Spooky

Chapter 24

-Scourge's POV-

My eyes slide open early in the morning, and with a jolt I remember what day it is. Staurday. Homecoming. The day of our (unofficial) date. Immediately I'm filled with energy, but I control myself and slowly turn over to look at Shadow's side of the room. He's snoring softly, looking peaceful, so I roll back over, not wanting to wake him up. The past week has been so hectic, and I've been so focused on this day that I hardly remember anything else going on. I spent every class on Friday staring at the clock, tapping my foot anxiously, and falling asleep last night was so difficult because I just couldn't stop thinking. There's been an electricity in the air, the entire school buzzing with excitement, and even Shadow's had more energy as of late. He, of course, doesn't care for all the festivities, but the cheer in the atmosphere is contagious. I roll onto my back, gently plucking my phone from the nightstand and gathering the earbuds in my hand. I lie on my back, then turn my phone on and wait for it to boot up while untangling the earbuds delicately. I've been treating them like they're made of gold—I haven't been gifted headphones in forever. Stolen them, sure, but I've hardly ever had anyone trust me with theirs. I know it probably means nothing to Shadow, but, ah well. I hear Shadow stir, and I glance back over at him; he stretches, yawning, and I hear him pop his back. His eyes ease open, pupils contracting quickly as the light hits him, and he snarls a little bit, squinting again. "Good morning," I say with a smile, and he looks to me.

"G'mornin'," he mumbles, and I turn back to my phone for a moment. The time is 10:35, we have around nine hours until our "date" kicks off, and I feel my heart accelerate again. Locking the phone, I set it down on my chest, turning my attention back to my roommate. He's sitting up now, rubbing at his eyes sleepily, and I smirk. His fur is a mess, clothes wrinkled, his jacket hanging off one shoulder, and he looks too damn cute. "How're you?"

"I'm good," I reply tamely, keeping my enthusiasm under wraps. "Sleep well?"

"Mhm." He gets up, stretching again. "What time izit?"

"Ten-forty-ish," I answer, rolling onto my side to sit up.

His eyes widen a bit and he tugs his jacket over his shoulder. "We gotta hurry if we're gonna catch breakfast."

I yawn, forcing myself up off the bed. "Yyyeaaaahhh," I reply as he slides on his shoes sleepily. My stomach growls, so I move to do the same—part of me wants to just walk out barefoot, but I know that'd end up being a shitty idea. Once I force my shoes onto my feet, I yank my jacket from the foot of my bed, stepping up beside Shadow, who is waiting patiently for me with a small smile on his face. We walk side by side out the door, chattering aimlessly as we head out. Both of us are still rather sleepy, but the little bounce in his step suggests that he's just as excited as I am. I've not seen him with a happy glow like this before, I think to myself as we chew on some slightly-stale bagels, walking back to the dorms together. No one else was in the cafeteria, and we didn't see any reason to stay there; I'd rather go back and shower, and I think he agrees. I want to clean up a bit, try to look nice, y'know? We finish our bagels in our room, then gather our shower supplies and head downstairs; the bathroom is relatively empty, nobody in the shower stalls, so we've got free reign. I duck into the stall quickly, leaving my jacket right outside, still in sight through the small gap in the curtain, and toss my towel over the bar. The water is freezing, so I rush to get done, though I use a shitton of shampoo just so I'll smell nice. I wish I had a hairdryer, I say to myself as I turn the water off, tugging my towel down to dry myself, then tie it around my waist. Ugh, I'm freezing. I shiver a bit, shaking my spines out as I step out, putting my shower items back in their bag, then grabbing my jacket and moving over to the sinks. Shadow is still in his shower, so I'll probably have to wait for him, but that's fine by me. I step up to a sink, setting my things down wherever they fit before continuing with my preparations.