~~Insert Name:~~ Dylan
Date: 6/14/17
Day: Friday
Details: of Attempt #49 to flirt with the subject known as Adagio, Written in 1st person {No, I don’t know why.}/ Redacted or unnecessary information marked with a slash.
It's been so long since I've written in this thing. I had to dust off the cover of this notebook for crying out loud--that probably gives you a general idea of how long it's been since I last attempted to ask Adagio out.
I don't need to reiterate how badly my other attempts have gone--you've read the other files, I'm certain. They all ended in failure, humiliations ~~and catchy memes that just don't know how to die~~. So I gave up trying to date her and tried to be at peace with a life where the most attractive ~~siren~~ girl at school only sees me as an entertaining nuisance. And believe me, I was starting to get used to that kind of lifestyle, at least until yesterday. Yesterday, you see, was the final day for couples to get tickets to the school dance the next day; everyone was going and it wasn't an option to not go--lest you be seen as that one unspoken loser. Even my friends were going to the dance...though how one of them managed to get Sunset frickin' Shimmer as their date eludes me. ~~My money is on that rumor that he's developed a cologne with female seducing hormones mixed in. I fully intend on confiscating it for...testing.~~
Anywho, It was lunch at the time and I was walking toward the usually empty table at the far end of the cafeteria. This time it was obviously different since ~~the hottest girl in school~~ Adagio dazzle was sitting were I usually sat.
I cautiously walked over and sat directly in front of her, expecting some kind of harsh commentary about it--but she seemed to be in deep thought, her eyes looking off into the distance as if in deep and unhappy thought. How does one manage to look attractive even when unhappy? Was it practice? I can't quite imagine anyone with angelic looks like hers having to practice for said looks; her bouncy bronze locks looked too savvy to achieve. Her disgruntled lips pouted at a perfect angle. Her violet eyes half-lidded at a height that made her expression looked suggestive. Her golden skin pampered to almost otherworldly perfection, fitting nicely along all of her.
~~What? I told you I was a creep. Stop reading the words with that face!~~ Gosh~~.~~
As much as I would've loved to keep gazing at this priceless living painting; to be hypnotized by the very sight of this high school siren, I regret to say that nothing lasts forever. She soon noticed me staring and gave one of her signature glares. “And just what are you doing at this table?”
Good Gravy, how does she do that? He voice is deeper than most girls, and it gives her an air of maturity that's just intoxicating. And the way her voice comes out like honey ~~gaah.~~ “...I-I've been sitting here for the past seven months.”
Adagio rolled her ~~perfect~~ eyes. “Well, thanks for the reminder, Captain Obvious! You didn't have to sit right here, in front of me.”
I suddenly noticed something, something I should have noticed earlier. “Wait, why are you sitting here, anyway? Don't you usually sit with your sist--”
“I sit where I please, nuisance!” Adagio rebutted and crossed her arms. “Do I suddenly need your permission to sit here and have a little peace and quiet?”
I shook my head quickly. “Oh, heck no! I'd love for you to sit here more often…” Nope. Wrong thing to say. “Not in a creepy way, but...yeah.” Nice.
Adagio went back to her internal musings, but with a noticeably unhappier face and a more hunched look. I glanced at where she was looking and found the perfect image of a couple at another table. They looked disgustingly happy with each other, but at least they gave me an idea for conversation. “So, how much do the tickets cost?
“ mEh?” She looked up sharply at the mention of tickets, blinking.
“The tickets to the school dance?” I asked calmly. “How much were they?”
“How am I supposed to know? Go see for yourself.”
“Yeah, but your date probably got your tickets, so you must know the price.”
Adagio’s expression went from annoyed to pouty slowly, almost shrinking in on herself. She grimaced, ran a hand through her hair and finally coughed out: “...I don't have a date, nuisance.”
From the look on my face, you would have thought I just discovered the dark side of Deviantart. “...That's not a funny joke.”
She laughed dryly. “I wish it was a joke! Every guy in this stupid school either has a date already or can't be bothered to accept the opportunity of a lifetime! I'm better than all of those worthless tramps following their every beck and call! Clearly, they don't know a real woman is when they see one!” Then she growled nasty things under her breath, and some things I couldn't hear.
“That...sucks.” And yeah, this is where the idea came to ask her out again--yea, what a shocker, right? But I didn't really ask for about three minutes--maybe it was me having second thoughts. I really, really hate this constant cycle of rejection, you know? So, I didn't really want to hear her say ‘BUZZ OFF’ for the fifty-third time in a row. “...Well…’m sure there's one guy who'd ask you to the dance.”
“Uh huh, sure. And just who would be this ‘one guy’ you speak of?”
“...I-I would ask you out.”
