The past month had been very odd for Dirk. He was participating in a play, he was considering the possibility of liking men, he was being blackmailed, and now, he was apparently going to a high school football game.

Dirk wasn't sure why, but he had never been very interested in sports. Hal and D liked a good football game well-enough, but Dirk had never seen the allure. Maybe it was because D hadn't stressed sports much when he was younger, or because he had better things to do. It had never bothered him before, but while he was standing alone in the stands surrounding his school's football field, he suddenly wished that he had had the foresight to at least look up how football was supposed to work. He didn't understand point systems, strategy, or even how the hell he was supposed to find his seat.

He had a ticket to be in here, obviously, but there wasn't a specific number on it. Did high school games not number their tickets? He was pretty sure that college and professional games did, but Dirk would not be in the least bit surprised if he was wrong.

It seemed like a better bet to just try and find his friends, but there was no one that he recognized. He looked around and sighed unhappily. Of course there wouldn't be. About half the student body was in attendance, so his chances of finding his friends were slim to none.

He was only here because Meenah had more or less pressured him into it, and he knew that Rufioh would be coming, too. It seemed like the perfect excuse to talk to him some more. Dirk wanted to be sure that he was actually Blue before he started spouting off nonsense about his undying love. Not that he was in love with Blue, of course. He just thought that it would be cool if they could meet up in real life.

He had heard that Cronus would be attending the football game, too, and Dirk almost wished that he had asked Roxy or Jane to be there with him. But he didn't want them to think something was up when he had to slip off to help Cronus out, or heaven forbids if they noticed him trying to get Cronus and Meenah together. That would be hard to explain away, especially since his dislike for Cronus was shared throughout almost the whole school.

Gradually, the area outside of the stands cleared. There were a few different food stands set up, raising money for various school clubs. Dirk couldn't imagine that it was very good. Regardless, food was food, and teenagers ate like it was their last day alive. He watched kids pass into the stands with arms full of food, and sighed. Still, no one familiar. Had he missed them? Going into the stands wouldn't help. It was crowded in there, and he didn't like the idea of being in close quarters with people his own age, or anyone at all, really.

His only saving grace was his cellphone. Looking down at his messages though, Dirk frowned.

BLUE: I dont understand why you cant simply call it football
BLUE: In your version of football you dont even use your feet! How does that make sense?
KAMINA: I don't know, dude.
KAMINA: I'll bring it up to the Americans-Against-Anything-British council the next time we're in session. We call ourselves the A3B for short. We're cool like that.
KAMINA: But I'm afraid that "saying the wrong kind of football" is going to have to go behind "not using the metric system," and "using the letter "u" as sparingly as possible." We have a schedule to keep, after all.
BLUE: :|

He didn't get it. What did ":|" mean? Was Blue only playing along with him, or was he really offended by Dirk's "British vs American" jab? It was possible that Dirk was reading too much into this but, then, why didn't Blue saying anything else? Was he distracted? Busy? Losing interest in Dirk?

"Dirk!" Someone shouted.

Normally, he didn't consider it a good thing to hear his name being shouted, but Dirk was relieved that someone he knew had spotted him. He really should have invited Roxy and met up with her before arriving, but he was only here because Meenah asked, and he suspected that Roxy didn't like Meenah much.

Speaking of which…

He turned in the direction that his name had come from, slipping his phone into his pocket and smiling when he saw Meenah running up to him. "Hey," he greeted. He was surprised to find that he had relaxed at her presence.

He may not have known Meenah for very long, but after the "incident" in her car the other night, he had started liking her more and more. Unlike everyone else in his small town, she had better things to do than worry about someone else's sexual preferences.

Meenah gave him a quick hug and pulled back, a teasing smirk on her face. "Wow, Strider. A party and a school football game? I'm startin' ta think that I might be a bad influence on ya."

Dirk rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no kidding," he agreed. "If you keep this up, I think my dad is going to give me the talk about picking good people in my life. I mean, leaving the house twice in one week? It's unheard of. Completely baffling. Unfathomable."

