SnootGame/game/script/13C.fang-and-anon-go-to-beach-and-prom.rpy

label chapter_13C:

pause 3

#Prom is Suprising
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Appreciating the Moment.ogg" fadein 1.0
"-One Month Later-"

"It’s prom night."

"My old man was kind enough to send over his old tuxedo from his time at high school."

"It took a bit of sewing, but I got it looking pretty good."

"Judging by the wine stains on the sleeves, Dad’s made a lot of important announcements in this tuxedo."

"Gives it a bit of history, I guess."

scene home fang outside night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naomi prom neutral flip at sright
with fade

"When I arrive at Fang’s place with a cheap corsage I see the Pomegranate Parasite waiting outside the front door."

"Great."

"And dear god, how can she move in that dress."

"It looks like it’s been shrink-wrapped to her body."

N "Oh, I already knocked Anon."

N "Naser will be out in a moment to invite us in, I’m sure Fang will be getting ready too."

N "I’ve heard the two of you are going to prom together!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, the next Sherlock Holmes."

A "No, I just happen to be here in a suit to go golfing."

"I ignore her, focusing instead on not stabbing my palm even more on this flower’s thorns."

"Fuck it, free is free."

"And nothing more free than a five finger discount from the neighbor’s yard."

N "You and Fang just make the cutest couple! Did you two sign up for prom king and queen?"

A "Nah. She said something about the ‘fascist sexist monarchy system’."

N "Well, Naser and I have entered and we are going to be prom royalty. Ooooh, I can not wait to wear that beautiful tiara, I picked it out and everything and the crown for Naser-"

show naomi prom happy flip

"I’ve already tuned her out."

show naser prom neutral at ncenter with dissolve

"Naser opens the door."

"Well if that isn’t the fanciest jacket I’ve seen in a while."

"It’s certainly better than the background of Avatar he always wears."

Nas "Sorry to keep you waiting, Naomi."

Nas "This thing is a nightmare to get over my wings."

show naser prom happy flip at ncenter with dissolve

Nas "Oh, Anon! Come on in, didn’t know you were already here."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Dragging on and on....ogg" fadein 1.0
"He waves for the two of us to enter, pecking Naomi on the cheek when she passes."

scene home fang night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naser prom neutral at ncenter
show naomi prom neutral at scenter
with fade

"Fang’s Mother speaks up from the kitchen."

show fangmom neutral flip at sright with moveinright

FM "Oh! Oh! Is that Anon?"

Nas "Here we go."

"The small pterodactyl comes out, a bowl she’s struggling to stir in her arms."

FM "My, aren’t you handsome."

FM "Pictures! I need to get pictures of you and Lucy!"

"She sets the bowl aside on the coffee table to frantically search for a polaroid camera."

FM "To think Lucy would have such a wonderful young man to take her to prom!"

FM "Aha! Found it. Hold still, dear."
scene black with fade
"ARGH! Like getting slapped in the face by the sun’s dick!"

"I blink the blindness away. So that’s why Naser has those fucking aviators."

scene home fang night
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naser prom neutral at ncenter
show naomi prom neutral at scenter
show fangmom neutral flip at sright
with fade

FM "Lucy will be downstairs in a bit, she’s just getting the last of her makeup on!"
hide fangmom with moveoutleft
FM "In the meantime, take a seat! I’ve got some cookies in the oven that are almost ready!"

A "Er, yes, thank you ma’am."

"I take my seat in the usual spot, sinking in and feeling the pillows conform around my spine."

hide anon with moveoutright

scene black with fade

scene home fang night with fade
show anon prom neutral flip at aright

"This thing must cost a fortune."

"Fang’s dad is a police commissioner if I recall."

"That explains the luxurious furnishings."

"Now that I think about it, I’m surprised I haven’t seen him yet."
show fangdad neutral at sleft with dissolve
FD "So…"

"I hope I didn’t just ruin these slacks."

A "Good evening, sir."

A "I didn’t even see you in your chair, sir."

A "My apologies."

FD "Don’t sweat it, son."

FD "Thing about humans, as well as many charnivores, is that their vision is based largely on movement."

FD "You’d be surprised how useful staying quiet and stationary can be."

FD "How close you can get to someone without them knowing-"

show fangmom unimpressed flip at fmcenter with dissolve

FM "Sweetheart."

FM "No. Intimidating. The Suitor."

"The big guy deflates a bit in his chair."

FD "Point is, don’t get any funny ideas."

A "Yessir."

hide fangdad with dissolve
show naser prom neutral at nleft with moveinleft

N "We’re all taking the NasCar, right?"

Nas "Yeah, yeah."

