*Chapter 31*
"Oh my User," Vanellope smiled as she met up with Taffyta and Candlehead in Sugar Rush's outlet, "Spring Break is going to be so fun."
"It's the only time wearing a bikini is deemed appropriate," Taffyta laughed.
"Seriously," Vanellope scoffed, "My skin is so pale, too."
"I can't wait to catch some sun," Candlehead added as the three hopped onto Sugar Rush's train, "Maybe surf some as well."
"Are they going to have that annual volleyball tournament?" Vanellope asked her two friends; Candlehead shrugged.
"Yes," Taffyta scoffed as she rolled her eyes, "Sonic and Tails have gone undefeated for the last four years in a row."
"Really?" Vanellope wrinkled her nose.
"I've always considered entering," Taffyta said as she hopefully looked up, "But I don't know if I'd be good enough."
"We should enter this year!" Vanellope said excitedly.
"You two have fun," Candlehead chuckled as she leaned back into her seat, "I'll be hitting the waves for the surf competition."
"I don't know," Taffyta frowned as she rubbed her chin, "Do you think we're good enough to beat Sonic and Tails? They're pretty fast."
"They may be fast," Vanellope beamed, "But we're racers. We're coded for speed. I think we should!"
"I'm not so certain," Taffyta seemed uneasy, "Being defeated in front of all those people."
"Well, if you go about it with THAT attitude," Vanellope laughed as she rolled her eyes. Everyone slowly began to mosey into Sugar Rush.
"I guess we can just check it out," Taffyta said in an uneasy voice, "I'm not feeling confident about it though."
"I just hope I don't get a sunburn like last year," Vanellope frowned as she examined her pale skin, "I fried almost immediately."
"That's because we forgot the suntan lotion last year," Candlehead chuckled, "Remember?"
"Oh right," Taffyta laughed, "We had to practically bathe Vanellope in marshmallow cream just to get her to sleep."
"That basically ruined my whole Spring Break," Vanellope scoffed.
"Well, I'm sure this one will be awesome," Taffyta smiled a knowing smile at Vanellope. Vanellope wrinkled her nose.
"Are you living vicariously through Ralph and I?" Vanellope chuckled, Taffyta nodded a little.
"Pretty much," Taffyta beamed.
"We need to get you a boyfriend," Vanellope grumbled as the three moseyed towards the castle.
"I'll catch up with you guys later," Candlehead smiled as Adorabeezle got her attention. Taffyta and Vanellope gently waved her off.
"I don't need a boyfriend," Taffyta chuckled as her and Vanellope head for their castle; the sun was close to fading away from Sugar Rush.
"But you want one," Vanellope sneered as she eyed Taffyta.
"It'd be nice," Taffyta smiled before shaking her head, "It's not really a situation I see myself in anytime soon."
"Fair enough," Vanellope breathed.
"Besides," Taffyta gave Vanellope a look, "It's more fun to watch yours and Ralph's relationship unfold."
"Taffyta, I'm so nervous," Vanellope heaved a shaky sigh as the two girls entered their castle.
"What?" Taffyta frowned, "Why?"
"I don't know, I'm kind of embarrassed to talk about it," Vanellope sighed as the two girls slowly walked down the long hallway that led to the stairwell to the downstairs kitchen.
"You can tell me anything, Vin," Taffyta said gently. The two slowly leisured into the kitchen. Vanellope took her racing vest and shoes off before sitting at the island in the kitchen. Taffyta followed suit but rummaged through the fridge for something to eat.
"I know I can," Vanellope sighed as she held her head in her hands, her elbows clumsily on the island counter, "I don't know, Taffyta, I just…I look at Ralph and I just…I want to spend all my time with him."
"Understandable," Taffyta chuckled, "He's a great guy, and he treats you well."
"He does," Vanellope whined, "He was so kind to me last night."
"I'm certain he was," Taffyta barked with a small laugh as she sat down across the island from Vanellope; she munched on a pink, frosted cupcake.
"Taffyta, for the one hundredth time, nothing…I repeat, NOTHING, happened last night. We KISSED. That's that," Vanellope said seriously, using her hands to get her point across. Taffyta inhaled sharply and rolled her eyes.
"Okay, okay! I believe you, truly," Taffyta said sincerely through chewing.
