All About Us
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. The song featured is called "All About Us" by Owl City and He is We.
Chase and I had already talked about me going to college. I shouldn't have been so nervous. But I was. I blame the whole Adelaide-and-the-Wishing-Coin disaster for my fear. He was staying at EAS. I was so proud of him-the new Sword Master. We agreed to talk on the M3's every night. Lena was sending me with about a hundred transports, so I could come here whenever I was needed. "The relationship I have with Chase won't be hurt," I told myself firmly. I couldn't even believe the words coming from my own thoughts.
I think this happens to a lot of kids coming from divorced parents. We get scared of losing the people we love. One minute, you're in honeymoon-mode, and then reality steps in and the fighting begins. We had seen it happen to our parents and we want to avoid the same fate.
The Snow Queen wasn't the only one that could hurt the people I care about most. I could hurt them just as easily. I could make Chase fall out of love with me. He could meet some beautiful Fey on a quest, and all thoughts of me would be forgotten. Okay, so it might not be a Fey. I mean, the hatred is mutual between the two, even if he did save them during my Tale. Regardless, the thought of losing him was terrifying. Chase didn't know that I was scared. If I told him, I was sure I would start crying. That would make him uncomfortable.
If I'd had things my way, I would have lived at EAS throughout college, but my family had other plans. They said that I had to get the "college experience" and live in a dorm. I think it's because Amy was the only one of them who had finished college. Mom, Dad and Brie left school early for movies, working up from interns to stars step-by-step. But the movie industry was NOTa place I wanted to be a part of. I didn't exactly know where I wanted to go, but I knew it wasn't Hollywood.
Sarah Thumb mentioned getting a therapist at EAS, but I had enough problems on my own. I had no business telling other people how to handle things. Chase said I could be his assistant, but I didn't want him to boss me around all the time. That would only cause fights.
I was going to be in college tomorrow; this day being my last at EAS as a student. It sucked. I didn't want to go out into the world. I had no idea what kind of job I wanted. Lena suggested that I write stories. She read one of my essays for English in eighth grade and never stopped talking about it. She said I should write about EAS and call the series The Ever Afters, after the old name for Characters. I told her that I would think about it. Even if I didn't know what to do with my life, it sounded intriguing. And I would have a great time coming up with a pseudonym to write my books under.
I walked from our apartment to the training courts. I thought fighting a dragon might help me, just like I had fought on my FIRSTday at EAS. Only, you know, a dummy version that try to attack Yellowstone National Park.
As I walked through the building, my chest started to squeeze. I had always hated that feeling, but since the end of my Tale, it had become even less inviting. I plowed through the hall.
I was startled to see Chase in the training courts. The feeling didn't make any sense; he was always there. Nonetheless, I jumped equally as high as he could using his wings.
"Hey, Rory," he greeted, a smile taking up half his face. His dimple made my stomach begin performing gingerbread jacks.
"Hi, Chase," I said back. My voice sounded sad, even to me.
"Rory? Are you okay?" Chase asked. He stepped closer to me, abandoning his weapon on the floor. His shaggy curls hung slightly over his beautiful green eyes.
I wanted to say that I was fine. I wanted to tell him that I just needed to come here and finally get revenge for the Rory-in-the-weapons-closet prank all those years ago. That would have made him smile, and we would've teased each other to no end. Then he would kiss me, and every ounce of anger or fear I had inside me would fade away, simply because he was he, and I was I.
But, because I am I, I couldn't do any of that. Instead, a pathetic tear dribbled down my cheek and I shook my head, ponytail waving behind me.
Through my watery eyes, I saw Chase shift his gaze away, take a deep breath, and then look back at me. I wished I wasn't such a loser. I wished I could stop crying. I wished I didn't worry so much about getting a divorce someday. But all these things still happened.
Chase was getting better with around tears. As I wiped away my first tear, furiously trying to hide my face so Chase wouldn't freak, he whispered, "What's wrong?" right in my ear. I was too upset to shiver as his breath hit my neck.
"Nothing," I replied pitiably. He raised a skeptical eyebrow. "Okay, okay." I took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm scared." My voice was barely above a whisper.
"Why?" His voice was gentle and soft. It was more comforting than anything else in the world. But I still paused before answering. I didn't want to make him mad-saying I was scared of us losing our affection for each other. "Rory, I can't read your mind. You have to tell me what happened. Please."
I took a deep breath before blurting, "I'm afraid of getting a divorce someday. I love you more than I ever thought I would love anyone. When Mom and Dad told me about the separation, I walked to the park and sat in misery for an hour. There was a kid there to comfort me, but-"
"Wait, you still remember that?" Chase was looking at me with way more happiness than I expected to get during this conversation.
