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Love at Ever After High can be a tricky thing. For some, love comes as naturally as Spring comes from Winter. For others, it’s more like finding a needle in a haystack. And for some, love can feel essentially hopeless. But one never knows what is just around the bend…
Dexter Charming was sitting at his table eating lunch, picking at his food while recollections of lessons from his crownculus class ran through his head. Absentmindedly, he picked up his drink to wash down the food he was eating, but fumbled with the cup, spilling water on his jacket.
“Oh, for Grimm’s sake,” he muttered, realizing he didn’t have anything on hand to try and clean up his mess.
“Need a napkin?” a light voice suddenly asked? Dexter startled, turning to see Cupid, standing over his shoulder, indeed holding a bundle of napkins in her hand.
Dexter took one gratefully. “Thanks, Cupid,” he said, beginning to pat his jacket dry. “You, uh, weren’t just standing by with those, were you?”
Cupid tensed up. “Uh, no, of course not, just lucky for you I was around, hehe.” She gave Dexter an overly big smile.
Cupid’s feelings towards Dexter had been complicated as of late. She wasn’t sure if they’d ever go away, she’d been far too spellbound, but something had shifted recently. Her whole thing was knowing the ins and outs of love, how to recognize where it had potential in others, and just as much, where it was doomed to never succeed. Dexter was her friend, someone she cared deeply about, but sometimes, destiny could be an unfortunate force.
“You weren’t zoning out again, were you?” she asked, taking a seat next to Dexter as he continued to dab at his spill.
“Not exactly,” he mumbled, pausing to look up where he’d been staring earlier. Cupid followed his line of sight and…of course. Raven’s table.
“Still pursuing that, huh?” she remarked before she could stop herself. The cherub winced, looking at her friend nervously for his reaction.
The prince sighed. “Not like I ever really began pursuing much. Mostly just admiring from afar,” he admitted.
“I understand.” More than you really know, she thought.
“Maybe it’s time to let go,” he lamented.
A pink eyebrow raised. “You think? That’s no easy feat.”
“Yeah. I just wish I had someone else to give my affections to.” Cupid remained silent, blinking slowly at the prince. She knew he was just venting to her as a friend, but a tiny glimmer of hope rose in her chest. Yes, she’d also come to terms with the fact that a romance with her and Dexter was likely a pied pipe dream, but yet here he was, telling her that not only was he finally hoping to get over Raven, but he was looking for someone else to pour his love and admiration into.
Dexter reached for another napkin, accidentally brushing Cupid’s hand as he did. He turned and looked into expectant blue eyes. A revelation passed over his face.
“Hey…Cupid…”
“Yes?” she asked expectantly, internally cursing herself for getting her hopes up, even now. Her wings fluttered behind her against her will.
“You’re…well, you,” he began.
“Meaning?”
“Do you think you could…I don’t know, see if there’s anybody else in Ever After High for me? You know, as a favor for a friend?”
Ah, there it was. Cupid’s heart fell quickly, like it was made of stone.
“Not that you have to or anything, I just thought, since it’s your thing-”
“Of course, Dex,” she said kindly. “I’d be happy to. In fact, I’ll do you one better than looking for someone, I’ll get you a blind date with the perfect girl.” If Cupid was going to try to get over Dexter once and for all, this would be it, her most ambitious attempt yet.
Dexter grinned at her. “Aw, you’re the best, Cupid!” He excitedly threw his arms around her. Cupid stiffened as the water stain on his jacket pressed up against her, dampening her dress as well. The girl forced a smile, trying to convince only herself that this was a good idea.
As soon as lunch was over, Cupid dashed through the halls, looking for someone to talk to who could help her with her plight. Apple, maybe? She’d gone through something similar, admitting that her relationship with Daring was out of expectation rather than love, and finding she had much more in common with Darling. Perhaps Ashlynn? Her love life had been a real tug of war that had been surprisingly resolved rather quickly, even if plenty others disapproved. What about Daring, it was his younger brother Cupid was trying to help out, after all.
