her dearest friend.

Bon Bon quickly turned to her and put both hands on Octavia’s shoulders for a moment while speaking in a very hushed voice. “Ok, what I’m about to tell you…is strictly between you and me. I don’t really think I should even tell you, but…I don’t want you finding out from someone else.”

Octavia gently cleared her throat and nodded. “I fully understand.”

Bon Bon sighed and gently placed a hand on her forehead. “Back in middle school, Vinyl got in trouble.”

“Trouble? Was it…serious?”

“Yes and no.” Bon Bon shrugged. “In our first year, Vinyl got this, um…well, she got this crush on someone.” When Octavia offered no reply, she continued. “They were friends, I guess. I mean, they hung out for a while, but then…” Bon Bon sighed one more time and let her hands hang by her hips. “…she kissed her.”

Octavia had one of those moments in life where she could have sworn her ears had played tricks on her. Did she just say…h-her? Octavia’s face began to burn a crimson red, and her throat closed up. “H-Her?”

“Yes.” Bon Bon affirmed in a quiet voice. “Her.”

Author's Notes:

I fills my head with so much joy to see so many of you readers commenting and conversing with each other! When I read the comments, I feel like I'm bring ponies together through my passion for romance. You guys are amazing, so incredibly amazing. I really do feel like I'm on this journey with kindred spirits all around me.

I know in the past I tend to do comment responses, but because of the sheer amount of smiles and hugs I've received, Such responses will probably just as long as the story itself. This makes me incredibly happy, but everypony please know that am more than willing express my gratitude more personally. You deserve that much.

Thank you all for reading with me thus far, and I very much look forward to next time!

While the next chapter is in the works, I will be releasing a fluffy M-rated one shot within the next week. If you read that, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

The Sleepover

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When she arrived home, Octavia felt a strange sense of detachment from everything around her. The news Bon Bon had revealed to her had put Octavia into a physical limbo. Her limbs moved slowly and her face showed barely any form of expression. Her mother seemed to like this behavior. Octavia had returned home quiet and reclusive, just the way she wanted, and the cellist didn’t even notice her mother was still not speaking to her. Deep down, she honestly didn’t care anymore. For the moment, her mother was the farthest thing from her mind as Octavia laid on her side with one arm pinned uncomfortably against her hip. Her free hand held her cellphone, and she stared at the screen that told her she had a fair amount of unread texts, all of which were from a particular someone.

Octavia’s breathing remained constant as she dropped the phone beside her and rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. Kissed… She rolled that particular word around in her head until the letters began to clutter her mind. It was an almost foreign word to her the same way words like ‘boom’ or ‘yeah’ sounded strange. Yes, they were all part of the same language, but she had never once in her life used them. ‘Kissed’ fell into the same category. She herself had never been kissed before, let alone kissed someone else. She couldn’t even remember a time where her parents shared a kiss in front of her. This made her wonder if her parents ever kissed at all. It doesn’t matter. She decided, pushing away the thoughts of her parents. Her mother was obsessive and controlling, and her father was so often away from home that she wasn’t sure what his features looked like.

“Kissed.” This time, she said the word aloud, bringing a finger to her chin, then to her lip, then parting her lips. Her finger tasted bland and firm like an overcooked piece of meat, but she did feel a very slight yet unmistakable heat tingle the tips of her ears. This hardly familiar feeling began to kick her imagination into a higher gear. She pictured Vinyl’s smiling face. It was a pretty face, so full of natural beauty and genuine enthusiasm for the world around her. It was the face of a divine creature born from the piercing and electrifying sounds that such entities thrived off of. To Octavia, Vinyl wasn’t just a friend. She was a higher level of existence and independence.

Vinyl’s face changed from a smile to a smirk, and Octavia couldn’t help but crack a little smile of her own, surprised by her unconscious desire to see Vinyl so… What’s…the word…shameless? This was a face unique to her new best friend. Only she could look such a way and still remain as radiant in her character and beautiful in her appearance. The smirk continued before Vinyl’s head whipped to the side to brush away the hair from her face.

Octavia put her hand over her eyes and bit her lip hard. A sudden and crushing feeling of abandonment and sorrow had her tremble where she lay. It was finally sinking in…

When she had first heard Bon Bon’s news, it had shocked her. The shock had lingered all the way home, keeping her emotionally flat-lined. But now…she wasn’t sure what she was feeling. Was it anger? No… She admitted. It was something else she wasn’t entirely sure of, brought on by something she wasn’t entirely sure of. To those who have experienced love, such people know this feeling. It can be called jealously, but it’s much deeper and more profound. At this time in her young life, Octavia had no idea what she was feeling, but she still found herself crying regardless.

The tears were hot like stinging bees but were gone within a few seconds once she heard her own voice. It seemed so distant and foreign to her, and Octavia felt incredibly foolish for crying like a small child, although a part of her did feel better. Having vented her feelings through weeping did give her a small sense of peace, but it still didn’t completely mask how upset she was. With a small sigh, Octavia sat up in her bed and ran her fingers through her long grey hair. Well, that was rather excruciating. She thought while picking her phone back up. She pushed a button to see the same remaining unread message notifications, and her heart felt uplifted. Until now, she hadn’t bothered to actually read them, and she was very glad she decided to.

The first message read “Yo Tavi? U gud girl? ddnt say bye or anythng.” The next few asked what happened and if went home or not, but as the messages continued, Octavia noticed Vinyl’s script becoming more grammatically correct and less lazy. “U ok? Seriously. Im flipping worried! Did U get sick or somthng?” After that message, Octavia noticed a big lapse in time between it and the next one. It was nearly forty minutes until Vinyl tried reaching her again. “Hey Im sorry if I pissed U off. I did take 4EVER in the music store. I dunno wats going on with U but call me when U feel like. I luv U girl <3”

This last message made Octavia smile happily. It was an exhilarating feeling to see someone care so much about her that they send her so many messages. That, and being told ‘I love you’, regardless of the spelling, brightened her spirits. Now in a better state of mind, the logical part of herself began processing things. True, Vinyl had a past, a past she hadn’t yet shared with her, but they were friends now. They were best friends. And that… Octavia began to speak. “…means everything.” For the countless time, Octavia felt grateful to have someone that truly cared for her.

After no more than a second, Octavia decided to call Vinyl as requested. It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to bring up the conversation with Bon Bon, but she owed it to Vinyl to let her know she was doing as well as could be. Octavia tapped the phone’s screen and put it to her ear. “Tavi?” The voice on the other line was evidently eager. “H-Hey! You called!”

“Vinyl…I am so sorry.” Octavia said before swallowing hard. “I did not have any intention to worry you as I did.”

“So, you’re good? Nothing bad happened?”

“Yes. I am fine.”

Octavia could hear Vinyl let out a long sigh of relief. “Whew! Damn, girl… You had me freaking OUT! For a while there I was wondering if I needed to call the police.”

“The police?!” Octavia gasped.

“Yeah, like you got kidnapped or something.”

“Oh, heavens no, Vinyl.” Octavia giggled and laid back down on her bed.

“Hey, you’re a cute piece. It could happen.”

“I’m…flattered…and terrified.” Octavia said with a small sigh as her cheeks brightened. “Again, I…I’m extremely sorry for leaving you as I did. There was no reason to part ways without giving you a formal salutation.”

“Yeah…” Vinyl actually sounded a tiny bit mad, but it was instantly replaced with her usual satisfied tone. “But whatevs. At least you called. Hey, but you know, if there’s something bothering you or something, please just…you know…talk to me or call or whatever.”

“Y-Yes…” Octavia nodded for someone in particular. “I will.”

“You promise?” Vinyl growled at herself, and Octavia could hear a loud slap as if her electric blue bestie had smacked her forehead with her palm. “N-Nevermind. I’m sounding clingy and weird.”

Clingy? This was another word Octavia was not familiar with, but given the context, she partially understood. “It’s quite alright, Vinyl. I don’t think you sound, um, weird at all.”

“Uh, ok. Thanks, Tavi.” There was a small moment of silence before she spoke again. “You…you’re a really cool cat.”

“P-Pardon?”

“I’m just saying, you know…you’re a good friend.” Vinyl giggled awkwardly before inhaling sharply. “There’s…well, between you and Ly-Ly and Bonnie, there isn’t really a whole lot of people who like hanging out with me.”

“Really?” Octavia asked with genuine surprise. “I am very hard pressed to believe such a statement.”

“No, I’m serious.” Vinyl sighed softly. “Look, you already know this well…I’m…I’m super weird.” She sighed again, clearly having her own emotional troubles with the situation. “It’s just…nice that you called back.”

“I…see…”

“Ah, screw it. Just…nevermind. Ugh…” Octavia could hear Vinyl groaned away from the phone. “Sorry, Tavi. I’m not really all there right now.”

“Um…Vinyl?” Octavia sat up and crossed her legs.

“Yeah?”

“I hope you know that…if there’s anything bothering you, I would be more than happy to lend back a listening ear.”

“O-Oh, uh, yeah.” Vinyl’s voice sounded a bit more chipper. “Yeah, that’d be sweet. I uh…I’m glad you said that. I feel a lot better…”

Did…she choke up? It was hard to tell just by the sound of her voice, but Octavia could almost hear Vinyl’s word begin to stutter at the end. “Oh, Vinyl…” She whispered very softly when she heard the faint sound of a sniffle. A pang of guilt gripped the pit of her stomach when she realized that her behavior might have made Vinyl rather sad. It dawned on Octavia that Vinyl may have felt slightly abandoned considering a lack of farewell gestures. “Oh, Vinyl…I’m so so sorry I didn’t call…”

“W-What?” Vinyl sniffled hard to clear up her nasally voice and forced a laugh. “It’s no biggie, girl. You’re calling now, so it’s whatevs. Like I said, it’s ok.”

“W-Well…if you say so.” Octavia felt the urge to flick herself as hard as she could in the eye. How could I have been so selfish? She internally scolded herself. How could I have been such a terrible friend?!

“Yeah, don’t even trip.” Vinyl said before rustling something in the background for a moment, presumably a pillow or article of clothing. “You know, I think today was kind of a bust. Total fail. How about we try this again this weekend.”

“Oh?” Octavia asked curiously. “Shall we go back to the music store?”

“Yeah, we could.” Vinyl giggled. “But what I mean is…just you and me this time. You know, maybe get some dinner and go see a movie. I don’t think we’ve done that yet.”

“You’re right.” Octavia agreed. “That does sound very lovely. I would enjoy some more time with you outside of school.”

“You…really mean that? I should tell you I go pretty far on the first-” Vinyl giggled again after stopping herself from finishing that thought. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

Wait a minute… Octavia paused as an emerging thought entered her mind. Dinner…and a movie. This sounds quite parallel to a… She replayed Vinyl’s unfinished joke in her mind, subliminally filling in the missing piece. …date? Is that what it’s called? Her heart began to beat faster as her ears tingled. Oh, good heavens, Octavia. You learn that she’s kissed a girl, and now you just can’t look beyond it. You really can be an idiot.

“Yo, Tavi? You there?” Vinyl asked. “You know I’m totally kidding, right? I’m just messing with you.”

“O-Oh, yes, I’m here. My apologies.” Octavia blushed furiously and ran a hand through her long hair. “Forgive me, I seem to be rather…”

“Tired?” Vinyl interjected.

“Y-Yes. Tired.” Octavia slowly nodded, choosing to agree with the question instead of explain herself. “Perhaps I’ve spent a little too much time on my feet today.”

“Oh, I totally get it. It happens, no worries. Need me to go so you can do your thing?”

“N-No, it’s alright. I enjoy talking to you, and…well it’s rather nice to have someone to talk to at home.” Octavia bit her lip, feeling the blush still linger around her cheeks.

“Aw, damn, Tavi. You are so freaking cute.” Vinyl laughed and made a kissing sound. “Too bad you’re not here at my place. I got a pizza and a thing of rocky road that’s just calling your name.”

“Rocky road?” Octavia asked, using this moment to clear her throat.

“Oh, it’s ice cream. The BEST ice cream.”

How in the world is Vinyl not fat? Octavia wondered, recalling all the times they had eaten together. Not only was Vinyl an avid consumer of unhealthy foods, she enthusiastically introduced Octavia to them. “I would like to try this rocky road ice cream sometime.”

“Yeah? Tell you what. I’ll buy you some when we hang out this weekend. We can eat ice cream and watch cartoons at my place after the movie.”

“Oh, w-would…that be alright? I’d hate to intrude again on your mother.” Octavia said, remembering how she had to be driven home the last time she had visited Vinyl’s home.

“Naw, girl. It’s cool! You should totally come over this weekend! We can have like a sleepover or something! Man, I haven’t had a sleepover in like, since elementary school.” There was another rustling sound, but it was much louder this time. “Do I even still have that extra blanket around here?”

Octavia put a finger to her chin and narrowed her eyes at the foot of her bed. The idea of having a sleepover, her very first sleepover, was a glorious and exciting idea. She desperately wanted for the next school day to be done and over with. The only problem, however, was acquiring permission. At this point, it wouldn’t be terribly difficult. Her mother didn’t loom over her anymore if the past couple of days were any indication, but it would require having a forced conversation with the woman that would most definitely not be pleasant. Oh dear… Octavia sighed and palmed her face. I suppose I will do what I must…

“Uh, Tavi? Yo, Tavi! You still there?”

“O-Oh, y-yes, of course.” Octavia cleared her throat. “I-I…must be more tired than I thought.”

“Then freaking go to bed, babe!” Vinyl laughed. “I gotta go anyway. This pizza isn’t gonna eat itself.”

Octavia gave a small giggle back. “Thank you, Vinyl. Please have a good night.”

“Yeah, you too. You too. Sleep well, ok?” Vinyl cleared her throat very softly, doing her best to quiet the nervous sound. “Sleep good, babe. Love you lots.”

Octavia opened her mouth to reply, but she uttered nothing. She opened her mouth again to say something, anything at all, but she experienced the same result. She looked down at her phone and saw the seconds to their conversation continue to count higher and higher. This meant that Vinyl was still on the line, waiting for a response. As panic set in, Octavia quickly ended the call and tossed her phone onto the pillow on the other side of the bed.

That…wasn’t terribly awkward…was it? Octavia covered her face with both hands and sighed. Why…why couldn’t I say it back? She asked herself while groaning softly. It wasn’t as if she was going to say anything drastic. It was just a casual verbal display of affection…and yet…

Taking a very slow deep breath, Octavia laid on her tummy with her face buried in her pillow. “Oh no….” She groaned in a muffled voice. “…Octavia you idiot…”

-o0o-

Today, Octavia had music class which required she bring her cello. Her mother was pleased she hadn’t forgotten it, but she had insisted she be driven to school by a chauffeur instead of only being driven to the nearest school bus stop. According to her mother, she would no longer need to worry about “Those insidious delinquents plaguing the impoverished public school system.” This Octavia was not fully willing to go through with, but she had conceded in return for permission to spend the night with one of those so-called ‘delinquents’ despite the infuriating description. So, having been forced to show up to Canterlot High in a stretched Bentley, Octavia got ready to exit the vehicle as quickly as possible, the second the tires came to a stop.

“Whoa…” Lyra had been walking up the sidewalk towards the entrance of the school when she saw the massive silver trimmed car pass her by. She followed it with a quick pace to see who it could possibly be. “Oh…it’s you.” She said with a sigh as Octavia exited the vehicle giving the window a tap to inform the driver it was time to leave

“Pardon?” Octavia asked, adjusting her cello case in her hand, the car driving away down the street.

“Nothing, forget it.” Lyra waved a hand dismissively. She wore her usual pair of ripped black skinny jeans and print faded t-shirt. “Cool ride, Octavia. I didn’t know you had your own personal driver.”

“Oh…um…Lyra? Could you do me a small favor?” Octavia blushed noticeably and sighed. “I would very much appreciate it if as few people knew about this as possible.”

“Are you serious???” Lyra laughed. “That’s crazy! If I had a driver, I’d tell everyone!”

“Yes…well…there are more…than a few fellow students who don’t particularly…like me all that much. It might be best to keep this quiet.”

“Oooookay? Dunno if I can really help out all that much. I’m not the only person who saw you in that car.” Lyra gave a shrug. “I wouldn’t worry about it too much anyhow. If Vinyl ever found out someone was picking on you, she’d probably kick their ass.”

“R-Really?” Octavia gasped. “Y-You can’t possibly be serious.”

Lyra laughed harder. “You are too funny! Yeah, Vinyl will probably go NUTS if she saw someone giving you a hard time.”

“Oh, dear…” Octavia sighed.

Lyra patted her on the back. “She’s kind of protective like that. I dunno…” Lyra paused to look up at the sky in thought. “Yeah, I guess I’d probably do the same thing if something like that happened to Bonnie.” She remarked while beginning the short walk to the front steps.

“Are…you two very close?” Octavia asked, keeping in stride.

“Uhhh, I dunno.” Lyra’s mint green cheeks turned a tad pink. “Maybe sometimes. She’s SUPER uptight, buuuuuut…she’s pretty cool.”

“Hm…” Octavia looked down at the ground as she walked. She wondered if she was still rather dense when it came to her friends. It hadn’t occurred to her that Lyra and Bon Bon might have the same fond relationship as she did with Vinyl.

Very casually, Lyra added more. “She kinda hates me though.”

“Why do you say that?” Octavia asked as the reached the front door.

Lyra opened the door and Octavia followed in behind. With a loud giggle, Lyra rubbed the back of her head. “I kinda like messing with her. Like a couple days ago, I kept sticking stuff in her hair until she noticed.”

Octavia couldn’t help but giggle back. Bon Bon did have rather curly hair, so it was viably possible. “That’s…I have to admit, rather amusing.”

“Right? It took her like a whole five minutes before she said something.” Lyra continued to giggle. “But yeah, she sorta hates me a little bit.”

“You two do seem to be friends though.” Octavia reasoned. “Perhaps I don’t fully understand what you mean.”

“Oh, sure sure. We’re friends. We’re friends. We just kinda have a weird thing going on. You know, like you and V.”

“Vinyl and I?” Octavia blushed a bit.

“Sure.” Lyra quickly shook her head and put her hands up. “No, sorry. I don’t mean it like it’s weird or anything. It’s just different, you know? You two are actually pretty cool together. It’s nice to see Vinyl not gloomy and stuff sometimes. With you around, she’s been really chill.”

“I see.” Octavia smiled happily. “Bon Bon has told me something quite similar. I’m glad that Vinyl seems to appreciate my company so much.”

Lyra laughed and shook her head. “Wow…heh.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans as groups of students navigated their way around the two talking freshman. “That doesn’t even begin to come close to it.” She sighed and looked around the hallways. “Anyways, I gotta get to my locker before class.” She began walking away with a wave. “See you, Octavia.”

With a wave back, Octavia began walking to her own locker in the opposite direction. She was pleasantly surprised to see Vinyl waiting for her there, although it was strange not to be affectionately assaulted or astonished by her sudden appearance. It was too bad, really. Octavia not only had gotten used to it, she was beginning to enjoy it. “Good morning, Vinyl.”

“Hey, Tavi. How’s it going?” Vinyl stopped leaning against the locker doors and quickly ran a hand through her wild hair.

“I am doing well.” Octavia’s face turned into a big smile when she saw Vinyl’s face. Her appearance was rather pretty, almost striking. In a pair of fresh blue jeans and a wrinkle free white t-shirt, Octavia wondered if Vinyl had gone out of her way to look her best today. “You look very nice, by the way.”

“Oh, yeah? Thanks.” Vinyl returned the smile and stepped closer. “You look pretty good too. I could just bite that bow tie right off your neck, babe.”

Octavia giggled a bit and blushed slightly. “Please, Vinyl…” She mumbled while touching her bowtie with a finger.

“Oh, you didn’t bring anything for tonight, did you?” Vinyl asked, looking down at her cello case.

“No, actually, I didn’t think about it.” Octavia shook her head. “Should I have? I’ve never…been to a sleepover before, and I wasn’t even aware of what necessities-”

“It’s cool, Tavi. Relax.” Vinyl giggled and put a hand on her elbow. “I got everything we need. We’re probably the same size, so you can just wear my stuff to sleep in.”

Octavia blushed deepened. Whatever ‘stuff’ she was referring to she had no idea, but she vividly recalled seeing Vinyl’s intimates scattered on her bedroom floor among other odds and ends. “I-I see.”

“That cool with you? If you wanna bring something else, I’m totally good with that.” Vinyl leaned forward and pressed a finger against Octavia’s cheek. “Girl…you sure we’re all good?”

“What?” Octavia looked up to meet her eyes. “Y-Yes, of course.” She shook her head with a small sigh. “I’m...just thinking of whether or not to leave my cello at home.”

“You can bring it to my house.” Vinyl quickly said. “I mean, if you want. You know, no biggie.”

“Would…you like me to bring it?” Octavia asked, reading Vinyl’s eager expression.

“Actually...yeah. I’ve never seen you play outside of class. It would be pretty cool to see what you can do.” Vinyl nodded and brushed her hair to the side, her pale white cheeks a hint red like her lovely eyes that were thankfully not covered by her glasses at the moment. “If you want.”

“Vinyl, I would love to play for you.” Octavia gave her a quick hug. “It…actually means a great deal that see you’ve taken an interest in my music. I never thought you’d really want me to play for you.”

“What??? You’re kidding, right?” Vinyl laughed a returned the hug. “I wanna know ALL about you!” She released the hug and took a step back. “Besides, if it’s cool with you, I also wanna record you playing. I think between the two of us, we can create some sweet sounds.”

“I look forward to doing that very much.” Octavia nodded enthusiastically. “I’ve never collaborated with anyone before.”

“You haven’t? Not even in like a recital or something?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Wow! I’m your first!” Vinyl pumped a fist into the air. “Nice!”

Did…she really have to say it like that? Octavia blushed yet again and stole a glance to the side to see if anyone had cast curious eyes at them. No one was paying any attention to them, but Octavia reasoned that such conversations were probably overlooked all things considered. If the couple making out down the hall had set the proverbial bar, she had nothing to worry about.

“Hey, Tavi?” Vinyl reached up and brushed some of Octavia’s hair away from her face. “You look kinda beat. Did you sleep ok?”

Octavia darted her eyes to the floor when she felt Vinyl’s fingers graze her cheek. “I-I…slept well enough I suppose.” She said, her blush deepening and radiating down her back. “I guess I…was too excited for tonight to sleep well.”

“Awwwwwww.” Vinyl laughed hard and squeezed Octavia’s arm. “Damn, Tavi. You are super cute.” She let go and reached up to push her sunglasses down onto the bridge of her nose. “Well, this sleepover is gonna be off the hook!” She paused and thumped herself on the side of the head with her palm. “I don’t really like using that word though.”

“What word?” Octavia asked, feeling the urge to smooth out the tuff of hair now out of place above Vinyl’s ear.

“Sleepover. It just sounds too…kiddie. Super lame.” Vinyl shrugged. “But this is your first one, so whatevs. It kinda works this time anyway.”

“I agree.” Octavia said with a nod. “I am immensely looking forward to our…” She giggled nervously and smiled. “…sleepover.” Strange. That word didn’t have the same kind of cheerful inflection the way Vinyl would say it.

“Hey, you know what?” Vinyl gasped and grasped both of Octavia’s shoulder with her hands. “I just noticed something sweet!”

“Y-Yes?” Octavia leaned away from Vinyl’s hold, but she didn’t put up any real effort.

Vinyl wiggled a finger against her nose and poked it very gently with a big smile. “You’re talking more now. I like it.”

“I am?” Octavia pointed to herself.

“Yeah. When we first started hanging out, you barely said two words. Now, you’re smiling more, you’re talking more, you’re even hugging more. It’s great!” Vinyl squeezed her waist and nearly lifted her off the ground with a giggle.

