A pale girl walks into the empty dance studio and glances at the clock, her long blue hair swaying as she turns her head. She arrived early and had thirty minutes to kill before her class starts. Her teacher was not even there yet. Sighing, she sets her bag down and begins stretching. "Come on, Bridgette. You're already here, so you might as well be productive," she mumbles to herself. Something was bugging her. The whole week she had been feeling melancholic and she doesn't know why she feels this way or how to stop it. When she is alone with her thoughts, a wave of nostalgia engulfs her and she becomes trapped by unwanted feelings. During these times, Bridgette becomes more susceptible to negativity. It is during these times her chest feels tight, almost as if there is cotton in her lungs. Then the suffocation slowly morphs into a subtle pain. Memories, wishes and ideas bombard her mind making it impossible to focus.
She is normally a happy and very outgoing person. This past week, however, she is just so out of it. Of course, she would smile and laugh genuinely when she was with her friends and family because being with them temporarily allows her to forget her currently troubled mind. Once people left to do their own thing, her negative emotions came back. It was never like this before so something had changed. But what could be the reason for her current state? She doesn't know. She tried talking but there was nobody who seemed willing to listen. Bridgette had attempted multiple times to talk it out with her parents and many of her friends, but no one gave the support she wanted or needed to feel better. They would always just nod their heads, give her lectures, or change the subject. The poor girl had already bugged her best friend enough times about her problems, not to mention her friend already has many problems of her own and does not need more on her plate. Besides, she thinks to herself, this will probably disappear soon. It's just emotions. After a few minutes of warming up, she practices the dance routine that she would be performing in a couple of weeks.
"Bridgette? Are you okay?" a small voice squeaks out. It was her Kwami, the small, red, magical creature named Tikki. She is a secret that no one but her knows about.
Without stopping her routine, she answers, "I'm fine, Tikki." Her tone left no room for argument. Neither female spoke after that.
Little by little, more students began trickling into the studio, and Tikki disappears into Bridgette's bag to avoid being seen. The deafening silence that she craved is now replaced with multiple voices. "Ugh," Bridgette mumbles. She did not want to socialize and so she avoids most people by sitting on the floor with her back against the wall in the corner of the room. There she sits alone using the table on her left to block her from the rest of the class. More people entered the room, but no one pays much attention to her. It is both a blessing and a curse because as much as she wants to be left alone at the moment, Bridgette secretly hopes that someone would come over to see if she was okay. Anyone will do, she thinks.
Two of her friends come to greet her. Waving and giggling, they automatically included the girl in the conversation. This is what I need. I need friends to distract me. She puts on a small smile and listens, occasionally adding her input and giggling along with them. Not long afterwards, the girl stops talking and simply enjoys their company. Unfortunately, Bridgette's lack of expression gives her friends the wrong idea.
"Are you mad?" One of them asks. Shocked from the question, the girl dumbly stares at the two other females.
"Hey, are you still with us? Earth to Bridgette," the other adds.
Blinking twice Bridgette replies, "Yes, I'm here. Sorry guys, I'm just not in the mood to talk right now..." She trails off. Her friends look at each other and seem to come to the same conclusion. Bridgette was about to add that she was not angry but one of them cut her off.
"Well, when you are feeling better come talk to us."
They give her a pat on the head and walk off to the other side of the room. From past experiences, her friends know that waiting for her to cool down is the best choice when she is mad, but unbeknownst to them, the situation is different and Bridgette actually craves for another person to sit with her. She didn't bother telling them because she knows they love to talk during class, and she feels like she would be holding them back from having a good time if she got what she wanted. How selfish of me, she pulls her legs in and hugs them as she rests her head on her knees, They do not deserve to be brought down with me. Although the girl was not angry before, she certainly is now. Not upset at her friends, as one might believe, but instead angry at herself. They left her alone once they noticed her gloomy mood. She should not have stopped talking or stopped smiling. In her mind, this all could have been avoided if she had still been active in the conversation. Staring blankly at the floor, Bridgette allows the buzzing sound of chatter to fade into white noise.
