Disclaimer: If I'm only capable of posting my works on a fansite, then I'm pretty sure I don't own anything.
Well, hello there, dears! No, your eyes are not deceiving you. This is actually me, making an update. (Two, technically, since chapter 11 is being posted as well.) After two very long years, I've finally managed to climb over the massive writing block I had during this chapter. And after going back to delve into my notes (which were depressingly meager notes since I apparently thought I'd remember with just some stupid keywords) I realized that half the stuff I had planned out was... ridiculous. There was honestly no need for me to leave it the way I had it planned because there was nothing I could do in the supposed sequel; it would have been utterly pointless. So, things have changed with my little plotlines, and I have more of a basis for what I want to have happen for the second half of the story~ I'm actually more excited about what I have planned out now, so hopefully it'll be easier for me to get this thing updated regularly, and hopefully you guys will enjoy it!
I honestly don't have that much to say, since I've already explained my lengthy absence (though I should probably mention college does not make for easy spare time to write). I'll answer reviews at the end, as always. And Sarah was the one who kicked my ass into gear when she was over. She's been working on editing her one story, so she made me work on mine. So you guys owe this to her, mostly. She's also the one who's helped me reform my ideas.
I can't think of what else, but I feel like I'm forgetting something... Oh~! Duh. [/smacks head] I've completely gotten rid of the original chapter five. I did not want to deal with the rewrite of a chapter that was mostly music, so feel free to think up whatever you want about the music they sang (though I doubt you'll get anywhere close to the song titles I had since I have a very diverse music taste, lol). Nearly everything I had prior to this chapter has already been edited to reflect the deletion, so if this is your first time reading, don't worry about too many discrepancies. c;
One last thing before I let you guys read: I have a Twitter account. It's the same username as my penname on here (TotallyLori), so if you want, you can follow me (but tweet/mention me to let me know who you are and that you're from here so that I'll follow you back). If I get enough people from here, I'll try to make updates on what I'm doing story-wise (since I seriously do nothing on Twitter as it is). And if you don't have an account on here, I'd even be able to tell you when I update it. But that's only if you guys want to. [/shrugs] I'm just trying to get use out of that rather useless account, lol.
Well, without further ado, let the story continue~ C:
Chapter x: Kiss Scenes Suck
"Thank you so much, Bloom. I know it's kind of last minute, but I figured there's not much else I can do. Are you sure your group will be okay with this?" Ms. Cooper queried, going from relieved to worried... again.
"I promise, Ms. Cooper. They'll probably think it's great fun that we're going separately from the rest of the cast. Probably think they're special. And Riven prefers to drive everywhere anyway," Bloom reassured the drama teacher.
Ms. Cooper sighed, nodding. "If you're sure... I mean, I've already gotten permission from administration, but I'll need parents' signatures from everyone who is going in this. I thought of your group because it's a perfect number since there are eleven extras for the third bus."
"Ms. Cooper, I'm sure it will be fine. Just calm down. You have more important things to worry about than this. And didn't you say you had something you needed to do?" Bloom queried, trying to get the woman out of panic mode.
"You're right!" Ms. Cooper exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "Thank you so much, Bloom. I really don't know what I'd do without you." With that, Ms. Cooper left, leaving Bloom in peace.
Shaking her head, Bloom turned to the computer. "Yeah, I wonder about that a lot. I don't know what you'll do when I'm not here to help..."
Thus began the redhead's search for an eleven-passenger vehicle. She had made little to no headway on it when a voice interrupted her thoughts. "Where's Ms. Cooper?"
She jumped, her head whipping around to look at the blonde. "Jesus, Sky. You scared me half to death," Bloom murmured, putting a hand over her racing heart.
Sky smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Bloom. It wasn't intentional."
"I know. But still," she replied vaguely, shrugging. "Anyway, what did you need?"
"Ms. Cooper told me to come here during the middle of last period. But she's obviously not here..." Sky answered, shifting awkwardly.
"You may as well take a seat, then," Bloom sighed, gesturing to the empty seat beside her.
Sky obliged, making himself comfortable. "So, what're you doing in here? What class are you skipping?"