Adagio blinked twice in my direction, fixing me with a penetrating stare. She shook her head and tsked. “Maybe I said No incorrectly the last five hundred times. You clearly missed them all. What language would you prefer I say it in this time?”
I winced at the rebuttal, but for some reason and I felt compelled to fight for this. “Give me a chance! I can't be so revolting that you wouldn't spend just one teensy little night with me!”
“You'd be surprised.” Adagio inspected her fingernails, which appeared to be in pristine condition even for her. “Besides, I have plenty of options to choose from. Too many to even think of stooping to anyone on your level.
I raised an eyebrow, like in that one Sherlock Holmes movie. The mouse one. “From what you just told me, all your options said no.”
Adagio suddenly looked uncomfortable and she started to drum her fingers on the table. “...Be that as it may...I'll...I'll just go alone! My sisters are, so--”
“Oh please, you and I both know that's suicide for your image. I go to this party alone, it's normal because everyone expects that of me. You go alone,” I explained with as much intelligence as a lovestruck teen in front of his crush could speak with. “and people start to put you in the same category as me, or even lower. Then we'll both be sharing this table for a long time.”
Adagio looked like she'd just seen Pennywise charging at her with wide jaws. “Then….Then I'll…”
I sighed; I knew this was gonna take more than scary scenarios to change her mind. After a moment, I decided on a conversational element that often wins arguments and offered my hand. “Okay...How about a deal?” I asked. “If you go out with me to this party, and you really enjoy your time with me...then you'll consider an actual date in the near future.”
The ~~girl~~ young woman gagged at that. “Yeah, and suppose I don't like our little...outing?”
“Then...you and I will never speak or be near each other for the rest of the school year--No, for the rest of our high school lives! I'll sit at the opposite end of the cafeteria, travel different routes to class and change classes if I have to.”
Adagio gave a devilish smirk, one that filled me with dread and arousal at the same time. The magic of hot girls, I guess. “That's a big risk. You must really wanna bang me.”
Needless to say, my skin changed color. “Uh...no. Just a date would be nice. Not really into that before...marriage and all that.” ~~I said don't read the words with that face! My choices are my choices.~~
Adagio rolled her eyes with a light chuckle. “Then let's hope someone is desperate enough to marry a loser like you,” She started to reach for my hand. “It's a deal…?”
“Not so fast,” I said, holding my hand out of reach. “We need to mutually agree that we're both going to try and enjoy this night with each other. That we're not going to plan to just say no right off the bat when it's over. You need to give your honest opinion at the end.”
“Fine. I agree.”
“I know you just crossed your fingers behind your back.”
She grimaced, and then mockingly placed a hand over her chest and the other in the air. “I solemnly swear that I will give my honest opinion at the end of the date.”
Yes! This was going great! My first date successfully obtained...even if I had to make a deal in order to get it. I knew all those failed attempts were getting somewhere. Pleased with this development, I sat there in silence for a good long moment. “So...now what?”
“Now? Now you buy our tickets, honey.” Adagio batted her eyelashes at me seductively. “Today is the last day to get them…Well, shoo!”
“...but I only have my lunch money!”
“Then I guess we have no date.”
So, I may have gone home hungry, but I did get some Party tickets in return. The moment I got home I relayed the news to my parents who both showed obvious joy over me actually getting a date in general. They said it brought them back to their old days when they were both shy teens in high school and I quickly stopped them before they could go too far down memory lane. I needed their help to prepare, after all.
My dad offered me the suit he kept since high school, which was actually in decent condition, and then gave me pointers on proper etiquette for being a gentleman. My mom taught me a few slow dance moves and made sure I knew where to put my hands on a girl when I danced with them(one hand holding hers, the other on her waist--no lower and no higher). My sister blew raspberries at me and said I dance like a stiff robot. I said she dances like a monkey and she kicked me in the shin.
Eventually, time passed and I found myself in the passenger seat next to my mom, who was following the instructions sent to my phone from Adagio about where she lived. It was a little ways away from our neighborhood, but not too far from the school. In good time, the car rolled up next to the two-story house and parked against the curb.
“This the place?” My mom asked.
“Yep,” I said, after squinting at the address. It was silent for a while until she fake coughed and I blinked. “What?”
She grinned. “Isn't this the part where you get out and greet her at the door?”
“Huh? Oh, right!” I chuckled anxiously. “Man, I'm really nervous.”
“You'll do fine, Sweetie. Just remember to breathe. Confidence comes with Oxygen.”
“Right. Confidence comes with Oxygen.”
