Her drink sloshed in its glass as she swirled it, watching the small whirlpool being made. She was hanging around her house, bored after a long day of school and then arriving home to play video games and do, well, nothing. This was her third drink of the night.

Often times, if she was bored, she'd drink. That also applied to many of her other moods; celebratory, sad, etc. Any hour was drinking hour; she loved to drink. Recently, though, her close friend, Dirk Strider, had convinced her to lay off, and she'd managed to stop drinking in the morning, or late into the night. It used to be that she had a bottle by her bed at all times, but now she forced herself to get up and re-pour the glass, which, face it, required more effort than she wanted to expend in the first place. She'd had a long day, though, and was able to tell herself that a few extra drinks were allowed.

Now that she was thinking of Dirk, she smiled, and ceased the endless swirling of the alcohol in her hand. Staring into the liquid abyss, the orangey color reminded her of the boy even more. His eyes, which she'd only seen one time in her life, were a beautiful shade of the color. Every night, she watched the sunset, thinking of him. He was, she'd decided years ago, the love of her life.

Logging onto her computer, she opened Pesterchum and began to pester the previously mentioned man. They'd been friends for years, ever since they'd met in the beginning of middle school, both being quite the social outcasts. She'd come into school drunk, falling around in the hallway and making a general mess of herself. Dirk, who wore his pointy anime glasses 24/7, basically hated everyone. His ice cold attitude had earned the hatred of everyone else in return. Oh, look, the chat application had finally opened.

tipsyGnostalgic [TG] began pestering timaeusTestified [TT]

TG: ddiiiiiiiiccck

TG: * dick

TG: * DIRK

TT: Jeez, Roxy. Are you drunk?

TG: nah jus tispy

TG: * tsipy

TG: * man fukc typos

TT: Haha.

TT: What are you up to, Rox?

TG: mmmmmm nothin much, sippin on this drink n p much doin nothn

TG: u?

TT: Um, talking with Jake, actually.

TT: Conversations with him have been making me extra-nervous, recently.

Ah, damn, that's right, the girl, Roxy thought. Jake was another great male friend. A first class gentlemen, he was an amazing friend, if a little oblivious and accidentally douchey. They'd met him at the beginning of high school, two years before. That was also the time they'd met their other friend, Jane. Roxy had always wanted a girl as a friend, because, let's face it, she couldn't talk to Dirk about certain things for obvious reasons. They'd all grown very close with each other in that time, though Jane & Roxy and Jake & Dirk especially.

A little too close, Roxy thought, frowning. She'd known for a while that Dirk's sexual orientation drifted far to the left of a straight line, but she hadn't seemed to truly believe it in her years of blissful ignorance. Until Jake showed up, she'd foolishly allowed herself to believe that she had a good shot with Dirk. She blushed thinking of the number of times she'd written "Mrs. Strider" in a notebook, shoved into the corner of her basement, back in middle school.

Dirk had had the hots for Jake for a few months. Hell, he could have been into Jake for even longer. Roxy hadn't even found out until Dirk told her, in confidence. The hangover the next day had forced her to stay home from school. For a while after that, she was very depressed and distraught, until she'd confided in Jane about what had happened.

Turns out that, for a few months herself, Jane had had her own feelings for Jake buried. Roxy, shocked, quickly tried to sober up and understand that this could mean the loss of a love for her friend as well. They slept over Jane's house, trying and failing to convince each other that boys were stupid and worthless, but happy for each other's support and company nonetheless.

A round of blips emanating from the speakers seemed to pull Roxy's head out of the stars and back to the reality of Dirk's messages.

TT: Rox?

TT: Rooooxxxyyyyy.

TT: Roxy, where have you gone.

TT: Roxxxxyyyy come bacccck.

TG: clam down dikr im here

TG: cudnt get enougha me couldja

TT: My heart aches with the absence of the fabulous Ms. Lalonde.

