"Hey, great job this weekend!"
"Dude, you nailed that solo!"
"Loved your solo, heehee!"
The end of the school day. You stood next to your best friends Flash Sentry and Brawly Beats as the latter got things out of his locker. All the while, it seemed every other student that passed by was throwing you a compliment. You were usually a familiar face to everyone, being in one of the more well-known bands at school, but now you were getting with more compliments than ever! Normally after a Monday you'd be exhausted, but all the love was making it feel like a Friday.
You're usually just the bassist, taking a backset to Flash and Brawly—the lead singer/guitarist and drummer respectively—but during last weekend's Musical Showcase, you were given a bass solo! By the end of it, everyone was screaming their heads off for you!
"I guess we did pretty well this weekend," Flash said.
"Can you blame them?" Brawly said. "We had a killer set."
"I think we even out-applauded the Rainbooms," you said. "You're welcome, by the way."
"Hey, don't take all the credit," Flash said. "Although, you did crush that solo."
"Oh, no need to remind me," you said. "Plenty of girls have waved at me in the last few minutes. Trust me, I already know."
"Really?" Brawly said. "You're not trying to scope out a new girlfriend, are you?"
"Why not?" you said. "Now that I'm on everyone's radar, it's the perfect time to look for someone! And this time, I wanna get serious!"
"Okay, let's slow down for sec," Flash said. "I know you really wanted a new girlfriend, but is this really the best way? Especially if you want something more serious?"
"CHS has tons of cute girls," you said. "I can basically take my pick, right?"
"Hold on," Brawly said. "I'm with Flash. Your last girlfriend dated you just because you were in a band, remember?"
"And the one before that you dated just because she was hot," Flash said.
"Correct me if I'm wrong," Brawly said, "but I don't think either of those relationships ended well."
"Well... th-those don't matter anymore," you said. "I have momentum right now. I can't just let it die."
"We just don't want you to end up in a bad relationship again," Flash said. "Trust me, I know what that's like. Sunset Shimmer used me for popularity too. Then things with Twilight Sparkle didn't work out... and got really complicated with the different dimension stuff... b-but the point is, I get it, and because of that, I don't wanna rush into anything. For now, I'm hoping to meet my dreamgirl by chance. Like... I won't even realize she's the one at first."
"Listen to you, sounding like a hopeless romantic," you teased.
"Takes one to know one," Flash retorted.
"Well, I hope that works out for you," you said. "Me? I've got so much love to give that I don't feel like waiting. Fresh off my solo, I'll find the perfect girl for me!"
Flash and Brawly exchanged a look.
"...it was one solo, man," Brawly asked.
"Yeah, maybe take it down a notch?" Flash said.
"Oh come on, let me enjoy this," you said. "I'll use my new popularly to find my dreamgirl and treat her like the princess she is. I already know I'm a great boyfriend, so there'll be nothing to worry about. Just wait and see, my dudes."
They rolled their eyes.
"Right... whatever you say, man," Brawly said. "Anyway, I got what I need. Let's head out."
"You two go ahead," you said. "I need to go to my locker really quick."
"You just wanna soak in more attention, don't you?" Flash said.
"Hey, don't judge," you said. "Let me ride this high, alright?"
"Fine, fine," Flash said. "Just be careful and don't do anything stupid, alright? See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you," you said.
You watched as Flash and Brawly disappeared into the crowded after-school hallways. You stood still and pretended to be on your phone, but you had your ears on alert for the slightest hint of a compliment. Sure enough, a few students gave you exactly that. You even spotted some girls waving at you again. Is this what it felt like to be a celebrity?
And you didn't actually need to go to your locker. That was just an excuse. Now you could just stay put and soak up all the attention the world was willing to give!
Before long, the hallways started to empty. You felt like you just had a four-course meal of praise. But even celebrities have to take a break from the spotlight. Time to go home.
You turned and started walking—
OOF!
A sudden impact sent you falling back on the ground. The person you ran into fell back as well, causing papers to fall everywhere.
When your vision cleared, you saw a petite girl sitting in front of you rubbing her head. She had long, somewhat unkempt green hair, light brown eyes, light cool green skin, and freckled cheeks. She wore a brown striped sweater that matched her eyes, blue jeans, and gray striped loafers.
...and you didn't recognize her at all.
When she looked at you, she looked annoyed. She spoke in a quiet, shy voice.
