A couple days ended up passing by, and the test had come and gone. It was Thursday in the afternoon, and Chariot wanted to have a small stargazing dinner with the girls. Amanda was laying on her back staring at the stars. Surprisingly, with her focusing on school so much this week, she felt awkwardly better. Not perfect, but she has had that odd feeling less over the week. It doesn't mean she was impervious to it though. Constanze flicked a small puck, then once more. She tapped it twice before flicking it in her hand one last time before unfolding a large telescope. Its legs pulled out and pushed into the ground. She sat down and began to examine the stars with great curiosity. Amanda watched this, and gave a soft smile. She sat up more vertically before looking at Jasminka. "Thank you again for helping... with, everything." Jasminka smiled and nodded. "Don't mention it, it's on me." she said, happily, before looking up at the stars. She took a bite out of a small sandwich she brought. She heard laughing and cheering, causing her and Amanda to look over. Hannah and Barbara were playing with their magic, seeming to be something Diana or Akko just showed them regarding the stars. Amanda was surprised to see the two doing such, considering they were so hostile at the beginning of the year. She stood up, garnering some curiosity from Jasminka, but not much outside of that. Amanda began to walk over to Lotte, who was texting on her orb. Amanda smiled "What's popping Java?" she asked, making a picking nickname at Lotte due to how her name was pronounced. Lotte only responded with a modest eye roll, knowing Amanda didn't mean anything bad by it. "I'm talking with some friends about the party in town tomorrow." Amanda nearly forgot about the event, but she played it cool. "Oh that thing? It's just music at a bar, what is so exciting about it?" Lotte looked at her. "You dance too, you know that right?" Amanda's face went sharp red, both with embarrassment and fear. "Is something wrong?" Lotte asked, wondering what caused such a sudden reaction from Amanda, "Well no not really." She said she knew that Lotte wasn't one to disclose secrets, but she wasn't about to be descriptive. She sighed, "I was planning on going, but I didn't know you were supposed to be going to dance. I haven't even asked anyone about it yet." Lotte smiled confidently, "I am sure you will find someone." She closed her eyes and tilted her head, showing Amanda her trust.

Saturday came before anyone expected. Amanda knew that the event was at night, so she got most of her chores done earlier than normal to be able to have the time to get ready. She was in the restroom, getting her hair ready preemptively. She wanted to have it slicked back similar to how she had her disguise for Appleton, but she wanted to do it more authentically. She wanted to look her best, and couldn't really see what she would look like without the mirror and just using magic. She smiled proudly at herself in the mirror, before turning and exiting the bathroom. She wasn't expecting much out of the girls' dresses. She presumed they would go rather casual, so her expectations were rather low. When Amanda opened the door to the dorm, she was about to give a friendly hello before being stopped in her tracks immediately. Her jaw dropped, almost working against her to cause her eyes to widen as if a deer in the headlights. Jasminkas head tilted, holding a blow dryer in one hand, and Constanzes ponytail in the other. Constanze was in a chair, having her hair done by Jasminka. The ponytail usually held her hair down into a thin line, but with Jasminkas help, it seemed to be more puffy and noticeable. Her bow was lower down, being more pronounced and able to be seen from ahead. Her bangs were swept to the sides, and waved very slightly for some texture. She didn't have any makeup on, likely due to not really enjoying that type of thing. Whenever Amanda looked down across Constanze, she noticed the dress she had. It seemed to be one of Jasminka's older dresses, shrunken and dyed with magic. It had a thin, somewhat restrictive yet perfectly fitting top with frills on the sleeves and neck. The frills were small, being only directly noticeable when observing, but they appeared to be soft. The sleeves went down her arms halfway, stopping just above the elbow. She had her legs close together, the dress bottom seems puffy, being rather frilly on the bottom, and she seemed to have a pair of uncharacteristically high heels.

