Chapter Text
With Homecoming approaching, Rodger was curious about how it would go down! After all, he was new to this school. Rodger always happened to be curious, be it math formulas, histories of cultures lost to time, scientific discoveries throughout the years, old detective books, or even the behavior of others! He was adjusting quite smoothly to the curriculum of the new district and to the flow of the new social hierarchy (one much more smooth, if he’s honest). People fascinated him… because they were so hard to understand. Sure! He had made a handful of friends! But… the majority of the school thought he was a nerd with a thousand notebooks (Rodger thought this claim was absurd! He only kept 15 on his person at a time! And that’s 985 less than 1000!) who took notes on absolutely everything (that part wasn’t an exaggeration, really). But, how could he not take notes when everything was so interesting! How could he possibly make comprehensive studies if notes weren’t taken?
So, Homecoming. It was a football game accompanied by a semi-formal dance. The dance was definitely the more interesting part to Rodger, as it was a prime social event for teenagers such as himself! It was tradition to have some sort of plan or clever way to ask someone TO the dance. As a date! How peculiar that traditions placed onto teens already demonstrated the societal pressures to find love even before their minds have fully developed or matured! Even as early as before or just after they reach puberty. Truly a gruesome and odd concept!
Rodger had decided to get a multitude of student’s views on the dance and who they planned to ask, if they planned to ask anyone, and how they planned to do it. He started with his best friend, Glisten. The pair of them were unlikely friends, yet they bonded nonetheless. Glisten was one of the most influential individuals in their grade, even as to have teachers notice his near perfection. He became an ambassador for new students who would need to be shown around. That was precisely how the two of them met! It helped that Glisten only lived a few houses down from Rodger, they walked to school together each morning. The crisp fall air always lifted the magnifying glass’s mood, woke him up and inspired him to begin his day! He stood at the edge of Glisten’s driveway and waited for him to emerge.
Glisten grinned as he opened the door, he wore a trendy, crocheted long-sleeved type sweater over a crop top, honestly a poor choice for the brisk morning! He wore highwaisted acid-wash jeans that at least would protect his legs from the cool. He perched his heart-shaped sunglasses on the top of his head and skipped down the steps to meet Rodger. “Morning, don’t I just look PERFECT today?”
“Well, you might be a little chilly on our walk but that doesn’t mean you don’t look nice!” Rodger could feel his singular eye upturn with rosy cheeks (probably just because it was cold out). That comment must’ve sufficed because Glisten’s movie star smile gleamed down at him. Glisten held his phone out, probably checking what he had missed in the past 10 hours while he was sleeping or getting ready. Rodger didn’t really bother with social media, Glisten had forced him to at least make an instagram account, which he only posted on once in a blue moon. Rodger held his backpack straps as they walked, running his fingers over the texture of the fabric.
“Rodge, smile!” Glisten nudged him with his elbow and framed his face with one of his hands as he winked at his phone camera. Oh! They were taking a picture. Rodger fixed the collar of his button-up shirt and put on a cheerful expression. “Heh, good one!” Glisten lowered his posture again to type up a caption or something for his page. He snickered. “God, you’re so cute,” Glisten murmured under his breath. If something is said under one’s breath, they probably aren’t trying to implicit a reply, Rodger repeated the social code he memorized in his head and stayed silent. What did Glisten mean by that? Rodger hadn’t a clue.
Right! His studies! He had almost forgotten, charmed by the presence of his best friend. “Glisten,” he pulled out a notepad and pen he had in his pocket, “I’m doing a study on the social effect of the Homecoming dance, are you going to ask anyone?”
“Whuh? Huh? I- I mean I’ll probably have a mountain of people fumbling over eachother to ask ME out, Rodger! Have you looked at me?” Glisten posed dramatically as he spoke, flaunting and expressing himself with each word.
“I have looked! I wouldn’t be surprised if that was true, about many asking for your dance, you’re not only quite the looker, but you make sure you’re noticed in every room! A lot of Toons admire you, including myself, Glisten. But is there anyone specific you would hope asks you?”
Glisten’s face got slightly flushed as Rodger spoke with him, he blinked, processing his question. “Well, no- no one in particular! I guess whoever matches my extravagant aesthetic! I can’t be seen around someone DRAB!”
“Mhm, good point! You want to be with someone who compliments your beauty, is that right?” Rodger looked up from the notes he had jot down.
Glisten’s face had only blossomed redder, he looked… mad? “What’s with all the questions? Jeez, it's like you’re interrogating me! If you’re asking if I have a crush, I don’t! Will you stop prying?” What had made him turn defensive? Rodger had never mentioned a ‘crush’ or attacked him in any way.
“Ah, my apologies,” Rodger said simply. He looked away. They walked the rest of the way to school in silence.
