Day 13: Week 2 || Confessions

Imagine losing count of the number of times you've angered your female friend in just twelve days. Now imagine your name is Soarin Skies and you're stuck with your bipolar friend named Rainbow Dash, who you have a not so subtle crush on. Have you imagined it? If so, you understand exactly how Soarin is feeling right now.

He can't believe he hurt her again in less than twenty four hours. He's really bad at this friendship thing, and he doesn't even understand why! Teasing and purposefully annoying is the exact same way he acts around his friends from school, so he just doesn't understand why Dash is so different.

Maybe it's because she's a girl? It would make sense, but at the same time, Dash is a tomboy and claims to have thick skin; meaning words didn't hurt her. Either she was lying or she was just trying to sound tough. Plus, she teased other people and acts annoying all the time as well!

On the sixth day, she knew he was upset over the loss of a game, yet she kept poking him and poking him. At one point, she even offered to be his personal punching bag. Looking back at the situation though, she was just being cute, and he responded so badly to her. He had hushed her up like he wanted, but his anger caused her to call her parents and ask to leave. He's was terrible to her!

Then there's the eighth day. He made fun of her height and continued to egg it on despite noticing her angry and uncomfortable facial expressions. He ignored them like it was nothing.

The eleventh day was just horrible. She poured out all her emotions to him because of his careless words. He's never seen her so upset over his words before. What really broke him is when he saw the tears spilling out of her eyes afterwards. Because of him. His words. Two years ago was the last time he had seen her that way. The way he held her in his arms after realizing what he had done was different from all the other times he has. It was an unforgettable moment.

And finally, yesterday: the twelfth day. He would curse himself for messing up again, but he doesn't know what he did wrong. He desperately wants to just ask her, but she's clearly too angry to answer him.

It's like he can't go one day without upsetting her.

At the moment, Soarin lies in his bed thinking about what he could have said that enraged her. He's been doing this for the past hour or so, still stuck without a clue.

"You know what? Clean everything up yourself. I'm exhausted from worrying about you."

She said that in response to what? The last thing he said was that he was exhausted from pacing in the store after asking if they could bake the pie today.

Wait a minute.

He knows why she's angry.

He had insisted on baking yesterday because he desperately wanted to taste some pie, and that was the whole reason he went out to FoodMart in the first place. Dash is angry because it could have been avoided if he had just been patient and allowed her to order the ingredients online.

"I have to fix this," he mumbles as he leaps off his bed and darts to Dash's room. He walked down to the end of the hallway and knocked on her door, waiting for a response. He waited for about a minute, yet heard no response. "Dashie? Hey, I understand why you're angry. Please let me in."

Still no answer. There was no sound coming from her room whatsoever. It's as if no one was in there. Perhaps she was sleeping? He didn't want to barge in on her like he did last time. Things didn't go so well afterwards.

Another minute of waiting passed, and the sound of whimpering came from the room. At first, it only occurred a couple times, but now, it was all he heard. Soarin respects Dash's privacy, but something is happening in there, and he can't sit around wondering what it is.

Not wasting another minute if his time, Soarin swung the door open and found Dash curled up on her bed. Her small body was shaking and her rainbow hair was a mess. The whimpering was coming from her, but what was going on with her?

Could she be on her period? Actually, that wouldn't make much sense. Dash herself had said that it only lasts seven days, and she started nine days ago. Something was bothering her in her sleep, and it scares him because he doesn't know what it is.

"Don't worry, Dashie. I'm here," he whispers comforting words in her ear while rubbing his hand in circles on her back. It didn't help much, but it was worth a shot.

His head turned in multiple directions around the room, searching for something that could calm her. He had come to the conclusion that she was having a nightmare, as there was no other explanation (that he could think of) to why she was like this.

Soarin's eyes locked onto the nightstand beside Dash's bed. In the past, he's told her to never look in there unless it was absolutely necessary or she showed him its contents herself. Right now would be a very necessary time. There's no telling what she's hiding in there, but he can't wait to know what's inside because she needs help.

Sure, he could just wake her up, but she's already angry with him. It's best to just ease her mind instead.

He swiftly pulls the nightstand open and is dumbfounded with what he had found. It isn't even as bad as he thought it was. He had assumed it would have been a secret diary or even a makeup kit. This is just cute.