I got out of the car and repeated that mantra all the way up the steps, finally reaching the door after what internally felt like forever. “Confidence comes with Oxygen.” I rang the doorbell twice and waited with hyperventilating breaths. “Confidence comes with Oxygen. Confidence comes with Oxygen. Confidence c-comes...w-with…”
You can probably guess my Oxygen and my Confidence left me when she walked out.
Time seemed to slow down as if she had like...time stone powers or something. Her dress, even without any diamond studdings, seemed to shine in the setting sun somehow. It's impossible to describe how well it outlined her ~~hips her boobs her curse this stupid eraser-less pencil and all it stands for~~ figure and accentuated on...other parts of her. Her bronze hair was still poofy, but I could tell it had been washed and conditioned and maybe washed again. Her golden skin seemed to glow magically, and it drew my attention to her magnificent face. No poem could describe how angelic her ruby red lips look and how amazing the dark eyeshadow is. Her violet eyes are even better than before, seductively half-lidded and beckoning for--
“Ugh! Are you actually drooling?!”
I blinked twice, wiped my chin and proceeded to stammer. “W-w-well I--uh, you're uh--The hips--I MEAN HAIR AND STUFF--no dress. Yes, dress! Good. Good Pretty. Pretty girl.” I stopped talking and nodded.
~~If I ever have kids, they must never know of this~~
After staring at me like I just grew a second head, the young woman glared lower. “Ugh. What are you even wearing?”
I glanced down at the blue suit I was wearing. ~~Geez, even her high heels are attractive~~ “Oh, just a little something. Though I think I may have underdressed compared to you.”
“You think? That thing is hideous.”
“Hey,” I said defensively. “My dad wore this suit at his dance party with my mom.”
“Oh! So desperateness is a family trait! Good to know.” Adagio patted my head and sashayed her way down the steps. “Now walk me to the car, nuisance.”
As I stared after her ~~swinging hips~~, I silently hoped that she wouldn't be so insulting for the whole date. I followed quickly and opened the passenger door for her, then got in the back seat. She glanced back at me with a small smirk. “Huh, an Uber driver? Well, this isn't a limo, but you at least tried.”
My mom spoke up before I could, grinning in a friendly manner. “Actually, I'm his mother. Very nice to finally meet you, Ms.Dazzle!”
“Oh.” A forced grin appeared on my date's face. “What a surprise.”
So most of the ride was silent, as you can probably imagine. Sure there were questions asked like: “What do you want to be when you grow up, Adagio?” and answers like: “I'm already grown.”, but otherwise, it was a pretty quiet trip. But soon my reluctantly grinning mother dropped us off at the front of the school and slowly oozed out of sight after a few goodbyes. I would have thought of something to say if Adagio hadn’t said anything.
“...Thank god we're finally out of the car. Could your mother have been more annoying?” She snorted. “If felt like I was playing twenty questions with an old woman.”
My eyebrows quirked at her. “Ya think maybe we could keep the insults about my family to a minimum? How would you like if I said crappy things about Sonata and Aria?”
An expression flashed across her face that was too fast for me to recognize. “Pfft. G-Go ahead. Heck, I'll probably beat you to it.”
Should have seen that coming. “Nevermind. Let's just go inside and--”
“Well, well, well!”
Fuck.
You probably know this after reading the last couple of entries, but there's this trio of frickin’ annoying freshman that always follow kids of my level around to ask them stupid, repetitive questions that make they get a laugh out of. I've been asked some of the stupidest things known to man--what's your favorite porn site? What size boogers do you have? You like this porn star? Do you play Minecraft all day? Guess the ratings for this porn video! What's your penis size? Which porn star would you want to give you...well, I won't even finish the rest of that question. You get the point, right?
Sure enough, the head honcho of the three stooges poked my jacket. “Man, your Peewee Herman cosplay is lit,”
His lackey laughed loudly. “Peewee Herman's grandpa, maybe,”
“Yo, this ya hoe, Dick?” The third one asked with a toothy ~~so frickin’ stupid I hate~~ grin as he eyed an impassive Adagio from boobs to toe.
I rolled my eyes and judged the distance to the door. About ten feet if we sprinted for it. “One, it's Dylan, not Dick. Secondly, she is not anyone's hoe, she is just my date for the dance. Third, I don't appreciate the comments on this suit or Adagio. Fourthly, I--”
A feminine scoff interrupted me. “Why are you so sensitive all the time?”
My cheeks lit themselves on fire at that, because of both embarrassment and a little shock. The trio of idiots laughed like a pack of drugged hyenas at me and my speechless state. “Daaaaaaaaamn! Ya own date spat aya, Dick!”
After sighing sadly and taking a moment to reflect on my greatest mistakes in life, I held out my hand and dryly asked: “Maybe we should go inside and cash in our tickets?”
“Pfft. We are not holding hands.”
