Rekindling the Love in your Heart

Reunited at the Mall

(Originally written by IsraelYabuki thank you)

For most teens, their senior year of high school means they're ready to be free. Years of long study sessions, boring lectures and surviving some ours of detention are what has come to this. Anyone who was a senior was ready to graduate early for all they care. But there was one individual who wasn't in the mood for celebrating his final year in high school too early, someone who's gone through a lot of stuff that he would rather take to his grave than share it with anyone else. That one sad and lonely individual... was you.
Your name is Carlos Bonilla, age 18. Average height, talented young student who's aced most of his classes and you used to be very sociable. But all of that changed over these past couple of years. You've had your heart broken by two girls who you thought were the right girls. But you were wrong.
Cathy Quintana, your first girlfriend, seemed like a very nice girl. She was very good-looking, moreso than most of the cheerleaders at the school. But it wasn't until you found out later into the relationship that she was a real slut, sleeping with other men. You didn't like having your back stabbed, so you broke things off with her and had to spend a week to get back on your feet. Some time after your break-up, you hooked up with some other girl who went by the name of Ashley Bradshaw, another good-looking girl.
However, you broke things off with her after you found out she was cheating on you with some other guy, while you were visiting family members in another country. When you came back home, you got right in her face while she was with this other guy and told her "I thought I could trust you, but boy, was I wrong! If this is how you treat all of your "boyfriends," then you're just as low as Cathy!" The guy who listened in on your arguement was cool enough to understand that you were telling the truth.
Since then, you've further isolated yourself from people, mostly the girls who are your age, for fear of having your heart broken again. All you've focused on this semester was your grades. Your family worried about you and hoped that you will recover from your bad relationships soon. It's been 3 months since that day and you've yet to fully trust any girl to go out with you. Though you appreciated your family worrying about your well-being, it didn't change the fact that finding the right girl just wasn't meant to be.
However, there was still a bright side. Recently, you've been trying to find a job since you were now an adult and you needed to work for a living. Your dad was kind enough to help you land a good job working at a construction sight with him. Of course, thanks to the money you make, you were able to move out of your parent's house and found yourself a nice apartment that's close to your school.
Right now, you're getting ready to head out into the mall. It was 11:30 A.M and it was beautiful day to go and visit the mall for a little lunch. You were in your bedroom, gathering all of your stuff. You got your house key, your wallet and your phone, which you had completely charged up. With your personal belongings safely tucked into your pockets, you walked out of your room towards the front door. You walked out and then locked up before finally heading out to pay the mall a visit.