~~~
In his second class of the day, Rodger had a boy named Dyle who sat next to him. It was a physics class. Originally, Rodger hadn’t been able to tell whether or not the pocket-watch would be friendly but soon they had got to talking and became fast friends. As they worked independently on their most recent assignment (it was most certainly busy work, but Rodger didn’t mind) they held eachother’s pinkie fingers. A habit they had picked up, and Rodger didn’t even remember who started it. Rodger wrote with his left hand, definitely not his dominant one but he was willing to make the exception for his friend. “Dyle?” Rodger asked in a low voice, he didn’t look up from his work.
“Yes?”
“Are you going to the Homecoming dance?” With the question, Dyle pulled his hand away and put it under his chin. With his other hand, he fidgeted with the chain that came down from his head. Rodger switched his pen to the more comfortable hand.
“... No. I will not be attending the dance. I’ll probably have work, plus I doubt I’d be any good on the dance floor, heh. I’d rather not spend a few hours standing around aimlessly while music I shouldn’t be listening to blares louder than I can stand when I could be making money. I simply don’t have that kind of time. Not that I would be allowed to attend anyway.” Dyle shrugged, his expression remaining neutral. Dyle and Rodger were similar in many ways. Less than up to date people skills, a curiosity for the world (Well, Dyle just liked trains but whatever), and a strong work ethic, they got along well.
“Logical reasons, though, don’t you think you could spare one night to have a little fun? You work every other day, don’t you?” Rodger had started to write down Dyle’s thoughts instead of doing his worksheet.
Dyle looked at him funny, “I’m just… not one for dances. Fun is often a waste of time, in my opinion. There’s no point in spending more time with my associates than I have to. My job is very important to me. I mean, have you SEEN me dance? It’s bad, Rodger, trust me.” Dyle laughed it off. What an interesting mindset. Rodger could assume Dyle wasn’t a people person, a friend person, nor a family person. He spent his free time at work, the town's transportation museum. Which wasn’t surprising considering his interest in locomotives, although quite out of the ordinary for a high school student.
“Even if someone asked you? You wouldn’t even go for a little while?” Rodger asked in utmost sincerity, not trying to peer pressure, it was simply a genuine question!
Dyle cracked a confused smile, “Is this your way of asking me to Homecoming? Rodger, I-”
“No! What made you think that?” It bewildered him that Dyle concluded that undertone from Rodger’s words.
“You were… trying to get me to go to the dance? Almost begging, at least that's how you seemed.”
Okay, I am 100% sure there was never any begging but whatever Rodger thought.
“But, if someone did ask me to the dance, I would politely turn them down. Because I have work.” Dyle finished. Rodger finished his notes, then his assignment, then class ended.
~~~
“Excuse me, Sprout?” Rodger had weaved through the hallway to catch up with the strawberry Toon, one of the students in his cooking class, and the ONLY student that had avoided Rodger through the entire period.
Sprout groaned audibly. “What do you want, Rodger?” Sprout hadn’t been the kindest since Rodger started his schooling there but that didn’t mean Rodger would back down on his efforts to be his friend!
“I’m trying to collect information about this school year’s Homecoming dance by asking all my classmates about it! Do you plan on attending?” Sprout attempted to speed up his walking to lose him but Rodger simply matched the new pace.
“... Yeah.” Sprout answered. He actually answered! What a good day this was turning out to be!
“Then here’s a follow-up question! Are you going to ask anyone to the dance?”
Sprout itched his neck just above his scarf. “Yeah.”
“Who?”
“Um… last year Cosmo and I went- because he’s my best friend, obviously -and we were planning on doing the same thing this year but we both found someone to ask to go as… more than friends so we’re doing a double date dealio! I’m going to ask Looey later this week, actually.” He blushed and smiled slightly at the mention of Looey.
“Oh! I don’t know Looey that well but they seem really nice! I’m sure they’d love to go with you!” Rodger reassured with a thumbs up. Sprout chuckled. “Thank you for the data!” And with that, he hurried off.
~~~
In his next class, language arts, they had group work, giving Rodger a guarantee to talk to more than one classmate! They had a few things to do before the group project began, so Rodger was stuck talking to the Toon next to him, Dandy. “Are you going to Homecoming?”
“Why, yes I am!” Dandy giggled, it seemed he was almost always smiling.
“Are you going to ask someone?”
“Weeeelllllllllllllllllll… I was going to ask Dyle, because as we all know I’m his best friend and no one else would ask him!”
They’re friends? Dyle has never mentioned Dandy… ever. Rodger thought.
“But you know how Dyle is! He ‘HaS nO tImE fOr SiLlY dAnCeS’ so I’m going to ask Astro! He’s my OTHER best friend!”
… Astro hates large crowds and loud noises. He wears noise canceling headphones as an accommodation to NORMAL school. The entire school packed into the gym with loud music? He’d probably freeze at the door and refuse to go in. Rodger hypothesized. His eyebrow creased with concern for the poor crescent.
