Enchanted

CG: SO, YOU READY?

EB: Yes!

CG: OKAY, EVERYTHING’S SET UP HERE. THE PARTY STARTS AT EIGHT.

EB: Got it!

EB: Now, I gotta go and finish getting ready.

EB: But before I forget, thanks a lot Karkat…for making it happen.

CG: SH-SHUT UP AND GET READY.

CG: DON’T BE LATE.

[CG (CarcinoGeneticist) stopped trolling EB (EctoBiologist) at 6:44 p.m.]

I laugh to myself, closing the laptop and stretching. Oh Karkat… But really, I do appreciate what he’s doing for me. Knowing how much I wanna meet her, he’s setting up a party and inviting everyone. Not only does it mean that I’m gonna see her for the first time, I’m also gonna see the other trolls! I’m really excited; all I know are Kanaya, Terezi, and Karkat.

I place a hand over my heart, feeling the thump-thump of it. I don’t know why, but it feels like it’s beating for her.

Vriska.

I smile stupidly to myself when Dave barges in my room.

“Yo John--what are you doing?”

I snap out of it. “Um…nothing?”

He shakes his head at me. “Your head’s up in the clouds again, isn’t it?”

“Nooo…?”

“Don’t lie John, I can see it in your eyes.”

I blush. “I can’t help it…”

Dave approaches me and ruffles my hair. “Come on. You got a girl to see.”

~**~

I’m at Karkat’s house, sitting on the couch with Dave, Rose, and Jade. It’s almost 9:30, and I haven’t seen a sign of Vriska at all. Maybe she didn’t bother to come… I sigh, staring at my cup blankly.

Don’t get me wrong, the party’s perfectly fine. I mean, the trolls are so cool and friendly! Well…I’m not too sure about this Tavros guy, who keeps shooting dirty looks at me. Other than that, I’m really happy to know them. It’s just…I really want to see Vriska after months of chatting online. We’d spend hours talking about anything. She’d tell me about her biggest, darkest fears, and I’d tell her about my embarrassing moments. Somehow we’d always end up saying that we want to see each other badly. It’s hard meeting up with her though; the trolls generally keep to themselves. Whenever we try, something always messes it up, like some last-minute emergency or whatever. Secretly, I think that some of trolls are holding her back.

Anyways, like I said, the party’s fine, but right now, it’s not very exciting. Actually, it’s kinda dead. There’s some music, but people pretty much stopped dancing. I rest my head on Jade’s shoulder and sigh.

“Aww John, you okay?” she asks.

“Not really…” I’m starting to give up.

She strokes my short black hair. “Don’t worry, she’ll be here.”

“Right…” I sip my cup slowly, my eyes trained on the floor. I think about how much effort I put into my outfit; it’s a black button-up shirt with a blue-green tie and blazer, paired with black jeans. What? I had to look a little casual. But now it’s going to waste…

“Dude come on,” Dave urges. “Lighten up.”

“No.” I pout.

Dave groans and gets up from the couch, pulling me. “Dude get up!”

“No!” I dig in my heels, resisting the best I can, knowing I can win this.

Sadly, Jade and Rose join him. With a big pull, I’m up from the couch, but that doesn’t mean I have to move. Too bad they herd me to the snacks table against my will.

“Relax, John,” Rose assures, shimmying her shoulders at me. I laugh at her attempt to cheer me up. But I still want Vriska…

My friends lead me around the living room, hitting up random people. I don’t really bother to actively participate. Not that they’re not interesting, but the listless chit-chat feels too irrelevant at the moment. I yawn a little, and Rose nudges me. I shrug a little and begin spacing out again, when I catch sight of her.

She walks in through the door slowly, her black hair with a hint of blue billowing behind her, bringing my eyes to her horns, shaped like a scorpion’s pincer and tail. She tucks a loose strand behind her ear. I take in her gray skin, her yellow eyes, her fangs. The white spaghetti-strap dress she’s wearing swishes around her long legs. She makes her way to the drinks, getting herself a cup of Pepsi and sipping it, holding it gingerly. Everything about her looks delicate, but I know she’s capable of so much more.

In short, she’s beautiful, more beautiful than the pictures she’s sent me.