“Oh, Vinyl.” Octavia giggled back while being forced to stand on her tiptoes. “You give such wonderful compliments.”

Vinyl let go and gave an exaggerated shrug before rubbing the back of her head. “Yeah, well, you deserve it, babe. Just keep doing your thing ‘cause it’s working!”

Octavia blushed very deeply and covered her face for a moment with one hand, her cello case swinging from her other arm awkwardly. “Please, Vinyl. I-I…really have no idea how to possibly respond.”

“I know that. You get freaking adorable when you stutter. Why do you think I keep teasing you?”

Is…that why she does that? Octavia stared at her blankly while her mind tried to make a reasonable presumption. So…she really does like my appearance. She really thinks I’m pretty. Octavia’s pupils widened when her eyes traced the outline of Vinyl’s wet lips. Vinyl…you are quite pretty as well…

-o0o-

After school, Vinyl had another opportunity to display her pedestrian knowledge of the city. She and Octavia had taken the school bus back to Vinyl’s place, but it was a very short visit. Octavia dropped off her cello in Vinyl’s room before both girls took a short walk down the street towards the city bus stop. From there, they rode for twenty minutes downtown to the city’s central transportation hub. Octavia was incredibly impressed by the sights, sounds, and even the smells of inner city light. The bus station shared an entire block with the train station, and a haze of gasoline emissions wafted up and down every street. Every couple of seconds, Octavia could hear the sound of a car horn blaring from every direction, but out of the hundreds of people walking around her, none of them bothered to cast inquisitive glances. In fact, not even the dogs out on walks with their owners bothered to pay any heed to the noises. The inner city, in all its intimidating glory, was bustling with energy. To her own surprise, Octavia wasn’t at all scared. She had serious concerns about being downtown for the first time, but with Vinyl with her, she felt no fear. Instead, she felt excited, almost as if the aura of the city was feeding her youthful spirit. Plus, it did help a great deal to have Vinyl holding her hand the entire time they walked.

As they crossed a busy intersection, Vinyl looked to her side with a smile. “You hungry at all, Tavi? I know this bomb hotdog stand near the theater.”

“I-I’m not opposed to eating something.” Octavia replied. “A hot… dog? What is that exactly?”

Vinyl laughed and tugged on her hand gently. “You are so getting a hotdog.” They continued down the street for about a minute until Vinyl suddenly pulled her to the edge of the sidewalk right as a bicyclist zoomed by them in a blur. “Hey! Watch it!” Vinyl yelled, adding to the angry voices of the other pedestrians around her. “You good?”

“Yes, I am.” Octavia said through a deep breath as she tried to calm her pounding chest.

“Good.” Vinyl shrugged off the incident and began walking again when Octavia tightened her grip on her hand. In response, Vinyl squeezed just as hard. “We’re almost there. Just a couple more minutes.”

They reached the hotdog stand, and Vinyl made the necessary purchase. Just as Octavia was about to take an educational bite on her strange meal, a roaring thumping sound echoed through the streets, completely masking all other noises. It was deafening, almost ear piercing, but it was gone as soon as it arrived. Octavia gasped loudly and darted her eyes at the sky. “What in the heavens was that???”

Vinyl looked up at her from her hotdog, her mouth full for a moment. “Oh, that?” She pointed at a strange object roaming above the tops of the skyscrapers. “Wait, you’ve never seen a chopper before?”

“A…chopper?” Octavia cocked her head, thoroughly confused.

“Yeah, a helicopter.” Vinyl laughed and palmed her face. “Wooooww. I really need to take you out more.”

“A helicopter…” Octavia swore she had heard that word before, but it sounded foreign enough to be alien. “…Sorry, Vinyl. I…honestly don’t know that that is.”

Vinyl rolled her eyes slowly and slung an arm around Octavia’s shoulder. “Just…eat the hotdog, girl. You’ll like it.”

Octavia simply nodded and took a bite. Her face broke out into a smile as she chewed. She turned to face Vinyl but nearly jerked back when she saw her expression of eager anticipation. Octavia cleared her throat after swallowing. “V-Vinyl?”

“So? Good, right?” Vinyl asked, placing an arm around her hip.

“Um…yes?” Octavia nodded slowly. All this… over a hotdog?

“Great!” Vinyl nodded her approval and gave a thumbs-up. “I was kinda worried you wouldn’t like it.”

“Well…why wouldn’t I like it?” Octavia giggled softly with amusement.

“Nothing.” Vinyl shrugged and shoved the rest of her food into her mouth. “Come onth! Leth go geth tickeths!” She grabbed Octavia’s free hand and pulled her to the street corner. It was nice to be holding hands again, but Octavia really did want to finish her hotdog first before having to walk again. She felt rather silly walking down the sidewalk with food in her free hand until they reached the ticket booth where she had the opportunity to finish it. Vinyl looked up at the bulletin and scanned their movie choices. “So, what do you feel like watching?”

Octavia looked up at the options blankly. It had been a very long time since she had seen a movie, and she didn’t recognize any of the names or terms used. “Um…” She paused and turned to Vinyl. “I don’t know what any of these are.”

“Yeah, I kinda figured that. What I mean is, do you wanna see like an action flick, romantic comedy, horror?”

Anything but horror… Octavia’s face turned a bit pale at that daunting possibility. She had never seen a horror movie before, but her mother had adamantly preached the dangers of such mindless gore. Her conditioned response kicked in, and she said “N-No horror movie please.”

A tiny hint of disappointment flashed across Vinyl’s features for a moment, but she nodded. “Sure, babe. You feel like some action?”

“Action…” Octavia wasn’t sure. Action probably wouldn’t be as bad as horror, but after spending a short period of time outside among strange loud noises, she desired to be back indoors, comforted by quiet. “…Perhaps…not, if that’s alright with you.”

“Yeah, no prob.” Vinyl took the hint and gave her a reassuring pat on the back. She approached the ticket booth and requested two tickets to movie with the indistinct title ‘Falling Leaves’. Octavia had to step out of the way when a crowd of patrons exited the theater, but Vinyl was there to put an arm in front of her. Once the entrance was clear, she asked, “You ready?”

Octavia looked down at the remnants of her hotdog. “I believe so, but…I should finish my food first.”

“You don’t want it?” Vinyl asked. “If you’re full, I’ll totally have it.”

“Are you sure? I’ve already eaten much of it.”

Vinyl giggled and stuffed the last of the frank into her mouth, chewing furiously before swallowing hard. “Now you ready?”

Octavia blushed furiously, almost dumbfounded. Her innocent mind couldn’t get over the fact that saliva had been shared, indirectly…but still. “Y-You…ate…”

“Hm?” Vinyl pushed her glasses up atop her head with a smirk. “Something wrong?”

Octavia simply shook her head, feeling very self-conscious of her burning cheeks. “N-No!” She squeaked and cleared her throat. “Um, let’s go inside…”

Vinyl opened the door and pushed Octavia inside with a gentle nudge before handing her tickets to the attendant. The young man looked at both girls with a raised eyebrow but said nothing when he handed the tickets back. Vinyl shoved the tickets into her pocket and pulled Octavia to the snack counter. “Oh, nice! They have a butter machine now!” She exclaimed. Octavia watched as Vinyl ordered the largest popcorn possible, every single kernel getting smothered in clear yellow paste. She saw Vinyl grab a handful and stuff her mouth with the snack. “Mnnnngh! Yesth!” Vinyl pounded her fist against her chest.

How. Is. She. Not. Fat?! Octavia marveled at her best friend. Somehow, Vinyl had found a way to be a physically lovely individual and indulge her ferocious appetite. Octavia supposed that if she had the same energy and drank just as much caffeine, she too could enjoy such a lifestyle. Although…I don’t think my organs could take the tremendous stress.

“Here, hold this for a sec.” Vinyl handed her the bucket of popcorn to pay for a large soda, no doubt caffeinated. Octavia’s nose hovered over the popcorn, and the delicious smell of warm butter wafted up, making her smile. She instinctively stuck her tongue out and flicked a kernel into her mouth. Her eyes grew wide when the scrumptious kernel melted on her tongue. When Vinyl saw this, she giggled hard. “Aw, damn it, Tavi! That was cute!”

With a flustered face, Octavia looked away and hid behind the bucket in front of her face. “Could…we go sit down now?” She asked, wanting to enjoy this new snack in an appropriate fashion.

Vinyl sipped the soda with a nod. “Sure, babe. Let’s go.” She tapped Octavia on the bum with her palm before heading towards the theater door, leaving the cellist standing there stunned. She had to jog a short distance to make up the distance once stirring herself out of her daze, dropping some popcorn in her haste.

After sitting, Vinyl was back to stuffing her face with an impressive routine. It was almost as if she had the action of eating popcorn down to a science. First came filling her mouth with kernels and chewing, next came a long gulp of soda, then finally a deep breath to make up for the lack of air. She repeated this cycle numerous times until the movie started, leaving Octavia to nibble at her own slow pace.

This particular movie wasn’t anything special, even for Octavia. Everything about it drove towards a more ‘adult single mother’ type audience, and nothing about it was particularly relatable. She had never been married or had a boyfriend, and she most certainly never had any children before. After a while, Octavia felt rather guilty for making Vinyl compromise to this movie. Maybe an action movie wouldn’t have been such a bad idea, but after an hour into the film, it was far too late to change her mind. On the other hand, Vinyl seemed to be enjoying herself quite a bit. The comedy aspect of the film made her laugh on multiple occasions, and Octavia had to smile at her genuine happiness. She seemed so carefree and independent, so experienced and relaxed in any situation. Octavia was content to see Vinyl happy, and she relaxed a bit in her seat.

Vinyl leaned towards her and asked, “I’m thinking about some candy. Want some?”

“I’m alright, thank you.” Octavia whispered back. “Did…you want to get some candy?”

“No, but you haven’t had much popcorn. I thought you might want something sweet or whatever.” If the lighting wasn’t so dim, Vinyl’s slight blush might have been visible. She let out a soft yawn and laid her head down on Octavia’s shoulders, still popping kernels into her mouth and giggling at the screen.

Octavia stiffened in her seat a bit, feeling Vinyl rub her cheek against her shoulder. Her body began heating up and her pulse quickened. She shifted slightly when Vinyl’s wild hair grazed against her ear, almost making her shiver. She’s…really warm… Octavia blushed deeply, feeling her best friend’s body heat radiate against her side. Every breath Vinyl took danced like a cool breeze against Octavia’s cheek, and she nearly gasped when Vinyl brought a hand up to her mouth, popcorn pinched between her fingers. Am…am I…supposed to eat this? She wondered, staring down at Vinyl’s hand. When Octavia didn’t respond right away, Vinyl wiggled the popcorn in front of her face impatiently until she took the hint. Octavia licked the popcorn into her mouth and heard Vinyl giggle. She was apparently in a playful mood, and after that little exchange, Octavia let her guard down a little. Vinyl brought some more popcorn up to her mouth, and with a giggle of her own, Octavia accepted the gesture. This…is what being best friends is like. She thought with a very happy smile.

-o0o-

By the time both girls returned back to Vinyl’s home, the sun had set. The movie was nearly two hours long, and as they journeyed home on the bus, Octavia had the luxury of watching the sun set in real time. Vinyl had yawned during the ride back, complaining that she needed a ‘pick-me-up’ of some sort during their sleepover. Octavia was feeling rather tired as well, but she was determined to enjoy her Friday night to the fullest extent before returning home to her massive empty home. It was evident that Vinyl had plans, and she did not want to disappoint.

“Hey, you’re back!” Silver patted her daughter on the back with a thump as soon as she entered the house. She noticed Octavia behind her and flashed a confident smile that seemed to run in the family. “Have fun at the movies?”

“Yeah, it was pretty good.” Vinyl nodded and yawned loudly. “It’s was pretty funny too. Haven’t been to the movies in weeks.”

I haven’t been to the movies in… Octavia searched her memory. ...six years? Goodness, Vinyl was right… I really need to get out more. “Oh, good evening Ms. Silver.” Octavia bowed politely. “It’s very nice to see you again.”

Silver laughed as she wiggled a half empty bottle of beer in one hand. By her expression, even Octavia could tell she was slightly drunk. “Yeah, you too, kid.” Silver patted the top of her head with a smile. “Alright, Vine? You listening?”

“Huh?” Vinyl asked from down the hall. She had already jogged to the kitchen and returned with an open energy drink.

“I’m gonna be sleeping here pretty soon, so don’t play your music super loud tonight. I’ve got work in the morning.” Silver thumped her daughter on the back again. “Don’t stay up too late, yeah? Growing girls need their sleep.”

“Aw, come on, mom…” Vinyl sighed, taking another sip of her energy drink.

“I’m serious, kiddo.” Silver ruffled the top of her head. “You know how I feel about you drinking all that caffeine. It’s not good for you.”

“Mom, seriously!” Vinyl gave her mother an exacerbated look and pointed to Octavia. “Don’t turn me into a wuss in front of my babe.” Silver laughed hard at this, but Octavia simply blushed. It was hard to know what to say to something like that. She knew it was normal for Vinyl to say ‘babe’ as an affectionate pronoun, but to actually be referred to as ‘her babe’ in direct conversation with her mother was almost too much. Octavia didn’t know whether to feel flattered or worried. “Oh, do we still have any rocky road?”

“I think so, unless you ate the rest of it.” Silver replied, taking a sip of her beer.

“Sweet!” Vinyl grabbed Octavia’s hand to pull her to the kitchen, the energy drink seeming to work its magic rather quickly. “Night, mom!”

“Night, girls!” Silver gave her daughter a dismissive wave while offering Octavia a knowing, rather pensive nod before heading to the stairs. Octavia had a slight inclination as to what the nod was about, but at this point, she understood Vinyl well enough to know she was full of good and friendly intentions.

They entered the kitchen, and Vinyl opened the freezer. “Nice!” She pulled out an open quart of ice cream and popped the cardboard lid off, putting her energy drink down to grab some clean spoons that were drying beside the sink. “Here, try this stuff.”

Octavia wasn’t hungry at the moment. Between all the popcorn and the hotdog from earlier, now wasn’t the best time what looked to be another entire meal. However, she remembered having that root beer float at the arcade a few days ago, and something sweet sounded nice as long as it was in moderation. She took one of the spoons and dutifully scooped some of the dessert into her mouth. “Hm…” She almost choked, not expecting it to be so cold.

“Good, right?” Vinyl scooped with the other spoon and cleaned it off between her lips. “Mn! Yesth!”

Once she could finally taste something, Octavia was overwhelmed with the flavor of chocolate, almost as if an entire candy bar had melted in her mouth. Something chewy and sweet lingered in her mouth, something she had never tasted before but was beginning to fall in love with. “Whath this chew stufth, Vinyl?” She asked, pointed to a white speck in the ice cream.

“Marshmallows.” Vinyl replied apathetically while most of her attention was focused on devouring another spoonful.

Octavia had no idea what marshmallows could be. They didn’t taste like any candy she had ever tasted before. They were more like the center of a cream puff, but… How did the cream stay so intact in a sea of chocolate? She looked down at her spoon, her taste buds screaming for more.

“Let’s go watch some TV or something and eat the rest of this.” Vinyl handed Octavia the tub of ice cream before opening of the kitchen cabinets for a bag of chips. She grabbed her energy drink and headed to the living room. Octavia followed behind her, growing more and more aware of her freezing fingertips. She was grateful to put the ice cream down on the coffee table beside the couch as soon as she sat down, but Vinyl was quick to snatch it up. “What do you feel like watching?”

“Um, I believe you said something about cartoons during our phone call last night.” Octavia replied.

“Did I?” Vinyl raised an eyebrow and giggled. “Oh, yeah, that’s right. Wow, you have a really good memory.” She eyed Octavia closely and pressed the tip of her finger against her forehead. “Smarty.”

Octavia blushed a bit and looked down with a smile. To be complimented on her looks was always nice, but Vinyl was even complimenting her intelligence now. It seemed as if Vinyl liked absolutely everything about her. I suppose it makes sense. She thought. After all...I like everything about her as well.

“Sooo.” Vinyl leaned back on the couch next to her and yawned loudly before quickly gulping down the rest of her energy drink. “What kind of cartoons do you like?”

“Oh, um…”

“You don’t like cartoons, huh?” Vinyl quickly surmised.

“It’s not that I don’t like them.” Octavia quickly reasoned. “I’ve never…actually watched any before.”

“Well, sit back and get ready to flip. Cartoons are great!” Vinyl grabbed the remote and turned the TV on, scrolling through channels with the skill of an avid television connoisseur. “This is one of my favorites.” She pointed to the TV and pushed more ice cream into her mouth

Octavia watched the TV for a few moments, desperately trying to achieve some sort of bearing on what she was seeing. It looked like everything was taking place underwater, but the creatures that interacted with each other looked unimaginably comical. One was yellow and completely square but porous, and the other was rather corpulent with a pink body and pointed like a bloated star. Their language was easily comprehensible like screaming children, but Octavia didn’t understand them at all.

Vinyl, however, seemed to be thoroughly taken with the pair. She laughed and giggled at the TV more times in one minute than Octavia could count on her fingers. Octavia felt rather silly just sitting there, confused and baffled. Things only started making sense to her the moment she tried not to overthink anything. She smiled and giggled every now and then because of the antics and emotional behavior of the characters. Cartoons. She silently rolled the word around in her mouth. I think I like them.

After the episode was over and a commercial broke up the fun, Vinyl sighed and put the now empty ice cream container on the coffee table. “Hey, you know what might be kinda fun?” She asked, turning to her guest.

“Yes?” Octavia turned to face her with a smile, still in a humorous mood.

“My mom keeps a couple bottles of booze in the kitchen. Wanna try some?”

Booze..? As in…ALCOHOL??? Octavia gasped and immediately shook her head. “No, I-I couldn’t possibly. That would be highly irresponsible. I am grossly underage, and I would get into an incredible amount of trouble.” She protested.

“Aw, come on, babe. Relax. It’ll be fun! My mom doesn’t really care all that much about it, and no one is gonna find out. I promise I won’t tell if you don’t.” Vinyl assured her, moving a hand through her hair.

“R-Really, I-I…I don’t think I can.” Octavia looked away with a small sigh. “M-My mother…if she found out…I just know she’d-”

“Hey.” Vinyl put a hand on her thigh and leaned forward. “Your mom doesn’t have to know. I mean, if you really don’t want to, that’s totally cool. It’s no biggie. I just thought it might be kinda fun, you know?” Vinyl blushed a bit, aware now at how uncomfortable the suggestion had made Octavia.

“W-Well, I…” Octavia blushed furiously when she felt Vinyl’s hand touch right above her knee.

“How about just a tiny bit. If you don’t like it, we never have to do it again.” Vinyl said with a smile.

Octavia thought very hard about her answer. She wondered just how strong the level of trust was between her and Vinyl. She knew she didn’t have any reason not to trust her, maybe except for the offhanded warnings about her ‘weird’ behavior. Yet, if this was the extent of ‘weird’ she’d have to deal with, then Octavia came to the conclusion that she could handle herself. Besides…Vinyl wouldn’t ever do anything to hurt me. She’s my best friend. With a slow nod, Octavia agreed. “A-Alright.”

“Sweet!” Vinyl exclaimed in a hoarse whisper in an effort to keep her voice down. “Be right back.” She leapt from the couch and headed into the kitchen, coming back moments later with two plastic cups and a small bottle of clear fluid.

Octavia wasn’t so intrigued by the alcohol as she was the plastic cups. After all, her mother was a frequent wine drinker, so this wasn’t particularly new to her. The cups, however, were a completely different story. They were all different colors, sparkling in the light of the TV with what appeared to be superheroes of indiscernible origins printed on the sidewalls. ‘The utensils of the commoner.’ Octavia could hear her mother complain if she ever saw these particular cups.

Vinyl poured them each a small amount into both cups and put the cork back into the neck of the bottle. “Ready? I gotta warn you, this stuff burns like hot sauce going down.”

“Oh, dear…” Octavia inwardly groaned as she raised the liquid to her lips. She watched as Vinyl gulped down everything in one go, so she tried to do the same. Instead of a smooth motion, Octavia began coughing and wheezing when she felt the burning hot tingling sensation from the alcohol flow down to her tummy. It was incredibly painful, and she immediately reached for the ice cream container, saddened by its empty state. Vinyl patted her knee and raced to the kitchen for a soda, returning back to the living room to dive onto the couch with the soda outstretched. Octavia took it and began gulping down the precious sweet liquid to quell the intense heat. It was working, and her mouth finally felt relief from the millions of angry knives stabbing away at her gums.

“You ok?” Vinyl asked, rubbing her back gently.

“Y-Yes.” Octavia took a deep breathe and put the soda down. “I…was not at all prepared for that.”

“Sorry…” Vinyl rubbed her back some more. “Maybe I should’ve mixed it with the soda.”

“It’s alright.” Octavia smiled reassuringly at her. “I’m feeling much better now, thank you. Perhaps I’ll stay away from alcohol for the remainder of the evening.”

“Yeah, good idea.” Vinyl nodded and got back up to take the bottle back to the kitchen. She returned with a soda of her own. “While I’m up, do you want anything else?”

“I’m alright.” Octavia shook her head. “Thank you.”

“Girl, you are welcome.” Vinyl plopped down next to her and giggled, slapping Octavia’s knee gently a couple times. She leaned back next to her as a new episode started, her shoulder pressing against Octavia’s side. “If you feel sick or something, just…let me know.”

“I…will do that.” Octavia gave a simple nod and fidgeted a bit nervously, feeling Vinyl’s head press against her upper arm.

For several minutes, both girls enjoyed watching the silly cartoon. It still remained just as charmingly juvenile as before, and Octavia found herself giggling more often during this episode. In fact, she felt a tad physically lighter, as if her head was floating above the rest of her body. It was at all uncomfortable, and she rather liked it. She felt more relaxed, more at home here in Vinyl’s living room now than she ever had at home in her big mansion. Her blush returned when Vinyl put her head down on her lap. Vinyl didn’t seem to think anything of it as she giggled with her eyes fixed on the TV. This hadn’t been the first time Vinyl had done this either, but Octavia sensed a familiar heat rise up the nape of her neck. Would it…be alright if… Would she mind terribly if… After a second’s hesitation, Octavia rested the palm of her hand atop Vinyl’s messy hair. Despite the wild appearance, her hair was actually quite soft. Each strand danced between her fingers in a cascade of white and blue, making Octavia smile. By now, she was more interested in watching Vinyl’s hair mingle between her fingers than the cartoon.

Near the end of program, Octavia noticed that Vinyl wasn’t giggling anymore. Her breathing seemed slower than usual, and it wasn’t until she pulled Vinyl’s hair away from her eyes did she notice that she was asleep. She carefully slid Vinyl’s glasses off the top of her head and placed them gently on the table before running her fingers through her entire messy head. The warmth of Vinyl’s wild tuff and soft caress of each strand felt lovely, and so did the cool sensation of Vinyl’s breath against her exposed knee. She must be exhausted… Octavia thought. Vinyl abruptly rolled onto her back and snored loudly for a second, causing Octavia to stifle some fresh giggles. She did her best to keep her body from shaking as she attempted to quell the laughter, but it was rather difficult now that she could see Vinyl’s lower lip tremble each time she exhaled. However, she stopped giggling as amusement was replaced by a completely different emotion.

