[color=darkgray][right][sub]Timestamp: Before School Starts
Location: The Crawford’s House → Ms. Belmonte’s Homeroom
Main Characters: [color=676FA5]Cael Crawford[/color] [@Grimoire Gaming] & [color=0074ff]Philomena Ramsey[/color] [@LovelyComplex]
Aesthetics: Credit to [@LovelyComplex][/sub][/right]

[center][b][color=#676FA5]_[/color][color=#636FA7]_[/color][color=#606FAA]_[/color][color=#5D6FAC]_[/color][color=#5A6FAF]_[/color][color=#576FB2]_[/color][color=#546FB4]_[/color][color=#5170B7]_[/color][color=#4E70BA]_[/color][color=#4B70BC]_[/color][color=#4870BF]_[/color][color=#4570C2]_[/color][color=#4270C4]_[/color][color=#3F70C7]_[/color][color=#3C71CA]_[/color][color=#3971CC]_[/color][color=#3671CF]_[/color][color=#3371D2]_[/color][color=#3071D4]_[/color][color=#2D71D7]_[/color][color=#2A71D9]_[/color][color=#2772DC]_[/color][color=#2472DF]_[/color][color=#2172E1]_[/color][color=#1E72E4]_[/color][color=#1B72E7]_[/color][color=#1872E9]_[/color][color=#1572EC]_[/color][color=#1273EF]_[/color][color=#0F73F1]_[/color][color=#0C73F4]_[/color][color=#0973F7]_[/color][color=#0673F9]_[/color][color=#0373FC]_[/color][color=#0073FF]_[/color][color=#0373FC]_[/color][color=#0673F9]_[/color][color=#0973F7]_[/color][color=#0C73F4]_[/color][color=#0F73F1]_[/color][color=#1273EF]_[/color][color=#1572EC]_[/color][color=#1872E9]_[/color][color=#1B72E7]_[/color][color=#1E72E4]_[/color][color=#2172E1]_[/color][color=#2472DF]_[/color][color=#2772DC]_[/color][color=#2A71D9]_[/color][color=#2D71D7]_[/color][color=#3071D4]_[/color][color=#3371D2]_[/color][color=#3671CF]_[/color][color=#3971CC]_[/color][color=#3C71CA]_[/color][color=#3F70C7]_[/color][color=#4270C4]_[/color][color=#4570C2]_[/color][color=#4870BF]_[/color][color=#4B70BC]_[/color][color=#4E70BA]_[/color][color=#5170B7]_[/color][color=#546FB4]_[/color][color=#576FB2]_[/color][color=#5A6FAF]_[/color][color=#5D6FAC]_[/color][color=#606FAA]_[/color][color=#636FA7]_[/color][/b]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/MHXffzw.png[/img]
[b][color=#676FA5]_[/color][color=#636FA7]_[/color][color=#606FAA]_[/color][color=#5D6FAC]_[/color][color=#5A6FAF]_[/color][color=#576FB2]_[/color][color=#546FB4]_[/color][color=#5170B7]_[/color][color=#4E70BA]_[/color][color=#4B70BC]_[/color][color=#4870BF]_[/color][color=#4570C2]_[/color][color=#4270C4]_[/color][color=#3F70C7]_[/color][color=#3C71CA]_[/color][color=#3971CC]_[/color][color=#3671CF]_[/color][color=#3371D2]_[/color][color=#3071D4]_[/color][color=#2D71D7]_[/color][color=#2A71D9]_[/color][color=#2772DC]_[/color][color=#2472DF]_[/color][color=#2172E1]_[/color][color=#1E72E4]_[/color][color=#1B72E7]_[/color][color=#1872E9]_[/color][color=#1572EC]_[/color][color=#1273EF]_[/color][color=#0F73F1]_[/color][color=#0C73F4]_[/color][color=#0973F7]_[/color][color=#0673F9]_[/color][color=#0373FC]_[/color][color=#0073FF]_[/color][color=#0373FC]_[/color][color=#0673F9]_[/color][color=#0973F7]_[/color][color=#0C73F4]_[/color][color=#0F73F1]_[/color][color=#1273EF]_[/color][color=#1572EC]_[/color][color=#1872E9]_[/color][color=#1B72E7]_[/color][color=#1E72E4]_[/color][color=#2172E1]_[/color][color=#2472DF]_[/color][color=#2772DC]_[/color][color=#2A71D9]_[/color][color=#2D71D7]_[/color][color=#3071D4]_[/color][color=#3371D2]_[/color][color=#3671CF]_[/color][color=#3971CC]_[/color][color=#3C71CA]_[/color][color=#3F70C7]_[/color][color=#4270C4]_[/color][color=#4570C2]_[/color][color=#4870BF]_[/color][color=#4B70BC]_[/color][color=#4E70BA]_[/color][color=#5170B7]_[/color][color=#546FB4]_[/color][color=#576FB2]_[/color][color=#5A6FAF]_[/color][color=#5D6FAC]_[/color][color=#606FAA]_[/color][color=#636FA7]_[/color][/b][/center]