I start to feel my grip on my cup slipping before Rose nudges me again, harder. “Don’t turn into a puddle of mush here. She just made it,” she says. I nod slowly, my eyes never leaving her. “And close your mouth, you’re about to drool.” Then I awkwardly regain my composure, licking my lips in anticipation. I glance at Rose; her purple eyes meet my blue ones with amusement. “Now go, don’t leave her hanging.” She pushes me a little towards Vriska, making me stumble over there. I hear my friends laughing at my expense. Jeez guys…

I weave my way through the people and find her near a wall, talking to that sea-dwelling hipster; I think his name is Eridan. I hesitate to get any closer, unsure how rude I’d look if I interrupted.

Fortunately, she turns to face me. Her eyes look confused at first, but then she takes in my black hair and dorky glasses and just lights up. “John?” she mouths.

I nod and mouth back, “Vriska?” My lips break into a huge grin. She nods as well and completely shuts out that Eridan guy, making a beeline towards me. I meet her halfway, saying, “It’s really you!”

“John! I’m so glad you’re here! You look soooooooo handsome!” she gushes.

I blush. “And you look utterly lovely. Is that why you couldn’t meet up with me before? Your friends keeping you to themselves?”

Vriska blushes hard. “Oh John stop it!” I laugh, admiring how cute she is. She extends a hand at me. “Well, nice to officially meet you!” But I don’t take it.

I hug her tightly instead.

I don’t know what perfume she’s wearing, but she smells just like bluebells. I want to hold her forever, but then I remember where we are and I let her go quickly, stuttering, “O-oh I-I’m really--”

“John. Shut up,” Vriska says, pulling me into her arms. “I wanted to hug you too.” We pull away again, our faces flushed. Wow, this is so cool! I finally got to hug her. Maybe later I can kiss her…

~**~

Vriska and I are walking to her house, laughing and throwing witty comments at each other. We’re being really loud, but given that it’s 11 p.m., no one’s on the streets. A strong gust of wind blows around us, making us shiver in our coats. “Wow, it’s really windy…” I say.

Vriska nods. “Yeaaaaaaaah, 8ut I can handle it.”

“Oh really? ‘Cause you’re the ice queen?”

She snorts. “I’m not that cold!!!!!!!!” But she snuggles up to me a little. I slow down my pace to make it last longer. I can feel heat rising to my cheeks; that’s all I seem to be doing a lot since we met at the party.

We don’t speak for a while, just enjoying each other’s company and warmth. I’m really glad that the silence isn’t awkward at all; it’s like we’re so comfortable that it doesn’t even matter if we’re talking.

As we walk, I feel a hand inching towards mine, slowly grasping it. I look down to see Vriska’s gray hand and my creamy one clasped together. I start to feel a rush; it feels like her hand is supposed to belong in mine. I knit our fingers together and look up at her; she’s looking everywhere but me, acting all aloof and stuff. “Is this okay?” I ask.

She glances at me, smiling and answering, “Yes. It’s perfectly okay.” I smile back and resume talking again, holding hands like it’s the most natural thing. And it really does feel that way.

All too soon, we reach Vriska’s neighborhood. She told me during our online chats that the troll’s side of town are broken up into three sections: low-bloods, mid-bloods, and high-bloods. As we progress through the area, the houses get distinctly fancier. Since Vriska’s a cerulean blood, I’m expecting like some sort of normal-looking mansion.

But no.

I see a tall, sprawling mansion. I stop in my tracks, my jaw hanging. “John? What’s wrong?” Vriska asks.

“Y-your house…i-it’s HUGE.”

“Yeaaaaaaaah…tough upkeep,” she jokes.

“H-how many floors does it have??”

“8. You should see Feferi’s house though, it’s crazy.” I make some sort of confused face; she just brushed off the fact that she’s richer than I thought!

“Oh my God! But you’re a--”

“A mid-blood, I know. 8ut I’m an aristocrat too.”

I stare at her blankly. “What?”

She sighs. “It’s complicated, a story for another day.” I kind of light up at that; it’s like she’s implying that it won’t be the last time I see her.

“Okay,” I say, proceeding to escort her up the long, winding walkway to her door. I swing our clasped hands a little, enjoying the feel of it. Vriska giggles.

