Archive of Our Own

He didn’t even show up, and honestly, I don’t know why I thought he would.

I scoff and kick the ground, not even caring about the fact that I just scuffed my shoes. I feel like an idiot for having gotten all dressed up and showing up to Prom on just the hope that I’d at least get to see Dexter all dressed up for the occasion. It was stupid of me to think that he’d be here at all - of course he’d see it as a waste of his time. That’s part of the reason he rejected my invitation to the event in the first place.

I’m pretending it is at least; I don’t know if I could handle the idea of him thinking I’m just too lame to go to Prom with.

I wrap my arms tighter around myself and sigh. I should have known better than to come here, anyway. Dexter was always above stupid school events - even the ones that everyone deemed to be super important in the life of a teenager. He was always too good for that normie shit, and I guess that’s why I liked him.

It’s my fault for being down bad for a literal prodigy, I guess. He was always going to be out of my league.

Defeated, I turn away from the hotel that was chosen as our class’ Prom location. I can hear music blasting inside, and I’ve already watched about half of our class enter the building in the time that I’ve been waiting for someone who wasn’t going to show up. It’s too cold out for me to wait any longer when I already know the outcome, and I begin walking back to the parking lot.

I stop short when I see a familiar car pull up by the sidewalk, and I feel my breath hitch as the side door opens. I’m almost immediately met with disappointment, though, when the only person I see coming out of the vehicle is Dexter’s older sister.

Dee Dee looks absolutely stunning in the dress that she chose for the dance. It’s pink, seeing as that’s her favorite color, and it’s themed after some of the outfits she’s worn in her ballet performances over the years. I find it admirable that she enjoyed those performances enough to get a custom dress modeled after them, but my appreciation for her attire isn’t enough to detract from my overall feelings about the night.

She waves goodbye to her father before she starts making her way to the entrance, and she seems really excited as she dances along the path. I try my best to continue back to my car without her noticing me, but she sees me anyway and stops for a moment.

She doesn’t say anything, but I can tell she’s pitying me by just the look on her face alone.

I grimace and turn away again, making an attempt to walk faster before her expression gets to me. Dee Dee has been well aware of my crush on her brother for about as long as I’ve known her. She never outright told me it was stupid, but she never seemed all that excited about it either.

She knows he’s a bitch, so it makes sense that she wouldn’t be too enthusiastic. I knew he was a bitch too, but that didn’t change my feelings on the matter. I suppose I just have awful taste in men.

I fumble to get my keys out once I actually get to my car, and my hands are already so cold that they’re too numb to work properly. I mutter out a string of obscenities in response to the struggle I’m having with getting the right one. It’s frustrating - this whole night is frustrating. Why did I have to fall for someone who hardly cares about anyone other than himself? It’s so fucking stupid; I knew he wasn’t ever going to like me back, and I pined after his sorry ass anyway.

I feel tears welling in my eyes, and in an act of spite, I toss my keys out into the field next to the hotel. I immediately regret the action and pull at my hair in an attempt to ground myself before I lose my mind over how stupid that decision was.

I dart out after them and end up frantically searching on my knees with my phone flashlight not too long after. I don’t care that my outfit is going to get grass stains and dirt on it, and I don’t care that I probably - no, definitely look like an idiot doing this. I just want to fucking go home.

I stop what I’m doing after I notice someone watching me. I feel embarrassed at first, but I’m quick to anger once I realize that they’re literally just standing at the edge of the field watching me crawl around in the grass.

“What the fuck,” I seethe loudly, “do you want?”

They don’t say anything, and I quickly scramble to my feet. I glare at them, although I doubt they can see it, and I hold my phone’s flashlight up so I can see who it is.

I realize from the haircut alone that the bastard standing in front of me is none other than Mandark. He lets out a yelp at how sudden my action is, and he quickly brings up a hand to cover his eyes from the blinding light I’m shining at him. I prepare myself to yell at him about how weird he is for just standing there, but I stop when I see the state he’s in. He looks like he’s had about as awful a night as I have, and I can see some of my own feelings reflected on his face as he slowly lowers his hand.

I feel bad about getting so angry at him once I take everything in; if his formal attire and the bouquet of flowers he’s holding are anything to go by, he had high hopes for tonight as well. By the tear streaks left on his cheeks, though, I can tell that it went about as well as mine.

“You look like shit,” I grimace, turning the light off as I approach him. “What’re you doing out here?”

“I could say the same about you,” he snaps back. “And I have more of a reason to be asking you that. You were the one blindly crawling around in a field.”

“Not blindly,” I tut. “I had a flashlight, Mandark, in case you’ve already forgotten. I can turn it back on and remind you if you want-”

“No!” he shouts, before quickly rushing to regain his composure. “You already blinded me with it once. There isn’t any good reason for you to do that again.”

“I suppose not,” I relent, and he almost seems relieved.

I watch him for a moment, observing how he hesitantly glances back at the hotel in a way that tells me he doesn’t fully realize he’s doing it. I don’t see anyone there, but I already know that he’s probably looking back for Dee Dee. I’m assuming that she’s probably the reason for him being here tonight, on account of the flowers and everything.

He didn’t really stand a chance if he came for a last attempt at getting her to be his date to Prom, though. His love for her is just as hopeless as mine is for Dexter; neither of us had any chance of our affections being returned, but at least I can take the loss. Or I like to think I can, anyway.

I’m really just hoping that I don’t seem as sad and pathetic as Mandark right now.

“So, do you really want to know why I was out here?”

“It just so happens that it’s piqued my curiosity, yes.”

I take a deep breath to prepare myself for what I’m about to do, knowing that it’s a desperate, last-ditch effort on my end. I hate to ask anyone for this, especially my crush’s rival of all people, but I’d rather this than have to spend the next hour or so walking home.

“I actually…lost my keys,” I begin, and I make a motion for him to shut up the moment I see him open his mouth to interrupt me. “I’m not telling you how, either, so don’t ask. I’m actually wondering, since you’re here, if maybe…I could bum a ride off of you.”

I see the beginnings of a smirk on his face, and I immediately regret asking him. He’s probably going to mock me relentlessly about it before ultimately saying no, and I’m going to end up wishing I never said anything. I don’t know why I thought he’d react any differently, to be honest. I’ve never had anything nice to say about him on account of his relationship with Dexter, and he knows it. They’re rivals, and by extension, I never really liked him all that much either.