Her mind up in the clouds, Cupid wasn’t paying attention to the hallway traffic when she smacked into someone.
“Ow!” the girl shouted, stumbling back, but not falling to the ground like Cupid had.
“You okay?” Raven asked, extending a hand out to the dazed Cupid. The cherub’s eyes widened. Of course!
“Raven!” She shot up from the ground. “I need your help!”
Raven startled at Cupid’s suddenness. “Woah, what is it?”
She began babbling, “I told Dexter I’d do him a favor but I don’t think I’ll be able to fulfill it and I want to do it to be a good friend cuz he’s-”
“Hey, slow down, alright?” Raven put two hands on her friend’s shoulders, quieting her down. “What’s the favor? Maybe I can help.”
“I told him I’d get him a-” Cupid suddenly froze. Sure, Dexter’s feelings towards Raven weren’t reciprocated, but she wasn’t sure how the girl would feel about her friend potentially going out with someone. After a short internal conflict she decided to just admit it. “A blind date. With a girl.”
Raven raised an eyebrow at that. She liked Dexter, he was sweet and all, but she knew there wasn't exactly a line of students at Ever After High just dying to ask him out. “Yeah? Who’s the girl?”
Cupid sighed. “I don’t know.”
“Ah, there’s the problem.” Cupid hung her head, her wings drooping behind her. Raven frowned, lightly placing a hand on her friend’s back. “Hey, you’re Cupid, right? This shouldn’t be that hard for you. What kind of girls does Dexter like?”
“He’s into…” Cupid froze again, blinking slowly at Raven, trying to come up with something to say that wouldn’t be a lie, but wasn’t “you”. “Uh…the…Rebel types?” she finally mumbled out.
Raven cocked an eyebrow, thinking about it for a moment. “Well that knocks out half the girls in this school at least. Come on, I’ll help you figure this out.”
Cupid perked up. “You mean it?”
“Sure! That’s what friends are for!”
It had taken a bit of brainstorming, but the two girls had finally landed on someone at Ever After High. She wasn’t seeing anyone, she was a spunky Rebel, and she was someone Raven knew well enough, better than most people at Ever After High did. She seemed like a good fit for Dexter’s blind date. Unfortunately…
“Please?” Cupid asked again.
“No.”
“Pleaseeeee?” she begged.
“No!” Ramona snarled. “Why would I even want to go out with Dexter?”
“Oh come on, he’s not that bad,” Raven persisted.
Ramona momentarily diverted her attention from Cupid. “Easy for you to say. You’re his exception.” Raven scowled.
“It can be just one date,” Cupid butted in. “Please? I promised Dexter I’d get him someone.”
“Then why can’t she do it?” Ramona asked, pointing a claw-like finger at Raven.
“Because I’m supposed to-” Cupid cut herself off before she could mention that Dexter’s date was to help him get over Raven, something the girl in question still didn’t know. “…because he likes Raven too much as a friend to date her, duh!” Ramona’s eyes narrowed.
“Yeah. Sure. The answer’s still no.”
“C’mon, Ramona,” Raven tried. “Do it as a favor for a friend?”
Ramona scoffed. “Since when are we friends?”
“Well, I’m friends with your-” Raven but her tongue before she accidentally said “sister” in front of Cupid. She was pretty sure Cerise hadn’t really told anyone else about her familial situation, and Raven wasn’t about to be the one to slip up and reveal anything. “Your BFFA, Cerise.” The girl’s expression shifted slightly, as if she could tell what Raven meant to say. Relief showed on her face at Raven’s cover-up. “Can’t you do a favor for a friend of a friend?”
Ramona’s eyes darted between Raven and Cupid. “Fine. Only if you two do a favor for me.”