She shoved her way past my hand and briskly walked ahead of me, never noticing my shrug. “Yeah, I figured we wouldn't.”
So with morons behind me and my insulting date in front of me, I entered the building and instantly began to feel a renewed sense of hope as we waited in the entry line and soon passed if entirely. Sure, the beginning of this night had been less than amazing, but I was certain that all I needed was the atmosphere of the dance party to secure any potential future with Adagio. I ran through the different actions that guys did in those romance movies involving dance parties. Unsurprisingly, they did things I wouldn't be caught dead doing.
“Hmm. A lot of people showed up.” I observed.
“Captain Obvious strikes again,” Adagio muttered. “And there's something smeared on your face, nuisance.”
I blinked, patted my cheeks and excused myself to the restroom to inspect the damage. I was surprised to find that I had nothing on my face whatsoever, but I was even more surprised when I got out. Adagio wasn't waiting anywhere near where I left her, or even near the bathroom. She was gone, lost amongst the bodies of teens and a few chaperones here and there. I should have expected her to walk away from me, all things considered--but to be fair to myself...I hadn't given her much time to leave. Maybe she set me up to leave her be?
I explored the food section, eyes crossing over the food tables all set up in one long row, filled with things one would find at a buffet. Even so, there was hardly anyone here. Just before my eyes could tell me that there was nothing worth searching for, I noticed a particular girl was hunched over one of the tables. As I got closer, I recognized the blue hair and then the slender frame of her pale blue body. “Sonata?”
Sonata whipped around and blinked like a deer in headlights. I have to admit that its not everyday that you see a girl obsessed with tacos cramming them into her bulged cheeks, while trying to stuff more of them down her dress. I stifled a laugh as crumbs fell from her face. “Do you really even need to do that?”
Sonata nearly shrugged and lost a few tacos in the process. “It's free food. You always take free food with you.” She paused and then glanced at the tacos she was hoarding. “...You didn't want any of these, did you? I've got some crammed under my armpits if you--”
“No, I don't.” I wrinkled my nose. “I was just looking for your sister, Adagio.”
“Oh. Why?”
“She's my date for this party.”
Sonata blinked. “You are a brave man.”
“I'm brave when it's useful,” I muttered and slid my hands into my pockets. “Her mood has been less than accommodating so far.”
“I'm not surprised. After our…‘Reformation’, Adagio has gone from a minor jerk to a completely absurd bitch.” She bit into a taco nonchalantly. “Even to Aria and me. When we told her we had dates to the party, she just stomped away angrily.”
I nodded distantly--that would explain her having sat at my table. “Uh huh. And where is she now?”
She pointed at a large, gossiping group in the corner and I groaned. “Of course. Thanks, Sonata.” After that, I heard a gleeful “Mmhm!”
It was hard to discern what the group was blabbing about, even when I got closer. I assume it was about boyfriends, since the group was mostly made up of girls--whatever the conversation was, it had stolen my date. I spotted Adagio and patiently tried to listen to the girl talking. But by the time I could decipher the word cheese through her mouthful of cake, he whole group was suddenly guffawing. I shrugged to myself and tried laughing along with them.
Adagio whirled around and blinked incredulously. “Are you just gonna keep following me around?”
With slightly gritted teeth, I answered her. “You weren't there was I was done in the restroom.”
“Duh! What, do you think I'm just gonna wait on you for hours on end?”
“I was inside for thirty seconds. I counted.”
“Oh, you'd just love for me to think that, wouldn't you?”
I grited a little harder, than relaxed my jaws. “So, do you wanna...maybe hang out near the food bar? Talk and--”
Adagio rolled her eyes and gestured to the group she was standing with. “Can't you see that I’m already talking with people? People that are actually interesting?”
“Uh, who's that?” One of the girls scowled in my direction.
“Pfft. He's just some stalker creep obsessed with me,”
My cheeks burned once again. “I-I'm her date.”
“Sure, guy. And I'm the queen of Scotland.” The same girl said, sparking a chain reaction of laughs from everyone, including my own ~~stupid~~ date. “Why don't you go run along and perv someplace else?”
~~Why don't you go eat all those pounds of makeup on your face?!~~ Is what I should have said. But alas, I swallowed my frustrations and contented myself with ignoring her and turning to my date. “Do you at least want me to fetch you a drink?”
Adagio pursed her lips. “I suppose I could use some refreshments. Fetch me something, boy.”
After that dog-like talk, I stomped off towards the drink section. I probably wouldn't have admitted it then, but I wasn't expecting the date to go so horribly so far...without it being my fault. I wasn't ready to back out just yet, but I was starting to question why I found her so attractive before. Anyway, I got her a lemonade and high tailed it back over to her. When she took the cup, she sipped and shook her head. “Hmm, Lemonade? Too sour. I require something with a lot more flavor to it.”