It’s probably a mix of that, and the fact that Dee Dee talks so much shit about him that I think he’s actually kind of a loser. It kind of makes me feel bad for him knowing that she thinks so little of him.

“I wouldn’t have humored you by saying yes anyway, but…” any hints of smug satisfaction are wiped from his face as he awkwardly rubs the back of his head. “I didn’t actually drive here, so I can’t - even if, for some absurd reason, I actually wanted to.”

“...Fuck.”

I stifle a sob threatening to escape, and I turn away from Mandark before he has the chance to see how distraught I am. This really is just the absolute worst night I’ve had in ages. I don’t know how it keeps outdoing itself, but it does, and I don’t know how much more bullshit I can take.

I’m not going to give it the chance to somehow ruin itself even more. I’m going to a fucking McDonald’s or something to get a cheeseburger to drown my sorrows in.

“Hey! Where are you wandering off to now?!”

“I’m going to get food somewhere, man. I’m hungry and tired and I don’t want to be here anymore.”

“Well, I hope that you don’t expect to go someplace looking like that. You look like you were just crying in a field - oh wait! You literally were.”

I whip my head around so fast that Mandark stumbles and nearly crashes onto the cement beneath him. He was a lot closer than I thought he was, which is annoying, but at least it’ll give my next words a bit more merit, and they’ll hopefully land harder.

“You’re talking mad shit for someone with tear streaks on his face because a girl wouldn’t be his date to Prom,” I hiss, and he flinches back, clearly having been unaware of the twin trails on his face. “At least I had more reasons than not having a date to make me cry. Get over yourself.”

He quickly brings his hands to his face to wipe away the remnants of his despair. I scoff at how ridiculous he is, and I quickly turn around to start off again in the direction that I know will lead me back into town. I don’t really care what Mandark does next, but he’d better leave me the fuck out of it. It was clearly a mistake to engage with him in the first place, and right now, I just want to go inside somewhere warm and try to avoid thinking about how I’ll have to get my car towed in the morning.

It doesn’t take long for me to notice the footsteps echoing behind me as I walk, and I spare a glance over my shoulder. For whatever reason, the very person I just tried to walk away from is following behind me. He seems annoyed when he notices me staring back at him, but I just roll my eyes before looking forward again.

I don’t really want to waste my time telling him off for following me; I’m kind of just hoping his house is in the same direction or something else coincidental.

I feel relieved when I finally see the fast food place I’ve been walking towards this whole time. I nearly trip when I decide to cut through the grass, but it isn’t enough to deter me from continuing in the building’s direction. I only decide to stop when I hear Mandark scoff behind me, and I whip my head around to glare at him again.

“What?” I snap. “Literally what do you want?”

“I just think it’s pathetic that you’re breaking the law for McDonald’s of all things.”

My attention shifts to the sign he’s pointing to with a label to keep off of the grass. I grimace, but don’t care enough to actually acknowledge the warning. It’s a little too late for that, anyway.

“What’re you going to do about it? Report me?”

“No. I’m actually just going to listen and walk around it.”

I don’t even bother watching him go around the plot as I finish my trek through it. He’s so fucking ridiculous - why did he even point that out? Leave it to Mandark to be perpetually annoying. He just had to show that he was better than me for doing that. What an arrogant-

Hey wait a minute is he going to McDonald’s too?

“I thought you were walking home,” I huff after I make it to the door. “What made you want to come here?”

He just gives me a side eye before completely ignoring my question and going inside. I can only deadpan in response to how abrasive he’s being. He literally had not mentioned wanting to go anywhere at all and now he’s just-

“Whatever,” I murmur in defeat. “I just want food. I’m going in anyway I don’t care.”

He’s already at the counter looking up at the menu when I get inside. The cashier is giving him a weird look for the flowers he’s cradling in his arms, but he doesn’t seem to notice. The employee seems to make a connection after they spot me at the door, and I’m immediately flustered by the idea that they think I’m with him. I don’t have the resolve to say anything to them about whatever they’re thinking, though. It would probably just be weirder if I brought it up.

“May I please have a McFlurry?”

“I’m sorry, sir, the machine is actually out of order at the moment…”

It takes everything in me to stifle my laughter at his response. He looks so genuinely shocked at being faced with what is probably the most common inconvenience anyone could have at a McDonald’s. It doesn’t help that he clearly hadn’t thought of anything else to get, either. He’s scrambling just to find something to tell the cashier at this point.

“Look, Mandark, I’ll go first if you still need to look over the menu,” I offer him mercy, but I can’t fight the need to mock him when he looks over at me. “It shouldn’t take you that long to figure something else out, anyway.”

His face goes red, and I can tell that he’s very clearly angry with me if his body language is anything to go by. His arms are crossed and he’s seething by the time I stride over to the counter. I would find it funnier if it weren’t for his death grip on the bouquet of flowers that he clearly doesn’t care as much about as he did before. It’s kind of sad that he spent money on something that never had a chance at being properly loved in the first place.

“I’ll just have a cheeseburger.”

“Really? That’s what you’re going with?” he can’t help but criticize me as I did with him. “That hardly counts as food.”

“That argument could be made for literally anything they serve,” I hiss. “Plus, you were also going to get something here. You’re so hypocritical it makes you look stupid.”

I don’t even bother looking at him anymore as I turn my attention back to the cashier. I feel kind of bad for them, knowing from just their expression that our conversation has made them uncomfortable. I decide to try and rush through the rest of the interaction for their sake as I fumble to get my wallet out.

“I think that I’ll just have some fries…”

I raise an eyebrow at Mardark’s comment but don’t care enough to actually look back at him. It seems like he just picked something off the menu because he’s too upset to actually think about what he wants. I’d imagine that he probably looks the part, too - he pretty much always shows his feelings in the most obvious way.

It would be cuter if he weren’t always pissed off or sad about something.

“Uhm, a small for the fries?”

“Yes…”

“Hey wait a second,” I snap my head in the direction of the cashier, startling them. “Are you putting our stuff in the same order?”

“...Yes?”