Bloom laughed, glancing at him with glowing eyes. "Where have you been, Blondie? Everyone in the group knows my last period is Internship with Ms. Cooper. It's technically her plan period, but I'll help her with putting in grades and straightening up and stuff."
Sky blinked in shock. How had he not known that? And when did their whole group find out? He felt left out, but Bloom didn't allow him to sulk for long.
"And at the moment I'm looking for an automobile for eleven people. Ms. Cooper can't afford another charter bus for only eleven students, so I said our group would be okay with an alternative. It will require parent signatures, but I thought our group would enjoy it," Bloom explained.
Sky blinked again, surprised by the news. "Who all knows?"
"You. I just now found out myself, which is why I'm just now looking. I thought it best to go ahead and hunt one down, even though technically you have to be twenty-five to rent a vehicle... But so long as Riven doesn't get us pulled over, we're good," Bloom stated offhandedly as she clicked on a site link.
Sky stared at her. "So we're doing something illegal."
"Well, apparently the school board is allowing it, so if anyone gets in trouble, it will more than likely be them." She was saying all this as if it were obvious, when it was one of the craziest schemes Sky had ever heard. He was just about to comment on her nonchalance when Bloom exclaimed, "Yes! I found one!" Jumping up, she snatched up a ring of keys, picked one out easily, and turned to unlock the nearby cabinet. Sky watched, dumbfounded, as she rifled through a purse and pulled out a card. Leaving the key in the lock, she returned to the seat and started filling out the information.
"Wh-what are you doing!?" Sky choked, his eyes wide.
Bloom didn't even glance up. "I'm filling out the deposit form."
"B-but Ms. Cooper—" He stopped speaking as Bloom looked up at him, smiling. It was slightly disarming, and he found he couldn't look away.
"Sky, I think you saw just how simple that was for me. I've obviously done it frequently, and I'd been given permission to use her card when I found a decent rental car that didn't look like a van a kidnapper would drive. Calm down," she told him patiently, patting his arm before getting up and returning the card to its original place. After relocking the cabinet, she returned to her seat and glanced at Sky before laughing.
Sky felt his face flush as he muttered, "What?"
"Nothing. You just looked so cute when you thought I was doing something wrong," the redhead answered simply, shrugging.
Her sentence would have made things awkward if Ms. Cooper hadn't arrived. "Hey, good, you're still here! We have an important scene to do today, and since I knew it'd be too embarrassing during rehearsals, I thought we'd do it now, during your last periods," Ms. Cooper explained Sky's call out of class almost immediately.
"And what scene is this?" Bloom asked, and Sky could hear a note of worry in her voice.
"When Penny kisses Seaweed on live television. We need the quote and the kiss recorded for the play," Ms. Cooper answered without inflection.
Both teens glanced awkwardly at each other, and the same thought flitted through their minds: 'Shit...'
"Bloom, you're supposed to grab his face and kiss him after you say the line," Ms. Cooper sighed. "We don't have much time if you want to get this finished before rehearsal."
"I can't help it—it's awkward and... and he ate onions for lunch!" Bloom complained, grasping for anything she could as an excuse.
Sky sighed in frustration and embarrassment. "You already made me brush my teeth for ten minutes. I don't know what else I can do."
Bloom frowned at herself since the onions weren't what was bothering her. It was mostly the fact that she was trying to muster up the courage to kiss the guy she'd liked since sometime in Freshman year. It didn't even help that they were both dressed up in their costumes, either, though by all accounts that should have helped.
With a sigh Bloom chewed nervously on her lower lip before she whispered, "I'm sorry, Sky. I know this is awkward for you, too, and I'm not helping. This is just difficult for me to do consciously... if that makes any sense." She attempted a smile, but it was rather pitiful.
Sky smiled softly, reaching over and taking her hands in his. "I understand. Really, I do. But think of it this way: if we don't do it now, then we'll have to do it in front of everyone else. Keep in mind that will include Riven, Stella, and Diaspro, as well as all our other friends who would make in ten times more awkward for us on purpose. So which scenario would you prefer? This one or the one I just spoke of?" the blonde boy questioned softly and warmly.
