Chapter Eight

After a few hours of friendly chatter and playful banter, the virtual sunlight was gone and night had fallen over Litwak's arcade, so Ralph decided to walk with Vanellope back to her game. The two slowly moseyed through Game Central Station, neither speaking a word as they crossed the still bustling area.

They approached Sugar Rush's outlet and Vanellope turned around quickly to face Ralph. Suddenly, tension boiled between the two and they felt as if they were saying goodbye to each other after a date.

Vanellope looked sheepishly down at her feet with a small smile, rolling quietly back and forth from her heels to her platforms. "I guess it's goodnight now," she said with a bashful glance upward, flashing her signature toothy grin. "Goodnight Stinkbrain." Ralph opened his mouth to speak, but a million different thoughts were running through his mind. She turned back around to face the Sugar Rush entrance and started skipping towards it.

"W-wait, Vanellope!" Ralph called, holding his arm out. A sudden realization came to his head. She stopped, turning to look over her shoulder; the way she was poised, her body turned and head tilted at just the right angle…

He snapped himself away from his distracting thoughts and pulled his eyes to look back up at her face. His cheeks flushed a deep merlot. "Y-you, you really shouldn't be walking home by yourself this late at night."

Vanellope furrowed her brow in confusion, turning around completely and walking back over to Ralph. "What do you mean?" She queried, tilting her head slightly. "Why not? I've walked myself home to the castle hundreds of times."

"Well, I wouldn't say hundreds," Ralph responded with a chuckle and a roll of his eyes. "I mean, you've only been leaving your game for about a week or two now."

"Whatever, Stinkbrain," she laughed, crinkling her nose. "You know what I mean. But, what's the difference? I've still walked through Sugar Rush at night on my own plenty of times, why does it matter now?"

"Well…" Ralph began, awkwardly scratching the back of his head and looking away. "Vanellope," he started again, sighing softly. "It's different not." He looked up to meet her curious stare. "You're different."

"Huh? How?"

He let out a frustrated groan, tensing up and swinging his arms loosely beside him. "Kid," he said in an exasperated tone, "Haven't you looked at yourself since your upgrade. I-I mean, come on now! Don't be so naive!"

Her face flooded with pale pink pigment. "R-Ralph," she muttered sheepishly. "I know I've changed in, a-appearance and all, but...why would that change anything."

He sighed, placing his hands on top of his head. "You're not getting it," he hissed impatiently. "I guess this is all pretty sudden to you, and you don't really know about, uh...certain, stuff, but…" He sighed, suddenly feeling less confident in his words. He just wasn't quite prepared to deal with this sort of situation.

"Spit it out, Stinkbrain," she teased with a small giggle, though her features read uncertainty as she stepped closer to him and folded her arms over her chest. In that moment of seriousness, the young woman who Ralph had known as a young girl just the day before, suddenly looked twice as old and mature. Her physical appearance didn't even account for this brief display of change. Suddenly Ralph was catching a glimpse of the mature, serious young woman she was quickly turning into - and it unnerved him.

"Vanellope," he started again, looking her square in the eye. "People don't look at you the same anymore. You used to just be this cute little kid, but now...You're gown; you're matured, and you look much different. Guys look at you differently. And, well, there are some weirdos and creeps out there who try and...take advantage of young, attractive girls like you."

Did he really just call me attractive? A blush formed easily on her cheeks, but she tried to maintain focus on what Ralph was explaining to her.

"Anyway, young women like yourself shouldn't be left wandering unaccompanied at night, even if it is your own game. Other gamers could still enter and, well, do stuff with the intention of harming you. Sometimes...even the people we know surprise us. Now that the male racers of Sugar Rush have suddenly been catapulted into this change, I'm sure they're experiencing all kinds of crazy code hormones and, well, not really knowing what to do with them."

What is he talking about? Hormones?