I hold in a groan and take a deep breath to calm down. It’s not even that big of a problem. I can just pay for both it’s not like it even matters. If it gets me out of this conversation sooner then I’m more than willing to do it.

“Here. Just-” I hand them a twenty, “I’ll cover both. Don’t worry about it.”

They gratefully accept the cash and scramble to get me my change as Mandark moves beside me. He’s glaring daggers at the poor employee for a moment before he shifts the focus of his spite to me. His expression somehow sours even more until he’s pouting, and he shifts his flowers into one hand while the other moves to his pocket. I realize that he’s trying to pay me back, and while I really didn’t want to waste money on him in the first place, I don’t actually care about getting it back from him.

“Don’t,” I state simply, and he seems confused.

“I don’t want to owe you anything-”

“I’m not going to hold fries from McDonald’s over you. That would just be stupid.”

His only response after that is a dirty look, but I find it much easier to ignore than anything he would have done otherwise. After the cashier hands me back my change, I move away from the counter to avoid blocking it. I feel a little stupid when I realize that no one else is actually here, but I was going to have to move to the pickup area anyway so who cares.

There’s not a lot to do while I wait for my food, so I end up watching Mandark again. He’s picking at the stems of his bouquet absentmindedly, and I only now register all of the pink flowers that he must have selected for it. He must feel my eyes on him because he looks at me in confusion for a moment before his gaze hardens.

“What?” his tone is agitated as he straightens his posture. “It’s rude to stare, you know. It’s not like there isn’t anything else for you to look at in here.”

“I mean, I guess? I was just looking at your flowers, honestly. I didn’t take you for the kind of guy who tries to woo people with the classics.”

“Well, if you must know, I…” he seems flustered as he trails off, and he looks away from me before he mutters out the rest. “I just wanted to impress Dee Dee with it.”

I don’t have the chance to respond before our food is placed on the counter and the cashier anxiously calls for me. It’s not like I really feel the need to anyway since I’m finally going to get to eat. I brush past him and take my part of the order before turning around and heading for a table. I fully intend to just enjoy my meal, if I can even call it that, and finish my walk home. I can’t really be bothered with doing anything else right now.

For some reason, the theme of my night going exactly the opposite of how I want persists as Mandark sits down across from me. I don’t even try to hide my displeasure once he looks up at my face. He cringes back in a rare act of weakness and places his bouquet on the seat next to him. It’s so fucking dumb that he’s even still carrying it around. Just what does he think is going to happen? He should just-

“Throw them out.”

“What?”

“You should just throw out the flowers. It’s kinda lame that you’re still dragging them around with you.”

“But, Dee Dee…”

“She’s at Prom. She didn’t want them. Just throw them out.”

He seems genuinely hurt by my words, and I almost feel bad about how dejected he looks. He really does love that girl, and it’s a damn shame that he’s wasting his time with this. I guess that’s hypocritical of me to say since I’ve been acting the same way about Dexter, though. Even so, neither of us is going to help ourselves by throwing a pity party; at least I can think clearly enough to see that.

“I don’t know why you like her so much,” I utter as I crumple up the trash from my cheeseburger. “She treats you like shit whenever you talk to her. She even bashes you when you aren’t around to hear it. So what do you even see in her?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” he snaps back, clearly defensive after being called out. “Dexter has only one love in life - and that’s science! You hardly ever cross his mind, and when you do, you’re probably nothing more than a fleeting thought. He doesn’t care that you exist. What could possibly attract you to someone like that?”

Even if he didn’t yell it so loudly, I’m certain that the silence would be just as deafening. The sound of him catching his breath after going off on me is all I can hear as I finally let what he said sink in. It sucks, it really sucks, but I know above anything else that he’s right. Dexter has never cared about me all that much; it’s almost comparable to how little Dee Dee cares about her own suitor. The two of us would hang out sometimes, sure, but I was the only one who really cared about it. It kind of feels like I was just a distraction that he tolerated more than his sister.

It fucking sucks that I’m finally facing this in a McDonald’s on Prom night.

I focus back on Mandark to see him eating his fries in silence. He’s observing me, and it almost looks like he’s enjoying just watching me spiral because of him. It seems like he’s not at all bothered by what I said - maybe he’s been told that before. Or maybe he came to think about it on his own. Either way, it pisses me off how easily he can just sit there, eating his fries, while I’m stuck on what he said.

He looks like an idiot with how daintily he’s eating those things anyway.

“I can’t say that you’re wrong,” I reluctantly agree with him after a moment, and he nearly chokes on the single fry in his mouth. “Dexter…really does only care about inventing things. I kind of knew I wasn’t his first priority, but I guess I just admired his resolve? It was easier to overlook things when I thought about it like that. He was never going to like me back, but a part of me was kind of convinced that maybe he would if I was enthusiastic about what he was doing. That really only made him focus more on his work, though, so I guess it never mattered.”

Mandark can only stare in silence once I’m done venting. I don’t think he expected me to agree with him, let alone tell him all about my feelings on the situation. He doesn’t seem to want to do the same about Dee Dee as he sadly looks down at his fries, which are no doubt cold by now. I can understand why he wouldn’t be as open to airing his thoughts with me, all things considered. It was kind of a weird thing for me to do since we hardly even know each other outside of our apparent dislike for one another.

Well, that and the fact that he’s been pining after her for way longer than I was with Dexter.

“I was really hoping…” he mutters through the silence. “I thought that maybe she’d consider changing her mind. I knew she wasn’t going with anyone else, so I-”

“Thought you’d give it one last shot.”

He nods, not even angry with me for interrupting him. I know how he’s feeling all too well, and I can’t help but actually feel bad for not just me, but both of us. We really thought tonight would actually work out in our favor, regardless of the warning signs telling us that it obviously wouldn’t. I guess that makes the two of us out to be stupid, hopeless romantics.

Or it would have if I was willing to just accept that bullshit.

“Honestly, fuck Prom,” I seethe. “It’s just a stupid dance, anyway. Like, I know it’s supposed to be this big, important dance, but it’s probably just as bad as the other ones we’ve had.”

He looks up at me with a confused expression, and I take it as a cue to continue with my rant.

