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It was something they’d been invited to, Bratty’s thing. Kris was honestly surprised, they didn’t ever expect to be invited to these kinds of things, these…ragers ? House party? They couldn’t tell. Although, they assumed they weren’t that special, because literally everyone else in class had filled the living room and halls. Hell, even Berdly of all monsters was here. And, well, he seemed to be having a pretty good time. Whether it was dancing, or annoying someone with some obscure video game facts he bragged about dedicating time to learning about.
Secretly, Kris really didn’t mind having Berdly around, though. It proved that they weren’t the nerdiest weirdo in Hometown. Actually, only Berdly really knew that, given their Minecraft sessions they’d do occasionally; Noelle also knew, but that wasn’t technically fair, because they’d been close childhood friends, maybe even best friends– she practically knew everything about them, even if they’d drifted apart a bit. The dark worlds and Ralsei kinda helped with that, though, and Kris didn’t mind (looked forward to) rekindling the same bond they had as kids. They would be bothered to look for her in the sea of monsters, but there was too much going on, and besides, they were still lost and confused as to how to act during these kinds of events. The only person who probably knew how much of a dork loser they could be was Susie. And boy, did she make it known . But they knew her judgement was never serious, and acceptance was hidden underneath the facade brought on by jokes and poking their side when they’d say something slightly embarrassing.
Kris glanced up at their adjoined counterpart, and she seemed pretty frozen and awkward. Not much room to talk, Susie, you’re just as much of a dork loser as I am, too. She’d kept rubbing her arm every now and then, and Kris found it pretty amusing. They’d never seen her this flustered before. Kris swore they’d been standing in the doorway for about ten minutes now, the both of them doing nothing but shuffling from side to side in a weird silence. It was weirdly pleasant, though, knowing that the both of them were unsure what to do– previously outcasts, the plunge into friendship and socialization, much less parties was something they were not used to at all. But, there was really no rush, at least to Kris. It was dark, save for colorful string lights slowly blinking around the living room, haphazardly strung in a feeble attempt for Bratty to decorate last-minute, and there was one of those small rotating black disco balls with lights that illuminated the pair every now and then in a flash of blinding rainbow LEDs. No one noticed they were standing awkwardly for as long as they were, and the noise of the music brought a strangely comforting feeling as Kris felt the thump of the bass ruminate inside their ears, feeling like a warm, skipping hug.
Susie suddenly shook her head, and as if she snapped out of it, looked down at Kris, and mumbled something.
“What?” They couldn’t hear anything, and it was already difficult to muster up a voice that was louder than how they spoke on the daily. Susie rolled her eyes dramatically, to which Kris followed in quick slight annoyance.
“I REFUSE to be a loser, dude,” she yelled more clearly. She grinned at Kris as a half-smile erupted on their face in response, and they soon felt a grapple on their arm as they were dragged onto the makeshift dance-floor.
Kris felt their face flush a bit– they didn’t want to be the center of attention at all, even though they knew every other teenager in there was busy with their own self-consciousness, or their own inebriated lack of cognizance. They reminded themselves to calm down, and slowly, as Susie let herself be loose with her arms and footsteps, Kris found themselves doing the same (albeit in a much more reserved way).
And so, they stayed that way for a good thirty minutes, finally letting the grace of being care-free wash over their senses and body for the first time in what felt like years. For the first time in what felt like their life. They giggled loudly as the chaotic dancing increased, and they noticed Susie slightly pausing, looking intensely at them, but with an expression of pure joy and happiness, before immediately returning into her own little world.
Eventually, Kris slightly keeled over, face flushed and their hands on their knees. They were laughing hard, breathless, and looked up to find Susie’s hand on her face, pushing her hair back and laughing just as hard as the music kept going. She glanced to the hallways and reached out her hand, offering to help Kris straighten up. They smirked and firmly held on, and she led them once again, bee-lining to a lit up hallway to seek refuge from all the noise and action. They walked straight, wandering until they found seclusion in a hallway that led into Bratty’s open room, decorated with all kinds of boy-band posters and party-adjacent attire all over the floor.
The yellow light emitting from the singular bulb on the ceiling in the hallway was a change from where they were just previously dancing. Kris found that they couldn’t stop giggling, and Susie kept laughing at them in response.
