Hey everyone! I apologize for the lateness of this update... ^.^; Motivation has been a bit low, but at least finals are over, yeah? Anyway, here it is! --------------------------------------------------- "C'mon Flaky, try this dress on!" "I d-dunno, Giggles... it doesn't l-look like a dress I would wear." "Well of course it isn't! It came from my closet!" I was in Giggles' overly pink room, trying on every single outfit she threw at me. She had a massive closet, filled with every sort of clothing item known to man. We had barely scraped the surface of the inventory, and I already had changed a multitude of times. God, help me. Giggles pouted, and thrust the dress into my arms. "Try it on! Trust me." "Fine..." I mumbled dejectedly, making a signal so she would turn the other way. I slipped out of my clothes, and pulled on the dress. There were ruffles... everywhere. It was terrifying how girly it was. I felt like I had changed into Giggles for a moment. The only thing I liked about the dress was its color; red. And maybe the fact that it had long sleeves was good too... So it wasn't that bad of a dress after all. But I wouldn't admit that. "Alright... how bad do I look?" Giggles turned around, and squealed in delight. "You look adorable! Keep the dress!" "W-what? I couldn't"- "Too bad! It's perfect for you, Flaky!" She smiled, clapping her hands together. "Now you'll be the center of attention at your welcoming party!" Oh, right. The welcoming party. Giggles decided to throw one for me at my house. It was supposed to be a surprise, but the girl couldn't keep a secret for her life. "A-are you sure, Giggles? I-it's a little too late f-for a w-welcoming party, d-don't you t-think?" "Not at all! Besides, I haven't thrown a party in ages! I can't imagine how the people here survived so long!" "H-how long w-was that?" The pink-haired girl shrugged, walking out of her room. "A week." I groaned, and examined my reflection in the mirror. The dress was pretty, sure, but I wasn't sure if I was pretty enough for it. The wild- haired, extremely nervous girl shouldn't wear a dress as... noticeable as this one was. Giggles popped back into the room, holding a huge makeup case and multiple hair-styling tools. For a moment, I was scared for my life. "Tch. Don't worry, Flaky! When I'm done, you'll look even more adorable!" "B-but, I-I-I"- Giggles interrupted my stammering, and tugged me over. "Ouch!" "Sorry..." she said apologetically, trying to yank a huge brush through my hair. I winced and twitched every few seconds, before Giggles pouted and lowered the brush. "You know... I think your hair's fine like that." I rolled my eyes in response, before she started to apply pounds of makeup to my face. "I-is this necessary?" "Yes... hold still!" Giggles held me in place with that surprising strength of hers, and managed to fix me up with only one hand. A few moments later, she was finished. "Voila! Look at yourself!" she smiled, turning me to the mirror. I gaped at the reflection staring back at me. I didn't look like myself at all. My hair was as neat as it was ever going to get, my eyelashes were two times longer, some strange crimson shade of lipstick was on my lips, and I glittered whenever I moved... was this everyone's definition of pretty? "Y-you didn't put blush on me?" I asked quietly. "Oh, you don't need blush! You get embarrassed too often, you naturally blush!" Giggles explained, shooing me downstairs. "Now wait for me! I'll only be a moment." she said, before closing her bedroom door. I blinked, uneasily walking down the stairs in the silly shoes she forced me to put on. I wasn't exactly sure what "a moment" was to Giggles, but had a hunch it was around half an hour. Sitting on one of her extremely cushioned loveseats, I barely had time to breathe before she came bolting down the stairs, already changed and made up. I blinked in surprise, and she tugged me out the door. "H-how did you get ready s-so quickly?" "I always get ready quickly. It's a habit. Besides, Giggles Chipmunk is never late for a party." she laughed, bringing me over to my house, shushing me before I could respond. I sighed, tensing up before opening the door. It was pitch black inside my house, all the lights were shut off. My pulse quickened as my eyes adjusted to the lack of light, and Giggles quickly ushered me forward. "H-hello...?" I squeaked. "SURPISE!" Everyone popped out of their hiding places as Giggles snapped on the lights, and I screamed, despite knowing what to expect. They didn't seem surprised that I was scared, however, and I turned red in embarrassment. Music quickly started playing from my stereo that sat upon a shelf, and people placed their gifts on and around the coffee table in the center of the room. I realized with growing discomfort, that my house was packed with most, if not