Nas "Once Fang gets down we’ll skedaddle."

A "So until then we just sit and chill?"
show naomi prom happy at sleft with moveinleft

N "We could take more pictures!"

"Please no."

show fangmom neutral at fmcenter with moveinleft

FM "Oh! I would love to make this a little photo op!"

scene black with fade

"Thirty photos later and I never want to see another camera again."

"Fang’s mom decided to take pictures of every possible combination of us."

"I don’t know which was worse, having to pose with Naomi or Fang’s dad digging his murder claws into my shoulder."

"I’ve lost nearly all feeling in that arm."

"Pretty sure that’ll leave a bruise worse than my accelerated hug with the stair bollard last month."

"At least the pics with Naser were a nice reprieve."

"We ended up looking like the blues brothers, standing side by side in fuck ugly suits."

"Just as I was about to resign myself to premature blindness from the camera flash, my saviour arrives."

F "Oh, Anon, you’re already here!"
scene home fang night
show fang c prom happy:
    xalign -0.3
show anon prom neutral flip at acenter
with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Beach Chill Out.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Lucy comes downstairs in a white dress."

"The back of the dress trails down the stairs behind her."

"Can’t say I’d imagined she’d ever willingly wear one of these."

A "Yeah, been here a while."

A "Your dress looks great, Lucy."
show fangmom neutral flip with dissolve:
    xalign 1.4
FM "Oh, doesn’t it?"

FM "When I got the school’s email, I knew right away that the precious little getup I saw shopping the day before would be just perfect, and I even got Nasers’ outfit while I was at it!"
show fang with move:
    xalign -0.7
show anon prom neutral flip with move:
    xalign 0.0
show naser neutral prom flip with dissolve:
    xalign 0.8
show anon prom neutral behind fang with dissolve
Nas "I would have been fine just going in church clothes, for the record."

FM "Oh, hush. The two of you look just like your Father and I when we met at a school dance!"

"We all look at Nasers’ rather colorful getup for a moment."

"It was somehow still less loud than his usual jacket."

A "Come again?"

FM "Oh yes, I remember it fondly. Right dear?"

"Lucy’s father hasn’t moved from his seat."

FD "I don’t know. Do I?"

FM "Oh yes, I remember you in that snazzy zoot suit."

FM "You saw me by the punchbowl, strode right up, and offered a dance-"

show fang c prom considering with dissolve

F "Mom, stooop!"

show fang c prom neutral with dissolve

"I’m trying to create the mental image."

"Nope, can’t do it."

"That look her Dad is giving me…"

"It’s saying ‘You’ll be upgraded to a putter if you never speak of this to anyone.’"

"I can see where Fang gets her temper from now."

"Fine by me."

FM "Awww. But Lucy, you look so precious in that dress."

FM "Oh! We need more pictures!"

"The tiny pterosaur tries to push Lucy next to her father, fighting with the duo to pose properly."

"I glance at Naser, who seemingly resigns himself to countless more photos."

A "Uhh… I think we’re going to be late if you take any more pictures."

"Both Lucy and Naser nod in agreement to that."

FM "Oh, just a couple pictures! You’ll be able to show these when your own children are going to prom!"

"A bit early to think of something like that."

"I feel a tug on my arm and spin around to Naomi giving me a look of…"

"Unfiltered frustration."

FM "Oh Lucy, there's a string coming out of your dress! Where are the scissors?"

N "I’ll get them! Anon, come with me."

A "Why, I don't even live here?"

N "It's uh… the scissors are kept on the top shelf and I can’t reach!"

"She pushes me towards the kitchen, I don't even know how Naser doesn’t catch on to what she’s doing."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/The Top of the Social Ladder.ogg" fadein 1.0
scene kitchen
show anon prom neutral at aleft
show naomi prom angry flip at sright
with fade

A "What’re you up to, Naomi?"

"She pinches the bridge of her nose and exhales slowly."

N "Look, normally I would be thanking you from the bottom of my warm heart for fixing Lucy and Naser's relationship, they're siblings and that's how it should be--"

A "Then what's the big fucking d--"

N "Let me finish."

N "However, I don't think Lucy is COMPLETELY fixed. She's still not talking to me, she just runs away from everyone at school now, and Naser keeps texting her-"

N "I had to call him out on it that he was slacking on his school duties, behaving like a crass idiot like you, JUST like you. What have you done to them both?"

A "The only thing I’ve ‘done’ is support her. I didn’t do it for you or your stupid plan."

A "I just want to have a good time with Lucy without any more bullshit."

N "Anon, I swear to God almighty, if my night with Naser is ruined because of Lucy’s-"
show naomi prom happy flip with dissolve
"Naomi’s sneer vanishes, replaced with her usual false smile."

