Branon shovelled yet another pile of stinking dragon poo into the huge wheelbarrow beside him. Unfortunately, he'd been denied access to a peg for his nose, so the smell had spent quite a while burning his nostrils. Life was, quite literally, a pile of shit, no denying it. He looked around him, breathing a sigh of relief. Almost done...oh, wait a minute. Definitely not almost done. Dragons were huge beasts, so therefore produced huge waste piles. They also lived in a huge stable block, a single stall about the size of a small castle each. He'd done about a quarter of the first one (which to be fair is quite a lot), and there were 16 more pens after this, each with an equal amount of poo. He was in for a fun night, right? As if.

"Urgh!" Sky spluttered from the doorway. "What a smell!"

"Oh really, Sky? I have to say, I didn't quite notice that, so thank you for pointing it out." Brandon said sarcastically, slopping more murky brown straw into the wheelbarrow.

Sky smirked, unclipping his cape and drooping it over his arm. "Well, if it cheers you up much, Stella's in a whole lot of trouble too."

"Yeah, she told me."

Sky looked confused. "But, when, I thought-"

"Never mind Sky." Brandon waved it away, leaning against his pitchfork.

Sky shifted about, suddenly looking uncomfortable, but at the same time, trying to hide his laughter. Brandon frowned, but chose to go back to his work, venturing further into the stinking caverns of the dragon stall. Behind him, Sky could hold back no more, and burst out laughing.

"You really haven't heard have you?" He snorted.

Rolling his eyes dramatically, Brandon demanded, "What?"

Sky continued to laugh.

"What? Sky, I'm busy, alright? I don't have time for you and your stupidness. Spit it out or get lost!"

"Well...there have been rumours..."

"Go on..."

"About you and Stella."

Brandon could feel his cheeks beginning to burn up. "I have a feeling I know what's coming next."

"And...about what you two got up to last night!" Sky could hardly talk for all the screeching he was doing. He laughed so hard that tears formed in his eyes and he could hardly breathe. "Things like, how you...you know, and then Stella did...you know what...and then how-"

"OKAY!" Brandon interrupted loudly. "I get it, Sky."

"Oh, and Riven decided to tell everyone that you got Stella pregnant." Sky added with a hoot of laughter.

"Why am I not surprised?"

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

It was getting dark now and the grounds were almost completely empty as Brandon traipsed to his room, covered in mouldy hay and dragon shit. A few of the guys from his class were sat out on one of the lawns, whistling and whooping at him as he walked by. He ignored them and headed inside and up to his dorm. When he entered, he was met with an awkward silence. Riven, Sky, Timmy and Helia were sat on the floor, looking up at him. It was so silent and innocent. Too silent and innocent.

"Alright, what's going on?" Brandon asked.

The guys exchanged suspicious glances.

"Don't think I don't know. I know you were talking about something I'm not supposed to hear. But don't sweat. I know what you did..."

"But how could you have known that we were looking through your phone?" Timmy exclaimed.

Riven poked him in the ribs, smacking his palm into his face and shaking his head. "There is no hope, Timmy. None whatsoever..."

Timmy began to blush, adjusting his glasses awkwardly.

"I didn't know." Brandon enjoyed having the upper hand. "But thanks for letting me know, mate!"

He patted Timmy on the shoulder and reached under the covers at the end of Riven's bed.

"Ah." He pulled out his cell, holding it up to them. "Thanks guys. What exactly were you looking for? To see if you had anything to hold against me about Stella? To see if we had a little chat about how amazing our sex beside the lake went?" Riven opened his mouth but Brandon held up his hand. "Don't even go there, Riven. So what did you find? Remember, I could always start something about you and Musa, Riven...about your secret meetings in Gloomy Wood?" Sky sniggered at this. "Or perhaps about you and Bloom, Sky? That time you spent the entire day and most of the night at Roccaluce Gorge?" This time no one laughed. Brandon smiled at them, and went to the bathroom door. He paused, hand on the handle, and looked back at the red faces he'd left sitting on the carpet. "Guys." He said. "Kidding." He smiled again and entered the bathroom, a long hot shower calling his name.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

"It's just so unfair!" Stella wailed, dragging herself through the corridors behind Aisha and Flora. "Detention for two weeks and I'm now gated as well! This sucks."