He has been continuously glancing in her direction from the moment he spotted Bridgette sitting on the floor in the far corner of the room, his eyebrows furrowing at every peek. The blonde boy hadn't gone over because he feels like it would be weird since he isn't particularly close to her. Felix also did not want to leave his own solitude and peace for another person's sake, but the girl had not been acting like her usual self these past few days. I know I shouldn't be nosy so why do I feel the need to comfort her? He begins to contemplate the choices placed before him: to follow his instinct and walk over to her or just leave it be? Then again, how could he be of any help to the girl? If he came over then she would just irritate him with her unhealthy crush on his person. I bet my sheer presence may be enough to cheer her up, he thinks with an exasperated sigh. Felix watches her friends walking towards the girl. She has her friends to keep her company. Reluctantly, the boy finally decides that the girl's friends will take much better care of her than he ever could. Having said that, he focuses his attention back to his book.
"I still can't believe you are in this dance class. It is seriously too funny. Imagine, you, dancing ballet. Hah!" Plagg taunts. Plagg was also a small kwami similar to Tikki, but black and cat-like.
"Plagg," Felix says in a low, dangerous voice, "I was forced to do this. I did not come here out of my own free will so shut up or I will hurt you."
"Y-yes Felix."
A few minutes past since the boy had last checked up on her. He had ten more minutes of free time before class started. He decides that another look would not hurt so he turns around just in time to see the girl's friends walk away from Bridgette. Pain filled in her eyes and then disappeared in a matter of seconds. He watches as her face shift to a blank and emotionless expression.
"Hey, Felix, where are you going?" Plagg calls to him, but he ignores it. Without thinking, he had started to briskly walk over to the girl, leaving his friend with no explanation. As he nears Bridgette, he slows down to avoid intimidation and for his own safety. If she starts fangirling once she sees me, I am never going to help her again.The girl, who was lost in thought, did not notice him. Not knowing what do, he awkwardly stood there for a second or two. Making up his mind, he decides to greet her. "Hey," The girl looks up at the boy with surprise coating her wide eyes.
"Hey yourself," She replies. It is Felix's turn to be surprised. She answered without stuttering or squealing. Something must be seriously wrong with her. Another awkward moment passes before the boy takes a seat next to her.
"What are you doing here by yourself?" Once again she looks at him surprised. Someone had noticed her? And him, for that matter? Bridgette thought he hated her, and in all honestly, Felix did hate her.
Bridgette shakes her head. This had to be a joke that the fates were playing on her. The day she hated everything is the day Felix decided to come and actually have a decent conversation. Sighing inwardly, Bridgette answers, "Oh nothing. I was just thinking," She hesitates, "I-" the girl turns and looks into his eyes, as if searching for something.
"You?" The boy probes her to continue. His cold, grey eyes soften just the tiniest fraction as he stares back into her blue orbs. They both stare at each other for a few moments more until she breaks away first.
"I just have a lot on my mind. You wouldn't want to hang around with me. I'm a boring person and can snap at any moment." She says in a monotone voice.
"So, is that why your friends left you here?" The question sounds more like a blunt statement.
"Well, yes and no. Long story short, they decided that it's best that I be alone for now."
"I see. And," he pauses, "Do you want to be alone right now?" He inquires, "I can leave if that is what you want."
"No!" She says a bit too quickly. She winces when she sees Felix's eyebrow raise, "I mean, no. I don't want you to leave. I want people around me but I...just don't feel like talking. I just want somebody to be here with me, you know? I just-" She defeatedly drops her arms down at her sides and let's out an exasperated sigh. Her head droops making her blue hair cover her face as she closes her eyes. He nods his head, eyebrows furrowed. This is a situation that he hasn't come across before. This is a side to the happy-go-lucky Bridgette that he has never seen. He had thought that cheering her up would be easy but this is way over his head. The situation seem far more complicated than she puts it. She has to be wanting more than someone sitting down with her because it sounds like a much too simple solution. That couldn't be it, can it? His mind races with possible answers but none seem to fit this scenario. He comes to a conclusion, Maybe I am over thinking this. Maybe the simple solution is the right solution.
