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Luz hummed to herself as she walked down the hall. So far, today had been great! She got to spend Abominations with Amity, Care for Carnivorous Fauna with Willow, and even set up a prank on the twins with Gus!
As she wandered the halls during her free period, though, a soft sound caught her attention. Standing still and straining her ears, she listened carefully until she was certain… Someone was crying. Luz nodded with determination. Someone was crying, and she was going to help!
She tiptoed closer to the sound, unable to help the gasp she let out when she saw who it was.
“What do you want, human?”
Sitting on the stairs, knees up to her chest with tears in her eyes, was Boscha. Luz took a deep breath and mumbled to herself, “You said you would help, Luz, so let’s help. Be the bigger person.” Boscha eyed her warily as she sat down, though she stayed silent. Luz reached out hesitantly. “Do you want to talk about it?”
At first, Boscha looked like she was about to tell her off, but then the triclops deflated, sinking her head back into her knees. “What else do I have to lose?” She sighed, wiping her eyes as she stared at the wall in front of them. “I miss my friends.”
The statement sat in the air for a moment, Boscha waiting for Luz to retaliate for all of her bullying, to make fun of her for being so weak… but she never did. Boscha glanced over to see the human looking at her with concern. She quickly turned away and continued, “None of them were ever really my friends. I thought everything was fine, I thought they liked me… Until you came along and ruined everything.”
Despite how harsh the words sounded, Luz could tell Boscha didn’t mean them maliciously. She wrapped an arm around the triclops’ shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. “Is this about Amity?”
Boscha scoffed. “I thought we were besties… that she was just closed off but really cared. Then she ditched me for you and half-a-” Boscha trailed off for a moment, noticing the glare Luz was giving her. “For you and Willow. But at least with her, that wall had always existed.” She sighed, looking down at her hands. “When Skara left too, I felt hollow… Amelia, Cat, Bo… I was never as close to them, and after Skara left they did their best to help fill that void, and I love my team, don’t get me wrong but…”
Luz nodded, “It’s not the same.”
Boscha sighed, sinking her head into her knees again. “It’s not the same.”
“You really liked her, didn’t you?” Luz asked, rubbing small, soothing circles on Boscha’s back.
Boscha rolled her eyes, “She was only my closest friend since we were kids.” She huffed and bit her lip. “Sorry, it’s just… she was always there for me. Even when everything else felt like too much, Skara was there to help.” Tears started to form again as Boscha shut her eyes tight. “And now she’s just… gone! Left! Like everyone else…”
Luz hummed. She had spent a lot of time with Skara lately since she knew everyone else on the Emerald Entrails and went to every game. Any time she talked to the bard, the conversations always gravitated toward Boscha- both positively and negatively. It was like she couldn’t get her off her mind, similar to how Boscha felt. Kind of like how she was with-
Oh.
Luz grinned, leaning forward into Boscha’s line of sight.
The triclops frowned. “What?”
Luz leaned forward. “You like her, don’t you?”
“What, Skara?” Boscha’s brow furrowed. “I mean, yeah, she was my best friend- weren’t you listening?”
“No, no, I mean-” Luz sat up, unable to help the giggle that escaped her. “You liiiiiiike her.”
“What?!” Boscha’s cheeks turned crimson as all three eyes suddenly evaded Luz’s gaze. “N-no I don’t!”
“You do!” Luz shouted, jumping up to her feet and pointing at Boscha. “I knew it! You have a crush on Skara!”
Boscha jumped to her feet, fists clenched at her side, trembling as she glared at Luz. “Human, I swear to Titan if you tell anyone-”
“I want to help!”
Boscha froze, looking at Luz confused. “I- What?”
“I want to help,” Luz repeated. “As someone with an awesome girlfriend-” Boscha rolled her eyes, though Luz wasn’t paying enough attention to see it- “I feel like I can help you win your crush’s heart!”
Boscha grumbled. “I don’t know…”
“Here,” Luz looked at her phone for the time. “Join us at lunch and we can talk about it, okay?”
“But-”
“See you then!”
Boscha watched as Luz ran off down the hall and sighed. Was she really going to do this?
—
She was really doing this…
Boscha set her tray down next to an overly excited Luz, trying to ignore the stares she was getting from the rest of the room. She looked between Gus, Amity, and Willow, all of whom were staring back at her with some apprehension. “Uh, hi.”
“Guys, we’re going to help Boscha!” Luz exclaimed proudly.
The rest of the table gawked at her for a moment before Gus spoke up. “Um, Luz? I know that helping people is kind of your thing, but…” He motioned at Boscha. “Her? Really?”
Boscha sighed. “This was a mistake.” Boscha stood up, hanging her head down low. “Thanks for the offer, human, but I’m going to go wallow in misery now.”
Amity hummed knowingly. “This is about Skara, isn’t it?”
