Chapter 4 – It's Good to be Gloyd

"Aren't 'cha gonna get in the pool at all, Taffy?" Candlehead asked hopefully. She was back in the cola, which meant she was back in her donut inner tube and water wings. "The cola is great!"

Taffyta lifted her sunglasses and looked down at Candlehead with a great look of disinterest. For the last three hours, she had been lounging in her chair with her sun-tanning wrapper held out to capture the rays needed for what she must have been thinking was the perfect tan, when in reality, her skin had not changed by a single pixel.

"Not in this weather, Candi," she said firmly.

Candlehead tilted her head, her candle still glowing. "But it's so hot out. And it's summer vacation time! It's the perfect weather for swimming!"

"No. It's the perfect weather for a tan, you mean."

Early evening was slowly crawling in, and as per the in-game clock, the lemon sun was starting to set, painting the virtual sky in a gentle yellow-orange cover. Taffyta was not deterred, for she was still intent on soaking up every last ray possible.

Nearby, Crumbelina sat on her dark brown beach towel dotted with a cream-white drizzle and gold spots. Her honey-amber eyes gazed longingly at the orange-cheeked boy at the far side of the pool; he was just sitting there, legs dangling into the pool with almost as little movement as Taffyta. He hadn't seemed to notice the girl looking across to him, wishing he would.

"I thought you said he would talk to me, Van," she said, hugging her knees.

Next to her, stretched out on their own towels and sunning themselves were Vanellope, Snowanna, and Jubileena. Had Taffyta's ongoing day-long mission of capturing the perfect tan finally persuaded them to try this pointless effort out for themselves? No. They were just trying to dry off following the aftermath of Swizzle and Torvald's surprise attacks. Crumbelina had somehow managed to evade the cola frenzy, for her hair was still quite dry.

"That was the plan," said Vanellope with a frown, squeezing excess cola out of her ponytail. "I guess he missed the part where I told him not to think for too long."

Jubileena, meanwhile, was looking lost in a happy daze. She sympathized with Crumbelina's plight of course, but business concerning romance always put her in a giddy trance. Adorabeezle had coined the term as 'Cuteness Overload'. Her eyes kept darting back and forth to Crumbelina, Gloyd, then Crumbelina again as if trying to picture the two finally sitting right next to each other.

Snowanna did not share Jubi's dreamy state. Sitting up straight now, she narrowed her purple eyes. Although she and Gloyd were friends now, she couldn't help but feel just a little disgusted by the way he was unintentionally making her best friend feel. "Ya want me to try and talk some sense into him, Lina?"

"No," Crumbelina answered. "I'm going to talk to him. I'm tired of waiting."

She kicked off her sandals, took off her visor, and untied the wrap skirt from her waist, revealing simple bikini bottoms. "Girls, do me a favour if you don't mind," she told her friends, "please just give us some space. I know he won't appreciate having an audience."

Jubileena blinked when Snowanna snapped her fingers in front of the red racer's dazzled face. "You heard, Lina, right Jubi?" she warned. "That means no photography, flash or not."

The cherry racer smile disappeared. "Oh okay," she sighed.

"We got ya' covered," Vanellope said confidently. "It's secret-weapon time." She clapped her hands loudly twice. Right away, a large section of pink wafer deck directly in front of DJ Waferhead's station spun inward to reveal a glowing crystalized sugar square platform underneath. More items spontaneously popped out of the ground including bright stage lights, a microphone, and a rotating disco ball that hovered over the setup and cast glittery sparkles all about. With a ZOOP of pixels, Vanellope glitched herself over in a flash and grabbed the microphone.

"Alright, my chewy chums!" she hollered for the whole party to hear. "Shimmy your booty over here for the most insane dance-off that this side of the Whack-A-Mole has ever seen! Be the first to prove that YOU got the skills and sweetness to put those Dance Dance Revolution teens to shame!"

With the magic words spoken and challenge accepted by many, there was a great shuffle of movement and noise as Waferhead fired up a new funky tune and the racers dashed over to get the competition started.

"You in, Taff?" Vanellope called to Taffyta.

"Hard-candy pass!" came Taffyta's response.

Snowanna waited for Jubileena to depart. "We got'cha back, girl," she whispered, patting Crumbelina. "And if he's still makin' you feel low by sundown, permission for me to shake the jellybeans out of him?"