So I left, retrieved another cup and returned with purple fruit punch. She sipped it and gagged. “Ugh, too sweet.”
I got her a root beer, but she stopped before I even came close. “Are you even trying by this point?”
I got her a Red Fanta. “Too Fizzy.”
I got her water. “Too bland.”
I brought her a mixture of Sprite and Fruit punch, which she eyed skeptically. “I thought I told you this wouldn't do.”
Eye twitching, I sighed through my nostrils. “So I mixed Sprite and the Fruit punch together.”
Adagio smiled softly at my choice, which made me relax more. “Wise decision.” She declared, before drinking a small portion of the concotion. I blinked as she spat it out instantly and began wiping her tongue with her hands. “Ew, ew,ew! That is so gross!”
Before I could so much as breathe, the group of girls were already forming a barrier between me and Adagio. The one with the comedy genes patted Adagio. “Did you choke? What happened?”
“There was a hair in my drink!”
I facepalmed as the girls gave horrified gasps and then promptly glared daggers in my direction. Of course--somehow this is my fault. “You gave her a cup with a hair in it?!”
I blinked. “Probably. Guess I didn’t notice, what with the nearly pitch black lighting in the room and the fact that these cups are dark colored. Rookie mistake.”
“I wouldn't be surprised if he put it there.” One of them said.
“He probably put drugs in all the cups she drank!” Another remarked.
“Right. In this cafeteria FULL of witnesses, I drugged several cups.” I walked off from them, but kept talking. “Gimme a second, ladies. I'm sure I'll find a witness somewhere.”
So, by this point in my tale, you're probably wondering...does this get any better for you? Well, yes! In good time. Just keep reading.
I spent most of my time at the food bar, eating things to try and get my mind off the constant barrage of bad luck I was having with Adagio on account of her own jerk-ness.I ate pizzas, nachos, a few shrimp cocktails and maybe a pound or more of cake. It took me a long moment of eating and listening to the blaring rap music overhead before I finally reassured myself that it wasn't all bad yet. As I turned to the cleared out space before the stadium, I realized that I had one good chance of making up for this whole stupid night.
Teens were making good use of the dance floor, tearing things up with moves I could never hope to learn. I even saw that cute nerd girl Twilight doing...something that had her friends cheering. Yes, I just needed to wait for the slow dance songs to apear and then I would make my move! She couldn’t say no to the traditional dance number!
It took longer than I thought, but it finally got there. After countless tunes by the likes of Lil Uzi, Childish Gambino and Ariana Grande, I finally saw Principal Celestia go on stage and grab the mic.
“Okay, students! We've kept the energy going with those songs, “ She said. “But now it's that time of the night! Sloooow dance!”
Yes!
Sure enough, some slow melody of jazz began to play and the wild dancing slowed into more delicate movements. Some looked embarrassed, others looked...a little too lovestruck. Now that the mood was set, I needed to put the final phase into action. I picked up a cup of root beer and looked around for Adagio. Thankfully, it seemed her ridiculous gang had left to be with their certainly miserable dates. She leaned against the wall, uncomfortably tapping her fingers against it.
I sipped my root beer as I approached. “Well this has been a very enjoyable night, wouldn't you agree?”
“Nope. Thanks to you, it's pretty sh!tty.” Adagio shrugged.
I told myself to just keep going, and so I accepted the blame. “Fair enough. Allow me to make it up to you,” Finally, the moment of truth came. I extended my hand to her and bowed just the slightest. My heart hammered like crazy in my chest. “May I have this da--”
“No.”
The record scratched behind us for a moment, and then Vinyl quickly solved the problem onstage. I didn't even notice, because I was busy blinking owlishly at the former siren. “...what?”
“No.” Adagio stared at me with the most impassive expression. “I think I'm done playing this little game of ours. This charade that your trying to pull off where this date goes swimmingly for us both and we live happily ever after. “ She smirked, muddling a giggle. “What did you think was going to happen if I said yes, nuisance? That we'd dance under the lights and all of a sudden we'd just agree to a second date? No amount of dancing is going to fix your mistakes.”
She shrugged softly, glancing off in another direction. “Honestly, you should just be thankful you even got this opportunity. We all know after this, you'll never get the romantic attention of anyone else. So just leave me alone and we can end this night in mutual--”
I splashed the entire cup of root beer over her face without even batting an eye.
She sputtered briefly, blinking with complete and utter surprise at this. Rather than let her continue her rant, I decided to offer a few choice words myself, starting with a calm: “Yeeeeah. I think I've had it with you. Like, I really don't think I can stand you anymore. And this would be the part where I say, it's not you--its me...but we'd both be lying to ourselves, wouldn't we?”
