A/N: Hello! I'm so so so so so so so so so so soooo sorry for not updating in so long. It's partially my fault, for being so slow with my emails to Bug for updates, but you'll be please to know that we've got plenty in store for you all soon :D So, I hope you all like this next part of the story, I know I enjoyed writing it… Well, the bits that I wrote and Big didn't, anyway…
-ScottishLaura and Caitiebug16

The next day, at break, all the classes were buzzing with excitement. Wing had apparently missed the memo.

"What is everyone so energetic for?" Wing asked his friends, looking around.

Shelby looked at him like he had suddenly sprung another head. "There's going to be a huge school dance, Wing! How did you not know? This is going to be soooo cool!"

"No more coffee for you at breakfast," Laura commented, rolling her eyes. Otto chuckled.

"Shelby's pretty excited, can you tell?"

Wing nodded, eyeing the blonde with mock concern. "Indeed. No more coffee." Shelby rolled her eyes, and Otto moved over to sit next to Laura. He pulled a permanent marker from his pencil case.
"Now that you have a cast, and it's partially my fault, I think I get the honour of signing it first. Laura smiled.
"Shelby beat you to it." She twisted to arm to the side and showed Otto Shelby's signature. Otto mocked sadness.
"Aw. You think you'd've let me sign it first." Laura smiled.
"Well, Shelby is my roomy, and she did ask first." Otto grinned.
"I know, I was just kidding." Laura smiled again. "Oh, and by the way," Otto continued. "I think I owe you a hug for being such a horrible friend last night." Laura smiled.
"I honestly don't blame you." Otto smiled, and wrapped Laura up in a gentle hug, anyway. Shelby was in front of Laura, and she swooned at the pair. Laura rolled her eyes.

Wing watched Shelby swoon dramatically with a hint of amusement. You just can't suppress a drama queen. He looked over to see what Otto thought, but his friend was hugging Laura. That feeling came over Wing again, the feeling that he was slowly disappearing from Otto's life. He knew inside it wasn't quite true, but it was still an unsettling emotion. However, his face remained expressionless as Otto and Laura broke apart.

"I can't wait!" Shelby said excitedly, literally bouncing in her chair.

"Chill out," Laura said, laughing.

"When is this dance, anyway?" Wing asked.

Otto opened his blackbox. "Friday." Wing sighed.

"And I suppose we have to dress up?" Shelby grinned.

"You got that right, big guy." Otto chuckled, but Laura didn't miss a trick.

"That means you too, Otto." His face fell as he realised what that meant. Shelby grinned. She turned to Laura.

"And you! How are we supposed to get you into a dress with that thing on?" She gestured to Laura's cast which now had a small scrawled self-portrait of Otto on it. Laura grinned.

"Blame him." She waved her arm in the direction of Otto and Wing.

"Oh, I think I just might." Laura grinned.

"How are we getting all this stuff, anyway?" Laura asked. Shelby grinned.