She elbowed him in the side, giving a playful huff. "Y'know, ya can still hold a normal conversation without multisyllabic words. What, d'ya have a pocket thesaurus in your back pocket or somethin'?" She asked.

"Or something." Dirk shrugged. He glanced around, noticing how dramatically the crowd had thinned in the short time they had been talking. "Hey, should we go find seats or something? I think that the game is about to start. I'm guessing. I have no idea how football works."

Meenah snorted. "Well, ya guessed right, wizkid. C'mon, I got Cronus to save our spots." She looped her arm through Dirk's, tugging him along.

Somehow, the knowledge that Cronus was with her didn't surprise Dirk as much as it should have. He had made a good choice getting the gay kid to be his wingman, not that it would make Meenah see Cronus as anything more than her childhood friend. It was kind of nice to see them getting along, actually. Dirk had always felt that Meenah appreciated Cronus much more when he wasn't hitting on her. Too bad he had to ruin it.

The stadium around the school football field wasn't that impressive. It was thin metal support beams and uncomfortable chairs, and it all seemed to be perpetually cold, even in the mild evening. All of the joints seemed to be covered with rust, and every creak had Dirk convinced that the entire seating arrangement was going to collapse at any moment. Despite that, every seat was taken. Dirk was reminded of the noise levels from Meenah's party as he found it increasingly difficult to hear himself think.

His gaze skimming the crowd, Dirk was surprised to find that there was someone other than Meenah that he recognized at the event. Rufioh was walking against the crowd and heading back out of the stands, most likely to get some last minute concessions before the game started. Dirk moved as if to follow him and then hesitated.

It had been a few days since the meeting with Meenah and Cronus at the café and, since then, Dirk had talked with Rufioh during school. It turned out that they shared biology and AP history together, and he was actually a pretty cool guy. Dirk had been working to build a case around whether or not Rufioh was Blue, but it hadn't been going so well. Every time he found something that might have matched up, he found something else that didn't work. He had an ex-girlfriend (many, as a matter of fact), but he agreed with Dirk that Avatar: the Last Airbender was a terrible movie. He liked to roleplay, but his favorite color was red. He tended to be a bit of a pushover (which Blue admitted to as well), but he was about as far from British as one person could get.

He had paused for long enough to get Meenah's attention. She frowned, annoyed, and looked about ready to start tugging him again when she noticed where Dirk's attention was focused. A smirk came to her face, but Dirk only pursed his lips and attempted to look indifferent. Years of living with Hal had resulted in Dirk developing the ability to sense when he was about to be made fun of.

To his surprise, Meenah only gave Dirk a playful nudge towards Rufioh. "Well?" She arched an eyebrow, hands on her hips. "What're you waitin' for, hot shot? An invitation? Go talk ta him!"

Dirk rolled his eyes, feeling his cheeks heat up as he struggled not to blush. "It's not about anything like that…" He muttered, but his comment fell on deaf ears. Meenah only gave him another pointed nudge, and Dirk begrudgingly took a step forward. He was going to lose sight of Rufioh at this rate, but he wasn't sure if this was a great idea to begin with.

"We're sittin' up there," Meenah told him, pointing up to where Dirk could just barely make out the top of Eridan's head. "You'd betta come back with his number written on your palm, or I'ma go get it myself. An' I mean it, too. Life's too short ta put up with your anxiety bullshit, Dirk. Go for it." She threw in a wink that made Dirk smile despite his numerous reservations.

No matter how he looked at it, this didn't seem like a good idea. Then again, if Rufioh really was Blue, he couldn't keep putting off asking him out. If Dirk didn't act then, eventually, someone else would.

He sighed but nodded. "Alright, fine. I'll go talk to him. But no promises about that number." He gave Meenah a playful nudge. She only smiled, waving Dirk off.

Still unconvinced but resigned to his fate, Dirk started after Rufioh. The crowd was thinning out, which helped a lot. Dirk had never been graceful, and he was particularly bad at making his way through thick crowds. One would think that going to a public high school would help with that, but those fools have clearly never met Dirk.