In the middle of the drawer on top of Daring Do books, notepads, and chargers was a medium sized stuffed animal. The animal was a purple spotted giraffe with a matching purple mane. She must have the giraffe for a reason, right? Probably for comfort when she was upset, or even scared.

He grabs the giraffe out of the drawer and kneels down in front of her face. He takes one of her hands and bushes the short mane of the giraffe onto it. Dash's hand twitches from the ticklish feeling on her fingers.

While rocking her slowly, he places the giraffe in her left hand and watches as she firmly grips onto the object in her hand. Her shaking and quiet whimpering ceased as soon as she made contact with the stuffed animal.

Soarin continued to rock her back and forth, slowly waking her. He heard a groan come from her and he moved his hand off of her.

"Soarin?" She groans his name, stretching her limbs out from being in the same position for hours. "What are you doing here?"

"I had come to apologize, but then I saw you having a nightmare, so I had to do something about it." Soarin explains, still worried about her.

Dash eyes the stuffed animal in her hand, wondering how the hell it got there. The last place she remembers seeing it was in her nightstand, where it always is. There's only one explanation for this. Her eyes widen after the realization.

"You went in my nightstand, didn't you?" She asks angrily. Soarin took a step away from her, knowing how protective she was of her nightstand. Like said before, she told him to never look inside. Even her closest friends don't know what was in it, but now he does. "How dare you touch Mr. Purple!"

"Heh, you named it?" Soarin erupts into laughter.

"Grr, it's not funny!" Dash whines while blushing profusely. She buried her face in her pillow and groans out of embarrassment. "Why'd you have to go in my nightstand? Ughh."

"Because, like I said, you were having a nightmare." He approaches her again but with caution. She's not angry, just embarrassed. "Which question do you want to answer first?: why do you have a stuffed animal? Or what the hell was your nightmare about?"

For a couple moments, Dash has said nothing. She didn't want to answer either question because they were both embarrassing. Unfortunately, she knew Soarin wouldn't let her off so easy, so she had to think of something to say. She sits upright on her bed, preparing herself for what she was about to admit.

"I've had Mr. Purple since I was eight. He's like an alternative to my wristbands when I don't have them on me. When I get —" she exhales with an uneasy smile on her face, "— scared or even nervous, I use him for comfort since I don't really have anyone to talk about my feelings with. So, I channel my emotions into him. Sometimes I'll punch him, squeeze him, or even just hold him in my hands."

Soarin listens carefully to each and every word she was saying. No one to talk to? What about all her friends, her parents, or even him? Perhaps when she says she has no one to talk to, she means she's just afraid of expressing herself.

"Dashie—"

"It's embarrassing, I know. I can't believe you're the first person I'm telling this." Dash hides her face with her hands, the shameful smile fading slowly.

"No it's just, you know you have a lot of people to talk to, right?" Soarin places a hand on her shoulder as a form of comfort. Dash moves a couple inches away from him and leaves a space on the bed for him to sit on. Soarin sits beside her and lays her head on his chest.

"I-I don't want to look weak in front of everyone," she admits, moving herself closer to him. "People see me as this brave and fearless girl who doesn't get hurt by words, and I don't want to ruin my reputation."

"Dash, if anything —" he lifts her chin up so she was staring directly into his eyes. Their lips weren't even an inch away from each other. "— not expressing your feelings is what truly makes you weak. You can talk to me about anything. Alright, Princess?"

Dash grins and nods, revealing her deep dimples. She appreciates him being so understanding of her feelings, and always being there for her when she needs him. They've been friends for less than a week, but she feels like it's been a lifetime.

"Thank you, Soarin." She subtly kisses his neck, though it didn't go unnoticed by Soarin. "I also want to apologize for storming off like that yesterday. It just frustrated me when you had said you wanted to bake today instead especially since you were so adamant about doing it yesterday. That's no excuse for my actions, though. I truly am sorry."

"Princess, you don't have to apologize." He plants a kiss on her forehead before pulling away and meeting her gaze.

And just like that, their eyes were locked onto each other. Dash bit her bottom lip, trying to stop herself from doing something she'd probably regret. She saw Soarin do the same, and now her eyes are staring at his lips.

Why do they look so . . . good?

She can't take it anymore. She can't hold herself back for any longer. She wants him, and she's not afraid to admit it anymore. Today is going to be the day she tells him exactly how she's feeling, and she's not afraid because she knows he wants the same thing.