Boscha’s eyes shot open as she turned to glance at Amity, a blush forming on her cheeks as she glared at Luz. “You said you wouldn’t tell!”
“She didn’t,” Amity interjected, smirking at Boscha. “I’ve known for years.”
“What? How?!” Boscha sat back down at the table, dumbstruck. “I only figured it out an hour ago!”
Amity laughed teasingly. “Trust me, it’s way easier to see when you’ve got an outside perspective.”
“You can say that again,” Gus mumbled under his breath.
Amity rolled her eyes, blushing slightly in embarrassment. “Anyway, I think we can help.” Boscha smiled excitedly before Amity held up a finger, “If everyone here agrees. Luz and I are in, but-”
“You’re saps, we know,” Gus interrupted, grinning teasingly, “I’m in, though only for planning. Execution is on you.” He turned toward Willow, noting how quiet she had been. “Wills?”
“I don’t know…”
Boscha nodded in understanding, a frown on her lips. “I understand. I… wasn’t great to you.” She chuckled mirthlessly. “Even that’s somehow an understatement.”
Willow watched Boscha carefully for a moment before nodding. “Alright, I’m in. But only because I think Skara would make you a better person.”
Luz clapped her hands together, bouncing in her seat. “Perfect! Now, let’s get to planning.”
—
“This doesn’t really feel-” Gus started.
“Like ‘Boscha’,” Willow finished, nodding in agreement.
“No, no, trust me!” Luz pointed at the whiteboard emphatically, “I swear it’ll work!”
Amity nodded along with Luz, “Yeah, it really does feel like an amazing date plan.”
Willow rolled her eyes, “For you, maybe. Hunter and I could probably make it work, too. But…” She motioned over at Boscha vaguely, “This is Boscha we’re talking about.”
Boscha frowned, unsure if she had just been insulted or not, but before she could say anything, Luz waved the comments off. “What matters is what Boscha thinks. So,” she turned to the pink-haired witch. “What do you think?”
Boscha glanced between the four friends and shrugged, “It sounds like it could work?”
“Perfect!” Luz said with a smile, pulling Boscha into an awkward hug. “I’ll get the stuff you need!”
Boscha watched as Luz ran off and glanced at the other three with worry in her stomach. Something told her she might have made a mistake.
—
Boscha’s heart pounded as she paced back and forth under the tree, reading the notecard Luz had given her. Five steps. That’s all she needed, apparently, to find true love. Who knew it was that easy? Step one was complete- she left a note in Skara’s locker earlier inviting her to a picnic. Step two was laid out on the ground beside her: the picnic. She read the card again. Steps three, four, and five, go to a cafe for drinks, order food, and at the end, tell Skara how she feels.
Simple, right?
“I can’t do this…” She muttered, looking around nervously. Her eyes fell onto a slender silhouette making its way toward her, the dual-tone gray-and-black hair on top bobbing up and down in its ponytail. She swallowed nervously, shoving the notecard in her pocket. “Here goes nothing.”
Skara walked up, smiling politely as she looked at the blanket beside them. “Hi, Bosch.”
“H-hi, Skar,” Boscha stuttered. “How are you?”
“Hungry,” Skara replied with a chuckle. “But based on your note, that’s something we’re going to solve?”
Boscha nodded nervously. “This is just the first course.” Boscha held out her hand to help Skara sit on the blanket. “After you.”
The two sat there awkwardly for a minute as Boscha figured out what to talk about. “So, uh, how’s flyer derby?”
“It’s going great! We qualified for the playoffs!”
Sports. Right. Boscha could do this. She knows sports.
She started to lay out the foods while listening to Skara, setting each item down gently (and glancing with her third eye every so often to gauge Skara’s reaction). When she set down the bloodberry pie, Skara paused her sentence to add an “Ooo!”, her eyes lighting up at the snack.
Yes! Boscha thought as she internally high-fived herself, you’ve got this, Stryder!
Conversation started to flow smoothly, the two talking about the differences between grudgby and flyer derby, as well as the preparations that the Entrails had been making as they pushed toward the postseason. Honestly, Boscha was surprised at how well it was going. She thought things would be awkward and stilted, but just like when they were kids, Skara was easy to talk to.
At least, things were going fine. Unfortunately for her, a flock of gorevids started circling overhead, and upon seeing the snacks laid out beside the two girls, their onslaught began. Without a care for the two witches next to them, the birds swooped in, stealing every piece of food they could get their beaks on.
Boscha stood up, swiping at them as best she could, but found little success. The gorevids flew back into the air with full bellies, and Boscha cursed under her breath. Their date was ruined…
Skara’s hand rested lightly on her shoulder, jolting her out of her negative thoughts. “You said this was just the first course, right?” She smiled. “So where are we going next?”