It's the strangest feeling, you know? I was boiling angry with her, bit it came out so calm and collected. It was like, a whole new level of angry that I'd never experienced before. I can’t think of anything else that got me that pissed or that sarcastic before. I guess everyone has a breaking point? “Yep. Between the constant name calling, ditching me for a bunch of girls this whole party, more name calling, a sprinkle of insults--to my own family, mind you--and your pickiness about every fuckin’ breath I take? Yeah, Sonata was right. You are a bitch. A reeeally big one.”
I glanced at Adagio. She still wore the same look of shock, but now her jaw was slack. Her hair was soaked from the root beer, and her thick mascara was running down her cheeks. “Which is the exact reason no one wanted to go out with you but leaped at your sisters. Sure, you tell others you're reformed and all, but you still act the same--no, no. Scratch that; WORSE than what you used to act like. Who would want a relationship with you?!” I gave a sigh and nodded down at the empty cup in my hand. “And that's the funniest part. That was me, up until now. Heck, a few minutes ago I would have killed to at least be one of your guy friends--let alone anything more. I was actually one of the few people to give you three a second chance after that whole incident. Sonata and even Aria have returned the kindness, but you?”
I shook my head. “ Nah. If you want to be alone, then who am I to judge? You can have the rest of this night to yourself. In fact, have fun finding your own ride home, lone wolf.”
And in typical romance movie fashion, I ran away after speaking my heart...well, more like walked off. One of those annoying freshmen saw me on the way out of the cafeteria and followed me. “Hey, Dick! Where ya headed, ma--”
“Call me Dick one more time,” I casually walked off. “And I will personally make sure no one finds your body.”
You have no idea how amazing it felt to see the scrawny little twig scramble back inside.
I wasn't very sure where I would go after that--just not near the cafeteria. I wandered but eventually settled inside the gymnasium, surprised to find it unlocked. Once I sat down on the bench, the explosion of anger (it still baffles me how sarcastic I sounded) finally dissipated into my normal personality. As you would expect from someone like me, I instantly regretted my spoken words--though I mostly regretted that root beer splash in the face. Perhaps she had been less than kind to me the whole night but did hours of snarkiness and cold-heartedness really deserve that punishment? Okay--yeah. Maybe a little. But that meant that a lot was on me.
I didn't think there was really any chance of an apology going smoothly for me if I tried. Heck, I was certain that my ex-date was fake sobbing to her sisters and retelling the story from her point of view. An even worse thought than two angry siblings came to my attention--What if Adagio enjoyed my revealed sorrow? What if she was laughing it up to herself, pleased that I was no longer interested? Was I still interested? It was a confusing couple of minutes, truth be told.
And it was a startling moment when someone coughed.
I flinched at the sound from my left, and then flinched again when I saw who caused it. It was a girl soaking wet from head to shoulders, though by now she looked more sticky than wet. Her once dominating stance was slouching, uncomfortable. Her soft cheeks were a canvas for runny mascara. Her eyes looked very tired, and maybe the slightest bit red. All in all, it looked like the exact opposite of Adagio.
I wasn't sure what to say, and soon enough something spurted out. “Um, hi.”
She swallowed. “Hey. You...aren't gonna walk off if I sit here, are you?”
I contemplated that in my head but decided against it. “We'll see.”
The former siren promptly plopped down next to me, placing her chin in her palm and staring out at the opposite bleachers. I thought it would be silent for a while, but she eventually found words to talk with. “...so. That happened.”
“...yep.”
There was a stretch of silence.
“That root beer was a bit much,my bad.”
Adagio blinked sharply, and somehow looked guilty. I don't think she's ever looked guilty a day in her life. “Wow. I'm in the wrong and you're still apologizing.”
“Even if you are, splashing soda in your face was low.” I said. “And I'm pretty sure I exaggerated some things.”
“Like what? You understated me--even my own sisters can't stand me.”
“What?”
“...I haven't been too on board with this reformation thing ever since it happened, but they managed to fit into their new way of living just fine.” Adagio explained. “So of course they tried to drag me in with them. Then gave up when I didn't cave.”
“So you're still all...prissy because you don't like the idea of having friends and a normal lifestyle.”
“Thats about it.”
“Well, why not?”
“Personal feelings. I’ve never really attempted to make any bonds outside of my sisters before and I wasn't planning to just because six bozos say it's cool to. I thought Aria and Sonata would think the same as me, but actually surprised me by talk of having friends.”
“Nothing wrong with being human.”
“I am not a human being.”