Kiss… That word crawled up from the depths of Octavia’s subconscious as she stared at Vinyl’s wet lips. They glistened in the light of the TV, accentuated by the finger Octavia had found herself pressing against them. Soft… Another word joined the previous one in her head, all other thoughts pushed away as the cartoon continued to run its airtime now completely unattended. …Vinyl…

Octavia began thinking about how Vinyl had kissed another girl. It was a fact that she still wasn’t entire sure how to feel about, but as she gazed down at Vinyl’s surprisingly angelic sleeping face, she realized something about herself. …Jealousy…

She wasn’t jealous Vinyl had kissed someone else. At this point in her rather innocent life, she didn’t quite understand the gravity of what a kiss actually meant. All she understood was that Vinyl had become close enough to someone else…somebody that wasn’t her…so close, in fact, that Vinyl had kissed her. Were they best friends too? She wondered. Are they…still friends? These questions she knew could never be answered. Vinyl seemed to live in the moment, not the past. If she felt it had been important enough to bring up, Vinyl would have talked about it. Since she hadn’t mentioned anything about it, then it probably wasn’t of real significance.

Still…Octavia could not deny how much it bothered her.

You’re being silly, Octavia… She scolded herself and shook her head slowly, removing her hand from Vinyl’s face. “I’m sorry, Vinyl.” She whispered. “I’m becoming rather possessive of you, and I feel absolutely terrible.” Vinyl only responded with a soft little snort, her body twitching a bit as she slept.

The cartoon program came to an end, and as the late hour beckoned the dreaded infomercial filled air time, Octavia realized just how late it was. She wondered how long she had been sitting here like this, doing absolutely nothing but think about Vinyl, her electric blue head in her lap. It had to have at least been a couple hours since they came home, and due to the booze, Octavia’s mind was a bit hazy. Her sense of time and surroundings seemed to be off a bit, but at this point, Octavia didn’t care too much. She felt a desperate need to sleep as her head felt heavy, leaning side to side as her eyelids drooped. Octavia’s heavy contemplation had sapped the last shreds of energy she had left for the night, and with a disappointing sigh, Octavia gently tapped Vinyl on the forehead. “U-Um…Vinyl?” She hoarsely asked, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing.

“U-Uhhhghh…” Vinyl gasped softly as she woke, looking up frantically for a moment at the cellist’s tired face. With a loud yawn, Vinyl rubbed her eyes and gave Octavia a warm smile. “You ok, Tavi?”

“Y-Yes.” Octavia croaked, her body so tired that even her vocal cords had trouble forming the proper pitch for speech.

“Oh, damn, girl.” Vinyl whispered, pushing herself off the couch to a standing position. “Let’s get you to bed.” All Octavia could do was nod, digging deep within her completely drained reserve to keep from getting lost in Vinyl’s dreamlike gaze.

“Alright, babe. Let’s get going.” Vinyl pulled her by the hand off the couch and slung Octavia’s arm around her shoulder. She led the tired girl towards the stairs, taking care to move slowly enough so that Octavia wouldn’t trip. Once they reached her bedroom, Vinyl lowered her into a sitting position before kneeling down in front of her to take her shoes off. Octavia was much too tired to care that she was being undressed. Under normal circumstances, she would have been rather frantic if someone had undone her bow tie and unbuttoned her shirt. Fortunately for her, she was already half asleep before her head even hit the pillow.

As Octavia sank into the bed, she felt a blanket pulled up to her shoulders right before a soft, warm, wet little kiss pressed against her cheek, making her giggle very softly before settling into a deep sleep. “Night, babe…” Vinyl whispered, brushing some of Octavia’s hair away from her face.

Author's Notes:

It's been a long time coming for this chapter...and my team and I have put everything we have into this chapter, hopefully to set a new standard for the quality of writing Girls of Canterlot High can create.

Although there are many reasons I absolutely cherish and admire my editor, today was the day he showed me why he is the very best at what he does. I was treated with consultation and professional insight into my writing, a resource I did not know was available to me.

If you liked this chapter, please know that Shutup868 brought his own magic to the table to make my writing better than ever. His keen eye makes him not only the best editor, but the very best of writing teachers.

Also a special thanks to everypony who personally contacted me. I felt very uplifted to speak with so many of you wonderful ponies, and I felt like I got to know you all a little better. More thanks to Such A Chlorbag for letting me know that Big Mac is confirmed gay by Lauren Faust. This eases my troubled mind.

I will strive to deliver the same heart and soul into these words, further bringing to life the budding relationship of Vinyl and Octavia. Thank you all for reading, and please share your thoughts with each other! I love to see everypony make new friends.

The Roller Rink

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Octavia’s eyes slowly opened, revealing bloodshot whites and pinpoint pupils. The sunlight through the bedroom window had moved over her head as the morning hours progressed, causing her to stir from her sleep. The first thing that crossed her mind as she slowly sat up was a dull headache unlike anything she had felt before. It wasn’t terribly uncomfortable, but it felt somehow heavier and drearier than the usual migraines she sometimes suffered while practicing her cello for hours upon end. Her mouth felt dry and her jaw actually ached as she yawned, and she badly craved a glass of water.

Having already woken some time ago, Vinyl sat in a chair in front of her laptop and mixing board, headphones over her ears and an energy drink in one hand. She had the appearance of a hardworking socialite or artist considering her tattered oversized black t-shirt and white cotton shorts, her hair somehow more messy and wild than usual. To Octavia, she looked like a scholar of sorts, someone who understood the world as it really was instead of the lie she was raised on. In her own unique way, Vinyl looked radiant, bursting with youthful charm and pizzazz. “Oh, hey, Tavi.” She said, turning to the sleepy cellist when she heard a yawn. “Morning.”

“W-What…” Octavia cleared her throat, swallowing back the hoarse tickle in her throat. “…time is it?”

“Um…” Vinyl checked the screen of her laptop. “Ten forty.”

“Oh dear…” Octavia rubbed her eyes hard and ran her hands through her hair. She had never once in her life slept past eight in the morning, her mother always sure to have her out of bed early to either practice or study. “…Did I really sleep for so long?”

“Uh, not really. We were up past midnight.” Vinyl took a sip of her energy drink and shook her head.

“Oh…..dear….” Octavia sighed and slowly swung her legs out of Vinyl’s bed. Her mind was still a bit foggy on the night before. She only vaguely remembered being helped upstairs to bed, but it wasn’t physical memories that filled her mind. What she remembered most was a tumultuous amount of both good and bad emotions that had nearly consumed her well into the night. For some reason she wasn’t entirely sure of, she remembered the experience rather fondly. It was only until a minute later after battling the urge to go back to sleep did she remember being very physically close to Vinyl. This made her blush a little.

After putting her headphones down on her mixing table, Vinyl had gotten out of her chair and knelt down in front of her. She pushed some of Octavia stray hair away from her face and raised an eyebrow. “You feel ok? Got a headache or something?”

“I…do, actually.” Octavia slowly nodded. “How did you know that?”

Vinyl simply shrugged and stood. “I kinda have one too.”

“I see…” Octavia slowly stood and began smoothing out her clothes, realizing that she had slept the entire night in her usual wardrobe. Mother would be furious right now. She mused with a giggle.

“Here, have some of this.” Vinyl held out the energy drink can.

Octavia eyed it curiously. “A-Are you sure?” She asked, stuttering a bit. “You did drink from it.”

Vinyl laughed and rolled her eyes. “What, you worried I have cooties or something?”

“…Cooties?” Octavia looked up at Vinyl with a puzzled expression.

“Oh, nooo, no way.” Vinyl shook her head as her eyes grew big. “There’s NO way you’ve never heard of cooties.”

“I’m sorry, Vinyl.” Octavia nervously squeezed her hands together. “I honestly do not know what you’re talking about. Is it some sort of cold or flu?”

“Just…” Vinyl sighed and grabbed Octavia hand, forcing her fingers to wrap around the can. “…drink the rest of this. You’ll feel a lot better.”

Octavia looked down at the can. She could actually smell the sweet carbonated liquid from nearly two feet away. With great hesitation, she took a sip. Her eyes widened and her lips broke out into a soft smile when the delightfully playful taste and texture danced across her tongue. It’s…amazing! She gasped and cast an excited glance at Vinyl before taking another sip. “…It’s…rather quite delicious.”

“Right?” Vinyl giggled and thumbed her gently on the back with an open palm. “Have as much as you want. I got tons of those things in the fridge.”

Octavia nodded and began gulping down the rest of the drink, her parched lips no longer concerned with water now that she had something better. Her head was beginning to clear up and her vision returned to normal. Her feet no longer felt so heavy, and her body felt more fluid and loose. “I rather like this.” She said with a giggle of her own.

Vinyl nodded appreciatively and flopped down back in her chair. “You hungry at all?” She asked, sliding her headphones around her neck.

“Not particularly.” Octavia replied. “Are…you hungry?”

“Eh.” Vinyl shrugged. “Not really, but I might be in a couple hours.”

Octavia took a seat on the foot of Vinyl’s bed and finished the can before politely disposing of it in the wastebasket by the door. “Thank you for that.”

“Yeah, totally.” Vinyl nodded and closed her laptop. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. I was, uh…kinda worried I messed you up last night.” She sighed, rubbing the back of her head. “You know…with the booze.”

Octavia could tell Vinyl was feeling a little guilty. “It’s quite alright.” She quickly interjected. “I’m feeling much better now, Vinyl. And…well, I rather enjoyed it. The headache isn’t so much fun, but…I’m not upset or anything.”

“Cool.” Vinyl smiled at her and nodded. “Yeah, I’m just kinda worried about getting you in trouble. I mean, you’re…super, you know, proper and stuff. I’m actually starting to wonder if I’m a bad influence on you…or whatever…”

I think we both know the answer to that. Octavia giggled softly and shook her head. “Well, perhaps a little. However…I’m not concerned about it. You’re my friend, Vinyl. I enjoy doing things with you, even if they are somewhat…delinquent.”

It was clear Vinyl didn’t know what that word meant, but she was smart enough to make an educated guess based on the context. “Thanks, Tavi.” She got back up and sat down next to her. “But feel free to say no if you have to. You know you can tell me off if you feel like it, right?”

“Tell…you off?”

“Yeah, like, feel free to tell me to can it or shut up.”

Octavia gasped softly and immediately shook her head. “Oh, no I couldn’t possibly do such a thing.”

“Yeah, you totally can.” Vinyl smirked and gave her a wink. “Try it. Say ‘Go eat a brick, V.’.”

“Really, Vinyl…I couldn’t. I would never say-”

“Tavi, just try.” Vinyl patted her on the back. “Say ‘Go eat a brick, V’.”

“Vinyl…I really don’t think it’s an appropriate thing for me s-”

“Babe! Just do it!” Vinyl laughed.

Octavia sighed softly and looked down at her knees. It was clear Vinyl wasn’t going to let this one go so easily. “Go…” She cleared her throat. “…eat a brick…”

“Aw, come on. That’s all you got, girl? Louder.”

“Go…eat a brick…” Octavia muttered only a tiny bit louder.

Vinyl palmed her face and shook her head with a sigh. “I’m not really feeling it, babe. You gotta mean it.”

“Do…I really have do this?” Octavia pleaded.

“Uh, yeah.” Vinyl laughed.

With a heavy sigh, Octavia nodded. “Alright…” She cleared her throat one last time before speaking as clearly as possible. “Go eat a brick, V.”

“Yeah, yeah yeah yeah, better.” Vinyl looked very pleased with herself despite being insulted. “Try screaming this time.”

“U-Um….” Octavia giggled softly. “…Go eat a brick, V!”

“Perfect!” Vinyl clapped her hands together loudly. “Now say ‘Yes! More, Vinyl! Give me more!’.”

“W-W-What???” Octavia gasped loudly.

“Just do it!” Vinyl shouted. “Just do it you wimp!”

Octavia rolled her eyes and pushed both of her palms down on the bed beside her hips to steady herself before screaming “Yes! More, Vinyl! Give me more!” Once the words escaped her lips, her face turned bright pink. Vinyl flopped back on the bed and rolled back and forth while laughing hysterically. She was laughing so hard that she even snorted a couple times as she gripped her sides. Octavia felt extremely silly and painfully embarrassed all the while completely oblivious that things were about to get worse. Vinyl eventually got a hold of herself long enough to pull her phone from her clutched hand. She had hid the device under her shirt until now, and as Octavia cast an inquisitive glance, Vinyl pressed a finger against the face of the screen.

“Yes! More, Vinyl! Give me more!”

The voice was partially muffled and the audio quality wasn’t great, but Octavia could hear herself quite unmistakably. “You CAN NOT be serious!” She exclaimed. Vinyl began laughing again, this time so hard that she rolled off the bed and flopped down on the floor with a hard thud. This didn’t keep her from enjoying the moment, however. She continued to roll around, cackling hard enough to produce tears. Octavia leapt off the bed and tried to tackle Vinyl, but she was no match for her quick reflexes and caffeine fueled fit. Vinyl got off the floor and raced towards the bedroom door, Octavia right on her heels. “Vinyl, I forbid you to keep that recording!”

“Oh, heck no!” Vinyl took a deep breath at the foot of the stairs, staring up at Octavia determined expression from the second floor. “I’m making this my new ringtone!”

“Vinyl!” Octavia hopped down the stairs, surprising herself by her own speed. “Vinyl, you return to me right now and give me your cell phone!” She was closing in on Vinyl quickly…too quickly. When her feet crossed the threshold from the hallway to the living room, Vinyl sidestepped with ease to avoid a collision, but Octavia had no way of stopping without crashing into something. With as much grace as a pigeon learning to fly, she smashed into the couch, landing on her side on top of the cushions, spilling a couple of the couch pillows on the floor in the process.

“Coming in hot!” Vinyl shouted, diving onto the couch on top of her.

Octavia felt a good portion of the wind in her chest get knocked out of her, but she still had plenty of fight left in her. She kicked and squirmed to get out from under Vinyl’s butt, now firmly pushing her down. “Vinyl, you delinquent hooligan!” Vinyl wiggled her butt against Octavia’s torso, keeping her pinned down long enough to finish fiddling with her phone before dropping the phone down on the floor like a microphone on stage. Octavia firmly pushed Vinyl off her chest and dove onto the floor for the phone. “There!” She shouted, picking herself off the floor, panting heavily. “Vinyl, you are insufferable!”

“You know you want more.” Vinyl said with a smirk and a mischievous wink.

Octavia scowled at her before looking down at the phone. Vinyl’s messaging application was open, and there were two recipients of a newly sent message with an added attachment. Octavia didn’t have to guess what it was. Her voice had now been immortalized by technology to both Bon Bon and Lyra. “You…you didn’t!!!”

“I did.” Vinyl giggled hard. “I totally did.”

“Words…” Octavia growled, her ears on fire. “…cannot describe how much I want to hit you right now.”

“Bring it, babe!” Vinyl countered, thrusting her chest out.

Octavia grabbed one of the pillows off the floor and swung as hard as she could, hitting Vinyl square in the face, knocking her down on her back on the floor. This didn’t seem to faze her much considering she had started laughing again, and Octavia had no intention of actually hurting her. But she will pay for her crimes. Octavia quickly sat on Vinyl’s knees, keeping her lower body pinned against the floor.

Vinyl leaned back on one arm while pointing a finger up at the cellist. “You should’ve seen your face, Tavi!” She exclaimed through a giggle. Octavia narrowed her eyes and gripped Vinyl’s sides firmly with both hands. To her surprise, Vinyl had quite the reaction to this physical contact. Her whole body tensed up and her eyes grew wide in terror, and Octavia was quick to work her friend’s newfound weakness. “ACK!!” Vinyl jerked to the side, fighting with all her might to squirm away as Octavia began digging her fingers into her sides. “S-Stop T-Tavi that t-tickles s-seriously o-oh my gosh k-knock it o-off!!!” She tried to shout in protest through her painful giggling, but it did absolutely nothing to provide relief. Octavia was quite determined and still fuming too much to listen to Vinyl’s pleas. She began working the tips of her fingers against Vinyl’s sides in haste, taking great satisfaction in her victim’s hilarious anguish. “Ahhahaha o-owwwwie-owww h-hahaha Tavi you’re k-killing m-me ahahaha o-owwww!!!”

Only after her arms began to fatigue did Octavia stop. She pressed her hands down on Vinyl’s waist and took a deep breath, but deep down she was still a bit surly. “I cannot believe you did that.” She muttered hoarsely. “Have you no shame, Vinyl?”

“Naw, not really.” Vinyl coughed and choked out a giggle, her voice raspy and her stomach in knots. “But you still love me.”

Octavia sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. “You do make it rather difficult sometimes…”

“Sooo, you do love me then?” Vinyl smirked and pressed a finger against Octavia’s nose.

“Oh, hush…” Octavia swatted the finger away playfully.

“Heh.” Vinyl slowly sat up with her nose only a foot away from Octavia’s face. “You know, you’re pretty quick for a nerd.”

“I-I…I am not a nerd.” Octavia blushed slightly and leaned back a bit.

“Uh, yeah you kinda are.” Vinyl giggled. “You’re a cute nerd, but you’re still a nerd. Maybe it’s the clothes or something, but hey, at least you work it pretty good.”

“Vinyl, please.” Octavia pressed the other pillow from the floor onto her best friend’s face for a moment. “I think we both know what I will need to do if you continue to tease me.”

“Aw, but you’re freaking adorable!” Vinyl huffed as she slipped out from underneath Octavia’s behind. “Besides, you liiiiiike it.”

“Don’t be silly.” Octavia’s blush deepened a bit as she shook her head.

“Hey…” Vinyl put a hand on Octavia’s cheek and leaned forward. “…You’re not…actually mad at me…are you? I know I went…sort crazy there…”

Octavia relaxed her shoulders and giggled softly. “It’s…fine, Vinyl. No, I’m not mad. To be fair…” She cleared her throat as the blush intensified exponentially. “You’re also rather cute…when you become animated.”

“Awwwww, Taviiiii...” Vinyl threw her arms around her shoulders and squeezed tightly.

“Um…” Octavia patted her on the back. “I am going to need you to let go, please.”

“Aw, come on. Just a little while longer.” Vinyl continued to hug her. “I might not ever get another chance to hug you to death again.”

“Well, if you happen to kill me, then I suppose you would have bigger problems.” Octavia sighed. “Besides…I…need to use your bathroom.”

“Oh, heh.” Vinyl let go and snickered. “Y-Yeah. Uh, do you know where it is?”

Octavia shook her head. “I’m afraid not.”

“Just, uh…” Vinyl pointed towards the hallway. “Second door on the right.”

“Thank you.” Octavia nodded and slowly stood, taking care to smooth out her long pleated grey skirt. She swatted Vinyl in the face one more time with the pillow before attempting to exit the living room.

“Oh, uh, Tavi.” Vinyl stammered, slowly rising to a sitting position on the couch.

“Yes?” Octavia turned back towards her.

“You’re…pretty great.” Vinyl said with a slight shrug and a bit of a blush. “I know I said this yesterday, but uh…I’m really glad…that you’re talking more and stuff. It’s a…lot of fun having you around. Thanks for…you know…chilling with me overnight and whatever.”

That was…very sweet. “W-Well, um…” Octavia smiled sheepishly, her blush returning to her face. “…You’re welcome…Vinyl. You’re quite, um…great…too.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah…” Vinyl rolled her eyes and waved a hand dismissively, but Octavia knew she only did so because she was uncomfortably flustered. “Go do your thing, babe…”

-o0o-

It was a quarter past noon by the time they arrived at the roller skating rink, and since neither girl had eaten anything in over twelve hours, both Vinyl and Octavia had their sights set on food before anything else. They might have had a chance to eat something before leaving Vinyl’s home, but almost last minute, Vinyl decided the cellist needed a complete wardrobe change if they were to go out again. Having traded in her long grey skirt and dress shirt, Octavia now wore a pair of tattered and rather tight fitting purple pants that supposedly matched her eyes and loose tank top of Vinyl’s choosing. The tank top was black, and printed on the front was a luxurious high class mustache and matching monocle. Vinyl made it clear she found this outfit to be ironically amusing, and Octavia had to admit it was much more comfortable than her usual wardrobe. Still, being changed into entirely different attire without much verbal preparation had been quite the strange experience for Octavia. At least Vinyl seemed happy with it, and that was all that really mattered.

Since it was a Saturday afternoon, the roller rink was fairly crowded. Upon entering the front doors, Octavia was immediately hit by a wave of exuberant and youthful voices, children of all ages burning off pizza and caffeine by either skating, playing arcade games, or just hanging out in one of the many booths that lined the edges of the building. Octavia had never said this about loud music before, but this time she was very grateful that loud electronic music was playing in the background. If the hard bass notes didn’t drown out the screeching of children, she definitely would’ve asked management for some earplugs. Vinyl was already nodding her head back and forth, her eyes well hidden by her oversized glasses. She looked to be enjoying the music among many others stepping to the beat of the noise. Lastly, the roller rink was colorful, almost painfully colorful. Everything was dashed or smudged with different colored paint, and the lighting in the establishment made everything have a glowing aura.

“No scope!” A rolled up green napkin flew from one of the booths near the entrance and hit Vinyl in the face. Vinyl jerked her head back in surprise before looking towards her assailant. Her lips parted into a grin as she grabbed the napkin from the floor and threw it back at the mint-haired girl.

“Scoot over, dude.” Vinyl nudged Lyra on the shoulder before inconveniently sitting down beside her and grabbing a slice of pizza from the table.

“Whoa, hey, you gotta pay for that.” Lyra said with a scowl.

Bon Bon rolled her eyes dramatically from across the table. “I’m the one who’s paying, Ly. Not you.”

“Cool, so, can I have this?” Vinyl asked, a bite already missing from the end of her slice.

“Yes.” Bon Bon said with a sigh. She turned to look up at Octavia who still hadn’t taken a seat. “Hello, Octavia. I see a certain someone decided to dress you up.”

“Doesn’t she look hot?” Vinyl jabbed a thumb in Octavia’s direction.

“She’s dressed like you.” Lyra pointed out. “Except she can pull it off.”

Bon Bon patted the spot next to her with a smile, and Octavia took a seat beside her. “I think you look nice.” Bon Bon put an arm around her for a quick hug. “You hungry?”

Octavia smiled back and nodded, very glad the overall noise of the roller rink completely muffled the sound of her rumbling tummy. “Thank you.” She gratefully took a slice of pizza and nibbled purposefully.

Lyra traded a knowing glance with Vinyl before attempting to conceal a snicker. “So, you guys had fun last night, huh?”

Octavia looked up from her pizza with genuine confusion, taking a moment to realize what was being implied. She blushed heavily and looked back down at her food. Vinyl giggled hard and traded a jab to the shoulder with Lyra. “Yeah, you could say that. You could totally say that.”

“Alright, I’m just going to have to put my foot down on this one.” Bon Bon interjected. “Vinyl, you tease Octavia too much, and normally I don’t say anything about it, but now you’re encouraging Lyra.”

“Aw, Bonnie, come on.” Vinyl sighed. “She’s cool with it!”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Bon Bon put a hand on Octavia’s shoulder. “Look, if we’re all going to be friends, let’s try not to make anyone mad or embarrassed, ok? Can we just for once hang out and you two not get all weird?” She asked, pointing to the girls across the table.

“Alright, alright…” Lyra nodded. “Sorry, Octavia. But seriously. I did NOT know you could say stuff like that.”

“W-Well, I really didn’t intend to.” Octavia shook her head adamantly. “It was…more hypothetical than anything else.”

“Huh?” Lyra raised an eyebrow.

“I kinda tricked her into saying that.” Vinyl giggled. “She just walked right into that one.”

“Oh, for the love of-” Bon Bon palmed her face. “Would. You. Two. Stop?”

“Ok, ok, ok…” Lyra rolled her eyes. “Geeeeez.”

“Seriously, Bonnie. It’s totally cool. It was just a prank, dude.” Vinyl said with a nod while crossing her arms. “Besides, we kissed and made up, so it’s all good, sister.”

Bon Bon cast an inquisitive glance at Octavia who replied with a slight nod. “Fine.” She said with exacerbation.

Lyra let out a burp and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “So, are we gonna skate or-”

“What do you say when you do that?” Bon Bon asked, palming her face while pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Excuse me.” Lyra quickly corrected herself before continuing. “So, are we skating or what?”

