Despite all that happened, Victoria couldn't help but continue her routine. Her routine of waking up at six every morning–and she now took the shortcut, no longer needing to go the extra mile. Since the Halloween party, she's been out of her room more–to mingle in the Quad.

She sat at the breakfast table, feeding Gomi her eggs as no one noticed her appetite. Yoko was explaining what else had happened at Ajax's party–while Wednesday was absent with Eugene.

"You slow danced with some ghostface to a rap song!" Yoko laughed.

"Did I?" Victoria exclaimed, unsure whether it was Tyler or not. But she liked to think of it.

"Yes!" Enid exclaimed. "I took tons of videos and photos for us!"

She pulled out her phone, pulling up the latest blog of the party. There were pictures and videos of Enid and Ajax crossing arms and staring at the camera as they hopped around the fireplace, her skates thrown aside. Victoria was dancing with one of the mummies, their rags strapped over her waist as they laughed. A picture showed Enid and Victoria dancing with a fallen scarecrow.

"Definitely the best Halloween party in history, thanks to you," Ajax said when he overheard, nudging Victoria's shoulder and a hand on Enid's as he walked by. Enid's eyes sparkled as she watched him.

A familiar person caught Victoria's eyes when he walked past their table. Xavier.

"Is he still mad that you dipped at the party?" Enid asked Victoria as their eyes followed him out the Quad.

"I'm pretty sure," Victoria said hesitantly.

She had yet to tell Enid that Tyler was in her room when she left the party. Wednesday hadn't said a word and she knew because Enid would probably be writing clues onto her blog. She knew Enid would never give out her name like that.

"Well, you can always make it up to him," Enid said with a grin. "The Rave'N is coming up soon so you better take your chance while you have it."

"The Rave'N?"

"The only thing more fun than the Poe Cup," Yoko said, filling Victoria in as Gomi went over to clear her plate.

Enid nodded excitedly. "The dance is only a few days away! It's just a formal the school and it's so super fun!"

Victoria grinned. "Yeah, I'll find out for myself when I ask Xavier."

So she spent the next few hours contemplating on how to ask Xavier to the dance, even though it may have seemed to be "out of the norm" for a girl to ask a guy on a date, she didn't mind. After all, it was a school full of outcasts and not normies.

With a plan to go to the dance, that also meant she had to go shopping for a dress. Enid and her excitedly looked through the little shops of Jericho two days before the dance after classes had ended. They'd even tried looking at the thrift store Xavier and her had gone to.

"If I'd known about this dance earlier, I definitely would have just ordered from Diagon Alley," Victoria said with a sigh as she and Enid skimmed through the dresses.

She was feeling rather indecisive, as every dress she picked out was beautiful, but she wasn't sure if it was beautiful on her. Enid would complain to her and say, "The theme coordinates to white, don't forget."

"The only time I'm going to wear a white dress is at my wedding," Victoria grinned. "I'll probably go for a pale blue or something..."

Enid sighed. "That works too, I guess. Oh, look at this one!"

Their afternoon was a well-spent one as Enid had already chosen her perfect dress. Victoria had as well as they entered the Weathervane for a break before heading back to the school.

"Welcome to the Weather-" Tyler paused. "Oh, hey."

His tone was rather hopeful with Victoria's presence. If anything, he looked apologetic, but refused to say anything else as she and Enid sat down at their regular table by the window.

"Did you want anything?" Enid asked as Victoria set down her bags.

"No thanks, I don't need anything sweet around this time."

Enid nodded and got herself a caramel latte with extra drizzle and a shot of espresso before returning to sit next to Victoria with a hopeful and teasing grin.

"Sooo..." she said, clasping her hands together. "Do you think I should somehow hint to Xavier that he should wear a pale blue to match you?"

Truth be told, Victoria had yet to ask Xavier to the dance. She'd been putting it off, afraid that he'd reject her out of spite from last time.

"Well actually-"

"One caramel latte with extra drizzle and an iced unsweet tea," Tyler interrupted them, setting the cup before Victoria.

She looked up at him, confused.

"I didn't order anything."

"It's on the house," Tyler said with a calm expression on his face. Though she knew that it was his way of trying to prove her wrong even more.

Their last conversation ended with a questioning void that never got to be fulfilled. He seemed to not move until she took the cup and it neared without lifting it.

"So..." Enid said, reading the room. "Are you going to the Rave'N, erm- Tyler?"

Tyler seemed to not break his attention away from Victoria. "No, actually. The girl I planned on going with is already going with someone else."

Victoria was taken aback. Since when did he even plan on going to the Rave'N? She felt a little discouraged as she cleared her throat and drank her tea without a word as Enid nodded.