Smiling bitterly, Roxy recalled many of the times she'd attempted to send Dirk signals, in hopes that they might go noticed and, hopefully, reciprocated. Days where she joked about what their kids might look like, how "funny" it would be if they got married; you name it. It seemed as if she'd tried every trick in the book, and the oblivious Strider had either been just that, or chosen to ignore her advances out of fear of what would happen if he acknowledged them.

Either way, it made her heart swell when he said things like this. Her heart fluttered and jumped as if she was having a heart attack. Not the best example, but it brought the nostalgic moment of the first time it happened back into her mind. She'd tripped on the sidewalk again, after school, since Dirk and her were staying after to complete some work they'd goofed off on. Roxy's head had been spinning from hungover vertigo. She'd scraped her knee pretty badly, and was barely biting back tears. Dirk's hand landed worriedly on her shoulder, and she glanced up at a face usually void of emotion to see knit eyebrows and a rather intense frown looking her way.

Attempting to rise, she hissed and a single tear slid out. Quickly wiping it away, she turned to Dirk and asked for a hand. He, though, had figured to do even better than that, and, picking her up bridal style, he ran her back to his house to clean the wound and bandage it. That had also marked the remarkable occasion as the first time she'd been to his appartment, laughably filled with puppets and swords.

TT: Damn, Roxy, are you busy or something?

TT: We can talk later, if you want.

TG: nooo nooooooooo diiirk im juss sorta daydreaming

TG: but it's liek night tiem, so i guss im night dreamin

TG: wich i guess wud jus be dreamn

TG: lol :3

TT: What are you "night dreaming" about?

TG: uhhhhhh ssstuff

TG: hehe

TT: The plot thickens. Well, I suppose you don't have to tell me if you don't want to.

TG: weeell it dont mattre, u got ma undivdied attentun now

TG: *undivided *attenshon

TG: * jus nevrmind my typsos

TG: anywya how is ur talk w jakey goin?

TT: Oh. Um. That.

TT: I guess it's just a normal conversation, but, like I said, every little thing I do with him now seems to send me off the edge on an anxiety attack.

TG: is all dat gentlemanly charm drik

TT: Eheh, yeah.

TT: Anyways, I think I'm gonna...

TG: hmmmmm?

TT: Gonna make my move soon.

And just like that, her heart had shattered for the nth time all because of none other than the brilliant Dirk Strider. Breathing deeply, she placed her drink on the table after taking a swig and turned back towards the computer.

TG: huh

TG: bout time if i do sy so maself

TG: * say

TT: You think so?

TG: waitin isny gonna make anythin happn

TG: gotta do somethn about it

TG: now sounds s gooda tiem as evr.

TT: Yeah, you're right. I suppose I'll do it within the next few days. Anways, I think I need to prepare myself a little before then.

TG: sure thang strida

TG: hey u wanna come hang aftr school w the group n play vid gmes?

TT: That sounds great.

TT: On that note, I've got to get to bed. I'll talk to you tomorrow, Rox. Rememer to lay off the drinks.

TG: niiiiiigigght

tipsyGnostalgic [TG] ceased pestering timaeusTestified [TT]

Well, damn, she'd been planning on drinking a bit more after that rather draining conversation, but it almost felt like she was betraying him after he asked her not to. She sighed. Such was the power of Dirk Strider.

Stripping down, she picked out a loose t-shirt and some pants, wiped all of her makeup off, and snuck under the covers of her bed. She was upset by these recent developments, but couldn't help and look forward to the video game marathon tomorrow. Soon, her breathing evened out and she was asleep.

Finally the school day was over. Roxy, taking a drink from the water fountain to help ease her slight hangover somewhat, was glad that half of the week was over. She had convinced Jane and Jake to come over tonight, and looked for Jane and Dirk, having shared last period with Jake.