N "But okay!"

N "Of course! You two deserve it after everything you’ve done."

"Suddenly I feel another tug on my arm, this time Fang’s mom dragging me back into the middle of the room."
scene home fang night
show anon prom neutral flip at scenter
show fangmom neutral at fmleft
with dissolve
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/appreciating_the_scenery.ogg" fadein 1.0
FM "No need for scissors anymore! Oh Anon, I never got any pictures of you and Lucy yet!"

"Oh please god no more pictures."

A "Fine but we really should get going if we want to-"

FM "Just a couple! I can even send these ones to your parents, I bet they’re just as proud of you as we are of Lucy and Naser!"
scene home fang night
show anon neutral prom at acenter
show fang c prom happy at sleft
with fade
"I’m sure they’re just as surprised that I’m actually going to prom."

"Posing with Lucy is nice, but I make sure to be extra careful where my arms go in front of her dad."

"The searing strobe lights finally end and I can {i}feel{/i} my early onset of blindness."

FM "These photos need to have a special album all their own. Honey! We need another photo album!"

F "MOM!"

FM "Oh fine, make sure to have fun at prom!"

"I glance over and Lucy’s dad catches me dead in the eyes."

FD "Home by midnight."

"I only manage a weak nod as Lucy rushes me towards the door."
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
scene nascar night with fade
"The ride in the NasCar is awkward and uneventful."

"Naser didn’t chuck his jacket to the backseat as a divider, so Lucy and I can sit next to each other this time around."

Nas "I heard that Spears might be giving a little musical number tonight."

N "Naser, stop spreading rumors from the junior class."

A "So that was just a rumor? Damn."

Nas "What, you want to hear him sing some opera?"

A "I’d certainly pay to see him try."

F "Good lord, no. My ears take enough abuse from him during the school day."

Nas "He won’t be singing, but we did get Reed to be a DJ for the night."

Nas "His only condition was that he got to wear that mascot costume, which is rather odd, but whatever."

"Everyone aside from Naser involuntarily sighs."

Nas "What?"

Nas "Was it something I said?"

"..."
scene outside school night
show naomi prom neutral:
    xalign -0.2
show fang c prom happy:
    xalign 0.9
show naser prom neutral:
    xalign 0.1
show anon prom neutral:
    xalign 1.1
with fade
"Pulling into the school’s parking lot by the gym, I take in the view."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/effects/prom chatter loop.ogg" fadein 1.0
"The students strung up various strings of lights along the overgrowths of vines around the school."

"The line to get in isn’t too long, and it only takes a few minutes to get inside."

"Inside is about as well decorated as outside."
"Those nerdy little chinese lanterns are strung about from wall to wall."
scene prom with fade
show naomi prom happy:
    xalign -0.2
show fang c prom happy flip:
    xalign 0.9
show naser prom happy:
    xalign 0.1
show anon prom neutral flip:
    xalign 1.1
with fade
N "Oh! Oh! They go with my dress!"

"Wow, it’s almost like the person who planned the entire event has insider information on the decor? Color me surprised."

F "Mumbling."

"Fuck."
Nas "I think I’ll hit up the catering first."

Nas "What about you guys?"

A "I’ll pass, I can’t afford any fancy food."
show naser prom neutral
show naomi prom neutral
show fang c prom neutral flip
with dissolve

F "What?"

N "What?"

A "What?"

Nas "The price of the food is included in the tickets, man."

Nas "How poor are you?"

A "I live in Skin Row, remember?"

Nas "Sorry, forget I asked."
show naser prom happy
show naomi prom happy
show fang c prom happy flip
with dissolve

"The thought of being able to eat like an actual human for once already pushed Naser’s apology out of my mind."

A "In that case, I’ll go get food for both me and Lucy."

A "Waddaya want?"

F "Uhh, get me the closest thing they have to barbecue."

N "Oh, Naser if you’re getting food too, could you get me a plate of kappamaki."

"Wrong country."

"Naser slugs me on the shoulder."

A "Ow."

Nas "Looks like we’re playing waiters for a bit."

A "Seems that way."
scene prom with fade
show naser prom neutral flip at nright
show anon prom neutral at aleft
"I follow him to the food table."

"I don’t even recognize most of these dishes."

"I get a heaping plate of seven or eight different dishes for Lucy, and pick out a steak for myself, grabbing a few nice looking sandwiches from the other end of the table."

"Wait, I have to get drinks, too."

"Fuck, my hands are already full."

Nas "You got everything?"

A "Don’t got drinks."

Nas "We can always do a return trip."

A "I guess."

A "Hey, is this what Lucy would want?"