[indent]Cael Crawford was a napper. From infancy to rambunctious childhood and all the way through an effervescent adolescence, a full night’s sleep had always eluded him. Cael got his rest in short sporadic bursts throughout the day, and night, hardly ever sleeping for longer than five hours at a time. This insomnia of sorts is especially magnified when Cael has something to look forward to upon waking, as was the case this morning. Friday — Black & Red Day — the final day of BHHS’ Homecoming Week! So, even though he and his bestie had stayed up to the wee hours of the night perfecting the recipes of their school spirit-filled confections, Cael’s eyes were open long before dawn's light crested the horizon.

After about a half hour of stifling giggles and gasps as he reacted to muted reels in bed, the clock finally read five AM — an acceptable hour for neuronormal humans to wake up! [i]Probably[/i]. It hardly mattered either way! He and Minnie still needed to frost the red velvet cupcakes and wrap the french vanilla black & red sprinkle funfetti cake pops in cellophane to hand out to their friends and teachers all day PLUS get dressed — and they hadn’t even fully planned their outfits yet!

[color=676FA5]“Min?”[/color] Cael whispered, leaning his lavender bedhead over the edge of the blankets to peer down at his friend sleeping on the air mattress below. Unlike most of their peers Cael’s family home was modest and lacked an abundance of guest rooms, or any for that matter, so his sleepover buddies either took to the floor, or shared his twin bed like the most intimately acquainted of spoons. [color=676FA5]“Minnnnnie, are youu uppp?”[/color] he drawled out, whispering a little louder now as a curious finger sailed down to poke her cheek.

Buried under a herd of squishmallows, hugging the [url=https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1694389458-71a8juNftdL.jpg?crop=0.989xw:0.989xh;0.00321xw,0.00321xh&resize=980:*]purple octopus[/url], Philomena Ramsey dreamed that she and her best friend were in a haunted house, coming straight out of coffins like vampires. While the house was gothic, they were not. She didn’t even know how they got there. All she knew was when Cael rose from the dead he was swiftly on the move, ready to spread chaos and mischief, which was something he did best. Minnie found herself chasing him, getting out of breath, which never happens since she was always full of energy. Her friend was on a [i]mission[/i] and for once, she didn’t know what that mission was. 

Suddenly, he disappeared right in front of her eyes, evaporated in thin air, and she was left alone, in the scary house. She checked every nook and every cranny. She checked every room and under every bed. Cael vanished and she was growing increasingly sad without her friend. He probably found one of his FWBs or maybe he found a new toy. Whatever he found, she knew nothing about it and it made her sad. She found herself hearing his giggle and decided to follow it, going straight into the unsettling, spine-chilling basement. She would go anywhere, if she knew Cael was there. 

When she got to the basement, Minnie looked around and observed her environment. This wasn’t Dracula’s manor anymore. No longer in the haunted house, she found herself at her dad’s funeral home and straight ahead there was an open coffin. She was at a funeral and she was dressed in a black, long lace dress. Those sitting in the pews were that of her classmates. She made her way down the aisle, chewing on her bottom lip and wrapping her arms around her waist, to hold onto something. Anything. Her heart was pounding the closer she got to the coffin. When she reached it, her heart dropped. There lying cold, motionless, and ‘asleep’, her best friend was dressed in his red cap and gown, no longer moving. He was gone. He promised he wouldn’t leave her but here he was gone. He promised!