Soon enough, they were all sitting on her plush, light pink carpet, versing each other in Super Smash Bros. Melee. Roxy had a thing for slightly older games, and adored her NES, Gamecube, and other systems to death. All four of them shared a love for video games, and it was one of the things that brought their small band of misfits together.

The time flew as they screamed and fought and laughed until they cried. Eventually, Jane and Jake had left, having to return home. Jane's father inflicted a rather strict curfew, and Jake lived a ways away, near the water, and needed more time to get home.

At some point, they'd moved onto Brawl, and Dirk and Roxy were fighting to the death, both pros at the game. A character tripped on screen, causing a series of accidents, ending in Roxy's explosion, and K.O. She screamed at the tv, but was laughing at the same time, unable to contain her enjoyment of the whole situation. She wished it could stay like this forever. Sitting around with Dirk, the one she loved, and not having to do anything; no obligations, just able to spend time with him. She didn't even care what they were doing, though video games improved the situation.

At this point, even Dirk was beginning to tear up. He turned away to remove his glasses and wipe his eyes, a deep sound created by his vocal cords. Roxy, distracted by the removal of his glasses, slowed in her laughter, peering at him, hoping to get a glimpse of the orange pools he was constantly intent in hiding.

Masterfully, though, he slipped them on as he turned around, allowing not even a peek at his beautiful, amber eyes. She pouted, and he grinned at her, knowing of her obsession with stealing away his glasses. He probably believed she just wanted to be funny or silly. She knew it was because the obsession was not with retrieving his glasses, but being able to see what was underneath.

Roxy didn't understand how anyone could have eyes that amazing. Well, to be honest, her eyes were a strange shade of pink, but that wasn't amazing, just unique. Pink was a fine color, a favorite of hers, actually, but her eyes just didn't have that depth of his. Apparently Dirk's brother also had strange, red eyes, which she imagined were almost as beautiful as Dirk's.

Standing up, suddenly, she announced that she needed to take a shower if she wanted to get out in time for her hair to dry before bed. She didn't want to kick Dirk out, but he couldn't stay forever, and she knew he'd be content sitting there playing the game with her the whole night otherwise.

He nodded. "Lemme just try out this new character for a bit, and I'll get going."

She smiled in return and left the room. She trusted him with her house. She trusted him with everything, actually. Jane was the only other person she trusted as much, and Jake was trustworthy, but he could also be stupid sometimes, and not think about his actions - like the time she'd asked him to grab a drink and he'd handed her vinegar instead. It hadn't even been a prank, just a simple mistake. The pranks were Jane's territory.

Roxy closed the door, peeling off her jeans and shirt, and slipping into the steaming hot water of the shower. Letting the water run through her hair, she wondered if Dirk had left yet. It'd only be a few minutes, and he was usually gone at this point. She also wondered if he was still there. The thought of Dirk sitting only about 30 feet away made her flush a deep red, her face somehow heating up hotter than the environment around her.

After another 10 minutes or so, she was shaved, shampooed, and conditioned, and decided it was time to step out of the shower. Damn, those things are so relaxing, she decided. Continuing to sing the same stupid lyrics of some random song she'd had stuck in her head, Roxy wrapped a towel around her, wringing leftover water out of her hair and carelessly onto the floor as she proceeded back towards her room.

Opening the door, she stepped in and then closed it, turning towards the interior of her bedroom. With a shock, she stopped singing and walking, and froze in place when she spotted Dirk sitting in the same position, his head quickly snapping around at the sound of her loud, obnoxious entry. She knew it had been obnoxious because by the time she had reached her room, she had been jammin' to the tune, singing in a monotone that should just stick to speech. Two seconds more and she'd have grabbed a hairbrush to pretend-enhance the volume of her solo.

He stared at her for a few moments, before turning even redder than she had been and flipping his head back towards the screen, his face shoving itself into his open hands.

