The School Dance - Thursday, June 4, 2020 | EastPup Elementary |

No one's POV:

In celebration of the 8th graders moving on to high school, the school hosted a graduation celebration for 8th graders. The now-graduating pups: Marshall, Rubble, Chase, Rocky, Zuma, Skye all agreed to attend the same high school so they would never be separated. All but one was excited for this new transition. Even though Marshall was happy to move with his friends, he was still extremely nervous moving on to high school, mainly because it's a lot bigger, there are more pups, but what's really scaring him is the possibility of his childhood bully attending the same school as him. Only Marshall knew who his bully was. He never told anyone because he was scared to think of what others would think of him and would stop being friends with him, so he decided to keep quiet.

2 months ago, the pups were discussing which high school they should all attend. They did come across multiple high schools, but some were either out of their league, the education rate sucked, seats were filled, the distance and the list go on. After days of searching, they finally came across a school: Adventure Park High.

The distance wasn't a problem for a few pups, the seats weren't filled, and the neighborhood was average to walk around in. Chase thought this was perfect for them, mainly because he heard their football team had a great winning streak in the past and would like to be a part of it.

Skye read a part on their website stating that they host all kinds of talent shows and anyone is welcome to participate in it. She thought it would be the perfect time to not only impress the entire school with her amazing flipping skills and her singing but her dalmatian crush.

Rocky heard how the high school had a great robotics club and he thought he would fit in great with everyone in it. He is known to be a little bit of a showoff when it comes to his inventions.

Zuma thought the high school was alright, however, he heard how the pool was shut down and closed due to a "student accident." Upset, but he was eager to meet new pups and was hoping to make new friends as well. Marshall blindly agreed with the pups who chose this school because all he wanted was to be with his friends until the end.

That was until he heard certain rumors that made him wish he didn't agree. Rubble was decent about attending Adventure Pup High, but that did mean he would need a ride from his mother most of the time to get there since the distance is kind of from where he lives.

[BEFORE THE DANCE]

Monday: June 1, 2020 - 8:17PM

No one's POV:

Early today in school, it was announced that the dance for 8th graders would take place in the upstairs big gym on Friday June 5th. When it was announced, everyone was excited. Friends started texting each other about who they should bring for the dance, some were mentioning just taking the day off and having their summer start early. But even if they wanted to take a day off, they could not because every time 8th graders are about to graduate, the school would give each of them their graduation gown and cap and would have to walk around the entire school, while the lower grades cheer them on and wish them the best. The only time a graduate can be absent on that day is if they have an important event that they are required to attend or if they are sick.

Excited for the big day ahead, Skye could not sleep. She did not care about the graduation because all she cared about was the dance. She was waiting her entire life for this moment. She wanted to dance with Marshall. She had a crush on Marshall for a long time but the reason she never made a move on him was because she was not sure if he liked anyone, let alone HER. Chase, Rubble and Zuma knew Skye liked Marshall for a while but Rocky did not. Chase liked Skye at first and She did as well, but they both thought they would have been better off as friends and agreed to find someone better for each of them.

Too excited to sleep for the upcoming event, Skye decided to talk with one of her friends Ella. Ella is a 15-year-old Golden Retriever, along with her 14-year-old twin brother, Tuck, who both attend the same current school as Skye. Skye was thinking to herself about how she could perfectly ask Marshall out. Thinking about how hard it was, she picked her phone up and went to her contacts.

Before she scrolled all the way down to Ella's number, she thought about calling Chase first because she thought he could help her, but she quickly remembered that he had his final basketball game tonight, so she decided not to call him.

She did not consider calling Rubble or Zuma. She didn't want to be rude, but she knew they couldn't help her. Rubble is pretty young and hasn't really seen him interact with many girls. She never saw Zuma hanging out with girls as much as well either. She was beginning to think that Zuma was gay.

Skye wasn't too surprised about this and to be honest, she could be right since he liked being around Rocky a lot, but she didn't want to barge in on him about it and respected his privacy. She also didn't think to call Rocky either. Skye herself didn't even know why but he was her friend. Skye decided to call Rocky.

As it was ringing, Skye was compensating herself whether or not to reveal that she liked Marshall but instead to ask him a few simple questions and hoped to get a few answers and tips to ease her.

Rocky's POV:

*Alright, my grappling winch is almost finished! Or is it? I should test it out first before I can move on.*

My biggest hobby is inventing things. I know the stuff I build already exists, but I think it's cool to build things on my own for once. I remembered back 2 months ago when me and the gang were discussing what high school we should go to and we decided on Adventure Pup High. At first, I was a bit skeptical about the place but when I read about their robotics club, I knew I couldn't miss out on this! Maybe on my first day, I should bring in a few of my inventions to showcase. I think I have a few small robots in storage somewhere but I know some of them are unfinished. Maybe I can start back on them.

I hear my phone vibrating on my desk underneath some papers. I couldn't find it immediately since I don't keep my ringer on. After some time, I find it and look at the caller ID.

"IT'S SKYE! AND SHE'S FACETIMING?!" - I yelled out loud

I then quickly calmed down and sighed in relief that I was the only one home at the moment. Both my mom and dad were out on their date and my older brother Rob moved out of the house for college.

My phone has been ringing for only a few seconds but in my head, it felt like time slowed down. It was tough trying to stay calm since my heart was racing and a million questions screaming in my head.

"Why is she calling?""She's calling me so it must be important right?"

"Why are you being difficult? Just answer the phone!"

"Does she like me?"

