the evening air was warm and buzzing with excitement. strings of colorful lights blinked across the school’s parking lot, transformed into a makeshift carnival for the annual fundraiser. the smell of popcorn and funnel cake drifted through the air, and laughter echoed from the spinning rides and game booths.

you were walking hand in hand with rodrick, who looked comically out of place with eyeliner slightly smudged and a löded diper band tee clashing wildly with the cheerful carnival vibes.

he tugged at your hand suddenly. “yo—look at that,” he said, stopping in front of one of the game booths.

inside a glass case, sitting on a shelf surrounded by lesser prizes, was a huge, fluffy pink bunny with floppy ears and a heart on its chest.

your eyes lit up. “aw, that thing’s adorable!”

rodrick’s gaze darted to you, then to the bunny. his mouth quirked into a determined smirk.

“wait here,” he said, cracking his knuckles like he was about to play in a metal band battle, not a rigged carnival game.

the booth was a classic—three stacked milk bottles and a basket of baseballs. the carnie behind the counter raised an eyebrow as rodrick handed over a crumpled five-dollar bill.

“you sure, punk?” the carnie drawled. “these things are harder than they look.”

rodrick scoffed. “please. i’m in a band. my throwing arm is, like, legendary.”

the first ball flew—and bounced harmlessly off the bottom bottle. rodrick blinked. “okay, okay, test throw.”

the second hit the side, and the bottles barely wobbled.

rodrick turned back to you, grinning awkwardly. “still calibrating.”

he took a breath, wound up, and let the last ball fly. it hit dead-center.

the top bottle toppled… but the other two stayed put.

rodrick whipped around to you, his face pink. “okay, new plan. i just go behind the booth when no one’s looking and jack the bunny.”