“Yes!” Cupid was already typing into her MirrorPhone. “Whatever it is, we’ll be sure to-”
“Hold on.” Ramona held up a demanding hand as Cupid hit “send” on her hext message. “I want you two to fulfill that favor before I go on this date.”
Cupids’ eyes widened. “Oh, really? Cuz I already told Dexter what time to meet-”
“Yup. I’m not going until I get your help.” Cupid bit her lip in worry.
“Fine,” Raven cut in. “We’ll do what you want if you do this for Cupid.”
Ramona smiled, her pearly whites on full display. “Done,” she declared, shaking Raven’s hand. “It won’t take long,” she assured the two. “As long as you’re both not too spooked in the Enchanted Forest.
Cupid gulped, looking through the window at the sun already going down. “The Enchanted Forest?”
Dexter stood a good distance from the gold dorm room door. Cupid had said to meet his date here at 6:00. This was her dorm, supposedly. Dexter couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous as he didn’t recognize whose room this was. That, and he was a few minutes early, had him feeling like there were pixies flying around in his stomach.
He’d made a bit of a point to dress up. He didn’t know whether to look casual or formal, so he went with his gray hoodie under his blue blazer, along with comfortable gray dress pants. Hopefully his date wasn’t someone too picky about appearances, like Blondie or Lizzie. Dexter gulped. He sure hoped it wasn’t Lizzie.
“Well, here goes nothing,” he sighed.
The prince adjusted his glasses, inhaled, and knocked thrice on the door. His heart beat as he heard quick footsteps approach from the other side of the door. He wasn’t quite sure who to expect when the door opened, but seeing Justine Dancer was still a surprise.
“Oh, hi Dexter!” she said brightly, her face immediately breaking into a smile.
“Justine? You’re my blind date?” he asked bluntly.
The girl blinked, her smile fading. “Pardon?”
Dexter’s pulse quickened at Justine’s confusion. “Cupid said she was setting me up on a blind date and told me to come to this room.”
Justine pursed her lips. “Oh. Weird. She didn’t tell me about this.”
Dexter checked his watch. “Well, I am a bit early. Maybe she just hadn’t hext messaged you yet.”
“Maybe.” A quizzical look passed Justine’s face. “I don’t know why Cupid thought we’d be a good match, though.”
“Hey, she’s Cupid, she must know stuff we don’t.” Justine was still clearly unsure. “Look, if you’re not interested, I can just leave-”
“No!” Justine blurted out. “That’s not it. I was just surprised, that’s all. I’d be happy to go on a date with you!” Dexter’s blush returned in full.
“You sure?”
Her smile grew. “Of course I’m sure! Just give me a moment to get ready.” The door shut, and after only ten seconds opened again. Justine’s makeup was fresh and clean and she was somehow wearing a different outfit. Instead of her gold and silver dress she normally wore, she’d changed into a pink and purple dress with accents of gold, and golden shoes with accents of pink in them to complement the look. Her crown was slightly crooked on her head, but she adjusted it immediately. “Oh! Almost forgot my purse!” She spun a few feet away from the door, snatching up her gold purse. “Okay, I’m ready,” she said with a smile.
Dexter beamed, extending his arm for her to take. “Great! Then let’s go.”
The Enchanted Forest is a lovely magical spot near Ever After High. But once the sun goes down, it is easier to get lost, and some say that monsters lurk in the shadows…
Ramona was hoping the girls wouldn’t be too talkative on their journey, but they had barely crossed the threshold of the trees when Cupid asked a question.
“We’re looking for who, exactly?” she asked, her voice already squeakier than usual. Wuss. The sun hadn’t even gone down yet.
“My pet wolf, Taupe,” Ramona answered. “He’s free range, but he likes to come by and see me. I haven't seen him for a couple days too many.”
Raven raised a suspicious eyebrow. “I’ve never seen you with a wolf.”
Ramona just smirked at her. “Like I said, free range.”