all the residents in Happy Tree. After I greeted everyone that crossed my path, I edged into the kitchen, the smell of various party foods wafting over to my nostrils. Giggles and Petunia were by a large punch bowl on the granite-surfaced island, and DB (Disco Bear) grinned, obviously hitting on them, much to their chagrin as Cuddles and Handy were off mingling with the other guests. Giggles blew the bangs from her eyes, and I awkwardly edged over to them. "Ah, hey..." "And who is this?" DB interrupted, his eyes roaming over me without hesitation. I self-consciously tugged at the dress, looking away. "DB, this is Flaky." Giggles said, gesturing to me. His lack of response and blank expression made my face turn bright red in irritation. "You know; the one who this welcome party is for?" she continued. "You're kind of standing in her kitchen?" Petunia piped up. DB adjusted his bright orange afro with a pick comb he obtained from hammer space, and he flashed what looked like a trademark smile at them, completely ignoring me. "Oh, yeah, sure. As I was saying"- I gasped as Disco Bear stumbled forward, splashing his drink all over my dress. Giggles' and Petunia's eyes widened as my lips parted with nothing to say. Splendid looked up, smiling brightly after colliding with the flirtatious boy. He obviously didn't notice almost knocking somebody over. "Hey, Flaky! Nice party, sorry I came late though." He held a gift wrapped in blue paper, but at that moment I didn't care what it was. Everyone in the room shot Splendid a look, only confusing him. "What did I do?" Suddenly, everything was too much to handle. "I-I'm going outside f-for s-some air..." I stammered, keeping my eyes on the ground and walking out the back door. I made sure to close it, showing that I didn't want to be followed and interrogated on my sudden exit; I just wanted to be alone. You know, so I could cry in peace? I sat on the stone bench that was nestled delicately between some trees, and looked at the tiny Koi pond in front of me. My reflection wavered against the surface of the water, getting disturbed every so often by a passing fish. A droplet of water plopped into the pond, and I realized I was crying, but I didn't attempt to wipe my tears away. Instead I shut my eyes and let a steady stream flow down my face. "The life of the party shouldn't cry, you know." My head snapped up, and my heart pounded against my chest. Flippy stood there, holding a present neatly wrapped with green paper. He sounded quite forlorn, and didn't bother to hide it with a fake smile plastered on his face. I liked that about him... The one who attacked me earlier. He must have seen the realization in my eyes, and he took a step back. "I'm sorry." I was held in place with those words, standing a few good paces away from the back door, from safety, but I didn't move. I didn't want to move. "You're sorry..." I parroted quietly. "Please... let me explain, I mean, if somebody hasn't, already." I waited, hesitantly moving into a regular stance, keeping my arms by my side. He paused for a moment, and I witnessed him struggle with words before he spoke. "...It's obvious somebody already did, then." he said dryly, fingering the dog tags that hung from his neck. I simply nodded as a response, refusing to talk. "What did they say? That I'm an ex con? A mobster's son? A murderer on the run?" he continued, laughing bitterly to himself like there was any humor in the situation. "That I would kill you if you looked at me the wrong way?" The last word hung in the air, before it stilled into a deafening silence. He exhaled sharply, and I looked up, seeing an array of emotions burning behind his dark emerald eyes. It was obvious that this was opening up old wounds, no doubt. I wasn't going to press on about the specifics, though. "They s-s-said... you were i-in a war... t-that you have PTSD..." I murmured. It was barely a whisper, but I knew he heard it loud and clear. We locked eyes for what felt like a lifetime, not speaking. Flippy seemed so... closed off at that moment, it was like I was a complete stranger to him. Suddenly he shut his eyes, shaking his head. "I shouldn't have come here. I promise I won't hurt you again." "W-what...?" "I have to go." he said, handing me the gift and walking away before I could protest. "Wait"- my voice cracked, and was lost in the noise of the party inside. He didn't hesitate and look back; he didn't return with a million apologies like in the movies, Flippy kept a steady pace, until he disappeared down the street. I looked down at the gift dejectedly, running a hand across the wrapping paper. "Welcome to Happy Tree." --------------------------------------------------- Bam. Super long update.