"I interrogated H.I.V. this morning, he said that we have a fitting this afternoon, and then we get to choose from a selection of things what we're wearing." Laura nodded. Shelby turned back to the boys' who were in a conversation about something, their backs to the girls. Shelby grinned, and pointed to them. Laura nodded. The two of them snuck towards the boys, then jumped at them. Laura wrapped one arm over Otto's eyes, her injured arm down at her side. Shelby tapped Wing on the shoulder, jumped out of his line of sight, and then wrapped her arms around his waist. Otto jumped in fright, knocking Laura to the floor. He turned around, and then hurriedly pulled her back to her feet.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" He wrapped her up in a hug, not worrying about what anyone else thought. Laura smiled, and hugged Otto back. Shelby smiled. The bell went, and the crowd dispersed. The four walked to their next class, and walked in. They sat down. Doctor Nero walked in, and the door closed behind him. He stood at the lectern at the front of the room, and began speaking.
"Any leader knows that first, you must become a good servant, or at least seem to be." Shelby began doodling in her notebook. Laura looked over to what she was drawing. It looked like a ball gown. She looked up to Shelby who seemed to be daydreaming.
"Miss Brand?" Laura looked up. "Feel free to answer my question." Laura shot a look to Otto.
"Uh," Otto scribbled something down on some paper, and slid it towards Laura. She quickly read it.
"Robert Greenleaf?" Nero raised an eyebrow.
"Correct. And next time, Mr. Malpense, I think you should let your girlfriend answer her the question on her own." Otto looked down, and Laura blushed.
"Uh, Sir. I think that was unfair." Otto called out when Nero had turned away.
"What was unfair?"
"It was my fault; you didn't have to embarrass Laura, too." Nero smiled.
"Embarrassed now, are we?" Otto frowned.
"Not so much me as Laura." Otto smiled at her. "And now that we're in this awkward position, I was just wondering if you would come to the dance as my date." The class gasped. Laura smiled.
"Of course I will!" Otto grinned. Some of the girls in the class went "Aww". Shelby leaned over to Wing.
"That was unexpected," she whispered in Wing's ear.
"I believe you mean the circumstances, not the situation." Shelby grinned.
"Got it in one, big guy." Wing smiled slightly, and they turned their attention back to the front of the room, semi-listening to Nero's lecture. Otto and Laura however, were paying next to no attention whatsoever. After class, people were shooting weird looks at Otto and Laura, who were now holding hands, but neither of them cared. Laura smiled at Wing.
"Your turn now." The four of them left, and on arriving at the dorm block, Wing pulled Shelby away from Laura and Otto. Neither of them noticed, however, they were being forced by the crowd into the dorm block. Otto and Laura separated with a smile, and Laura walked, dazed into her room.

Wing knew that there was a dance on Friday, but he never really considered himself going until Laura whispered to him,
"Your turn now." Then it occurred to him that he had to find a date. Shelby instantly appeared in his mind at the word "date", but he forced it out. She would be expecting it, most likely. He wanted to do something...well, unexpected. He just didn't know what.

"So, um," Shelby said, playing with a strand of hair from her ponytail, looking flustered. It took Wing a moment to realize she wasn't going to continue until he said something.

"Yes?"

She still wouldn't look at him. Just the ceiling. "Um, I was just wondering if you were going with anybody. You know, to the dance."

You, hopefully. He wanted to say it, but the words never left his brain. He didn't say anything.

"Sorry," She fumbled after a long silence, sounding hurt, "I have to go. Pike's lab waits for no woman."

And before Wing knew what had happened, he had lost her. He felt like an idiot as he walked to his next class. Who was he fooling? He wanted to be her date. He just didn't have the guts to ask her.

That evening in the dorm room, Otto brought it up. "So I'm going with Laura," he said cheerfully, more to himself than Wing. He turned. "Naturally, you're going with Shelby, right?"

Wing let out a sigh. "Not yet."

"Not yet?" Otto smirked, knowing exactly what held Wing up.

"Don't look so smug, Otto. Yes, not yet. I haven't asked her." Wing looked defeated.

"Come on," Otto urged, "It's not that hard."

"It's not that hard for you," Wing said, standing up to pace the dorm. "I'm not bold like you. I could never have done what you did today."

"What, asking Laura out in front of the whole class?" Otto grinned.

"Exactly. I am just not able to attempt such things." Wing sighed, and collapsed on the bottom bunk.

"But you do want to go with her, right?" Otto asked, just to make sure.

"Yes," Wing said after a pause.

"Why do you hesitate? The whole world knows you like her." Otto's grin got considerably wider. Wing sat up, a worried expression on his face.

"I'm kidding, Wing." Otto laughed. "You do a very good job of hiding it."

The next day, the four walked to their classes, Laura and Otto looking very happy, Wing expressionless as always, and Shelby brooding about something. They all knew what it was about. At last, Wing piped up.

"You all go on ahead," He said to Otto and Laura. Shelby looked up from her shoes with a hopeful face. Laura and Otto glanced at each other, smiled, and left.

"Wing?" Shelby prompted him.

"Hey, Shelby," he blushed, waiting for the words to come. Her eyes sparkled, and he knew what he had to ask.

"Shelby, would you want to come to the dance with me?"