He quickly contemplates his choices: to stay or to go. If he stays then she would feel better (maybe), and he would feel accomplished because he had helped her when no one did. However, if he leaves, he would escape boredom and he can go back to enjoying his book. His mind told him that whatever is going on in her life is none of his business. He should just leave to fill his own needs for happiness. What's her happiness to him? It should be nothing. He was never the gentlemanly type anyway and he sees no reason to start now. But, if that's the case, why does his gut tell him to stay and offer what he can? She looks so defeated and confused; he can't just leave her. The boy doesn't move from his spot for a while despite his mind screaming at him. Felix makes up his mind and gets up. He brushes whatever dust particles on his pants and walks away.
Bridgette opens her eyes but doesn't move. "So he finally left," she whispers. She closes her eyes once more to stop the build up of tears from falling. "Why am I even crying? He always does this anyway so what's the difference now? Why am I so emotional? What is wrong with me? Why do I feel this way?" Her voice is barely audible now, "I am surrounded by people so why do I feel so alone? What is this pain I feel? Melancholy, nostalgia, negativity...I am trapped by my own uncontrollable emotions." She sits in silence, her breathing shallow.
Felix returns to his previous spot with Plagg. "Oh you're back now? What the heck made you leave so suddenly for that girl? I thought you wanted her to leave you alone, but what do I see? You walked over to willingly comfort her. Are you bipolar or something?" Plagg continues to blabber as Felix picks up his book. "Weren't you the one who infused bad luck into her food about a week ago so she could continuously have bad luck without you wasting more of you powers? This is probably a side effect and now you are helping her? Why would you do that? It doesn't make sense. I-"
Felix froze, "Wait, you mean I am the reason this is happening?"
"Yes, I- hey wait! I'm talking to you here!"
Guilt-ridden, the blonde quickly walked over to the blue-haired girl with new purpose. He had every intention of going back to comfort her; he just walked away to get his book because he didn't want to be bored. Felix slows down when he gets closer to her and masks his footsteps. Without making a sound, he sits back down and allows his instincts to take over and hesitantly takes hold of her hand. He hopes that by doing this, he takes the bad luck back, or something similar to that action, as well as allowing her to draw the strength she needs from his own person. He watches her jump at his touch as she whips her head up to look at him. Much to Felix's surprise, her tear filled eyes tells him everything; she is startled and confused, but there is also a hint of fear mixed with thankfulness. Acceptance overpowers her annoyance. The emotions are so raw, so genuine, so vulnerable.
Feeling some color rising to his face, he rubs the back of his neck with his free hand, "Um..don't get the wrong idea, but I'll stay with you till you feel better," he bashfully says. Once the girl processed what the boy had said, she gives him a bright smile.
"Thank you," she softly answers. She holds his hand tightly, drawing strength from his calming presence. The girl still hugs her legs with her free hand while her head rests on her knees. The boy lays his free arm in his propped up leg and reads his book; the other leg lays straight. Nothing else is said between them as they both relax, soaking each other in.
Later, the dance teacher claps his hand loudly and call for everyone to gather around him. Startled, the two quickly release each other of their hold, and scoot away from each other from embarrassment. The blonde and blue-nette look at each other, latter offering a soft smile. The boy gets up first and offers his hand, which she happily takes. Once up, neither make a move. He is unsure what is happening and becomes confused as to why he or she is not moving. The girl finds peace and wants to stay in the silence, but she knows she has to leave.
"Thank you, again, for staying with me," she finally says, "I better go back to my friends now," the girl flashes him a bright smile and she jogs away. Still perplexed at what just occurred, he shrugs it off and walks over to the teacher ad stand in the outskirts of the group of students. As the teacher speaks, Felix observes the hand that Bridgette held crackle with black energy. It seemed that he was successful in taking back his power from her body.
Plagg stealthily flys up behind Felix, "You know, that was should not have worked. Normally, you wouldn't be able to withdraw bad luck once you emmit your powers." Plagg furrows his eyebrows.
Felix, narrows his eyes, "That doesn't matter now, Plagg. The point is that she is better. I don't care if her stupid crush agitates me, as long as she isn't broken like she was not too long ago. Let's leave it at that."
A/N: Hi, it's Moonlight. R&R! This is simply a little idea I had and I wanted to write down. If the characters seem off, I apologize. Anyway, please tell me what you think! I enjoy getting feedback on the things I write. Au revoir~
**ML**