“I’m kinda in the middle of something.” Vinyl said right after swallowing a big mouthful. Octavia didn’t say anything, allowing the pizza in her hand to do the talking for her.

Bon Bon held out a couple quarters to Lyra. “Here, go play a game or something while we finish eating.”

Lyra’s eyes grew wide, and she snatched them up before crawling under the table to leave. Vinyl scowled as she felt Lyra jerk her legs side to side before popping out from underneath. “Seriously? Give a girl some warning next time.”

“Lyra, also while you’re gone, can you please get me a refill on my cola?” Bon Bon held up her empty paper cup as if to illustrate.

Lyra groaned and took the cup. “Sure, but you know I spoil you.” Vinyl snickered hard, almost expelling bits of pepperoni out of her nose. Bon Bon nearly did the same, but she was fortunate enough not to have a mouthful of food. With a roll of her eyes, Lyra walked away towards the arcade corner.

“So, Octavia.” Bon Bon turned to her and gave her another warm motherly smile. “Have you ever roller skated before?”

“N-No.” Octavia shook her head and put the remnants of her pizza slice down. Between her small stomach and the morning’s caffeine, her hunger had been satiated quickly, now replaced with yet another urge to pee. She politely refused herself the luxury of the bathroom to finish her conversation. “But Vinyl has told me roller skating isn’t particularly difficult.”

Bon Bon gave her a once over with minor trepidation. “Mn, yeah, maybe for her.” She paused when Vinyl flashed a glare in her direction. “I mean…I’m not trying to make you feel bad or anything, but I really don’t want you getting hurt.”

“Bonnie, you stress wayyyy too much.” Vinyl sighed and decided to take her glasses off, the somewhat dim and erratic lighting made wearing them a pain. “She’ll be safe with me, I promise. We’ll even hold hands the whole time.”

“I-I don’t think that will be necessary.” Octavia shook her head with a blush. “T-That is to say…I do see a lot of young children here, so…it can’t be too hard.”

“Well, ok.” Bon Bon gave a satisfactory nod. “But please be careful. I would hate to call your mom to let her know you hit your head or something.”

Oh, as would I… Octavia almost shivered at the thought. Her mother would no doubt come all the way out here to fetch her daughter, but to see her in such attire and in such an establishment would yield quite the uncomfortable lecture.

“It’s cool, it’s cool. Chill, girl. Pass the pepper?” Vinyl asked, pointing to a small shaker bottle.

Bon Bon did as requested and looked down at Octavia’s paper plate. “Done eating?”

“Hm?” Octavia brought herself back to the land of the living and turned back to Bon Bon. “Oh, yes. I am.”

“Great. Let’s go get you some skates.” Bon Bon motioned towards the end of the table. “I’ll show you how to lace them.”

“W-Well…alright.” Octavia got up and followed Bon Bon towards the rental counter right after Vinyl waved apathetically with more pizza stuffed into her mouth.

When they arrived at the counter, Bon Bon had Octavia get her feet measured properly before ordering a couple pairs to try on. There was a small bench by the counter where they sat to take their shoes off. Now separated from the other two girls, Bon Bon took the opportunity to get some clarification she needed. “So, I gotta ask…” She said, unlacing her casual blue and pink sneakers. “…and you don’t have to share with me if you don’t want to.”

Octavia had a very good idea as to what she was referring to, but she resigned not to jump to any conclusions. “Yes?”

“That message I got this morning from V, the one with your voice.” Bon Bon blushed slightly and giggled. “How in the world did she get you to say that?”

“O-Oh…it’s a long story.” Octavia returned the blush and focused her gaze on the tangled laces of the roller skates. “…I…didn’t see it coming…and she was quite clever about it…I suppose.”

“Hm…” Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. “I hope she didn’t pressure you or force you to say that.” She said with a surprisingly stern tone. “Lyra may think it’s hilarious, and Vinyl too, definitely…but, honestly…I don’t know.” She paused to consider her words. “I guess if it was me, I’d be kinda freaked out.”

Octavia’s blush continued, but it was no longer a result of being flustered. Now she was feeling a hint of shame. “…I-I…I am inclined to agree…If my mother heard me say those words, w-well…I suppose life would be quite different for me for the next couple of weeks.”

“Yeah, see…that’s kind of what I’m worried about.” Bon Bon put a hand on her thigh for a moment to emphasize her point. “I mean, Vinyl is deep down pretty harmless, but…well, like I said before, she can get into trouble sometimes. And…I’ve never met your parents before, but I don’t get the feeling they’re super cool with a lot of stuff the way Vinyl’s mom is.”

“That’s…true. I won’t…deny that.” Octavia had absolutely no idea just when or how Vinyl had gotten into any sort of hot water, nor did she have any idea how deep the water went. However…Bon Bon had told her something rather shocking not too long ago, and it just occurred to her that Vinyl probably got in trouble for kissing that girl back in middle school. She had been far too jealous and astonished by the news upon hearing it that she hadn’t considered what consequences Vinyl had to suffer because of her actions.

Bon Bon sighed and lowered her hands to bench beside her. “Octavia…when I told you about Vinyl the other day…and that kiss…” She sighed again. “I don’t think it was my place to do that.”

“I…don’t understand.” Octavia turned to face her.

“Look, you two are obviously good friends, and I can see that Vinyl trusts you. Heck, she didn’t even let me come over to her house until a whole semester was over… So…I really don’t think I should’ve told you that.” She smiled and gave a half shrug. “But… I’m worried that you might end up in some sort of trouble if you’re not careful. Whatever happened this morning…it was harmless. I’m just kind of worried that the next time…it won’t be.”

Octavia looked down at the ground and pondered those words as fear began to grip her. It felt irrational, but in this new and crazy world she had no experience of, she supposed anything was possible. The thought never crossed her mind that Vinyl might cause her grief at some point, but now that the idea had surfaced, it didn’t seem so far fetched. If her mother ever actually met Vinyl in person and found out about their behavior last night, Octavia might not leave Melody Manor until her graduation into legal adulthood. If Vinyl ever visited her home, all she needed to do would be to act and speak like usual, and that would be the abrupt end to all of Octavia’s newfound social interaction. She could see it clearly in her mind. Vinyl would whip her hair back like always, and her mother would become socially nauseated. “Do…you really…think it could happen?” She asked, a painfully obvious stutter in her voice.

“I really hope not…” Bon Bon said with a forced smile when she saw Octavia’s solemn expression. “…And I think we both know Vinyl deep down is a sweetheart. She would never, you know…do something on purpose to make you mad or something.”

Oh, I do know that… Octavia giggled once and smiled sheepishly. “She can be quite thoughtful when she tries.”

“Yeah…” Bon Bon nodded in agreement. “So…what I said a couple days ago, about telling me if she does something weird…”

“Y-Yes?” Octavia turned to face her again.

“Well…I still want you to do that.” Bon Bon eventually finished that thought. “…I don’t want to seem nosy or annoying about this, but I’m only saying this because…I like you, Octavia. You’re a really nice person, and you make a good friend to me and Lyra…and Vinyl, obviously. You have nice manners, and…to be completely honest…it’s nice having someone in our little group I can talk to like this.”

“O-Oh, t-that’s…um…thank you.” Octavia stammered. “I…I’m glad you think so.” She smiled and surprised herself by putting a hand on Bon Bon’s thigh. “I think it’s really nice that you try look out for everyone. I find it…refreshing. Lyra and Vinyl are very lucky to have you as a friend…even if they don’t know it.”

“Octavia, you are way too cute.” Bon Bon laughed and gave her a quick hug. “I’m sure Vinyl’s told you that like a thousand times by now.”

Maybe not that many times…But, yes… Octavia mused with her blush returning. “Well…she has made that very clear on multiple occasions.”

Bon Bon laughed once more and gently bumped Octavia’s hip with her own. “Let’s do these dumb laces and go skate.” Bon Bon said with a smile, and Octavia nodded in reply. They spent the next few minutes going over how to lace their skates, and after practicing the multiple loops necessary to secure the ankle support, Octavia soon got the hang of it.

With only the last knot left to tie, Octavia nearly gasped when Vinyl plopped down on the bench next to her with her own pair of skates. “Hey, guys.” Vinyl kicked her shoes off immediately and drove her feet hard into the worn leather of the skates. “Looking good, Tavi. You look like a natural in those.” She remarked, lacing her skates haphazardly without much attention to the proper riveted holes. Octavia wondered if what she was doing was safe, but all things considered, Vinyl probably skated here a lot.

“I’m going to go find Lyra.” Bon Bon said while standing up. She shuffled her feet a bit and began skating backwards away from the bench. “Be careful you two.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Vinyl rolled her eyes before slipping her glasses on. “You ready, babe?” She asked, standing up with practiced ease. Octavia tried to do the same thing, but she immediately felt her feet move in opposite directions. Her entire posture felt compromised as her weight dropped towards the floor. Her arms flailed towards the nearest physical support which happened to be the bottom of Vinyl’s shirt. “Whoa! Ok, let’s try that again.” Vinyl slipped an arm around her waist to help Octavia steady herself. “You ok, Tavi?”

“Y-Yes.” Octavia slowly nodded, feeling an unmistakable wave of adrenaline increase her heartbeat. She knew it was very unlikely that she could get terribly injured, but this was the first time in her life ever trying to stand on skates before. Her legs had absolutely no idea what to do. “…But…I am going to need your help…”

“That’s what I’m here for, girl.” Vinyl giggled and slowly began moving forward. Her grip around Octavia’s waist tightened as they inched towards the roller rink.

Octavia’s heartbeat began to quicken, but it wasn’t due to adrenaline. The feeling of Vinyl’s soft yet reassuringly strong fingers grip her lower back sent a powerful wave of heat up her spine. Vinyl’s cheek was pressed against the back of her head, and she could feel her warm breath against her ear. Before she could take the time to truly appreciate their physical contact, Octavia almost slipped once more. When this happened, Vinyl grabbed her hips with both hands and pulled her back up just in time. “Good heavens!” Octavia exclaimed, her knees shaking in unsteady spasms.

“Don’t worry, I got you. Relax, babe.” Vinyl giggled with amusement. “Just…push off with one foot, and put all your weight on the other foot.”

“A-Alright.” Octavia swallowed hard and gave it a shot. She pushed off slowly and was pleasantly surprised to see herself glide a few feet without falling. A smile parted her lips, but it only lasted for a moment. When her feet stopped moving, that uncontrollable sensation of imbalance took over once more, and she began to lean too far to the side. “V-Vinyl! H-Help!”

Vinyl rolled right up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist, picking her up off the ground while leaning into a turn to avoid a nearby booth. “Gotcha!” She came to a controlled stop and turned Octavia to face her, keeping her hands on the cellist’s hips.

Octavia sighed with a bit of frustration and lowered her head. “…Perhaps I shouldn’t try to skate today.” She said with a hint of disappointment. “I’ve never been very good at anything athletic.”

Vinyl put a finger under Octavia’s chin and titled her head up so their eyes could meet. “Hey, don’t beat yourself up. You can do this, ok? I’ll be right next to you the whole time, and you’ll totally have fun.”

“Will…you have fun?” Octavia asked with a fierce blush. “…Wouldn’t you rather go skating without me? I just know I’ll slow you down.”

“You’re kidding, right?” Vinyl laughed. “I didn’t come here to skate by myself. I came here to skate with you. Just give it a shot, and I promise you’ll have a good time.”

“…T-Thank you, Vinyl.” Octavia closed her fingers around Vinyl’s hand and squeezed for a moment. She looked up with a smile, very grateful for the encouragement. Vinyl had to be the only person in the entire world who had given her any form of encouragement, and each time she did, Octavia could feel a couple butterflies dancing about in her tummy. With a determined nod, Octavia smiled brighter. “I will do my best.”

“That’s my girl!” Vinyl giggled and patted her on the back before taking her by the hand. She pounded the ground with one foot, taking off with astonishing acceleration.

Octavia had no need to do anything as they skated towards the rink. Vinyl was towing her with such speed that any form of movement was unnecessary. The only thing she could do was scream. “Vinyl! V-Vinylll!!!”

-o0o-

Of all the times to call…she had to call now…

She had been having so much fun… She had been making some wonderful memories… But right now, none of that seemed to matter as Octavia sat in the backseat of her chauffeur’s luxury vehicle. There weren’t any more clouds in the sky than earlier that morning, but the car’s tinted glass seemed to cast a somber shadow across everything outside. With very nervous feet tapping away at the carpeted floor, Octavia held her tummy with both hands and shook her head. She wasn’t sick, but she sure felt like it. Painful knots of anxiety tugged and clenched her insides like a boa constrictor, and there wasn’t anything she could do to make the anguish go away.

Roughly a half hour ago, her mother had tried to call her cell phone. It had been a fruitless effort mainly due to the loud music and Octavia’s complete lack of attention to the device as she skated. As Vinyl had predicted, she had picked up the skill rather quickly. She was nowhere near as fast as her friends, but she no longer needed physical support after almost two hours of practice. It was during this time that her mother tried calling her, not once, not twice, but five times. Her mother had eventually given up, opting to utilize the GPS tracking feature in Octavia’s phone, an option she had purchased without her daughter’s knowledge. Once she had the address of her daughter’s location, she immediately sent one of the family’s town cars to bring her home.

Now, after being abruptly taken away from the roller rink by two hired security personnel with barely an opportunity to offer some form of a farewell, an experience Octavia found incredibly embarrassing and humiliating, she would now have to face the wrath of her mother very soon.

These clothes! Octavia internally screamed. Mother will be furious with my attire! Why did I have to agree to change into this ridiculous outfit! She knew it wasn’t ridiculous, and in fact, she rather liked Vinyl’s style. It was much more comfortable and casual than her normal clothes, but what she was wearing right now had not been approved by her mother and would most definitely never be. I’m sweaty…I’m disheveled…I’m a mess! She began to panic as her neighborhood came into view. Alright…it’s not a complete disaster. I’m sure mother had her wine by now, and this will all be over by supper.

Her eyes snapped open in sheer terror. Her heart stopped as her face turned pale and her lips turned purple. …MY CELLO!!!!! Octavia gasped loudly, sucking down much needed oxygen as the car turned into the long paved driveway leading up to the manor’s entrance. I forgot my CELLO!!!

This was it. This was the end of her life as she knew it. If her mother cared about anything more than her daughter, it was probably the cello. Without it, Octavia was not her complete self, and her mother no doubt knew this better than anyone. In fact, playing the cello was the only reason why her mother ever attended any of her school functions or musical recitals. It was the one thing in her life that still separated her from the rest of the common population, and she had senselessly left it behind.

The car came to a stop in front of the manor’s entrance, and sure enough, her mother was standing at the top of the stairs leading to the front door. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight professional bun, and her once lovely features were strained by the perpetual scowl of disapproval Octavia could recognize within a sea of strangers. The driver of the car got out and opened Octavia’s door, and her mother stuck out a finger, pointed to her, then pointed to the ground at her feet. With very heavy shoulders, Octavia got out and trudged her way up the steps to stand in front of her mother.

“M-Mother…I-I…” Octavia’s stammer was so strong that her throat felt scratchy. “…I’m so sorry. I-It was n-never my intention to miss your call! I was unaware that you were trying to reach m-”

“Your clothes.” Her mother stated, her voice raspy and stern from years of bitterness and frequent alcohol consumption. “Where are they?”

“They…” Octavia swallowed. “T-They’re still at my friend’s home…”

“Are they? Along with your decency, your respect, and your grace?” Her mother crossed her arms.

“I-I…I meant to change back into-”

“Get inside!” Her mother stepped back and pointed to the door. “I shall meet you in the study shortly. Don’t you dare go to your room.”

Octavia squeaked loudly with fright at her mother’s raised voice, and she hurried inside, walking towards the long hallway leading to the study. Once there, she stood nervously between her father’s lounge chair and a bookcase full of expensive first editions that she had been forbidden to ever touch. Her mother came in a minute later with a glass of wine in her hand, her sour expression now rotten with anger.

“You’ve had quite the weekend, haven’t you, Octavia Melody?” She said, pacing in front of her daughter.

“I-I…suppose…” Octavia almost whimpered.

“You suppose?” Her mother asked through gritted teeth. “I was just informed by my security that you were at some form of skating facility?”

“W-Well…a roller skating…rink…” Octavia slowly nodded. “…Yes…”

“With loud and ghastly music, a multitude of hormonally imbalanced teenagers, and no supervision. Am I in any way mistaken?”

Octavia knew it was a terrible idea to try and make any corrections. So, to give the safest answer possible, she merely agreed. “T-That…is correct…”

“You disappoint me, Octavia.” Her mother spat, stepping forward to point a finger at her nose. “After all these years of proper education and mannered upbringing, you insult and disgrace yourself and your family by dressing like an eager little courtesan at an underage brothel.”

“I-I…” Octavia felt a familiar anger rise up from the pit of her knotted stomach. Speaking to her mother almost always gave her this feeling, but it had never been so intense before.

“And these new friends of yours.” Her mother continued. “If you have stooped to their level, then I must assume based on your current state that they are the worst type of youths imaginable. Have they no shame tainting your precious standing? Have YOU no shame for ruining yourself and your image?”

“M-Mother…I-I…” Octavia choked as she fought back tears.

“And where, pray tell, is your cello?” She asked, her voice almost suspiciously soothing. Her tone was almost believable if she hadn’t been showing her teeth.

Octavia bowed her head in shame, every part of her physical being going limp. She had absolutely nothing to say to this question, and there wasn’t anything she could possibly say or do to make this situation any better. Unfortunately, she wasn’t given that luxury. Her mother stood in silence waiting for a response, and she knew better than to be closed lipped when directly addressed. “M-Mother…I’m sorry.”

“Oh, please, Octavia.” Her mother spat, rolling her head disdainfully before sipping her wine. “It’s far too late now for recompense, and by your actions today, I can already conclude with perfect certainty that you have turned into quite the horrid child.”

Octavia’s eyes grew wide with rage. Her whole body tensed up as her hands balled up into weak little fists. The impression of her mother she had was never positive, but she had never been called something so terrible so directly right to her face. Those words sent a flare of righteous indignation into Octavia’s chest, and she brought a finger up to point at herself. “I-I…am…n-no…such thing!” She exclaimed hoarsely. “I-I-I-I can’t believe you would say that!”

“Don’t you dare raise your voice towards me, child!” Her mother screeched, bearing down on Octavia’s with a finger pressed against her chest. “I have had quite enough of your newfound attitude. You dare slam a door in my face, and now you dare raise your voice at me? You are the absolute worst, ungrateful, misguided little burden of a daughter anyone could ever be cursed with!”

Octavia was crying by now, hot angry tears streaming down her cheeks. She raised a fist into the air and shouted as loud as she possibly could. “I hate you!” She thumped her mother on the chest with both hands. “I HATE YOU!!!”

What happened next felt almost dreamlike, a half-conscious trance of which she could only experience on a feverish night. It happened so fast and was so incredibly unexpected that Octavia almost didn’t believe it actually occurred. Her eyes blurred heavily, completely distorting her vision as she stepped back from the impact. It wasn’t until a painful tingling began radiating across the left side of her face did she fully grasp what just transpired.

Just as her senses were returning, another figure entered the study. It was a man of noble height and build, his features worn by time yet strong in conviction. His pepper grey hair was slicked back and parted with precision, and despite the scene in front of him, he carried himself with great composure. It was her father, and Octavia was immensely relieved to see him. When he spoke, his voice was deep and broad like an ancient orator atop a hill. “Go to your room, Octavia.” He said, his words like solid columns supporting the foundation of his appearance. Octavia’s mother looked rather perplexed by the man’s sudden appearance, as if she had not expected to see him arrive home so soon. Even Octavia was surprised to see him home before the setting sun, but he had returned nonetheless. “Now, Octavia.” He repeated.

With a quick shuffle of her feet and a hand pressed against her cheek, Octavia did as instructed. She hurried to the study’s door and walked very nervously towards the stairs and up to her room. Once inside, she sat on her bed while looking down at her feet for nearly an entire hour, unable to think coherently or utter a single word to herself. After such a dramatic change to her once lovely day, she was still too emotionally turbulent to do anything besides sit. The sun had set during her time in solitude, and yet she dared not stir despite the urge to use the bathroom. Eventually, she realized that no one would be bothering her for the rest of the night, and considering the late hour, she knew she should probably get ready for bed.

As she dutifully prepared herself for sleep, taking the time to relieve herself and change out of Vinyl’s clothes, Octavia felt an intense anxiety. It didn’t diminish at all even after she climbed into bed. Normally she would’ve been happy right about now, taking the time to catch up on the latest messages Vinyl had sent her before drifting into unconsciousness. True to routine, her phone was filled with messages from her best friend, moreso tonight in fact, but Octavia had neither the heart nor the stomach to even look at her phone. Vinyl was probably worried sick about her, or ‘freaking out’ as she might put it. It hurt Octavia a bit, knowing she was purposefully avoiding any form of interaction with her at the moment, but she couldn’t bring herself to even pick up the device.

When she closed her eyes, Octavia whimpered softly into her pillow. She never knew until recently the joys of being hugged, and it was at this moment that she craved one terribly. Vinyl… She heard her inner voice say. Vinyl… At last, and in a hoarse whisper, she muttered, “Vinyl… Help me…”

-o0o-

On Monday morning, the whole world went about its usual business, as did every student making their way to school. Outside the busy steps of Canterlot High, boys and girls of various ages chatted aimlessly and almost carefree despite partially dreading another long week of boredom and monotony. However, there was one student who felt time move more slowly, painfully ticking away at a turtle’s pace. When Octavia finally arrived to school in her chauffeur’s vehicle, she saw the solitary figure leap from her perched position of the stair’s railing, turning to face her direction. Vinyl hadn’t heard from Octavia since Saturday, and it had been a very baffling sight to see her best friend escorted away by tall men in dark suits. Octavia had offered no resistance, and at least she had said very quick and apologetic goodbyes to her friends before leaving, but Octavia knew her best friend would have questions. No doubt she would be worried as well, and it would put both of their minds at ease to speak to each other.

With a deep breath, Octavia exited the car and stepped towards the school. It seemed her pace was much too slow for Vinyl’s liking considering Vinyl nearly ran straight towards her. They stopped in front of each other, and Vinyl spoke first. “Heyyyyy…you alright? You good?” She asked, placing a hand on Octavia’s shoulder. “You didn’t call me or text me or anything yesterday. I was kinda worried you got in trouble.” She paused and pushed her glasses up atop her head, showing worried crimson eyes. “You didn’t actually get in trouble, did you?” Octavia offered no reply, her eyes still fixed on Vinyl’s feet. “Y-You…uh, ‘cause…I mean, if you had like a curfew or something, you coulda just told me. I wouldn’t be all mad or anything about it.” When Octavia still offered no response, Vinyl’s face became noticeably concerned. “Whoa…hey…” She reached down and squeezed one of her hands. “Talk to me, Tavi…you’re freaking me out.”

Octavia nearly cried when she felt her fingers get squeezed in a soft and reassuring grip. She shook her head slowly, bringing her free hand up to cover her face as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I-I…a-am so s-sorry, Vinyl…” She choked.

“Awwww….fudge…” Vinyl gently circled her arms around Octavia’s shoulders and pulled her in close, hugging her firmly against her chest. In reality, she hadn’t said ‘fudge’, but Octavia’s memory wouldn’t permit such a word to linger in her mind. “Oh, man…Tavi…”

Octavia sobbed for a couple of seconds, pressing her face against Vinyl’s chest before sniffling back her tears. She wiped her face and looked up at her dear friend with an apologetic smile. “F-Forgive me… It wasn’t my intention to start crying in front of you.”