Nas "Honestly man, you could probably get her to eat a rock if you told her it came from a cow."

A "I see."

"Naser starts heading back to where we left the other two."

"He suddenly stops halfway through and I have to catch myself from dropping the plates."

A "What’s wrong?"

"Naser gestures forward."
scene prom
show naomi prom neutral:
    xalign -0.2
show fang c prom neutral flip:
    xalign 0.1
show naser prom neutral flip:
    xalign 0.9
show anon prom neutral flip:
    xalign 1.1
with dissolve

"Naomi is attempting to talk to Lucy, overwhelming her with questions"
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/west_coast_kicking.ogg" fadein 1.0
"Lucy's looking on edge, I should probably intervene quick."
N "-dress is very nice, Lucy, we should go out together clothes shopping sometime!"

F "I-I uh…"

Lucy "Oh, come on, you’re in need of new friends right now, right? Why don’t we-"

A "Heyyy, we’re back, and we have food."

"Naomi turns her attention to the plates Naser and I are carrying."

N "Oh! Naser, did you get the sukiyaki?"
show fang c prom sad flip with dissolve
Nas "Oh, guess I forgot, sorry. I’ll go run and get it."

N "That’s fine! I was getting to be friends with Lucy and-"
hide fang with moveoutleft
"Lucy pushes herself away from the table and strides away."

N "O-oh?"
hide anon prom with moveoutleft
"I leave the plate behind and chase after her."
scene prom with fade
"Lucy has retreated to a back corner of the gym."
show anon prom neutral flip at acenter
show fang c prom sad at sleft
with dissolve
F "I just can't, Anon."

A "Then don't."

F "God, I'm doing it again, everyone just wants to have a good time and I'm ruining everything."

A "It's alright."

"I caught a glimpse of Naser and Naomi away at their seat enjoying themselves, I think Lucy saw the same thing because she snapped back to me and wrapped her arms around my waist."

F "You know what, no need to be upset. Naser and Naomi aren't my prom dates, just you."

"She breathes in and lets out a comforting sigh. I looked around for any witnesses, feeling very smug."

F "...but that suit does kinda stink."

"Confidence shattered."
show spears neutral flip at sright with moveinright
Sp "Oh, there you two are."
show anon prom neutral with dissolve

"Our principal strides over to us, signing off a few papers on a clipboard he has."
show fang c prom neutral with dissolve
Sp "Lucy, there you are. That ‘surprise’ you wanted is about ready."

F "Surprise?"

Sp "Yeah, the one you filed papers for a few weeks back."

Sp "Everything’s ready for it."

A "Is the surprise you giving an opera number?"

Sp "I’m on a pretty tight schedule tonight, Anon, don’t have a lot of time for jokes."

Sp "Follow me."
scene black with fade

"Spears leads us around the crowd to behind the temporary stage set up at the other end of the gym."
scene prom
show spears neutral at sleft
show anon prom neutral at acenter
show fang c prom neutral at sleft
with fade
A "You signed up for something?"

F "I don’t think so…"

Sp "Alright, you’re on in ten or so minutes."
show fang c prom shock with dissolve
"Lucy freezes."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Summertime Synth.ogg" fadein 1.0
A "On?"
show trish prom bass flip at sright
show rosa prom neutral flip at sright behind trish
show stella prom neutral flip behind trish:
    xalign 1.155
with moveinright
T "Surprise!"

A "Oh no. Oh nooooooo."

"Trish, Rosa, and Stella are carrying around various instruments and equipment."

"Trish is visibly exhausted and stressed."

F "..."

Sp "I'll leave you to it, you'll get in after Reed's done with his DJ bit."
hide spears with moveoutright
show fang c prom surprised with dissolve
A "What the hell is this?!"

T "So… Fang?"

T "Fang, we get to play at the prom!"

F "..."

T "We have all the instruments ready, I brought in a regular guitar for you to play, I don’t mind!"

T "We can play whatever you want!"

T "What do you say?"

"Lucy is completely catatonic by this point, unable to respond."

A "I-- what?"

T "Oh, Anon! didn't see you there! You look less dorky with a suit on, let me tell you haha."

T "You came with Fang? That's sweet."

T "Reed's also coming! I don't know if he'll manage in the costume but he'll play the drums!"

T "What do you say?"

A "Whose idea was this?"

Ro "It was a group effort!"

St "We’re here to help, right?"

Ro "We’ve noticed Lucy’s been struggling by herself!"