"Oh my god, Roxy, I'm so sorry, I thought it had only been a few minutes - I - I..." he trailed off. He took Roxy's silence as anger, and as quick as she'd ever seen him, he grabbed his backpack, jacket, and hat, and flew out the door. "I - I'll be outside for a second."

The situation finally ran from her optical sensors to her brain, and, attempting to understand what had just transpired, she blushed and fell onto her bed.

Oh how she wished she'd had a camera to snap a picture of his flushed face back there. That was the first time she'd ever seen him so embarrassed, even when he'd been pretty embarrassed with Jake. With a sigh, though, she went back to accepting the fact that his embarrassment was simply due to the fact that he was not as cool as he let out on the exterior, rather than actually being attracted her. Far as she knew, that boy was as gay as a rainbow.

She slowly got (un)dressed into her pajamas, half-hoping that Dirk had disappeared already so that she didn't have to face him. Another half of her didn't want him to leave. Never wanted him to leave.

As Roxy stepped into the kitchen, she saw him sitting at the kitchen table, facing away from her and, literally, twiddling his thumbs. Dirk's head snapped backwards as she stepped in and took a seat across from him.

"Rox, I'm real sor-" he began, but was interrupted by the very girl he was speaking to.

"Man, don't worry about it. It was my fault anyways. I should have thought about the fact that you could still be there, and it's ok. I was just wearin' a towel and singin' like a doofus. I wasn't stark naked and pickin' my nose or nothin'. Well, not like I wouldn't walk in pickin' my nose, cuz hell if I ain't gonna be just that classy."

Dirk smiled at Roxy's thorough apology, and ceased the nervous hand motions.

"Alright, but I still feel bad. I guess I'll have to make it up to you. How bout... you get to wear my glasses for a minute? I saw you, so you get to see me," he replied, a small, sideways grin painting his face.

A smile cracked across Roxy's face like lightning.

"Oh my FUCK. That would be amazing!" she squealed, quickly grabbing the pointed spectacles off his face and slapping them upon her own.

His orange eyes, startled, quickly settled down into what she could assume was his usual cool demeanor. She rested her chin on her hand, content to stare deep into his eyes for what might be the last time. If Jake agreed to going out with him, she had no idea what might happen between them. For all she knew, Dirk could toss her to the side like used rags. She did trust him, though, to stay and be at least her friend. She could be satisfied with that. As long as he was there, as long as he was happy.

"Why don't you just snap a picture to capture the moment?" Dirk joked, his eyes lighting up his features even more than usual. She wondered how many other people had seen these miracles, how many other people had been allowed to behold this. She held the fantasy that she was someone special to have beheld his eyes close to her heart. His eyes, god, his eyes. His best feature, and damn did he have some nice features.

A playful smirk decorated Roxy's mouth and she quickly slid into the seat next to dirk, whipped out her camera phone, and snapped a picture of them. Sounds of protest were heard from Dirk, but alas, it was too late to hide his eyes from being recorded on camera. Roxy, inspecting the picture, saw herself giving a triumphant smile, topped off with glasses that looked ridiculous on her, but worked too friggin' well on Dirk. In the picture, said love interest had a slightly startled look on his face, his gorgeous eyes wide with panic. Hilarious, adorable panic.

"Dammit, Roxy, I was joking!" he complained, punching her very lightly on the shoulder as she simply stuck her tongue out at him. "Delete it!"

"Are you shittin' me? Why would I delete this? It's proof that I weaseled you out of your precious glasses and now we get to see those pretty suns o' yours!" Roxy exclaimed, hopping out of her chair and waving the image in his face.

Dirk smiled ever so slightly at the compliment. "Alright, you win."

"That's right, I won, and this is my award." If this was a trophy, it was the best reward she'd ever gotten. She reminded herself to make copies of this later so she'd never lose it. "I'll do you a favor, though, and keep it to myself."

He nodded, thanking her quietly. She was really just doing this for selfish reasons; again holding fast to the belief that his eyes were a special treat just for her.