“You’re such a gentleman John.”

I grin brightly at her. “Oh, you know, it’s no big deal.”

We stop at her door when she says, “Oh reaaaaaaaally? So I guess you don’t want some sort of token of gratitude?”

I perk up at that, but I try to shrug it off. “Well, what kind are we talking about?”

Vriska bites her lip and stares into my eyes, then at my mouth. “Ohhhhhhhh, you knowwwwwwww…” Then she catches me off guard with a sweet kiss, even though I was kinda expecting it. She starts to quickly pull away, but I pull her close, wrapping my arms around her waist. I feel her smile as she encircles my neck and we deepen the kiss. She tastes like raspberries…

We slowly pull away, our faces flushed, our breaths short, and clearly wanting more. “S-so, uh…” I begin to say, scratching my head awkwardly.

“W-well,” Vriska stutters, “i-it’s getting late a-and all…see you around?”

“Yeah!” I answer, starting to miss the feel of her already. “I’ll pester you later.” I start backing away from her slowly, not wanting to turn around until she gets inside her huge mansion safely, even though I know there’s no danger. Vriska watches me, smiling, lingering at her front door, as if she doesn’t want to let me go either. But we both know it’s late and I must go. “Okay,” I call out, reaching the end of the walkway. “Good night, Vriska.”

“Sweet dreams John,” she calls back, blowing me a kiss. I pretend to catch it and put it in my pocket, in case of a rainy day. She laughs a little, finally going inside. I turn around and start making my way back home, all the way on the other side of town. I can’t help but have a stupid smile on my face, blushing the whole time, thinking, I’m enchanted to meet you Vriska…I wish I told you that though…

~**~

I’m restlessly rolling around in my bed, throwing the sheets everywhere. Damn, I can’t seem to get comfortable. I glance at the clock on the bedside table. It’s 2 a.m., and I’ve been trying to fall asleep since midnight. I got home at 11:30; surprisingly, it didn’t take me that long to get home. Luckily, there was a bus stop a couple of blocks from Vriska’s house, in the middle of the low-blood section. Waiting there, my head was up in the clouds, feeling the ghost of her lips on mine, when I heard a few voices nearby.

And now the pressing question has been on my mind ever since; did the kiss with Vriska really mean something, or was she playing me, like she was playing with Gamzee and Tavros? Does she even remotely like me? I sigh. It doesn’t really matter if she likes me; I’ve fallen for her. I know it’s crazy that I fell for a troll girl I’ve only just met in person after almost a year of talking online, but I feel a bond with her. It was enchanting to meet her…

I groan and get out of bed, pacing back and forth, thinking about the night in a repeated loop: seeing her, the kiss, Tavros and Gamzee. Somehow, I start mentally kicking myself for not telling Vriska how I felt at the time, maybe then I’d know how she’d react. I wish she’d appear at the front door, right now, just to tell me that she was enchanted to meet me too. Ugh, damn!

~**~

Dave suddenly walks into my room, humming, “Yo Skrill, drop it--oh hey John you’re up.”

I look up at him from my perch at the edge of my bed. “Huh?” I grunt.

“I was expecting you to be asleep until like noon or some shit. But you’re up really early. You always surprise me Egbert,” he muses.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I squint at him. “Why are you awake so early? It’s like 3 a.m.”

Dave gives me an incredulous look. “John, it’s almost 9 a.m.”

“No it’s not!” Dave silently strides across my room, going towards the window and opening the blue curtains wide, letting bright sunlight stream in. “Agh! It burns!” I yell, covering my eyes.

“Dude you okay? Did you get some dope, forgetting the time? …Or did you just sit there, thinking about Vriska all night, losing track of it?” I look down at the floor, getting over the initial shock of sunlight. He’s partially right; I did think of Vriska all night, but not in the way he’s assuming. I kept asking myself, How does Vriska feel? I know, it seems ridiculous to care about a girl like this. I mean, she can do whatever she wants. Yet, it bothers me to know that I might not be in her heart like she is in mine.

I shrug. “Meh.”

Dave furrows his eyebrows, starting to think the worst. “Oh God, did she dump you?”

“What? No.”