“Babe, I don’t care. You can always cry in front of me…” Vinyl wiped the back of her hand against Octavia’s cheek. “…I’m your best friend. That’s…I dunno…kinda why I’m here.”

“T-Thank you, Vinyl.” Octavia swallowed hard and took a small step back. She sighed and ran a finger across her forehead to push away the stray couple of locks that had fallen out of place. “…I know…I have said this before, and quite recently too, but…I’m terribly sorry for worrying you.”

“Oh my freaking gosh, babe.” Vinyl cracked a tiny smirk and rolled her eyes. “Seriously, don’t ever say you’re sorry to me about that.” She went back to squeezing the cellist’s fingers. “I don’t…look, yeah sure, I was kinda mad…maybe…but…” She sighed and thumped herself on the forehead with her palm. “…It doesn’t matter now. Right now, I just wanna know if you’re good. I just wanna know if…everything’s cool with you.”

“…Right now…” Octavia slowly nodded with a small sigh. “…Yes, I suppose.”

“Y-Yeah?” Vinyl raised an eyebrow. “Ok, I don’t wanna sound like jerk, but you don’t look like everything is cool. W-What…what happened with you? I mean, if you wanna tell me. You don’t have to… You’re still my babe no matter what, but I guess…I still wanna know.”

Octavia giggled halfheartedly for a moment at Vinyl’s interpretation of their relationship. It was amusing and also reassuring to know she was still considered her ‘babe’ regardless of circumstances. “T-Thank you…again, Vinyl.” Octavia finally brought her head up enough to lock eyes with her. “It’s…Well, it was my mother…”

“Oh…that witch, huh?” Vinyl spat with distain, again using a word that Octavia’s mind immediately changed lest she hear it again in recollection.

“U-Um…yes.” Octavia said with a sigh. “She…wasn’t happy with me on Saturday. I suppose…I should have expected that. H-However…Saturday was even less than agreeable for her.”

“What?” Vinyl raised her eyebrow again. “So…she’s a total jerk all the time, but now she’s being an even bigger one?”

“That…is very aptly put.” Octavia nodded. “Y-Yes, I suppose…you could say it like that.”

“That is so messed up!!” Vinyl exclaimed with a fervor spirit before calming herself. “Sorry, I didn’t, uh…mean to yell...” She growled softly at the ground before rubbing her palm against Octavia’s lower back. “So…uh…I guess...she was a total witch and freaked out on you?”

“Yes.” Octavia nodded before quickly shaking her head. “B-But, everything is fine now…I suppose. She’s…going to be staying with her family in Manehatten for a while.”

“Yeah? Well, that’s cool.” Vinyl looked relieved. “Uh, do you know for how long?”

“N-No…” Octavia sighed. “…But…It will probably be for a long while. My father…does not want to see her home for the time being. At least, this is what he has told me.”

“Oh….damnnn…” Vinyl put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed Octavia against her side. “You got some serious family stuff going on, babe…yikes.”

“It would appear so…” Octavia laid her head on Vinyl’s shoulder.

“Well, look, I mean…if there’s anything I can do, uh…” Vinyl bit her lip for a moment while attempting to speak more clearly without sounding like an idiot. “…like have you over more or…I dunno…my mom would be totally cool with you chilling at my place for a while. I dunno how your dad would feel about that, but…”

“V-Vinyl, thank you.” Octavia hugged her waist tightly and smiled. “I appreciate the gesture so very much. I’m grateful, truly…” She let go and blushed a bit, moving her hands down the front of her formal skirt. “…But, you would probably be right about my father. I very much doubt he would be complicit with such a request.”

“Sooo…like…he wouldn’t be cool with it?” Vinyl asked.

“Yes.” Octavia nodded.

“Ah, it’s cool. No biggie.” Vinyl shrugged and gave her a couple pats on the back, but Octavia could see genuine disappointment on her face. It was a disappointment that she shared at least equally. “Hey, at least…you got some breathing room or…whatever. It’s…well, it’s still pretty messed up that you gotta deal with this crap, but…at least you’re still here…with me…you know?” Vinyl tried to finish that thought with a casual attitude, but a hint of a blush on her own face showed how truly deeply she meant those words.

“I’m very happy to be here with you.” Octavia agreed, wrapping her arms around Vinyl’s waist once more. “Thank you…for being my best friend, Vinyl.”

With a giggle, Vinyl rolled her eyes and placed a hand atop Octavia’s head. “Are you kidding me? You’re like…the coolest, hottest friend I’ve ever had. Tavi…I don’t think anyone can ever top you.”

“That’s…” Octavia giggled back and poked Vinyl in the ribs with two fingers. “…Very sweet of you to say… I don’t have…much experience in having friends, but…” She stepped back and smiled up at her. “I wouldn’t trade your kinship and sincerity for anything in the world.”

“Awwww, come on, babe!” Vinyl sighed heavily and palmed her face with a laugh. “See, how am I supposed to beat that? You got all these FANCY long words and stuff, and…I mean…there’s just no winning with you on this.” Vinyl smiled down at her with a deep red blush across her pale white face. “…Thanks, Tavi. That was pretty cool.”

The Friend of a Friend

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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!”

The Phone Call

View Online

There were no words to describe how terribly guilty Octavia felt after letting her petty emotional side take over. Everything seemed to have been going quite well up until that point, and Octavia knew it was all her fault.

The party had a joyfully infectious atmosphere, everyone seemed to be having lots of fun dancing, and even Octavia felt rather happy in the midst of the celebration. She wasn’t necessarily participating, but it was nice watching Vinyl and the rest of her friends mingle and kick their feet to the beat with the other partygoers. It was especially nice when Vinyl took her by the hand during one of her many ‘favorite’ songs or try to introduce her to another of Vinyl’s acquaintances. She didn’t really dance nor did she say much when in front of others, but she felt like a bigger and more involved part of Vinyl’s life during those moments. She even dared to entertain the idea that Vinyl was becoming a bigger part of her life as well.

But then…she had to ruin Vinyl’s fun.

It wasn’t anything Vinyl did voluntarily or maliciously. If fact, Octavia wasn’t even aware of the tear rolling down her cheek until Vinyl had walked off the dance floor to seek her out. The tear and the rather somber expression Octavia obliviously had on her face were entirely due to nothing more than Vinyl being, well, ‘Vinyl’. It wasn’t out of place to see two or even three people dancing together. Sure, it had been quite off-putting to see individuals engaging in…more than intimate dancing styles with each other, but Octavia was actually quite put off seeing Vinyl participate so readily.

What she saw from the corner of the garage during the party was mostly harmless. Vinyl had her fist in the air while shaking her head side to side, her electric blue hair dancing with the music in accordance with the rest of her body. Then, all the sudden, that peculiar pink girl in all her ridiculousness decided to do something that Octavia had learned to be called ‘grinding’, or this case, ‘grinding up’ on Vinyl. Almost everyone in attendance had done it, or at least Octavia suspected. There were many couples here, and she had seen a fair share of kisses and gropes, but if Vinyl didn’t seem to notice then she didn’t think it was worth paying any attention to. It didn’t seem to hurt anything...

Well…until now…

This Pinkie Pie, whoever she was, had the audacity to do just that with Vinyl. It seemed playful and innocent enough, and Octavia knew Vinyl probably didn’t think much of it. Still, there was an emotional affect on the poor cellist that she couldn’t ignore. It hurt… It hurt to watch Vinyl do whatever it was she was doing with some girl she didn’t know. In that particular moment, they acted like they were the best of friends, or at the very east, they knew each other in some intimate way. They danced together, their heads whipping side to side with their hips shaking, for less than a minute until a new song began to play, but it was one of the most painful minutes of Octavia’s life.

A tear had trickled down her cheek as she stared blankly into the crowd towards Vinyl, her supposed ‘bestie’. A fair amount of color drained from her face, and she barely noticed Neon up on the stage change the beat. Vinyl and the now agitating pink girl shared a high-five before Vinyl sauntered over to Octavia, grabbing a mystery plastic cup from a nearby table on the way over. Her brow was a bit damp with sweat and her face was glowing with an excited smile, but it was a smile Octavia could not bring herself to meet as her face turned towards the ground. She felt Vinyl put a hand on her shoulder and gently shake her to try and get her attention, and when she brought her eyes up to meet Vinyl’s happy face, she distinctly remembered her vision going blurry from a new set of fresh tears. With those tears came a number of selfish thoughts. It should have been me out there! Octavia angrily reasoned internally. Why couldn’t you have danced with me?

No answer came for the unspoken question as the cellist blinked away the tears. Through her now clear vision, she saw Vinyl groan and shake her head in frustration. She also tried to say something too, but it was impossible to hear over the music. Octavia felt Vinyl grab her wrist and drag her unceremoniously towards the garage door leading inside the house. Once inside, the music quieted a great deal, but Vinyl didn’t bother saying anything until they were outside the front door by the curb with the night sky overhead. This was the moment in time where Octavia felt the guilt sink in. Vinyl looked less than pleased to leave the center of excitement, and it was all her fault.

“What’s wrong?” Vinyl asked with great concern and just a tad bit of what sounded like annoyance. “You ok?”

Octavia immediately nodded her head and averted her gaze towards the cement sidewalk. The mixture of petty anger and jealousy was too much to form long sentences as of yet. “I’m fine.” She said hoarsely.

“You don’t look fine.” Vinyl pointed out as her voice changed to a more compassionate tone. “What happened? Was the music too loud? Have a headache…or something?”

She had a headache alright, but nothing an aspirin could dull. “No, I’m…fine. Really, I’m alright.” Octavia said with exacerbation. It was hard to have a direct conversation with someone she felt slightly betrayed by, even if she knew deep down her emotions were completely misplaced.

“Come on, Tavi… You look…I dunno, tired or something.” Vinyl said with a sigh as she put a hand on the lower part of her back. “Let’s go back to my place before you pass out on me.”

“W-Wait…r-really, I’m alright!” Octavia gasped and stood firmly in place as she felt Vinyl nudge her forward. “Please…we don’t have leave on my account. I don’t want to spoil your fun.”

“You’re not. It’s cool, babe.” She said while pressing the back of her hand against Octavia’s forehead. “Besides, you really don’t look so good. You’re kinda pale…and you’re still crying a little. Seriously…you look like you could at least use some more fresh air.”

Octavia angrily wiped her face with the back of her sleeve. “I’m not crying, Vinyl…” Octavia immediately regretted her surly tone when she saw Vinyl’s feet shuffle backwards half a step.

“Yeah…you are.” Vinyl pulled Octavia’s arm down from her face and leaned forward, their noses less than a foot apart. “Look, you can tell me if you’re not really digging the party. It’s totally cool. Don’t even trip.” She grasped both of the cellist’s wrists with her hands and brought them up to her chest. “Hey…I get it. First time at a party…loud music, shouting…it’s kinda…” She paused while casting her eyes up at the starry sky for a moment. “…crazy. I’ve been there.”

Well, Vinyl was partially right at least. Octavia did feel a little overwhelmed at the moment. “W-We…” Octavia bit her lip and gently tugged her wrists free. “…We don’t…have to go if you don’t want to… You were having so much fun…so…please go back inside.”

Vinyl ran a hand through her hair and pinched the bridge of her nose for a moment. “Tavi, I said it was fine, ok? I don’t care about the stupid party! I just wanna…” She paused to lower her voice. “I just wanna make sure you’re alright.”

“Well…” Octavia met her gaze but quickly averted towards the ground again. “…as I said before. I’m fine.”

“Hey, you guys ok?” A voice called out from the front door of the house. Lyra walked over to them, an energy drink can in one hand. “I saw you two leave. Everything cool?”

“Yeah, we’re…good.” Vinyl nodded and smiled at her. “Tavi’s just not really feeling it.”

“Oh, yeah it’s kinda wild.” Lyra commented as she sipped her drink. “Getting some air, huh? For a second there, I thought you two might be sneaking off.” She put a hand up and shook her head. “Not in a weird way, I mean.”

Vinyl rolled her eyes and combed her hair away from her face. “Yeah, well… I think we’re gonna head out anyhow.” She said with a shrug. “It’s gotta be kinda late by now anyways.”

“It’s not even eleven.” Lyra replied with a look of perplexity before nodding in agreement when she finally caught on to Octavia’s somber aura. “But…yeah, it’s getting there.”

Octavia stood there motionless, unable to force herself into the conversation. A part of her wanted to just leave on her own and go home so Vinyl could go back to the party and enjoy herself. That way, she didn’t have to feel like such a social burden. Yet another and much bigger part of her desperately wanted to escape with Vinyl so just the two of them could share each other’s company. Lyra could be rather dense, but there were some rare moments of clarity if she just applied herself. Still, Octavia knew her desire to leave was purely selfish, but she just couldn’t stand the thought of Vinyl dancing with someone else. Especially not that Pinkie girl, and ESPECIALLY not that …ugly…stupid…boy Ne-

“Alright, well…I’m gonna head back inside.” Lyra said with a slight nod towards the house after an awkward moment of silence. “Take it easy, V.”

“You two, Ly.” Vinyl gave the mint girl a soft bump on the shoulder.

“See you later, Octavia. Feel better, ok?” Lyra gave the cellist’s shoulder a squeeze before turning back towards the house. It was only until Lyra was inside and out of earshot did Octavia speak up.

“You really…don’t have to do this on my account.” Octavia mumbled quietly, but she knew the longer they stayed out here, the more likely they were to leave.

“Uh, actually…” Vinyl put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into her chest so Octavia was leaning against her. “…I do.” She rubbed her back and took a deep breath. “I can’t just let you hang out and get all sick or whatever while I party. That’s…a pretty dick move…”

Dick move… Yet another euphemism of Vinyl’s that Octavia had never heard of before. Although, it wasn’t difficult to put two and two together on that one. “I see…” Octavia took a slow deep breath and allowed herself to look up at those crimson red eyes. “…I’m…really sorry about this, Vinyl…”

“Hey, no, don’t give me that…” Vinyl giggled and put a palm to Octavia’s cheek. This caused the color to come back to her face with an added blush. “…We’re good, no worries, babe. No need to say sorry, it’s my job to take care of you. Best friends, right?”

“R-Right…” Octavia nodded once as her face lit up from the contact. She sighed heavily as Vinyl’s finger brushed a bit of hair away from her forehead. “Thank you, Vinyl.”

“Sure thing.” Vinyl gave her a warm smile and hugged her tightly for a moment. “I’m happy to take you home…heh, with me.” She giggled at herself for actually making that joke. “And it’s not like this is my last party ever.”

Octavia pressed her forehead into Vinyl’s chest for a moment before taking a step back. “…I…wouldn’t mind doing this again sometime.”

“Really?” Vinyl beamed. “You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“I…really do mean that.” Octavia reassured. “Tonight though…I may just be too tired. Another time…if you want.”

“U-uh, y-yeah, totally.” Vinyl nodded slowly with a very excited grin. “Next time there’s a party, you’ll be the first one I call.”

Octavia smiled happily up at her. She felt better knowing that Vinyl was still comfortable with inviting her to do things. “I…look forward to it.”

“Yeah… Alright, you goof.” Vinyl giggled again and took her by the hand. “Let’s go home and relax. I’m still worried about you.” She squeezed Octavia’s palm gently a few times, something Octavia was more than happy to reciprocate.

They began walking down the sidewalk next to each other, the music becoming softer and softer as the distance from the source increased. Vinyl had yet to let go of her hand, and Octavia was grateful for this. Vinyl’s neighborhood was a tad scary in the black of night, and only a few houses per street bothered to keep their lights on. Octavia had never been out this late at night before, but Vinyl seemed to know exactly which streets to turn on and where exactly to go even without proper illumination. Only the scattered placement of streetlights aided their journey home. This begged yet another concerning question for the cellist. Just how often has she visited Neon Lights?

“Hey, uh…” Vinyl suddenly voiced, breaking Octavia out of her thoughts. “…can I ask you something?”

“I…suppose.” Octavia said hesitantly. But…I truly hope this isn’t bad.

“Am I doing that thing again?” Vinyl forced an awkward giggle as she let go of Octavia’s hand to rub the back of her head. She stopped beneath one of the remaining streetlights, and Octavia could see her face holding a slight blush. “You know, like…drag you places and weird you out…and whatever?”

“Oh…n-no, not at all.” Octavia adamantly shook her head. She reached out of Vinyl’s hand and squeezed three of her fingers. “Please don’t…feel bad for taking me to your friend’s party, Vinyl.”

“I don’t, dork.” Vinyl giggled and wiggling the tips of her fingers in Octavia’s palm. This made the cellist retract her hand and giggle. She put an arm around Octavia’s shoulder and continued forward. “But I do know I was having WAYYYY more fun than you back there.”

“Oh, w-well…” Octavia found this point hard to argue. “…You may have been enjoying yourself more than I, but…you seemed so excited for this party all week, so…I’m not entirely surprised.”

“Yeah, I was pretty jazzed for it, but…” Vinyl bumped their heads together gently. “…it’s not because I’m super into parties or anything.”

“R-Really?” Octavia nearly gasped. “S-Sorry, I…guess I just made the assumption that you enjoy such kinds of events.”

“Well, yeah, I mean…don’t get me wrong, babe. I freaking love parties, but this was…your first one. And, it was the first one we’ve been to together…as friends.” She stopped in her tracks and dropped her arm around Octavia’s waist before allowing her arms to fall to her sides. “It…doesn’t matter if it’s a party, or a movie, or a lame picnic, or…ANYTHING…” She put a hand on the cellist’s shoulder and smiled. “Every time we do something like this, it’s the first time we’ve done it…together…”

A heavy blush set on Octavia’s face. Lyra might be right…we do sound like a couple… “W-Well…u-um…” Octavia looked down at her feet as a smile spread across her face. “…T-That’s…actually quite sweet of you to say…”

“Eh, I try.” Vinyl laughed and shrugged. “You could use some more sweet in your life anyways, Tavi. Seriously… Come give your bestie a hug.” She added, holding her arms out.

Octavia giggled softly and nodded her head before leaning into Vinyl’s embrace. Once she felt Vinyl’s arms squeeze tightly around her shoulders, she wrapped her own arms around her waist. There was a deliciously intoxicating aroma coming from Vinyl’s clothes. It was a bit musky with her sweat, but she smelled like fresh coffee and sugary fruit flavored energy drinks she had learned to recognize from experience. Octavia couldn’t help but inhale deeply as her smile grew bigger.

“You smell freaking amazing.” Vinyl remarked as if she read her mind. Octavia could feel Vinyl’s nose poking into her scalp. “That’s some mega fancy conditioner you got in there.”

Conditioner? Octavia’s blush returned. “Um…thank you? And…no, I don’t think so.”

“Well, whatever it is, I like it.” Vinyl laughed a bit more as she released the hug. “So, what do you wanna do when we get home?” She rolled her head side to side as if her mind was in a debate. “I’m kinda…too wired to sleep, so…cartoons? You know, the usual?”

“I…” Octavia looked up at her and gave a very firm nod. “…would love that.”

-o0o-

Vinyl’s couch in her living room felt nice and cozy, and the warm sense of security now soothing Octavia’s jittery mind was amplified by the warm body next to her. However, it was Vinyl who seemed more twitchy and restless in her sitting position. As per the customs of a party, Vinyl had consumed her gratuitous share of caffeine, and the cellist was beginning to worry if she would ever actually sleep tonight. As a yawn graced Octavia’s lips, she turned to look at Vinyl, averting her eyes from the cartoons broadcasting in front of them to see whether or not Vinyl had stopped fiddling with her hem of her skirt. Despite Vinyl still being wide eyed, Octavia was a bit touched when her bestie asked, “Are you…tired? You can crash on my bed if you want.”

Sleep did sound nice, but Octavia was very content to stay in one place, moreso if Vinyl planned to stay up. Her intention was to remain as close to Vinyl as possible, even if it meant sacrificing a night’s rest. “N-No, I’m alright, thank you.” She replied softly with a hint of a blush. “I’ll…go to sleep when you do.”

“Uh…I might be up for a while…” Vinyl informed her with a slight giggle. Her voice was a bit croaky now, a consequence probably due to ‘partying too hard’ or something along those lines. “I can’t even remember how many espressos I drank.” She shifted her feet against the floor while combing both hands through her hair.

“…Are…you going to be alright?” Octavia asked, leaning sideways a bit closer to her. Seeing Vinyl in a mixed state of exhaustion and physical agitation was making her worry. Is…that a wrinkle between your brows?

“Oh, yeah. I’ve been here before.” Vinyl said with a smirk and a tired nod. “Actually…I think a shot of something else could help.”

“Something else?” Octavia raised a finger in protest. “I really…don’t think more coffee is going to help.”

“No.” Vinyl giggled with a big smile and patted Octavia on the thigh. “Not coffee. I was thinking maybe something stronger.”

It didn’t take much time for Octavia to understand what she was referring to. “O-Oh.” She acknowledged with a slight gasp.

“You…want some?” Vinyl asked, her smirk more devious now.

“Um…” Octavia hesitated to answer. I suppose it couldn’t hurt… It didn’t harm anything the last time, and it felt rather nice. Octavia began to smile a bit as she remembered Vinyl’s warm head against her lap. If history really had a tendency to repeat itself, then at least that piece of history would be a welcome luxury. “…Sure.” She answered with a surprising amount of confidence.

“Sweet.” Vinyl heaved herself off the couch and began shuffling towards the kitchen. “I’ll get some soda too.”

Octavia watched her leave the room as her heartbeat quickened. With a bit of frantic urgency, she began situating herself on the couch into a more inviting position; a more ‘Vinyl’s head on my thighs’ position. It wasn’t much, but with her knees pinned together and her feet firmly planted on the floor, all she could do now was wait and hope for the best.

When Vinyl returned, she sat down with her back resting between the armrest and the cushion while holding out a plastic cup. “Here you go. I put the vodka in the soda already. Hopefully you won’t taste it. But, if you do…yeah…just, uh…let me know.”

With a bit of disappointment at Vinyl’s distance, Octavia reached out and took the cup. “Thank you.” She said as politely as possible. Vinyl merely giggled softly and loudly sipped from her own cup, prompting Octavia to do the same. She was pleasantly surprised to find how easy it was to drink the concoction, but there was still the faintest hint of something warm in her chest going down, something warm that didn’t have anything to do with Vinyl. At least, she didn’t think so, but it was almost impossible to tell.

They sat in silence, their attentions now returned to the television, and for several minutes, Octavia continued sipping absentmindedly while watching a small green platypus in an old-timey detective fedora sneak around some sort of laboratory. It was pleasantly witty and amusing, but when the figures in front of her began to blur, Octavia began to question herself. Her eyes grew heavier as her head swayed in Vinyl’s direction, and she placed her cup on the floor and her hands on the edges of the couch to steady herself.

“You ok, babe?” Vinyl asked from what sounded like a fair distance away.

“M-Mhm…” Octavia gave a slight nod in the direction of the television as she slowly turned her head. She saw Vinyl use the remote to turn the volume down. “…A-Actually…I…” She paused as a smile spread across her face. The warmth of the drink seemed to remain in her chest, and there was a tingling in her appendages that almost tickled. “…am rather enjoying myself.”

Vinyl put the remote down and narrowed her eyes at Octavia like she was thoroughly inspecting her. “You…wanna put your head down?”

“No…I think I’m alright.” Octavia heard herself say, but her words sounded uncharacteristically airy and dreamy.

“Yeahhhh. I’m sure you do.” Vinyl gave a wink before reaching out with one hand to pull Octavia towards her by the shoulder a few inches. “Still…I don’t want you falling down.”

This caused the cellist’s upper body to tip over, and Octavia sprawl out across the couch. The side of her head met Vinyl’s thighs, and an incredible sense of coziness swept over her as she kicked her feet up onto the other side of the couch. Her eyes closed for a long moment as she exhaled a long and happy sigh, a sigh made even longer by the touch of Vinyl’s fingers running through her hair. “O-Oh, V-Vinyl….” She nearly whispered.