Stirring awake, little tears trailing down her face, just when her [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bIRwBpBcZQ]alarm[/url] went off, Minnie searched in the dark until she found Cael’s head. She sat up and ran her fingers in his hair, letting her music continue to fill his room. She leaned her head forward and pressed it against his forehead, allowing her racing heart to steady. She sniffled, [color=0074ff]“I had a bad dream again.”[/color] Once again it was some distorted version of her fear of losing touch with her best friend after graduation. She had the Candies, sure, but Cael was her best friend and she knew after they graduated, things wouldn’t be the same. They’d be forced to grow up. She didn’t want to grow up. She didn’t want to lose Cael. If she had the power, she would extend senior year so it would last forever. That was Cael’s burden to carry for being Minnie’s favorite person. She was needy and the only channel she had was him.  

The pastel prince of Candyland smiled lazily down at Minnie as she ran her fingers through his purple locks. Whether it be romantic or otherwise, Cael loved the feeling of having his hair touched and played with, a fact his bestie knew full well. It brought them both comfort in quiet moments like this. From the outside looking in, one might think them a perfectly happy couple, and at one point they were, and would probably still be if not for the sexual incompatibility. But the real truth was this is what a close friendship with Cael looked like — his love overflowed without restraint, he flirted with, doted upon, snuggled, and even sometimes kissed the majority of his favorite people, because they deserved to feel good. To feel loved. That’s what being a Candy meant to him.

[color=676FA5]“You wanna talk about it, Minty?”[/color] The usual mischief in his mismatched gaze was replaced by a warm, genuine concern about her nightmares. He tucked a lock of pale pink bed-mussed hair behind her ear and smirked, a hint of naughtiness returning to his expression. [color=676FA5]“Orrr,”[/color] his voice dropped to a devious whisper, [color=676FA5]“...[i]we could go eat [b]cake[/b] for breakfast[/i]!”[/color]

[color=676FA5]“Or both!”[/color] Cael chirped happily, jumping out of bed with way more energy than a teenager had any right to be well before six AM. [color=676FA5]“I hope the white chocolate on the cake pops set okay in the fridge overnight with all the red coloring we added…”[/color]

The sadness was buried when the pace changed from nightmares to [i]sweet[/i] dreams. Minnie scurried up, bringing an armful of plushies with her like she was a muscle woman. Narrowing her eyes at her opponent, she impishly smirked. Cake for breakfast? Her mom would have a heart attack. CLEARLY, she had to indulge! What were daughters for? To give their parents grief! There was a spark in her eyes and then it happened. She attacked, smooshy-smooshes straight to the face. [color=0074ff]“Take that, and that!”[/color] She called out each move, putting some umph in each throw. 

She had the powah!  

Suddenly, her smirk turned into a grin. It was time to bring out the big guns. As fast as lightning, or really as fast as an athletic, hyperactive teenage girl with ADHD, Minnie threw the rest of the creatures onto her best friend, overwhelming him with cuteness, before squealing in liveliness, fully awake, [color=0074ff]“Last one downstairs has to do a dare!”[/color] This was tradition. Randomly, no matter what time or day, what place they were at or what mood they were in, whether or not they were in class or at home, they could challenge each other with WHATEVER. Whoever wins gets to dare the other. Of course, this was all for funsies. 

What were friends for if not to push you out of your comfort zone? What were friends for if they failed to help you not let your dreams just be dreams? What were friends for if they didn’t know how to have fun? As Spongebob sang: [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG3UwIDAEb8][i]F was for friends who did stuff together. U was for you and me. N is for anywhere and anytime at all. Down here in the deep blue sea![/i][/url] It was as if Philomena was no longer haunted by her fear of losing her friend and ever present, in the moment, matching his infectious vigor. Her mood was already shifting or at least she was putting the bad thoughts in the back, back, double back burner and will only worry about it if Cael actively pressed on about it. Right now though? They were both distracted.  

