Saving Me: Ruinene

The New Finale (2)

Rui

I'm starting to feel a little better. Nene's right— who cares about what those kids said? We're making the best show ever, just like always. I grab the puppet I've been working on for a week and show it to her.

"What do you think? I added wings to this one. They'll flap when you pull the strings."

She looks at it, her eyes lighting up.

"That's so cool! Can it fly across the stage?"

I shake my head, a little embarrassed.

"No, not yet. I'm still trying to figure out how to make it fly... for real."

Nene giggles, grabbing her own puppet.

Nene: "You're always trying to make things fly. Maybe we can just pretend for now."

I sigh. Pretending is fine, I guess, but I want something bigger... something people will remember!

"Yeah, I guess, but I want this show to be different. We need a new ending, something kids like us never done..."

Nene

I watch Rui fiddling with the puppet wings. He's always thinking of bigger ideas, but sometimes I think he forgets that having fun is enough.

"Umm... how about we make a big, shiny finale? We could use... glitter. Lots of it!"

He looks at me, raising an eyebrow.

Rui: "Glitter? Isn't that a bit too... simple?"

I puff out my cheeks. He always wants to make things super complicated!

"No, it'll be like... a glitter explosion! We'll throw it at the end, and it'll be sparkly and pretty. Everyone will love it, I think."

Rui thinks for a minute, then nods slowly.

Rui: "Okay, but only if we can add fireworks. Fake ones, of course. I can make something that lights up."

I grin, happy to see him get excited again.

"Deal! You handle the fireworks and I get the glitter!"

Rui

To be honest, her idea of glitter doesn't sound half-bad. Maybe we don't always need big inventions and crazy stunts. Sometimes, the simple stuff work too. But I still wanna make the ending pop!

"We should also add some sound effects. Like, big, booming sounds when the fireworks go off."

Nene: "Yeah! We can use that big drum your mom has; it'll sound like thunder!"

I smile, feeling the energy come back. This is what I love— working with Nene, bouncing ideas off of each other until everything feels perfect.

"Alright, let's do it. This is going to be the best show ever."

Nene: "It's going to explode! No one's ever gonna call you weird after this, and if they do, I'll make sure to teach them a lesson!"

"Hey, let's not get too violent..."

I sighed, but deep down I felt really happy for her concern towards me. Her words before made me stop for a moment. Maybe she's right. Maybe I don't need everyone to get my ideas.

I just need the people who matter.

~~~

notes: gosh, this took long... thankfully, I was able to figure out the story in time