"The expectant stares of the trio snap Lucy from her stupor."

show fang c prom sad flip with dissolve
hide fang with moveoutleft
show anon prom neutral with dissolve

"She flinches a bit, then bolts out of the backstage area."

show anon prom neutral flip
show stella prom sad flip
show rosa prom closed flip
with dissolve

"Rosa and Stella look as though they’re only just now thinking this was a bad idea."
show anon prom neutral
show trish prom sad flip
with dissolve

"Trish’s smile melts from her face."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/ballad_of_the_boot.ogg" fadein 1.0
A "What were you thinking?!"

Ro "E-eh?"

T "Anon, please tell me, is Fang fine?"

A "She {i}was{/i} fine, Trish. Now look what you’ve done."

A "Where do you think you're going?"

"Trish tries to leave but I manage to grab her shoulder."

T "I'm-I’m going after her!"

Ro "Wait, Anon!"
hide trish with moveoutleft
"Damn it, Rosa pulls my arm free, letting Trish run after Lucy."

Ro "Let them solve this, I'm sure Lucy's at a point where she can deal with this."

A "She most definitely is NOT, Rosa."

A "God dammit, why’d you have to pull this stunt {i}today{/i} of all days?"

A "Couldn’t you have tried this bullshit any other time?!"

Ro "Who are you to say I didn't? I've been talking to Lucy for a while trying to get her to make amends with Trish."

A "...?"

A "She never told me."

St "I drew her The World and The Sun, past this night she'll achieve completion, fulfillment. It's a good thing, Anon!"

A "For your sake I hope they were upright."

Ro "Does it matter if they're upright?"

St "What do you mean?"

St "I flipped the cards after I got back from the bathroom, Rosa what did you do?"

Ro "I peeked, The world was upside down, so I fixed it."

A "..."

St "Anon, go get Fang."

"No need to tell me that."

"I leave the incompetent bunch behind to look for Lucy."
show anon prom neutral flip at acenter
hide anon with moveoutleft
Ro "Is that important, Stella? I thought it was just for play."

scene prom
with fade
"Back in the gymnasium I find Lucy huddled in a corner."

"Her hands are on her head as she tries to block out Trish."

"Trish for her part is only shouting even louder."

"Loud enough for me to hear as I make my way to my girlfriend."
show fang c prom hiding:
    xalign -0.6
show trish prom indignant flip at scenter
with fade
T "You never thought about me all this time?"

T "Seriously, say something!"

F "Trish, I can't even look at you anymore"

T "Why?"

T "Is it still what I said?"

T "I accept you and Anon, seriously! You and him are cute together or something, I didn't mean any of what I said about you two!"

show fang c prom angry with dissolve

F "It wasn't just that, it was everything else, shit you did and said - making me question YEARS of my life."

T "What are you talking about, Fang?"

T "Come on, let's play! This’ll be VVURM DRAMA’s biggest show to date!!"

F "I! Don't! Want! To!"

T "Come on, let's go!"

F "NO!"

show anon prom neutral flip at aright with dissolve

A "Trish!"

show trish prom indignant flip at scenter

"My shout shocks the desperate triceratops away from Lucy."

show trish prom happy with dissolve

"I glower as she turns a sickeningly sweet smile towards me."

T "Anon, if I did or said anything that hurt you then I'm sorry."

T "But please tell Fang I'm sorry too, this isn't right!"

A "..."

"I hear footsteps behind me and I already know it's the rest of the loser patrol without looking."

Ro "Lucy, you have to give Trish one more chance, if you're not gonna do it for her then at least do it for me."

St "Please Lucy, you need to hear her out!"

show trish prom happy flip with dissolve

T "Me and Reed miss {i}us{/i}! Together, shooting the shit, playing songs, making fun of Naser-"

F "NO! FUCK OFF!"

Ro "Lucy!"

St "Come on..."

A "Guys, you're overwhelming her, back off for a sec-"

show fang c prom hiding with dissolve

show trish prom angry with dissolve

T "Stay out of this!"

show trish prom neutral flip with dissolve
show anon prom neutral with dissolve

A "Rosa, Stella. Take a look around. At this current situation."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Many Such Cases of Being So True.ogg" fadein 1.0
A "Once you realize what you’re doing, please just leave us alone and don’t bother us for the rest of the night."

"The two shut up and sheepishly back away a few steps."

show trish prom angry with dissolve

T "What, are you two flaking on me as well?!"

Ro "Trish, I’m thinking An-on’s right here… We shouldn’t be intruding on their special night…"

St "Er, yeah, my reading was wrong, soo…"

show anon prom neutral flip with dissolve

T "I can’t believe you two!"