“Seriously, do you remember Homecoming in like, Sophomore year? They had the worst song lineup for that thing - I genuinely don’t know why they keep choosing early 2000s shit. They use that godforsaken playlist for everything. Not every high schooler wants to listen to ‘party rockers in the house’ or whatever-”

“It’s ‘party rock is’, actually.”

My jaw stiffens as he just stares at me expectantly. He obviously didn’t think that his comment was going to shut me down, but it did. He clearly doesn’t know about the connotations of the meme that correction goes with, and I hate that I’m the only one of us feeling flustered about it. Embarrassed at the knowledge that I’m probably blushing right now, I scramble out of my seat to get away from him before he can point that out, too.

“I’m not even gracing that with a response.”

“Hey!”

I don’t bother acknowledging his protests as I walk away to throw out my wrapper, and I quickly rub at my cheeks to try and get rid of any remaining color that may be on them. I can hear him rushing after me as I finish up with my trash, and he nearly falls into me when he tries to stop beside me. He seems annoyed with how suddenly I got up and left him. I feel more amused than anything at his antics to follow me again, though. It’s kind of stupid that he won’t go away, but at least it’s giving me something else to focus on tonight.

“You haven’t let me finish my fries yet,” he grits out.

“Mandark, they’re probably cold by now come on.”

“Cold fries are still better than tofu…” he huffs, and I get the feeling that he isn’t really directing that at me.

“I think that anything is probably better than tofu?”

“Yes.”

We both go silent for a moment as we stare at each other.

“...Please just throw them out.”

“Fine, but not because you asked me to,” he relents, dumping the rest of his snack in the trash. “I wasn’t interested in keeping them around anyway. I wouldn’t have had many options to get rid of them aside from littering once we left.”

I want to call him out on the fact that he basically just admitted that he intends to keep following me, but I immediately move on when I watch him try to shove his fucking bouquet in the trash. I quickly grab ahold of it before he can actually finish, and he glares at me before trying to pull it back toward him.

“What-?!”

“Are you seriously trying to throw that out in here? You’re an idiot,” I rant in a hushed voice before motioning toward the cashier. “We’ve already been annoying enough, and now you’re trying to do this in front of the only person working right now? Just wait until we get outside Mandark there are more trashcans out there holy shit.”

He shifts his hateful look to the aforementioned employee, and it only seems to harden when he notices the way they’re staring at us. I swear to God if I’d known he was going to act like this the whole time I would have just walked home after ordering. He’s so immature like of course they’re staring he was literally yelling at me before.

I reluctantly grab his arm and start to pull him towards the door, and he instantly looks back at me in surprise. He pulls his limb back so fast he nearly hits me in the face, and I can only scoff as he then brushes past me and walks outside. I seriously don’t know why I’m putting up with him right now, he’s so frustrating.

It’s like he read my thoughts from before and immediately chose to make me regret them.

I spare a glance back at the cashier, and I think they pity me if the look on their face is anything to go by. I feel more offended than understood by the implication, though. It’s bad enough that Mandark already invaded my night - I’m not going to apologize on his behalf to make things less awkward for me. I choose to walk outside instead of saying anything and hold onto the hope that it’s not as cold anymore. I could really use a win right now if this is how things are going to continue going for me.

Naturally, the weather hasn’t changed at all when I get outside. It’s hardly been an hour, why would it have? I find it relieving that it didn’t get any worse, at least. The cold doesn’t seem as bad when I haven’t been standing alone in it for a while.

After a moment, I spot Mandark standing by one of the trashcans I knew would be out here. I don’t say anything as I walk up next to him to stare at the flowers crammed gracelessly into the container. It honestly looks like he vented his emotions through the action of forcing them into the thing. He seems dissatisfied, but he’s facing away from me so I can’t tell for sure. It almost feels symbolic, though, as if he’s moving on - at least for the night.

It makes me want to do the same.

“Figures that this is how tonight ends up,” I sigh. “Although, I didn’t think I’d end up at a McDonald’s with you of all people.”

He says nothing, but turns slightly so that he’s side-eyeing me. I flinch, but decide that I shouldn’t say anything else until he does. It seems like forever before he actually chooses to speak up again, though. I’m almost relieved when he does. Almost.

“I think you’re extremely annoying,” he muses, and I bite back the need to call him out on being the same. “Even so, I have to admit that you’ve been a decent distraction. I…I’m glad I ultimately decided against going home.”

“Is that why you’ve been bothering me tonight? I was wondering why you wouldn’t leave me alone.”

“Did you really want me to?”

He seems uncharacteristically shy as he asks that, and I realize, after a moment, that he wants me to tell him no. He wants me to say something, anything that makes it seem like I wanted him around. He needs someone to care, because if Dee Dee doesn’t, then who else is there? He needs to hear that someone actually likes him enough that they’d want to spend Prom night together.

I just feel bad knowing that the only person he can get that from right now is me.

“No, I guess not,” I finally answer, considering my next words carefully. “You were a good distraction on my end, too. Not one that I would have ever expected, but it’s nice to be proven wrong every once in a while.”

He continues his silent streak, and I don’t push him to respond. He seems conflicted, thinking over what I said, and I don’t blame him. This must be adding to how weird his night is overall, honestly. We’ve only ever interacted through arguing over things in the past, and we didn’t talk much outside of that. I had my reasons for disliking him, but he just never seemed all that fond of me to begin with. That may have come from my proximity to Dexter, sure, but I feel like he was more so just jealous of how Dee Dee liked me more.

It’s just as strange for me to be talking with him so casually, too. After how badly I’ve treated him over the few years that I’ve known him, I never would have thought that he’d be so willing to hear me out on like half of the shit I vented to him tonight. I’m honestly more surprised by the fact that he was even somewhat willing to do the same, though. It really makes me wonder if he has anyone else that he could’ve confided any of that in.

It’s not like I haven’t heard that he has no friends before, the only difference is that it’s actually bumming me out now.

“Hey, so…” the moment I speak his eyes snap in my direction, and I’m startled by how intense his gaze is. “Listen, the night isn’t over yet, and it would be a waste to just go home and sulk for the rest of it. What do you say we go do something else? I know a place through the woods that’s kind of neat if you’d be, y’know, willing to put up with me for a little longer.”