Vinyl’s whole body shook a bit as she stifled a laugh. “Wow, Tavi. Either you’re a lightweight, or I think I might have a problem.”

“Hm?” Octavia mumbled as she nuzzled her cheek against Vinyl’s thigh. She was aware that Vinyl had spoken, but deciphering words seemed too difficult in her inebriated state.

“Nevermind.” Vinyl shrugged as she ran her fingers through Octavia’s long hair over and over. Under more lucid circumstances, Octavia might have been aware of the embarrassment in Vinyl’s voice. . “Just…relax.”

Octavia wasn’t one to argue with such a wonderful idea. She did just that as she curled her toes and stretched out the residual tension in her muscles. Her eyes closed again as she felt Vinyl’s finger trail down her back. Her breathing slowed as sleep crept up on her, but there was another physical sensation pushing sleep back… and she needed more. It was as if there was some sort of fog surrounding her head that filled her mind with a sense of pleasure each time she took a breath. If there was another word to describe this feeling, Octavia didn’t know it. The best she could describe it as was a very primal and innate physical sensation that felt so foreign, and yet…so right. Pleasure. With a long breath, Octavia tilted her head back a bit so her cheek was facing upwards. This feels…perfect…

Lost in her own depths of consciousness, Octavia was completely oblivious to the sound of her voice as she let out a faintly audible but unmistakable moan. It wasn’t loud enough to stir her from her blissful state, but when the sensation of Vinyl’s touch seemed to disappear, Octavia slowly opened her eyes to see Vinyl’s very amused and blushing face staring down at her. “Is…everything…alright?” She asked in a faint whisper. Her eyes shut tight as she yawned hard, her right foot twitching in the process.

“Y-Yeah…” Vinyl said with a nod while placing a palm against Octavia’s cheek. “…you’re…really freaking cute, you know that?”

It was Octavia’s turn to blush, but instead of the usual flustered nervousness that usually graced her features, Octavia seemed to take the compliment in an almost flirtatious manner. “Oh, please, Vinyl… If you say that kind of thing too much, such compliments will fail to be as meaningful.”

“I guess, but…” Vinyl slowly shook her head and pressed the tip of her finger against Octavia’s nose. “It still doesn’t change how hot you are.”

For what was very possibly the very first time, Octavia rolled her eyes. Maybe it was the alcohol having emboldened her, maybe it was all the time spent with Vinyl and the rest of her friends, or maybe it was both. Regardless, she had actually done so. “You know, Vinyl… I’m not quite sure if I’ve told you so, but…I think it’s only fair that I express the same sentiments to you.”

“Uh…” Vinyl raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. “I…didn’t get any of that.” She paused to giggle once. “You’re drunk…and you can still talk all proper and stuff. Damn…you are just too freaking sexy.”

Octavia giggled back up at her as she adjusted herself on the couch so she was lying on her back. “Thank you. And also, what I’m trying to say to you is…” Octavia lazily brought a shaking hand up to Vinyl’s face to poke her cheek. “...You’re sexy too.”

“Whoaaa…” Vinyl gasped as her eyes grew wide. “…Did you actually just say the word ‘sexy’???”

“Really, Vinyl?” Octavia rolled her eyes again. “That’s what you’re taking away from this?” She asked before yawning loudly once more.

“W-Well…uh…” Vinyl averted her gaze for a moment. “Do you actually mean that, or…is it just the booze talking?”

Octavia gave her a slightly puzzled look as her palm slid across Vinyl’s cheek ever so slightly. “The booze…talking? I…don’t understand.”

“U-Uh…” Vinyl slowly shook her head and flashed the cellist a sheepish smile. “Nevermind.” She patted Octavia’s head. “You look really sleepy, babe. You sure you don’t wanna crash on my bed?”

“Welllll….” Octavia smiled wide and giggled once. “…Your bed does sound nice, but…” She yawned softly and nuzzled her cheek against Vinyl’s thigh. “…you make the best pillow I’ve ever had.”

“Great. I’m glad I know I’m good for something.” Vinyl laughed quietly and gave her another pat on the head. “Um, but seriously though. Just say the word, and I’ll carry you upstairs.”

“Carry me?” Octavia closed her eyes and sighed happily as Vinyl’s fingers traced through her hair once more. “…Maybe next time…”

“So, there’s a next time, huh?” Vinyl asked teasingly.

“Hm?” Octavia responded softly without opening her eye.

“Lame joke. Forget it.” Vinyl stretched her free arm over her head and yawned loudly.

Octavia merely nodded as she sank deeper into that same blissful state. It wasn’t pleasure she was experiencing now, although she was still enjoying the intimate proximity. Now it was a sense of safety and security, a comfort that she knew only Vinyl could give her. It felt very familiar, very real, and even after being Vinyl’s friend for quite some time, it felt just as wonderful as their very first hug.

For the next hour, Octavia faded in and out of consciousness. Her memory was spotty with only a vague distinction of time going by, but she was certain of Vinyl’s presence near her. There was a part of her mind that was desperately trying to keep her awake in case Vinyl might physically move somewhere else, that warm body as her source of security possibly leaving their nesting position. Every time Vinyl shifted, even slightly, Octavia would snuggle deeper into her lap. There were short moments in which the cellist partially woke, but they lasted only seconds.

-o0o-

When the alcohol finally reached its peak, Octavia went into a powerfully deep sleep. She began to dream of a long cobblestone street running through a foggy city, old-fashioned gas powered lamp posts lining the curb. It was difficult to say, but Octavia was quite sure she was somehow back in Manechester several decades before her birth. Feeling quite puzzled, Octavia took a hesitant step forward, but the very instant her foot touched the stone in front of her, there came a loud cracking sound much like a whip cutting through the air behind her. Now very startled, she turned her head to see a horse drawn carriage moving her direction. It didn’t seem to be pulled by anything, but there definitely was a driver. The figure holding the whip appeared ancient, her skin pale and sunken and her facial bones well defined. The figure screeched a most ghastly wail, making herself a completely terrifying sight, and Octavia knew exactly who it was. M-Mother!

Without any thought, Octavia began sprinting in the opposite direction as fast as her feet would carry her. The carriage was still a considerable distance away, but the ghastly creature was closing in fast. If she didn’t do anything drastic soon, Octavia knew she’d be in an even worse situation. Her eyes scanned for alleyways left and right, but the fog was too heavy to completely see down any possible escape route. As overwhelming despair threatened to overtake her, she saw up ahead a vibrant blue glow that grew bigger and bigger the closer she came. A pained, undead screech of anger came from behind as Octavia began making out the figure of someone most welcoming to see in front of her. Vinyl!!!

The glowing figure of Vinyl reached out a hand towards her, and Octavia was more than eager to grab her hand and run into her arms. The unholy entity behind her screeched even louder, but the blue aura sounding her savior had enclosed Octavia in a basking warmth of safety. All other sounds and sights grew dim as Vinyl’s arms squeezed her torso and shoulders. “Come on!” Shouted Vinyl. “Come with me!!!”

In her sleep, Octavia clutched Vinyl’s arm with both hands. Her breathing had become a bit labored and her whole body was tense, prompting Vinyl to gently shake her awake. “Hey, Tavi…come on.” She said softly as she shifted her feet. “Let’s go to bed…ok?” It took almost a minute to extract herself from Octavia’s grasp to stand up and gently lift the cellist up off the couch. Even as Vinyl helped her up to her feet, Octavia’s mind was still buried in her own subconscious. “Come on… Come with me…” Vinyl said once more with a sigh as she led them to the stairs. “…No more booze for you, babe…at least for a while.”

-o0o-

The sun on Octavia’s face caused her to stir from her sleep. Her eyes opened slowly as a dull headache set in. It wasn’t excruciating, but it definitely made it hard to think. Somehow, she had made it to Vinyl’s bed last night. Her shoes were off and she was still tucked in under the covers, but Vinyl was nowhere to be seen. The bedroom was oddly quiet, and Octavia slowly sat up to listen for any noise. There was a faint echo coming from downstairs, and the sounds she heard reminded her of the mansion staff preparing meals. She’s in the kitchen? Octavia wondered as she brushed back her hair with both hands. I didn’t know Vinyl could cook.

The thumping of bare footsteps came from the hallway as Vinyl made her way up the stairs. Octavia waited patiently for her to enter, and what she saw as the door opened made her heart leap and her lips curl into an amused smile. “Hey, morning, babe.” Vinyl said with a bit too much enthusiasm. The sound of her voice was lovely, but Octavia’s headache didn’t seem to think so. In her hands was a tray of food, or something resembling food at least.

“M-Morning, Vinyl.” Octavia replied with a bit of stutter before clearing her throat. “Is…that for me?” She asked, pointing with a finger.

“O-Oh, uh…yeah.” Vinyl nodded and approached the bed with the tray. “I thought you might kinda feel like crap today, soooo…” She hesitantly set the tray down next to the cellist. “…I brought some, uh, breakfast.”

“I see…” Octavia gazed down at the assortment of beef jerky, two different flavors of chips, a couple miniature donuts, and of course, an energy drink. “…Breakfast.”

“U-Uh…well, sort of, I guess.” Vinyl shrugged, and a slight blush graced her features that matched her wild crimson eyes. “I was gonna bring you toast and some eggs, maybe some orange juice too, but…” The blush deepened as she giggled awkwardly for a moment. “I broke the toaster, and I dunno how to make eggs.”

Octavia giggled back as she brought her gaze up from the tray to her bestie. “And the orange juice?”

“Oh, uh…heh…yeah.” Vinyl rubbed the back of her head and sighed heavily. “I…kinda drank it all….”

“Well…this was a very sweet gesture, Vinyl.” Octavia said with a smile as she brought a chip up to her mouth. “Thank you.”

This seemed to cheer Vinyl up a bit. “Yeah, totally. It’s the thought that counts and whatever, right?” She reached out and snagged a piece of jerky before taking a seat on the bed beside her. “But, seriously…I’ll do better next time you spend the night.”

“Please don’t bother yourself about this, Vinyl.” Octavia said as she bit into the chip. It wasn’t much in the way of nutrition, but the fatty food did seem to quell the ache between her temples a bit. “It’s really thoughtful of you to even make such a fuss.”

“Always, babe. For you, always.” Vinyl gnashed her teeth gently less than an inch away from Octavia’s ear, and the cellist blushed painfully hard. “So, how’re you feeling right now?” Vinyl asked, placing a finger under Octavia’s chin so their eyes could meet. “You…were kinda…wigging out on me last night.”

“I…wigging out?” Octavia asked with obviously perplexed look.

“Yeah, you know…crazy dream or something.” Vinyl patted the blanket where Octavia’s thigh was. “I think I might’ve put too much vodka in your cup…my bad.”

“O-Oh…” Octavia’s eyes grew wide as she gave a slow nod. I do vaguely recall having a dream…and it was terrifying. “You…might be right about that.” She agreed. “But…please don’t worry. I’m feeling quite alright now. Thank you.”

“Yeah, anytime, totally…” Vinyl nodded back and squeezed one arm around her shoulder before hopping off the bed. “I, uh…gotta shower real quick, sooo…feel free to hang out here or downstairs or whatever.”

“Oh, um…alright then.” Octavia put the chip in her hand down at the thought of bathing. “Would it be…terribly presumptuous to ask if I could also take a shower?”

Vinyl giggled hard and rolled her eyes while flicking Octavia on the nose very playfully. “Yeah, knock yourself out. I’ll only be a couple minutes. Me case es su case or however the heck they say it. Oh, I put your phone and stuff over there.” She pointed to her mixing table. “Do you have a charger? I couldn’t find one for it. I thought I might have one, but…uh…”

“O-Oh, um…In my schoolbag, perhaps.” Octavia glanced around the room, trying to remember where her school belongings might be. We stopped here before the party, so…I suppose it might be downstairs.

“Want me to go look for it?” Vinyl asked as she stopped at her bedroom door.

“N-No, it’s alright. I’ll find it. I need to get out of bed.”

Vinyl gave a slight shrug and a smirk. “No, no, babe. Chill. You just stay there looking good. I’ll look for it after my shower.”

“W-Well…thank you, Vinyl.” Octavia’s cheeks brightened, and a pretty little grin parted her lips. Vinyl merely gave a wink before turning back to the door. She began taking her clothes off as she headed out, pausing for a moment to toss her t-shirt onto the floor before closing the door behind her.

Although it was an extremely fleeting glimpse, Octavia got to see more of Vinyl’s physical form than she ever had before. Nothing needed to be censored in her mind, but this was another moment where Octavia marveled at Vinyl’s raw beauty. She really is a lovely girl. Octavia mulled over in her head. I…wonder why she doesn’t see that…

With a small sigh, Octavia pushed the tray off her lap and rubbed her temples with her fingers. Her headache was still there, and her tummy needed something more sustaining than the options in front of her, but she couldn’t deny how alluring caffeine sounded. With another sigh, she popped the tab and sipped. The fizzy drink did not pair well with the lingering flavor of the potato chips, but she did enjoy the sensation of her headache dissipating. This gave her enough motivation to try and stand up, but as soon as she was fully upright, the headache came back in full force.

And to think… Octavia inwardly grumbled as she shuffled towards the mixing table to retrieve her phone. ...Mozart could compose symphonies and still be an alcoholic… She picked her phone up and staggered back to the bed before flopping down unceremoniously on the sheets. The tray spilled a few chips from the impact, but thankfully her energy drink was alright. I have a long way to go…

She turned her head to the side while holding her phone up to her face. What she expected to see was the time and nothing else, and although it was frightfully close to noon, she was more terrified of the multiple missed calls from an unknown number. In an instant, her headache and her fatigue were completely forgotten as she sat up straight. In a panic, she tapped the screen numerous times to unlock the device, but the identity of the caller was still a mystery. Seven o’clock….eight o’clock…eight thirty…nine…nine fifteen… The list of missed calls continued long into the morning but abruptly stopped at half past eleven. She was curious enough to call the number back, but after the events of last night, she became worried that perhaps someone of ill repute had gotten her number by happenstance. I wonder if Vinyl will recognize the number. She thought as she got up from the bed and headed towards the door. Oh, of course… She stopped at the door and ran a hand through her hair. …She’s in the shower. With great trepidation, she sat back down on the bed to wait.

Vinyl came back a few minutes later as she said she would, fully clothed in tattered pajamas that consisted of boy’s gym shorts and a ripped t-shirt with an eccentric logo. Her hair was still damp and clingy as she entered the room. “Shower’s all yours, girl.” She said as she shuffled towards Octavia with a towel around her neck. “You want a change of clothes? I still have tons of stuff that’ll fit you.”

“U-Um…sure, but…” Octavia wasn’t sure how to word her question. “…I was wondering…if you might recognize a number.”

“Uh, yeah, ok. You ok? You look kinda freaked…” Vinyl sat down next to her and allowed her towel to fall to the floor. Octavia handed her the phone but didn’t say anything, and Vinyl almost gasped. “Whoa, that’s a lot of missed calls.”

“And all from the same number.” Octavia added hesitantly.

“Did you call back?” Vinyl asked. “I gotta be honest…I don’t have numbers memorized. There’s a lot of contacts on my phone, so…”

“O-Oh…of course.” Octavia looked down at her feet. Vinyl would have lots of contacts… Is it strange that I have her number memorized? Does she…have mine memorized? “You…” Octavia sighed softly as her fingers intertwined together. “…didn’t…happen to…um…share my number with anyone last night?”

“Huh?” The question seemed to distract Vinyl from her focus from Octavia’s phone. “Oh, no way, babe. Neon was even asking for it, but…yeah, that is SO not happening.”

“A-Alright…” Octavia breathed a little easier, but a tinge of guilt weighed on her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to imply, o-or assume you might have-”

“No, no, no, we good.” Vinyl put an arm around her and squeezed gently. “No worries. Don’t even trip. It’s good that you asked, ‘cause I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

“A-Alright…” Octavia nodded once and unconsciously pressed her head onto Vinyl’s shoulder during the duration of the embrace. “…U-Um, what do you think I should do?”

“Uhhh…” Vinyl dropped her arm and brought a finger to her chin. “…Yeahhh…uh…I dunno. I guess you could try calling back. It probably couldn’t hurt. Or, if you want, I can call the number from my phone.”

“Your phone?” Octavia asked.

“Yeah. I’ll talk on mine, but you don’t have to say anything.” Vinyl tried to give a reassuring face. “I’ll figure out who it is, and I guess we’ll just go from there.” Octavia’s face held a great deal of hesitation, and Vinyl must have seen that. The cellist felt Vinyl’s fingers close around hers tightly before she spoke again. “It’ll be fine, don’t worry. Me and Lyra used to do this all the time.”

“I-I…see.” Octavia felt a bit relieved. “Are…you sure this is alright? I really don’t want to cause you any grief.”

“Girl, chillax.” Vinyl giggled and nudged Octavia’s knee with her own. “The worst thing that can happen is me telling some jerk-off to go cram it.”

Octavia shared a short laugh with Vinyl before giving a firm nod. “Thank you, Vinyl…I really appreciate this.”

“Oh, seriously…stop that…” Vinyl leaned forward and pressed their noses together with a finger against Octavia’s cheek. “…It’s NOT a big deal, you adorable silly doofus.” She turned her attention back to the phone, pressed the callback tab, and then held the phone up to her ear. Octavia watched with strained patience as Vinyl stared blankly at the wall. Very abruptly, Vinyl’s expression changed. “Uh…hello?”

The voice on the other end was deep enough and loud enough to echo throughout the entire room even from the tiny speaker in the device. “Who might this be? How did you acquire my private number?”

Octavia knew in an instant exactly who it was, but Vinyl certainly didn’t. “Uhh…My names, Vinyl. You called my friend a bunch a times, soooooo…”

“Oh, no….” Octavia’s heart quickened as she tapped Vinyl on the shoulder. In a whisper, she informed her best friend of whom she was talking to. “That’s my father.”

“Ohhh, ok.” Vinyl gave a slight nod and breathed a sigh of relief. “Sorry, dude. We thought you might be some creep or something.”

Please, Vinyl, just hand me the phone…and whatever you do…don’t say another word. Octavia panicked more and more as she reached for the device as politely as she could. Vinyl noticed this and immediately asked, “Do you wanna talk to Octavia?”

“If you mean to imply that I wish to speak with my daughter despite having waited all morning, then yes, young lady. I do.”

Vinyl narrowed her eyes at the phone as if annoyed a bit. She covered the mouthpiece of the phone and turned to Octavia. “Your dad sounds like an angry preacher or something. What the heck is his problem?”

“I…should take this.” Octavia choked out through her dry throat.

Vinyl nodded and held the phone out to her. “Oh, right. Duh. Sorry.”

Octavia took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment before lifting Vinyl’s phone up to her ear. “Good…morning, f-father.”

“Octavia.” The way he said her name was like a military officer reading through a list of names of recently deceased soldiers. “I have been earnestly attempting to reach you all day.”

“Y-Yes…and…I-I am so sorry about this…” Octavia nervously kicked her feet as she spoke. “…I didn’t recognize the number, and…it didn’t occur to me that it was you.” Something was really bothering the cellist, and although talking to her father for the first time on the phone was a big part of it, the consternation was mostly from the fact that she couldn’t recall his first name. Obviously, his last name was Melody, but Octavia had only referred to the man by his official title. Having a phone call with her father seemed so foreign and strange, and that made her realization even worse.

Instead of trying to rationalize the situation or create an issue over the lack of communication, her father seemed to move right along with his agenda. “I need you to come home post haste, child. You and I have an important discussion that needs tending to.”

Oh, good heavens, no…please, no…just let me stay here with Vinyl… Octavia felt like crying. There was a severe apprehension in her chest now, and it was apparent she would get no clarification from the man until she returned to Melody Manor. More importantly, she had to come face to face with the fact that if the worst was to come, she probably wouldn’t see Vinyl again for a long while. What if…he intends to move me to a different school?! What if I am to leave the city for an overseas boarding academy?!? She cast dreading eyes up at her best friend, but deep down she knew Vinyl couldn’t save her from what may come.

“Do not ignore me, child. I am in no mood to be trifled with.”

Octavia realized she had yet to reply to her father’s statement. “O-Oh, y-yes, father. I-I understand. F-forgive me. I will be returning home right now.”

“That is acceptable. Contact your driver immediately.”

“Yes, father.” Octavia paused for a moment to formulate a better apology, but the line went dead before she could bring herself to speak again. “F-Father? Hello?” Sure enough, he was gone. With a very heavily sigh, Octavia dropped Vinyl’s phone onto her lap and sniffled hard.

“H-Hey, what’s wrong? Are you ok? Oh, no…please don’t start crying…” Vinyl threw her arms around the cellist and squeezed her close. “What did he say? Was it something bad?”

“No…no…” Octavia wiped her face and shook her head. “…He…just wants me to return home.”

“Y-Yeah?” Vinyl asked. “You don’t…sound super jazzed about that. Is…uh…your mom…back or something?” She asked as she brushed some of Octavia’s hair away from her face.

“I don’t believe so…” Octavia simply shook her head and intertwined her fingers together with her gaze down at the floor.

“…Ok, well, that’s good. Is…your dad mad or something?”

“I don’t know, Vinyl…” Octavia made a sharp inhale and bit her lip. “…I don’t understand my father very well…”

“I’m starting to get that…” Vinyl patted the top of her head and rubbed her back. “I know you guys don’t talk much, but it’s weird for you and your dad not to have each other’s numbers.”

“If…I ever needed to contact him…I would usually make an appointment with his secretary.” Octavia explained as she tapped her toes together.

“Damn…that’s super messed up…”

Octavia sighed heavily once more. You’re right, Vinyl… It is… She slowly brought her head up and stirred a bit. “I am…terribly sorry… I-I…have to go.”

“Y-Yeah, y-yeah, sure, gotcha.” Vinyl got up from the edge of the bed and held out a hand. Octavia hesitantly took it and slowly heaved herself up to a standing position. When Vinyl let go, she stepped back towards the door a few feet. “I-I’ll…get your stuff for you. Go ahead…hang out by the front door. I’m guessing you gotta call your driver person, right?”

“Mhm…” Octavia nodded once very solemnly.

Vinyl put both hands on her shoulders and pulled her in close. “Hey, babe…look at me.”

Octavia eventually brought her gaze up to Vinyl’s eyes. “…Yes?” She asked, her voice quiet and very much as reclusive as the first days of their friendship.

“Everything’s gonna be ok.” Vinyl said this with great conviction, but as much as she wanted to, Octavia wasn’t entirely sure if she could invest as much faith in those words as her bestie seemed to. “Trust me… I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Octavia gave one more little nod as she wrapped her arms around Vinyl’s waist. “…I’m not sure…if I’ll have a chance to see you again after today…”

“Don’t even say that, Tavi.” Vinyl sternly replied. She put a finger under Octavia’s chin so their eyes could lock intently. “That’s NOT gonna happen.” Octavia didn’t respond back in any way other than blushing very deeply. “…Whatever happens…I’ll be here, so don’t sweat it. I promise I’m not going anywhere, so if you ever need to find me, you know where I am.”

-o0o-

With the front door open, Octavia was standing halfway outside the threshold. Her driver was waiting patiently by the black town car next to the curb for Octavia to come out. Vinyl was kind enough to point out Octavia’s belongings to the driver, and now, there was just one more thing left that needed to take the journey home. Vinyl approached Octavia from inside and gave the cellist one last hug. “It’s gonna be ok, babe. I promise.”

“I…hope you’re right…” Octavia’s fingers tightly clung to Vinyl’s tattered shirt during their embrace, extending the hug a few extra seconds. “…I will…try to call you and let you know what happens.”

“That’d be great. Thanks, Tavi…” Vinyl said with a forced smile.