Stella hadn't been all too pleased when Brandon hadn't replied to her text message, after she took the risk to text him in class! With Griselda! And after all of that effort (did she mention it was for nothing) she got caught. Griselda had confiscated her phone, gated her, and lengthened her detentions by fifteen minutes. She thought she might die of boredom in that detention, listening to the old bat going on and on about discipline and how it all worked in her day, which, by the way, was like a million years ago. Thank God Almighty Aisha and Flora had been there to listen to her woes on the way up to the dorm.

"Stella!" Aisha said loudly. "Quit moaning already. I mean seriously, it's not like anyone's died. Look on the bright side."

"Please, Aisha." Stella scoffed. "What bright side is there for a gorgeous, talented young blonde who has been exiled to a stuffy boarding room for two weeks?"

"Um, maybe the fact that you are a 'gorgeous, talented young blonde?'" Flora suggested.

"I suppose I do have my looks..." Stella became suddenly distracted, whipping out a pocket mirror and pouting to herself.

Aisha and Flora just rolled their eyes at each other and carried on walking.

Suddenly, Stella snapped the mirror shut, aware that the topic of conversation had slid away from herself. "But how am I supposed to go and see Brandon?" She cried.

"If I remember correctly, he has quite a few detentions as well." Aisha pointed out.

"That's...that's a minor detail!" Stella argued. "I could have gotten him out of it."

"It's probably a good thing for Brandon that you've been gated then!" Laughed Aisha, receiving daggers from Stella. "It was a joke, Stel! Lighten up already."

"Oh, I don't think anything will ever be light again!" She sighed dramatically.

Flora linked her arm through Stella's. "C'mon, Stella. It's only two weeks. You're not missing anything important."

"Only two weeks?!" Stella was exasperated. " Oh Flora. Sweet, innocent little Flora. When are you going to learn?"

Approaching the door to their room, Musa popped her head around the door. "What happened? We could hear Stella's complaining all the way up here!"

"Shut up, Musa!" Stella shot, flouncing into the room and throwing herself onto the sofa, hand to her forehead.

Musa glanced at Flora quizzically, and she shook her head in warning. Stella wasn't exactly in the mood for jokes.

"Ugh, you're such a drama queen, Stel." Aisha walked past them all and into her room, rolling her eyes at the melodramatic blonde sprawled across the sofa.

Stella sat bolt upright. "Oh no!" She exclaimed, making her roommates jump. "I'm going to miss the social highlight of the entire year!"

Flora and Musa bit their lips. There was nothing they could say to make this one any better. Stella, dare they say it, was right on this occasion. She would still be gated on the night of the Alfea Redfountain mixer, the night of the Summer Ball. This was the perfect chance to get away from the stress of classes, enjoy some dancing and music, and (most importantly) meet up with the gorgeous specialists that would be there. For Stella, this meant that the perfect opportunity to get even closer to Brandon would be missed. Not good.

"Hey guys!" Bloom called, poking her head round the door of her and Flora's dorm, holding a gold envelope in her hand. "I just got an invitation from Sky! He invited me to the dance!"

Musa shook her head frantically, holding up both her hands to shut Bloom up, but it was too late. A loud moan erupted from Stella, whose face was buried in the cushions.

"Bloom will be going with Sky, Flora with Helia, you with Riven, Musa...and what about me? I'll be here, fricking gated for the weekend!"

No one said anything. They didn't know what to say. Stella really wasn't having the best of days. A ringing from Bloom's room disrupted the silence.

"Tecna!" Bloom cried, disappearing through the door, followed by the rest of the Winx.

Answering the phone, a hologram of Tecna materialised in front of them.

"Hi guys!" Tecna greeted, waving.

"How's it going?" Flora jumped straight in.

"I can't wait to hear all about it!" Musa added.

Tecna frowned. "Well, it's tougher than I thought it would be. Even for the fairy of technology, the Academy of Techno-magic and Logic is seriously difficult. My brain can't take it!"