"We should, uh . . . get to baking!" Dash interjects. "Let me take a quick shower and I'll see you downstairs, mkay?"

"Yeah, um, yeah." Soarin responds absentmindedly, just now realizing his eye contact had been broken.

Thank god she didn't have to tell him about her nightmare.

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Forty-five minutes later, the two teens met up in the kitchen, prepared to bake their pie. Dash wasn't going to eat it, but Soarin likes pie, so she didn't really care.

Soarin had set up all the ingredients on the counter and pulled up the recipe on a laptop. His eyebrows were furrowed as he looked at the instructions on the screen. He's never actually baked anything before, so he really doesn't know how to start.

"Dash, these instructions make no sense," he grimaced. Dash, who was preheating the oven, made her way over to him and peered over his shoulder to see what he was talking about.

In a small bowl, combine the sugars, flour and spices; set aside. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat.

"Why are you so confused? We're supposed to put half a cup of sugar, three tablespoons of flour, and so on. Read the ingredients, Soar." She shakes her head disapprovingly, yet with a smile.

"Now I feel kind of stupid."

From the cupboard beside her, Dash grabs a small bowl and follows the instructions on the website. After finishing, she grabs a larger bowl, chops up some apples and throws them in along with a tablespoon of lemon juice. She reads the next set of instructions and forces Soarin to read them with her.

Line a 9-in. pie plate with bottom crust; trim even with edge. Fill with apple mixture; dot with butter. Roll remaining crust to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in crust.

"Okay, now I'm confused. I don't understand this baker talk." Dash scratches her head out of confusion. "Maybe I'm just stupid."

"Uh, maybe it's saying to uh . . . yeah I don't know." Soarin tries sharing his ideas, but fails after realizing he hasn't got a clue either.

"You know, baking a cake is easier." Dash comments, still miffed that she doesn't understand the second step. "At least, I think so."

"Should I call Applejack?"

"Nah, we can figure this out ourselves. We don't need her."

Except the thing is, they really did need her. They really didn't know what to do. They tried following the instructions for about an hour and they still didn't understand. At the moment, the pie was baking in the oven, and it honestly didn't look so appetizing.

The pie crust was turning a deep brown and the insides looked like they were going to burst. Soarin and Dash cringed at the sight, not knowing if they should just take it out before disaster, or leave it in.

See, when Dash said she sucked at baking, she meant it. This is a disappointment and a let down. She really thought this would be a great chance to redeem herself after messing up the cake she baked for Soarin's birthday last year, but that wasn't the case here.

"We should just, take it out." Soarin suggested, and Dash didn't hesitate to agree. There was no point in trying to hope the pie would just magically look the way they wanted it to.

Soarin puts on oven mits and takes the unappetizing pie out of the oven. He places it on the stove and watches as its insides bubbled.

"Yeah, what were we thinking?" Soarin laughs it off, knowing that Dash was feeling awfully upset. She couldn't help but join him because it is a little funny thinking that she would actually bake a good pie and make it taste good.

Their laughter was interrupted by the doorbell ringing. The house grew silent as the doorbell rang a second time. Soarin tells Dash to stay put as he went to go see who was ringing their doorbell.

Soarin unlocks the front door and sighs in relief when he saw who it was.

"Thunderlane, what are you doing here?"

Thunderlane is Soarin's best friend. They've known each other since elementary school, and they've been close ever since. They do everything together, from going to the same school, taking the same classes, and even playing the same sports.

"I want my 2K game back. You took it in October and never returned it," Thunderlane answers. He crossed his arms and lifted an eyebrow as he tapped his foot impatiently. "So, are you going to get my game?"

"Right, uh, I'll be right back. Dash, can you entertain Thunderlane for me?" Soarin runs up the stairs to his room in search for his friend's game disc and case. He can't believe how long it's been since he's had it.

Dash walks up to Thunderlane and they exchange a handshake; one they made together around a year ago.

"What's up, Lane?" Dash greets him.

"Quarantine is boring as hell, but I'm alright. How bout you, Dash? How you been?" Thunderlane pats her shoulder, but she brushes it off as if it was a threatening gesture.

"I'm fine. I have Soarin to entertain me, so it's all good."

"Ah, so you and Soarin finally tied the knot, eh?" Thunderlane teases her, poking her chest and ruffling her hair.

"N-No, it's not like that." Dash felt her mood swing. Why was he touching her like that? She doesn't mind when Soarin does it, but something is just different about Thunderlane. It almost seems . . . flirty?