Bloom managed to smile back, answering easily, "This one—since I have to choose." Looking at Ms. Cooper, Bloom nodded and then turned her body at a slight angle, waiting for Ms. Cooper's signal. When she received that signal, Bloom cleared her throat and then spoke her line, "I am now a checkerboard chick!" She then turned and had just pulled Sky towards her when the bell rang, startling the two teens.
And then they spoke in unison, defeat in their voices. "Damn it." (1)
"Ms. Cooper, can't we just do this in the classroom while everyone gets on with the rehearsal? Tecna can do the video and give us our cues," Bloom explained, trying to reason with the drama teacher.
Said woman sighed, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Bloom, but I cannot allow two students to be alone after school hours when they are supposed to be under my supervision."
"But if we had Tecna there, we wouldn't be alone," Sky pointed out rationally.
"Tecna is not a member of the staff at this school. It wouldn't count. And before you suggest I leave all these students in here for a few minutes, that's an even bigger 'no,' Bloom."
Bloom sighed before making on last attempt: "Can't we just do it tomorrow?"
Ms. Cooper frowned, shaking her head slowly. "I'm sorry, but I won't be here for the rest of the week. My father died, and I have to help with the funeral arrangements. He lived out of state—up in Virginia. I won't be holding any rehearsals until Monday, and that's when we need to do our full run-through. Then we'll get nitpicky, and the week after is Spring Break. We will then have all of two weeks before our first performance. So my preference would be to have this done today."
Bloom was stunned by what she'd heard, and she nodded dumbly. "Y-yeah, all right. We'll do it," she stammered. Ms. Cooper smiled slightly. "And... I'm sorry to hear that about your dad. Really."
Ms. Cooper chuckled dryly, putting a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "I know; thanks. Now come on, you two. May as well get your awkward first kiss scene in front of the cast over with, right?"
Bloom and Sky shared a glance, and the blonde murmured, "Yeah. Right..."
A few minutes later, students were assigned their tasks, and Bloom and Sky were relatively alone as Ms. Cooper set up the camera. Of course, "relatively" didn't mean anything when it involved the nine others standing around them.
"Don't you guys have something better to do?" Sky groused, shifting around awkwardly. He mainly wanted Diaspro to go away since he'd heard her disapproval in regard to this several times before.
"Not if it's what we think it is," Stella answered with a grin.
"What do we think it is?" Riven inquired gruffly, though the look on his face sure seemed like he knew.
Stella sighed exasperatedly. "The kiss scene between Penny and Seaweed on television, Riven. It has to be shot before the performance."
The expression that formed on Riven's face could only be described as murderous, and Sky felt the blood drain from his face.
"Riven, why don't you just wait in the hallway? We'll call you back in here when it's done," Bloom suggested, smiling placatingly. The burgundy-haired male muttered a few choice words but did as his sister asked and went to the door that led to the hallway. He shot Sky a dark look as he opened the door, and then he walked out. Bloom sighed softly before smiling sheepishly at Sky. "Sorry about Riven. It has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the fact that his little sister is about to kiss someone," she murmured quietly so that Sky was the only one to hear it. (2)
Sky smiled and shook his head. "It's fine," he whispered back. "Riven's actually the lesser of two evils." To him, that was true. Diaspro was not going to be fun to deal with, and he wouldn't put it past her to find some convoluted way to blame Bloom for this. He wished he knew a way to keep Diaspro from overreacting, but ever since the incident at his house, the cream blonde had been more annoying and clingy than usual. But he couldn't exactly blame her—he had been more distant these past few weeks, all because of a red-haired girl with turquoise eyes.
And now he was about to kiss her, and even though it was for a play, he knew he would be enjoying it just a bit too much. Dread settled in Sky's stomach as he turned to face Bloom. "It's too bad we don't have the option of kicking them all out," he muttered.
Bloom grinned and quirked a brow. "But then we'd miss our chance to practice not caring about having people watch us," she teased quietly.
Music suddenly blasted through the auditorium, and both Sky and Bloom jumped. It took a couple of seconds for it to dawn on them exactly what song was playing, and Bloom rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh as Sky gritted out, "Musa, I'm going to kill you."
