6:30 p.m.
Your name is John Egbert, and you fucking love school dances.
Something about the mixture of excited classmates dancing clumsily in the middle of the floor and the bright flashing lights and the booming speakers make it seem like you're in a movie. Kind of like in Back to the Future when Marty goes to the dance and has to try to save his future self by rocking out on the guitar, but you're not making out with your teenage mom, or trying to strike your car with lightning.
You tried to explain this to Dave in an attempt to convince him to walk away from the drink stand and dance a little, but he just rolled his eyes. At least, he probably did. It was hard to tell because he's refusing to take his shades off. You teased him a bit earlier about not being able to see in the dimly lit room, and he flipped you off and refilled his punch.
Little does he know you spiked it with a bottle of NyQuil you found in Rose's cabinet when you were helping her mix it. Parties are the best places for all kinds of pranks. Heh heh heh.
Rose is in on the prank too. She's over near the corner, hanging up some lanterns that were probably knocked down by someone's flailing arm. Always working, never actually dancing.
You say something to her about the assignment you got in chemistry yesterday and she responds by saying she and Kanaya will probably team up on it. Then she starts talking about all the work she has to do for Student Senate. You bicker a bit about your various responsibilities and try to one-up each other by elaborating upon all the homework you have, and then she goes back to fixing the lamps.
You suppose being a member of Student Senate has its downsides. Of course, Rose has never been one to lay around and do nothing. If she wasn't busy managing the drink table or throwing away used cups, she would probably be discussing something deep with Kanaya, reading a book in the corner, or making a list of things she needed for her latest project. Something scholarly like that.
Oh, shit. She's talking to you, isn't she.
"-and anyways, stacking them wouldn't have worked because there are too many and they would all collapse. I don't think we need people tripping on them. So that's why we did the pyramid. Do you think there's a better way we could have done that?"
"Gh-what?" you say, snapping to attention. Her mouth twists dryly.
"Forgive me for interrupting what I'm sure was a very important train of thought, John. Please, continue ignoring me during the conversation that, must I remind you, you initiated."
"Uh- yeah. I was gonna ask you if you'd seen Jade around."
Rose crosses her arms, thinking. "I think I saw her over near the DJ earlier. No- wait, she was talking to Dave. She tried the punch, but she said it tasted too much like cough syrup." She gives you a conspiratorial look and looks away, smiling, when you shoot back a wink.
"Well, she was close enough. I was going to ask her if she wanted to be my partner for that project..." Your voice trails off as a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Hello, Rose. I have some questions I need to ask you for the newspaper."
Rose turns, her smile completely unsarcastic now, and you figure you'd better abscond before flirt talk ensues. You and Kanaya exchange glares as she turns to Rose.
6:43 p.m.
"Hey, Dave! Come dance!" Once again, he refuses to be pried from his seat. He shakes his head, putting his cup down on the table so it doesn't spill. "No way, man. There is no way in hell I'm getting up to embarrass myself like those sad douchewads on the dance floor."
"They're not sad, and they're not douchewads! Look at 'em. They're having fun. Daaaaaaaancing... paaaaaaaartying..." You drag out your words to taunt him. He knows you picked up the habit from Vriska and you know it pisses him off. He shuts you up by pointing away from himself, almost hitting you with his finger.
"Having fun, huh?" he says, reaching for his cup again. Where his finger is pointing, a dark shape is curled on the floor.
"Uh oh. I wonder who that is?" you say, turning back to Dave. He shrugs, sipping his punch.
"You know, I told you to ask Rose to get AJ for the drinks table," he says accusingly. You shake your head, wondering at his strange obsession with apple juice, and he sticks the cup under the drink dispenser and fills it to the brim again.
"Uh... Dave? How many of those have you had?" Not that it wouldn't be hilarious to see him snoring after a dose of sleeping tonic. You're just concerned for your best bro is all.
He pauses in his drinking, then shrugs and swallows. "I dunno. Six?"
Trying to hide your smirk as you imagine him passed out on the floor, you turn back to the shadowy lump on the floor. A dancing foot comes uncomfortably close to stepping on them and you figure you'd better make sure nothing's wrong before they get trampled to death.
Dave goes back to gulping punch as you approach, dodging Terezi and Nepeta as they swing past you, spinning to the music in a weirdly wild dance. Finally you make it, and as the light shifts, you think you can make out Karkat's gray sweater.
"Hi, Karkat!" you say, putting on the cheery voice that always makes him mad. He looks towards you, glaring and holding his head.
"Go away, Egbert." His scowl could burn your eyebrows off. You back away, holding your hands up in an innocent gesture that he probably doesn't fall for. "Hey, just checking up on my best troll bud." He turns away, covering his ears with his arms, and you have to inwardly congratulate yourself for staying in a good mood through his grouchiness. "What's wrong with you, anyway?" Aside from the usual stuff.
"Nothing. Go away."
You lean closer again, and he curls into a ball, trying to get away from you. "Awwww, come on buddy! You can tell me anything!" You love keeping up this attitude when you're talking to him. He retreats into his sweater more and you realize he's probably sweltering in that thing.
"I went near the screened note blaster and it fucking shattered my ears," he mutters.
"Whyyyyyyyy did you go near the 'screened note blaster'?" you question, shaking his shoulder. He slaps your hand away. "To get away from Mister Talk-your-face-off over there." He gestures towards the corner, where a familiar red sweater stands out in the semi-darkness, most likely cornering his next victim.
"And whyyyyyyyy do you look like you're in extreme pain?" you persist.
"Because Sollux bumped into me and my head almost went through the note bl- er, speakers." He chokes on the word, rolling his eyes at you as though you're to blame for Jade forcing him to use human terminology.
"Aaaaaaaand?"
"Gamzee poured Faygo on me," he mutters, and sits up to show you his sweater. It's covered in sticky soda and smells like cherry flavoring.
You tell yourself not to laugh.
You miserably fail at not laughing.
He glowers at you. You nudge him with your toe, trying to get him to stand up.
"Maybe Terezi will like you more now that you smell like cherry," you tell him, and grab him by the arms to try to pull him up. He grunts and crosses his arms as he's dragged across the floor, refusing to walk on his own.
"Look what the cat dragged in," Dave says as you dump Karkat on the floor next to where he's sitting. You pour him some punch and shove it into his hand, and he stares at it, looking like he's trying to catch it on fire with mere force of hate. Feeling bad for him (it isn't every day you get Faygo spilled on the only sweater you ever wear), you pat him on the head. He jerks away, sloshing his drink onto Dave's shoes. You grin and walk away backwards as they begin a shouting match, Dave pointing angrily at his brand new Converse.
This night's gonna be great.
A/N: I've been stuck on the meowrails story for a while, so I started writing this idea that's been floating around in my head for a while. no worries, guys, I'm just on a slight hitch during the return from writer's block.