He stays quiet for a moment too long, and I panic. It was stupid of me to offer him that - he’s probably going to mock me for asking. I swear I haven’t learned anything about how relentless this man is. His standards are probably too high for anything I like anyway, and I doubt he’d even want to walk through the woods-

“...I’m slightly concerned over what you’d find intriguing.”

Oh thank God.

“It probably isn’t anything of actual interest,” he can’t help the insult that slips, but he catches it and seemingly backtracks. “But I must admit I’m curious to see what could be there. I certainly haven’t heard of anything notable out in the woods.”

“It’s actually really cool - you just need to trust me on this,” I say, waving for him to follow as I start to walk away. “I mean, it’s been a while since I’ve been there, but it should still be standing. You don’t know what we’re looking for anyway so I can just tell you whatever I want worst-case scenario.”

“And you really think I’d believe you after you just told me your plan?”

“Just bare with me on this. I think you’ll like it if it’s still there.”

“I’m not sure I trust that you know anything about what I’d enjoy.”

“Whatever Mandark either come with me or don’t. It’s up to you.”

He glares at me in disdain, but seems sidetracked as he does. He’s clearly thinking over the offer again, apparently giving it more consideration than he was before. I half expect him to back out because he doesn’t actually want to trek through the woods at night for a chance at seeing something that might not even be there. I can’t blame him for that, though, since it would be a pretty valid reason for not wanting to come. I think he’d probably just end up tripping over everything anyway - he does not strike me as the outdoorsy type.

“I’ll join you,” he concedes. “But only for the purpose of finding whatever it is you’ve been going on about.”

“Cool,” I say. “Let’s go.”

I start in the direction of the woods almost immediately after he makes his decision. It feels strange that, even after the years I’ve spent forgetting about the existence of this place, I still know the way there. It’s not like I went there a lot before, either. I only really have one memory of it, and that was the day that I brought Dexter there. I spent a lot of time wandering the woods to begin with, so when I found something that was out of place I wanted to show it off. He didn’t think it was all that impressive, though. He ended up disregarding it almost immediately after I brought him there.

He was the only person I ever showed it to, and I think that was because he made me feel like shit for doing it.

“How far in do you intend to bring me?”

I nearly trip over my own feet at the sounds of Mandark’s voice. I totally zoned out and forgot that he was following me out into the woods. It’s kind of embarrassing that I blanked that hard, but I know I would have heard him if he were talking to me before. When I look back at him, his expression tells me that he’s probably been as distracted as I have this whole time. He doesn’t seem too happy now that we’re actually entering the woods, though. I guess my hunch about him hating nature or something was pretty on point.

“As far as I need to, smart-ass,” I turn around again after saying that to avoid tripping over anything. “But, if it makes you feel better, it shouldn’t be too far. It’s just up a hill, so the most you’ll have to complain about is the hike up there.”

“Ugh,” he seems to cut himself off before he can even start.

I get the feeling that I was just spared a barrage of needless whining, and I silently thank whatever may have saved me. Mandark is clearly struggling to follow the pace I’ve set, though, if his hesitation to go any faster is telling me anything. I look back at him to see his eyes trained on the ground, and I realize that he’s taking his time to make sure he doesn’t trip on anything. I respect that he doesn’t want to fall over and get his Prom suit all covered in dirt. It’s not enough to give me any more patience towards his antics, though.

“Could you maybe pick up the pace?” his eyes snap up to meet mine and he stops walking. “I just feel like we could get there a little faster if you worried about tripping less. It’s not that hard to avoid any loose roots anyway-!”

I fully expect to hurt myself with how fast I’m hurtling toward the ground, but I manage to stick my arm out in time to save myself. I stare, completely silent, as the fact that I just made a fool of myself sinks in. Here I was, mocking him for being careful about where he steps, and I just proved him right for doing that. I don’t even want to look back at him, but I need to know if I actually just tripped on a fucking root or not.

And sure as hell, that’s exactly what it was.

He doesn’t even try to hold back his laughter at my misfortune. That damn sound is easily the most identifiable thing about him. If there’s anything that I remember him for, more than his intelligence, more than his inventions, more than his one-sided rivalry with Dexter - it’s his laugh. His goddamn laugh, which went from annoying to endearing with how sparingly I’ve heard him actually let it out over the years. His laugh, which I would die before ever admitting made me soften my views on him, if only a little. His laugh, which I’d argued with Dee Dee about for way longer than I’m willing to admit because she thought it was stupid; because she thought he was stupid. A part of me has always thought that he wasn’t such a nuisance, I guess, and it was always somehow tied to how ridiculous his laughter is.

All of that is irrelevant now that it’s being directed at me.

“Shut up,” I seethe, and I can already tell that I’m blushing furiously. “It isn’t even that funny. You can stop laughing now.”

He ignores me, obviously, and I scoot away to try and stand back up on unsteady feet. I’m shaking, whether it’s from the cold, embarrassment, or shock I’m unsure. All I know is that I need him to stop laughing or I’m actually going to get upset.

And I’d really rather not cry in front of fucking Mandark.

“I can’t believe I just witnessed that - you actually tripped!” he cackles, starting in my direction. “You’d do best to follow the advice you attempted to criticize me for. I think that it’ll help you to actually pay attention to what you’re doing-”

I hardly even get the chance to blink before he crashes into the ground. I don’t say anything, genuinely in shock at how brutally he just face-planted into the forest floor. After a moment, he starts to push himself up on shaky arms, and he lets out a groan. I don’t even notice that his glasses flew off and apparently landed by my feet. I’m too busy staring at the root that managed to trip not just one, but both of us.

I can’t help but start laughing at the coincidence.

“You really just-” I can’t breathe as I watch him squint his eyes in my direction. “You actually just tripped on the same fucking root that I did! I can’t believe this, those chances were so low and you somehow did it anyway!”

All I can do is laugh, just as he was before, and I find that I can’t actually stop now that I’ve started. It’s just so stupid - everything about tonight has been stupid! We both got dealt what was probably the worst hand for Prom, and somehow we ended up spending it together in spite of that. I ate with him at a McDonald’s of all places, and now we’re in the fucking woods at like ten at night looking for something that I’m honestly just hoping is still there.

And I’m doing all of this with someone I was convinced that I didn’t like.