“Will he come if you call him?” Cupid asked. “Taupe? Ta-upe!”
Ramona rolled her eyes. “No, he won’t. He thinks it’s a game, like hide and seek, if you call him. You’ll make it even harder to track him down.”
Cupid groaned. “Spelltacular.”
“Aren’t you part wolf, Ramona?” Raven asked, not done being suspicious of the girl yet. “Why do you need us to track Taupe down?”
Ramona glared at Raven. “Because three pairs of hands are better than one. And I needed something to hold over you guys as a favor.”
Raven sighed. “You know, you could have done Cupid a favor out of the goodness of your heart.”
Ramona clucked her tongue. “Yeah, not gonna happen. C’mon, less chit chat, more wolf hunting!” she declared, making a pointed turn and sneaking deeper into the forest. Cupid gulped and clutched Raven’s hand for assurance as the pair followed her.
Dexter was unsure where to take Justine except walking around Village of Book End, but luckily she suggested they get some drinks from the Hocus Latte Cafe.
Once they’d received their coffees and took a seat at a table for two in the cafe, they continued the light conversation they were engaging in before. It turns out the pair were both doing exceptionally well in Crownculus as well as Princessology and Kingdom Management, although Justine admitted that she wasn’t fond of that class despite her hexceptional grades in it. When Justine politely asked about his other classes, Dexter realized was not in the mood to talk about his shortcomings in Hero Training, so he turned the question around to her instead.
Justine paused, licking steamed milk off her upper lip from her mocha. “Well, I’ve been improving in Creative Storytelling. I like the real storybook legends, but it’s so much fun to come up with your own stories, you know? Writing something totally new, fresh, even unhexpected! I love those kinds of stories.” She sighed dreamily, looking out the window at the sunset. Pinks, purples and blues streaked the sky as a bright gold sun casted rays of light into the shop. Some sunbeams bounced off the small gems on Justine’s crown, almost looking like a halo. A soft smile found its way onto Dexter’s lips. Justine didn’t even notice his fond stare, too wrapped up in her own storybook thoughts.
“Your writing is spell-bindingly good,” Dexter finally said, after a sip of his hazelnut latte to help boost his confidence. “I really enjoyed the Once Upon A Spell performance.”
Justine seemed surprised at that. She chuckled to herself. “Oh, you don’t have to be so polite, I know it flopped.”
“No, really!” he insisted. “I mean, yeah, the performance was kind of a flop, but your story and choreography were really good!”
“Aw, I’m glad you saw it.” Her smile fell slightly. “Sorry I didn’t cast you in it,” she said sheepishly.
Not that Dexter would quickly admit it to anyone, but not even making callbacks had kind of stung. “No big deal, I’ve dealt with worse rejections,” he said casually, to ease her worries. Probably bad wording choice though, as Justine seemed even more bothered. “Uh, if you don’t mind me asking, why did you choose Humphrey?”
“I wanted to cast your brother at first. Forgetful yet charming, I thought it was good, but he ended up being too busy to come to practices.” She sighed, tapping a finger on the side of her cup. “Not sure why he auditioned in the first place if that was going to be the case.” Because he’s full of himself and probably wanted to impress a room full of girls, Dexter bitterly thought. No, no, that’s not true, he corrected in his mind. He said he’d come audition with you to help ease your nerves with your monologue. A great help that did. He snapped out of his petty thoughts and focused on Justine.
“Humphrey I thought was good cuz he’s got an aura of awkwardness to him,” she said with a laugh in her voice. Dexter couldn’t help but laugh with her. He liked Humphrey, but he was somehow even more awkward than Dexter himself. “He’s certainly not forgetful,” she continued, “but that’s part of the great thing about acting, you can pretend to be someone different than you really are. Humphrey just wasn’t up to the task, I guess.”
“I figure you would’ve liked his help with the tech stuff,” Dexter pointed out.