“Is she ugly as hell?”

“No! She’s beautiful; you saw her!”

“No I didn’t.” Then he widens his red eyes. “Yo is she a ghost?”

“Dave! Shut up! She’s real and you saw her!”

He laughs. “Just kidding Egbert.” I shake my head. “So. What’s your deal?”

“Do you think Vriska likes me?” I blurt.

“Duh. It’s pretty obvious.” He goes to sit next to me. “I thought you knew.”

“Well, I’m not sure right now…” I debate whether I should tell him about last night, but then Dave gets up and starts looking around my room. “What are you doing?” I ask.

“Where’s your phone?”

“Oh…” I dig through my pajama pockets, holding it up. “Here.”

“Give it to me,” my best friend demands.

I hand it over slowly. “What do you want with it?”

He doesn’t answer; he just starts going through my contacts, asking, “You got her number?”

“Y-yeah…” She gave it to me pretty soon after we started chatting. We’ve talked on the phone and texted a couple of times, but we always go back to chatting online. I don’t know, I guess we’re too used to reading each other’s colored text on the computer.

“Found it.” I watch him press the call button. I start to get alarmed.

“Dave, wha--?” The second I hear the phone ringing on the other line, I jump from my seat and rush towards him, trying to swat the phone away. “Dave no!”

Dave pushes me away and holds the phone over his head, now on speaker. “John shut up I’m trying to call your girlfriend.”

I blush hard. “Come on!” I jump for the phone. Why does he have to be taller than me?

Suddenly, we hear, “Helloooooooo?” Vriska picked up. “John?”

“Hey there,” Dave answers.

“You don’t sound like John.” I hear the frown in her voice.

“I’m not. I’m his best bro. Dave.”

“Oh! John told me a8out you a little. He says you’re lame, haha!”

“Oh my God you said that John?!”

“You are!” I protest, still jumping for the phone. Dave is keeping me at bay, throwing random stuff at me.

“Where’s John?” Vriska asks.

“Right here!” I call out.

“John!” I love how she brightens up when she hears my voice. Dave rolls his eyes and finally gives me back my phone, walking out the room as if nothing happened.

“Hey Vriska,” I say, a little out of breath. “What’s up?”

She laughs. “I don’t know, you called me.”

“O-oh right! Sorry about that, Dave was being mean.”

“It’s okay John. I’m just glad I can hear your voice again.” I blush.

“That reminds me…wanna hang out? We can go to the movies or whatever…”

“Like a d8?”

My eyes widen in surprise. “W-well, uh, i-if you want to call it that…”

“I want to. Meet me at the park at noon?”

“A-actually…I want to pick you up. At your house.”

“Oh, what a gentleman,” she says in a sultry voice. “Come 8y at 11:30 then. I’ll 8e waiiiiiiiiting!” Then she hangs up, leaving me staring at the phone in disbelief. We’re going on a date…YES!

~**~

Walking to Vriska’s house in bright daylight is really awkward. Everyone’s about, and I feel like all eyes are on me. Some of the trolls I met last night greet me with a wave and a small smile. Others just look at me, most likely wondering what the hell I’m doing in their part of town. But I get through it, knowing that I’m getting closer to her.

I hum a little song to myself, getting lost in thought, when I bump into someone. “Whoops! Sorry about that!” I say, not realizing who I bumped into until I look at their face.

Gamzee.

Immediately, I go back to last night and what Gamzee said. I feel my mouth turning into a little frown. “Oh HeY jOhN!” the purple-blood greets.

“Hi, Gamzee,” I say, reluctant to talk to him.

“WhAt’ChA dOiN uP iN hErE?”

“Picking up Vriska,” I answer in a clipped tone.

“ThAt’S cOoL bRo!” Gamzee nods happily, placing a hand on my shoulder. “HeRe’S a LiTtLe TiP--ShE cAn GeT rEaL fEiStY.” He then winks at me and leisurely slinks away, leaving my mind filled with thoughts that I’d rather not have.

~**~

Vriska and I are at my house, chilling on the living room couch and watching Con Air. We’re at the part where Nicolas Cage announces that he’s staying on the plane. I like how his friend looks at him like he’s crazy, but it’s really cool how he’s doing it to save all the innocent victims. That’s my man!