Summer's here! So that means I have more time to update my stories! Anyway, enjoy this while I fight off a case if Writer's Block. --------------------------------------------------- A week passed after the party, and things reverted back to normal... whatever "normal" was; people weren't as awkward around me anymore, once they had seen how quiet I was around Flippy. It was almost like they didn't want me near him. They acted as if I was too naive to see it, but I was far from that. The more I thought about it, the more blatantly obvious it became. Ever since his apology, I thought we'd be able to speak like we used to. Instead, he remained silent in the few classes we had together... he didn't even look at me anymore. After a multitude of failed attempts at getting him to speak, I gave up on it completely, tired of talking to a brick wall. So I was left in the dark, totally confused why he turned into a blank slate. Splendid obviously didn't mind, though. Instead of keeping his distance from him as usual, he would confidently talk to me in class, not even regarding the green haired boy's presence next to me. All the while, Flippy would stay silent, fiddling with a pencil like he always did. I got the feeling that he enjoyed the invisible wall between Flippy and I; like the more distant he became, the better it was. Still, I never asked Splendid about Flippy, it was obvious the two were rivals of some sort. "Flaky?" I sighed, looking up to meet Giggle's happy expression. "You're still sleeping over tonight, right?" I nodded. It was silly to me that I was sleeping over Giggle's house, when she lived directly across the street from me. But she insisted on me coming over anyway. "We're going to the movies too." she declared, walking next to me as the bell rang. "What movie are we seeing?" I asked absentmindedly, retrieving a book from my locker. "Flowers in the Wind, of course!" she squealed, and I held back a groan, mimicking her excited smile with my own. "Oh... great!" Personally, I hated romantic comedies with the whole of my existence. They were too... mushy for me. And as ironic as it seemed, I held a preference for horror movies. They gave me a chance to be scared for valid reason, and that was an uplifting feeling, to be able to scream in a crowded room and not get looked down upon; because everyone else was screaming right along with you. I twiddled my thumbs for a moment, speaking more to the floor than Giggles. "A-are you s-sure w-we can't see a-anything else?" "There's that new horror movie, but why would we see that? Too gory." she waved it off, and smiled. "Besides, romantic comedies are great for dates. Guys love them." I was pretty sure that guys didn't love romantic comedies, but who was I to question it? Giggles had practically every guy in school drooling over her; she had to know what she was doing. Maybe it's a reverse psychology sort of thing... I thought, before freezing up. "D-did you j-j-just say, date?" Giggles laughed, patting me on the shoulder. "Yes, a date. I'm going with Cuddles, and Petunia's going with Handy." "B-but"- "Oh, don't worry! I got you somebody too!" I shut my eyes, exhaling. I already knew who Giggles effortlessly invited on my behalf, and I knew for a fact that it wasn't who I'd rather watch a crappy movie with. The one who was currently ignoring me, for unknown reasons. "Giggles, y-y-you d-didn't have to ask S-Splendid"- "Splendid?" She was momentarily confused "I didn't ask Splendid. Did you want me to?" she adopted a thoughtful expression, grinning from ear to ear. "Because I can make that happen, and"- "N-no! T-that's not n-necessary. W-who did you ask?" I stammered. "Shifty." Shifty. The twin brother of Lifty. The one who was an obvious troublemaker, and excellent partner in crime. The one who wore that stylish fedora, the look of it just screaming that it was stolen, but he obviously didn't care. What the hell was Giggles thinking? "Shifty..." I repeated. "Yeah. The guy loves how cute you are." She laughed "Especially your outfits." I made a mental note to not wear any jewelry tonight. I sighed, shutting my locker closed with a little more force than necessary. Giggles meant well, but she put me in situations that I didn't wish to be in. A lot. I racked my brain for any valid excuse to cancel, but I couldn't come up with one. I had to go. Giggles, who was totally oblivious to my mood change, happily kept up her chatter as we made our way to the cafeteria, and sat at the table. I didn't bother with lunch, having lost my appetite at the thought of what could happen tonight. Impossibly disastrous scenarios flashed in my mind, and I found myself gripping the table, my knuckles turning white. I watched how light my skin would get, before I released my grip on the table, seeing my hands flush bright red. It felt like hours had gone by, before I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder, and I yelped, causing some