Crumbelina smiled. "No, Anna, we'll be perfectly fine. Just hold these for me," she said, reaching to the sides of her head and pulling off the ties that held her buns up. Liberated from their restraints, her hair fell gracefully down her back in weaving curls.

Gloyd was sitting along the pink wafer edge of the pool's deep end, letting the cola lap at his legs. Following Vanellope's talk, he had come out of hiding…and that was as far as he had gotten. Now he was trying to figure how to approach Crumbelina after giving her the cold shoulder all day. Knowing he had upset her didn't make this any easier.

Only vaguely registering the sounds of Vanellope's hidden dance floor deploying out of the ground and the stampede of racers as they left the pool to show off their mad skills, Gloyd stared at his reflection in the blue liquid, which was now tinted in strong wisps of orange from the changing sky. A dark form slowly appeared within his field of vision, moving closer and closer to him. Before Gloyd could begin to question why Vanellope kept gummy sharks in her pool, there was a gentle burst of cola as the head of a very wet-looking Crumbelina appeared. Gloyd's mind froze as she sent her long hair back in one graceful flick and let out a gasp of breath before turning to him.

The stunned look plastered on his face was always worth her grand entrances that she could not resist throwing upon him.

"Boo," she said with a playful smile.

"Hi," was all Gloyd could think of saying.

"Did I scare you?" she teased.

He straightened his posture and tried to sound confident. "You don't scare me."

Crumbelina hoisted herself out of the cola and sat right next to him, ready to grab him if he tried to escape again. Gloyd, however, was quite trapped in place, for he could not help but stare.

Play it cool, Gloyd, play it cool, he told himself on repeat. Just play it cool.

It was hard to play it cool, for he had never seen her wet before. The dazzling sunlight reflected off her beaded skin, giving her quite the glowing effect that was just so appealing, his eyes couldn't leave sight of her. Coupled with her wearing a very pretty bikini that exposed much of her skin, the whole image was making Gloyd feel quite giddy. She had let her hair down before him several times and he had found that to be plenty enough eye-candy, but he was used to seeing elegant, fluffy curls that framed her face perfectly. Now her hair hung heavily in soaked dark brown clumps down her back and shoulders in the messiest way possible, her two gold streaks askew, and all with a bright shine from the cola that dripped liberally from every end it could find to escape. His mind felt clouded in a wad of cotton candy as he took in this new look. The Lina he knew would never allow her hair to go erratic like this. Guess rules change when cola is involved.

In fact, she looked so different that he found it hard to believe this really was Crumbelina. But that bewilderment was corrected when she looked at him straight in the eye. Those were 100% her honey-amber eyes looking into his. He knew those eyes anywhere.

"How come you're not over there dancing your pants off?" she asked, nodding towards the rowdy dance competition that Snowanna was currently leading off.

The sound of her voice also helped to confirm that this was her. "Don't feel like it," he answered. "Why aren't you over there? You love dancing."

"I find it hard to dance when I'm feeling lonely," she said, hanging her lip in a mopey pout. "You've been avoiding me."

He looked down at his feet. "Sorry."

"Pumpkin Pie, what's the matter?" Crumbelina asked him, touching his arm. Her voice was gentle, but Gloyd could detect the shimmer of desperation. This was the voice she used when coaxing him for a straight answer.

"Was it the bikini? It was a bit much, wasn't it? I just…thought you might like this one…" she mumbled in a thoroughly disappointed voice. "I'm sorry if I was pushing you too far – "

These next statements from her seemed to snap his brain awake. The posh and proper Crumbelina Dicaramello took pride in her specially-coded fashion sense and never questioned it. The realization that he was making her doubt her special talent like this jumpstarted Gloyd into talking. Or at least try to.

"I didn't mean to avoid you on purpose, Lina," he said quickly. "But seeing you kinda reminds me of what I can't do anymore."

Crumbelina looked at him in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

He shrugged. "I mean…I can't really…have my usual fun like I used to now…"

Trying to confess in tiny chunks of dialogue wasn't helping at all. Gloyd kicked at the cola in frustration and heaved a deep exasperated sigh. He then shifted himself around to face her better.

"Lina, you know what I always like to do whenever Vanellope invites us over for pool parties, right?"

Crumbelina nodded. "Mm-hmm. You and Swizzle attack us with cola guns, you hide a gummy worm under someone's towel, you slip something into the punch, and you somehow always manage to toss at least one girl into the pool."

"Yeah. Fun stuff, right?" Gloyd said with a roguish grin that disappeared as fast as it had appeared. "But…I can't do any of that anymore."

