Finally, it was the day. The day of the dance. The whole day was a blur to Susen due to mixtures of anxiety and excitement rushing through her. She found herself daydreaming various times. Good day dreams, and bad ones.
"Earth to Susen!", the mechanic called, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes.
She quickly snapped out of her daze and assessed her situation. She was at dinner with Souda. That's right. Her food had fallen off of her fork. She took another scoop and began eating again.
"Sorry, I keep spacing out today.", she said in between bites.
"No worries. I'm just making sure I can get you out of your trance."
"Good word.", she commented.
"Heh thanks.", he said with a side-smile.
"So I guess we're gonna get ready after we eat?", she presumed.
"Yeah, and I guess it depends on who gets ready quickest to who's room we meet at."
"It'll probably be you.", she said.
"Why's that?"
"I'm gonna try makeup so it might take a while, I don't know."
"Wow, that'll be interesting."
"I know right."
They both finished eating soon enough and headed to their rooms. Tobi rested her hands on her dresser and looked at her reflection with determination.
"It's gonna be weird. But I'm ready.", she said, taking a deep breath.
She took a quick shower and blow dried her hair. She put on some simple makeup and slid on her dress, zipping it up as far as she could. She tied a black ribbon around her waist into a bow.
She looked at herself in the mirror with slight surprise. She looked very different, but it was a good different.
Her bright red bubble dress fit her perfectly, thanks to her mother. Her hair looked fluffy and soft. Her eyes were thinly lined with eyeliner, complimented by her pale pink lips. She slipped a thin teardrop diamond necklace around her neck to emphasize her bare chest. She slid her feet into her plain black flats, contouring with her pale skin.
Her thoughts were distracted by a ring of her doorbell. She quickly opened it to reveal Souda, whom turned wide-eyed.
"Wow, Susen. You look...wonderful.", he said in astonishment.
"Aww thank you. C'mon in for a bit.", she said with a blush, letting him in.
"Do you happen to know how to tie a tie?", he said, gesturing to the awkward knot at his throat.
With closer inspection, she noticed more than just his faulty tie. His shirt was misbuttoned and his collar was bent strangely. She let out a small sigh.
"You need help, Souda.", she said, walking over to him, unbuttoning his shirt.
"Woah woah, what're you doing?"
"Your shirt is misbuttoned, not to mention not tucked in."
He looked down and noticed she was right and allowed her to continue. She laughed a little and began to fix her friend. She tied his tie with ease and tightened it up to his collarbone.
"Thanks a ton, Susen."
"No problem, but can you help me next?"
"Whatcha need?"
"On the top of the zipper, there should be a small hook and snag, can you connect them and zip it all the way up?", she said, turning so he could see. He did as he was told, zipping it.
"Done!", he said happily.
"Thanks a lot.", she said gratefully.
"No problem.", he let out a sigh. "How do I look?", he asked.
"Neat, fancy, and handsome.", she said.
"Really? Thanks.", he said with a small smile.
"How 'bout me?", she asked.
"You want me to be honest?" She nodded nervously, scared of his response. "Honestly, you look beautiful... and hot." He blushed with his last words. She blushed as well.
"Really?", she asked in surprise.
"Yeah, although, I have one question."
"Hm?"
"Where are your glasses?"
"Oh! I put in my contacts just for tonight. I normally hate them but I don't mind wearing them tonight."
"Oh ok cool. I just wanted to make sure you weren't gonna be blind at the dance."
"Heh, no I'll be fine. Thanks though."
"Well, shall we, milady~?", he said, offering the curve of his arm and a smile.
"We shall~", she said happily, sliding her arm in his.
The pair made their way to the school gym. They both began to hear muffled booms of music echoing through the halls. They both took deep breaths as they met the large double doors. They exchanged smiles before opening the doors.
The room was dimly lit with colorful lights. Loud music blared from the speakers on stage. Various refreshment tables were located at the sides on the large room. Many students were paired/grouped up in the center, dancing happily amongst each other.
"Oh my god..", Souda muttered.
Tobi looked where his wide eyes were to see Sonia. She was in a white ballgown, tiara and all, talking with Tanaka, whom was dressed in a fitted suit.
Her heart sank a little seeing Sonia. Her jealousy was nipping at her. She shrugged it off and followed Souda to where she stood.