“What’s with the look? GASP. DID YOU ALREADY ASK HIM? Is he going with VEE? Oh I KNEW it! Vee trying to- UGHH-“
“No! No! I just don’t think Astro would like the dance…”
“Nonsense! He-“ Dandy was cut off when the lesson began.
~~~
Rodger was paired into a group with the other two students with learning disabilities in the class, which didn’t particularly surprise him. All three of them exhibited some severity of ASD or Autism Spectrum Disorder and they whole-heartedly worked better with each other. Rodger read out the assignment’s directions to the two of them and finished with an “Alright, let’s get started!” Of course, with Rodger’s assistance they were the first group done. With their work for the day finished, Rodger naturally turned to his typical questions he had been cycling through. “Are you two planning on attending the Homecoming dance?”
Finn grinned, “Yeah! Shrimpo and I already made it of-FISH-ial that we would go!”
“I HATE DANCES! I HATE HOMECOMING! I HATE DANCING! I HATE THAT YOU TOLD RODGER THAT! I HATE IT THAT HE’S WRITING IT DOWN! ROGDER! I HATE YOU AND I HATE YOUR WRITING!” Shrimpo turned cooked crab red with embarrassment, Finn just laughed.
“Everyone is gonna SEA us at the dance anyway, SEAL-ly!”
Shrimpo put his face in his hands, “I HATE DANCES AND I HATE PUNS AND I HATE EVERYONE IN THIS SCHOOL!” his shouting was only slightly muffled by his hands.
“School? Like a school of FISH?? Did you know that if a school consists of one species it’s a school of fish but if it has more than one species then it’s a school of fishes?” Finn wrapped his arm around Shrimpo
“I did not know that! How interesting!” Rodger nodded.
Finn added on with a, “I know, right?” while Shrimpo just groaned.
~~~
In gym, it was a simple day, just walking around the track. Rodger walked with Boxten. “Any Homecoming plans?” He asked him.
“Um… I don’t think I’ll go.” He fidgeted with his own fingers.
“Why? You love music!”
“I… don’t think anyone will want to ask me to go. It’s not like anyone has a crush on me or anything, I’m practically UN-crushable!” Boxten sighed.
Rodger shrugged, “With that mindset, you might as well be! Have a little faith in yourself! You never know! I don’t have a date and I plan on attending. Plus, it’s not like you’re required to only talk to one Toon the whole night! You have plenty of friends and music! You love music! I know because you told me! You are… also a music box, not to be stereotypical or anything.”
“Heh… I guess you’re right. Maybe I will come.”
“That’s the spirit!” Rodger lent him a thumbs up.
“Hey! It’s still a maybe!” Boxten gave him a smile and a light punch to the arm.
~~~
“Um, actually? It’s 768.6 not 768.5, you didn’t round properly.”
“Oh! Thank you, Vee! Must’ve slipped my mind.” Rodger had reached math, Vee was one of his table partners. Being a literal robot, she had an unfair advantage and technically shouldn’t even be in schooling but even though Rodger really wanted to ask her all about it he didn’t, afraid he would come off as ‘rude’. Sometimes questions are rude. Rodger didn’t know which ones were and were not, so with some Toons, he kept to himself even when curiosities buzzed in his head. “Vee, are you going to Homecoming?”
“I think Homecoming is stupid. Yes, I will be attending. Preferably with Shelly.” What an odd thought! Rodger didn’t know about a girl named Shelly. He was learning many new things today!
“Who’s Shelly? I have yet to meet her,” Rodger commented.
A loading symbol appeared on Vee’s screen for a moment before answering, “Shelly is an Ammonite fossil. She likes dinosaurs and friends. I am going to ask her to the dance.” She put on a confident grin.
“Interesting! I’ll look into this further!”
~~~
Before Rodger knew it, he had reached the end of the school day. Glisten and him did not walk back home together due to Glisten having duties regarding the school’s fall drama production. Rodger glanced at his phone when he finished the bits and pieces of homework he didn’t get to in class. One text message read clear alongside the few instagram notifications from Glisten tagging him in the selfie from that morning. The message was from Glisten.
“sorry i got all silly earlier lmao hoco just really stresses me out cuz all my student council planning biz ;)”
Rodger stared at his phone for a solid five minutes trying to decipher the text before he gave up and began to search each term he did not recognize. He texted back to check in with Glisten, just to make sure he had read it right.
“If I am correct, you meant to write, “Sorry, I got all silly earlier, I’m laughing my butt off. Homecoming stresses me out because of all my Student Council planning business.”? Also, what do you mean by, “all silly”?” Rodger hit send.
Less than thirty seconds passed before Rodger’s phone buzzed with a response.
“Yeah that’s what i meant”
And
“All silly like… how I got mad? idk lol”
Rodger squinted at the screen.
“I remember you being mad. Are you attempting to say you aren’t mad at me anymore?”
“Yea im sorry for getting mad”
Then
“Gtg! Director wants me love ya!”
Rodger swore he was getting a headache. He decided to power off his phone for the night and study the notes he collected that day.