"Well, yeah. I mean, this boy told me that what happened with my parents didn't mean love was extinct."
"Yes, well, that was one wise little boy," Chase said with a wink. My mouth hung open, and the tears stopped. The curls, the green eyes, the bushy eyebrows, the small, non-pointy ears. It was him. CHASE was the little boy that had comforted me when I was eight. He really had always been there for me, even when he didn't know my name.
"How?"
"Well, Dad was on a mission. When we were younger, Ellie made sure that all the Characters got to go on a few outings every month. She didn't want us to feel like we were all cooped up. She took us to the places with the most magic. Usually that also meant that there would be Characters there, and she could do the mirror test on the other kids she saw.
"We only saw you once before you came to EAS. You were sitting by a tree, holding your knees to your chest and looking off into the distance. I recognized you immediately. You know, from my dream. The one where we are MARRIED."
I knew why he said that. He never specifically said that we were hitched until now, but my worry didn't totally go away.
"Chase, do you know if we ever break up before getting married?" I asked suddenly. I had to know. I had to be prepared.
"You tell our grandkids that I only broke your heart when I dated Adelaide, but that already happened."
I beamed at him. Without another thought, I grabbed a fistful of his shirt, yanked him down to my height, looked him in the eye, and kissed him fiercely. He seemed a little taken aback at first. Usually the kisses I started were more of pecks than the open-mouthed variety, but I was too happy for something as nonchalant as that.
I could feel him grinning against my lips, and my heart skipped a beat. My hand flattened against his strong chest, and his hands dipped down to my waist. Our bodies were incredibly close. He felt so warm and comforting and loving. 'Loving,' I thought, 'he loves me. He really does love me.'
After a moment, we had to end the kiss. Both of us were smiling too widely to keep going, even if we did want to.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Chase asked me teasingly.
"I can't reveal my secrets, but let's just say that the teacher is in this room too," I replied with a wink. He smirked in reply, looking like he really wanted to lift me to his lips and kiss me again. As tempting as that was, I had questions that needed answers. "Finish your story."
For an instant, he looked startled, but he quickly continued. "I ran to the tree and I greeted you. You looked right at me and didn't say anything. I asked you what was wrong. You said your parents didn't love each other anymore, and therefore you would never be able to love either."
This part I remembered clearly. "You told me that your parents only loved each other for a single night, but you knew you would fall in love someday, because you already were in love." I blushed as a realization flickered into my mind. "Did you mean me?"
Chase smiled at me. He was clearly glad that I had put the pieces together myself. "Yes."
I blushed again. Chase threw his head back, laughing. "I love making you blush. It's so cute."
"You are seriously not helping!"
"I like it when you blush!"
"Well I don't!"
"But I do!"
"Fine, I won't complain about blushing if you admit that we just had our eight-thousand, seven-hundred and forty-ninth kiss, not our eight-thousand, seven-hundred and forty-eighth kiss."
"That's not fair! I told you, a kiss doesn't count unless we both know that it is happening!"
"Not if you want to keep making me blush!" I argued. Like I had any control over that.
"Oh, believe me, you will be blushing a lot tonight at your party."
I sighed, "And to think, I had almost forgotten about it." Since my Tale ended, Mom and Amy had become EAS's dynamic party-planning duo. Every birthday, holiday, anniversary or Tale was celebrated with one of their bashes. I'm not saying the parties weren't fun, but it was a little embarrassing at times.
"Rory, is everything okay again?" he asked after a moment. He meant my outburst. With the crying. Ugh. The memory already made me feel guilty for scaring him.
"Yes, Chase. Thank you. I love you so much," I whispered into his chest as he hugged me. Yes, I did feel butterflies again. No, I was not going to tell him that.
"I love you too, Rory." He kissed the top of my head and I smiled at the warmth rushing down my entire body.
"Well, I have to go get ready for the party. Lena's helping me. She's going to show Kyle the spell that lets her grow normally, so she won't look fourteen forever anymore."
"Good for Lena. Have fun. Oh, and get out all your girl talk with her, please."
I laughed. "Just for that I'm going to make sure Daisy tells you everything she knows about dresses matching figures!"
"What happened to you being madly in love with me?" Chase joked.
I kissed him again, just as I had before. "I'll always be madly in love with you." This time, I made HIM blush. It was more satisfying than I had expected.
"Lena?" I called across the house.
"Rory!" I heard Lena squeal. She sprinted down the steps at the legendary speed she always worked at. When I saw her long Rapunzel hair, my hand instantly went the light around my waist. For an instant, I wondered if Rapunzel would be proud of me right now. She was the only one who ever said so.