Once they both finally caught their breaths, they still found they could not say anything. A warmth spread through Kris’s chest, and they felt nothing but gratefulness that they and their best friend did decide to accept the invitation to the party. After a few minutes of silence, they decided to initiate.
“This is probably the most fun I’ve ever had in my entire life!” They yelled.
“Dude, I know right! I’m so happy we’re having fun. You’re being so… happy !” Susie yelled back. Kris flushed a bit, and they smiled right at her. They knew it probably wasn’t easy for her to deal with their constant moods, their ever-present silence, and their once-sour face they so often donned.
However, lately it seemed like they could do nothing but smile around her. Susie was so… great. That’s all Kris could use to describe her. She was great. They never felt like they could be around someone and feel so free. So accepted, and so…
Loved.
“I’m always happy when I’m around you,” they blurted out. The adrenaline from being here, from knowing just down the hall people were still dancing and doing whatever they pleased, coursed through their body. Never in a million years would they typically say that, but they found that in this moment, they didn’t care what their self-consciousness would think. Kris swore that they saw her cheeks slightly flush a darker shade of fuschia, just for a moment, and Susie rolled her eyes. She still couldn’t help but smile, and a fang poked out from her mouth.
“You’re so CHEESY!” She exclaimed, but she was still grinning.
A change of pace, a different song echoed loudly. It was more delicate, definitely softer than the electronic dance music playing just moments prior– guess the mood had shifted in the living room. It was a sweet song, and Kris couldn’t help but focus in the direction of the main party and pry their ears to listen in curiosity.
If you wanna dance, then
dance with me.
It’s pretty fast but
this is what you do at parties, right?
They smiled to themselves. How funny. It was like the song was narrating the previous events of the night with them, the awkwardness and not knowing what to do, the anxiousness from the both of them standing in the doorway. But they both had an unspoken understanding that they were not alone, not with the other right next to them.
All of a sudden, in the corner of their eye, they saw purple reaching out. They looked back at Susie, and she had her hand out to them. They looked back up at her face. She was wearing a soft smile, the kindest Kris had ever seen, not only from her, but from anyone else in their life. Her cheeks were, in fact, illuminated with a blush, and her freckles stood out beautifully. Her eyes looked calm, looked so joyous and full of gratefulness and love. They gently put their hand atop of hers, accepting her offer.
“Dance with me,” she said quieter than she’d spoken that night. Kris was surprised they were able to hear, but to be fair, she was all they could notice in this moment.
It was silly, they both stumbled in incompleteness and messiness that only inexperienced teenagers could. Kris found their free hand gravitating to touch her, their skin pleading for contact with this sweet yet gruff girl standing in front of them, almost towering them. They put their hand on her shoulder as they noticed her fingers laced with theirs gripping tighter. It didn’t hurt though. Susie knew to be gentler with Kris in moments like this. Kris let their thumb run up and down Susie’s own, a soothing touch of confirmation that this was more than okay . They were both in such sync, both in dance and life. Kris and their best friend finally found a steady rhythm, slowly moving from side to side as sweet notes filled the air with a charming voice and acoustic-like softness wavering through their ears.
And I know it’s hard to tell,
but I think I really like you.
Susie leaned down and rested her head on Kris’s shoulder as they continued their steady, relaxed, steps. Her hair fanned over Kris’s arm, and they slightly leaned their head into her position, bumping gently into her. They breathed in, catching the scent of their own apple shampoo on her hair from when they were getting ready at their place. They smelled slight grass from when they laid on the riverbank, and they swore they could smell the sunshine on her from when she looked over at them, giggling from a joke, the sunlight catching onto her amber eyes beautifully. She was perfect.
Just take it slow,
and move your feet to the beat,
Cause if we dance then
you don’t have to speak
The pair kept dancing slowly. Kris didn’t know what to call this, but they didn’t really care, either. Susie was their best friend, and Kris was hers. And they knew, one couldn’t really even be friends with someone else unless they loved them in some way, much less best friends.
And knowing she loved them back, no matter in what way, was more than enough. It was perfect. They were perfect.
And I know it’s hard to tell
But I think I really like you.