"Why is she facetiming me""Should I keep my shirt on or off to show off?""Is she calling to confess her love to me?"

"Is she calling to dance with me on Friday?"

"How should I answer?"

"Why are you panicking? Just answer the damn phone!"

I gathered up all the courage and finally relaxed. I answered the phone.

Skye's POV:

*This phone has been ringing for a few now. He's probably busy* - I thought.

As I moved my paw over to the hang up button, my phone froze and I saw Rocky. I must've facetimed him by accident. I was going to say something until I saw his arms. They looked well built.

*Has he been working out? How long has he looked like this?* - I questioned myself.

I felt myself heating up a bit but then I immediately shook off that thought until I looked at myself.

*Oh no! My fur is so messy!*

Inside, I was freaking out because it was one thing to accidentally facetime someone. But it's another thing when it's one of your friends and now they've seen you all messy. Yes, I was planning on going to sleep, so fixing my fur wasn't my top priority but I hated it when people saw me like this.

*I'm so glad Marshall can't see how messy my fur is.* - I thought

We both sat and stared at each other in silence for a few seconds which felt like forever. I felt a bit uneasy because I saw how I looked and I did not like my fur one bit.

Rocky's POV:

What I didn't expect to see was Skye's messy fur everywhere. Of all people, I would expect her to be the neatest pup. But I'm not too bothered though. I look like a hot mess everyday, but that's because of me being a mixed breed. Besides, I'm not sure why but I kinda liked seeing Skye like this more than her being fresh and clean.

Skye: I-I'msosorryyouhavetoseemelikethis! Ihonestlydidn'tknowIwasfacetiming andIdidn'tcarehowIlookedbecauseIwasgoingtogotosleep!

I never heard her speak so fast like that in a while. The only time I hear her talk so quickly is usually when she's hiding something or too embarrassed about something. It was kinda cute seeing her so worked up about this but at the same time, I could understand her. She hated messy things, let alone herself being messy. I took a glance at my room and saw I had all kinds of metal and junk in the corner.

*I definitely got to fix this place up.* - I said to myself.

After I heard her stop talking, I quickly reassured her.

"Calm down Skye! It's nothing to get worked up over hehe." - I said.

But that comment seemed to make everything worse.

Skye: That's easy for you to say. You look like a mess all the time! Clearly it doesn't bother you!

Somehow I was still smiling when she said that. That comment stung like hell, but I respected her for it. Of course she wasn't wrong but a little part of me was a bit upset since she knew that because of me being a mixed breed, my fur was always going to be messy. In my response, I just leaned back in my chair and just sucked in the air with my teeth and looked the other direction.

"Damn Skye...You were kinda holding that part in for me, weren't ya?" - I asked, laughing a bit.

Skye's POV:

"Damn Skye...You were kinda holding that part in for me, weren't ya?" - I heard Rocky say, and then my eyes widened after I realized what I just said.

"OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD I'M SO SORRY ROCKY! ICOMPLETELYFORGOTABOUTYOURBREEDTHING! I PROMISE IT WON'T EVER HAPPEN AGAIN!" - I yelled out.

Now I was on a new level of panicking. I couldn't believe I just let out my stress on one of my best friends. But why did he take that so calmly? Everyone knows I have a short temper so I guess I could understand why but eventually, someone would get tired of it. Would Marshall even like me like this? I was beginning to be left in my thoughts until I heard Rocky's voice again.

Rocky: "Don't worry Skye, it was kinda my fault anyways. I know how much you are with stuff being cleaned and spotless, let alone you being clean and spotless as well. So it's all good. But anyways what's up?"

I quickly relaxed and was relieved that he let me off like that and when I heard him ask his question, I quickly remembered why I called him.

"Well, the reason why I called you is because...How do I explain this..?" - I asked.

I was struggling to come up with the question I was about to ask him. Why am I being so nervous? Is it because it was like I'm talking to Marshall or I'm confessing to him?

Rocky's POV:

I was genuinely confused now. Could Skye be confessing to me? Did she find out that I liked her? Is she going to ask me to dance with her at the graduation dance? Like the confused dog like I'am, I tilted my head to the side.

Skye: "So you know that the graduation dance is coming up this Friday right?"

"Yea, why? You're thinking about dancing with someone?" - I asked curiously.

The way I asked that question felt like I was going to interrogate someone who just committed a crime and I wanted every answer that could benefit me. But I wasn't thinking about that.

Skye: "Y-Yea. There's this pup I like. In fact, I've liked him for a really long time now and I feel like this would be the best opportunity to celebrate the entire graduation with him."

Okay, now my heart is beginning to race again. When I heard she wanted to go to the dance with someone, I was kinda praying that the pup she wanted to go to the dance with wasn't a female. Yes, I know that was a wrong thing to say at the moment, but I just really really like Skye. So now that it was guaranteed that the pup is a male, It felt like my chances of her asking me to dance with her skyrocketed. I figured that if it WAS me, I decided to push my luck further.

"Well it's funny that you mention that because there is this female pup I've liked for a very long time too!" - I said.

Skye: "Really?! Okay, so you've actually might've helped me out a lot with this! So here's what I'm going to ask you.."

They way she just lit up after I said that has made me rise up with excitement as well. I figured to keep pushing my luck even further until it wears off.

"Really now? Well then I got an answer for you too" - I said with one eyebrow raised.

Skye: "Thank you! Now what I'm going to ask you is..."

Here it comes! Keep it steady Rocky!

Skye: "Do you think you can help me ask out Marshall?"

Rocky: "...What?"