"Well, you can't of expected it to be a walk in the park." Bloom pointed out.

"Life never is!" Stella moaned from the next room.

Tecna looked at the girls. "Is Stella...okay?"

"Don't even ask." Musa told her.

"Wouldn't dare." Concluded Tecna. "But, I am enjoying it all. It's a new experience after all. I just hope I can get the grades everyone expects me to get."

"Don't sweat, Tecna. You'll do great. Just try your best to get the grades you want to get. The grades you expect from yourself." Flora soothed.

"I hope your right." Tecna bit her lip, and a sudden shout could be heard in the distance on Tecna's side. "Oh, that's Kim, we're going out to get some of our Number Crunching done before the evening classes start. Sorry girls, gotta go. I'll talk to you soon?"

"We'll be waiting Tecna." Bloom smiled.

"Bye!" Musa and Flora waved.

Tecna waved back, before cutting the connection. They all sat in silence.

"Do you think she's happy?" Flora asked. "I'm worried."

"She just needs to settle in." Musa assured them, more to herself than anything.

"Did I miss her?" Aisha called out.

"Only just." Bloom replied.

Aisha emerged from her room, suddenly all glammed up. She wore a pair of short denim shorts with a yellow ribbon with bluey polka dots used as a belt and a red blouse that had the first few buttons undone and was tied above her belly button. Curly brown hair had been tamed as much as possible, pulled back straight along her head, before falling wild from her high ponytail. She used a compact mirror to check her eyeliner, mascara, and rouged lips, stroking her long eyelashes with a perfectly shaped, maroon nail. She was also a good few inches taller, due to the glossy black heels that clopped along the hard floor of the dorm.

Musa whistled at her. "And, where is our glamour girl off to, hmm?"

Stella sat up quickly. "Um, excuse me? I thought I was the glamour girl?

"Sorry, Stel, I think Aisha beat you this time." Laughed Bloom.

"Oh shut up." Aisha silenced them all. "I'm only going out on the town for a bit. Is it not normal for a girl to get dressed up when she's going out in public?"

"Well yeah, to a certain extent. But there is no way our sensible Aisha would dress herself up that much just to go into town." Musa argued. "C'mon. Spill it! Who's the new guy in town?"

She hesitated, blushing slightly. "It's Jason!" She suddenly squealed. "Jason asked me if I wanted to catch a bite to eat with him this evening! Me! He asked me!"

The other girls all screamed with her. Jason just so happened to be one of the best looking guys at Redfountain; fit, with olive skin and dark floppy hair. And those eyes? Wow. Melty brown, that could burn straight through you. His smile was the best though. It lit up his face completely, defining his handsome features and adding to them with those pearly whites. Jason's voice could turn anyone on any day too. Deep and rich, with that soft glowing edge to it. To sum everything up, drop dead gorgeous. Of course the girls had a right to squeal.

"Steady on Musa, don't let Riven hear you screaming like that over someone who is so obviously competition." Aisha winked.

"Oh don't even get me started on that boy's jealousy." Musa groaned. "I can hardly even talk to another guy without him stressing out over it. I swear one time he actually thought I was on it with Sky! Seriously? Sky? No offence Bloom." She added hastily, winking at Bloom.

"Maybe he's gonna invite you to the ball!" Flora exclaimed to Aisha suddenly.

"Shhh!" Bloom hissed.

Now it was Flora's turn to blush. She slowly turned around to Stella, who was turning a deeper shade of angry red by the second. "Oh, yes. Everybody go to the ball! I'll just stay here. On my own. Such fun!" She stormed into her room, slamming the door violently behind her.

"Well that was a bit of an overreaction." Musa said bluntly.

Aisha glanced quickly at her watch. "Well, good luck with Stella, guys. I've gotta go." She hurried away.

"Good luck!" Bloom called after her.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Stella collapsed onto her bed, picking up her cell and typing furiously.

Brandon, I need need need 2 c u! My life's the worst :'( I know we r in trouble, but it will b quick. Plz?

