V. Chocolate roses
Diana finished the final touches to the present she was about to give Akko. It was a bouquet of flowers and a large box of chocolates, the best ones she could buy in the little time she had. Hannah and Barbara were mystified as Diana brushed out her hair. Diana was still deciding between her expensive cologne or perfume. She chose the cologne, for confidence. When Diana finally left the room with her gifts in tow, Hannah jumped on to Barbara's bed and together they start theorizing what the flowers and chocolate meant.
"Flowers, chocolates and now Akko?!" Barbara said in a hushed tone.
"Dammit! What does it all mean!?" Asked Hannah asked. "I mean, why the hell did she go out to buy gifts for tutoring that idiot!?"
"Do you think she's going to… you know, ask Akko to the ball?" Barbara asked timidly.
They both stayed quiet and opposite sides of the bed thinking about what this revelation meant.
Meanwhile, Diana approached the library slowly with the gifts in large reusable shopping bag. She was so nervous. She hoped this wasn't too little too late. What if Andrew had beat her to the punch? What if Akko flat out rejected her?
Inside the library she saw Akko sitting at a table trying to decipher a spell from her textbook.
"There you are!" Akko exclaimed. "I found the spell that I messed up. I got all of the ingredients and I'm ready to conquer it!"
Akko's unfaltering optimism made Diana's heart swoon. She figured that she could wait and give the gifts to Akko at the end of their tutoring.
For the whole hour and a half, Diana tried to stop herself from gushing all over Akko. She did get frustrated with her a certain times but overall, Diana was growing more and more attracted to Akko. There is just something about her that Diana couldn't resist. Akko's earnest excitement and the way she furrowed her face in concentration. When Akko finally made the potion and several others without Diana's help, the joy in Akko's face made Diana's heart melt.
"I did it! I did it! Oh thank you Diana!" Akko cheered squeezing Diana and nuzzling her head into Diana's neck. Diana felt herself heat up and her face turning red all over. Akko looked up at Diana and laughed.
"Hahaha well I guess I learned how to turn you into a tomato now, too!" Akko joked.
Diana was about to say something about the gifts in her bag when she heard a voice.
"I didn't think I'd find you here, but Lotte said I would." Diana looked over to see Andrew there with something behind his back.
Diana panicked and got up from her chair. This was bad, time was running out. Gifts were just next to Diana's chair, the words just needed to come out of her mouth but suddenly they weren't there.
Andrew approached the two of them and Akko just stared at him with perplexion. Diana did the only thing she thought she could do. She put herself physically in Andrew's path was as ready to stand her ground.
"Andrew, it seems that you have no shortage of time to be creeping around an all girl's school late at night." Diana asked aiming the comment with as much venom in her voice as possible.
"I only came here to ask Akko at question." Andrew said.
Akko perked up but Diana grew more and more angry. She was not about to step down so easily.
"Well, we are busy at the moment. Akko is tutoring with ME. So I suggest you come back at another time." The venom was noticeable in Diana's voice and Andrew started to get upset at her mean spirited comments.
"It's okay. Diana, you've already helped me a lot. Andrew what do you want to ask me?" Akko questioned, completely unaware of the rising tension in the room.
Diana turned to Akko and tried to pull the words out her mouth, they just turned into word soup.
"Akko, I - um - I wanted to inquire if - you would possibly - desire, i-i mean want to- this Friday- with mmmme." Diana stumbled frazzled by Andrew's annoyed expression and Akko's confused looks.
Andrew pushed past Diana revealed a full bouquet of chocolate roses. Akko's eyes sparkled while Diana looked crushed.
"Will you go with me this Friday to the Luna Nova ball, Akko?
Diana stepped back in defeat, angry and sad at the same time.
"You really want to go with me?" Akko said happily.
Andrew nodded handing the gift to Akko.
"Okay! It sounds fun!" Akko said. Diana gathered up her things and exited the library was Andrew and Akko talked about their plans. Diana couldn't get out of the room soon enough, every sentence of their plans stung with her defeat.
Diana hung her head in the moonlit hallways in shame. She was so close, but it all just fell apart. She walked through the courtyard toward her room. She stopped halfway and took out the box and the flowers. With tears rolling down her face and shaking with fury at herself she threw down the gifts and drove her right foot through me, stomping them into the ground. Flower petals flew up in the air and chocolate stained the ground.
She wanted to face the sky and scream with all of her being. Why? Why couldn't she do it? She had all of the courage earlier, the suit had made her feel invincible. She finally had a taste of the person she wanted to be and could become. So how could she fall so far, to be defeated so shamefully and be reduced to a stuttering fool? She hated that. Akko being striped away from her like that.
She walked away from the mess she had created, her face red, wet and puffy. She couldn't go back to her room, she didn't even know what to do now. Should she go through with the plan, get the suit and still go to the ball? What was the god-damn point? She ducked behind the backside of a building and slid to the ground against the brick.
Footsteps approached her and Diana put her head down, willing them to go away.
"Diana, you can't give up like that."
Diana looked up and saw Amanda, looking her with crossed arms and a frown.
"Look, I was in the library. Yeah, I study! Don't look so surprised, I have to pass too ya know! Listen, he may have won the battle but he hasn't won the war. What? Are you just going to let him take Akko without a fight?!" Amanda demanded.
Diana rose up and looked Amanda in the eyes. In that moment a spark jumped from Amanda's eyes to Diana's.
"No… no I'm not." Diana said solidly. "But what? Do I just arrive at the ball and serenade Akko into my arms?"
"Hell, yeah! Chicks love serenading! That's how I get girls. Anything romantic like that works." Said Amanda confidently.
Diana was uncertain. Would this really work? Akko had already said yes to Andrew, so was she interested in him and not her? Plus Aunt Daryl was going to be there. Diana shuttered, that was a whole other can of worms.
"Just be confident, that's the key. No matter what anyone else says!" Amanda winking.
Amanda started walking away and turned around.
"Besides I'll be there too. I can't wait to see both of us looking kick ass in suits." Amanda said smugly.
"Wha- and just how do you know about that?" Diana said with noticeable indignation.
Amanda smirked as she rounded the side of the building. "I didn't until now."
Diana watched Amanda walk off and was left with mixed feelings. Picking herself up Diana started to her room. Was she really going to go through with this? Friday was only two days away. She just had to get the suit from the shop, on Friday put it on and head to the dance. And then "serniate" Akko. Okay, okay she could do this. She tried to remember the feeling of wearing that amazing white suit. It's green and white complementing her and the bold dynamic energy that she felt. She just hoped that it would be enough to overcome all of the obstacles that were in her way.
The thought of going up against Daryl, Andrew and the whole school made her sick and queasy. But she could opt out. She could just not pick up the suit and go to the ball in her usual attire of a shimmering dress that Hannah and Barbara helped her pick out. It was the easier way but paused her walk in the hallway.
It just didn't feel right, just giving up like that. That just wasn't who she wanted to be. She wanted to show up in that suit and show everyone who the real Diana was. That was more important than anything. To slay the false image of herself once and for all. Diana entered her room with that in mind.