Rising Shards

I felt like I was getting everything I ever wanted.

Was I really? No, I wasn't getting a lifetime supply of Blueberry Blitz Burst soda, I wasn't getting Cani shapeshift pills that actually worked on me, or like a million dollars and a bunch of games I wanted. But I'd trade a whole lot of that for this.

Dancing with Kalei Koridia was like a dream. I didn't want to let her go, which she probably found super annoying, but I had her in my arms now. This was the girl I'd been crushing on forever, my partner in...however the hell one would define the Downside stuff, my most trusted friend, the coolest girl at Rising Shards. Sure, we'd done some other stuff together like the time we skinny dipped, but nothing felt so special as swaying to music, her strong arms holding me.

Between songs, I pulled back, meeting her eyes.

I had never felt so in love.

Should I kiss her? Should I tell her how bad I've been crushing on her? Would this be the right spot for it? Could she even hear me if I did?

We were surrounded by classmates, but I didn't care. Nobody else mattered to me on that dance floor as much as Kalei.

"Hey there," Kalei said, somehow both smooth and oblivious at the same time. "You look like you're having a good time. Or that you're very sleepy, I'm not entirely sure which."

"Good time," I giggled. "How, uh, about you?"

"I'm feeling pretty good," Kalei said, sounding so smug as she flashed me another grin. I wanted to wipe that off her face with a kiss, but for whatever reason, I didn't.

Maybe now isn't the time?

But how much longer can I wait?

What if I do, and she says no?

I decided any big moves would ruin the atmosphere of the dance. We were here for fun (and a Downside mission, but outside of wanting to help Aira and Syval, that didn't remotely matter to me at the moment).

"And no...uh, arm things?" I asked.

Kalei checked both her arms, which thankfully had not turned to full-monster mode.

"We're good here," Kalei said. "Maybe she's giving me a break for once."

"Mhm," I leaned in close. My decision was to either go for a kiss or nuzzle against Kalei, and at the last millisecond I ended up nuzzling. But I felt so right there, held against her. I sighed like a content cat mid-nap.

"OK, this feels sleepy," Kalei said.

"Is not," I said. "You're just comfy."

I let out another content sigh as Kalei hugged me closer. My decision to not make any big moves was being tested, but Kalei holding me close made it hard to break out of that to kiss her, and any confessions now would be muffled.

"Hey, Marms?" Kalei said.

My heart was pounding as we pulled back, locked eyes again. Was she gonna say it first?

"Yeah?" I said, my voice dreamy.

"You're like...so, so awesome," Kalei said, hugging me close again.

"You are, too," I said.

"You're like the coolest!" Kalei said.

"You're way cooler," I said.

Both of us paused, as if we were waiting for the other to add anything. Outside of some awkward stammering, that wasn't the case.

God, we both suck, I thought, but internally I was laughing. It made me feel a little better that both of us just couldn't quite put it into words yet.

We'll get there. 

Today. I'll tell her today. If the mood isn't bad after Kalei tells the others about Downside, I'll pull her aside and finally tell her. I can't wait any longer than that.

After a few more songs, I felt like I'd missed my moment for any dance floor confessions. But that was alright. I wasn't even too annoyed when Roux approached.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Roux asked.

"Just the coolest cats being, uh, cool," Kalei said. "On the dance floor."

"On the dance floor," I repeated, nodding. I dunno what the hell that was, I can only assume our brains were both mush at this point.

"Wow, so cool," Roux said.

"You're not here to take us back to a Jeans thing, are you?" I said.

"Hell no, I wanted to chat with some people I find less annoying than others," Roux said. "And to brag about my lovely date, Raytris."

"H-hi," Raytris said. I didn't know a slime girl could blush until I saw Roux take her hand and twirl her around. "I've been kind of a drag, sorry."

"What? No you haven't," Roux said. They patted Raytris' head, which sounded like tapping a hand on pudding. "The environment is not exactly slime girl ready."

I didn't notice until then that the bass of the speakers was making Raytris vibrate. Like her slime self was being constantly moved by the music. I could see that being an incredibly unpleasant experience.

"It's giving me kind of a funny headache," Raytris said.

"But we got dancing in!" Roux said. "Dance accomplished! Even with the headache, you are swell what with the dancing. And what with out the dancing."

"Heh, thanks," Raytris said.

"We could all take a break if you wanna get away from the noise," I suggested.

"Only if we're not just sitting around waiting, let's like actually hang out," Kalei said.

The four of us inched back out toward the seats. We passed by some friends on the way who were still too busy lost to the music to notice us. Aira and Laenie looked like they were having a good time, and Syval looked happier than I'd ever seen him out there.

We spotted Zeta and Oka; I wondered if we should sit by them, but their table was full of an odd assortment. The two seemed to be giving dating advice or something? We waved, and they waved back, but they were clearly wrapped up in whatever they were telling Michi, Tay, and the love trio. I wondered what they'd tell Kalei and I if they were giving advice in that field.

"We'll go see them when they're done...doing whatever that is," Kalei said.

"Right," I said.

Raytris seemed to be a bit less shaky the further we got from the speakers. Roux was being so polite to her, I wasn't used to seeing their chivalrous side.

"This better, my sweet?" Roux said.

"Much better," Raytris said.

"You two seem to be hitting it off," Kalei said. Her being able to say that so bluntly while her and I could only call each other cool and awesome made me giggle a little.

"Raytris is like a princess," Roux sighed longingly. "I wish to give her only the best."

"And Roux is so...dashing," Raytris said, her face getting redder for a moment.

"We're pretty awesome too," Kalei said.

Was she trying to make this a competition? Wait, if she does make this a thing does that mean us winning would be like...us being more romantic?

Cruelly, I didn't get to find out, as someone else dropped by, interrupting the proceedings. It was Kalei's old friend Risa. And Roux's too, I remembered. When I was worried Risa and Kalei were going to go out, I kind of spied on them a little with Roux. I found myself wishing I went to the same school as them growing up. I wondered how different things would be for me.

"You know, getting rejected by you was one of the best things to happen to me," Risa said.

"Wow, very normal way to start a conversation, Risa," Kalei snorted. Risa laughed too as she sat down.

"I mean it though! I kinda lost my way for a while there," Risa said. "Now I have a whole polycule of cute girlies."

"So are you just here to brag? Because oh how we can brag," Roux said. Raytris turned fully red at Roux's glance there, excusing herself for a moment, returning when her slime had gone back to its usual color.

"Maybe a little," Risa said. "But we're all chill here, we can all brag, yeah?"

She looked right at me as she said that. I felt a sudden urge to boast about how awesome it was to date Kalei, but I hadn't even confessed to her yet, so I couldn't do that. The butterflies I felt from just thinking about asking her were dashed again, as all four of the other girls in Risa's polycule approached. I hoped they weren't here to stir up drama, but I couldn't decide if that would be better or worse than them bragging about how great they all were. 

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