With her cute [url=https://img.ltwebstatic.com/images3_pi/2021/03/30/1617075659def75f2a01e5449a893aba67aec06977.jpg]PJs[/url] on, the dancing princess did a near ballet leap to get over the clutter and giggled, [color=0074ff]“You’re too slow”[/color]. Rushing, she threw the door open and raced down the hall to get to the stairs. This wasn’t just a race though. Both Minnie and Cael were about FLAIR and being DUMB. Humming Lazy Town [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD71JeX4Vk0]‘Cooking By the Book’[/url], which she had sung all night while they made cupcakes, she leaped over the railing and gracefully landed on the stairs, having done this plenty of times before. 

[color=676FA5]“AM NOT!”[/color] The pastel pixie yelled out after her fleeing form. His dancer feet nimbly prancing between the landmines of squishmallows, blanket piles, and scattered pillows now littered throughout his room. Cael chucked a few of the mini squishies after her, eliciting a peel of giggles from the stairwell. Philomena might know the lay of the land well from their countless sleepovers, but not as well as Cael knew his own home.

While Minnie had leapt over the side railing in an attempt to gain further advantage, Cael bravely chose the upper rail. It had been restored by his master carpenter father’s own hands two years prior, which meant it was nearly as strong as the foundation of the house itself. The lavender-haired boy leapt to perch on top of it, gripped the rail, and then recklessly swung himself underneath and forward, skipping the stairs entirely.

Having never made the jump before, he overestimated the amount of force needed to swing himself past the stairs, and instead flew straight into the opposite wall of the hallway downstairs. [color=676FA5]“Shit!”[/color] he hissed as the wind knocked out of him. He barely managed to slap his hands against two picture frames to prevent them from falling, but a third — an embarrassing baby photo of his — went crashing down to the wood floor below. Shattered glass scattered across the hall that led to his parents’ bedroom.

[color=7E67A5]“CAEL LEE CRAWFORD!”[/color] His mother’s voice bellowed as the door flew open, revealing a tired [url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/COF1LkRUwAA9FV6.jpg:large]woman[/url] wearing slippers and a powder pink house robe. Her scowl lessened only slightly when Minnie cautiously peeked around the corner of the stairwell. [color=7E67A5]“[i]WHY[/i] are you two destroying the house at 5:07 AM?!”[/color]

[color=676FA5]“SORRY MOM!”[/color] Cael peeped, still holding the two other photos in place against the wall. [color=676FA5]“It was my fault! I’ll clean it, promise!”[/color]

[color=7E67A5]“You better, and keep it down, I still have another forty minutes to sleep. And do NOT leave the kitchen a mess. [i]Again.[/i] Please.”[/color] With that final request, she closed the door and prayed the teenagers had some measure of mercy on a weary middle school health teacher.

[color=0074ff]“I sowwie…”[/color] Minnie whispered, with her indoor voice, as she joined her best friend by the wall and the lady of the house disappeared into her bedroom. Apologizing here became a common thing because the hyperactive squirrels couldn’t help themselves. They had too much energy that not even their parents knew how to contain. Regardless of the amount of times they got scolded, grounded or disciplined, they never seemed to learn and their punishments weren’t ever that bad. That’s why the pastel pixie pair got away with murder. They were menaces. Well, they both were neurodivergent too… still, they were so hyper that kids on sugar highs, bouncing off the walls, seem mild in comparison. It was honestly a feat their friends enjoyed their presence and didn’t get too drained. 

[color=676FA5][sup]“I WIN!”[/sup][/color] Cael whispered in quiet victory over his bestie. [color=676FA5]“Dare’s on hold till we get this cleaned up. I’ll get a broom, can you pull out the cake pops and get everything set up for us?”[/color]

Saluting to her charge, Minnie grinned, [color=0074ff]“Yes sir!”[/color] Her eyes widened when she realized she raised her voice too damn high. [color=0074ff]“Oopsie. I mean: sir, yes, sir.”[/color] She immediately apologized, lowering the octave. She could be quiet. How hard could it be? Quiet was in her blood! Or well she was forced to be silent a lot of times when her dad needed her help at funerals. If she wasn’t crying loudly then she had to hush and be respectful to the grieving family and the dead. That’s just how sad etiquette worked. 