Octavia forced a smile back and slowly turned around to leave, but she felt Vinyl pull her back by the arm. “V-Vinyl?”

There was a powerful and overwhelming blush on Vinyl’s face that was more noticeable than even her electric blue hair. “I’m not saying t-that this is gonna happen, but i-if I don’t…actually get to see you anytime soon…uh…w-well….u-uh…” She stuttered hard for a long moment before doing something very unexpected.

Octavia felt a wave of warmth radiate from the side of her face as Vinyl closed the door in front of her. She slowly brought her fingers up to her cheek, still able to feel the slightly damp spot where Vinyl made contact. S-She…kissed…me…

Author's Notes:

I can't believe this story is as long as it is. It feels like yesterday that I had the inspiration to begin writing, and now, years later, we're here.

What's stranger to me is the fact that I'm still going with this one... I feel like I'm dragging it out sometimes, but deep down, it feels right to me when I go back and reread.

I do plan on next chapter being the last, and I'm sure many of you will be happy about that, including myself. But don't worry! I don't plan on stopping anytime soon.

As always, thank you so much for making it this far with me. I am always excited out of my pants to read your comments and messages.

One final thing: Sequel? Would any of you want that? I want to continue this story into Vinyl's and Octavia's future years in high school, and definitely try writing from Vinyl's perspective.

For anypony who wants it, my kik is Girls_Of_Canterlot

The Start of Love

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I’m sorry, Tavi…

Vinyl sighed heavily as she lay in an uncomfortable and contorted position on her bed. This was partially due to worry, but it mostly to punish herself for doing something extremely stupid. What she had done, that soft little peck on Octavia’s cheek as she left, Vinyl couldn’t remember ever feeling anything so right. It was the best idea she ever had, and it was also the absolute worst. I can’t freaking believe I did that… In her own defense, that peck on the cheek was something she felt like doing for a very long time, and until now, she prided herself on her self control. As much as she would like to cherish the memory for the rest of her life, Vinyl also deeply regretted her action.

Her consternation and worry was worse than ever now since Octavia’s departure was not due to the best of reasons. Vinyl palmed her face hard enough to make a resounding ‘slap!’ echo throughout her entire bedroom. Don’t let my best friend get sent away… She pleaded. To whom she was pleading to, she had no idea. Vinyl never considered herself religious in any way, but right now, she desperately wanted to know which deity might not only listen but also help. While she was at it, maybe she could wish for Octavia not to hate her too. ‘Cause, you know, you freaking kissed her. Way to go, idiot. Vinyl sighed once more and pulled on her cheeks with both hands. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets as her jitters became worse.

Feeling too cramped and tense to continue lying down, Vinyl sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. I can’t just sit here… She thought as she became more and more aware of the empty loneliness of her room. I should call her…or find a ride over to her house…or something! Vinyl felt like pulling her hair out in frustration. She had no idea where Octavia lived, and right now seemed like a good time to give the cellist some space, even if that was the thing she desired the very least in the entire world. Vinyl reached for her phone, and surprise-surprise, there were no new messages or missed calls from her best friend. It’s only been a half hour…but why the hell does it feel like forever!?

One message on her phone stood out against the rest of random notifications; a text from Lyra. “U and Octavia OK? Feeling better?”

Vinyl seriously contemplated whether to just answer with a short little reply or explain her newly developed situation. She desperately needed someone to talk to, and she didn’t have a whole lot of options right now. The only friends she had who really knew anything about Octavia’s situation were her and Bon Bon. Guess I’m stuck with you, jerk… Vinyl rolled her eyes with annoyance in anticipation as she hit the ‘call back’ tab. The dailtone rang a few times before Vinyl heard the line click.

“Wow, a phone call. Way to class it up today.”

“Lyra, just…” Vinyl growled and shut her eyes to allow her anger to settle. “…shut up. I need someone to talk to.”

“You know how I feel about phone calls, V.” Lyra could be heard snickering softly in a muffled voice. “Just have your people call my people and get something on the calendar.”

“There is NOOO way you made that up just now.” Vinyl interjected forcefully. “I’ve never heard that one before, and it sounds way too smart for you.”

“Oh, thanks.” Lyra said apathetically. “Glad to know you think I’m stupid.”

“You are stupid.”

“Guess that’s why we’ve been friends for so long then.”

Vinyl sighed yet again and shook her head to no one in particular. “Look, can we talk? Seriously…I got something…uh…going on here, and…I could use some advice.”

Lyra’s tone went from sarcastic to skeptical. “Are you, like, serious serious? It’s really hard to tell over the phone.”

“Yeahhhh.” Vinyl said with a grumble. “Why else would I bother calling you?”

“Maybe to tell me how hot you think I am and how bad you need my ‘D?”

“Ugh…sure, Lyra.” Vinyl exhaled a breath as slowly as possible. “’Cause we all know you be packing heat.”

“Damn right.” Lyra said with an infuriating giggle. “You do know you’re gonna have to break Octavia’s heart.”

Damn right my ass… Calling you was a STUPID idea… “Lyra! I’m dead serious right now…I need to TALK to you.”

“Ok, ok, relax.” Lyra said defensively. “Just tell me you at least used protection.”

“I’m hanging up now, jerk.” Vinyl was just about to toss her phone across her bed just as Lyra raised her voice.

“Wait wait wait!” Lyra cleared her throat. “Ok, sorry…sorry. I’m listening.”

“Promise?” Vinyl asked with an even deeper grumble.

“Cross my heart and hope to bang, whack my face with a big fat-”

“LYRA!!!”

“Okayyyyyyyyyyy…geez. You used to think those jokes were funny.”

Vinyl shrugged at herself a bit as she cracked a slight grin. “Well…yeah, maybe…but not right now.”

“Right now, huh? Right now you’re about as much fun to chat with as Bonnie.” Lyra sighed casually. “So, what’s going on with you? Is it about Octavia?”

“Uhhh…yeah…” Vinyl rubbed her forehead with her free hand, dreading the feeling of her nervousness setting in again. Although she would never admit it, Lyra’s jokes did seem to help with her temperament. “There’s…uh…a couple of things going on right now, and I think I did something stupid…and now…”

“And now you’re going crazy.” Lyra added to help finish the sentence.

“Uh, well…yeah.” Vinyl was a bit surprised at Lyra’s intuition. “Pretty much.”

“This wouldn’t be kinda the same thing as last time, would it?” Lyra asked, her tone much more serious than before.

“What do you mean? What last time?” Vinyl raised an eyebrow at her bedroom wall.

“Middle school, remember? You know, when youuuuuu…”

Vinyl slowly nodded. “Ohhhhh...right…that.” She knew now what Lyra was referring to; something that only a handful of people knew anything about. She had given another classmate a rather startling kiss, although at the time, Vinyl didn’t seem to think much of it. Roseluck, on the other hand, had gone home and told her parents who then told the school who then told her mother. Vinyl had become the object of scorn for a while at school after than incident, and this became the catalyst event which sent her down a path of subculture seclusion. For her, the escape into the background and the comfort of music became her new home.

“Uh, hello?” Lyra asked.

“Oh, y-yeah, sorry.” Vinyl shook her head to bring her mind back into the present situation.

“So, you didn’t, like…doing anything weird again, did you?” Lyra asked hesitantly. Her words sounded awkward over the phone, and it probably wasn’t due to cell service. There was also a hint of bland nonchalance to her voice, and Vinyl liked it. This was one of the reasons she remained friends with Lyra. It made talking about this kind of thing easier.

“Uhhh…not really…I guess.” Vinyl stuttered a bit and blushed heavily. Although she despised being alone, she was grateful for the solitude right now. “I did…sorta maybe just…kissed her cheek.” The volume of her voice trailed off at the end of her statement.

Lyra made a soft snicker. “Oh, no.” She said with heavy monotone. “That’s just craaaazy.”

“H-Hey! I’m trying to be real here.” Vinyl groaned in anger.

Lyra’s snicker turned into a laugh. “V, you are an IDIOT…” Lyra sighed and cleared her throat. “Do you really think Octavia is gonna care all that much? I mean, you’re all over her, like, ALL the time. By now, I think I’ve seen you play ‘footsie’ with her at least once a week. There is something crazy weird going on between you two.”

“R-Really?” Vinyl asked. She could hear the stutter in her own voice more prominently than ever before, and for good reason too. Vinyl knew the moment they first hung out that Octavia was her girl.

“Really what? Really do I think that Octavia won’t care, or really do I think you’re an idiot? My answer is the same on both.”

“Shut up, dude…” Vinyl sighed more so out of embarrassment than annoyance.

“No, you shut up.” Lyra continued. “I may not know her nearly as well as you, but I can tell Octavia really digs you too. I’m sure this won’t ruin whatever thing you got going with her. I mean, if she’s still your friend even after all this time of you being SUPER weird, then I think you’re safe.”

“You…really think so?” Vinyl asked. She knew Lyra was probably right about everything at this point. Octavia hadn’t left their circle of friends yet, so it did make some sense. “You’re not just saying all this to make me feel better, are you?”

Lyra laughed again. “When have I EVER done that for you?”

“True.” Vinyl gave a slight giggle back. “You ARE a huge jerk.”

“Love you too, V.”

“Yeah… Ok, I feel better about that.” Vinyl paused to take a deep breath. Her nerves felt more calm, but there was still one other point she needed to bring up. “Still, there’s one other thing…”

“Did she walk in on you or something?”

“What?” Vinyl sighed, that familiar annoyance that only Lyra could give her began to surface yet again. “Walk in on me?”

“Yeah, when you…” Lyra paused for a moment before finishing that thought in a very confusing tone. “…were tuning your guitar.”

“I don’t own a guitar, genius.” Vinyl’s eyes snapped wide open before she palmed her face. “Oh, for the love of…Lyra!”

Lyra’s laughter began anew, her voice trailing away from the phone. Vinyl had no choice but to wait very patiently for her to return. “Sorry, sorry, sorry. You kinda walked right into that one, so, you know. That’s on you, not me.”

“Keep that up, and I’m GONNA be all over-” Vinyl immediately stopped herself from finishing that retort before she really did walk right into something. Her mind raced for something else to say, but couldn’t think of anything witty spur of the moment. All she could say was, “S-Shut up!” This only fueled Lyra’s giggling. “And no, that’s NOT what happened!”

“Reeeeallllyy?” Lyra asked with dramatic shock in her voice. “Oh, then what could it beeee???”

Vinyl wanted to smash Lyra’s face with a pillow very badly as she stared daggers down at her phone. A pillow would be just fine since she could put all her weight into the strike and not inflict any real harm. Unfortunately, she was here, and Lyra was there. Instead of continuing the inevitable taunting, Vinyl decided to get back on topic. “Octavia’s dad called her earlier. He made her come home, and…it didn’t sound like they were gonna get ice cream.”

“Oh…” Lyra actually sounded concerned now. “…Her dad? Has she ever talked about him before? I know her mom’s not…super nice, but I don’t know anything about her dad.”

“Yeah…I don’t really either.” Vinyl sighed. “She said they never see each other, but I get the feeling he’s kind of a hard case.”

“That sucks…” Lyra’s voice was now genuinely disheartened. “Well…can you call her or something?”

“Uh…Tavi just left not that long ago, so…I-I dunno…” Vinyl curled her knees beneath her bottom as she adjusted herself on her bed. “I do wanna call her, but…if she’s with her dad…”

“Yeah, ok…I think I get you.” Lyra hummed as if in thought. “Are you worried that her dad’s gonna, I dunno…send her away or take her out of school or something?”

“Damn it…” Vinyl suddenly felt the slight urge to cry. “I really…don’t know… I guess I’m just thinking about all the worst case scenarios in my head, and the more I think about it, the more real they seem.”

“I know this isn’t this gonna help all that much, but…” Lyra paused. “…maybe you should just go watch TV or something for a while. I know you probably wanna go over to her house and break down the doors and do some crazy stuff, but…there’s…nothing you can really do right now. You really want my advice? Go watch some TV and try giving her a call later.”

“Huh…” Vinyl quizzically narrowed her eyes at her bedroom wall. “…So…just kinda…take my mind off it for a while?”

“Uh, sure…” Lyra’s shrug was almost audible. “It won’t hurt anything, and you might feel better too. I do it all the time when I’m worried about stuff.”

“Wow…no kidding.” Vinyl was truly amazed. Lyra actually said something sorta smart. “Alright…I’ll…give it a try, I guess. But you’re right about one thing.”

“I am? Wow, crazy. What’s that?”

Vinyl chose to ignore yet another nugget of sarcasm. “If I can’t ever see her again, I might actually…do something crazy.”

Lyra made a long and very exacerbated sigh. “If you do, V…I’ll help you. We can track her down, or…something. I dunno. I mean, if you REALLY want, we can kidnap her.”

“W-What? W-Wait, really?” Vinyl asked in utter shock. Her heart felt very warmed and uplifted for a moment, and she couldn’t help but smile. “That’s…really cool of you, Lyra. Uh…thanks!”

“Yeah, well, whatever.” Lyra giggled again. “Octavia’s my friend too, and if I have to keep hanging out with you, it’ll be nice having her around.”

“You know something?” Vinyl grumbled very loudly into the mouthpiece of her phone. “I was actually feeling really good there for a second. By some crazy miracle, you actually cheered me up. But NOOO, you just HAD to bring me down again and totally kill my buzz.”

“Are you actually buzzed right now?” Lyra’s giggle grew loudly. “V, you have a serious problem, and I’m not so sure twelve steps are gonna be enough.” Lyra ended her comment with a torrent of snickering giggles.

“I think it’s time for me to hang up. Got some cartoons to catch up on.” Vinyl raised a middle finger at her phone knowing full well Lyra wouldn’t be able to see it.

“You go do that.” Lyra finished up her giggles with a satisfied sigh. “And don’t stress out so much. You’re starting to sound more like Bonnie.”

“Ohhh, WHAT…EVER…” Vinyl tapped her phone forcefully with a finger to end the call. She took a deep breath and combed some of her hair from her face before slowly standing up from her bed to face her bedroom door.

-o0o-

“Master Melody? Your daughter has arrived.” A maid in the appropriate attire said to the man before her in the manor’s library. His appearance was trademark of his reputation; a recently pressed dark two-piece suit and pepper grey hair slicked back.

“Send her in.” He said in an impossibly deep and stern voice. His expression changed only enough for his lips to move. The maid bowed dutifully and promptly exited the library. In less than a minute, she returned.

Octavia had trouble keeping pace with the maid. It was evident that she had no intention of keeping her master waiting, and the near jogging pace of her stride put the girl on pins and needles. Any sort of audience with her father would do that, but everything leading up to it made the situation that much more terrifying. The silent drive home in the back of her father’s personal car driven by someone she had never met before and the entire manor’s staff at attention outside her home didn’t help the butterflies in her stomach desperately trying to make her puke. This was a feeling she was all too acquainted with due considerably to past summons by her mother, and although she was gone…Octavia knew she wasn’t quite rid of the pain yet.

Her situation was also made worse by the fact that she had to wait outside the library until being formally summoned inside. This was altogether strange considering her father had waited for her return for quite some time, and Octavia supposed that the wait was punishment for making the master of the house wait. Her nervousness began to overflow, the residual of her emotion turning into frustration until finally being allowed an audience. She may not know her father well, but if he was even a little bit like her mother, he was definitely petty.

Once motioned by the maid inside the library, Octavia took hesitant steps forward, deeper into the furnished room as if venturing into a dark dungeon. She knew Melody Manor didn’t actually have a dungeon, but it probably wasn’t completely outlandish to think there might be one. If there were parts of the mansion that she was forbidden to enter, then it wasn’t impossible.

The moment she saw her father, her feet shuffled to a stop. He stood behind a massive oak desk, his hands behind his back and his eyes fixed on something in the distance. Behind him on the wall above an unlit fireplace was a massive oil painting of himself looking almost identical to his current appearance. Beside it was one of Octavia’s mother looking just as welcoming and nurturing as an angry nun. Her father’s presence was just as commanding and powerful as she remembered, his posture was that of an angry deity, and he definitely dressed the part. Nothing about him had changed in the last fourteen years of her life that she could recall except for the increase in grey hair.

Apparently, her father was already aware of her presence, because when she stopped moving forward, he turned to face her. “My child.”

His voice rang throughout Octavia’s head like someone had just dropped a chapel bell off the side of church. The library’s acoustics helped a great deal to carry his harkening voice throughout the entire room, and as if paling in comparison, Octavia responded back feebly. “F-Father…”

“Sit.” He motioned to an old oak chair in front of the desk that matched the rest of the library’s décor, and Octavia was quick to abide by his wishes with her feet crossed underneath and her hands folded on her lap. The man did the same behind the desk with his own hands folded on the glazed wood. “You have been called home to discuss matters of great importance.”

Oh…dear… Octavia couldn’t speak. She was too paralyzed with nervousness to do so, but she was able to give her father a slight nod.

“As you may know by now, your mother is no longer a current resident here.” His words had grown softer now, but his tone was just as ruthlessly monotonous. “After our last encounter with her, I have chosen to send her away permanently.”

Octavia actually felt a hint of joy in those words. For the very first time, her father had said something to her that actually made her happy. “I-I…I see…”

The man turned towards the wall and stared blankly, or listlessly, somehow detached from the person sitting in front of him. “For the next few months, your mother and I will be undergoing court proceedings. A divorce will be inevitable.”

Divorce… This was a word that Octavia barely understood, a word that she had only heard once or twice. The meaning she knew, but never once would she have guessed that her own family would be associated with such a word.

“I put great effort into reaching some sort of compromise with your mother, but she has and continues to be steadfast in her convictions.” Her father made that statement with an almost audible level of distain that didn’t go lost on Octavia’s ear. “Because of this, you will be required to see her during future proceedings.”

“W-What?” Octavia gasped softly. That was the last thing she wanted to hear. She always held onto the hope of never having to see the woman again, and during the few months of her mother’s absence, her confidence in that wish had grown. No… Please…no!

“I will be scheduling you for certain days upon which you will meet with my counsel and attend proceedings. Currently, nothing has been clearly set on the calendar, but I have been advised by my attorney that it would be prudent to inform you of what to expect.” He turned to face her again, expression still completely unchanged. “Since you will have a role in future events, I thought it best to inform you directly.”

Octavia began fidgeting despite her mind’s commands to sit perfectly still. Her hands gripped the edge of her chair as she began to speak. “I…do not…wish to see her.”

“You do not have a choice in the matter, child.” He replied, his volume growing once more to fill the entire library. “None of us do.”

“F-Father…” Octavia began to feel warm tears cloud and obscure her vision. “…I-I cannot…” Her protests were lacking, she knew, but there wasn’t anything else she could say.

“You can, and you will.” He clenched his fists on the desk for a moment as he narrowed his eyes. “Do not labor under the presumption that I enjoy this any more than you, child. This is just as taxing and tedious for me as it is for you.”

Tedious? Taxing?? No… Octavia stared into her father’s eyes as she experienced an epiphany. You really don’t understand what I’m feeling…at all.

“I have given you ample freedom recently.” He said. “You have been free to do as you please, come and go as you please. Be grateful for that, child, lest I revoke that privilege.” He exhaled a labored sigh and snapped his fingers in the air. “My attorney will contact you within the next week with more information. In the mean time,” He paused as the same maid from minutes ago approached with a bow. “I am going to dismiss you. I am finished speaking with you for today.” He turned to the maid. “Ready my car for a drive to the office.”

“Yes, sir.” The maid bowed again and briskly turned to walk away. Her father stood, making no motion of affection or even acknowledgement of Octavia’s presence, and made his way towards the library’s exit.

For several minutes, Octavia stared blankly at the floor. Although the conversation had been brief, it proved to be overwhelming. She had no idea how to internalize the last few minutes, and her mind was too muddled with emotional turbulence to think clearly. She was certain of a one thing though. I do not want to see her…

If Octavia had been thinking rationally, she could’ve taken solace in the fact that her mother wasn’t an encompassing part of her life. Right now, she did have the luxury of independence, at least to a certain degree. However, she couldn’t escape the painful reality of the inevitable. She would eventually have to be face to face with her again.

I do not want to see her… Octavia slowly stood and began very slowly pacing back and forth in front of the desk. I do not want to see her! I refuse to see her! The face of her father, still fresh in her mind, voiced those same words as she replayed the last few minutes in her head. “You do not have a choice in the matter, child. None of us do.” Octavia angrily wiped her face. “This is just as taxing and tedious for me as it is for you."

As her breathing became more labored, an angry fire building inside her, Octavia clenched her own hands into fists. Taxing?? Tedious??? WELL, I’m so very sorry dealing with your daughter is such a chore!!! It’s not my fault you had to come home to speak to me! You’re the one who chose to see me in person!!!

Octavia reached for the nearest book on the oak desk and gripped it hard enough for her knuckles to become white. “I hate this place…I hate this place!” She screamed, turning every which way as if accusing the very house itself of some crime. I could be at Vinyl’s right now…I could be… Octavia closed her eyes tightly as tears began running down her face. A devastating realization came to her as she let out a small sob. Her home, Melody Manor, was a place she despised. She loathed being here, surrounded by many people yet absolutely no one.

Her eyes turned upwards towards to the two oil canvases. Her mother and father stared down at her with just as much disdain on the world as any hated aristocrat in history. “I hate you…” She said in a hoarse whisper at her mother’s portrait. “I hate you! A-And I hate you too!!!”

In an action that surprised herself beyond belief, she raised the book in her hand into the air. What little strength she had she used to the fullest extend as she threw the old book against the wall. Doing so made her scream at the top of her lungs until her voice cracked and broke. A painful heat shot threw her arm as her muscles cramped, but she didn’t care. The pain felt rather suited to her emotional state, and she watched the book smack the painting of her mother and slam onto the floor. The cured oil on the canvas visibly smudged in a small spot, but again, she didn’t care. There was a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins at the moment, and most of her other senses were dull.

Octavia didn’t bother picking the book up off the floor. Instead, she turned towards the library doors and began walking. There were no staff waiting for her outside. That honor was wholly bestowed on the master of the house, and she knew her place here. Just a child… She thought. …Just a piece of this house like anything else.

It took a few minutes to reach her room. The enormity of her home once again was becoming quite clear, and she wished not to spend any more time here than necessary. Even her room was somehow making her angry. The big bed with its own pillars and curtains, the ornate rug, the massive window panes, it was nothing like Vinyl’s small and practical home so full of love and subculture.

There was something amidst her room that stood out from everything else, and for a moment, she felt a tinge of guilt. Her cello was leaning on its stand in the corner of her room by the bed, untouched for quite some time now. She couldn’t even recall the last time she had practiced at home. Her time with Vinyl certainly had her distracted from her musical studies, but this reminded her of something. Vinyl… She thought. …you wanted me to play for you…but I never did, did I…

Octavia collapsed on her bed as an ache in her arm started to radiate from her wrist up to her elbow. The adrenaline was beginning to wear off, and with it too her rage. She felt exhausted, strained, both emotionally and mentally. After fourteen years of enduring a childhood in Melody Manor, Octavia couldn’t believe how she even made it this far. Her home, her family, and the principals she was raised on seemed so ludicrous and idiotic, and she couldn’t help but halfheartedly giggle at how simplistically logical Vinyl’s way of life seemed in comparison. More than anything, she wanted to be a part of that life, an integral piece of Vinyl instead of just a participant. I want to go live with her…and get away from here. She knew her father would never allow it, but it was nice thought.

A really nice thought…Vinyl would probably even insist… Octavia brought the back of her sleeve up to her face and vigorously rubbed her eyes to fight back the sensation of coming tears. She rolled over onto her side and sniffled loudly as she brought a hand up to her cheek where Vinyl had given her something special. A small laugh broke the tears up as she hugged a pillow to her chest. There was no point in asking why she would do something like that. Vinyl, you are strange… That was probably the best answer she could give herself.