He heard the announcer begin to speak through the speakers, but for the life of him, Dirk had no idea what was being said. Understanding sports announcers was probably an acquired ability. He more or less got that the game was about to start though, because the people still hanging around quickly finished up whatever they were doing and started running to find their seats. Perfect. There would be no one around to witness Dirk about to humiliate himself.

Rufioh had a ten-dollar bill in his hand and was talking rapidly to the student managing the concessions stand. Dirk couldn't hear what they were saying but, evidently, it wasn't very good. They both looked annoyed and, finally, Rufioh huffed and turned away. He shoved his money back into his pocket and the student rolled his eyes before shutting the concessions window. Seeing the look on Rufioh's face, Dirk was already busy talking himself into turning around. Asking someone out when they were in a sour mood was generally not a good idea.

Before he could turn on his heel and walk away though, Rufioh's eyes slid over to Dirk. Internally, he winced. Was it a good thing or a bad thing that Rufioh smiled and waved? Either way, Dirk was now obligated by societal norms to strike up pleasant small talk.

"Oh, hey, Rufioh." Dirk waved, managing a weak smile. "Have you, um, finished up that study guide from history yet?" He mentally slapped himself. Oh, yeah, smooth, Dirk's inner monologue chastised. Why don't you just offer to suck his dick and get the social suicide over with before you manage to make it even worse?

Obviously having not picked up on Dirk's internal struggles, Rufioh gave an easy smile. "You know I haven't, doll," he said with a faint laugh that made Dirk's stomach tighten in a way that wasn't entirely unpleasant. "I know you have, though. Got the homework done before it's even handed out, right, Strider?"

Dirk only managed a nod. "Yeah," he agreed faintly. When had his mouth been so dry? "Listen, I, um, I was talking to Meenah, and—" That was a horrible way to ask someone out but, luckily, Rufioh interrupted him.

"Oh, that reminds me!" He said suddenly. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil. He scribbled something down onto it and handed the slip to Dirk. It was hard to make out thanks to Rufioh's terrible handwriting, but Dirk couldn't deny what he was looking at. A string of numbers. Despite himself, he felt his heart beating faster.

"Is this your phone number?" Dirk asked without looking up. His voice was more steady than he had expected it to be.

In truth, Dirk had no idea what to say or how to feel. His only experience with dating was marrying NPCs on The Elder Scrolls, and video games set in fantasy lands with technology barely past the stone age hadn't helped him figure out what to do when someone gave you their number.

Rufioh nodded. If he noticed Dirk's emotional turmoil, he was kind enough not to comment on it. "Yeah," he said easily. "I was hoping that you could give it to Meenah. You're here with her today, right?"

Oh.

Oh.

There was a long pause where Dirk didn't say anything. He was struggling to pull himself together and keep his emotions in check. It felt like he had experienced more feelings in the last week than he had in his entire life, and Dirk hated it. He felt embarrassed, humiliated, bitter, betrayed, angry, hopeless, and so many more things that he couldn't even begin attempting to understand. Half of his feelings didn't even make sense. He had no right to feel betrayed. Rufioh didn't owe him anything. Dirk shouldn't have felt humiliated, either. It wasn't as if someone was laughing at him. No one knew what Dirk had been hoping for except for himself and Meenah, and she wouldn't make fun of him for a little stroke of bad luck.

He took a controlled breath. "Sure, man," Dirk replied, putting the slip of paper in his pocket. "I'll get it to her. I'm sure she'd love a break from Cronus breathing down her neck, anyway." Much better. Now all Dirk had to do was keep a tight clamp on his emotions for another seventy years until he died, and everything would turn out fine.

Since Rufioh was sitting with some of his friends, he and Dirk soon said goodbye and went on their separate ways. Dirk was still struggling to piece together how he felt after their talk, but he could worry about that when he was alone in his room and aware from prying eyes.

It took him a minute to figure out where Meenah and Cronus were sitting, but after he did, he was quick to head towards them. The crowd was chattering loudly still, so Dirk assumed that the game hadn't yet started. Maybe the announcement from earlier was just to tell people to take their seats.