You got to the mall safe and sound and took a look around, searching for the food court. "Alrighty, what should I have for lunch today? Hmm..." you said to yourself. While, walking around the mall, making your way to the food court, you don't pay attention to the person that you bump into and take a step backwards.
"Ow! Sorry about that, I didn't see where I was going," you said, looking at the person you bumped into. The moment your eyes locked on said person, you gasped when you recognized her appearence. You recognized the same light purple-ish pink skin, dark violet hair with blue stipes running down her hair. Those sparkling, indigo eyes that twinkled beautifully with her cute, pink beanie which had stars on it. That lovely dark teal shirt with pink trims and black, open overshirt and grey pants that hugged her thighs.
From her expression, she also recognized you. "No way... is that you, Carlos?" she asked.
"I am, but... the question is... is it really you... Starlight Glimmer?" you asked back. Starlight surprised you with a great big hug, in which you returned with a hug of your own. "I can't believe it's really you! I haven't seen you in a while, good friend."
"Same here, where have you been? I missed you," Starlight said.
"I... had some stuff I had to work out, but I'll explain later. What brings you here?" you asked.
"I was feeling in the mood a double scoop of ice cream," Starlight replied.
"Oh, I see. I was just on my way to the food court to get myself something to eat for lunch. Do you wanna come along with me for a quick bite?" you asked.
"Sure, I don't mind. Which restaurant are we eating at?" Starlight asked.
"Well..." you paused and scratched your head in embarrassment. "To be honest, I don't exactly know where I was planning to eat at."
"How about we grab a bite at KFC? They've got some pretty good potato wedges," she suggested.
"Well... I don't see why not. Come on, I'll even pay for our meals," you offered. Starlight didn't object to your offer and then followed you to the food court. "So, what have you been up to lately?"
"Let me tell you, things at my home have been getting way too out of hand. My dad, even though he's very loving, just won't stop embarrassing me, treating me like a 5-year-old," Starlight said.
"Yeesh, sounds like he can't accept the fact that "daddy's precious little girl" is all grown up, huh?" you asked, in which Starlight turned to face you with a deadpanned expression. "What? I'm just saying how it is, almost every dad dreads about their daughters being grown up. This shouldn't be any different." Starlight groaned and shook her head in annoyance. "Let me guess, it's much worse than others?"
"Is that even a question? Dad can't stand the thought of me moving out, even though I've made up my mind about it, so he can't stop me," Starlight said. "I am 18 after all."
"So am I. While you were having your daddy issues, my life turned upside down. I had a few relationship problems during my time alone. My family saw how unhappy and miserable I was when I told them about my two ex-girlfriends and what they did to me," you said.
"You had two girlfriends? What did they do that made you so unhappy and miserable?" Starlight asked.
"Well... you see... a couple of years ago, I hooked up with these two girls named Cathy Quintana and Ashley Bradshaw, but not at the same time. Cathy was my first girlfriend, very pretty and loved by other guys, so when they found out she and I were dating, they all got jealous. Things seemed normal at first, but later I found out online that she was not only dating other men, but also sleeping with them. I was disgusted and told her the next day we were through," you explained.
"You serious? That's horrible!"
"That's only half of my problem," you replied before your stomach rumbled. "We're almost there, so let's wait until we take a seat at the restaurant." Starlight shrugs and keeps following you until the two of you reached the food court and entered the one marked KFC. You walk up to the counter where the cashier was at.
"Hello and welcome to KFC, how can I help you, today?" he asked.
"I'd like the 3-piece chicken tender combo with potato wedges and a medium-sized mountain dew," you tell the cashier before letting Starlight order her food.
"I'll have what he's having, but change the Mountain Dew to Pepsi, please," Starlight said.
The cashier totals up the amount and you go right ahead and pay the man before taking your seats at a nearby table where Starlight sat right next to you.
"So what was the other half of the problem with your two previous relationships?" Starlight asked.
"Well, some time after I broke up with Cathy, I ended up in a new relationship with this girl named Ashley Bradshaw, really good-looking and I thought she was gonna my girl for the rest of my life," you said.
"But..." Starlight waited for your answer.
"Sadly, while I was out visiting family in another country, I found out on my social media that she was seeing this other guy behind my back. When I got back, I told her we were through and I didn't want to see her lying ass again and you know what she said to me?" you asked.
"No, what'd she say?"
"She said "Whatever, at least my boyfriend is more hunkier than you. I was about to slap her and she even flinched when she thought I was... but I thought she wasn't worth it, so I just said "go get knocked up, you cheating bitch," and then I left."
"I'm sorry you went through that, Carlos. You know, at one point, I thought I'd always find someone for me, but so far, I've had no luck."
"Really? But you're so young and beautiful and you're like the voice of reason when it comes to certain things, how could you not have a boyfriend?" Your praise made Starlight blush a little and smile at you. "Hey listen, I know it's been a while since we've seen each other, so what do you say we catch on the good ol' days, just like we always did in the beginning."
"That'd be nice. I've always wanted to catch up with an old friend of mine. Y-You don't mind if we start this out as friends, do you Carlos?"
"No, not at all. After all, only fools rush in and I'm living proof of that life lesson," cracking that joke made Starlight laugh up a storm and so did you. "So, Starlight, is there any sort of place you want to go to after we get done eating our lunch?" Starlight stroked her chin, thinking about what she wanted to do after lunch. You sat there patiently waiting for an answer, anything at all. Then finally...
"Want to play some video games at my house? I've got the newest game called Grogar: A Dark Era." With an offer like that, you'd have to be a fool to refuse.
"Hell yeah!" you pumped your fist in excitement before the cashier called out to you. "Oop, looks like that's our meal, I'll be right back." Getting up from your seat, you walked right over to the cashier, happily grabbing the tray of food before taking your seat with Starlight again. This glimmering cutie took one whiff of the chicken and right away, you could hear her stomach rumble. She blushed and placed both hands over her stomach, giggling in embarrassment as she looked at you. "Aww, how cute." you said.
"You jerk, don't tease me," she giggled, playfully pushing your shoulder. You couldn't stop yourself from laughing and neither could Starlight, too.
"Why not? You seem to be a natural when it comes to the cuteness," you egged on. Starlight wasn't just gonna sit there and let you keep this up. She grabbed you and gave you a noogie. "Gaaah!!!" You tried your best to break free from her grip, but she was a little too strong. She wouldn't let go no matter that and her constant fist into your hair was almost becoming a little painful.
"Give up yet?" Starlight asked. She continued her playful assault on your hair while you flailed, trying to break free, even though it was all in vein.
"OW! Okay, okay! I give up! I give up!" you said. Starlight chuckled and let you go. You fixed up your hair and puffed your cheeks out, playfully glaring at Starlight. Now she was having a good laugh. "Sheesh, I was just cracking a joke and what do I get for trying to be funny?"
"Now we're even. Now let's eat, the food's getting cold," Starlight implied.
You shrugged it off and just got to eating your meal with her. That noogie really stung, but you couldn't stay mad at her for playing a harmless joke. She was just too cute for you to be mad at. As you take a bite out of your chicken tender, you sigh and feel this warm glow inside of you after your little play-fight. You weren't sure what it was, but you assumed the idea that you were just happy to be with your old friend again.

