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Part of being a preteen meant placing heavy emphasis on sleepover culture. Lots of movies, games, snacks with your best friend on a Friday night.
Unfortunately, in Molly's case, it wasn't just with her best friend, but with the girl she had helplessly developed a crush on. To the point where she found herself getting nervous around her, butterflies, the whole thing. How unlucky was it to not only be completely head over heels for your best friend, but to also be unable to do anything about it? It's not like she would ever be able to put their friendship in jeopardy.
Molly watched from where she was seated on her bed as Libby rolled out her sleeping bag, green with a turtley-pattern. She smoothed it out right next to Molly's own. Of course, they did have an actual bed in the room, but sleeping on the hard attic floor just seemed to really be the cherry on top of a good sleepover. "I think we managed to stay up past our usual bedtime!"
Molly looked at the clock. Sure enough, 12:03 am. The two usually call it a night before 11. "Huh, we did! Are you tired at all?"
"Hmm.." Libby thought about it for a second, even trying to force herself to yawn. "No, not really!"
"Me neither! I feel wide awake."
"Well, in that case...would you happen to be down for a game of...Puppy Prom?"
"Puppy Prom!! I love Puppy Prom!!" Molly threw herself onto the floor across from her friend, who was already holding the main cast. "Can I be Miss Macy tonight?"
"Duh!" Libby exclaimed, thrusting the doll with short, white fur into Molly's hands. "Okay. The setting: Furcules' house, evening of prom. He had started to notice Miss Macy was acting weird, but doesn't realize it's because of her feelings for him! This has caused a rift in their friendship."
Wow. The familiarity of this plot was almost uncanny.
"OOH~! Drama! Love that!"
Libby did that giggle that Molly loves. It always made her blush and smile. She couldn’t help but stare as she threw her long hair over her shoulder and cleared her throat. “Well good evening, Miss Macy. What a pleasure to see you here.” She always puts on this deep voice when she plays Furcules, which Molly just adored about her. If there’s one thing about Libby, it’s the way she commits to a bit.
Cute. She's just so cute.
“Well,” Miss Macy lifted a paw shyly to her face. “The pleasure is all mine, Fur. I actually came to see you.”
"Oh, in that case..." Furcules 'opened' an invisible door and stepped out of the way. "Please come in, m'lady.
The thing about Puppy Prom was the fact that even though there were often different plot twists, varying conflicts, and surprise guests, Molly and Libby had a storyline that they always stuck to. Furcules and Miss Macy, childhood friends, go to prom together after finally confessing their feelings to eachother. And, everytime, Miss Macy was the one to confess first. They had tried it the other way around in the past, but it just wasn't right. Furcules is shy, anxious, and worried. His feelings towards his best friend were something he thought he would hide forever. Miss Macy, on the other hand, is daring and bold. The two complimented each other, so the correct characterizations of the puppies in this game was obviously very important and crucial to get right.
Molly made Miss Macy do a small curtsey as she walked through the fake doorway. "Furcules, there's something I think I need to confess. I...haven't been completely honest with you."
"Oh, Miss Macy, what troubles you?"
With each line delivery, Molly felt herself being pushed. Pushed to perform, pushed to Libby, and pushed past what she could see and understand. Maybe she could tell her. If Miss Missy did it, why couldn't Molly McGee? Maybe she wasn't as helpless or not-in-control as she had thought. She couldn't take her eyes off Libby as she brought herself to continue.
"Dearest Fur, I fear if I tell you, that you would begin to hate me." She held a woeful pose, pressing the back of her paw against her forehead like she was about to faint.
"Oh no, oh no no no, Missy. Nothing could ever cause me to hate you. Won't you please tell me?"
Was the tension all in her head, or did Libby feel it too? Were they somehow feeling the same thing, communicating the same thoughts? Or was it being wasted on something completely fake- artificial conversations between plush dogs that soaked up all the magic into their cloth fur? She stared at Libby, who was still fixated on the scene before them. Couldn't she feel it? Wasn't she struggling to breathe, too? The air felt thin as Molly pushed to deliver the next line. She HAD to say it.
Or, not her. Miss Macy. Miss Macy had to say it. It's how the story went, it was the next step. The predetermined order that the dolls had no say in or control over, only watching their lives from the side.
"Okay, Furcules..I guess I'll tell you..."
But for Molly and Libby, there was no exact script to follow.
"I...."
No one was pulling the strings.
"I like you. I really, really like you."
But Miss Macy didn't reach out and grab Furcules' paw like she usually does. Actually, Molly set the doll down completely, placing her own hand on Libby's that was resting against the wooden floor. That touch alone felt magical. But magical wasn't the right word. That implies it’s fake, make-believe, or somehow pretend. This was too real. It was different from something like Puppy Prom, skin instead of cloth, people instead of puppets. She held her breath as Libby looked from Miss Macy, their touching hands, to Molly's eyes.
"M-me? Like, not Puppy Prom? L-like, real life me?"
"Yes, you, Libby." She picked up her hand, holding it between her own two palms. “I like you. A-and I’m sorry if this is weird, or sudden, or if I ruined Puppy Prom by bringing it up now, but I just couldn’t-“
“I do too.” She blurted. “Like you, I mean.”
“Really?”
"Yes! Like-like you!" She paused. "Sorry! Th-that was weird.” She abandoned Furcules on the side and joined her other hand with Molly’s. “I do like you...like that. I-I just didn’t know how to tell you. Sorry, I have no idea why I said 'like-like', I guess I just-”
Molly squeezed Libby's hands. "Don't apologize!" She insisted. "I'm so glad..." She placed a kiss on the back of her hand before putting on a familiar voice and accent. "M'lady."
The two collapsed in a fit of giggles. "Stop!! That's sooo dumb!" Libby hid her red face behind her hands only for Molly to lean forward and reveal the girl's blushing features again. It was awkward and clunky, but it was real. It wasn't picture perfect or out of a storybook, but that's part of what made it feel so right. The air around them and their faces burned as they broke the distance between them. The kiss was more like a peck, so quick they wouldn't have been sure if it really happened at all if it hadn't felt like a burning sun. They both pulled back and gently laughed like it was nothing more than the exchange of a whisper, a mutter of an inside joke or remark.
--
"Aww man!! Did I miss Puppy Prom?" The two jumped in surprise, turning to see a familiar, blobby, blue friend in the attic doorway. "I told you guys to wait for me next time!"
"Scratch!!" Molly scrambled to face him. "W-where have you been? How long were you there?"
"Apparently not long enough to see the Promposal!! Fill me in on everything!" He flew to the scene and sat himself on the floor. They exchanged a look and burst into laughter again.
"Luckily for you, we actually just got started." Molly explained through laughs. Holding the doll in one hand, and Libby's own in the other, she noticed it all felt more real than before.