Going to the fridge, she opened it and went to grab the cake pops, chilled on a large lined baking sheet and already frosted. It was time to wrap them up and make the frosting for the cupcakes. As she set up the island with the ingredients for the frosting, the cake pops, the cellophane, the cute ribbons to secure the pops, and the silver aluminum foil pans to help with delivery, she backtracked and finally explained her nightmare, [color=0074ff]“You died. In my dream. Or you were already dead, like a vampire. It made me really sad.”[/color] She sniffled a little at just the thought. It was too early in the morning to think about losing her best friend. [color=0074ff]“It’s our last year together and I think that really scares me.”[/color] 

[color=676FA5]“A vampire?”[/color] Cael inquired curiously as he dumped the dustpan of broken glass into the trash. [color=676FA5]“Was I hot? [i]Sparkly[/i]??”[/color] He washed his hands and sided up to his best friend in the whole state of California. His face was once again nothing but warmth and love as he spoke. [color=676FA5]“I know you’re worried, but I’m not going anywhere, Minty, honest!”[/color] Cael started adding the frosting ingredients into a mixing bowl as he spoke. 

[color=676FA5]“I’ll be going to college nearby, and I don’t have any big, grandiose, globe-trotting dreams or anything… I mean, honestly, what other city in the world would suit me besides Beverly Hills? Do you think I’m gonna go crawling back to fuckin [i]Ohio[/i] after tasting [b]all[/b] that the sunshine state has to offer? No ma’am!!”[/color] The cream cheese frosting blended together, probably making far too much noise than his mother would like, but at least this activity was pre-planned and vetted by the Crawford matriarch the day before. He removed one of the mixing beaters and licked it to test the flavor, having approved of it, he gathered a dollop of frosting from the other side with his finger.

[color=676FA5]“Then I’m probs just gonna open up a cute lil bakery, and maybe you can work there too, and we’ll both find cute boys to smooch on, and we’ll be best friends forever!”[/color] Cael swiped the glob of frosting on her nose with a giggle. [color=676FA5]“So, the only thing you should be worried about is the fact that you’re STUCK with me!”[/color]

He was rewarded with a sweet like cake smile and she gave a faux, shooketh gasp when he booped her nose with frosting,  [color=0074ff]“Oh no you didn’t!”[/color] Intrusive thought taking over, she grabbed the mixing spoon and slid it down Cael’s face, frosting and all. It wasn’t until she saw the mess she made that she realized what she did and giggled in both happiness and embarrassment. She blushed, taking a couple of steps back,  [color=0074ff]“Sorry, sorry, sorry! I couldn’t help myself. I just saw all the frosting and I was like what if I just covered your whole face. You started it anyways.”[/color] She tried to defend her childish behavior.  [color=0074ff]“It isn’t like I’ll find anyone! So, Cael, you really are stuck with me five-ever.”[/color] 

[color=676FA5]“Min-NIE!!”[/color] Cael shrieked the latter half of her name shrilly as he wiped at the frosting smeared all down his cheek. He brought the beater he was holding to the sink where he began to wash the frosting off himself as well. [color=676FA5]“If this gives me pimples, I swear I’m going to bite you with my big, SCARY vampire teeth!”[/color] He turned with a snapping chomp of his perfectly squared, non-vampire teeth for emphasis.

Minnie avoided eye contact when he threatened to bite her. It wasn’t like he hadn’t bitten her before. She kind of liked it. Bites were nice. But! She needed to focus. One thing she wasn’t going to do was talk about plans for her future because the reality was all Minnie wanted to do was dance and maybe one day create choreography for celebs. You don’t need a degree to dance. All she needed was experience, which she already had. She’s been dancing her whole life. Her mom, however, wanted her to go to college. Applications needed to be completed by early winter unless you were one of those crazy nerds that did an early decision application. She had no idea what college she wanted to go to because she didn’t want to go to college. She wondered if she told her parents, would they ship her off to her homeland? Hoping her culture would set her right? Or was she just a nervous wreck and overthinking everything and she could pursue what makes her happy? No matter. This wasn’t the time to think about her future. Today was the GAME and the PEP RALLY! They needed to practice their cheer and dance routine during lunch. There was so little time and they had to be perfect and sparkle. 