Constanze tilted her head alongside Jasminka, before her and Jas gasped, faces becoming immediately concerned. Amanda sniffled, before noticing her nose was bleeding. She gasped before holding the nostrils closed against the nose bridge, before grabbing her wand and using magic to seal up the injury. She let go of her nose and chuckled. "Don't w-worry! The air is just, d-dry in here compared to the bathroom. The steam and everything from everyone getting ready!" she said, with partial confidence. Constanze still seemed worried but Jasminka seemed to believe her, or didn't really mind. Jasminka smiled brightly, "We found an old dress of mine in my luggage, Constanze seemed to like it. What do you think Amanda?" Amanda's heart thumped harshly at the question, looking over Constanze. She played it cool, smiling brightly. "I think it fits very well Cons! You look as elegant as ever!" She kept it cool, trying her best not to blush due to what she just said. Constanze's face lit up with a peaceful, small smile. She nodded, glad Amanda seemed to like the getup Jasminka had made for her. Amanda looked to Jasminka, who was still in her normal casual outfits. "You aren't dressing up Jas?" She asked, leaning against the wardrobe. She flicked a spell on herself, giving her a similar tuxedo to her disguise. Jasminka chuckled knowingly, before letting go of Constanzes hair and letting her get up. "Of course I am! But you two will see it once we are leaving. I have a spell setup to immediately change by swapping my wardrobe on demand. I wanted to surprise the two of you." Amanda was curious what the surprise was going to be, she was expecting something big considering how excited Jasminka seemed. Her attention got slightly drawn away by seeing Constanze do a little spin in the dress, playing with it a bit. She was no stranger to Constanze seeming more lenient around her and Jas, but she couldn't help but smile at this.

As Amanda was outside waiting for Jasminka, she was helping Constanze with some of the threads on the chest of her dress, tightening them a little so the dress would fit better. Constanze felt a little embarrassed, but she wasn't strong enough to do it alone, even with Stanbot, which of course she was bringing one just in case. She was in a T-Pose to keep her body in the optimal position for Amanda to do such. As Amanda let go, and stood up, looking down at Constanze as her arms went to her sides, she smiled. "There, how's that?" Contanze only responded with a nod, before turning her head to a sound. "How's this?" asked a familiar voice. Amanda and Constanze nearly fainted as they saw Jasminka walk out of the school, wearing royal purple, glossy show heels. She had a bag, holding her wallet in case she needed it as well as some snacks, as well being just in case. Her dress was similar to a prom dress, not being puffy, but instead flowy. Her legs were showing a bit from the cut in the side of the dresses skirt, and the back was nearly fully exposed. Her hair was curled and pulled out of the braids, hanging over her shoulder and chest. She tilted her head at the twos surprised, speechless reactions. "Is it too much?" Amanda shook her head really fast, "No it's perfect! You look amazing Jas!" Constanze nodded excitedly, putting her hands together and onto her own chest, swinging herself back and forth to emote her excitement over Jasminkas fashion. "Well, shall we go then?" she asked, recalling her broom to her. Amanda nodded, doing the same, and Constanze followed in suit. The three hopped on, and began to fly to town together, being careful with their speed as to not ruin their hair or their clothes.

As they walked into the building, it was full of people from both schools, Luna Nova and Appleton, as well as many members of Blytonbury. Amanda seemed a little concerned as she looked around at everyone. The bar front was hidden behind the backs of many people getting an early drink, the dance floor had a few couples in it already vibing to the slow music that was playing while people were coming in. Jasminka looked towards the tables, before walking over to get a couple drinks. Constanze stayed close to Amanda, not really familiar with such a formal environment, but also not super comfortable with being seen in a dress. She hoped she wouldn't be directly recognized, and she kept her face down. Amanda sat down with Constanze at a vacant table, only to see Jasminka walking over with three cups, giving two to the girls, while drinking some punch as she sat down. Amanda smiled, not drinking immediately yet, though Constanze held the cup close to her for now, waiting to take a drink as well. Her attention got stolen by someone falling on their way in... Akko, of course, tripped over the dress she had. It seems to be Diana's old dress, Diana must have let her keep it. "You alright Akko?" Amanda asked with mild concern as Akko stood up. "Yes! Why wouldn't I be?" Diana just had a small smile, embarrassed about Akkos sudden attitude, but she didn't really pay too much mind as she walked past to go talk to Andrew. Akko looked down at the girls. "I didn't expect to see you guys here. You all look so cute!" Constanze made an angry grunt and hid her face in her cup as she took a drink. Amanda tried not to give off a little chuckle in Constanze's reaction, but Jasminka found the compliment nice. She nodded to Akko, "As do you! That dress really suits you!" Akko put her hand behind her head and chuckled, "Really? Well, I could say the same for you Jasminka! I never saw you as the type to get all fancy." Jasminka nodded, "It's just for the occasion." Akko looked to Diana, who was calling her over since Andrew wanted to talk to her. She waved and then looked down to the girls, "I will see you guys in a bit! I seem to be needed. Bya!" She said proudly, running over to Diana and Andrew. Amanda rolled her eyes with a smirk, "I will never understand how she has so much energy." Constanze only nodded in agreement, garnering a happy chuckle from Jasminka.