She sent the text and waited. There was nothing to do. She checked her mail. Nothing new there. She checked her texts. Nothing new there either. She went back to her mail. Still an empty inbox. Then back to her messages. Another empty inbox. Could things get any more boring? She thought not. The sudden bleep from her phone was so exciting she scrabbled into a sitting position and fumbled around with the lock screen, going straight to her inbox.

Call now to receive free updates about your monthly phone bill. Never go over another limit!

Wow. If that was the most interesting text she could get, something was seriously wrong. She was going to end up like one of those boring, lonely middle aged women, who couldn't get a man to save their lives. Whose lives were actually so sad, their fricking wheelie bins went out more often than they did. Stella felt like crying. That was not how she planned for her life to turn out.

Brandon! Where r u?!

She sent him another text, even though she knew it was a waste of time. Everyone was ignoring her. That wasn't right. Something had to be done. She frowned, trying to figure out a way to get out of Alfea. Then it her. She crossed her fingers above her head, and said, as quietly as possible, Magic Winx!

The warm rush of air that signalled the start of transformation washed over her. Her hair flew back, and settled in two pigtails. Pure energy spiralled around her, and her shoulders tingled as her wings sprouted from them. It left a tingling sensation prickling her skin when it was over. Transforming was one of those feel good experiences, and it left her breathless every time. Leaving her room and standing on the balcony in the fading evening light, she looked out at the Alfea courtyard. Which direction would be the best to take and not get caught? The grounds were teeming with students and the occasional professor. There was no way she would make that one. She looked in every direction possible to go in. Then, slowly, another dawned on her. She had enough time before complete darkness kicked in. She could afford to take a minor detour. Before anything, or anyone, could change her mind, with a flutter of her wings, she shot straight up into the golden and red sky. Straight up and over. She'd be so high, no one would be able to tell it was her flying over the college. Zooming over the walls she headed for Red Fountain. Brandon was gonna be so happy to see her, she just knew it. She could feel it...

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Brandon could hardly see through the steam in the bathroom. His skin had a red glow to it from the hot water. A shower had never been so welcome before. He wrapped a towel around his waist, opening a window and switching off the light. Unlocking the door and grabbing his phone from the shelf, he returned to the dorm. He wiped the phone on his towel, seriously beginning to regret bringing it into the bathroom with him. The others were now sitting on their beds, watching the TV. No one even looked round when he came out.

"Um...bathroom's free." He said.

"Oh, yeah." Timmy realised, awkwardly picking up a towel and shuffling past Brandon into the swirling mists.

"You guys okay?" Brandon tried again.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, we're fine Brandon." Sky replied.

"I'm not mad you know. About the whole phone incident. You're just a bunch of idiots looking for a laugh."

Riven turned around. "Thanks, means a lot."

Brandon held up his hands in defence. "I would have done the same! That's all I'm saying."

Sky smiled. "I'll remember that the next time I plan on leaving my phone anywhere unattended."

"Ha ha." Brandon teased, puling on a loose pair of jeans and a white tank top. "Jeez, it's boiling in here." He stated, stretching his arms back over his head. "Do any of you know what a window is?"

"Well, you did just spend about an hour in the shower." Helia pointed out. "We've been sat around on our butts doing nothing."

"Well aren't you the lucky ones?" Brandon said sarcastically. "Ugh, I'm going to sit outside for a bit, cool down."

"Good riddance." Riven mumbled, craning his neck to get a better view of the TV as Brandon walked past.

"Love you too Riven!" He called over his shoulder, opening the door out onto the balcony and closing it behind him.