"That's a shame," she frowned. "But you can always go with someone else. I wanted to go with- uh, a friend of mine, but I'm going with the mayor's son now."

"The mayor's son?" Victoria questioned.

"Interesting," Tyler said, barely listening as he walked away to keep himself "productive."

"Yes, the mayor's son," Enid said boastfully. "His name's Lucas and he actually happens to be a nice normie."

"You don't know that for sure."

Enid shrugged. "Well, you never really know a person until you dance with them."

- - - ᡣ𐭩 - - -

It was the day of the Rave'N and Victoria had yet to ask Xavier. She decided it was time to stop beating around the bush as she nervously made her way to his dorm. She knocked on his door a couple of times with no answer, but she was not going to ask him over text.

"Looking for Xavier?" Ajax asked as he noticed Victoria standing outside his dorm.

She nodded.

"You might have more luck finding him at his private art studio," Ajax said with a smile.

"His art studio?"

He nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Yeah, it's this big shed out in the forest. He cleaned it out so Weems let him have it for his... I don't know, projects."

So a few minutes later, she found herself following some tracks to Xavier's studio. It was rather large for a shed, with a spooky aura that would have kept students out.

"This place looks like a murder scene," Victoria mumbled under her breath.

"Thanks, that's kind of what I was going for," Xavier's voice appeared from behind her. "So what're you doing here if it looks like a murder scene?"

She turned around, coming face to face with Xavier, who had a raised brow and suspecting tone. She suddenly felt a cowarding feeling as she couldn't find the words to explain herself. But she took a breath with a nervous grin.

"Well, I wanted to firstly apologize for what happened at the Halloween party..." she said hesitantly, her hands in her pocket. "I don't even remember leaving honestly, but that's not an excuse..."

"You could've come to me, I wasn't the one drinking," Xavier said with a harsher tone than hers. "But you were a little too busy dancing with everyone, making sure they all got a taste of you."

Victoria was taken aback.

"I was drunk!" she exclaimed defensively. "I thought you said you liked me out of my shell?"

"I do, it's just-" Xavier hesitated, unsure how to back this up. "I just wasn't feeling the mood at the party after the whole thing with Bianca."

"Let me guess, you're going with her to the Rave'N?" Victoria asked with a scoff. "You don't suppose I'm becoming like her, do you?"

Xavier shook his head. "No, not at all... It's just, I'm not sure about my feelings for you honestly. I like you a lot. You're ambitious and interesting, but you seem to have baggage that I don't think I want to be a part of."

"What do you know about my baggage?" Victoria asked, offended.

Xavier almost rolled his eyes. "Well for starters, you disappear off school grounds a lot and you're already dealing with therapy... and not just that, but the way you disappeared on me. I don't think I can deal with that if you're going to just come and go into my life."

All of it seemed like excuses as she felt her heart clutch. It seemed like her proposal was not going to happen after all.

"So I guess you're going with Bianca after all," Victoria said calmly, her heart racing.

Xavier didn't answer.

"I see."

She walked past him, feeling a wave of disappointment as she left him behind with no hope left. She spent a few hours at the archery field before it began to get dark. She'd found herself getting better at the sport, growing a new love for something. There were many things on her mind as she refused to cry.

She thought that perhaps it would just be the opportunity to go see Tyler at the Weathervane. So she pulled out her phone with a short message for him.

"Still on the clock?"

She went back to Ophenia hall, passing the Poe Cup before she ran into Enid.

"Victoria, you'll never believe who I found out is going to D.J. the-" she exclaimed. "Why aren't you frantically getting ready for the dance?"

She shrugged, feeling red in her ears as she said, "I'm not going."

"What?"

Victoria shrugged with a sheepish smile without a word, afraid that a croak would replace the many words she had on her mind.

"But- but we didn't spend five hours shopping for no reason!" she exclaimed.

A voice interrupted them from behind. "No, she didn't."

Victoria turned and saw Xavier dressed in all white looking hopeful.

"What're you talking about?" Victoria asked. "Just a few hours ago, you-"

"I want to give us another try," Xavier said. "And I forgive you for what happened at Ajax's party... if you're willing to go with me to the Rave'N."

Victoria couldn't answer as she felt hope rise in her chest once again.

"Go! Go get ready for goodness sake!" Enid exclaimed, brushing off Xavier as she pushed Victoria towards her dormitory.

Victoria spent the next two hours washing herself quickly, frantic like the rest of the girls in the school. She slipped on her dress, staring and fixing what didn't belong over her body. She adjusted her hair over and over again until she finally felt satisfied. After some silver jewelry, she slipped on the shoes that Xavier had bought her, with Gomi hopping around in an attempt to taste the pearls.