Justine bit her lip and lowered her gaze. “I figured that’d be the kind of thing you were interested in,” she admitted. Justine really had liked Dexter’s monologue, despite his clear nervousness, but she knew he was also great with technological handiwork and figured he’d want to help out there when he didn’t get the part. She’d been a little disappointed when he hadn’t asked to be a part of the tech crew, despite how well her team of Blondie and Hunter had done. “I should’ve asked instead of assuming. We would’ve been happy to have you on our tech crew.”
“Oh…” Dexter had just assumed that rejection for the part had been, well, rejection outright. He hadn’t thought of getting a second chance. “Well, next time then, for sure.”
Justine beamed. “Yeah! Next time, for sure!” She took a sip of mocha to hide her blush.
Raven kept an eye on the sun’s light’s disappearance through the trees. During the daytime, the forest looked almost golden, but at night, it’s as if the trees changed color to dark blues and purples. It didn’t bother her too much if she wasn’t alone, but she knew company wouldn’t prevent Cupid from shaking in fright.
The girl was busying herself with taking the high ground to search for Taupe, flying enough to get a bird’s eye view while not straying too far from Raven and Ramona. Ramona was doing the opposite, searching the ground for tracks and even seeking out Taupe’s scent. Raven was left in the middle ground, searching bushes and peering between the trees. So far, no luck, but at least they were working like a team.
There was a rustle in the bushes, causing Cupid to squeal and fall out of the sky. Luckily Raven helped catch her.
“Relax Cupid, it’s probably just a rabbit or something,” Raven tried to assure her. Cupid stood upright and, despite her fear, went to investigate the rustling bush.
Cupid gasped. “I think I found him!” she exclaimed. Sure enough, as she parted the bushes, a handsome gray wolf strutted out, looking up at Cupid playfully.
Ramona perked up, but her face immediately fell when she turned around. “No, wrong wolf,” she stated.
Cupid eyed her incredulously. “Wrong wolf?” she asked as she rubbed the belly of the supposed “wrong wolf” who rolled over onto its back and wagged its tail.
“How can you be so sure?” Raven doubled down.
“Taupe isn't that color. He’s more of a reddish brown,” Ramona stated matter-of-factly.
Cupid frowned, yet didn’t cease rubbing the wrong wolf’s belly. The wolf seemed to enjoy it. “Well this guy seems pretty domesticated,” she said.
“Yeah, that’s Carmine. He belongs to…someone else.”
Raven recognized Carmine now, but was still getting frustrated. She threw her hands in the air. “How many wolves are in these woods?”
“Why?” Ramona smiled devilishly. “You got a problem with wolves?” Raven just glared at her wordlessly. “Keep looking, little birdie,” she purred. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”
“You can say that again,” Cupid said with a sigh, shooing off Carmine.
After the pair had finished their drinks, they began taking a walk through the village, making small talk. At one point, Justine glanced down the street and froze, tugging gently on Dexter’s sleeve.
“Maybe let’s go the other way,” she suggested.
Dexter’s eyebrows drew together, confused. “Why? What’s that way?” he asked, looking down the street.
“The Red Shoes Dance Club,” Justine explained. Dexter was still lost. “My mom and aunts work there.”
“Oh.” That…still felt like a strange explanation. “You don’t want to see them?”
Justine flushed. “Not while I’m out on a date.” Oh. Of course. “I love my family, but they can be a bit…much.”
“I can imagine. Eleven aunts, eleven sisters.”
“And nineteen cousins,” Justine added.
Dexter’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Nineteen? Really? Me too.” Justine smiled at that, amazed. “Right, uh, let’s go this way, then,” Dexter suggested, putting an arm around Justine’s shoulders and guiding them down a different street.
The pair were both giddily nervous at Dexter’s arm around Justine, but it quickly became an uncomfortable position, so he dropped his arm back to his side. He had half a mind to try to hold her hand, but the pixies in his stomach prevented it. “So, your family sounds huge,” he said instead.