I only start to calm down when I notice how distressed Mandark actually is. He’s frantically searching the ground around him for his glasses, and even with how dark it is out here, I can see how red his face is. He’s humiliated, apparently much more than I was, and he won’t even look in my direction; at least, he’s trying not to. I’d imagine that it’s kind of hard for him since everything must be blurry right now.

I lean forward and take the very thing that he’s looking for from their place next to me when I finally register that they’re there. I let out a breath of relief when I see that, aside from the dirt now caking the glass, they aren’t damaged. Mandark clearly didn’t notice what I was doing, and I take the chance to carefully approach him. His head snaps in my direction the second he hears me, and he glowers at me the best that he can. He doesn’t say anything, though, and I can tell that he’s just making a face to try and get me to back off. I ignore it and crouch down so that I’m at face level with him.

“You’ve got dirt all over you,” I say, and he flinches back to try and distance himself from me. “I found your glasses. At least let me help you get this shit off.”

He reluctantly stays in place, and I bring my arm up to try and clean off his face. I don’t care about the soil clinging to my outfit or my skin as I try my best to be gentle in how I clear it off of him. I actually feel awful about it, even though he mocked me before, because he actually landed face-first on the ground. I’d imagine that it not only hurt him physically, but that had to be a blow to his pride, too - and that’s all he has.

I pull back after a moment, and note how he seems just as embarrassed as before. He clearly didn’t want me that close to him, and I take the opportunity to back away from him after I see that. I clean off his glasses the best that I can on what I think is a clean part of my outfit. He just sits patiently, looking awkwardly at the ground next to him as I finish up. I simply hold them out to him so he can take it, and he does after a moment, carefully placing them back onto his face as he stands up.

“They’re not broken or anything, if it's any consolation,” I offer. “I checked them before I cleaned them off. I think you’ll just need to wash them or something when you get home.”

He stays silent for a moment, looking over my face for something. I stay still, uncomfortable, until his gaze travels to the rest of my outfit.

“You’re filthy,” he states, his voice slightly shaky. “It’s a waste that you only got to wear that once before you managed to ruin it. You’ll likely never be able to wear it for anything again.”

“You’re one to talk,” I jeer back lightly as I straighten myself out again. “Your suit got totally trashed when you ate shit. At least you probably have some invention to clean it. I’m going to have to get rid of this when I get home.”

He looks down at himself, and he seems less upset about his attire than I thought he would be. His tone shifts when he looks back up at me, though, and he seems genuinely bothered by the state I’m in. Maybe it’s because we’ve had a long night, but it seems like he’s actually pitying me. Or rather, he’s sympathizing with me, which is honestly a lot weirder by comparison.

“So, uh…” I trail off as I look back up the hill we’re standing next to. “I guess you probably want to head home after that. I can take you back out of the woods since it’s difficult to navigate in the dark. Let me just get my phone out to use the flashlight so we don’t trip again-”

“What makes you believe I’d want to go back?” he interrupts, and he seems more confident now that he’s recovered from the fall. “I wouldn’t waste my time walking all the way out here just to give up and leave without achieving anything. You had better lead me to whatever made you bring me here in the first place.”

I’m genuinely surprised by how adamant he seems about the topic. I really thought that he’d want to go home after a blunder like that, but he actually wants to keep going. I’m not complaining, since I also would’ve been kind of pissed if I wasted my night taking him here just to turn around before getting where I wanted. I’m not sure how excited he’ll actually be when we get there, but I can at least hope that he doesn’t end up mad over it. The most that could happen is he’ll get disappointed and tell me off.

For some reason, I’m kind of hoping that doesn’t happen.

“We can take a shortcut and just climb up the hill,” I offer, moving to hike up the incline. “We already have dirt on our outfits, so who cares if we get any more on us?”

He hesitates for a moment before following after me.

“I suppose that you’re right.”

It doesn’t take me long to reach the top, but it takes Mandark a little more effort to manage it. He really doesn’t do well outside, but I don’t actually want to make him feel bad about how pitiful he looks right now. He’s really trying to scale the incline as easily as I did, but it is just not going to happen. I decide to offer him a hand once he’s closer to me, and he immediately swats at it in disgust.

“I don’t require any assistance from you,” he hisses, upset about the implications of my gesture. “I can successfully climb a hill without your intervention.”

I watch him pull himself back to his full height after a moment, and I just shrug off his rejection. He mutters something that I can’t hear as he dusts off his suit jacket. His eyes eventually find their way to my face again as he finishes, but they quickly focus on something behind me. I hold my breath as he walks closer to me, and I can’t bring myself to look at his face to gauge how he feels about the structure behind me.

“A water tower?”

“Yeah.”

I pray that my anxiety about his reaction wasn’t obvious when I spoke. As much as I want to feel confident in showing him this, I really don’t know if he’s actually going to be interested in it. He’s seen so many impressive things, most of which are probably what he’s made in his lab, so why would he care about some old water tower in the woods? He’s probably going to react just like Dexter did-

“I’m honestly impressed that this is still standing,” he muses, walking past me. “It seems remarkably stable for something that was left abandoned in the woods.”

I stare after him, jaw clenched as I see him studying it with interest. He actually likes it? He walks closer to it before acknowledging that I’m behind him, and he looks back at me with a smug grin. I’m too shocked by his positive reaction to say anything as he watches me for a moment.

“It appears as though you do know a thing or two about what catches my interest,” he praises, his smile twitching as he realizes what he said. “I’m curious as to what could have drawn you here, though. Please tell me it wasn’t for something as simple as finding a dilapidated structure intriguing.”

“No, actually,” I hesitantly point toward the top as I speak. “It’s actually because of what’s up there.”

He cranes his neck to peer at the top of the tower, and he lets out a hum of approval. He doesn’t look back down until I decide to approach him, and I motion over to the ladder behind him. He seems confused for a moment about what I want until I walk past him. He sputters out an incoherent warning about the “potential instability” of it, but I ignore him. I don’t think that this thing somehow got insanely unstable in the few years I’ve been away. It should be safe enough for me to make it to the top. Probably.

“Do you really expect to go all the way up?” he chides as I start climbing. “This is unbelievably dangerous, and I’d think that even someone as stupid as you would know that!”

“Yeah, okay,” I retort in a way that I know will grate on his nerves. “It just sounds like you’re too much of a coward to follow me up here.”