By the time she stepped out of her dorm, she could already hear the music from the Rave'N. She made her way down the stairs alone to meet Xavier at the entrance. Victoria spotted Wednesday in a black dress before she saw a familiar face. Tyler. Her eyes widened with surprise as she came to a slow stop at the top of the stairs.

He stared up at her without a word as she stared down at him in her pale blue dress that matched his own shirt.

It was a strapless corset silk top as it hugged her breasts down to her waist before a layer of silk rippled down like melted wax, a little ways past her ankle. The corset had light white embroidery of baby breath flowers. She had the same flowers tucked in her hair as some of it was up in a volumized twist, revealing her toned back. Part of her hair swept past her shoulder, curled in loose waves.

Tyler's eyes followed her, passing Wednesday's, as Victoria slowly made it down the stairs with a held inhale. She was breathless and breathtaking as she couldn't find a way to escape his sight. He, too, couldn't find a way to speak.

Xavier joined her with a rather short smile.

"You look lovely," he said with a meaningful tone.

But none of it meant anything to her as she could only see Tyler face-to-face before her. They had the same hidden sorrow expression on their face as they stared at the ground while Wednesday approached Xavier.

"I'm sorry things didn't work out the way you wanted," she said calmly. Though she did seem sorry. "It was rather last second."

Xavier seemed to not care and evidently said, "You worry for nothing. I got myself a perfect date for tonight."

Victoria and Tyler's ears perked as they looked up from the ground, their eyes meeting each other.

"Last second?" Tyler thought.

There suddenly seemed like there were two battles going on as Victoria and Tyler glanced at each other before looking away.

Victoria herself was confused as she turned to Xavier and quietly whispered, "I thought you were going with Bianca?"

Xavier shrugged. "I never said that."

"Then who is she-"

Her voice trailed off as she saw Blaise walk by, arm in arm with Bianca, a smuggish smile on his face. He spotted her, getting Bianca's attention before they shared a grin and disappeared through the drapes.

Tyler could see the worried expression she had on her face as he couldn't find himself to peel away from her.

She decided to be the first to break the tension. "So... not on the clock."

"No," Tyler answered simply before Xavier took her hand. She passed him, not sensing his feelings of yearning as little as he sensed hers.

"Victoria! How lovely you look," Miss Thornhill said as she greeted Wednesday and Tyler who were not too far behind. "You truly are the Cinderella of the ball."

She only smiled with a short thank you before the room began to fill with slow music. Xavier took it as the chance to be arm-in-arm with her for a dance.

"You dance pretty good," Xavier commented.

"Yeah, it was a requirement at my old school," Victoria explained as she leaned against his shoulder, swaying slowly to the music.

Her eyes fell on Tyler, who was timidly watching from afar as he was in the same dance circle with Wednesday. She was talking to him, she suspected it was serious, as he seemed to be lost.

She would have liked to believe he was jealous.

But that was silly, considering they are merely acquaintances.

She spotted Enid standing awkwardly with the mayor's son, Lucas. Deciding to save her, she excused herself from Xavier who was mingling with Ajax; She quickly went over to Enid.

"You look gorg-tastic!" Enid exclaimed as soon as she saw Victoria.

"Says the gorg-tastic queen herself," Victoria said, pulling her aside as she turned to Lucas. "I'm going to borrow her for a dance."

She felt more like herself as the music began to rock the room.

"Thank gosh, I was starting to wonder if anyone would save me!" Enid exclaimed. "Ajax just caught us in an awkward situation before..."

"I'd love to hear it another time," Victoria laughed as she twirled her best friend.

A particular song began to play, making Enid sequel excitedly as she hopped, dragging Victoria into the middle of the dance floor.

"Is this the song I think it is?" Victoria asked with a grin.

"Yes!" Enid exclaimed. "Poker Face by Lady Gaga!"

Victoria laughed as Enid swung her shoulders to the beat, whipping her head back and flicking her arms to the rhythm of the song as she slowly became more comfortable. If she'd known any better, she would have worn a more dance-able dress.

It didn't take long for her and Enid to drag others into the dance, as many were still adjusting to the number of students and normies. Victoria dragged Xavier into the dance, nudging his shoulder but he looked distracted–and she knew. She followed his eyes that fell on Wednesday and it slowly clicked to her.

"Come on!" Enid said before dragging Victoria before the D.J. as she screamed the lyrics loudly.

Victoria decided to ignore Xavier as her hands were raised in the air, her body swaying with students she'd never even spoken with before. The rhythm of the music carried her laughter as she grew comfortable to be arm-in-am with the strangers around her.

Victoria swayed back-to-back with someone, arms linked before she spun and swung her shoulders, still not realizing it was Tyler. As if nothing else mattered, she continued to sing to the lyrics and turned, seeing Tyler. She only laughed, dragging him into the center of the crowd as she joined the crowd's synchronization to the lyrics.