“You’re telling me. My aunts and mom had thirty one kids total, and we all grew up in the same castle. It was chaos.”
“Must have been hard to keep track of everyone.”
“Jeez fairies, it was. One of the only ways we kept track of which kid belonged to whom was our names.”
“Names?”
“Yeah.” Justine began counting on her fingers. “My aunts, Anna, Birdie, Ciara, Diana, twins Emma and Elizabeth, Francesca, Glinda, Heather, twins Irene and Isadora, then my cousins, Ava, Alexia, Angelina, Bridget, Claire, Camila, Caroline, Daisy, Deirdre, Eleanor, Emilia, Evelyn, Felicity, Gwendolyn, Giselle, Harriet, Hazel, Ivy and Isla.” Dexter just stared at her, astounded. “And then of course my mom, Janessa, and all of my sisters, Julia, Josephine, Joy, twins Jennifer and Jacquelyn, we call them Jennie and Jackie, Janelle, Jordan, Jade, Jasmine, Jazz for short, Joanna, June, and lastly, me.”
Dexter blinked in awe. “Wow. That’s…amazing that you can keep track of everyone like that.”
Justine shrugged. “I’ve known everyone my whole life. My aunts helped my mom raise twelve kids, so we’re all pretty connected. It feels like I have thirty sisters rather than eleven sisters and nineteen cousins.” Dexter nodded, understanding completely.
“I feel like that with some of my cousins too.” Justine perked up at that.
“Do you all live under the same roof as well?” she asked.
“No, my home is just my parents, and my siblings. But we see my extended family a lot at get-togethers.”
“Are you close with your siblings?” It felt like a dumb question, so she added, “I mean everyone says you are, but you know, people like to gossip about your family all the time, whether or not it’s true.”
“Are you one of those people?” Dexter teased.
“No, I’ve just heard-”
“I’m kidding. You’re too sweet for gossip.” Justine blushed at the compliment. “As for your question, I’d like to think I’m close with my siblings. Darling especially, probably because we’re twins. There’s kind of a disconnect with me and Daring that I can’t really help, but that’s just how it is. It’s how we were raised.” Dexter chewed on his bottom lip, worried about elaborating. But Justine’s face was so kind and understanding.
Dexter took a deep breath and continued. “He’s supposed to be the best, he has everything going for him. I just feel left out.” Frustration overtook the hurt. “I mean, for Grimm’s sake, at least they know their destinies. Darling is meant to be Apple’s hero, and Daring is meant to be Rosabella’s beast. For a while, that’s the destiny my parents considered would be for me.” Dex, do not get into your parents right now. “It just sucks to go through life supposedly destined for something great, but being worried the whole time that that’s all there is in the playing cards for you.”
“I know how you feel,” Justine sympathized. “I mean, I know my destiny now, but I didn’t for the longest time. My sisters all one by one had their destinies confirmed, but until I got my gift, I was worried that I would be without their destiny.” Dexter was surprised at that. Justine continued, “I mean, three of my cousins are my age; it was totally possible that one of them could have been the twelfth dancing princess instead of me.” She bit her lip to keep herself from going on. She was trying to sympathize with Dexter, not bring up her own insecurities. “So I get what you mean. That worry that you’ll never end up with a destiny when it feels like everyone around you has.”
“Yeah. It’s rough,” Dexter agreed.
“Keep your chin up, though,” Justine said encouragingly. “I’m sure your destiny is closer than you think.”
Dexter smiled at the cheery look on her face. “Hey, if your story is in need of a prince, let me know.” The suggestion flustered both kids, who looked away modestly to hide the color in their cheeks.
“We should get back to Ever After High soon. It’s dark out and curfew will go into effect soon,” Dexter stated.
“Right. Good idea,” Justine agreed, taking his hand and pulling him along as they ran towards the school.