Bloom took off toward the sound room, throwing the door open. Sure enough, the raven-haired girl was in there, but the redhead ignored Musa as she walked to the sound board and turned it off. Then, she looked at Musa. "Get your iPhone and get out, Musa," Bloom ordered tiredly. She seriously was not in the mood for this after the last hour they had basically wasted. Musa cocked her head slightly before frowning and doing what she'd been told. The redhead followed, shutting the door behind them as they walked back to the stage. "Why don't you go wait just outside with Riven? Make sure he doesn't skip out of here."
Musa looked like she wanted to protest, but she kept her mouth shut and went along with it, walking out the nearest door.
Bloom moved to stand beside Sky again, tightening one of her pigtails as they waited for Ms. Cooper's cue. A moment later, the drama teacher spoke up. "You two ready?"
"Less ready than we were about half an hour ago, but yeah—I think we're ready," Bloom answered, and Sky flashed her a grin as he nodded. Ms. Cooper held up a hand and started a countdown on her fingers, and Bloom paused for a short second before exclaiming, "I am now a checkerboard chick!" And for the umpteenth time that day, she grabbed a hold of Sky's face and pulled it towards hers. She felt her breath catch involuntarily in her throat before her lips touched his, and she briefly worried that he might have heard it. But then she felt warm lips against hers, and she honestly didn't care anymore. The kiss was mild and slightly unsure, but it sent a pleasant warmth through her that stirred up emotions she really didn't want to think about.
Sky's head was spinning and his heart was beating wildly in his chest as he felt Bloom's lips move against his. He barely suppressed a groan as something in him roared in triumph, and heat spread through him. His hands twitched as he fought the urge to pull her closer and take control, but some part of his mind was still thinking rationally, and he knew it would be a very stupid thing to do. And then she was pulling away, and he had to suppress a whimper at the loss.
As per the script, Bloom opened her eyes and finished the scene by smiling softly at him, her fingers lightly grazing his jaw as she slipped her hands from his face. She then took a step back from him and looked over at her instructor with a concerned expression. Her nerves were going absolutely haywire, and she wasn't sure she could do that again with the same amount of composure.
Ms. Cooper was grinning as she stopped the camera, and she rushed around it to pull first Bloom and then Sky into a hug (separately). "That was perfect, you two! I knew I made the right decision in casting you as these two!" she exclaimed, brimming with excitement.
They both flushed from the praise, and Bloom cleared her throat. "Thanks, Ms. Cooper. Can we, uh, change back into our normal attire now?"
Ms. Cooper nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes, of course, of course! Go on ahead—and tell Musa and Riven to get back in here, would you?"
"Yes, ma'am," Sky answered, smiling. "And thank you, ma'am." The two teens turned to hurry out of the auditorium before their friends could make any comments, but they stopped short just in the hallway. "Um, Ms. Cooper?" Sky called back into the auditorium over his shoulder. The teacher "hmm"ed as she turned around to face him. "Musa and Riven are... gone."
*roughly five minutes prior*
Musa huffed as she exited the auditorium, her azure eyes shifting down to the seated boy leaned against the wall. He quirked a brow and smirked. "They kicked you out, too?"
Musa nodded as she leaned against the wall opposite him, staying standing. "I tried playing 'Kiss the Girl' to set the mood, but Bloom didn't seem to happy about it."
It was silent for a moment before Riven answered, "She's been stressed these past two weeks." Musa snorted since that explanation was a bit lacking. "And—at risk of sounding like a woman—she's actually been really nervous about this since she finally realized she'd had a huge crush on him before this musical shit even started. That's why I haven't been very approving of what's gone on between those two. As long as Diaspro's in the picture, my little sister's gonna be hurt."
Musa kept quiet, cocking her head as she studied the older boy. He seemed genuinely worried about how this whole thing was going to end, and it was rather endearing. But he didn't need to concern himself just yet since there was always a possibility that things wouldn't end horribly. That was when when she made a split-second decision to try and distract him. Pushing off the wall, she sighed, "I'm going to assume we have about sixty seconds to book it out of here. I was told to make sure you didn't skip, but I'm not particularly interested in hanging here myself. You can stay if you want, but I'm going to get an early dinner." With a little wave, she took off in a slight jog down the hallway.