"Excuse me..." she said, rubbing her head.
"Sorry... I didn't see you," you said.
"I've been here for a while" she said.
"Really?" you said. "Huh... never noticed."
"I've been trying to get your attention," she said.
You felt a rush of adrenaline. Just when you thought the praise wave had ended...
You quickly stood up, fixed your hair, and leaned against the locker, putting on your "charm" face.
"Well, you have my attention now," you said. "My apologies. The compliments have just been nonstop today, so I guess I was bound to miss one. So hit me with it. You loved my solo, right? Highlight the entire musical showcase, if I do say so myself."
You waited for the compliment...
...but it never came. She'd been gathering up her papers the whole time you were talking.
"Um... did you hear me?" you asked.
No answer. She kept going like you weren't there. Once she'd gathered everything, she stood up and finally made eye contact with you again. Though, she didn't look happy.
"...are you done?" she asked.
With those three words, your confidence came to a screeching halt.
"Um... wh-what do you mean?" you stammered.
She looked at you quizzically before rolling her eyes.
"You're standing in front of my locker."
There was a sudden catch in your throat. That all she wanted? And you thought she was here to compliment you? How embarrassing.
"O-Oh!" you said. "Crap... um... s-sorry..."
You stepped aside. She didn't say a word, and didn't need to. Her icy cold glare said everything and more.
But it wasn't too late to recover, right? So what if this random girl's shattered your mojo? You're the most popular guy in school now. You can do anything!
As she opened her locker and organized her things, you gathered up any shred of fortitude you had left before attempting to talk to her again. An introduction would be a good place to start.
"So..." you said, trying to fight the lump in your throat. "What's your name?"
She gave you a puzzled look.
"I'm Wallflower Blush...?"
"Nice to meet you, Wallflower!" you said.
She raised an eyebrow.
"We met in chemistry...?" she said.
"Um... we did?" you asked.
"We were lab partners for that entire semester," she said.
You could feel your cheeks heating up. Despite her soft voice, she looked mad. Really mad.
"Uh... um... hm..." you stammered, desperately trying to say something. Anything.
Wallflower let out a long sigh.
"Why am I even surprised anymore?" she said.
"Huh?" you asked. "What do you mean?"
"Why should I tell you?" Wallflower sneered. "You probably won't remember me after today anyway."
"What? That's not true," you said. "I like to think I know everyone at CHS."
You flinched as she shut her locker.
"Well, you clearly didn't remember me from an entire semester we spent working together," Wallflower said. "I bet you also didn't know that we sit next to each other in pre-calc. Y'know... this semester?"
You opened your mouth to retort... but no words came out. Your mouth just stupidly hung open as Wallflower's words and ice-cold eyes gutted any remaining confidence you might've had.
Wallflower sighed. Suddenly, she didn't look mad anymore. Rather... she looked dejected. Hurt.
"Thanks for proving my point," Wallflower said before walking away. Not another word. Not even a glance back.
In her wake, you were left speechless, only able to stare as she walked away. When she turned the corner and left your sight, you were only able to mutter two words...
"Wallflower Blush..."
...what the hell did she do to you? You're usually great at talking to girls. You've had two girlfriends, after all. But Wallflower seemed totally immune to you. Furthermore, it was like she took away your ability to speak or even think rationally. Was it her cold stare chilling you to the bone? Her point-blank words cutting through you like butter? Either way, what a trainwreck of a conversation.
"Wallflower Blush..."
Questions rattled your brain, but the biggest one by far was... how did you forget about her? By this point, you thought you knew everyone at CHS on a first-name basis. How did she slip under the radar, especially if you've interacted with her as much as she claimed?
"Wallflower Blush..."
You sighed. With the hallways emptied and your confidence cut down to size, there was no reason to stay. Time to go home.
You started walking. On the way out, a couple of students passed by and complimented you. That would've been nice a while ago, but with no bravado left, all you could manage was a meek thank you before continuing. Along the way, all you thought of was...
...Wallflower Blush... Wallflower Blush...
A/N: I did a Wallflower oneshot back in the day, and I wanted to redo it because I've always liked Wallflower (even if she wasn't handled well in her featured movie). I thought I could tell a better story. This will not be a oneshot. It was going to be, but it ended up being way too long, so I'm splitting it up into chapters. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and what's to come. Thanks for reading!