[color=0074ff]“MAYBE.”[/color] She had an epiphany. Her mind was going too fast for this conversation. Not realizing everything she was saying was coming out as one run on sentence and for anyone else it would be hard to keep up but Cael was used to his friend. They were SOULMATES after all.  [color=0074ff]“We should be SPARKLY VAMPIRES for Halloween.”[/color] 

[color=676FA5]“OMG living out our Twilight fantasy, YASS, QUEEN!! But first, we need to focus on our outfits. Well… second first, I guess. First first is finishing up these goodies for our friends, and then getting dressed.”[/color] A few moments later, Cael’s mother once again appeared. Instead of a scolding that would no doubt be as ineffective as the rest, she sleepily shuffled past the squealing teens and went straight for the coffee pot. Raising a child with ADHD hardly held a candle to teaching middle schoolers about the birds and the bees… she had a [i][b]long[/b][/i] day ahead of her.

The hyperactive besties continued to chatter as they finished up their confectionery project, volume levels now fully unrestricted since Cael’s mom was awake and his father was out of town on business. Once the finishing touches were completed, the pair sprinted back upstairs to spend the next half hour meticulously planning their perfectly coordinated red and black outfits and getting ready for the day. Cael’s outfit most notably included spraying his lavender locks with bright red temporary hair color to further match the day’s theme. It would probably wear off throughout the day, so he made sure to stash the bottle in his backpack for any necessary touch ups.

Cael carefully loaded the trays of cupcakes and cake pops into the back seat of his green punch buggy before hopping into the driver’s side. Minnie sat beside him in the passenger’s seat that was set exactly to her most comfortable settings. It was her daily seat on the way to school, after all. [color=676FA5]“So… we’ve managed to get everything done perfectly and we’re only running like…”[/color] He glanced at the car’s clock and winced. [color=676FA5]“Ten minutes late, yikes. Anyway! There’s only two of us and like hundreds of classmates, so what’s the plan for not getting bum rushed by the masses? I want to make sure the people we know and like get first dibs on the goods!”[/color]

[color=0074ff]“Hmmmmmmmmmm,”[/color] Minnie got herself situated as a passenger princess and pulled out her phone. [color=0074ff]“I could use my handy dandy phone and tell them to meet us… after homeroom? Maybe we should keep the treats in…”[/color] Not the car, that would be too hot. Not in the cafeteria, because everyone would fight to get the goodies. Not in their lockers, they were too small. Maybe they should put the cupcakes and cake pops in… [color=0074ff]“The nurse’s office! She’s usually super nice and if we asked, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind storing some aside for our friends. Then we can deliver the rest to whoever throughout the day but our friends will have their goodies in her office. I think that is the best plan. What do you think?”[/color] 

[color=676FA5]“Hmmmm,”[/color] Cael unintentionally mimicked her. [color=676FA5]“I dunno, kinda weird to get cupcakes from the place you go when you’re sick, isn’t it? Fuck it, just text Mo to meet us in Ms. Belmonte’s room. We’ll bring them all to homeroom, Stella is probably already there, so we can make sure she gets one too.”[/color] The plans were finalized as the pair made their way down the streets to BHHS. After tucking his car into a spot in the section of the senior lot where people with perfectly average, non-gearhead cars parked, Cael and Minnie went about executing their plans.

Homeroom was suspiciously empty for them having arrived ten minutes after the first bell. Before the young, exasperated teacher could give them a proper tongue-lashing, Cael offered her the first choice from their school spirited treats. 

[color=676FA5]“Sorry Ms. B! The finishing touches took a little longer than expected, but we really wanted to show our Pirate Pride and sweeten up everyone’s friday!”[/color] Cael apologized with a glittering smile that only the devil incarnate could truly get mad at, and Ms. Belmonte was the furthest thing from diabolic. Cael then took to his usual seat, the tray of cupcakes on the desk for his peers to come and have a taste. He leaned over to whisper to Minnie once she sat down beside him with the cake pops on her desk. 

[color=676FA5]“Don’t think I forgot about the dare I won, by the way.”[/color] he cooed, wearing a candilicious smirk that dripped with his trademarked fae-like meddling. [color=676FA5]“I dare [i]you[/i], Miss Philomena Ramsey, to ask someone — that is [b]not[/b] me — to be your date to the homecoming dance tomorrow.”[/color] His shit-eating grin was cut short only by the desire to finally try his own delicacy, nomming into a big bite of cupcake for breakfast.[/indent][/color]