Through the party, about a dozen minutes passed of the girls chatting about school and other stuff. Cons having Stanbot talk for her mainly, but they were all silenced by the sound of a microphone being moved. Frank stood up behind the DJ's booth, and slicked his hair back, giving a hearty smirk to everyone. A lot of people seemed excited to see him, while Frank was not as heavily attractive as Andrew, he still had his fans who loved his flirtatious attitude. Frank wasn't the DJ, but he was going to announce information about the party. He began to explain the history of the party, why it was held, and other minor information. Amanda yawned, and turned to get up to get more to drink, before hearing something that actually grabbed her attention. "Tonight! You and your lucky partner will be able to dance together, and show the world how connected you truly are! If you don't have a partner, hold onto your friends, and have some fun with it! While some dance, you might experience some singing Karaoke, which was a heavily suggested feature from last year, that we finally got added in!" The bar went into an uproar of cheers, a lot of people seemed excited for this. Amanda however seemed a little bit concerned, but she didn't want to overthink it. She got up and went to grab more juice. As Frank took the mic away from his face, he put it onto a stand, which seems to be where people singing karaoke would be. A screen was set up so people could sing the lyrics without messing up too much, displaying the lyrics as the music would play. Constanze looked at the screen with curiosity, before Jasminka spoke up to her. "You want to try that?" she asked, more concerned and surprised than curious. Constanze looked to Jasminka sheepishly, before looking to Stanbot, picking him up and showing her. Jasminka nodded, "Well, you give it some thought, I am sure you'd give an amazing performance!" Amanda ended up coming back, holding a cup of lemonade, before sitting down. She saw somebody go up to sing Karaoke, and some couples or friend groups going down onto the dance floor to vibe. Amanda was staring at people dancing, before Jasminka gave a small smile. "Do you want to dance Amanda?" she asked, Amanda's eyes widened and her hair stood on end as her eyes slowly looked towards Jasminka. Her teeth were together but she smiled a little meekly, embarrassed yet not sure what to say, "U-uh..." Jas shrugged, "We don't have to if you don't want t-" Amanda nodded modestly before standing up. "I wouldn't mind that at all. I, Just, I didn't think you liked to dance, that's all." Jasminka saw through that claim, but she didn't mention it. She got up, walking over to the dance floor with Amanda. Cons watched with the stanbot sitting on her lap.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Amanda and Jasminka took to the floor, before listening to a girl from town get up, before she began to sing Shut up and Dance, an awkwardly appropriate song for this, but a timeless modern classic. Amanda seems a bit flushed that such a song would come on, before Jasminka took Amanda's hand as the song started. Amanda's face went as red as the rose in her pocket, but Jasminka didn't mind. "Don't overthink it, just enjoy the moment." she said, Amanda gasped a bit, before nodding. This feeling in her heart came back, but this time it felt like it was racing, not pounding. Jasminka pulled her close, and they began to carefully dance in a mirrored sync. As the music sped up, Amanda couldn't help but bob her head. Jasminka pulled her one hand away as the first beat dropped and the music started, raising it up and giving a little cheer. Amanda nodded excitedly, before taking her arm again, before giving her a nice spin. Jasminka held her hand out, before Amanda caught it, pulling her in as the beat smoothed out. She held Jasminka close as before releasing her, both of them stepping back. They began to do mirror synched movements with their hands and arms. Amanda was having fun with it, not really thinking about it in a romantic gesture, but she was proud of how Jasminka was handling it. She began to put her arm out, which led Jasminka to hold her hand, their thumbs wrapped and grabbed the