“Mm hmm,” Cupid hummed. “Well, it’s not his fault if you won’t share the nuts with him, is it?” The squirrel she was addressing stopped chittering and hung its head. “Well there’s no reason to be down about it, just talk to him!” she encouraged. The squirrel nodded fiercely, skittering down from the tree branch it was perched on and scampering away into the forest. Cupid sighed. “Well, that’s another feat of love that I’ve conquered today. Have we found Taupe yet?”
Ramona’s eyes narrowed. “No, Cupid, we haven’t,” she said tiredly.
“Are you sure he’s here?” Raven asked. “Do you even know if he’s in this section of the woods?”
“He likes to hang around the tall pines, that’s what I know,” Ramona snapped back. “He’s often playing in this clearing, or hiding in the bushes with only his big yellow eyes exposed.”
“Eyes like those?” Cupid asked with a gulp, pointing a shaking finger at two glowing yellow dots peaking through the branches.
Ramona gasped. “Taupe!” The wolf bounded out of the bush, towards Ramona, leaping into her arms. “Aw, are you okay, honey?” she asked in an unusually high pitched silly voice. “I know the forest can be scary after dark.”
Cupid gasped sharply. “Dark! What time is it?” Cupid’s phone lit up, better revealing her eyes as they widened in shock. “No! We’ve been out here for hours! Dexter and Ramona’s date was supposed to start at 6:00.” Raven and Ramona gasped. Cupid began tearing up. “I’m a bad friend and a bad Cupid. I failed.”
Immediately, Raven whirled around and pointed an accusatory finger at Ramona. “You knew this would take a long time! You did this just to get out of a date with Dexter!”
“I didn’t, I swear! You upheld your end of the deal, I was going to uphold mine.” Her tone was so uncharacteristically genuine that Raven couldn’t help but believe her. She set Taupe down on the ground. “I didn’t expect this to take us hours,” she said to Cupid. “I’m so sorry.”
Cupid crumpled, taking a hard seat on a large rock behind her. “I was just trying to be a good friend.” Her voice wavered and a few tears began falling from her eyes. Taupe quickly left Ramona’s side and nuzzled up to Cupid.
“You are a good friend, Cupid,” Ramona insisted. “Why don’t you call Dexter and explain it to him?” Cupid tried, his phone ringing several times, but eventually it went to voicemail. The girl hung her head in shame.
“Maybe he went to bed early,” Raven suggested gently. “If that’s the case, you can explain it to him in the morning, alright?”
Cupid sniffled and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “All right. I will.” She gave Taupe a pat on the head, and the wolf licked her hand in return. “Sorry for dragging you into this, Raven.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Raven was still pissed at Ramona, glaring at her as she took Cupid’s hand to lead her out of the forest. “You owe her,” Raven hissed.
“I know,” Ramona said, hanging her head. “C’mon, Taupe, let’s just get back to my dorm.”
Justine and Dexter held hands as they walked through the halls of Ever After High. Luckily, there weren’t that many people around, but their clasped hands still got some intrigued looks from the various passersby.
“Glad Blondie isn’t here,” Dexter admitted.
Justine looked at him curiously. “Why’s that?”
Dexter held up their interlocked hands. “Cuz of this,” he admitted. “I really don’t feel like being her latest scoop.”
“Wouldn’t be much of a scoop,” Justine said matter-of-factly. “We’re just two students who went on a single date.”
Dexter felt his heart sink a little. “A single date?” he asked before he had the better judgment to stop himself.
Justine looked up at him with wide eyes. “Well, would you like it to be more than just a single date?” she asked kindly.
Dexter paused, thinking about it. He’d asked Cupid for a date with someone as a way of getting his mind off Raven, and, well, it had worked. He hadn’t thought about Raven all night and really enjoyed spending time with Justine. She was sweet, they got along, and it had been a while since he’d opened up about his insecurities regarding his destiny to someone that wasn’t his journal.