Boscha led them into town, walking past several places until she found the cafe that Luz and Amity had recommended. She walked inside, pulling out Skara’s chair for her ( Very gentlemanly Luz had said) before taking a seat herself.
The two ordered drinks, looking at the menu. Boscha was a little too invested in the menu, and the awkward air around the two returned. She finally figured out what to order, but as she set her menu down, she lifted her hand to say something right as the waiter arrived with their drinks. Her hand slammed into his tray, splashing both drinks away from them- and directly onto Skara.
The bard sputtered in surprise, annoyance flashing across her face as she looked down at her potentially ruined dress.
Boscha sputtered, doing her best to stammer out an apology. “Skara, I am so-”
“Stow it,” Skara replied curtly. She let out a deep breath of air through her nose. “Let’s just… order food and get more drinks.”
“Oh, uh,” Boscha swallowed nervously. “Okay, um… We’ll get the snorse steak, with ghoul fingers on the side.”
“You know what?” Skara plopped her menu on the table with a loud thud. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“Wait, what?” Boscha looked at her as the waiter walked away, confusion plain on her face. “Why?”
“You know I hate snorse!”
Boscha’s brow furrowed. “You always used to eat it!”
“No, you always eat it!” Skara said, bunching up her napkin and dropping it on the table. “I never touched it! Not once while we've known each other!”
“But-”
Skara turned, storming out of the cafe, tossing a “Goodbye, Boscha!” over her shoulder.
Boscha cursed under her breath, dropping snails on the table to pay for the meal, and chased after Skara. She finally caught up to the bard, reaching out to grab her shoulder. “Skara-”
The gray-haired girl turned around with a stomp. “What?!”
Boscha looked back at her with a matched anger. “Why does everything always have to be so difficult with you?!”
“Because I love you!” Tears started to fall from Skara’s eyes as she spoke, the truth finally pouring out of her heart and into the open. “I have for years, and I always hoped you’d feel the same but you never even looked at me! You don’t even know what food I like!” She huffed, turning away and wiping her tears. “I always wanted to tell you, but could never figure out how. I’m the best damn bard on the Isles, and yet when it came to trying to describe what you mean to me, I was- still am at a loss for words.”
Boscha stood there, stupefied. “I don’t know, that was pretty damn good.” Boscha sighed, shoulders slumping as she lowered her head. “Look, Skar, I-” She sighed, scuffing the ground with her toe. “I wasn’t a good person.” She barked out a mirthless laugh. “I’m not a good person.” She looked up at Skara sheepishly, looking much smaller than the bard had ever seen. “But I want to be better. You make me better. I-” She leaned her head back blinking away tears. “I’ve had a crush on you forever and it took talking with that dumb human to make me realize it. You’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. You’ve always been the best for me. But I wasn’t the best to you.” She looked down, tears flowing freely now. “I don’t deserve you. There’s not much I do deserve, honestly. But if you give me a chance to prove it, Skara, I promise you I will show you and prove to you how much I love you every single day .”
Skara stood there, equally stupefied, mouth opening and closing. “Damn. ”
Boscha slumped, shrinking from the rejection. “Right, I don’t know what I expected, I mean- who am I kidding? Even if you liked me, why would you-”
“No, Bosch,” Skara interjected, rolling her eyes. “I mean damn. I’ve read every romantic anything on the Isles and that -” she smiled, a blush taking over her face as she looked at the ground. “That put all of them to shame.”
Boscha’s brow furrowed, “Wait, so does that mean-”
Skara closed her eyes. “Yes, you dummy.”
“So we’re..?”
Skara huffed. “Gosh, you’re so dense. That’s the first thing we’ll work on. Let’s see if this makes it clear.”
Boscha looked at her friend (girlfriend?) confused as she stomped up to her, grabbed her cheeks, and pulled her in for a kiss.
Fireworks went off as her eyes fluttered closed, her heart beating quickly as warmth flooded through her body. Time seemed to slow down, leaving just the two of them alone.
All too soon, Skara was leaning back, and Boscha’s eyes fluttered open as a fierce blush filled her cheeks.
The bard looked at her with a cocky smile. “Does that make things clear?”
Boscha nodded dumbly, words failing her as she gazed into Skara’s stormy gray eyes. “I love you.”
Skara’s smile softened, and she reached up to caress Boscha’s cheek gently. “I love you too.” She leaned forward, pressing her forehead against Boscha’s. “You really want to make this work? I’m a lot to handle.”
Boscha laughed, thinking of all the relationships she had watched Skara go through. “I think I can handle it,” She smiled, pulling back to look Skara in the eyes. “After all, you’re worth it.”
Skara grinned, taking Boscha’s hand in hers and turning back toward Bonesborough. “Walk me home, B-flat.”
Boscha smiled, squeezing Skara’s hand twice. “Sure thing, Pipes.”