"Not saying, of course, that any of the racers would intentionally harm someone but, well, you never know. Anyway, I just want you to be safe, and I don't want to risk some creep hurting you." He stared at her with sincere eyes, his brow slightly furrowed as he frowned in trepidation. "So I'm going to walk you up to the castle."

"What do you mean, hurt me?" Vanellope asked, startled. "I know nobody in my game would ever do that!"

Ralph sighed. "Well...there are certain intimate things people do together, and, sometimes...people take advantage of this and...force other people to engage in these things. And guys think about you differently now, Vanellope. They don't look at you and see a kid. They look at you and see a desirable young woman and sometimes have very perverted thoughts"

"But Ralph, I-"

"Look, kid," he suddenly barked, taking a step closer to her and clenching his fists in determination. "I'm walking you home, and that's final. If you don't like it, well that's tough."

They sat in silence for a few moments, suddenly realizing the proximity they now found themselves at. "Ralph," she murmured quietly, staring at his still clenched fists as his chest heaved slightly with unease. She held out her hands and laid them gently on his tense arms. "Okay, fine, I'll go with you, fartbreath. Just calm down." She crinkled her nose and turned her head upwards to eye him tenderly as he slowly relaxed his arms and unclenched his hands, letting out a deep breath.

"Okay," he whispered back. "Why are we talking so quietly now?"

He suddenly turned to see that some other gamers were eyeing them oddly and realized he had just caused a small scene in the middle of the bustling station. "Oops," he muttered sheepishly as he looked back at her with a gap-toothed smile.

Rolling her eyes, Vanellope laughed and nervously looked back at him. She realized her hands were still rested on his arms, but she found that she didn't want to move them. "Um, Ralph?" She asked timidly, looking down. "Can I ask you something?"

"Uh, sure, kid," he breathed, staring down at her curiously. "Ask away."

"The way you talked about other guys looking at me, uhm…" She looked up at him with a strange, hazy look in her eyes. "D-do you l-look at me that way?"

He felt his heart practically stop in his chest as he stared, speechless, down at the innocent young girl in front of him. "Uh-uh, V-Vanel-I, look, uhm…" He covered his eyes with his hand, backing away and simultaneously pulling his arms from his grip. "We better get going, okay, it's getting late."

She stared at him uncertainly, wondering what the big deal was. She still didn't really understand what he meant by these thoughts guys were having about her. But judging his odd reaction...it must be bad. She pondered to herself with a gulp. "Uh, okay.."

The two approached the Sugar Rush entrance in awkward silence, and remained in this state through the entire monorail ride, walking through the passageway to her game with an uncomfortable tension settling over their shoulders.

As they stood at the beginning of the rainbow road, Vanellope turned and looked at Ralph, a thousand questions gleaming in her eyes like stardust in the moonlight. "I'm sorry," she breathed, staring at him timidly.

"For what?" He asked, taking in a breath.

"Well, uh…" She looked down and scuffed her shoe on the ground. "I still don't really understand what you meant earlier, but...what I asked seems to have made things awkward, so, I'm sorry." She looked up at him with a smile smile. "Is what you were talking about really that bad? Do people suddenly wanna hurt me now? Am I gonna be, like, assaulted?"

He sighed, letting out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "It's not quite like that, kid," he eased gently. "There's a lot of stuff I don't exactly want to explain to you right now because, well...it would be super awkward. But, maybe one of your female friends will know. Maybe Calhoun even."

Vanellope raised an eyebrow. "But you're my best friend," she complained, "If it's really that bad, I'd rather hear it from you."

"Fine," Ralph groaned. "But not right now, and maybe not even tonight. You've gotta leave me some more time for this. I'm not so...good with my words."

She smirked and nudged him playfully in the side with her elbow. "It's okay, Stinkbrain. You're not so bad."

He rolled his eyes and scoffed teasingly, a grin breaking out over his face. "Whatever, runt."