They began to chat on how good they looked, how nice the dance is, etc. However, Susen was silent, due to the stare from Tanaka. No words, just his eyes. She offered him a small wave, to try and stop his stare somehow. He simply nodded and continued to stare. She became very uncomfortable and slightly cowered behind Souda.
They all agreed to hang out for the majority of the dance. It actually wasn't too bad. They all laughed and danced. They occasionally got excited when a song they knew came on.
The song switched to a much slower one. It was 'Say Something' by A Great Big World. Tobi looked over and saw Tanaka holding Sonia close to him, swaying calmly. She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Souda offering a hand.
"May I have this dance?", he asked politely.
She nodded and took his hand. She slid her arms around his neck as he slid his around her waist. He pulled her close and began swaying as well. Susen smiled and hummed to the song while enjoying the soft dancing. She rested her head on his chest, feeling very comfortable in the moment. He rested his chin gently on her head. She lightly frowned out of his sight. She knew he didn't like her the way she did. The feeling she had for him only got stronger day by day, and it hurt. She bit her lip. She wanted him to be happy...just happy with her.
The song ended and switched to 'Medicine' by Daughter. Souda slipped away from Susen and tiptoed to the unoccupied princess. Tobi's heart sank again, seeing him offer her a bow and hand. Another tap on her shoulder caught her attention. She turned and saw Tanaka, offering a hand. She took his hand with a confused look. He pulled her into a dance position and put his lips near her ear.
"Listen well, scribe. The gods have blessed me with information you might want."
Her curiosity was now piqued. She decided to listen to that he had to say.
"It is fairly evident to most that you fancy the mechanic. The Dark Gods of Destruction have heard whispers of said man on yourself. He has stated that he realises your feelings of sort, however they are not mutual towards he. His heart to you is that of a sibling, platonic, not that of a lover. According to him, possibly never returning you wished feelings. The gods wish to bless you with gifts in your possible grief.", he stated as plain as day.
Tobi's eyes widened. Her breath got rapid. The sight of Souda and Sonia dancing, plus his words, felt like a dagger in her chest. Her arms fell from Tanaka's shoulders. She slowly backed away from him. Her face was petrified.
Souda caught the sight of the terrified girl, slowly backing away. He looked closer and saw tears in her eyes. He let go of Sonia and slowly made his way towards her. Her head shook slightly, seeing him get closer. She turned and broke into a weak run from the gym. He panicked and ran after her. Her bandaged knee prevented her from going too fast but she was still far ahead of him. Her leg suddenly cramped very badly, causing her to fall on the ground. Souda raced to her side.
"Susen, what's wrong?", he asked, very concerned.
"I'm fine, Souda.", she said, oddly calmer than she was before, getting up from the floor. "I just heard the truth I wanted to ignore."
"What does that mean?", he asked.
"Nevermind. Speaking of which, you have a princess waiting for you. Have a good time without me. Although that shouldn't be too hard…", she said, her voice shaking.
Souda stared at her, completely confused, concerned, and lost. She limped the rest of the way to her room. He simply watched her, not having a clue of what to do.
When she closed her door, Souda dropped to his knees. What did he do? What happened? Why was she so sad? Why was she so angry? Did he lose a friend..? Questions raced through his mind. He gripped his hair in his fists as he crouched against a wall.
Tobi sat in her room and cried because of her pain. Her knee and her heart. All Tanaka did was tell her the truth she wished was a lie, and it hurt.
"Dammit!", she swore loudly, punching the floor.
She swore at her tears, her pain, that she spat at Souda like that, her jealousy, all of it.
"Fuck…", she sobbed, along with a string of other swears.
Her nails dug into her scalp in frustration. She was scared.
Souda left the dance and headed straight to his room. He ripped the suit off of himself and sat in the corner of his room. He began to cry. So many fears and negative thoughts kept running through his mind. The thing that he hated the most about it was that he had no idea what happened. The thing that scared him the most is that he thought he might have lost her.
Susen thought the same thing. Did she ruin her friendship that she held so dear? She felt empty, broken, wrong. The truthful words came to her mind and she wrote it as her journal entry.
Souda thought of the same words. The same phrase that was true in that moment to them both.
"You never know what you have…", Souda said out loud.
"...until it's gone..", Susen finished, as she wrote it in her journal.