“Be that as it may, the characteristics humans have are often enjoyable. Our social needs are the most interesting yet addictive qualities about us.” I shrugged. “Why do you think your sisters are so on board with it?”
She sniffled. “Lack of other options.”
“Well...yes. But also because they find a mutual joy in seeking out those with the same interests as them. Or just people they like hanging around. Or just sharing feelings.”
“But...feelings are so weak and...overrated.”
“Again, it's a fun human characteristic. Plus, they're not entirely weak.” I explained quickly. “After all, I’m still in this date because of my...er, feelings for you and the fact that you looked like you needed a chance for friendship. And trust me, it takes a lot strength to put up with the likes of you. “Yeah, better scratch that last part. “ No offense.”
“None taken…” She suddenly looked at me, violet orbs wide. “You just said ‘still in this date’?”
“Yeah?”
“After all I did, you still like me?” She asked skeptically, one perfect eyebrow raised. “You're crazy.”
I thought about that for a long while and slouched lower. That sounded correct; no one in their right mind would be interested in the mess that was Adagio. “...Yep. I am absolutely bonkers.”
“...I never said it was bad. It may be sorta...a little bit attractive.”
If I was drinking something I would have coughed. Did she actually say that?! And was she blushing?! I didn't think she could do that--I didn't think she could even manage to look shy, even for a brief moment! ~~It kinda makes her hotter~~. “Besides, for the current moment...you are the only stinkin’ guy that likes me on a friendly level let alone a...ugh...romantic level. Maybe I could...glugh...learn something from you about...f...f...f-freeeeeeenshiiiip.”
I blinked at her. “The fact that you’re gagging is a bad sign already. This could take a while.”
“Well, neither of us plan on switching schools for a while, Nuisance.” She coughed awkwardly. “My bad almost forgot. Dylan, yes. Dylan is your name, right?”
I smirked a little. “Yeah. Yours is Adagio, right?”
She elbowed me roughly. “Alright, wise guy. Let's keep our name jokes to a minimum.”
Before I could have a good laugh at that, a change of music popped up in the background. A different slow dance number, something with more saxophones in the background and a good percussion beat to it. I was surprised the slow dance was still going, but I wasn't unhappy with it. In fact…
“Soooo…” I grinned. “Maybe now we can have that dance…?”
Adagio did that thing again; that thing where she looks sheepish and stuff. I don't know if I'll ever get used to seeing her display any other emotions other than snarkiness, bitterness and…~~is sarcasm the same thing as bitterness~~? “Look, uh...if you tell anyone this...well, I won't kill you, but I'll deny it.” She coughed. “...I can't dance.”
I scratched my head. “Eh?”
“Yeeeeah…”
“...But what about during the brainwash attempt?”
“That wasn't dancing. That was magical, hypnotic voodoo or whatever. Even I'm not so sure what I was doing.” She pointed to the gym speakers. “I can't do...you know, slow dancing.”
"Like, at all? Never even seen a movie with slow dancing?"
"What's a movie?"
I was going to tell her to just forget about it, but I changed my mind just as I opened my mouth. Maybe instead of that, I could...maybe teach her what had been taught to me?
So, I stood up reluctantly, hoped against all hope that this went as swimmingly as I wanted it to and extended my hand. "Okay. Stand up."
She looked between my hand and my face. "Uh...Did you not hear the part where I said I can't dance?"
"I did! And it just so happens....that I know how to. Well, sorta. I learn just this morning and only practiced later on. But that's like...teacher level skills, right?"
"Do you think any of the teachers at this school studied at college for a day and then got their jobs?"
"Just stand up and let me try."
Growling something noncommittal, Adagio rose to her feet stiffly and fumbled her hands. "Alright, sensei, now what?"
"Now, Adagio-san, raise your right hand to about...shoulder level with me. No, not on my shoulder. Just shoulder level. Yeah, there. Now, uh...actually place your left hand on my shoulder. Yep. There. Now I put my hand..." I swallowed nervously, for now it was my turn. My hand raised and almost settled on her hip, but I rose to beneath the ribs just to be on the safe side. "Here. My other hands takes your hand up there."
Adagio looked hilariously terrified of what she was doing, but she thankfully refused give up there. So, I wordlessly stepped left with my left foot and waited. Timidly, her right foot stepped right until it was in front of my left foot. When I brought in my other foot to make sure my legs weren't spread out, she did the same. I began moving myself just the slightest bit fast, leading with our raised hands and my left foot. She was a bit clumsy at times, but I pretended that she didn't step on my toes occasionally. About three minutes into the classical music, and we were...decent dancers. We wouldn't have won anything on Dancing With The Stars, but it was at least a fun experience for us. Adagio had the ghost of a smile on her face, perhaps too shy to reveal it entirely.