Octavia stopped crying and stared up at the ceiling as she flopped onto her back. I love that peculiar girl… She thought as a much needed pleasant warmth began to radiate from her chest.

-o0o-

Some time passed. It wasn’t much time, but to Vinyl, it felt like weeks. In reality, it was only two hours. This was evidently clear based on the four cartoons and twenty accompanying commercials she had to suffer through. Normally, the commercials didn’t faze her all that much since it gave her a break to scour the internet on her phone, but her mind was heavily preoccupied on something else. She had originally planned on waiting just one hour, but considering Lyra’s surprising moment of clarity, she felt like honoring that historic moment by waiting just a bit longer. What could possibly happen in just two freaking hours? She thought as she tried to play the voice of reason in her own head. This was a role she was not very accustomed to, and considering her lack of experience, Vinyl was painfully aware of how badly she wanted to make that call.

Screw it, I’m doing this. Vinyl jabbed her thumbs onto the screen of her phone hastily before bringing the device up to her ear. Her posture improved as the rest of her senses dulled to allow her ears the most focus. Her heart rate quickened as she heard the line connect, and for a moment, everything else around her was completely shut out. Unfortunately, her intense focus was absolutely pointless, and a flash of anger surged though her as the sound of Octavia’s voicemail began to play. “Are you…FREAKING…kidding me!? Octavia…PLEASE…pick up!”

She sighed very heavily to compose herself before ending the call. Fine…let’s try that again. She then tried to call a second time with the same reward. “Damn…” She hissed through her teeth. “…Why isn’t she picking up?”

Vinyl chose to torture herself by repeating this cycle nearly ten more times until finally giving up. She threw her phone down on the couch and gripped the cushion with both hands as hard as she could while growling through her teeth. Feeling very frustrated, all her worry from before crept back up in full force. Great… She sat back down on the couch and ran both hands through her hair. ...I waited two hours, and no answer… I’m sorry, Tavi…I promised I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.

“No!” Vinyl flicked herself on the cheek as she scolded her reflection in her phone screen staring up at her. “Don’t say stuff like that, V.” Now feeling incredibly silly for talking to herself, Vinyl sat back down and exhaled slowly up at the ceiling. Kayyy…what are my options? Right now, Vinyl knew her options hadn’t really changed since two hours previously, so …yeah, I’m still pretty boned…

Still, there was one other thing. It wasn’t something she wanted to do, and it definitely wasn’t gonna help much, but if it was her only option, then… FINE... She thought as she picked her phone back up. After giving the screen a few more taps with her fingers and the floor a few taps with her toes, she brought the phone back up to her ear.

“Whoa, two calls in one day? You must think I’m pretty special, V.”

Yeah, that’s ONE way of putting it. “Lyra, just…whatever. I can’t even think right now.” Vinyl could hear raw desperation in her own voice, and she really didn’t like it. “I…well, you know how you said if I did something stupid or got crazy, you’d help me out?”

“Yeah.” Lyra’s answer was quick but hesitant. The witty confidence her voice was gone now. “I did say something like that, yeah.”

“U-Uh…w-well, I might have to call you in on this one.” Vinyl sat down and continued to speak while holding her head. “I tried calling her…and nothing.”

“Did you try calling again? Maybe she just couldn’t answer right away.”

Vinyl sighed very dramatically with a nod. She didn’t care if the nod was pointless. “Yeah. I sure did.”

“Ok…” Lyra’s voice seemed to shy away from the phone. “…Look, Vinyl…”

“What?” Vinyl asked after a few seconds of silence.

“Uh…I really don’t feel like this phone tag is helping all that much. You want me to come over? We can figure what to do next once I’m there.”

“Y-Yeah…” Vinyl’s frown wasn’t so pronounced now, and she was once again pleasantly surprised at Lyra’s response. “…actually, that would be pretty cool.”

“Alright. I’m on my way.” Lyra’s voice trailed off into the distance, and Vinyl could hear rustling of chip bags on the other end before the line went dead.

After dropping her phone to her side, Vinyl leaned back on the couch and shook her head at herself. She did feel a tad bit better now that she wouldn’t have to be alone in this crisis, but she was forced with a few minutes of solitude until Lyra showed up. She lived far enough away for another cartoon but not enough away for her to actually finish the show. So, while feeling extremely silly for having such a first-world problem, Vinyl decided to go up to her room and clean herself up a bit. At the very least she could try not to look like a nervous wreck even though she already showered just a few hours before.

In front of her mirror stood a reflection she almost didn’t recognize. There were no flashy clothes or giant glasses, and the constant combing back of her hair had accomplished an almost loose ponytail like appearance. Most of her forehead was visible, and she found this amusing enough to giggle slightly. If she was in a much better mood, she might have been temped to take a picture and send it to Octavia. Right now though…it probably wouldn’t do any good. What the hell’s going on with you, Tavi??? I need to know you’re ok… As she already knew, her skills in long distance telepathy were very lacking, but it did feel a bit nice to vent in her own head. If that also meant she’d had something to do for a few minutes, then it couldn’t really hurt anything either.

With yet another heavy sigh, she turned to shuffle out of her bathroom, taking the smallest and slowest steps possible to save energy for whatever might come next and to kill as much time as possible until Lyra showed up. Because of her slow pace, she happened to notice something peeking out from underneath a corner of one of her pillows on the bed. No…no freaking way…

Vinyl collapsed to her knees in front of her bed and grabbed the small device from beneath the pillow. Her knees ached and screamed in pain, but she REALLY didn’t give a lick. She had never experienced such frustration and anger at herself until now, and there was no stopping it. After all this time, and after all the stomach turning stress she’d been trying to get control of, she realized now that all of it was her own fault. “I’m a FREAKING IDIOT!” In her hands, as much as she hated to admit it, was Octavia’s phone. “How did I miss this???” She demanded of herself to answer. It had been her responsibility to get Octavia’s stuff for her, and she had forgotten to give her the most important thing. Vinyl slowly got up, her grip tightening around the edges of the phone. A particular word was beginning to form in her lungs, and it took a long few seconds for it to reach her lips. It was a word she very rarely used, but right now it felt like this special word really fit her situation. “FUCK!!!”

“VINYL!?” A voice called out from downstairs. Vinyl knew exactly who it was, but she made no motion to meet her friend. Instead, Lyra was the one who had to run up a flight of stairs. “Vinyl??? You in here? Vinyl, hey!” Lyra briskly walked over to her. “You ok? The first thing I heard when I got here was you screaming. Plus, you left the door unlocked, and I thought someone broke in for a sec-” Vinyl smacked her forehead as hard as she could and held out the device towards Lyra’s face to both shut her up and inform her of the situation. “A phone?” Lyra asked as she took the device. “Is this…”

“Yeah…it’s Tavi’s phone…” Vinyl felt like banging her head against something hard, but swearing that hard and that loudly turned out to be a little exhausting.

“Seriously?” Lyra rolled her eyes and put one hand on her hip. “Wow…so, I raced all the way over here, and you’ve been freaking out all this time for nothing? Seriously…”

“I dunno…I dunno…I dunno anymore.” Vinyl threw her hands up into the air as she sat down hard on the edge of her bed. “I mean, yeah, I guess I know now why she hasn’t returned any of my calls, but…that just makes me even more worried.”

Lyra rolled her eyes one more time as she approached Vinyl to put a hand on her shoulder while taking a seat next to her. “V…There’s something I gotta ask you…” She said, her voice low and apprehensive. “I’ve wanted to ask you this for a while now, but I never really thought it was my place.”

“What the heck are you getting at?” Vinyl asked back in a quiet and labored voice. “If you’re gonna ask me something stupid, I’m realllllyy not in the mood for it, ok? You literally just walked in, so don’t start with me…”

“No, V…chill out. I just gotta know something…” Lyra sighed heavily and dropped her hand from her shoulder. “You…you really have a thing for Octavia, don’t you?”

Vinyl narrowed her eyes and turned her gaze up to her. “No, I don’t have a ‘thing’ for her.” She replied with cynicism while using her fingers as quotations. With a slight shake of her head, Vinyl gazed back down at the floor. “…I just…really care about her, and…I think she’s really great…” She hoped her words were as convincing as she tried to make them sound, but deep down she knew Lyra was a total idiot.

“Hey…” Lyra tapped her on the shoulder to get her full attention back. “…No one’s gonna give you a hard time for liking another chick. This isn’t middle school anymore, and…well, I can see things are different.”

“D-Don’t…p-please, don’t bring that up…” Vinyl groaned as she placed her hands over her face.

“Well, you say that, but…we’ve been friends for a really long time, and you…never talk about any of that stuff, but…” Lyra dropped her chin as well and glanced at the floor. “…this isn’t what’s-her-face we’re talking about here. This is Octavia. AND…you too.”

“What…the living fuck are talking about, dude?” Vinyl closed her eyes and tilted her chin back.

“What I’m saying is, V…” Lyra brought her hand back up to her shoulder again. “I’ve NEVER seen you stress out like this before about anything...or even hear you use the f-bomb twice in once day. Seriously, you are wayyy crazy right now. You can call me a dumbass or idiot or whatever cause I don’t really care at this point. You might not think it’s obvious, but it’s pretty clear that you’re in love with her.”

Vinyl sucked in a deep breath and exhaled very slowly as she rubbed her knees with both hands. “…Is it really that obvious? I-I mean…I-I…don’t even know if that’s how I really feel…”

“Are you sure about that?” Lyra cracked a sly little smile and shrugged. “You’re kidding, right? The footsie games and hugs you guys do, well…I can see you’re always trying to get a base hit with her, which you kinda DID earlier today, sooooo…yeah. YOU might not wanna admit it, but you kiiiiinda need to ‘cause you’re driving me and Bonnie freaking nuts. Seriously. I’m getting pretty sick and tired of watching you two ALMOST kiss but never actually kiss.”

“Shut uuuup…” Vinyl couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth move up a bit as she shook her head.

“I’ll do that as soon as you lay one on Octavia. Deal?” Lyra gave her an encouraging giggle as she gently nudged her shoulder, receiving only a shake of the head for a reply.

Vinyl let the bantering criticism wash over her and fill her with a bit of confidence. Often times she would experience moments where she wondered why she was even friends with Lyra, but today had answered that question. Lyra could definitely be described by many derogatory terms. ‘Jackass’ was near the top of that list, but so was ‘friend’ or ‘buddy’ or ‘home-girl’ or whatever. After mulling over the past few minutes worth of their conversation, Vinyl finally replied back. “Thanks, Ly…”

“…Sure.” Lyra offered a giggling snicker before standing up. She began walking towards the bedroom door, and Vinyl quickly stood behind her.

“W-Wait, where are you going?” Vinyl asked a bit too enthusiastically. “You’re not…going home already are you?”

“Don’t be stupid.” Lyra shook her head and waved dismissively. “I’m gonna use your phone book. Octavia’s address or home phone might be in there.”

“Whoa, dude…” Vinyl stared at her in amazement. “That’s…actually pretty smart.”

“Yeah, I know.” She again offered a nugget of sarcasm while exiting the room before briskly walking down the stairs.

Vinyl was quick to run after her. It took a great deal of self control not to rush past her in a flurry and snatch the phonebook from beside the phone in the kitchen. However, since this was another one of Lyra’s miraculous moments of brilliance, she forced herself to stay one step behind. As they reached the kitchen, Vinyl was quick to point a finger towards the phone. “It’s there on the counter by the ph-”

“No, really? A phonebook by the phone? Duuude…” Lyra giggled at herself before opening the phonebook up.

‘Asshole’. Vinyl thought. The number one word at the top of the list is definitely ‘Asshole’.

“What’s her last name again?” Lyra asked as she flipped towards the middle. “I’m blanking right now.”

“Melody.” Vinyl stood next to her and peered over her shoulder.

“Hmm…Melody…” Lyra flipped farther some more and skimmed through a few pages before pausing for an agonizingly long minute. “Sorry, dude…I don’t think she’s in here. Do you know her dad’s name or something?”

“Damn-it…” Vinyl hissed softly as she turned away and ran her fingers through her hair. “No…”

Lyra sighed and tapped the page she was on a few times. “I guess we could try calling the…seventeen numbers with the same last name.”

“Yeah…but her house might not even be listed.”

“Really? What, does she live in a mansion or something?” Lyra asked as she turned around to face her.

“Yeah, something like that I guess. I’ve never been there, but she told me once that she’s gotta a really big place.”

“I could totally see her in a mansion. That is totally Octavia.”

“Yeah…” Vinyl smiled a bit with a nod.

“Well, V…there’s seventeen numbers. One of them has to be hers.” Lyra said with a shrug. “If she does live in a mansion, then she’s probably got a weird area code, you know, like a rich neighborhood we’ve never heard of.”

Vinyl was absolutely stunned. “You know something, Lyra? You are not the complete moron I thought you were.”

“Wow, thanks.” Lyra put her hands on her hips and giggled. “I wish I could say the same about you. So far, it looks like I’m the only one with the good ideas.”

“Shut up…” Vinyl turned away and began pacing the length of the kitchen.

Lyra simply rolled her eyes and began pressing buttons on the cordless phone hanging by the fridge. She was only half a number into the first call when Vinyl suddenly clapped her hands as loud as possible. “Dude! You trying to give me a heart attack???” She asked, nearly dropping the phone.

“My mom’s been there!” Vinyl approached her and grabbed Lyra’s shoulders in desperation.

“What? Been where?”

“Octavia’s place! My mom drove her home that one time, remember???”

“No. You do know that I don’t watch your house like a creep, right?”

“Oh, right…” Vinyl dropped her hands and shook her head. “Duh...” She reached into the waistband of her gym shorts she was wearing for her phone, but she came up empty handed.

“What are you doing?” Lyra asked, this time genuinely confused. “H-Hey, where are you going???” She watched Vinyl dart out of the kitchen and towards the stairs, and she followed at a much slowly pace.

When Vinyl reached her room, she scrambled back and forth in every direction for her phone. During the turmoil of the day, she wasn’t entirely sure where she left it. It had to be in her room, but all she had was Octavia’s phone. Wait… She paused her frantic search, Octavia’s phone in hand. DUH! She swiped on the device and tapped a few times to call herself, her ears now on high alert for a familiar ring. When she heard it, she dove onto the floor and snatched the phone from beneath her scattered bedding she had thrown across the room in her search.

Lyra entered and rolled her eyes for a long moment. “V…dude…CHILL.”

Vinyl wasn’t listening. Her only reply was a finger held up to Lyra’s face as she fiddled with her phone before bringing it up to her ear. The agonizing wait of the dial-tone was excruciating, and she marveled at how modern technology could do so much but take so long doing something as simple as a phone call. When she heard the familiar crackle of the line being connected, her mother was quick to pick up. “Hey, Vine. Before you ask, yes I’m bringing home take-out.”

-o0o-

Octavia felt utterly bewildered by her own ignorance. It was one thing not to be educated in the latest street lingo, but to not know where a simple landline phone was in her own home was just too much. Although, it was hard to blame herself for her predicament. She never needed to make a call from home before, and any calls to and from her residents were handled by the manor’s staff. If there was a phone here, it might be in the kitchen or in her father’s home office, two places she had never been throughout her years of living in Melody Manor.

Speaking of, Octavia was also frustrated by the lack of staff that seemed to have disappeared with the departure of her father. She wasn’t entirely sure why, but she reasoned with a certain level of self-pity that, with the absence of her mother, the manor’s staff were really only here to attend to the wishes of the master of the house. This meant that she, much to her immediate family’s opinion, was a very insignificant resident. Her presence was mostly ignored save for the usual time a butler or a maid would inform her of a coming meal within the hour.

However, since no meals were to be served anytime soon, and since no one really cared about what she was doing as long as she was home, Octavia was forced to try to locate someone she could speak to. But where could anyone be? She thought as she stood on the marble floor of the manor’s lobby. This seemed like a good place to start, and if no one was here, she could try the kitchen…wherever it is.

Time was not on Octavia’s side at the moment. After a couple of hours of sulking in her room, she had been very slow at realizing she didn’t have her phone. No doubt it was probably at Vinyl’s home, and Vinyl was probably worried a bit. Octavia felt rather bad for her negligence, and she wanted to find some way to contact her best friend to let her know she was alright. Considering the rather perplexing display of affection Vinyl had given her and how that made her feel, Octavia was very eager to wrap herself up in her eccentric friend’s embrace once more.

I’ve memorized her phone number… She thought as she peered down on hallway. …but I can not, on my own life, find one single phone! It still didn’t help that she didn’t know where she was going. This particular hallway was smaller and less furnished than the rest of the house, so she had a feeling this was the servant quarters wing. At least I might be able to possibly find someone.

A door suddenly opened a few rooms down, and a man in a black suit emerged. He was brawny looking, and his footsteps were filled with intense purpose. He began to walk towards her, and Octavia brought a hand up to get his attention as politely as possible. “Excuse me, I wish to speak with y-” There was no stopping him, even a blood child of the manor. He completely ignored her as he power-walked past her down the hall, and Octavia felt sudden determination to get his attention by any means necessary. She was angry now, angry for being ignored, and she was not capable of tolerating it any longer.

Standing considerably shorter than the man, Octavia had no choice but to begin running just to keep up with him. He turned down the hallways into the lobby and paused by one of the large, ornate windows beside the front door. A few other staff members had gathered, one she recognized as her usual butler during meals and the other as the very same maid whom her father addressed hours before. All three seemed focused on something going on outside, and for a moment, Octavia forgot all about her mission to obtain someone’s attention.

The large man, now obviously part of the security staff, spoke into his wrist. A small bungee of wire rounded around his ear, and Octavia began to realize that there might be something of importance happening outside. The butler, an older bald man with sullen eyes, approached her and motioned for her to go upstairs. “Please adjourn to your room, little lady.” His voice was raspy and frail, his age not only evident in his features but also in his speech.

“Why? Please tell me what’s happening.” Octavia didn’t speak with stern determination, but she wasn’t about to do as she was told. Right now, she was just grateful to be addressed.

“There is an unknown vehicle outside the gate.” He informed, giving her as little information as possible. “I am unaware of any guests having made appointments today. Until we know more, we require you to remain upstairs.”

“N-No…” Octavia began with a stutter before reiterating herself very proudly. “No, I will do no such thing. I wish to know who it is that had come, and I will no return to my room.”

The butler seemed somewhat surprised by Octavia’s newfound attitude, but it swayed him little. He merely turned away from her and snapped his fingers. The maid took heed and approached the cellist before firmly grabbing her by the upper arm. “Come on, Ms. Melody. This is not the time to exercise your newfound insolence.”

Newfound insolence?! Octavia’s anger returned. “Release your grip on my person!” She exclaimed. “I will not be insulted and treated like a piece of property.”

The maid, considerably more astonished than the butler seemed to be, immediately let go. “Ms. Melody…I-I…apologize for those hasty words. I meant no disrespect.”

Octavia relaxed her shoulders and took a step back. The demeanor and candor of the maid was very familiar to her. The apologetic stance and bowed head was a reaction she thought only her mother could extract from the staff, and yet here she was as if looking through her mother’s eyes. This perspective was incredibly uncomfortable, and Octavia felt tremendously guilty for using her mother’s tone. She didn’t have much time to think about her behavior, however. The security personal suddenly changed positions from one window to the other.

“Streak.” He said to the butler. “Is a Ms. Silver Streak on our guest list?”

“Not at all.” The butler informed him. “As I said, there are no guests on the register for today.”

Silver Streak… Octavia’s grew wide at the name of Vinyl’s mother. If she was here, Vinyl was no doubt with her. “I know her.” Octavia informed everyone in front of her as loudly as her usually quiet voice could say. “She is the mother of one of my friends.”

“Is that so?” The butler turned to face her with a furrowed and wrinkly brow. “It would have been obliging of you to inform us that you planned on having guests, and I do not believe your father would have allowed any visits.”

My father can go to hell and back again. Octavia forced herself not to grit her teeth as she took a step towards the door. “Let her enter. I wish to speak with her, please.” The butler and the maid both traded apprehensive expressions. No doubt following Octavia’s wish would have consequences with the master of the house should he find out, but Octavia’s behavior seemed to suggest that she was not to be trifled with at the moment. Their silent debating went on longer than Octavia’s patience allowed, and she approached the front door. “So be it then. If they are not permitted to see me, I shall go to them.” She opened the front door, and all three of the staff moved towards her. Yet, none dared touch her or move in front of her.

Octavia began pacing across the courtyard towards the slender gravel road leading to the large metal gates. There was a considerable distance to cover, and the vehicle parked outside the manor looked to be farther off than necessary. Damn this bloody road…and damn this bloody house! She began to jog, at first slowly, then into a full run.

-o0o-

Vinyl blasted open the passenger door of the SUV and onto the grass beside the gravel road. At the sight of the gates opening, her vision was no longer obstructed. At the sight of Octavia’s figure moving toward her in the distance, Vinyl bolted forward as fast as she could. “TAVI!” She shouted between heavy breaths. The slight incline towards the manor made her strides considerably shorter than she wished, but she knew that very soon she would be reunited with the girl she loved.

With the last bit of strength left in her calves, Vinyl leapt forward and threw her arms around Octavia’s shoulders, pulling her up into the air for a moment. “You’re…” She panted heavily as her hair danced in her face. “…ok!”

“Y-Yes, I am.” Octavia giggled softly as tears began to well up in her eyes and a smile spread across her face. “…And you are incredibly silly for coming all the way out here.”

“What was I supposed to do???” Vinyl exclaimed. “I couldn’t get a hold of you…I didn’t know if something happened to you…I was freaking out!!!”

Octavia giggled again as a tear rolled down her cheek. She circled her arms around Vinyl’s neck and squeezed tightly. “You are…very strange, Vinyl…”

“And you’re hot…” Vinyl sucked in a deep breath and held her close. The scent of Octavia’s hair and her warm slender body in her arms felt better than ever before.

“Very…very strange…” Octavia sniffled loudly and pressed her cheek against Vinyls. “…Thank you…for coming out to see me.”

“Tavi…I-I…” Vinyl nearly choked as she spoke. “…I…gotta tell you something right now. If I don’t right this second, I-I don’t know if I ever can.” Octavia looked up at her as she took a small step back to create enough distance to speak eye to eye. Their embrace never broke, but Octavia’s grip moved from Vinyl’s neck to her shoulders. “I-I…love you, Tavi…” Vinyl swallowed hard before continuing. “…As a friend…as a best friend…and so much more. I-I know that…w-well…I’m weird, and how I feel about you is weird…” Vinyl awkwardly forced a laugh and shook her head. “…b-but…I really…u-uh…dig you, babe. You’re…amazing…”

Octavia’s smile grew bigger and bigger as she listened intently. “…You’re amazing as well, Vinyl…”

“…Tavi…” Vinyl cleared her throat very nervously as a rare and deep blush tinted her cheeks. “…I wanna…I wanna g-go…o-out…with you…”

Octavia couldn’t say anything. Not only was she speechless, but she was also far too overwhelmed to even move her lips as she face relaxed into an intent stare into Vinyl’s eyes. Her own cheeks turned powerfully red, and her knees began to shake. She tried to speak, but nothing but short broken syllables escaped her mouth. She was at a complete and total loss, yet…there was one thing that her mind clung to. Amidst the whirlwind of thoughts circling her head, one single thing stood firm in her consciousness.

It was the one thing she decided to do.

This time, it was Vinyl’s turn to tear up. A brilliant and vibrant joy spread throughout her body that made her toes tingle. She barely saw Octavia move forward, but she definitely felt Octavia plant a very soft peck on her cheek.

Vinyl and Octavia: Girl Friends

by New Canterlot

The Haircut

The MP3 Player

The Conversation

The Sleepover

The Roller Rink

The Friend of a Friend

The Phone Call

The Start of Love