Spooky

Chapter 23

-Scourge's POV-

Stripes and I stroll into our room, and I set my bag down at the foot of my bed. I'm actually gonna participate in Halloween this year, I say to myself with a smile, and with my new friends, nonetheless! It's exciting. There's just one thing I have to do before Shadow leaves that's souring my excitement a little—I have to tell him about the change of plans for next week. I straighten up and clear my throat, deciding to get it done as soon as possible, like ripping a bandaid off; plus, if he says no, he'll be gone for most of the evening, so I can be left alone to mourn. "So, hey, uh....." I clear my throat, "Rouge 'n Steel said they really, uh, wanna go to Homecoming," I start, trying to keep my nervousness out of my voice. Stripes turns to look at me, ears perked in curiosity. "They wouldn't be able to go to the movies with us..." To my confusion, Shadow doesn't really seem phased by it.

"I'm not surprised—Rouge really loves dressing up," he smiles slightly. "She jumps at every opportunity to wear fancy dresses and tons of makeup. I'm honestly surprised she agreed to go with us and ditch it in the first place, but—" He pauses, face turning contemplative. "If not Rouge and Steel, then who will go with us?"

I steel myself. "I was thinking we uhhh... we could just go without 'em."

Shadow is still for a moment, and I see a very strange look flash across his face before it settles back into its usual blank expression. "Sure," he says amiably, "we can still have fun on our own, yeah." Relief and anxiety wash over me at the same time—I was so worried he'd just say no, I didn't even consider the implications of him saying yes. Now I have to plan and prepare and all that shit—Should I act like it's a date? I want it to be a date, but does he?

"G-Great," I stammer, realizing I should probably answer him. "Cool. Yeah." I turn away, avoiding his eyes, and pace around the room a little. I hear him set down his bag, stretch, then trot to the door.

"Well, er, I'm gonna... go meet Rouge now," he says a bit uncertainly.

I turn and wave. "Yeah, yeah, go on—have fun!"

"Y-You too," he replies awkwardly, ducking out the door. It shuts behind him, and I sit down heavily on my bed.

"Holy shit," I mumble aloud. This is really gonna happen. I run a hand through my spines. Sure, he doesn't know it's technically, kinda, sorta, maybe a date, but if I follow Rouge's plan... there's a chance we will date... My heart races. Why am I so anxious and energetic? I complain silently. I've been on plenty of dates, some even with girls I actually liked, so why does this feel different? Admittedly, Shadow and I have the most chemistry between us, compared to all the others, and I think the way I feel about him is much stronger, too. I haven't felt this way in a long time, and I forgot how scary it is—as well as how wonderful it is.

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-Shadow's POV-

I meet Rouge in the school parking lot, right by Steel's and Scourge's bikes. We walk arm-in-arm to the local Starbucks, only a block or so away, chatting aimlessly about our days. The air is cool, the breeze not too intense, and the setting sun casts lovely orange and pink light over the whole city, lighting it up as if on fire. It shines particularly brightly on Rouge's fur, and at one point I joke about her seeming very "festive" for the Halloween season—a black-clad orange bat. She's even more festive when she orders a pumpkin spice latte, but I refrain from teasing her; we then sit down at a table by the window, waiting for our drinks. Surprisingly, Starbucks is relatively empty, quiet murmurs from other tables the only noise other than the machines making the coffee. For a while, we sit silently; I stare out the window, thinking about Scourge. He's been acting so odd this week. I'm almost worried about him, in a way. I may not have spoken to him about it much, but I do know that this is the longest he's gone without being in a relationship. I've wondered if he's one of those people who just can't stand being single, but if that's so, why hasn't he found someone? And why doesn't he seem much bothered by it? I mean, he did mention wanting to "date a goth," so maybe he is looking. I frown. Still, he rejected my help so quickly. What's the matter with him? Why won't he let me help him or something? Sometimes around Homecoming, where it is, for some reason, expected that you have a date, people can get a bit lonely. I think, maybe, that's his problem, but he doesn't want me to know. I hope he doesn't feel too lonely. If I thought I had a chance with him, I'd... do something, I guess. I don't think I have the guts to ask him out, but I could try.