There has been a slight timeskip, placing this story at around October 27-28.

(Starflight's POV)

I had been trying to work up the courage to ask Sunny to the Fall Dance all morning.

I knew that it was a far-fetched hope that she would say yes. But I had to give it a chance. I had liked her for too many years to not, which was why every time I had a twinge of doubt about my plan, I told myself that if I had liked her this much for this long, I had to try.

So try I did.

After school on Monday, as Sunny was leaving, I jogged up to her, and she stopped beside me. "Sunny!" I said, my voice sounding unnaturally squeaky and high-pitched. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Sunny." There, that was better.

"Yes, Starflight?" Sunny asked, brushing a strand of her golden hair out of her face.

"I-um-I was just wondering if-uh-if maybeyou'dliketogotothefalldancewithme?" I stuttered out. There! I had said it. I braced myself for rejection.

"What?" Sunny asked. I felt like slapping myself in the face.

"I was just wondering if you might want to go to the fall dance with me?" I said again, slower this time, trying to keep the desperate hope out of my voice.

"Oh! Starflight, er, I'm super sorry, but someone's already asked me, and I've-I've said yes." she gave me a pitying glance.

"Oh-great-awesome-fine-okay-that works-um-bye!" I said, turning to dart off into the crowd of people where I could never be found.

"Starflight?" she called my name softly. I hurried back to her, and she finished what she was saying. "I really am sorry," she gave me another soft smile, and she waited until I gave her a forced half-smile before walking back to the car where she would drive herself and her adoptive brother, Qibli, home. Unlike a lot of the students at Pyrrhia High, Thorn, Sunny's mother and the principal of the school, let Sunny drive her own car to and from school.

I hurried over to the sidewalk, getting ready to walk home, since Fierceteeth was 'busy' today. On my way, I was intercepted by Fatespeaker. "Oh, hey Starflight!" she said, realizing who I was when she bent down to help me pick up the books I had dropped when we had collided. "Hi, Fatespeaker." I commented absentmindedly.

"So, I was wondering, do you have a date for the Fall Dance yet?" Fatespeaker asked, handing me my books, which I put back into my bag, before she stood up and offered me a hand. I took it, and she helped me up. I released her hand once I had my balance, slightly embarrassed. I didn't know why, though.

"No, I don't." I replied, inwardly cringing at my earlier conversation with Sunny.

"Neither do I!" Fatespeaker said cheerfully, as if that was a good thing. "We could go together, if you want." I startled at this. It certainly wasn't what I had been expecting. I didn't know what I had been expecting.

Fatespeaker seemed to sense my surprise, and so she hurriedly added "As friends, of course. Lots of people just go as friends! We don't have  to go together if you don't want to, either. It's fine, I totally understand-" I grabbed her wrist, causing the purple-haired girl to stop and glance down at my hand. I quickly let go, but not before saying a few words.

"Fatespeaker, I would love to go to the Fall Dance with you."

This made her grin, and I started to feel a bit of actual excitement for the dance, instead of just nerves or awkwardness or anything of the sort. "Great!" she exclaimed before darting off. I scratched the back of my neck, wondering what was with girls always saying stuff then running away. Strange. I hoped that the dance at least wouldn't be a total disaster.

Oh, how wrong I was.

***

(Moonwatcher's POV)

The Fall Dance.

It was all that Moon heard about anymore. Boys asking girls to go, people gossiping in the hallways about who was taking who, and who wasn't going with anyone, especially if someone wasn't going at all. Apparently this dance was a big deal. Thrown in the school ballroom (who knew that Pyrrhia High had a ballroom?), the Fall Dance was a dance, obviously, and from what Moon had gathered, a big deal. Everything was supposed to be pretty, though not absurdly fancy like some dances Moon had heard of.

Lunch was the worst of it. The cafeteria was filled with students talking about the dance. The dance, the dance, the dance. Even my table was chattering away. Or, at least, Kinkajou was, and Qibli was occasionally conversing to keep the conversation going. Turtle looked normal. Winter was scowling at his food, which wasn't exactly unusual, but what was unusual was that he kept on looking over his shoulder at his sister, Icicle, who was staring directly at their table. She only stopped when she noticed me looking her way. Weird.

"So.... um... what exactly is the Fall Dance?" I asked cautiously.

Kinkajou was the first to answer my question. "It's a dance for all the high schoolers! It's pretty much just a dance that takes place in the fall, but it's like super romantic according to all the stories I've heard! At least, like, six couples that went there together got like married or something! I'm so excited that I finally get to go this year! I've been waiting to go for like EVER! And it's super embarrassing when you don't get asked out, apparently. Friends? Single? Not up to the standards! Everybody gets a date. It's meant to be the time of your life!"

That... didn't sound like the 'time of my life' to me. Not in any way, no thank you.

"Um... what happens if you just skip it?" I asked tentatively.

"MOON!" Kinkajou yelped, making me jump a little. "You had BETTER NOT be thinking about NOT GOING! This is a HUGE opportunity!" I noticed her gaze flick around the table, and Winter and Qibli shrunk back a little bit. 

"Um...." I started, not knowing what I was supposed to say.

Turtle jumped into the conversation. "So... uh... you know the big school competition coming up between Pyrrhia High and Pantala High?"

"Wait, what competition?" Qibli asked.

"No, we don't know! Tell us, Turtle!" Kinkajou said, looking interested. I was just grateful for the subject change.

"Okay, so I was walking in the hall past my mom's office while she was on the phone, and she mentioned a school competition between Pyrrhia High and Pantala High. Since I was curious, I stopped walking and started listening. Not eavesdropping, mind you. So basically, apparently it's held every five years or something, and it's, like I said, a competition between schools. The different ages are separated, so there's a freshman group, sophomore group, junior group, and senior group. And then there are these big tests they make everyone take, and the six smartest and best or whatever in each grade get chosen to represent their school! If you get chosen, you have to take part. You can't even choose if you want to try out or not, it's literally everybody." Turtle explained.

"That's... a lot." I murmured. "Sounds kinda interesting."

"Yeah, okay, so it's basically just a bunch of tests with another school for smart people. Okay, yeah, definitely not my thing. Sorry, Moon!" Kinkajou answered.

For once, I wasn't really listening. A school competition for the smartest kids... Who would get picked? Qibli for sure, there was no way he wouldn't. I still didn't know very many people, but the other new kid, Abyss, looked like he would be intelligent. At least, he always seemed to be getting the right answers in the english class we shared. Hmmm.

Who knew, really? Maybe I could get chosen. Oh, that would be fun. So many things to read and study!

I couldn't wait.

So.. uhhh... sorry that wasn't the best. I had no clue what to write.... heh. I had a lot of this done already, but I didn't know what to do for Moon's POV. So... yeah, this is what you've got. I'm sorry updates are so far apart, but I've been busy with school and other stuff. (I also have been staying up until 5-6 in the morning sooo... my brain doesn't even exist anymore, assuming that it ever did.) Anyways, yeah, that's it. Bye!

Glorybringer1163