"I actually look my technical age now! Melodie is a GENIUS. You have no idea how helpful it was to have Madame Benne's assistant to help me find a loophole to the anti-aging charm within the golden apple. Honestly, it was pretty simple. All we had to do was-"
I cut off Lena and her speedy talking skills with a hug. She looked almost the same, but taller. She was still almost two inches shorter that I am, but it was so nice to see her looking so happy and, well, looking eighteen. She hugged me back, and I almost cried.
After a moment, I took a step back, rested my hands on her shoulders, and said, "You look beautiful, Lena. I'm so happy for you." I took in her slender neck, her chocolatey eyes, her dark skin, her enormous glasses, her newly curvy body.
Then I really did cry.
"Rory, is everything okay?"
"YES! I just . . . I didn't think I would ever see you as anything other than a fourteen-year- old again."
Lena smiled slightly. "Neither did I." We walked up to her room to get ready for the gala, arms hooked together. I sheepishly forced my tears to stop.
I was startled to see Jenny in Lena's room. I thought she had already gone back to Yale for her third year. Apparently not.
"Hello, Rory," she greeted.
"Hey," I responded awkwardly.
For the next two hours, the three of us got along better than ever before. We danced and sang to the radio, asked each other about our dates and twirled in brand-new dresses. Lena wore the most magnificent purple floor-length gown. It held little sparkles here and there, but not enough to blind someone. They twinkled one at a time. It reminded me of the look she got when she thought of a new invention. Her hair was in its usual beaded braids, since that was really all she could do with her amount of hair. I saw her glance out the window toward the triplets longingly. She smiled in the direction of Kyle, who was setting up the dance floor with Amy bossing him around.
"Lena, he'll love your new look," Jenny told her sister, the yellow shade of her dress looking very vibrant against Lena's dark purple gown. It ended at mid-thigh, which looked a bit un-Jenny-like to me. She was such a stickler for the rules, I never thought she would wear anything that didn't cover her ankles. She wore a yellow ribbon in her hair, keeping it up and out of her eyes. I smiled at the sight of the two sisters, thinking of my own little sis.
Dani picked out my dress for me. She said it made me look like a princess. Yes, my four-year-old sister was VERYinterested in princesses. I didn't expect anything different.
The dress was gorgeous. Dani must have gotten her sense of style from Brie's iconic Hollywood dresses. It was sleeveless, and all my muscles from sword fighting were visible. The dress ended at my feet, the top unrevealing and elegant. The dress looked like the Water of Life spring, flowing down to the ground gracefully. My sister also tried to talk me into wearing heels, but I went with flats. It was a tribute to the first time I ever danced with Chase.
"Are we ready?" Jenny asked. "Way to be subtle with the bossiness!" I thought to myself. Based on her expression, Lena was thinking the same thing. That's the thing about having really close friends: You can read them easily.
"Yes," I answered in unison to Lena's nodding. We smiled at each other, heading for the door.
"He's going to be so surprised, Lena." The good kind, like when Chase showed up at school in seventh grade.
"Thanks, Rory," Lena said. Her usual smile perched itself upon her face. Sometimes I wondered if she was faking her positivity, like it was mask, but this time there wasn't a single question about its honesty.
We walked out to the courtyard, which was all dressed up. Mom was big on outdoor parties, and EAS was currently located someplace near a lake. It was ideal. I closed my eyes, breathing in the wonderful breeze, sending my hair slightly out of place, but I didn't mind. This place was warm, with nothing to remind me of Solange.
"Lena!" a deep voice exclaimed. "Is that really you?"
"Kyle!" my best friend answered, and I snapped my eyes open. I took in the view of Kyle lifting Lena off the ground and spinning her around, eyes wide.
"How?"
"I invented a spell! It reversed the aging spell in the golden apple! It only took thirty-one and a half dragon scales, eight phoenix feathers, four good-sized branches from the Tree of Hope, and-" Lena was cut off by a pair of lips crashing down upon her own. I thought I heard them say something about how much they love each other, but I was a little distracted by the person hugging my legs.
"Dani!" I exclaimed. She looked so much like Brie. Her red hair could be spotted from any place within EAS. It was safe to say that my little sister had won the Adorable Award long ago. Every kid loved to see her, with her chubby, freckled cheeks and frilly socks. Nobody was allowed to borrow those socks, by the way. She could do a Mighty Snap-Kick too.
"Rory! You're wearing the dress I picked out!" she exclaimed, stepping away from me bashfully.
"Of course I am," I told her, reaching out to grab her small hand.
"And she looks very beautiful in it, doesn't she Dani?" Chase asked. I hadn't even noticed him standing just slightly to my left. Apparently, he had seen me, though. His tux fit him this time, and made him look even more dashing than usual.