Riven contemplated the pros and cons of going with her for a couple of seconds before he jumped up and ran after her. As he rounded the corner, he came face to face with the raven-haired girl; her lips curved in a smile as she started walking backwards.
"So," she chirped, cocking her head at him inquisitively. "Where are we going?"
Riven took a moment to debate before he smirked. "Just follow me."
"I'm so excited!" Stella whispered to the five other students with her. "I can't wait to ask Bloom how it was!" She was jittery, and it was obvious she was having difficulty not jumping up and hunting the redhead down at that exact moment.
The others, however, did not share her excitement. "I don't think that's a good idea, Stella," Flora whispered back, worrying her lower lip between her teeth.
"What are you talking about, Flora? I thought you were with me on the Skloom bus!" Stella pouted. (3)
Flora frowned, fidgeting with her hands. "I am with you, Stella. But I don't think that situation was comfortable for either of them, and definitely not for Bloom. You saw how nervous she was about it."
"And don't forget that it was really supposed to be a fake kiss—it technically wasn't supposed to mean anything to them," Tecna pointed out.
Stella sighed exasperatedly. "I think all of you are missing the point."
Brandon put a hand on the blonde girl's shoulder, squeezing it lightly. "Stell, we all think you're missing the point," he murmured gently. The blonde girl frowned, her brows furrowing. "They were recorded for their first, awkward kiss—and as if that's not bad enough, it was done in front of most of their friends and Sky's actual girlfriend. Crush or not, that's not how anyone imagines their first kiss with someone, whether it's really their first kiss or not."
"You keep speaking as though Bloom has never kissed someone before," Helia murmured, somewhat curious.
"Technically, she's had her first kiss, but we don't really like to count anything prior to high school," Stella explained.
Helia looked like he didn't fully understand, but he nodded anyway.
"Whatever the case, I think it's safe to say neither Sky nor Bloom is going to be happy about this, so it's probably best we avoid the subject," Timmy summarized, and five pairs of eyes turned to Stella.
Said girl sighed and rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "All right, all right. Fine, I won't ask either of them about it."
Bloom sighed softly as she finished brushing out her hair before she dropped the brush into her bag. With a slight frown, she leaned her head down onto the desk in front of her and closed her eyes. She really didn't want to go back into the auditorium to finish up rehearsal—that would be nearly two more hours of putting up with all her friends and the other students and, of course, Diaspro. A flash of pain made her wince, and she wished she could just make it all go away—wished she could go back and avoid joining the musical at all. Granted, if she did that, she wouldn't have so many new friends. And if she were to be completely honest with herself, she enjoyed hanging out with Sky, even if just as friends. It was mainly the whole "love interest" debacle in the musical that was causing all the issues.
A soft knock had her picking her head up, and she watched as the door opened slightly. Sky's voice called out, "Bloom?" He didn't seem like he was planning on moving into the room, and she smiled to herself. He was a lot more genteel than most people gave him credit for.
"Come on in, Sky—I'm decent," she replied to his unspoken question. The door opened more, and Bloom quirked a brow as she caught sight of Sky's still mostly-brown complexion.
He cleared his throat, shuffling awkwardly, and Bloom imagined he was likely blushing. "I'm having some difficulties getting the rest of this off," he admitted, making a vague gesture towards his face. (4)
Bloom laughed softly. "Yeah, I kinda noticed. Come over here and sit down." She motioned briefly to the desk nearby before she picked up her bag and started rifling through it for her pack of Nivea make up removing wipes. She made a triumphant noise after she found them, and then she stood up, her gaze shifting to the blonde. "Move your hair for me, will you? I doubt you got it all off the back of your neck, given the state of what you could see," she teased lightly as he did as she asked and held his blonde locks off his neck. "These wipes are cold," she warned before placing it against his skin.
Sky didn't respond as he felt the wet cloth wipes rubbing gently against his skin. Part of him thought he should have asked someone else, but he wasn't ready to face any of his friends yet, and he definitely wasn't ready to deal with his girlfriend. He figured Bloom probably felt the same way, so in a way he was helping them both delay what was likely the inevitable. He huffed out a quiet sigh and closed his eyes, trying to relax even though that was highly unlikely given the fact that Bloom was cleaning the back of his neck. Come to think of it, they were both being oddly quiet, and it kind of felt wrong even though they'd just gone through a situation that had been extremely awkward for them. He opened his eyes and prepared to say something—anything, really—when he saw Bloom shift into his periphery before she moved to perch on the desk.