back of each other's hands. Jasminka spun Amanda, leading her to spin on the toes of her dress shoes, before she stopped, grabbing both of Jasminkas hands to stop the spin. She smiled as she began to do a free styled dance move, just beginning to sway and step with Jasminka, keeping it more mellow for now until the end of the song. As the final beat dropped, she surprised Jasminka by raising her arm and sending her into a gentle spin. She pulled Jasminka back, before leaning her over her arms. She tossed the rose up into the air during this movement, before catching it in her teeth while looking down at Jasminka. Jas blushed a bit, before chuckling at Amanda. Which led Amanda to realize what she did. She uprighted Jasminka, before blushing and stepping back, having an internal panic. Jas took one of her hands again, "Perhaps we should keep it a little more modest." She finished that with a light chuckle, before the song ended, people cheering for the singer as she bowed and went to go get a drink. Amanda agreed, still cooling off from being so flustered, the rest of the night they did gentler, more coupley dances. Atleast, together, Amanda also had a few moments during faster songs where she decided to show off to Jasminka and the rest of how fast her moves could be. Even breakdancing when someone played a really fast metal song, finishing with a suggestive lay on the ground, similar to the 'Paint me like one of your french girls' pose. Constanze saw the girls having fun, and only responded with a nod. She looked down to her Stanbot, before popping the middle open, which revealed a small screen. She began to look up data on a song, before downloading its lyrics to Stanbot. She shut the screen, and got up, and went to wait in line.

Amanda and Jasminka were happily laughing about the outcome of one of their dances together, before Amanda jumped, pumping her hands into the air, yelling out "Yeah! Wooh!" Jasminka couldn't help but clap, before hearing the DJ stumble on a name. The girls looked to the DJ, knowing what might be happening. Amanda's face became scared, and rightfully so. "Uhh... Constanze Von... Braunschbank..." Constanze raised her hand up in the crowd, causing a few ppl to step away from her so she could be seen. The DJ pointed to her, "Yeah you, it's your turn. Come on up!" Amanda and Jasminka looked at each other, surprised Constanze was going to try this, and secretly a little worried. Constanze walked over, and due to the person ahead of her, she had to stand on her tippy toes to even reach the mic. Even in her heels she wasn't tall enough to grab the top. She slinked it down, but it was still too tall for her on the stand, but that was fine. She put Stanbot on her head and woke it up, for he would sing into the microphone. She gave a thumbs up to the DJ, and put her hands together, staring at a wall across the bar to give herself a little less anxiety. As the music began to play, the Stanbot began to sing, Constanze would close her eyes and do little emotes, as if she was dancing slowly and singing at the same time. They didn't even get a minute into the song before someone in the crowd got upset that she wasn't singing. Someone else blurted it out too, which began to cause a bit of panic for Amanda and Jasminka. Soon, Constanze stopped, before grabbing the standbot for it to pause, listening to the commotion she heard. Amanda and Jasminka stayed silent, but were looking around, back to back, seeming worried for Constanze. The entire party began to chant for Constanze to sing to them without stanbot, the DJ raised his hand up for them to stop, before looking to Constanze, seeing what she wanted to do. She was shaking viciously, akin to how she was when she was having nightmares, her eyes were trembling, causing her to look down and see Amanda and Jasminka. The two were also afraid, but they gave her a thumbs up and a smile, giving her assurance. She took a deep breath, before reaching up, grabbing the mic, and pulling it off the stand, and down to her face. The party entered into a frenzy of cheers, excited for Constanze, but it only made Constanze more worried. The DJ rewound the song, preparing for Constanze to be able to sing.

