New chapter guys! We start to see some love bloom in this chapter so I hope you shippers are happy!
The next few weeks, Eric acted different. He seemed detached, as if always in deep thought or distracted. Felicity came to visit several times, but even she couldn't get Eric to snap out of it. Gale and Natalie tried multiple times to make him laugh telling random jokes they knew, he just blinked and looked out the window. Dave composed some music for him, which almost made him smile. Tavio still ate with him as well as Solly, ignoring all the glances they got from the other students. Eric's loss of temper at Vicky Serket, self proclaimed coolest girl at school, spread like fire around the school, everyone knowing about it and trying to ask him about it. Solly and Gale did a decent job of keeping them away, but every time Eric seemed to come out of his slump, another rumor monger appeared and pushed him right back into it. Karcin got fed up with one who wanted to bug Eric while he sat down eating, cursing him out and flipping him off with both fingers, Jade by his side, letting him, glaring at the guy sharply.
Finally, Solly pulled Felicity aside and asked her to meet him at the cafeteria after his classes were over. He sat waiting with his laptop until he heard the all too familiar sound of her heels running towards him.
"Sorry I took so long!" Felicity apologized.
"It'th fine. I needed to talk to you about Eric." Solly replied. Felicity nodded and looked down.
"He's never looked like this before. Never. Then again no one quite said the things she had to his face like that before… I mean, Cronus and I have gotten onto his case, but she just… ugh!" Felicity groaned.
"Yeah…" Solly replied, looking down. "What I think needth to happen ith you and Eric need to have thome time jutht the two of you, and talk it out. Not letting him leave until it'th done." Felicity looked at him.
"Maybe we could convince Mr Mayor to let us use one of the conference rooms?" Felicity suggested. Solly looked at her and grinned.
"You're brilliant thometimeth you know that right?" Solly asked. Felicity blushed a bit and smiled.
"I try." She said, standing up. Solly stood up as well and closed his computer. "Let's go talk to him now."
"Yeah." Solly replied, starting to walk with her. As they walked, Solly saw a poster for a school dance coming around the following week. "You gonna go to that?" Solly asked. Felicity looked at it.
"I'd love to. I just need to find someone to go with me." She replies before looking at Solly. "How about you? You want to go with me?" She asked him, all bubbly.
"S-Sure… I wasn't really planning on going but sure…" Solly replied slowly, smiling.
Later that day, Eric walked slowly to the conference room. He got called in by Mr Mayor, and it sounded urgent, so he begrudgingly left the solitude of his dorm and walked to the administrative building. He saw Ms Snowman waiting for him, her usual stern expression on her face before opening the door for him. Eric walked in and she slammed the door, locking it from the outside. He turned and looked at the chair in the back, surprised to not see Mr Mayor, but Felicity looking at him with her legs crossed.
"Wh-What do you w-want Felicity?" Eric asked, his voice a bit weak.
"We need to talk, Eric. You need to get out of this slump." Felicity said sternly. Eric turned back around and tried to turn the handle, forgetting it was locked. His shoulders fell and he turned to look at the girl. She has stood up and started to walk to him. "Everyone's worried about you, Eric." She put her hand on his shoulder. He shrugged it off and walked towards the window in the back of the room.
"I don't see wh-why. I'm fine." Eric said flatly. Felicity walked up to him, standing behind him and slowly wraps her arms around his waist in a hug.
"No you're not. You barely talk to anyone. You don't laugh anymore. You don't even call Cronus anymore. And glub only knows the last time I heard you talk about your acting, your photography, or your Harry Potter movies…" Felicity said, hugging him tight. "You need to get out of this slump."
"How-w can I?! Ev-very time I leav-ve my dorm room people start bugging me about wh-what happened and reminding me of what a dick I used to be!" Eric yelled, pulling himself away from her.
"Thing is you're no longer like that! You stood up for Tavio and Solly!You've made friends you wouldn't have even considered before. You're a better person, Eric. Let Serket say what she will. You have a group of people ready to back you up whenever someone says you're a terrible person. Just get over it! Talk to Solly! Talk to Tavio! Heck, talk to Dave! Talk to anyone! Just stop locking yourself away and keeping your emotions inside!" Felicity yelled the last part, tears falling from her face. Eric turned and looked at her, his eyes widening when he saw her tears. He pulled her into a tight hug.
"Okay… Okay… I'll talk to someone… Just don't cry…" He said, playing with her hair.
"Promise?" Felicity begged, looking into his eyes.
"Promise.
On the other side of the campus, Natalie and Gale sat at one of the tables outside the art building. He had his sketchbook out and was drawing a picture of Natalie sitting down.
"You sure you want me to be the model for your assignment?" Natalie questioned to tan boy.
"Never been more motherf*cking sure of it." He grinned, winking at her. She blushed a bit and smiled back. "Also, got a question for ya, Natalie."
"Shoot." She replied, grinning.
"Will you go with me to the dance?" He looked right at her.
"Y-You want me to be your date to the dance?" Natalie asked, in total shock.
"Yup. Wouldn't have asked if I didn't." He grinned his goofy grin. She blushed a deeper red color before nodding slowly.
"I… I'd love to!" She replied, jumping up and hugging him around his neck. He chuckled and stood up, picking her up and swinging her around a bit.