T "Fang, we’re playing now. I’m not asking again."

show trish prom angry flip with dissolve

"She takes hold of Lucy’s forearm and moves to take her back to the stage by force."
show anon:
    xalign 1.0
show trish:
    xalign 0.75
show fang prom angry:
    xalign 0.4
with move
show rosa prom closed flip with moveinright:
    xalign 1.3

"Rosa blocks her way long enough for me to grab her wrist."
show anon behind trish
show trish prom angry with dissolve

T "Wh- Rosa, hey!!"

show fang prom sad with move:
    xalign -0.4

"Trish glares at me with murderous intent."

A "Try again another time."

"She yanks her hand away from me in disgust, glancing between Stella and Rosa’s disappointed stares and Fang’s baleful leer."

T "I guess that’s it then."
hide trish with moveoutright
"She backs off into the crowd."

show anon prom neutral flip at acenter with move:
show rosa prom closed flip with move:
    xalign 0.7
show stella prom sad flip with moveinright:
    xalign 0.8

A "Lucy, are you alright?"

F "Yeah… I think I need to get away from the crowd…"
hide stella
hide rosa
with moveoutleft
"I wave off Stella and Rosa and lead Lucy away into the hallway."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Skinrow Soul.ogg" fadein 1.0
scene hallway
show anon prom neutral flip at aright
show fang c prom sad at sleft
with fade

"We find another corner near the bathrooms unpopulated aside from a few students passing by for smokes."

"Lucy looks like her entire world has crumbled."

A "Are you alright? Let me help you-"

F "Anon, please..."

F "I just want to move past it."

A "Okay then."

F "I don't wanna see or talk to anyone anymore, not even Rosa or Stella, just us."

F "I just wanna see you."

F "Only you."

A "It's alright. You won't see anyone else anymore tonight."
show fang c prom soft smile with dissolve
"Lucy’s chuckle is choked back as she offers me a strained smile."

F "There, I did it again, I ruined everything for everyone again."

"How do I respond to that?"

A "None of this is your fault."

"She sighs."

F "I need to go to the bathroom."

A "It's ok. I’ll go get some water or something while you’re in, won’t take a minute."

F "Yeah, sure."

A "Okay."
scene prom
show anon prom neutral at acenter
with fade
"I watch her enter the restroom and reenter the gym."

"Think there’s lemonade and stuff by the food tables."
show trish prom neutral flip at sright
T "Hey, you."

"Raptor Jesus on His cross of rock, give me strength."

A "Hey."

T "Is Fang...ok?"

A "No."

T "Tell me about Fang, are they happy?"

A "I'd say so, she and Naser are on speaking terms."

T "Did Fang say anything about me? Would they ever forgive me?"

A "Look Trish, this shit? It ends now."

A "She said she would have constant nightmares of you wanting to talk to her."

show trish prom sad flip with dissolve

A "Maybe this could’ve been sorted out, but not today."

A "You're doing more harm by staying here, though. I advise that you stay clear of her for now."

"Trish is getting teary, I better shut up, now."

T "It's ok. Tell Fa-- Lucy, I only want her to be happy. I won't be a bother anymore, she'll never see or hear from me again. I told Spears to cancel the performance, I'm going home."

A "Maybe there will be another chance sometime."

T "Bye Anon."
hide trish with moveoutleft
"She left. Oh well."

scene hallway with fade
show anon prom neutral at aleft with moveinleft

"I get the drinks and return to Lucy."

"She downs the whole glass in one shot."

A "You good?"
show fang c prom happy flip at sright with moveinright
F "Yeah! Fuck! Splashing your face with water works wonders, I’m good to go."

"I look at the crowd gathering around the stage."

"Principal Spears moves to the podium set there and taps on the microphone."

A "Yeah, good to go… speaking of."

A "I uh… wanna get some fresh air?"

"Finally I see a real smile from Lucy."

F "Yeah. Fresh air sounds pretty good right now."

"I hold my hand out and Lucy’s hand links with it."
scene outside school night with fade
show fang c prom happy at sleft
show anon prom neutral at acenter
"Walking out of the stuffy gymnasium we’re met with the cooling evening air."

"I feel all the tension leave my body as Lucy’s body presses close to my side."

A "Cold?"

F "A little. I’m uh… not used to wearing these things."

"My hand leaves hers. Before Lucy can balk I wrap my arm around her."

A "How’s this?"

F "I can one up this."

"Right, wings."

"Her wings wrap around both of us as a feathered cloak of warmth."

A "You want me to call a taxi or something?"

F "Nah, we can walk home…"

"It’s a fifteen minute walk to her neighborhood, which is filled with comfortable silence for most of the way."

"I guess Lucy is as glad as I am to put everything that happened tonight behind us."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/Tracy was fired from her real job.ogg" fadein 1.0
"As we round the corner past the bus stop, I let out an audible groan as my eyes land on a particular cart."