"Yes. Yes, she does." Chase bent down to Dani's level. The two of them peered up at me from below, heads tilted to the right, eyebrows furrowed slightly. I rolled my eyes and prayed that my blush wasn't visible.
"Gimme some," Chase said to Dani. He held out a hand, asking for a high-five from the four-year-old, which she eagerly gave him. The two of them had become very close. You know, once Dani stopped crying all the time. Chase could only handle so much.
"Do you mind if I steal your sister for a bit? You can go play with Toby by the Tree." Oh, bribery. The sister for the crush. Dani's eyes widened.
"Bye!"
Chase and I laughed at my little sister as she bolted through crowds of people.
"So," he said, standing back up, "are you ready for my surprise?"
"It's not another emergency session where you see if I can still fight in a dress, is it?" I asked, making a face.
"Geez, Rory. You make me seem so unromantic!" Chase gave me a look of mock-offense. "Just c'mon. I promise you'll like it." I took his hand as I ran with him through the crowds.
He took me down a hallway I hadn't seen before to an unfamiliar room. There was a record player in the corner. I wondered where they had gotten it. Dad would want it as a movie prop.
"What is this place?" I asked Chase. He took my hand and kissed it before answering. My heart pounded at the soft touch.
"The old ballroom."
He crossed the room and music blasted when he started the record. I recognized the song, but I couldn't place it exactly. It sounded so familiar, like it was from a dream.
Take my hand
I'll teach you to dance
Spin you around
Won't let you fall down
Would you let me lead?
You can step on my feet
Give it a try
It'll be alright
"What's this song?"
"It's called 'All About Us.' This is the song we danced to in the beginning of Miriam's Tale," Chase explained. He stepped closer to me and rested one hand on my waist, the other taking my right hand. We were so close to each other. My mind buzzed. It took me a second to remember to put a hand on his shoulder.
He spoke over the music, but I could hear him clearly. "The pavilion is enchanted to find a song that matches the couple. Most people hear something upbeat and jazzy, since they're just a Fey and some enchanted human used as entertainment. But we are so much more than that, Rory. We belong together, and this is proof. Nothing can break us apart, so will you dance with me?"
I didn't know why he felt the need to ask. I always dance with him. Sometimes, after we train, he'll twirl me around, just for fun, and then we will dance together really close and I'll be convinced that everything is good in the world. "Of course," was my breathless answer.
'Cause lovers dance when they're feeling in love
Spotlight shining it's all about us
It's all about us
And every heart in the room will melt
This is a feeling I've never felt but
It's all about us
We danced together until the end of the song, over and over again, talking a little, but I was mostly just enjoying the fact that Chase was right there with me. His embrace was perfect and warm. I felt special. In a good, I'm-in-love way, not in a dangerous-warriors-know-my-name way.
"Chase?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for doing this," I whispered into his chest.
"Of course, Rory. Believe me, I would have done better, but I only found the song a month ago. Let me tell you, it takes a really long time to listen to all the love songs on iTunes. Some of them are even cornier than Ben."
I held up a hand. "You listened to all the songs on iTunes for me?"
"Well, duh. I love you. You deserve every good thing in the world. I mean, I feel bad that you're stuck with me sometimes. I'm so messed up, and you're so perfect-"
"Chase, I love you too. And you're not messed up. I mean it."
"But Rory, not even my own father wants me around." Chase argued. He was really determined to have a pity party. I felt awful seeing him like this. He looked just as defeated as he had when I caught him crying after Solange pushed me.
"Listen to me. You are the greatest boyfriend in the world. Believe me, you are an unbelievable warrior. There is no way I would be here right now if I hadn't become your friend. You kept me alive."
These things weren't helping. I was going to have to tell him everything-all the feelings he gives me, all the reasons I love him.
"Chase, you make me feel happy. Giddy, even. You believe in me. You make me smile and laugh and I trust you. If I'm honest, trusting isn't very easy for me to do. Since my Tale, I can never tell who's on my side and who secretly wants to stab me in the back. I know you will always be there for me." "Unless Adelaide enchants you again, which I won't let happen," I wanted to add, but that would make him upset.
"When I look at you, my stomach fills with butterflies. I love the way you laugh. I love that you care about me. I love that I can always count on you. I love that you hold me so close and I can smell you and, well, I love YOU. There's just no other way to say it, Chase. Even if I never got a Tale, I know we would have found each other somehow because I need you."
Our eyes locked on each other. He kissed me. Just from that one kiss, I knew we would last. I knew I would always be his and he would always be mine and I knew that he believed every word I had just said about us being meant to be. And it felt awesome.