45 minutes go by after your lunch with Starlight, you walked with her back to her house. You were both walking down the street her house was on, shooting the breeze and basking in each other's company. On the way there, you and Starlight bump into a familiar face. A familiar face whom you were also glad to see. From her white hair with faded blue stripes to her sky blue skin and purple eyes, you and Starlight recognized her as an old classmates you liked so much.
"Who dares bump into the Great and Powerful Trixie?!" she asked.
"Nice to see you too, Trixie," you replied jokingly.
Her eyes blink in surprise and then she looked straight at you. "Dost Trixie's eyes deceive her? Carlos and Starlight, is that really you?" she asked with glee. You both shook your heads. Trixie squealed and gave you both a hug, then she got a big hug in return. "Trixie has been worried about you, Carlos. Are things going alright, I haven't gotten a word from you in quite a while."
"I'm okay for now, Trixie. Where are you headed?" you asked.
"Trixie was just about to head home after... picking up some peanut butter crackers. And as for you, where have you been all this time, Starlight?" Trixie asked.
"Oh, just dealing with some "overprotective daddy issues, what nearly every girl goes through," Starlight replies, shrugging it off like no big deal.
"Yeah, you know how her dad usually acts. He's entered that phase where a parent has to let their children go, especially after they've hit 18," you brought up.
"Speaking of which, what about you? Are you still living with your parents, Carlos?" Trixie asked.
"No, I have my own place now. My dad was kind enough to land me a job at a construction sight. The pay is pretty good, so I'm not worried. Living in my own place means more quiet time to myself. But I do miss my family from time to time, so there's that," you said, a bit sad.
"Adulthood is never easy, Carlos. It's just how life goes. We just gotta go with the flow," Starlight said.
"Starlight's right. Besides, you still got some really nice friends like us. And we're cute to boot," Trixie boasted, making you chuckle and Starlight blush slightly. "So have you been up to and why were you being so distant in the beginning, did something bad happen to you?"
You looked at Starlight and vice versa. You nodded at her. "You got the green light."
Trixie was confused, but Starlight cleared it up, "Carlos had two pretty bad break-ups with these girls who ripped his heart out, chewed on it and spat it back out. Do you know about these girls, Cathy Quintana and Ashley Bradshaw who tried to "rule the school" like Sunset did long ago?" her question made Trixie blink, then put on a very nasty glare and growled.
"How could Trixie forget those stupid hussies?!" she blabbed out.
"Shh!!! Listen, he broke up with the two girls because Cathy slept with other men and Ashley cheated on him with another guy when he was away on vacation visiting family. Carlos was in a pretty bad way when that happened, so you can guess how crippled he felt."
"That's terrible! How could those sluts do that to him?!" Trixie asked in anger.
"Some girls in this world just don't have any proper principles. And that's why I'm catching up with him to help ease some of the pain that's still lingering within him. If you want, you're more than welcome to come with me to my house, we're about to play my newest game," Starlight invited.
"Hmm, that would sound like an amazing idea. Ooh I know what else we can do! Why don't we have a sleepover at your house, too? We can even go out at the Sugar Cafe tomorrow, too!" Trixie said.
"Not a bad idea, Trixie. But you're gonna have to pack a bag. I don't think I have any sort of clothes that sort of... suit your particular style. You're still more than welcome to sleep over with us," Starlight agreed. Trixie squealed and hugged Starlight and you.
"Trixie will be right back! Don't start the fun without me!" she chimed before running off happily.
"She's quite the charmer isn't she?" you asked. Starlight giggled, nodding in agreement. "I think this day just got better than I thought it would. Thanks for cheering me up earlier, Starlight. I should also thank Trixie for lifting my spirits up as well."
"I couldn't agree more. Now come on, my gamer fingers are getting pretty itchy."
"Oh-ho, you know how much I like a gamer girl. How about after your Grogar game, we could also play other games and maybe we can... make a bet on it?" Your challenge put a cocky smirk on Starlight's face, followed by a chuckle and a playful jab to your arm.
"I say you're on," she accepts.
"Race ya there!" you exclaimed. The two of you quickly kicked it into high gear, racing happily back to Starlight's house, laughing it up and all you could think was 'It's good to have friends,'