Hiya!
This is my first attempt at angst/hurt/comfort. I don't think it's that good but... it was worth an try.
...
Ralph woke up as the sun began to rise. Before the return of Turbo, he always used to wake up early to watch the sun rise. And it turns out, habits were harder to break than he had thought they were.
The air was damp from the night before but the tent did a good job keeping the rain out even though there were wet spots on the floor from where some water had leaked through.
The first thing he noticed was the absence of his little friend.
He walked outside, bumping his head on the way out. The girl he was looking for was sitting on a jawbreaker. Ralph stretched and yawned. "G' mornin," he said with a smile.
The small girl had her back to him. With the blinding sun in front of her, it was difficult to make out any details besides the outline of her body.
Her figure was slumped instead of the usual proper position expected from a princess - president - of Sugar Rush. Instead of responding to his greeting with a snarky comment, she stayed silent.
Ralph raised an eyebrow. "Uh... Hey, Candy Brain, you there?"
She didn't say anything.
Ralph rolled his eyes and continued, "Are you mad that we're lost?"
Silence.
"No? Are ya still mad that I wrecked your papers last month?"
...
"Look, kid, that was a complete accident. I know you were pretty mad then," he looked slightly guilty and his smile shrank a bit as he remembered that incident. Vanellope had gone berserk! She had yelled and screamed at him. She feebly attempted to kick and punch him. He didn't blame her, of course, those were important papers. She had spent weeks on them. "I'm sorry. But at least Felix fixed it." (sort of)
...
"Oh, come on. Don't give me the silent treatment. Talk to me…"
She didn't respond. And Ralph's smile disappeared completely.
"I know... I'm a complete scatter brain," he said, thinking that by making fun of himself, the girl might turn around.
…
She said nothing, as if she was ignoring him.
Memories and feelings came from places he had tried so hard to lock up. Memories of being shunned…
"Vanellope?"
…ignored…
"Vanellope, please talk to me."His voiced wavered.
…disregarded…
"Please?" His voice broke.
…omitted…
"I know I just wreck things. I guess that's why everybody used to scream and run when they saw me," Ralph rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly.
"I'm just glad I have you to thank. Because of you, most people don't think of me as the 'bad guy' anymore, I'm not an outsider. For the first time in 30 years, I actually feel a part of something." Ralph looked sheepish and embarrassed.
"Before everything happened with Turbo taking over Sugar Rush, I used to look up at the top of the penthouse and see Felix and all the Nice Landers partying the night away. Of course, at that time, they never let me inside, but I used to dream that they would. That they could see that I wasn't that bad. That just because I wrecked things, didn't mean I was a bad guy.
"Did you know that after a decade or so of being shunned and looked down upon, I actually broke down. On the fifteenth anniversary, I cried my heart out. Of course the partying Nice Landers and Felix noticed nothing. Afterwards, I steeled my heart and let no one in. I was bitter to everyone, including myself. But then you wormed your way into my life...
"Now, it's different. I'm not standing outside covered in mud after the arcade has closed. Or at the dump while Felix and the others party inside. I'm not being avoided or mocked or even …" He trailed off.
"I guess, what I'm saying is that I know I mess up… a lot, but I'm trying. I know it may not seem like it but I really am. I'm trying... " His voice cracked for the second time that morning.
...
He looked back at his little companion who sat there as if nothing happened.
Review!
~PBR