"Why not?"

He looked away, wishing he didn't have to explain this. Why couldn't she understand his predicament? "Because…'cuz you and I are together now. I don't want to embarrass you."

This made Crumbelina blink once and stare at him for almost half a minute as Swizzle displayed his new break-dancing routine on the other side of the pool that she missed entirely, instead having her full attention on the boy sitting beside her.

"Wait a minute, Gloyd. Are you saying…you're depressed because you can't indulge in your old fun? Because you're worried you'll upset me?"

Gloyd looked at her. "Well…yeah. Wouldn't you be upset to be seen with someone who does all that?"

"No," said Crumbelina immediately, feeling quite shocked as the truth behind Gloyd's downed state finally appeared before her. "Gloyd, why in TobiKomi would you think that? I would never reject you because of the things you love."

"You wouldn't?"

"Of course not, you idiot," she said, trying to sound serious, but finding herself unable to hold back the sudden wave of affection swirling through her over what she was hearing from him. "Gloyd, I would never ever want you to give up what you treasure most. I don't want you to change who you are. You want to know why?"

Gloyd stared. "Why?"

"Because you're a wonderful boy who has done so much to improve himself. I know this is true because I've seen who you really are inside. Even before we got together, I got to see the real you."

Her words were visibly perking up the boy, but he still looked wary. "When we first met, you said I should try to change myself."

"Yes, because you weren't trying to reach out to anyone except within your tiny circle," Crumbelina replied, brushing some of her wet hair past her ear. "Back then, you were so focused on your pranking sprees and practical jokes that you weren't making time for anyone or anything else. And it made you lonely and insecure."

"And now look where you are," she went on with a little smile. "You're friends to everyone here. And you took the time to help me when I needed it. And now we're together. Your life is so much better, Pumpkin Pie. All because you found a way to include a social life alongside the one you already had. There's a difference between 'changing' your life and 'improving' your life. Do you understand?"

Gloyd fell silent. Although the music from the dance-off was loud and alive with jazzy beats, all he could see and hear right now was Crumbelina. Her virtual skin still wet with cola seemed to glisten brilliantly in the orange sunlight. She was so close to him that he could count every blue droplet on her long eyelashes.

"So…so you're okay with me pullin' party pranks?" he asked just to be completely sure.

"Do you miss it?" Crumbelina challenged.

"Yeah. A lot."

"Then I'm okay with it," she hummed simply. "It's your special talent. You're coded to fool around and prank your friends to get us to laugh. And you know it's not in your code to want to hurt anyone with them, so I don't worry at all. Most importantly, they make you happy. Why would I hold you back from that?"

Crumbelina took hold of Gloyd's hand. "And if you think that I won't accept you because of what you love doing…then you're wrong," she said. "I accept everything about you. And that includes the pranks. All those Gloyd-things that only you can do. All of that bundled in one beautiful package…it's why I love you."

Both kids blushed when she said that, but it made Gloyd feel immensely better. Remembering Vanellope's words from earlier, he tightened the grip around her hand.

"Well, y'know all those Lina-things that only you can do? I guess...that's why I love you."

His free hand gently brushed a wet lock of brown and gold hair away from her face, grazing her cheek as he did. Lina smiled pleasantly at the touch. "I want you to enjoy this party while it lasts, Pumpkin Pie," she said, rubbing her thumb against his fingers. "And I want you to enjoy it with me. I want you to be free with no more feeling that you have to stop doing what you love for my sake. It makes you depressed, and that makes me sad. I know you want to make sure I'm always happy. But I want to make sure you're always happy. It's a two-way street."

"What's a two-way street?" he asked.

"Love," she answered simply, batting her eyelashes.

Gloyd looked down for a few moments before meeting her gaze again. "I guess you think I'm an idiot, huh?"

Lina regarded him closely before shaking her head, clumps of hair waving about. "Not this time," she whispered with sudden softness in her voice and in her eye. "I think you're being very sweet. To be this willing to give up all your passions just for me…"

As if in a trance, her eyes fell half-lidded and her fingers walked slowly over his bare chest, making his heart beat fast. They made their way up to his chin, ending their stroll at his cheek as she leaned in closer. "Only someone as noble and selfless as that…" Crumbelina slowly murmured in a most thoughtful tone "…is someone I want. Someone...who I hope will always be my side."

