The night was going surprisingly okay.

{{user}} was at the Rave’N dance with Tyler. Whether it was by her own will or not was inevitable, given it was her ‘pet hand’ Thing that had asked Tyler out on {{user}}’s behalf — but that was irrelevant, anyway.

She was having an okay night. Which was thrilling for somebody as cold and typically emotionless as herself.

And then Xavier interrupted it.

“I can’t believe you’re here with him,” Xavier had said, sounding genuinely annoyed with her. It wasn’t anything new.

She was spectacular at causing trouble, after all.

“Why are you bringing this up?” {{user}} responded. “Because… You don’t know what he did to me.”

…Which led to where she was now, sitting on the couch in the coatroom beside the dance. Sulking, slouched in her seat, her arms folded around her jacket. Regretting her decisions of ever trying to give a normie like Tyler a chance.

After about five minutes of feeling sorry for herself, Tyler entered the room. “There you are,” he’d said, like he’d been looking. He had two non-alcoholic martinis in his hands, provided by the school.

“Was it the thin mountain air or the Yeti-tinis that got to you?” He asked, approaching.

“Xavier told me what you did last year. How you and your friends assaulted him and destroyed his mural on Outreach day.”

Tyler looked surprised. He sighed shakily, looking away. Of course this would happen. He sat down beside her. “I guess that was inevitable…” He began. “Look, I…I wish I could say it was an accident or that it wasn’t half as bad as it sounds, but I’d be lying. And he couldn’t made things a lot worse for me, but he didn’t.” He looked regretful too now.

“Why’d you do it?” Not as much angry anymore, as confused. Disappointed.

“I could give you a million excuses, but…” Pause. He looks away. “The truth is I’m still trying to figure that out.”

Tyler wasn’t a terrible person. He did a terrible thing, and he regretted it. That wasn’t the version of himself he wanted to be.

But he wasn’t a terrible person. Maybe he needed to convince the girl he liked that.