Sky blinked in surprise, looking up at her and feeling his face flush. He'd never be so thankful for the makeup that covered his face ever again. She certainly didn't help things when she reached up and gripped his chin softly but firmly. He felt his pulse spike, and he forced himself to breathe evenly so he didn't make the moment more awkward than it already was. Bloom seemed oblivious to how it was affecting him as she applied pressure to one side of his jaw to encourage him to turn his head. She methodically cleaned his face, tucking his hair behind his ears when it got in the way. She left his face alone from his eyes up at the moment and forced his chin up so she could finish cleaning off his neck. They were quiet the entire time, which was fine with Sky since he wasn't sure he could have spoken. It probably would have (at best) been an unintelligible croak.
After pulling lightly on his chin so he'd tilt his head back to its prior position, Bloom ordered softly, "Close your eyes."
Sky swallowed roughly and did as she asked while his heart continued to slam against his ribs as he felt her gently rubbing the make up off his eyelids. He kept them closed even as she cleaned his brow and forehead, and he clenched his hands into fists as she pushed his blonde locks back off his forehead to clean along his hairline. He dared to open one eye as she removed her hand from the top of his head. "Are you done?" he whispered hoarsely.
Bloom laughed. "Yes. Seaweed Stubbs is no more," she announced, and without warning she fixed his hair, pulling the locks free from his ears and brushing them out with her fingers. He bit back a strangled noise as her fingers accidentally grazed against his jaw and neck, and all his muscles tensed. Damn it, how did she not know what she was doing to him? "There." She sounded satisfied with her work, and she smiled at him, her eyes glowing warmly.
If she didn't move away from him in the next ten seconds, he was going to do something stupid—like kiss her until they were both senseless. He released a harsh breath at the thought, and multiple images and emotions crashed into him. "Bloom," he managed to croak out breathlessly in warning. He saw her eyes darken and her pupils dilate before she completely registered the situation, and he felt heat curling in his abdomen in response—no girl should be allowed to look at a guy like that. She suddenly darted up and halfway across the room, and he took a few deep, shaky breaths as he rubbed his face with his hands.
Bloom watched him from afar, her heart pounding and her body tingling with warmth. This situation between them was getting slightly ridiculous—she was tired of having to tiptoe around him and having to put a stop to things when they got a bit out of hand. Frowning, she walked back over to him, leaning against a desk diagonal to the one he was sitting in. "I'm sorry," she spoke softly. He raised his head to look at her in confusion. "I wasn't thinking, and that was absolutely not fair to you. I should have been paying more attention."
Sky frowned and shook his head. "It's not your fault." At the look on her face, he managed a slight smile before he amended, "Well, at least, not completely or directly. I should have said something to you. So there's no need for you to apologize." Besides, it was mostly his fault they were in this predicament. He'd actually attempted to break things off with Diaspro a few times, but it never seemed to be the right timing—and he honestly didn't want to hurt her over another girl. Of course, he needed to do something about it soon since Bloom definitely didn't deserve to go through this. Something needed to give until he could properly deal with the situation.
Bloom was silent, though the look on her face led him to believe that she wanted to argue with him. He pushed himself up from the desk into a standing position before he leaned against it. They both needed some sort of distraction. "I have an idea of something we could do since I'm sure we're both dreading the thought of going back in there to deal with everyone."
The redhead managed to smile and ask, "Oh? And what idea is that?"
"I think it's time to find out where both our relatives went because we both know they're skipping together," Sky answered.
Bloom laughed and pulled her phone out of her pocket. She dialed Musa's number and waited patiently for the raven-haired girl to pick up.
"Hello...?" An unsure greeting hit her ears, and she grinned.
"Hey, Muse. I was wondering where you and Riven ran off to so I could join the skip party."
The girl sounded surprised as she answered, "Really?" Bloom vaguely heard Riven saying something in the background but she couldn't make it out. "Well, to be honest, I'm not sure where we are. It's someplace your brother dragged me to."