They continued their walk down the road, now feeling more at ease with their tensions resolved and evaporated. Though as their feet trodded down towards her castle and they plodded on in silence, the question she had asked him still burned in his brain.

If only she knew, he pondered, his gut twisting. She'd probably be disgusted by me. I'm a little disgusted at myself. Yet still, he couldn't help the few passing thoughts that wandered through his brain when he looked at her. How could some bratty little kid with dirty hair turn out to be...so… He stopped himself halfway, gulping quietly. He stared up at the sky as they reached the end of the road and continued on towards the castle.

Scattered clusters of candy foliage surrounded them, sleek surfaces twinkling under the light of the stars. The ground felt smoother than before, as if someone had crushed and pounded it more tightly together.

When they reached the stretch of road leading to the castle, Ralph noticed the immediate difference. "Hey!" He exclaimed. "I don't have to feel like I'm walking a marathon every time I come down here now!"

Vanellope smirked up at him silently, rolling her eyes and turning away. He scoffed. Someone's silent for once. As much as he wanted to say that, he was kind of enjoying the silence himself.

Candy cane trees lined the now short walkway on either side, their tops curling over to create a sort of canopy overhead. Their bright, smooth surfaces gleamed in the moonlight and shone in contrast to their dark surroundings.

"It's really beautiful here at night," Vanellope breathed, echoing Ralph's thoughts. She glanced back at him over her shoulder, blushing slightly. "By the way, thanks for walking me back."

He nodded with a smile and she turned back to look ahead. I still don't know what's up with that whole big thing of his, she pondered. But whatever it is, he apparently thinks there is some sort of danger for me...So, I guess it means he cares.

The two finally reached the castle entrance and she turned around to look at him. "Well," she said softly, "If you wanna come in for a little you can, or you can head out now. It is pretty late. And we have game day tomorrow, as usual."

"Yeah...I think I'll just head back now," he responded lightly, smiling down at the gamer in front of him.

"Okay," she said cheerily, though an unexplainable feeling of disappointment settled itself in her stomach. "Goodnight Stinkbrain," she said through a grin, trying to suppress the odd feelings stirring around inside of her.

"Goodnight, brat," he responded snarkily. They stood there silently for a few moments. Before the upgrade, she was never afraid to hug him or climb onto his shoulder when they said goodbye. But now...something felt different - off. She felt nervous, unsure. She wondered if that kind of affection between them was somehow inappropriate. She gazed at him with sad, distant eyes. He furrowed his brow at her, but wasn't sure how to approach the situation.

"You know, you can still hug me if you want," he affirmed teasingly, though his smile held a sort of gentleness, as if he had guessed her worries. She smiled brightly and flung herself toward him with no regards.

Stifling a chuckle, he let out an "oof!" as the girl barreled into him. He easily wrapped his arms around her back in a friendly hug, bending himself down to rest his chin on the top of her head. She eased into his grip with a sigh.

"This feels different from before," she admitted softly, her voice muffled against his chest.

He gulped. "How so?" He asked nervously.

"I don't know," she pondered aloud. "It's still nice, just...different." The two separated after a few silent moments, and he looked down at her curiously. "Well, bye-bye, loser," she snickered, playfully pushing his arm.

He sighed dramatically, flinging his arms up in the air. "After all I've done for you!" He exclaimed, grinning broadly. "What's a guy gotta do to be treated with some respect?"

She giggled, crossing her arms as her hazel eyes gleamed lovingly.

"Fine, goodbye kid," he said with a smirk. "Seeya tomorrow. And try not to get anymore sprinkles stuck on your face."

Vanellope rolled her eyes, watching him as he turned and started on his way back to his game. After watching him walk about halfway down the road from the castle, she retired inside and made the trek up to her bedroom.