Still nothing lasts forever, especially not orchestras. At the end of the dance I bowed and she snorted. "Am I supposed to bow too?"
"No, you're supposed to curtsy." I told her.
"Hmm. This skirt is a little too tight for me to do a curtsy, let alone slow dancing."
"You were fine. And yeah, I noticed it was too tight." Nope. Not the right thing to say. "Not that I was staring down there or anything. It's just...uh, one of those things you notice right away, like hair color."
Adagio snorted again, but almost got to blend into an adorable giggle. "I understand. Thanks for helping me with dancing as much as you did now. I'm still out of touch with fast dance moves, but at least i know something about slow dancing."
"What can I saaaay except--"
"Don't you dare. I will punch you." She said, but i could still detect a faint hint of amusement in her. "I'm not that and Shiny stuck in my head for another--"
Then it started raining on us.
Like, torrential downpour kinda rain. Hundreds of raindrops hit our heads and instantly began to soak us. I held up my hand and watched water collect in my palm. "Uh, Is it raining?"
"What? No! We're still in the gym, you goof!" She responded and stopped to brush wet strands of hair out of her face. "It's the sprinklers."
Oh. That made much more sense--It also meant that my friends had succeeded at their plan for the sprinkler prank on the school, those knuckleheads. After listening to the sound of rain and running teens in the background, I looked towards the exit door of the gym. "Shall we make our escape from the rain, darling?"
She nodded, but we didn't run towards the exit. We just, slowly walked towards it. "If we're gonna do this dating thing, Darling is not going be one of our pet names for each other."
"I mean, I just said that because it sounds...hold up." I gaped at her. "You want more dates?"
"Duh. That's why I used the word Dating."
"But this night has been lousy! I showed up in a crappy mode of transportation--"
"It wasn't crappy, I was being picky."
"I yelled at you--"
"Not really. More like seethed, if anything."
"And then I threw root beer all over you--"
"I love root beer!"
"And now we're both soaking wet!"
Adagio batted her eyelashes at me seductively. "If we're not soaking wet by the end of every date, then they wouldn't be fun, would they?" She snorted and openly laughed seconds later. "Oh, your face. But seriously, my hair needed the rinse."
An exasperated look settled on my face. "I can't believe that you're seriously willing to stick around me after all that!"
Adagio shrugged and leaned against the exit doorframe. "I could say the same thing about you. In fact, I think I did already." Then she walked through the door, leaving me more than a little befuddled but...happy.
In good time, a parade of cars lined up to take their soaking wet kids home and I was lucky enough to hitch a ride in Aria's truck. All the way home to my house, the three sisters and I talked about...well, just general stuff. The things you would talk about with friends, I guess. Hard to explain in a written format. But the point is that we laughed, we talked and then laughed some more, only to follow that up with even more talking. The ride home was filled with that, plus Adagio occasionally leaning against me in the middle of a giggle. That was nice.
We eventually made it in front of my house, with its porch lights on in expectance of me. After saying goodbye to the siblings, I hopped out of the truck and began to ascend the steps to my front door, only to stop when I heard someone else get out behind me. I turned around and blinked. "Uh..."
Adagio's cheeks were bizzarely red as she pushed me up. "I'm walking you to the door."
"Wh--"
"Just walk."
We walked up in mutual silence and soon reached the welcome mat with intricate red designs all around the lettering. I looked at Adagio and she stared back with a hesitating expression. "Well. You walked me to the door."
"Um, yeah. I did." She blurted.
We probably would have stare for another ten minutes if a car horn hadn't interrupted us. Aria was glaring through the window at Adagio and pointing at her watch, while Sonata was making weird kissy faces. I grimaced and glanced at my date. "What's that all about?"
It happened so fast.
On second she was leaning all the way forward, her face centimeters away from mine and then the next second she was racing down the steps with a more reddish skin tone. When she opened the truck door to zip in, I heard Sonata exclaim something like: "Hooray! Your first kiss!" Then the truck sped away.
Thinking back on the tingling sensation Adagio left on my lips, I think it's safe to assume what she did. The suddenness of it might have caused me to blank just as she did it, but If I think really hard about it...I can just faintly remember something soft pressing against my lips, something heavenly. Kinda makes me smile now, just thinking about it.
But,uh...anyway! Looks like I finally got that date, huh? And the best part is we've got more to plan out! More to look forward to. Sure, people may see her as nothing more than a she-jerk, but hopefully with my help she'll be seen in a different light.
And hopefully I get more smooches.
Write to you soon!
Author's Note
This was originally going to be 3,000 words long or less. How did I pull the other 4,000 out of my head?!
Anyway, hoped you liked this! I might be planning an Applejack one next! Maybe, maybe not.
