Intoxicated (Stardew Valley)

Chapter Five

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

After a long day of work yesterday, from tending to the chickens and barn animals to fixing up my farm and outline its structure, I was beyond exhausted. My limbs felt weak and head pounded from the hard labor. My plans were to sleep in today.

So when someone was knocking at my front door at 6 AM in the morning, of course, I was going to be furious.

"You'd expect to get more privacy in the small town," I muttered, sliding out of bed and slouching toward the door. I opened it to see Emily, her typical preppy self. "What is it?"

"Ouch! Someone's grumpy today!" She frowned, looking at my ruffled hair and appearance. "That's no way to look for today!"

I raked my fingers through my hair to look somewhat decent. I leaned against the door frame, crossing my arms and asked, "What is today? I swear, Emily if you just came here to bother me..."

"No! Today is the Flower Dance, don't you remember? I've been telling you for weeks!"

My eyes widened in realization and I groaned. Of course, it was another festival, one of the many annual traditions this town has! I didn't know much about it, but to participate, you must have a partner to dance with. Emily has been bugging me for weeks, reminding me to be prepared.

Much to her dismay, I did not prepare at all. In fact, I had shoved the event at the back of my mind and tried to forget about it. But I knew I couldn't ignore the inevitable. I was going to be go to the festival one way or another, even if it meant Emily had to drag me with her bare hands.

That's when I saw the fluff she was holding behind her back. "No..." I said, slowly backing away to discreetly shut the door.

"Yes!" Emily replied, stepping closer and shoving the dress in my hands. "You have to go, Mae! I made this design for you."

In truth, I didn't want to go. Social events simply weren't my thing. I just wanted to sleep. How hard was that to do?

But seeing Emily's pale face, sad puppy dog eyes, and her pink lips start to quiver, I felt guilty. I knew she was looking forward to this festival and had made matching dresses and suits for all those dancing.

"Emily..." I said slowly, taking the dress from her. She looked up hopefully. "I'll consider participating."

She started to jump up and down, twirling and spinning around me. "Yay! This is going to be so much fun!" I rolled my eyes but I couldn't contain the smile on my face.

"But I don't have a partner..." I told her wistfully, an image of standing alone amongst a crowd popping into my mind. "Am I supposed to dance alone? How embarrassing!"

She laughed and had this mischievous look in her eyes as though she had something up her sleeves. I gulped and wondered what this girl had gotten into now. "Why does it seem like you're always up to something?" I asked, giving her an almost accusing look.

Emily twirled a blue lock on her finger. "That's because I am. I usually pair up with Shane every year, but this time Clint asked me to dance with him! You should've seen how red his face was when he tried asking me." The way Emily talked about Clint and how her face flushed every time made me see that Clint's feelings were also mutual.

"So I'm paired up with Shane?" I asked cooly, trying not to let my excitement show. Emily nodded. Externally I seemed fine, but internally I was freaking out. "He doesn't seem like a dancer to me."

"Oh, trust me, Mae. You'll be swept off your feet when you're with him. Literally."

I noticed Emily pull a piece of paper out of her red dress. She handed it to me and I noted how crumpled and worn out it seemed. It was as though the sender had written something then erased it, not being satisfied with its contents.