Vriska’s cuddling up to me, her eyes glued to the T.V. Every few minutes she starts spazzing like a fan girl, grabbing my arm and pointing at the screen and half-squealing. She’s so cute.

I start spacing out, thinking, This is an enchanting evening, even though it’s not fancy or anything. I glance at the cerulean blood, a small smile on my lips. I think I love her. Then I realize what I just thought. Wait what? Can I really say that? We’ve been talking online for almost a year, and I’ve told her more things that I’ve told anyone, even my best friends. And she’s told me dark things about herself too. Then I recall the conversation between Gamzee and Tavros again and I think, I wonder if she’s still keeping some from me… “Hey, Vriska?” I ask quietly, turning down the volume on the T.V a little.

She looks up at me, her bright yellow eyes so innocent. “Yessssssss?”

“Do you trust me?”

“Of course, you know thaaaaaaaat.”

“When was the last time you broke an eight ball?”

“Shortly after we started talking.” Her eyebrows furrow a little, getting confused.

“Why?”

“I told you…”

“I know, but tell me anyways.”

She tilts her head at me. “You soothe me, John. You don’t judge me at all, even when I told you I 8linded Terezi. I’ve hurt people, and you were the only one who would still care. That’s why I stopped 8reaking them; with you, I feel like I have allllllll the luck in the world.”

“So what’s the deal with Tavros?”

“What a8out him?”

“Do you like him?” I feel like I need to know, once and for all.

“Not really, no.”

“Did you ever?”

She looks down. “…Yes.”

“And what happened?”

“We kissed…8ut I hurt him too. I’m the one who paralyzed him, remem8er how I guilty I felt?”

Recognition dawns on me. “THAT was him?! That was guy you’ve been in the ashen quadrant with?! Oh my God…” I face-palm myself. “I’m so stupid!”

“No no, John, you’re not. I am. I didn’t tell you who it was, 8ecause I felt so 8ad a8out mentioning his name. I knew he loved me, 8ut I pushed him away, then I took it too far…” I hear her sniffle. Oh no.

“Vriska, a-are you crying?”

She finally looks up at me, a few tears falling down her face. “I-I’m really sorry for hurting everyone…even Gamzee, even though we 8arely talk…” My blood runs cold. “Remem8er how I told you that I was in a flirtationship with someone?”

“Yeah…”

“That was Gamzee.” She starts to sob quietly.

“…D-did you have feelings for him?”

“No…! I was feeling vulnera8le and he was pretty much up for anything, so…”

“Oh,” I say, knowing the rest.

“Look John, I’m not innocent at all. I’m not the girl of your dreams, 8ut--”

“I love you,” I blurt, startling the both of us.

“W-what?” Vriska asks, drying her tears.

“I love you,” I repeat.

“8ut John…I’m crazy!”

“But you keep on learning and growing. You know what you did wrong, and you strive to be better.”

“Yeah 8ut--”

“But nothing. I love you, and you alone.”

Vriska sits there silently, taking it in. “I…I don’t know what to say…”

“Tell me how you feel, because for some reason I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Are…are you sure you love me?” She pushes a lock of hair behind her ear.

I sigh and run a hand through my hair. “I was never in love with anyone else. I never stayed up in bed, thinking about someone else. I never even really believed in love, until I met you. You are the girl of my dreams. So please…don’t tell me you have someone else. Don’t tell me you already have someone waiting for you back home.” I meet Vriska’s eyes for a long moment, before she starts to laugh, her shoulders shaking. Oh God no, I think, she’s going to dump me.

“John you dork. I do have someone. It’s you.”

“Oh come on! You had to ruin my touching speech like that!” I throw a pillow from the couch at her.

“I’m sorry, 8ut it sounded really corny!…And sweet. I was really worried that you were faking it.”

“I was worried you were playing me!” I protest.

She leans close to me, resting her head on my chest. “I would never do that…” I play with her hair, twirling it around my fingers.

“I never got around to telling you this, but…I was enchanted to meet you.”

Vriska looks up at me, placing a small, sweet kiss on my lips, saying, “I was enchanted to meet you too. Since the 8eginning.”