She put the mic up to her mouth, and looked down, stanbot began to whisper the lyrics in her ears. She took a deep breath, before sighing. Amanda and Jasminkas eyes widened, wondering if Constanze would actually do it. Everyone became increasingly interested, especially students from Luna Nova, as they hadn't, if not rarely, heard Constanze speak. She said the first word with a voice crack, being the only reason anyone could hear her. She continued to sing, yet it was whispering, so everyone just heard music with the occasional word in the microphone. She continued to quiver as she tried, and by the time the music dropped to start the actual faster part of the song, she was completely unhearable. People who didn't know her, especially people from Appleton, began to boo her. Nevermind the fact that they were included in the portion of people that tried to get her to sing normally. Amanda looked angrily, before running back towards the front of the building, Jasminka gasped, before turning and trying to follow. Amanda slid on a corner, before grabbing the floor and running over to Andrew, grabbing his shirt suddenly to slow down. Andrew gasped in surprise as Amanda barked in his face, "Make your junkies stop! You're going to scare her!" Andrew hadn't noticed what was going on since he was talking with Diana and Akko, when he noticed, he stood up. He began to speak to some of the kids nearby from Appleton who were booing, but he only got a hurtful response from them. He continued to try to reason, Frank as well was trying to stop the crowd in the dancing area. Amanda looked on in concern and fear towards Constanze, whose legs were shaking so much she almost fell over. From everyone yelling at her, she dropped the mic and began to back up. Akko and Diana even noticed, and tried to call Constanze over, but hearing her name get called she only panicked more. She began to run off of the stage, and ran down the hall towards the restrooms. The DJ sighed, seeing as everyone was frustrated, he didn't want to pause the party due to this, so he called up the second person. Amanda and Jasminka notice immediately, before beginning to run towards the bathroom, Amanda clearing the way by pushing people so she can get to Constanze.

Amanda tried to corner quickly, slamming into the wall, before beginning to rush down the hall to the bathrooms. She entered the women's restroom to try to find her, with Jasminka eagerly waiting in the hall. Amanda walked out seeming distressed, since she didn't see Constanze. Jasminka turned her head before noticing the exit door was slightly open. The two walked outside, by now it was deep night, and Jasminka's face was in a depressed, worried state. Amanda pushed her out of the way to see what happened, seeing that Constanze was on the ground, seeming to have fallen over since she was holding her knee. Amanda rushed over before sitting Constanze up and crouching to get a better look. Jasminka crouched nearby as well, looking at the knee, and seeing Constanzes face was drowned in tears. Amanda tried her best not to cry, but she understood that Constanze didn't expect people to want her to sing. She felt bad, considering how everyone was acting, only to hear the door open. She stood up defensively, aiming her wand at the door, a small flame lit in the conduit, causing Andrew, who walked out with Frank and Akko, to raise his arms up. "We only came to see if she was ok!" said Akko, which caused Amanda, who was out of breath from panicking, to disarm. She was crouched by Constanze, letting the others come see. Jasminka sighed, "It is a deep brushing, I can't heal it tonight, I don't have enough time nor energy." Amanda looked at her, "Can't your snacks help supply some?" She shook her head, "Not enough, but I can dull the pain." She began to open her purse and began to eat some granola bars she brought with her. Andrew seemed infuriated about his school, and how many of the students were part of causing this. He turned back to the building without saying anything, but everyone knew it was best not to question it when he was in an angry mood. After some time, and some healing done by Jasminka, it still looked pretty bad, and it still hurt enough to cause her to continue to cry. Amanda scooped her up, holding her close to her, before turning her so she could cry into Amanda's shoulder, and hug Amanda while she's being held. Akko looked at Amanda, "Are you going to carry her the entire way to the dorms?" Jasminka and Amanda looked at each other, before nodding to Akko in unison. After a few more minutes, everyone dissipated, and the girls were walking back to the school, using their brooms magic to supply them energy as they went. Amanda was looking at the ground, feeling it was her fault that Constanze ended up getting hurt. She smiled softly, before pushing her cheek against Constanzes head. "You can rest with me tonight again if you want, I think you earned that."