In the background, Soarin simply watched the whole encounter. He could see Dash's uneasiness even though she was facing the opposite direction. It's as if she didn't like it when Thunderlane touched her. He had enough of watching her feel uncomfortable, so he decided to intervene.

"Hey, Thunderlane!" Soarin called out to him. "Can't you see she's uncomfortable?"

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Thunderlane scoffs. He wraps his arm around Dash's shoulder and pulls her into a side hug. "I'm just having a friendly conversation with Rainbow Dash, here." Dash tried to move his arm off of her, but his grip was tight, as if he was forcing her into it.

"She's trying to move away from you!"

"That's too bad, I guess."

"Let go of her!" Soarin demands, stomping down the stairs and sending daggers at Thunderlane with his piercing glare.

"No."

Soarin felt something inside him trigger his defenses, and found himself launching at Thunderlane. Dash had to force herself out of the way so she didn't get hit by either of them.

Soarin and Thunderlane ended up in a heap on the ground, wrestling each other over reasons Dash didn't understand. She knew it was about her, but she just didn't understand why.

"Guys, can't you talk this out?!" She tried to stop their unnecessary fighting, but the two boys continued brawling on the floor. Soarin was dominating and blowing punches at Thunderlane's face as Thunderlane did his best to block his hits.

If Dash didn't stop Soarin soon, he'd hurt his best friend in a way she didn't want to witness. Behind each of his punches was a stronger force each time he threw blows at Thunderlane's face.

Dash had enough of their fighting, so she pulled Soarin off of his friend, despite knowing she was significantly weaker than him. She's strong, but not as strong as him.

Out of anger, Soarin's hand clasped onto Dash's wrist, holding it in place so she didn't intervene again. That didn't stop Dash though. She just wanted for at least one of his hands to be free from punching.

"Soarin, stop!" She cried out, hoping it would get him to realize that what he was doing was plain stupid.

When he heard her voice, his grip on her hand loosened and his punches grew weaker. Not even ten seconds later, he was completely still, shocked from hearing her voice.

Thunderlane winked at Soarin and he winked back for a reason that is to not be stated yet.

"Oh my god, his nose is bleeding!" Dash helps Thunderlane off the floor and brings him to the first aid kit that is hung by a single nail in the kitchen. "You're not off the hook, Soarin." She glares at him before walking off with his best friend.

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Dash sent Thunderlane home after treating his bloody nose. She's not exactly pleased with either boys, but there was only one she could confront about his intentions.

"What were you thinking?!" She yells at Soarin, who sat on the living room couch with his hands over his head. He looked ashamed of what he had done, but he didn't even apologize to his best friend about it. "You could've sent him to the hospital, and for no reason at all!"

"He was . . . touching you." He says hesitantly, not knowing what to respond with. "You were uncomfortable and I got angry when he disregarded your feelings."

"Soarin, you're turning seventeen this year, so stop acting like a middle schooler that fights over girls!" Her entire face was a deep shade of red, expressing her anger with him. Her fists were balled and she was slightly shaking in place. "You know I can take care of myself! I don't need you to protect me in situations like this because it's just stupid! How could you hurt your best frie—"

"BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!" Soarin erupted. He covered his mouth with his hands after realizing what he had said. He didn't mean to say it out loud, and he wasn't ready to say it either. He just snapped.

"Y-You . . . l-love me?" Dash stuttered, shocked by his words. She couldn't decide on whether to be glad that he finally said it or upset that she didn't say it first. "Soarin, that's—"

"Why do I always mess shit up?!" Soarin panicked in his seat with his hands still atop of his head. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck."

Dash was surprised that he was reacting this way. Sure, he's embarrassed that he had to admit his feelings like that. He exploded them right in her face and she wasn't ready for it, but at least give her a chance to speak? She opened her mouth to reassure him that it was alright, but Soarin kept off the couch and ran up the stairs before she could say anything.

"Soarin, wait!" But he was already gone. The sound of a door slamming echoed throughout the house, implying that Soarin had locked himself in his room. Dash tugged at her hair in defeat. She'd have to wait until tomorrow to talk to him about it because she knew for sure that he wasn't speaking to her any time soon.

"For fucks sake, Soarin," she whispers to herself. She flops onto the couch and hugs her knees. "I love you too."

~3771 words