After changing and settling in for the night, she lay in bed, mindlessly staring up at the ceiling as a bout of restlessness overcame her. Suddenly, all of the implications Ralph had made about her came swarming into her brain. She shivered at the thought of somebody wanting to harm, or as he put it, take advantage of her. Wait a minute… A sudden realization dawned on her. He was talking about what I look like, and how I look, and I think he said something about perverted thoughts? Intimate things? Does that mean… She gulped, clutching the blankets closer to her. Am I in danger? She glanced towards her bedroom door, heart pounding in her head.

What if the other racers decide they don't want me as President anymore? What if the update made them remember what they used to think of me? What if they...what if… The terrorizing thoughts bubbled up inside her mind and she tossed and turned in her bed for what felt like eons. When she turned to look at the small clock resting on her bedside table, however, it had only been an hour. Letting out a groan, she smothered her face in her pillow and screwed her eyes shut as tight as she could, trying to drown out the countless fearful scenarios that were running through her head. She suddenly felt unsafe and terribly, terribly alone in her giant castle. She wished she had a friend, at least in one of the other wings, to comfort her and ease her restless mind. I can't sleep like this, all alone. Not after what Ralph said to me.

After about another half hour of laying by herself in the dark, Vanellope flung herself out of bed and hastily ran to the wall, flicking on the lights in a dazed panic. She stared cautiously around the room, her eyes scanning every crevice and corner in trepidation, somehow expecting some guy to leap out from some hiding place and lunge at her.

When she finally felt satisfied that nobody was there, she relaxed and walked back over to her end table. She picked it up, seeing that it read clearly, 12:37 a.m. With a sigh, she set it back down on its surface, wondering how in the name of Sugar Rush she was ever going to get some sleep.

An idea suddenly lit up her head like a lightbulb. Ralph's! Yes, she would have to make the walk there all alone, but...oh, right, I have a car. Doofus. She let out an exhale of relief, smiling softly to herself. I just hope he won't mind an unexpected visitor. I mean, I guess I could go down to Candlehead's or Taffyta's, but… She glanced warily around her room. I'm still uncertain about them. At least with Ralph around, I know I'm safe. Like he said, who knows what the update could've done to the guys around here. All of the other racers lived in a small, secluded neighborhood. She didn't exactly feel safe going down there and sleeping in such close proximity to the guys. Thanks, Ralph, she thought sarcastically.

She opted to take off her shorts and pull on some comfortable, turquoise leggings and pulled her hoodie on over her pale pink tank top. She huffed, pulling lightly at the hem of her now cropped jacket. "What's the point of this?" she breathed in irritation. "This does no good for keeping me warm." She flung the thing off of her and rummaged through her closet. She finally managed to find a hoodie that wasn't cropped; it was a pale grey, soft number with mint colored details swirled throughout the design. She pulled that on over her head and combed her fingers gently through her tumbling black hair as it settled over her shoulders before she finally decided she was ready. Pulling on her boots, she hurried out the door of her room.

The drive to her game's exit went by very quickly; it probably only took around five minutes. I'm glad I thought of this, she mused as she rolled her car up to the monorail. Do I even need to take this thing? She glanced around the monorail and looked into the gaping hole of the wire. Nah.

Somewhat cautiously, she drove her car around the monorail and started steering it into the electric tunnel. Upon entering, she realized nothing bad was happening, and began to zoom through the circuits. Fresh, cool air sent her hair dancing crazily around her and the small sparks of beautiful circuitry that lit up around her set her head ablaze with awe and wonder. Wow...she took in a breath, skillfully steering her vehicle through the dark tunnel. This is beautiful.

Finally, she made it out of the tunnel, immediately slowing down as she veered into Game Central Station. Noticing a few drunken men hanging around Tapper's, she picked up her speed once more, heart drumming nervously in her ears as she smoothly coasted through the Fix It Felix, Jr. outlet and continued her journey through the wire tunnel for that game as well.