“Yeah, definitely!” Dexter declared, relieving Justine, who had been worried at that long pause. “I’d like to take you dancing sometime, Miss Dancer.”
Justine giggled. “Sounds like a date!” She squeezed Dexter’s hand even tighter.
All too quickly, they’d arrived at Justine’s dorm room. The girl was still aflutter, she felt like they were ending the date too early, but curfew would go into effect soon, and besides, Dexter had promised her another date!
“I had a spellbinding time,” she said wistfully as she opened her door, grateful that Ramona wasn’t there to interrupt their good-bye.
“Me too,” Dexter said softly, shoving his hands in his pockets nervously. A silence hung in the air, one that Justine felt desperate to break.
“Well, I guess-” Justine was rendered speechless as Dexter suddenly leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her cheek.
She stood there, dumbfounded, her face heating up, as Dexter just smiled shyly at her. “Well, charm you later!” he declared, spinning around and briskly walking off.
Wordlessly, Justine lifted a hand to her cheek, growing warmer, as a big grin slowly overtook her face. Using her other hand she quickly shut her door, giggling as she leaned back against it.
A soft “meow” startled her out of her glee. Her cat, Tiptoe, was rubbing itself against her legs, looking up at his owner curiously. Justine laughed, lifting the cat up.
“Oh Tiptoe, you won’t believe the night I’ve had!” she declared, hugging the cat to her chest as she twirled around her room, setting Tiptoe down on her bed. The cat yawned and stretched before flopping down and watching his owner dance dreamily around her room.
“Do you think I’ve got a fairy godmother?” she asked her cat. Like always, he just meowed in response. “My luck has been spelltacular recently! I’ve finally begun to master my gift of eternal dance, Pied Piper greenlit me to potentially direct another theater performance, and now Dexter Charming takes me on a date! And he wants to take me on another!” The girl squealed and collapsed on her bed in a fit of giggles. Tiptoe batted her crown, which fell off as her head hit the mattress. Just as quickly as she fell though, she got right back up and continued dancing to alleviate her enthusiasm.
The doors opened and Ramona sulked in, wordlessly making her way to her bed and collapsing face-first on it. Taupe followed right on her heels, licking the girl’s hand as it dangled off the side of the bed.
“Long night?” Justine asked, her dancing paused out of concern for her friend, but feet still pattering back and forth on her toes as if they had a mind of their own.
Ramona raised her head. “Like you wouldn’t believe.” She pet Taupe affectionately and took note of Justine’s dancing. “What’s got you aflutter?”
“Well, I had a date tonight!” the girl declared, doing a joyous pirouette.
Despite her exhaustion, Ramona managed a smile. “A date, huh? How’d it go?”
“Amazing! I had no idea Dexter and I had that much in common, but I guess Cupid really knows her stuff!”
Ramona’s ears twitched in surprise. “Dexter?”
“Yeah. Who’d’ve thought, right? Oh, I should really thank Cupid.”
“Don’t worry princess, I’ll pass on the message for you.” Justine eyes her roommate, confused as to why Ramona would offer. Did she and Cupid even know each other? But she kept her mouth shut. “You should get some shut eye now so that eternal dance thing doesn’t exhaust you in the morning.”
“Good thinking. Thanks, Ramona,” she said with a smile, slipping out of her shoes and rifling through her wardrobe for pajamas.
Ramona rolled over on her bed and pulled out her MirrorPhone, shooting a message to Raven.
Ramona: You’re welcome, little birdie
Raven: Welcome for what?
Ramona: Your nervous prince got his date after all
Raven: Really?
Ramona: Yup. I think my roommate has found her match. So tell pinkie to chill out, okay?
Raven: Justine, of course! I’ll tell Cupid
Ramona: Evil night, Raven >:)
Raven: Good night, Ramona
And so, it seems that Dexter Charming’s loveless plight has been resolved. But as always, The End is just The Beginning…