"It’s that same hot dog vendor from before, illuminated under a street light in the same spot."

"She notices us almost immediately and begins wildly waving."

F "Does she know you?"

"I shrug and shake my head as we as continue to approach the vendor."
show tracy neutral:
    xalign 1.1
SV "Well if it isn’t my favorite skinnie! And you brought your lady friend!"

A "It’s like ten at night, you can’t get that many customers this late, right?"

SV "Hey, you’re here, aren’cha? Now what can I get for you two lovebirds? Nothing says date night like some steamin’ hot franks!"

A "I think we’re good, we were just on our way back and-"

"{i}*GRRRRRRRRRLLLL*{/i}"
show fang prom neutral with dissolve
"Fang’s face glows bright red as she grasps her stomach."

F "Er… we left before we could eat, didn’t we?"

A "Oops. Well, nobody ever misses Prom food, right?"
show tracy tease with dissolve
SV "Prom?! Oh man, I was the life of the party at mine! Tell me you kids got Reef City’s dumb mascot?"

"We shake our heads."

SV "WHAT?! Well you at least spiked the punch, right?"

"More shaking."

SV "Seriously? {i}Please{/i} tell me you egged the principal’s car."

A "No, we, er…"

F "Got into a fight…"
show tracy unimpressed with dissolve
"The vendor winces, but just as quickly puts on her smile."
show tracy neutral with dissolve
SV "They could be yours too, y’know."

A "Riiiight. I don’t think it will be."

F "Look, can we just like, get some food? Our night’s been a fuckin’ wash."

SV "Night’s still young, though."

"I listen to the sizzling meat as we wait."

SV "Look kids, Prom? It’s not that special if you ask me."

SV "What makes something special is on you. For me I think back to the shit I can actually remember."

SV "Carfe’s a helluva drug."

SV "I’m getting off-topic. Point is, the night isn’t over yet."

"She motions to the table for us to sit at."

SV "Enjoy your ‘dogs, think about something to do with the rest of your night."

SV "Make it something worth remembering."

SV "I’m gonna start packing for the night though, so that’s enough chatter from me."

A "Thanks."

hide tracy with dissolve
show anon prom neutral flip with dissolve:
    xalign 0.55

"Lucy and I sit at the plastic folding table with our artery-clogging grease tubes."

F "Dad grills these sometimes, but I’ve never had one that wasn’t just ketchup and mustard…"

F "Actually, I can’t even tell what’s all on this, there’s so much junk dumped on."

A "They’re just plain chili-cheese dogs."

A "Been a hot minute since I had one, figured why not?"

F "Mm…"

F "..."

A "She made a good point, what {i}should{/i} we do with the rest of the night?"

"Lucy chews contemplatively."

"Not sure if she heard me or is giving a silent review."

F "..."

F "Whatever we do, I want to get out of this dress first."

F "It’s freezing."

A "Think your dad will let us watch some movies or something?"

F "Dunno, maybe. We only have cop movies and hunting documentaries, though."

A "I’m down for it."
stop music fadeout 1.0
scene home fang outside night
show anon prom neutral flip at acenter
show fang c prom happy at sleft
with fade
"After finishing we wave goodbye to the vendor and start down Lucy’s neighborhood."

"Oddly enough there’s no cars in the driveway when we arrive."

A "Your folks get groceries this late at night?"

F "They probably took the opportunity to go on a date themselves."

F "Don’t remember the last time they took the occasion though. Been maybe… Three years?"

"Lucy kicks over a rock in the walkway and gets the key taped under it."

A "Your parents put it there instead of under the doormat?"

F "Nah, I put this here. They don’t know about it."

F "Get kicked out for the night one too many times, you find ways back in on your own."

"Lucy stretches when we walk in."
scene home fang night with fade
F "I’ll change back into normal clothes, hang here a while, kay?"
show anon prom neutral flip at aright with dissolve
"I nearly sit in my normal place on the couch when I notice the armchair."

"The now vacant armchair."

"That’s for Lucy’s Dad only."

"Oh how it calls to me…"

show fang happy at sleft with dissolve

F "{i}Phew{/i}, that’s better."

F "... Anon?"

A "Lucy, what are you doing up this late at night?"

A "You better not be listening to that ratchet again."

F "Oh my G-"

F "Anon, get out of there before you leave your scent."

A "Scent? You can’t be serious."

F "Hey, it’s your head on the line."

F "Naser sat there once and he ended up with a new scar."

"Suddenly, I find myself seated in my normal spot after all."

F "Think they actually are on a date. If that’s the case the house is ours for at least an hour."