“Excuse me?!”

“This thing isn’t going to just break on you, Mandark. I’m climbing up just fine, and you weigh next to nothing. You’ll be alright.”

“I still think-” his eyes go wide and he glares at me furiously once my words sink in. “What was that comment about my weight supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re a twink. And if you want to fight me over it, you’ll just have to come up here too.”

He’s fuming over my comment, and I look down to see him begin to ascend the ladder as well. I roll my eyes - it figures wounding his pride was the only way to get him to ignore his concerns. I’m not worried about what he’ll actually do once he reaches the top, though. I have a feeling that he won’t stay mad for long once he does.

I hoist myself up the last rung with effort, and I lean against the water tank to catch my breath. Mandark will probably be a bit before he reaches the top, so I take the chance to enjoy the peace while it lasts. I move to the railing once I’m ready, and I feel a sense of nostalgia as I take in the view below. You can see the entire town from up here, including the neighborhood where Dexter and Mandark live. It’s a little funny to see how out of place Mandark’s lab actually is. The whole goth vibe he has going for it works really well, but it sticks out like a sore thumb against everything else.

I hear labored breathing behind me, and I know that he’s finally reached the top. I don’t turn to greet him as he stomps over to me, and his tone shifts once he actually stops next to me. I side-glance at him to see him looking over the town below, and he seems surprisingly content at the sight. I wonder what has him feeling that way - probably his lab. He really takes pride in it, as he should, and I’d imagine that seeing it from here is only serving to contribute to the feeling.

“So it was the view,” he murmurs.

“Indeed it was.”

We both go silent as we look over the town we grew up in. I end up turning my attention to Mandark instead of the lights below after a moment. He seems satisfied with just overlooking everything, and I get the feeling that I did a good thing by bringing him up here. It’s weird to think that he’s actually enjoying tonight, for whatever reason. I guess I just didn’t think I’d be enough to entertain him, because I know I thought he wouldn’t be able to do the same for me.

It’s nice to be wrong for once.

“The stars are a lot easier to see up here, too,” I comment, and he looks back at me with a questioning gaze. “Without the light pollution, I mean. It’s a pretty solid view if you look up.”

He does exactly as I suggest, and I follow suit. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the night sky as clearly as I am right now. It’s really nice to see the stars, since I only ever see like two in the sky on an average night. I’ve never been too big on astronomy, but with a sight like this, I can see why others are.

“If you think this is impressive, I pity you.”

I look down again so fast that I nearly hurt myself. Mandark is watching me, arms crossed, and that smug smile of his seems to have found its place back on his face. It only seems to grow when he notices that he has my attention, and I feel a little defensive about his comment.

“The view you’d get from the telescope in my laboratory is much more impressive,” he brags. “You would be able to see stars that an average telescope could never even hope to display.”

“Not everyone has some extravagant lab in their backyard, Mandark,” I seethe. “This is probably the best view any normal person can get.”

“Well…” he suddenly becomes flustered as he watches me. “I may be willing to let you visit my lab and look through mine. If you were interested in doing that…maybe.”

I nearly choke once I register his offer. Is Mandark, one of the most vindictive, spiteful people I’ve ever met, actually inviting me to his laboratory? There’s no way that he actually means that - he couldn’t. I know that Dexter never wanted anyone in his, even at the best of times. There’s no way in hell that his rival would be any more open to the idea.

“Are you serious right now?”

He takes the question as an insult and flinches back at my words. I rush to figure out how to correct the way I phrased it after I see his face starting to turn red and his expression sour.

“I meant, do you really mean that?” I ask in a hurry. “Like, of course I’d want to come check out your lab if you mean it, Mandark. Have you seen how it looks from up here? It has got to be probably the coolest thing in this town.”

“Naturally,” he huffs in agreement. “I don’t extend this kind of invitation to just anyone. If I didn’t want you in my lab, I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“I’m just really surprised you’re inviting me,” I add. “It’s not like I’m new to seeing some super genius inventions and shit, but I…well I actually feel a little honored that you’d even be willing to show me yours.”

“I’m certain that you’ll find my creations to be much more inspired than Dexter’s,” he spits out his rival's name with such vitriol that I’m actually taken aback for a moment. “My laboratory is far superior to his, as is my intellect.

“Uh-huh. Yeah,” I can’t help but tease him a little to keep his ego in check. “We’ll see about that. I’ll have to judge whatever you have in there whenever I decide to come over and check it out.”

“I have no doubt that you’ll find my lab more accomplished.”

“Again, we’ll just have to see.”

We both fall silent again, and I feel a lot happier now than I did at the start of the night. It’s strange how, even with my feelings about Dexter, Mandark managed to keep my mind off of it. Nearly everything we did tonight made me think of him, but Mandark gave me so many other things to focus on that it didn’t matter. Looking over the water tower again, I realize that I’m not as uncomfortable about it as before. Now, when I see it, I can think about this stupid excursion with Mandark on Prom night. I won’t be haunted by Dexter’s reaction to it anymore.

I probably won’t be as bothered by what he thinks at all, actually.

“Tonight’s a good night,” I say, and Mandark glances over at me in silence. “I’m happy we did this. Prom would’ve sucked, anyway. I’m glad I missed it.”

He doesn’t say anything, and I raise an eyebrow at his lack of response. It looks like he wants to say something, but he can’t bring himself to as he gets closer to me. He seems uncomfortable as he brings a hand up to rub the back of his head, and he looks away from me.

“I…” his face goes red and he cringes at his next words. “Should we kiss? Maybe?”

“Oh, God, fuck no,” I immediately backtrack to make my response seem a little less aggressive. “You’d have to work way harder if you wanted to do that with me.”

“Right.”

“Why did you even ask me that?”

“It…It just felt like the appropriate moment for that kind of thing? I don’t know.”

“You didn’t really seem like you wanted to kiss me anyway. Did you?”

“I don’t know. I guess I…maybe? It’s Prom night, so…”

“That’s such a stupid reason. I can’t see you wanting to do that with anyone other than Dee Dee, anyway.”

