A Marshmallow's Guide to Loving a Complete Idiot (Inanimate Insanity)(Marshple)

33. Dancing is a Great Icebreaker

"Hey, I guess this is like a... y'know."

Marsh sighed. "No. The II dance isn't. We have to keep the secret, remember?"

"Oh yeah... Forgot about that." Apple whispered, "But it can still be a, well. They don't have to know about it... Friends hang out together on the dancefloor all the time, right?"

"If we spend too much time together, we'll drop hints."

"Ugh... Fine."

There'd once been a time where Marsh would dive to the center of the dancefloor at the bass-boosted, brightly-lit dances that OJ threw every week.

Marsh wondered why she could hardly stomach the idea of going out onto the floor anymore. Perhaps it was because the loudness of the tunes was obnoxious? Was it simple lack of energy? The fact that people tripped on her when they weren't paying attention was no longer something she was used to?

"It's been kind of wild since the show ended," Paintbrush was saying. "Lightbulb has this idea in her head that she's my manager and that I need to date around... There are so many, and they all ask the same questions: 'are you a man or a woman?' 'Are you angry you only placed third?' 'Aren't you and Lightbulb dating?' It's actually really annoying."

Marsh winced. "Oooh. That sounds harsh."

"It's not even the worst part of it all. The press just eats it all up. Lightbulb would be doing a good job, if B-list celebrity status was what I wanted. But, ugh." Adjusting the bowtie on his(?) neck, he added, "Then again, you should know."

"Huh? I should know...?"

Paintbrush looked surprised. "...You haven't kept tabs on it? I guess that doesn't surprise me. You're a fan favorite, though -- everybody talks about you."

"W-what are they saying, anyway?"

"The rumors are runaway! The last article I read, you fled to France and married a starving artist. But don't expect to be asked too much about that one. Let's see... Some fans think you just sank back into daily life. Some think you're working on new songs.

"And really Marshmallow, leaving in the middle of the show like that with Apple disappearing didn't help. There's a whole sector of the internet dedicated to the theory that you and Apple eloped. Some nuts thought you killed each other, though clearly that's false. That was what I kind of bought into for a while," Paintbrush replied. "There are other theories, but I think you get the idea."

Marsh bit the inside of her mouth, then laughed uncomfortably.

"That's, uhh... some set of stories."

'So basically, one step out of line is going to push an entire portion of the II fanbase into prying. And I can expect all that to come up at the interview tomorrow. How reassuring...'

"I know. I tried to set the record straight when they ask me, saying you were fine even if I wasn't sure," Paintbrush replied. "Guess they'll be sad that you didn't do anything interesting."

'Granted, the press would probably find the fact we're dating just as compelling, but...'

"Thanks for trying; you're a great friend." Marsh rubbed the back of her head. "I don't know... Living so far from everyone for so long... It makes me kind of nervous just to be surrounded by people again. I want to know everything I can to make sure nobody will crowd me-"

There was the screeching sound of a microphone having interference. Everyone cast their gaze to the stage; Fan was standing on a stool on it, speaking just over Microphone's head. "Laaadies and gentlemen! It's time for the II dance to officially begin! We'll alternate between slow partner songs, and quicker songs... with a few surprises in between! Make this one of the greatest blog posts EVER!"