Bloom immediately knew where, and she laughed softly as her gaze locked with Sky's. "I know where you are. Do you mind telling your waitress you have two more people coming?"
After having eaten dinner, the four teens split into pairs to head home. (5) Sky was driving Musa home since she was currently staying with him (again), and Riven was driving Bloom since they were going to the same house (obviously).
Musa had been quiet for about ten minutes when she finally broke the silence. "So, you and Bloom shot a kiss scene today. How did that work out for you?"
Sky scowled, muttering, "I think skipping practice should answer that for you."
Musa hummed to show she agreed, and she was quiet for a couple more minutes. "Look, there's not an easy way for me to say this, so I'm just going to come out and say it. You either need to break up with Diaspro or keep away from Bloom because what you're doing is totally unfair to her. We've been talking a lot recently, and I can't let you keep hurting her. I don't know if that kiss this afternoon has just really upset her or what, but she was looking so broken this evening that I was hurting. She's not a toy you can keep trying out until your old one breaks, Sky. Her 'batteries' can't be replaced if they get drained from being used over and over again. I know you don't want to hurt her, but... you're doing a shitty job of not doing it. So just think over your options and fix it." When Sky opened his mouth to speak, she raised a hand. "No, be quiet. I don't want to hear what you've been thinking about doing, and I don't want you to apologize to me. I just want you to make a decision and act on it."
Sky frowned, but he kept quiet as Musa had ordered. Besides, what could he say, really? That he'd been thinking about it for weeks and still felt indecisive about how to handle it? Yeah, that would go over really well.
Unfortunately for him (and maybe even slightly fortunately) the decision was already being made for him. (6)
"Riven?" Bloom called softly, poking her head inside his room.
The burgundy-haired male picked his head up and looked at her. "Yeah?"
"Can I come in? I wanted to talk to you about something." She worried her lower lip between her teeth before she saw him shrug and push himself up against his headboard. The redhead flashed a short smile before she closed the door behind her and settled comfortably on the end of his bed. "So... about this afternoon..."
Riven angled his head so he could study her. "Is this about Sky?"
Bloom smiled softly and shook her head. "No, it has nothing to do with the awkward kiss scene. Well, I guess it kind of does, but more-so what happened to you and Musa during it."
Riven sighed softly, leaning back fully against the headboard. "Bloom, we've discussed this before."
"No, we haven't. The last time I tried, you yelled and stormed out of the room, without letting me say anything about it," Bloom retorted, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at the older male.
"Fine. Talk," Riven muttered, not really in the mood to argue with his little sister.
The redhead was slightly surprised, but she continued, "So, I think it's obvious you have feelings for Musa. Don't even try to deny it to me, Riv. I'm you're little sister, and I know you too well to buy that lie anymore. Besides, she likes you, too. A lot, actually, from what I've seen, which is why I want permission to talk to her about it. I know you don't believe me when I say she does, so I'd like to see if I can explain the situation and get her to tell you. But I'm only going to encourage her if she actually has a chance to make this... thing between you two go somewhere. If you aren't going to accept it when she does tell you, then I'd like it if you would stop hanging out with her, just the two of you. It's not fair to either of you, and I will be sorely upset with you if you continue to lead Musa on and end up hurting her. Do you understand?" Riven nodded with raised eyebrows. "So—until you know for sure what you want to do, leave it alone. No more dates like the one I purposely interrupted with Sky this afternoon." With a smile, Bloom stood and stretched before starting to head to his door. "Thank you for listening to my concerns." She paused in her steps as she reached it, and looked over her shoulder back at him. "Good night, Riven. See you in the morning."
She'd already opened the door when Riven suddenly spoke up. "Bloom?" She glanced back at him to see he wasn't looking at her, and she waited patiently, the door halfway open. "You have my permission."
Sixteen years of living with Riven had helped Bloom's efficiency in quickly understanding him. She smiled warmly. "Thanks, Riv. You won't regret it!"
"Whatever. Just get out of my room," he ordered, but she could hear the grin in his voice.
She quickly retreated back to her room, grinning to herself. Now she just needed to figure out what all she should tell Musa about Riven and his experience with the first girl he'd ever loved. After all, he needed to feel like he could tell her some things on his own, at least.