The warm night air wrapped around him, the gentle breeze washing over him. He sat down on one of two chairs they kept out there, enjoying the subtle scent of pine trees from the surrounding forest. He was in for another long day tomorrow, when the dragons had been in all night and been given plenty of time to go to the toilet. He lay back into the chair, looking up at the undisturbed sky, sparkling with millions of stars. Just last night he'd been looking at those same stars with star girl herself. Well, no more of that. For a while at least. Speaking of star girl, how in the hell was he going to break the news that he would be...unavailable to take her to the summer ball? How would he tell her that, instead of waltzing under a midnight summer sky to the most beautifully romantic song ever to exist, he would be stuck at Redfountain, mucking out stalls? More like mucking out mansions pretending to be stalls. To be honest, he didn't exactly love attending the ball. He never had. Just a bunch of lovesick fairies drooling over equally bashful specialists. But even Brandon had to admit that if everything went smoothly, it could be the right place and the right time to make a move, to fall in love...or in his case, to fall deeper in love. He had probably never enjoyed it before, because he didn't have that someone to enjoy it with. None of the girls had ever caught his attention. He'd been crushed on, yes. I mean seriously, who wouldn't crush on a handsome, charming guy such as himself? But no one had ever held his attention like Stella. When he first laid eyes on her, he thought she was just another pretty girl, looking for a rich boyfriend. But as he got to know her? Well, things changed. He realised she was sweet and sensitive, with a bubbly fun exterior. Yes, she loved herself, but really, she loved the people around her more. She's always been strong, always known what she wanted, and never been afraid to chase her dreams, no matter what it takes. He had learned a lot from her, and knew there were still many more valuable lessons to learn. They brought out the best in each other, and would do anything for the other one. For them, love always found a way, and no one could tap into their perfect world. But, Stella was somewhat of a hopeless romantic and a bit of a drama queen. Not being able to attend the ball with him...would freak her out, to say the least. Well, she'd probably scream in his face, cry over it, and never, ever let it go. There'd be tantrums, hissy fits, and a grudge to last until at least the end of the month. This was going to be a fun new experience for him. Number one rule when becoming a boyfriend: whatever you do, do not upset your girlfriend. Never mind angering her beyond belief. He continued to stare at the stars, unblinking, stars becoming little white blobs as his eyes unfocused themselves. However, a flash of movement caught his eye. He blinked furiously, eyes watering. He wiped at them and cast his watchful eye over the dazzling night sky. A shadow flitted past his vision. There it was again. Whatever it was, it seemed to be...looking for something. Suddenly, it changed direction. Instead of moving backwards and forwards across the sky, it was now growing in size as it slowly but surely headed towards him. What on earth was it? It was completely undefinable, just a blobby shadow, flying closer and closer. On guard suddenly, Brandon stood, reflexes causing him to reach to his waist and search for the hilt of his sword. His fingers grasped empty air. He wasn't in his uniform, and he hardly expected battle here in the school grounds. There had been that one incident with the Army of Decay, but that had taken place in the courtyard, not round the back of the school on his dorm's balcony. The shadow was beginning to take shape now. It was definitely a person. Okay, a flying person. Fairy? Or witch? He reached behind him, picking up the chair and folding it. He stood there, poised to swing the chair behind his shoulder and whack the intruder full force. As the shape came ever closer, he raised his weapon, heart pounding. Then, the shape began to glow. A soft yellow light surrounded it, and slowly began to light up the shadows it was wrapped in. Waves of blonde hair spiralled out into the night, held together in two long pigtails. A beaming face was revealed, and a hand waved at him. Brandon let out a sigh of relief and lowered the chair back to the floor.

"Stella!" He hissed. "What the hell is this?"

"A surprise visit." She replied, touching down in front of him and running towards him, arms outstretched.

"If we get caught we're screwed. You know that right?" Brandon scolded, grabbing her wrists before she wrapped herself around him.

"Oh calm down, you know you've missed me." She grinned cheekily, pulling herself from his grip.

"Stella, look, I'm in enough trouble as it is..."

"So am I! But that didn't stop me flying all the way over here just to see you."

"You better have a good reason for being here." Brandon warned. "Has something serious happened? Something important? Something that will change my life if I hear it right now? Something that is so life changing and important it can't wait?"

"Alright alright, enough with the sarcasm already." Sighed Stella, rolling her eyes. "And actually, yes it is important."

"What is it?" Asked Brandon, suddenly concerned. "Is everything okay?"

"No!" She wailed. "No it's not okay!"

Brandon draped an arm around her. "Hey...hey, it's alright. Just calm down Stel. What's up?"

"What's up is that I'm gated!" She cried. "I'm gated for the next two weeks, and you know what's coming up in the next two weeks?"