Tyler's eyes never left her as a smile stayed stuck on his face, still processing what she was doing. She truly seemed to be herself in that moment without intoxication or some sort. He realized perhaps–surely, she was happy around him.

And in that moment, he realized that he wanted her. He wanted to be hers.

He found himself nearing her with every anticipation in his body to not waste a second of their time together. His shoulder swung with hers as he began to have an attempt at the lyrics, to which she laughed with him and spun under his arm. Even as she danced carelessly, her hair now down, he saw that she could find happiness everywhere in the littlest things.

The only thing that stood in their way was their unsureness. He'd never know how she felt if he didn't ask, but something held him back as he realized Xavier pulled her aside to the punch table.

"What's the matter?" Victoria asked with a concerned tone.

Xavier's eyes flickered to Tyler as they shared a quick glance before turning to Victoria. "Tyler. He's not the guy you think he is."

"What do you assume I think of him?" Victoria questioned.

Xavier shook his head as he continued. "It's obvious how you feel about him. But you don't know him, Victoria. Last year, he and his friends... they did these things to me... They destroyed my mural. They hate outcasts so what makes you think a normie likes you?"

Victoria huffed with disbelief. "I don't like him like that! Besides, I'm sure that Tyler's a good guy now. You can't judge someone for the things they did in the past."

Xavier only shook his head and said, "Don't be a fool. I'm just trying to warn you."

"The only fool here is you if you think I like Tyler Galpin," Victoria said unsteadily with red ears as she stepped away from Xavier, passing Blaise and Bianca.

Blaise was the very example as to why she didn't want much to do with crushes and confessions anymore. She wouldn't allow herself to get hurt like that again. She wasn't going to let herself fall in the deep end and in the arms of someone who was going to stay for just a little while. She wanted to be wanted forever. And Blaze remained a reminder for her as she tried to adjust to the dance floor again as she neared Enid.

"Something the matter?" Tyler's voice asked from behind her.

She turned, shaking her head. Though something was on her mind.

"They hate outcasts so what makes you think a normie likes you?" Xavier's voice repeated in her head.

"Do you hate outcasts?" Victoria asked aloud very bluntly. "Does my magic actually bother you?"

"Where is this coming from?" Tyler asked with a deal of concern.

"I heard what you and your friends did to Xavier," Victoria said hesitantly as she and Tyler left the middle of the dance floor to the walls to speak privately. "Please tell me it isn't true."

His silence and stare at the ground only meant it was as she felt an upsetting feeling rise.

"It's true," Tyler said after a moment. "But I don't hate outcasts, Victoria. I could never hate them if I-"

He paused.

"If I don't hate you."

His hesitation seemed to make her think otherwise as his eyes met hers with truth. "After what happened, I got sent to camp. It changed me, I'm not some stupid seventeen year old anymore. I'm older now and I've tried to apologize. I have apologized. I just- I wish I could say it was an accident, or that it wasn't half bad but I would be lying."

Victoria's brows furrowed. "There's nothing to forgive, Tyler. I'm not going to judge you for mistakes you made in the past. I just wish you didn't hide this from me."

"There are things you hide from me too," Tyler said, turning the tables as she realized where this conversation was heading. "So what makes you think I'll judge you for your own secrets? Or the things from the past? I just want to help..."

She suddenly found herself in a tight situation, unable to answer when she felt something wet on her shoulder. She looked over and saw punch droplets... but wait? It was too thick to be punch.

She looked over at Tyler, whose white suit and pale collared shirt was now being stained with the thick red liquid that seeped from the sprinklers. Soon, the room began to grow quiet with a murmur in question as to what it was before a bloodcurdling scream broke out, cutting the silence. Blood.

Panic filled the room as Tyler and Victoria stood there, sharing a confused look. Obviously, it was not real blood. Victoria realized it was the sprinklers and turned her heel for the back door–where she could shut off the pipes.

As she left, she watched Wednesday approach Tyler and complain that it was not real blood. She could see his soaked and unfazed face as his eyes followed her until she disappeared.

Soaked in the fake blood that ruined her new dress and heels, she found the wheel that'd been turned on. She tried turning it, but it was no use. So that led her outside to the main source: the pump.

As she entered the little backdoor, she found an abandoned (possibly stolen) truck and sighed as she followed the tube, struggling to disconnect it. When she did, it splattered all over her, making her gasp from the cold water.

There was suddenly a flash of blue and red lights with a siren beeping, blinding her.

"Put your hands up where I can see them!" Sheriff Galpin's voice shouted.

"Shit."

- - - - - - -