Uglydolls and the Portal Shards

~Chapter Six~

(Nora's POV)

I stepped forward, pulling together every small bit of confidence I still had. 

"Wait!" I called. The group stopped, turning to look at me.

"I want..." I trailed off, starting to get nervous.

"I want to come with you." I blurted out. The group stared at me for a moment. I could feel my confidence slipping through the cracks in the ground. Then, Moxy approached me, smiling.

"I don't see why you couldn't! We could always use more people on our team!" She beamed. My eyes widened.

"R-Really?" I asked. The small pink doll nodded.

"The more the merrier, right gang?" She asked her group. They all cheered in agreement. I felt a bright smile form on my face as Moxy took my hand. 

"Come on! We have no time to waste!" She dragged me over to the ladder and we climbed it together. Michael helped pull me up into the pipe. We began walking down the dark pipe and I couldn't help but smile. I was on a quest! Me!! My eyes then fell on Nolan and his multicolored eyes.

"Are your eyes like that, naturally?" I couldn't help but question.

"Yeah." He nodded. "Why?"

"Just wondering..." I smiled softly, fiddling with the hair that covered my eye. Michael walked up beside me.

"I uh... like your s-skirt..." He smiled at me with a red face. 

"Thanks..." I smiled back, blushing. 

"Ooo~" Kitty teased, walking up beside me. 

"Shut up, Kitty." Michael glared at her.

"Whatever." She shrugged. "You guys are cute." She winked playfully before walking away to talk to Mandy. My heartbeat sped up in my chest, I could hear it pounding in my ears. I touched my face, I could feel myself burning up. Michael was no different, his face was so red, you might mistake him for a tomato. 

I giggled, blushing.

(Nolan's POV)

I watched how well Nora got along with everyone else, it made me smile. I don't know why, but I could tell she had been longing to fit in for a while. Reminded me of someone... 

"Look at how well they get along!" I turned to Lou, who was standing next to me. 

"It's sweet, right?" He looked away, not responding. 

"Lou, are you okay?" I leaned closer. 

"I'm fine." He muttered, still not looking in my direction.

"Are you sure? You seem-"

"I told you I'm fine!" He snapped, turning around and startling me. I jumped back in alarm, letting out a tiny squeak.

"O-Oh..." I could feel tears poke at the corners of my eyes. 

"Sorry..." I looked away, down at my feet as we walked in silence for a moment. But then, I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey... I, uh..." Lou began.

"I-I.... I'm sorry for getting upset with you..." He sighed. 

"You were just trying to help and... I appreciate that..." I looked down at my feet, not sure what to say. Lou sighed and I felt his hand slide off my shoulder. I reached over and grabbed his hand, intertwining his fingers with my own. He looked over at me, surprised. I looked up at him and smiled. 

(Lou's POV)

His fingers slid in the spaces between mine perfectly. I looked over at the brunette, surprised. He looked up at me with glossy eyes. He smiled sweetly, and I couldn't help but smile back. My face warmed up, but I wasn't sure why. We kept walking in silence for a moment, holding hands and just enjoying each other's company.