Brandon had almost completely lost interest. He'd thought it was something really bad, but trust Stella to have a panic attack over being gated. She brings it on herself, and really doesn't seem to realise. That was the most annoying thing. "Surprise me."

"The Summer Ball Brandon! The Summer Ball!"

"Really? Shock horror."

"It is 'shock horror'! It's the biggest 'shock horror' of the century!" Stella said defensively.

"I wouldn't be too upset if I were you." Brandon pointed out. "You just did the thing I was dreading. You broke the news to yourself."

"What news?" Stella was confused.

"That you can't go to the ball, your highness." He smiled. "Remember, you're not the only one in trouble. I wont be able to leave Redfountain either. I was so worried how you'd react when I told you I can't go to the ball, but you can't either, so no worries, right?"

"No worries? Oh Brandon! If only that were true! You have no idea how much I wanted to go to that ball with you! Everyone else is going, whilst I'll be stuck in the boarding room, with only myself for company. All I ask is for one night, but no, they can't even-"

Brandon silenced her with a kiss. She seemed shocked at first, but slowly fell into it, relaxing in his arms. When they broke apart, Stella's cheeks were flushed and she looked at her feet.

"I suppose that's one way to shut me up." She murmured. "You should do that more often. It sure works"

Brandon laughed. "Begging for kisses now? That's a new low even for you, your highness."

Stella smiled. "You really need to stop calling me that."

"Her highness doesn't like it?" Brandon held his hand to his chest in mock surprise and shock.

"No, she doesn't...well..." She replied, winking at him.

"I am really sorry about the ball though." Brandon was suddenly sincere again. "After all, what guy doesn't dream of taking his girl to a dance? Especially when his girl happens to be like you, Stella."

"Ha, as if you'd find another girl like me." Stella scoffed.

"Well that's just it. I don't think I will."

They stood there beneath the stars, arms wrapped around each other. Stella leaned her head on his shoulder, and their fingers interlocked. Looking out over the vast forest that surrounded the school, it was as though they were the only people left. Like no one else existed. So they couldn't go to the ball. But why did they want to? So that they could share a beautiful romantic moment that would bring them closer together and strengthen their relationship? Well, what were they doing now? So that they could have a moment they could remember forever? They had this moment to remember. It was guaranteed that the week after the ball, every couple that went would be buzzing about a first kiss, a first dance, that special moment when they felt as though they were the only two people that mattered in the whole universe, that special time when they got to know each other so much deeper and became close as close can be. All at the beautiful ball in the Alfea courtyard beneath the fairy lights and the star filled sky. But Brandon felt safe enough to bet that not one of them could say their moment happened on a Redfountain balcony, during a spontaneous and rebellious meeting that not a single soul knew of, beneath the cover of starlight and looking out over the deep forest that was alight with moonlight. How many couples could say that? Only them. That made this even more special. The ball would be there next year. The same thing would probably happen again. But this was called living in the moment, and it was a moment never to be forgotten. It wasn't overly romantic or special, it was just them being together, and being in love, that brought all the pieces together in the most perfect of ways.

Behind them suddenly, the door clicked. Both jumped, and Stella looked terrified at the thought of being caught doing something she really shouldn't be doing. Again.

"Hey, Brandon, I was wondering if you've seen my-" Sky cut himself short as he saw the blonde fairy out on his balcony with Brandon, looking equally as shocked as he was. "Ohh...awkward..."

"Sky, what do you want?" Brandon asked impatiently, glad of the darkness that hid how red his face was burning.

"No no, don't mind me." Sky excused himself, shuffling backwards and pulling the door with him. He waved his hands around in front of his face. "I didn't see anything..."

Then he pulled the door shut and a few sniggers could be heard from inside the room. Brandon smacked a hand to his forehead.

"Well, I'm never gonna hear the end of that one either."

"You guys are nuts." Stella shook her head in amazement. "It is beyond me how stupid the opposite sex can be..."

Brandon nudged her in the side, and she smiled up at him. Then awkwardness washed over them both and they stood there, a little way apart from each other looking at the floor, listening to the laughter and wolf whistles from the room as their faces burned redder and redder.