people in the cafeteria to turn, staring at me in confusion. "Hello? Are you alright?" Cuddles asked, arching an eyebrow at my expression. "J-j-j-just f-fine"- I managed to stutter out, my hands beginning to shake. "Flakes looks like she's about to explode." Lifty snickered. Shifty laughed in agreement, before Splendid shot the twins a look, quieting them instantly. My eyes widened in realization, and I silently ran through the many lists of symptoms my doctors gave me. Spacing out? Check. Muscles shaking? Check. I stood up, being met with worried looks all around the table. Splendid looked as if he was going to stand as well, but I stopped him. "Y-you d-d-don't have to do th-that." I stammered, quickly exiting the cafeteria before he could respond. I knew I should have asked where the nurse's office was first, but I was already shaken up enough. I couldn't bring myself to walk back and ask either, the embarrassment would be unbearable. Fear of making a fool of myself? Check. Where the hell was it? I crossed my fingers, unsteadily walking up the stairs, hoping the nurse's office was on the second floor. If not, I was screwed. Majorly. "Ah!" I grabbed for the railing, leaning against it after I tripped over the last step. I rested for a moment, making sure I regained my equilibrium before I started off again. Unsteadiness? Check. "C'mon Flaky... y-you're almost there..." I croaked, coughing as I felt my throat tighten up. Choking? Check. I stumbled onto the landing, carefully walking down the hall. My feet felt like lead; like they were only things keeping me tethered to the ground and not floating away. I looked at the doors lining the walls, but none of the signs read "Nurse's Office". Biting my lip to keep from crying, I ignored the tears burning in my eyes and tried to walk to the stairway again, failing miserably when I smacked straight into an opening door. I staggered back, feeling my heart slam against my ribcage, like it was about to burst. Chest pain? Check. Pounding heart? Check. I heard somebody humming an unfamiliar tune. It sounded very melancholy, like a bittersweet memory of some sort. The voice, however, was very familiar. I gasped for breath as the color drained from my face, and wiped the beads of sweat that began to form on my forehead. Flippy exited the room, still holding that stupid pencil, and paused before looking behind the door, his humming ceasing into a deafening silence. I quivered, seeing spots in my peripheral view. They flashed for a moment before disappearing, quickly being replaced with new spots. I tried to blink them away. It didn't work. Spots in the vision? Check. For a moment, I thought Flippy would ignore me and continue on his merry way. He had the same blank expression his face like he did in class, but he spoke quietly. "You don't look okay." Wow. What an insightful observation. "Gee, r-r-really? I-I thought I l-looked f-f-f-freaking amazing, Flippy. N-no, you're a-absolutely c-correct. I-I'm okay. J-just peachy." I said dryly. Dramatic mood swings? Check. Flippy arched an eyebrow at my response, a ghost of a smile barely hidden under his mouth, before he composed himself and tried to speak again. I quickly interrupted, despite it being out of character for me. "J-Just tell me w-where th-the nurse's o-office is." He snorted, allowing himself to smile, and pointed at the sign on the door that was directly in front of my face. Nurse's Office. I started to inwardly curse at myself. How could I have missed that? Oh, right. Anxiety attack. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I saw his lips move, but heard no sound come out. Instead, it was replaced with an incessant and piercing sound in my ears. Ringing in the ears? Check. His amused expression was immediately replaced with one of worry, and he carefully reached towards me. Oh, if only I could read lips! I felt myself tilting back, and the floor came up to meet me, only for my freefall to be brought to a screeching halt. I was inches away from the hard linoleum floor, but felt two secure hands on my back, preventing me from moving any further. Dizziness? Check. I looked up, instantly regretting it. Flippy was so close... if it weren't for the current situation, I would've blushed. Instead, I concentrated on the lights on the ceiling, turning his face into a shadowy silhouette. There. Distraction eliminated. Now I could focus on other things, like the wave of uncontrollable drowsiness that fell over me. It became a battle to keep my eyes open, and the corners of my vision began to darken. "Flaky!" What had he said? My attempt to respond was only a garbled mess of nonsensical words, becoming even more unintelligible as everything suddenly faded away. Blacking out? Check. --------------------------------------------------- Bam. Sarcastic Flaky is sarcastic.