As he approached Cronus and Meenah, Dirk silently groaned at the look on Cronus's face. He looked so excited to just be near her, and it might have been cute when they were seven, but seeing it on the face of someone who was almost an adult made Dirk cringe. He wasn't ever going to have a steady relationship with Meenah if he kept treating her like a goddess instead of a person. Not that he was about to tell Cronus that.

Before he could take his seat, Cronus had already gotten to his feet. He said something to Meenah that Dirk couldn't make out over everyone else's talking and then grabbed Dirk by the wrist. It wasn't a painful hold, but it was obvious that Cronus was trying to be intimidating. It only made Dirk sigh. He really wasn't in the mood for any of this, blackmail be damned.

Once they were alone, Dirk didn't hesitate to pull free of Cronus's hold. A scowl on his face, he crossed his arms, fixing Cronus with a weak glare. "What is it this time?" He asked dryly. "Do you want me to give you a set of earbuds so I can feed you lines through it? That's a joke by the way, but I'm guessing that you might actually need me to do that if you can't handle a conversation with Meenah of all people." She was ridiculously easy to talk to, mostly because she did most of the talking. Maybe if things hadn't gone so poorly with Rufioh, Dirk might have attempted to be polite with Cronus, but he had absolutely no patience left.

To his credit, Cronus only rolled his eyes. "Can it, smartass," he snapped. "I can talk ta Meenah just fine. I need your help comin' up wvith vways ta ask her out. I can't just ask her, y'knowv? It's gotta be amazin' and perfect. Somethin' she can't refuse."

Dirk felt his eye twitch. If there was one specific topic that he couldn't stand at the moment, it was the subject of asking someone out. "Why are you asking me?" He asked irritably. "The closest I've ever come to dating is taking Roxy to a dance in the seventh grade as friends. Your idea is as good as mine." He shrugged.

Of course, that answer wasn't enough. Cronus groaned. "C'mon, Strider! Givwe me somethin' ta go off o'! Wvhat do girls like?" He pressed.

It was almost like Cronus was purposefully hitting the subjects that left a bitter taste in Dirk's mouth. First was asking someone out, and now he was trying to ask Dirk what girls liked. As if he would know. The topic reminded him too much of Hal pestering him just a few days prior, and Dirk still hadn't apologized for snapping at him. He was starting to doubt that he ever would.

"I don't know!" Dirk shouted. "You tell me! I think we've covered my less than stellar track record with girls already, asshat! I mean— fuck, get her attention, I don't know! A big gesture? "Go big or go home," and all of that bullshit," he said flippantly. Meenah loved attention, so she would like something attention-grabbing, right? He honestly didn't care. If it worked, Cronus got a date and left Dirk alone, and if it didn't work, then at least Dirk might get a laugh out of watching him crash and burn.

Even though he wasn't being serious, Cronus seemed to really consider his words. "A big gesture…" he mumbled. It was almost painful to watch him think. If Dirk concentrated hard enough, he could probably catch the creaking sound of the rusted wheels in Cronus's head turning.

He didn't bother sticking around. Dirk needed somewhere to sulk and, at any rate, Cronus was no longer paying him any attention. He made it up to where Meenah was sitting without another interruption.

When she saw him, Meenah started to smile, only for her happy expression to just as quickly sink into a scowl. "What did he do?" She asked as Dirk took the seat next to her. "Look, I know that I'm about as intimidatin' as a soakin' wet puppy, but just say the word and I'll stick my foot so far up his ass he'll have ta open his mouth ta tie my shoe."

Despite his bad mood, Dirk chuckled. "That's pretty kinky, Meenah," he replied with a humorless smile. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the paper Rufioh handed him. "But here, I got his number. It's for you, though. Not me." He handed her the paper without looking at her. "It makes sense. Only about ten percent of the population identifies differently from heterosexual. Statistically speaking, the odds of someone I've known for less than a week even being open to experimentation, let alone being interested in me, are slim to none."