Vanellope easily drove her way through Fix It Felix, Jr. and approached the neighborhood of houses where Ralph resided. She slowly eased up to the front of his house, nervously glancing around her, and parked next to his front steps. Surely he won't mind me being here, right? She climbed clumsily out of her car, still not used to the size difference. The cars had also been remodeled for their update, and she had been disappointed to find that the cart her and Ralph baked together was gone. Now, she had a sleek turquoise colored vehicle with smooth cream colored lines and perfectly created details. She missed the messy construction her and Ralph had crafted together. With one final glance towards her cart, she walked up the stairs to Ralph's front door.

Usually she would have obnoxiously banged on his door and shouted his name right up until he opened it, but something different inside her now told her that maybe this wasn't the best idea. She raised her arm up and knocked firmly but politely five times before bringing her arm back down and waiting.

Sure enough, being the light sleeper he was, Vanellope was able to hear his footsteps through the door only a minute or so later. The door opened slowly to reveal a tired and slightly agitated wrecker standing behind it.

His eyes immediately widened and he stood straight when he saw the girl in front of him. "Vanellope!" He exclaimed. "Why are you here this late?!" She looked away sheepishly and scuffed the ground with her shoe. "No matter," he sighed, standing away from the door and gesturing his arm inside. "Come in."

She hesitantly shuffled into his house and he softly closed the front door behind her. "Now what's wrong?" He questioned, facing her with his arms crossed over his chest and one eyebrow raised.

"I-uhm…" She tried to form the right words, suddenly feeling bashful and embarrassed of what she was about to admit. "Well, what you told me...I couldn't stop thinking about it, and I...I couldn't sleep."

She timidly looked up at him and his gaze softened considerably. He gave a small chuckle. "Sorry about that," he murmured. "I didn't mean to scare you that bad. I promise you're okay though. It's not like something is very likely to happen. I just didn't wanna risk it," he eased.

She nodded, biting her lip. "O-okay," she answered. "I drove here," she informed him. "So you don't have to worry about me coming here alone."

"Okay," he sighed. "Well, come on, it's late. Let's get you settled in for the night." When he started leading her into his bedroom, she stopped in her tracks and a light blush rose to her cheeks.

"W-wait!" She exclaimed. He turned and looked at her inquisitively. "I-I can just sleep out here on the couch."

"No," he said firmly. "You're a guest. And a girl. You can have the bed; I'll take the couch."

She furrowed her brow at him. "How does that make any sense? You're much bigger than I am."

"Don't worry," he chuffed with a smile. "The couches pull out." Vanellope sighed and continued to follow him into his room. "Now come on, go ahead and get settled. I'm ready to go back to sleep.

Vanellope nervously pulled herself up into the huge bed and crawled over to the pillows, where she tentatively lifted up the blankets and shimmied herself down under them. "Oh, uhm," she said sheepishly, suddenly sitting up and sliding the light grey hoodie off of her body.

Ralph's face flushed slightly at the sight of her lifting it up over her head; a sliver of bare skin peeked out from underneath her tank top as she lifted her arms up. She haphazardly flung her hoodie on the floor somewhere and settled back down under the covers with a sheepish expression on her face.

He tried not to think about how cute and innocent she looked with a pale blush covering her face and with her dark, silky hair strewn messily about her shoulders. He also tried not to think about the tight tank top she wore, or the way the leggings perfectly shaped her legs and…

He pried himself from his thoughts and gave her a small smile. "Goodnight Vanellope," he whispered, walking away from the bed.

"Goodnight Ralph," she whispered back, her eyes tracking his every move as he quietly left the room and shut the door.

Settling down into the comfortable, billowing blankets and cushiony pillows, she closed her eyes and finally felt her nervous thoughts rest at peace. Knowing Ralph was just in the other room, she was able to fall quickly asleep.

Meanwhile, as Ralph was settling an extra blanket over the now fully converted couch, his thoughts wandered back to the beautiful girl in his room; his best friend. The way things were slowly progressing, he thought that maybe he could get used to it.