A "Oh, sweet. We gonna raid your dad’s liquor cabinet then?"

F "He doesn’t have one. Mom won’t let him."

"Damn it. He really is whipped."

A "So, movie night then?"

F "Well, I was thinking…"

"Lucy took hold of the coffee table in the middle of the room and started pushing it aside."

A "Er… Why are you doing that?"

"With the living room now more open Lucy approaches an antique stereo in the corner."

F "I was really looking forward to dancing with you tonight, Anon."

"Double damn it. Thought I managed to get out of that."

"But the look in Lucy’s eyes…"

"I nod my head."

F "Yes! I’ve always wanted to try out mom’s lights."
stop music fadeout 1.0
play music "audio/OST/its_footloose_now.ogg" fadein 1.0
"The music playing from the stereo sounds positively ancient."

"Probably one of her parents’ CDs. If it even uses CDs"

A "Wait what was that about lights?"

"Lucy practically skips to the light switch and dims them."

scene home fang dim
show anon prom blacklight neutral flip at aright
show fang blacklight happy at sleft
with dissolve

"She then flicks a hidden switch that casts the room in a hazy violet glow."

"My eyes are drawn to the glowing marks all across her."

"Wow."

F "Like what you see?"

"She turns back to me and the anticipation in her eyes makes me feel more nervous."

"Shit I just remembered."

A "Just so you know, I can’t dance."

A "And I mean, I REALLY can’t dance."

A "Like, quadraplegic with down syndrome can’t dance."

A "But-"

F "Yes! I’ve been waiting since forever!"
show fang blacklight happy at scenter with move
show anon prom blacklight neutral flip with move:
    xalign 0.7
"Her hand clasps mine, and Lucy doesn’t seem bothered at all with how moist my palms are."

"We move to the impromptu dance floor hand in hand until we manage to find an open space."

A "Right, okay. Like this?"

"Right hand on her hip I think."

"I try to take her right hand with my left, but Lucy shakes her head."

"Both of her arms wrap loosely around my neck."

"Lucy’s body is pressed against mine, the contours of her lithe frame fitting very well with mine."

"Oh hey, those alarms aren’t broken."

"My left hand lands on her hip too and now I can’t stop thinking about how Lucy molds against my body near perfectly."

F "J-just follow my lead, okay? Mom gave me some lessons."

"I nod stiffly."

show fang:
    xalign -0.4
show anon:
    xalign 0.2
with move

"Lucy mutters a one-two count before taking a left step back."

"My right foot follows and lands on her toes."
show fang blacklight neutral
F "OW!"

A "Sorry!"

F "Nonono. Don’t worry."

F "Just uh… slowly, okay?"

A "Y-yeah, okay."
show fang blacklight happy at scenter
show anon prom blacklight neutral flip:
    xalign 0.7
with move
"Lucy repeats the step back. I step forward and manage somehow."

"She then steps to the side and I try to follow."

"Our awkward steps continue like this."

"A couple successful steps and then I ruin it with a heavy step on her dainty toes."

"But slowly those failures are less and less common."

"By the third song Lucy and I are finally managing a basic waltz."

show anon:
    linear 1.0 xalign 0.2
    pause 3
    linear 1.0 xalign 0.7
    pause 3
    linear 1.0 xalign 1.2
    pause 3
    linear 1.0 xalign 0.7
    pause 3
    repeat
show fang:
    linear 1.0 xalign -0.5
    pause 3
    linear 1.0 xalign 0.3
    pause 3
    linear 1.0 xalign 1.25
    pause 3
    linear 1.0 xalign 0.3
    pause 3
    repeat

"By the third song Lucy and I are finally managing a basic waltz."

"As the night goes on, the dance becomes more natural."

"In the light of the various strobes I’m able to relish the moment being this close, face to face."

"Whenever one of the lights passes directly through her eyes they glow with the luster of cut amber, and her diamond pupils soften."

"There's no one else in the room right now. Just us."

A "You think it’s going well?"

F "What?"

A "Our Prom night."

F "It didn’t go as planned… but I like where it’s taken us."

F "I wouldn’t rather be anywhere else right now."

A "Me neither."

"The last song slowly fades away, leaving us in a comfortable silence in each other’s arms."
show fang:
    xalign 0.5
show anon:
    xalign 0.7
with move

"Under the blacklights I can fully take in Lucy’s beauty."

"I felt humbled that she’d consider this horrible night to have still gone well."

"Lucy’s eyes become lidded as she leans in towards my face."

"I meet her half-way, our mouths melding together."

"For all that happened tonight and still Lucy enjoyed it…"
scene black with fade
stop music fadeout 1.0
"..."
jump chapter_14C