Meenah opened her mouth to reply, but just as quickly shut it. The conversation between them dropped and they both focused their attention back on the field. Dirk was sure that she would be bringing it up later, but for the time being, he appreciated that she wasn't going to push the subject. It was neither the time nor the place for such a conversation. He had never been good at talking about his emotions.

Thankfully, the announcer came back on. Dirk still couldn't understand what was being said, but it didn't take long for the teams to come out. He didn't know the visiting team, and he only knew the home team because he happened to go to the same school. The Centennial Bulldogs vs. The Savannah Gators. Personally, Dirk felt that gators were a mascot better suited to a school in the backend of Florida, but he kept that to himself and just considered himself lucky that he went to Centennial.

Once, D had tried to explain how high school football worked to Dirk. He had said that it varied from state-to-state, but in Texas, two-a-day practices started before the school year and games started the last week of August. Teams would play eleven weeks, and playoffs began in mid-November and lasted until the end of December when state champions were crowned. It was late-November now, but Dirk had no idea how many more games there were until the state championships. That was all that Dirk remembered from D's lessons. Frankly, after that, he had started zoning out and just stared while D's lips moved endlessly for the next half-hour. High school football just wasn't high on Dirk's long list of priorities.

The teams came out onto the field to cheers from their respective fans and, even though Dirk had never been to any type of sports game before, he knew what to expect when everyone quieted down and stood up. He put his hand over his heart respectfully and, even though words didn't accompany it, it was easy to recognize the marching band playing The Star-Spangled Banner. Dirk had always enjoyed his national anthem. Even more so, he was mystified by the way it could calm an audience. He didn't hear anyone speaking as the familiar tune played.

When it finished, the audience applauded and sat back down, back to chattering excitedly about the upcoming match. Dirk expected the game to start now, but he was caught off guard when the Centennial mascot suddenly ran into the middle of the field. He spared a glance at Meenah, but she seemed just as confused as he did, focused on the events unfolding before them.

A single spotlight followed the bull mascot to the center of the football field and it was there that he came to a stop. There was a microphone clasped in his hand, and it crackled to life as he tapped on it. The crowd went quiet, watching as the mascot reached up and easily removed the fake head he was wearing. Dirk paled at the sight of him. Oh, no, he thought with mounting horror.

"What?" Meenah frowned. "What's that fuckin' idiot doin' out there? He ain't the mascot!"

Stricken, Dirk thought back to the conversation he had just finished with Cronus. What had he said, again? "Go big or go home." It was too late to stop him now. Dirk felt like he was going to be sick, but he was helpless to do anything as Cronus began to speak.

"Ladies and gents!" He began, grinning broadly up at his audience. "I knowv you're all here ta see the game, but before vwe get to the main ewvent, I vwanna talk 'bout a matter that's near-n-dear ta my heart. I'wve been thinkin' about this for years nowv, and I think it's time I finally said somethin' 'bout it." He took a deep breath, and Dirk felt his stomach drop into his shoes. "Meenah Peixes?" As if on cue, one of the spotlights turned on, bathing the petrified girl next to Dirk in bright white light. He couldn't even begin to imagine who Cronus had to bribe to pull this off. "Meenah, I'wve been in lovwe vwith ya since the sixth grade," He continued, oblivious to the paper complexion Meenah now sported as she watched on in terror. "I knowv wve'vwe had our ups 'n dowvns, but I'vwe newver felt this strongly 'bout anyone before. So, I wvas vwonderin'... wvill you be mine?"

The entire stadium was silent. No one dared to breathe. Dirk didn't so much as twitch, his eyes glued to Meenah with the rest of the audience waiting for her reaction.

Words seemed beyond her. Meenah only shook her head, mute as she jumped to her feet and darted out of sight so fast that even Dirk had no idea where she had gone. But silent or not, there was no mistaking what answer Meenah had given.

Whoever was in charge of the spotlights chose that moment to shut it off, mercifully plunging Cronus into darkness, but not before Dirk met his eyes and the pale, sickened expression on his face was burned into his memory.

Dirk couldn't bring himself to move as the crowd exploded into cruel laughter.