Chapter 39: The Big Dance
It was finally the night of the big dance and Enid was at Rad's house helping him get ready. "What should I do Enid? What can I do to get her to take me back?" Rad asked worriedly as he straightened his jacket and pants. "I don't know Rad" Enid said with a shrug as she put her hair in a ponytail. "You messed up pretty bad and I don't know if she will take you back at all" she said. Rad frowned and Enid just shrugged at him. "Anyway, we better get going. I still have to get my stuff set up" she said. Rad nodded and he helped her load up all of her equipment into his van. They then climbed in and Rad drove off. Aside from a few comments now and then, the ride there was silent. "You know, I'm sure they won't stay with each other for long" Enid said out of the blue. "And why is that? Nebula is a kind and caring person and Puck is very lucky to have her" Rad said bitterly. "Dude, I'm just trying to cheer you up" Enid said defensively. "Whatever" Rad responded with a huff as he parked his van. He then quickly got out and went around to the back of the van to open the back doors. Enid soon followed and they unloaded all of her equipment and got it set up in the gym.
Enid had just finished double checking all of her song playlists, when the doors opened up and people started flocking into the gymnasium. Rad went out into the hall just in case Nebula was in the gym. Rad noticed something from the corner of his eye. He looked over to see Nebula and Puck waling in. Nebula was looking at her phone and Puck was guiding her with a hand on her back. When he noticed Rad, he waved to him with a small smile on his face. Rad glanced away from him and he turned his gaze to Nebula. She was in a sleeveless royal blue dress with a sweetheart neckline and she was wearing matching royal blue heels. She kept her hair loose and her makeup matched her dress. Puck was only wearing a black bow tie and black pants with grey shoes. He put a hand on Nebula's back and they walked into the gymnasium. Rad walked in after them and he leaned against the nearest wall.
"Hey Rad. I heard about what happened with you and Nebula. Yikes. You okay?" Rad heard someone say. He turned his head to see Drupe. She was wearing a long sleeve dress that had a black top and long dark purple skirt with a slit up one side . She also had black shoes and make up. "How did you find out?" he asked her. Drupe took out her phone and she showed Rad Nebula's post from the day after she broke up with him. Rad frowned as he read her post. Once he was done reading it, he started to tear up. He rubbed his face to try and stop himself from crying in front of Drupe. She frowned at him and she put a hand on his arm. "You wanna dance?" she asked him once he calmed down as a slow song came one. Rad looked over at Puck and had one of his hands on Nebula's waist and he took one of her hands in his and he held it to the side of them as they swayed side to side. Rad then copied them as he danced with Drupe. While they danced, he kept his eyes on Nebula and Puck.
Once the song was done, Rad looked back to where Nebula and Puck were. He was surprised to see that they were gone. He looked around and he spotted them walking hand in hand to the punch bowl. Rad let out a growl and he walked towards them with Drupe following after him. Once they were at punch bowl, they saw Nebula laughing. When she calmed down she tucked a strand of hair behind her pointed ear. "Hey Nebula, hey Puck. Cool dance huh?" Drupe said and Nebula nodded happily. Her smile faltered when she laid her eyes on Rad. "I'm surprised none of his fan girls stopped you from coming here with him" Drupe commented. Nebula shrugged and she sipped her drink. Puck then put a hand on Nebula's shoulder and he gave it a light squeeze. Nebula looked over at him and he motioned his head to the doors that lead outside. She then nodded and he nodded 'goodbye' to Drupe and Rad before he left. "What was that all about?" Drupe asked. "Puck has something he wants to show me. He texted me earlier before the dance. Apparently he wants to show me outside. Catch you later Drupe" Nebula said before she left.
Drupe looked to her side to see Rad storming out of the gym. She quickly grabbed another cup of punch and she followed him. Being careful not to spill the two cups of punch in her hands. When she went out into the hall, she saw Rad punching the wall with tears streaming down his face. "How could I have been so foolish?!" he cried. "Hey, it's okay" Drupe said as she handed him a glass of punch. "No it's not! I lost her to someone better than me!" he roared as he looked out the window. Drupe followed his gaze and she saw Puck and Nebula outside. Puck had his harp out and Nebula was smiling as he played for her. "Look at him. Mr. Perfect with his perfect hair, perfect nose, perfect everything! Ha! I don't even know what Nebula even sees in him. He doesn't even have muscles like me"Rad said bitterly as he watched the two outside. Drupe let out a long sigh. "Listen Rad, I hate to say it. Really I do. But it seems like she's moved on and maybe you should too" Drupe said while she kept looking outside. Rad looked at her in surprise and Drupe blushed a darker red. "I-I'm just saying. Maybe you and her weren't meant to be. Maybe you were meant to be with someone cool, and pretty, and smart" she said nervously as her blush deepened. "Like you?" Rad asked skeptically. Drupe gulped and nodded. "What do you say Rad? Wanna give me a chance?" she asked as she turned her head to face him