“She’d never-”

We stare at each other, and I’m just as surprised by what almost came out of his mouth as he is. He was actually going to admit that it wasn’t going to happen. He was going to accept that Dee Dee didn’t like him. He seems distracted by the realization, and he turns away from me again as he looks in the direction that Prom is in. He’s lost in thought, and I get the feeling that he’s probably going to be spiraling over this for the rest of the night.

“Maybe we should go home now. It’s already past eleven.”

He says nothing.

“I don’t want to sleep all day tomorrow, and I doubt you do, either. We need to get going.”

He’s not even looking at me when I’m speaking.

“I…I’m going home. Please just…don’t stay here too late, okay?”

He finally looks at me, and the only thing I can describe him as is just…sad. I feel awful knowing that, even after a whole night of distractions, he still couldn’t get his mind off of the girl he’s been crushing on for the past few years. Now, to add to that, he’s finally being faced with the reality that she isn’t ever going to like him back the way he liked her.

He must feel absolutely miserable right now.

“I’ll be coming with you,” he manages after a moment.

“Alright then.”

The climb down is awkward, and not solely for the reason that I’d be getting a face full of his ass if I were to look above me. I know that he’s probably not going to want to talk during the walk back out of the woods, which would be fine if I weren’t so uncomfortable with how late it’s gotten. If I thought it was hard to see before, right now is a nightmare by comparison. I can hardly see my phone when I pull it out of my pocket, and the light from my home screen causes me to almost drop the damn thing. I expect a laugh or at least a snide remark from Mandark, but he’s not even watching me as he fidgets with something in his pocket.

I look back every so often as we stumble through the woods to make sure my companion is still behind me. I didn’t think it was something I’d have to worry about, but he’s admittedly a lot more out of it after our conversation than I thought he’d be. I’ve caught him nearly walking into a few trees with how little he’s paying attention, and I hate to admit it, but it’s actually starting to get me worried. At this rate, I don’t know if I can trust him to walk all the way home without getting hit by a car or something.

On the topic of going home, I feel relieved when I finally see the lights of civilization through the edge of the forest. It feels like we’ve been walking forever, which is partly because almost nothing was happening between the two of us, unlike the start of our little expedition. I turn my flashlight off once we get close enough to town, and I hold in a string of curses at how low my battery is now. Leave it to me to completely forget about the fact that using that feature would kill my phone. Now I have even more limitations on the time I have to get home; if my phone dies while I’m out, I’m pretty much fucked.

“I guess this is where we part ways,” I say, finally turning to face the person beside me. “It’s been fun, and I really do want to say more, but I have to get home now or I’m in for a rough day tomorrow.”

“Ah- Wait!” he holds up a hand to stop me from going anywhere, his sadness seemingly forgotten as he regards me. “I, uhm-”

“No offense, but please just spit it out already, or else you’ll have to leave it for another day-”

“I wanted to return your keys!”

“...my fucking what?”

He finally fishes out the thing he’s been messing with in his pocket to reveal the keys I was so desperate to find earlier in the night. I’m shocked to see them, but that quickly turns to anger when I realize how long he must have had them on his person.

“Your car keys,” he clarifies as if I didn’t already know. “I happened to come across them when I found you crawling around in the grass making a fool of yourself searching for them-”

“So you’ve just had them this whole time and didn’t say anything?!”

“Yes, but when you put it that way I-”

“You what? You seem like an asshole?” I seethe, snatching the keys from his outstretched palm. “That’s fucking unbelievable. You seriously just held onto them and didn’t- were you even planning on saying anything up until now?!”

“I…wasn’t, initially,” he admits reluctantly, and I cross my arms as he continues. “I took them in an effort to ruin your night, seeing as my own had been less than enjoyable. And I’m still satisfied with my decision, although it’s for a vastly different reason than my original incentive.”

I want to stay mad at him, I really want to, but I can’t bring myself to actually follow through. He may be a prick for doing what he did, but he’s always been like that. At least he’s taking accountability for it now, and it’s not like he doesn’t have a good point about standing by his decision. As much as I disagree with why he originally took my keys, I can’t say that I don’t understand why he’s satisfied with it now. Tonight ended up being really fun, and for that, I’ll allow him to get away with his nonsense.

Just this one time, though; if he tries something like this again I’ll actually beat his ass.

“Alright,” I sigh, and he seems shocked by my change in tone. “You suck for taking them just to mess with me, but it all worked out so I guess I can forgive you. I really did enjoy tonight, so I’ll just leave it at that for now. I’ll see you another time-”

“I was actually wondering…” he anxiously cuts me off and offers an awkward grin. “Would you consider driving me home?”

“Oh hell no. You’ve got to be kidding me right now.”

I’m not even mad as I point in the direction of the neighborhood down the road. His eyes follow my finger, and he realizes that I’m calling him out on his bluff.

“Mandark I know you live like right down the street. Don’t forget that I saw your lab up there,” I tease. “You’d be wasting your time walking all the way back with me just so I could drive you home. We can meet up another day if you want to spend time together that badly.”

“Of course I’m not that desperate,” he hisses, glaring at me for no more than a minute before calming down again. “But…when exactly did you plan on visiting my laboratory? Just so I can prepare accordingly, obviously.”

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to get back to you on that.”

“But- You’re aware that I don’t have your phone number, correct?”

“Yeah.”

“Then how do you intend to let me know-”

“I know where you live now, don’t I? I’ll stop by sometime when I feel like it. I want to keep you on your toes, y’know?”

He watches me begin walking away from him, confused, and I just smirk at him and offer a wave as goodbye. He doesn’t move immediately, but slowly starts in the direction of his house the farther away I get. Once I know he’s going to get home safely, I focus on the long walk I have ahead of me. It’s not so bad though, all things considered. Tonight could have been way worse if it weren’t for Mandark, and as much as I hate to say it, he was great company. At least toward the end of the night, anyway - I don’t know what he was doing when we ate together.

It was nice to have someone to spend tonight with, and I genuinely do intend to spend time with him again at some point. When exactly, I’m unsure; he did pull a bit of a dick move with my keys. Maybe I’ll wait a week or two before actually going to his house. It’ll be funny to see if he actually waits for me that long. Well, that and I think he probably needs the space to deal with his feelings for Dee Dee. Either way, I’ll see him again soon enough.

For right now, though, I’m just going to go home and relish in how great my Prom night was.