"Thank you," Vanellope sighed as she took her hair out of it's usual ponytail and began combing her fingers through her hair, taking the candy out in the process, "I fell asleep in his arms…He was so kind to me, and I have never slept so well in my life."
"That's sweet," Taffyta said sincerely as she licked her thumb clumsily.
"But now, I have this, very weird feeling, whenever I see him," Vanellope said calmly, "It's like the usual butterflies, but more intense."
"You love him," Taffyta smiled.
"Well, we both know that," Vanellope chuckled, "I just, would love to show him, just how much I love him."
"You want to take him upstairs and show him the true meaning behind 'Sugar Rush'," Taffyta chuckled with her mouth full as she covered her mouth, her face red.
"I-I just don't know if I'm ready for something like that," Vanellope sighed and rolled her eyes before she shrugged, "Well…I think my main concern is if HE'S ready for something like that. I don't want to, y-y'know, do something like that, unless we both were on the same page."
"Trust me," Taffyta basically choked as she whirled her hand around, "I'm sure he's ready."
"How can you know for sure, though?" Vanellope pleaded, "I don't want to awkwardly ask him."
"Vin," Taffyta blurted out as she put both her hands down on the counter, she gazed hard into Vanellope's eyes, "He's a guy!"
"Oh come on," Vanellope rolled her eyes.
"I'm serious, Vin," Taffyta laughed, "He's a true gentleman, and would never push you into something you weren't ready for… But whenever I'm with you two, I can practically hear the silent conversations you guys have with each other, just through eye contact and body language."
"Is it really that obvious?" Vanellope wrinkled her nose sheepishly.
"He's waiting for you to make the first move," Taffyta said gently, "He wants you to come to him when you're comfortable, because he's already there, waiting for you. Patiently. So, painfully, patiently. The poor guy is practically begging you with his eyes whenever you're not looking."
"Taff," Vanellope breathed with a chuckle, her face practically hot red, "I would love for things to move along, but I have absolutely no clue how to go about this kind of thing. I don't want to just throw myself at him."
"Even if you did that, he'd be a happy camper, I know that," Taffyta laughed, "Well, thank User we have all of Spring Break to build your confidence."
"I'm going to need it," Vanellope sighed as she shook her head, "I don't know what to do."
"Vin, you don't need a manual for this kind of thing," Taffyta smiled as she finished her cupcake, "If the moment is right, it'll just unfold, and it will be beautiful. You'll know when it's time."
"How?" Vanellope urged.
"Vin, I'm not going to sit here and spell it all out for you," Taffyta laughed, "When its right, you WILL know."
"You sure?" Vanellope wrinkled her nose, "I'm terrible with signs."
"If you're crawling all over each other, and clothes just so happens to be flying off of both of you, then there's your sign!" Taffyta barked with a laugh as she held out her hand.
"Fine, fine, fine," Vanellope hollered in an embarrassing way as her face flushed pale at the thought.
"Since we're on this topic," Taffyta smiled an evil smile, "You should milk this cow of a sticky situation for all it's worth."
"That's cruel," Vanellope scoffed before sliding her eyes back to her sister and wrinkling her nose, "How do I do that?"
"Well, first off," Taffyta waved her hand around, "There are going to be, only User knows, how many beautiful gamer girls at EZ Living?"
"So?" Vanellope furrowed her eyebrows.
"So, you want Ralph's eyes on you, and you only," Taffyta said seriously, Vanellope suddenly frowned.
"I-I didn't even think about the other girls," Vanellope said softly.
"If you don't want his eyes wandering, you have to one up them," Taffyta explained, "I'm kind of hoping this volleyball tournament will do just that."
"I don't even know if Ralph will come to it," Vanellope sighed.
"Vin, it's in the middle of the beach," Taffyta explained, "It's the largest Spring Break event in all of Litwak's Family Fun Center."
"Okay, so I'm sure he'll at least check it out, right?" Vanellope asked sheepishly.
"A lot of people go to that volleyball tournament," Taffyta chuckled, "I'm positive he'll be there. Now…I should probably go get a head start on my day long reset."
"I probably should too," Vanellope sighed as both girls stood "Thanks for everything, Taff."
"You're always welcome, sis," Taffyta smiled as both girls left the kitchen together, "Will you spill the beans if anything happens between you and Ralph?"
"I would say no, but recent events have proven that I most definitely will spill the beans," Vanellope chuckled through a sigh.
"Score," Taffyta laughed.