Gloyd blushed a deep orange from both her slow words and her intense closeness to his face, but he knew what she wanted. So he gave her that crooked smile that she cherished deeply. "I'm your someone."

"I'm glad," she said, leaning in for the kiss that she so wanted and rightfully deserved; her heart fluttered as she felt Gloyd returning it. When they pulled apart, there was a big dreamy smile on Lina's face. "You're getting very good at reading the signs, Pumpkin Pie," she simmered happily. "How'd you know I wanted that?"

"I had lots of practice," he answered with a dopey grin.

She let out a soft giggle that made him feel right at home. "I'm sorry I ignored you today," he told her.

"All good," she hummed. "I understand why you did it. And besides…how could I be mad at you, knowing that all this time, you were thinking of me?"

Gloyd rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I was definitely thinking of you."

"Awww…"

The racers smiled sweetly at each other before Crumbelina snapped her fingers before his eyes. "Now…will you promise me that from now on, you'll stick with being who you truly are? As long as you do that, I won't hold you back from doing what you love. Can you just be…Gloyd?" she asked him in her do-as-I-tell-you tone that displayed that sense of authority she naturally gave off. "The fun-seeking Gloyd who loves to tell bad jokes and play childish pranks, but also loves looking out for his friends?"

The boy chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, I promise."

"Good," she said. She kicked coquettishly at the cola, letting the ripples dance in the setting sunlight and flashing Gloyd a rather generous view of her legs. "You know, you really had me worried back there. I thought I was making you uneasy with my new swimsuit."

"Is it new?" Gloyd asked.

Lina smirked seductively. "To you, it is."

He took that as an invitation to treat his eyes again by inspecting her all over. Gloyd had never thought it was possible for Lina to look even more beautiful; her current appearance tonight officially trumped that belief. "Well, I mean…it wasn't easy to think straight when I kept seeing you like this," he admitted. "I mean, c'mon, is it a mystery? You look so cute. My stomach feels like it's full of butterfly cookies and gummy beetles. But…I don't mean you only look cute when wearing that – don't take it the wrong way, you always look cute, and really pretty, and…"

Gloyd stopped. It was usually at this point where Lina would raise a finger to his lips to shush him from rambling too much. For some reason, she hadn't done it. Instead, she was gazing at him with her legs crossed and chin propped in one hand as if he was putting on the most interesting live performance in the world for her. "I should stop talking now, right?"

His response made her smirk grow wider. "No, keep going. You have a whole afternoon of the silent treatment to make up for," she teased, quite enjoying his improvised speech.

A flirtatious look flashed in her eyes. "Do I really look cute?" she purred, batting her eyelashes and putting an arm up behind her head to strike a pose. Gloyd's eye twitched.

"Sure."

Lina giggled at his simple response. She never seemed to grow tired of his blunt honesty, no matter how stunned it made his replies come out. Admittedly, that only added to her amusement. "Next time Vanellope invites us to her pool, you can rub sunscreen on my back."

"Ok, now you're just pushing it, Miss DiCaramello," he snorted, his cheeks blushing hotly.

She giggled again and gave him a teasing nudge him to the shoulder. "No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are," he said, giving her a push back.

"No, I'm not," she sneered. "This is pushing it."

And she pushed Gloyd in the back with enough force that sent him right off the edge and into the pool with a SPLASH. He popped his head out and spat out the mouthful of cola he had wound up collecting thanks to her intervention. "Hey!" he protested.

Lina looked immensely satisfied. "Oops."

"You did that on purpose, ya dirty racer!"

"It's all in my bio, sweet-tart. Look it up," she said with a devilish grin.

Gloyd rolled his eyes, but couldn't suppress his own goofy smile on his sopping wet face. "Ok, I guess I deserved that."

"Yes, you did," she agreed. She extended a hand to help him out. Gloyd took it…and Lina let out a shriek as he pulled her into the cola. SPLASH!

"You're right," he said when she came up, gasping for air. "It feels good to be back. Let's see: that's one silly girl tossed into the pool...check!"

"Jerk!" she laughed, dipping her hands beneath the cola to splash him, to which he retaliated with his own friendly fire.

Looking away from Snowanna and Jubileena's funky dance routine, Vanellope sneaked a glance towards Gloyd and felt a wave of relief and happiness fill her upon seeing him and Crumbelina: splashing, laughing, and having fun together. There was a big smile on each face and that was enough to tell Vanellope that all was well at her party once again.

"Dum-dums," she snarked.