With a frown, the redhead realized that this might end up being more work than she'd originally thought. But it would be worth it—Musa was probably the only girl she could trust to deal with Riven and care for him, flaws and all.
(1) Oddly enough, that is where I stopped and had no idea what to do afterwards. So yeah, I had so much more to write. [/laughs]
(2) That is a lie, as you either will find out or should have found out (if you're reading these last) since it has just about everything to do with Sky and only a little to do with the fact that his sister is kissing someone.
(3) Yes, I did use the shipping name for Sky and Bloom. (At least, it should be their ship name; I've seen that it varies sometimes.) If nothing else, it's the ship name I use for them. I just think "Skloom" has a nice ring to it~
(4) If you've forgotten, they're not supposed to be alone. Ms. Cooper didn't think that through fully when she sent them to get changed out.
(5) I saw no use in writing them eating. There was nothing significant that could have happened. [/shrugs] So I just skipped over it.
(6) You likely will have no idea what I'm talking about at all until the next chapter. This honestly wasn't planned to happen originally, but then I started talking to Sarah about how I didn't think I could stand to keep things drawn out with Bloom and Sky, so things are going to accelerate a good bit~ [/is giddy]
All righty~ That's it for this chapter's notes. I can't think of anything else to say except that you guys are probably going to be... depressed while reading the next chapter. I ended up crying when I was writing it, but I hope it doesn't disappoint you in an, "I don't really wanna continue reading this" kind of way. Sarah reassured me that she understood why I have a sad chapter, so hopefully you guys will, too.
I would like to say some things before I move onto reviews, though. I don't mean any disrespect, but I cannot write all the couples all the time, so please stop getting mad with me over it. Sarah and I warned you that it would be mainly Sky/Bloom and Musa/Riven, and I know I haven't written much MxR just yet, but it will be written. There were quite a few steps that had to be made before I could really start their moments, so just be patient. Their time will come. Skloom is just the coupling that I can write the best, honestly, so I revert to them more often than the others. That's why I tried to concentrate on certain couples in different chapters - I knew I wouldn't be able to include them all the entire way through.
One last thing before I go to the reviews (and then you can move onto the next chapter): please, please, please do not tell me what to write. I hate to sound rude, but I really can't stand it when someone tries to tell me what should be done (unless it's Sarah, but since she's the one I plan everything with, it's rather obvious I'm fine with that) in a story that I've already mostly planned out. Usually, I'm more inclined to not use the idea if someone gives it to me, unless it's just something that would fit the characters so well that I can't control myself. So, once again, please don't tell me "what [I] should do."
ME, I don't know who you are, but thank you for the review. [/smiles] I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a review, even as a guest.
SilverWolf1499, your review hardcore made my day two years ago, and it still does now when I read it. I'm glad it seems like I've kept them in character; that's all I ever really hope for in stories.
Chicken Cat, oi vey. I feel horrible. The first review you write, and it takes the author two years to update. [/is shot]
AngeliqueKat, I don't know how much more Skloom I can throw in here without having people bite my head off. [/laughs sheepishly] I can guarantee there will be more on them for a few more chapters, but once the MxR stuff begins, it should be less common for so many Skloom moments.
Musa1992, I dunno if you're still here (since this review was made so long ago, just like all these others) but if you are, I want to address something. The reason Musa and Riven are being "left out" is because... well, they don't do anything together that would be considered fluff or anything like the others. I'm finally getting to the point where I can have them begin to have their moments, but the issue was getting to this point. It's kind of hard to explain without giving stuff away, so if you're still with me, I'll try to explain more after a few things are addressed in the story. I just wanted to point out that the MxR avoidance has been intentional for plot purposes and not because I suck at writing them (which is true, but not the case). It also isn't accidental, like I just forget they're there or something along those lines - I know they're there, but they don't have much to do since neither of them wants to like the other.
DarkWinxGirl, I'm updating! xD I hope it continues to meet your expectations~
All right. I can't think of anything else to really address, and if I didn't call you out by name or reply to you, it was likely because I wasn't sure how to respond, but I would love to thank anyone and everyone who reviewed! You guys are awesome!
THE DYNAMIC DUO IS SIGNING OUT~!