The Black Friday Soulmate Game - Pt. 2 of Late Night Study Buddy

(Gonna be honest, the beginning is pretty crap, but the end is *hopefully* worth it XD suggestions/feedback appreciated!)

A weightless feeling entered Caspian's stomach as the floor crumbled beneath him. He opened his mouth in a silent scream - fingers scraping against falling tiles, trying in vain to find a hold. Down, down down, he plunged, eyes shut tightly. A black so rich you couldn't see anything covered him, threatening to suffocate. It filled all of Caspian's senses like a weighted blanket. Somebody above him screamed his name. Down... down... down...

Caspian woke up to being shaken, and he bolted upright, sweating. But it was just his roommate, Lori, shaking him awake. 

"Get up." He said. Caspian groaned and hit his head against his pillow. The blanket slipped off his body and fell to the floor... wait a minute. 

"Augh, I fell asleep on the couch again?" Caspian huffed and swung his feet to the floor, looking around as Lori made his way to the kitchen. 

"Yep. Also, you have a package." 

"I have a what?" Caspian yawned and stretched, the memories of last night coming back. Waking up in the middle of the night, screaming as he came out of a nightmare. Moving to the kitchen but passing out on the couch first. This had happened way too many times. 

"Yeah, a package. I found it this morning when I noticed a piece of paper wedged under the door. It's a note for you." Lori opened the fridge. 

Caspian made a confused face as he stumbled over to the kitchen table, where a medium-sized brown paper package sat. A note was propped up on the side, reading 'To Caspian' on it in curly letters. 

He tore the envelope open to find a card. "Well?" Lori asked. "What does it say?" 

Dear Caspian Riley, 

Welcome to the Black Friday Soulmate Game. In this box, your soulmate has bought you a gift. It will help you find your perfect someone. This is a worldwide game - so keep your eyes peeled! 

"Oh yeah, the BFSM. That hashtag has been trending all over social media for the past week." Lori commented, sipping some coffee. "Lucky you, some girl thinks she's your soulmate." Caspian wrinkled his nose. 

The rules for this game are simple. Open the box, find your gift and carry it with you as you complete your scavenger hunt. Your first clue is with your gift - or who knows? It may be your gift. Be smart-

Lori snorted. "Impossible." He muttered into his coffee. 

and respectful. We wish you luck! - Adadami, from The Black Friday Soulmate Game Team.

(If you need help, go to our website! Just Google 'Black Friday Soulmate Game'.)

Caspian all but threw the note to the side. "There's no way I'm doing this. It's lame! And I don't need some girl who probably sits behind me in some class claiming to be my one and only." Lori sighed. 

"Casp, you need to get out of this apartment and go live a little! When was the last time you hung out with somebody you actually like?!" He accused. 

Caspian thought. "The library." He looked at his roommate triumphantly. 

"Okay, that doesn't count. Besides, it'd be nice for you to get your mind off..." He glanced at the couch, Caspian's bedroom door, and then Caspian himself. "Things."

Caspian sighed. It was pointless to argue. Lori was almost as stubborn as he was, and being trapped in the apartment with his thoughts all day, didn't seem that fun. "Fine, whatever. But you're coming with me." Lori grinned. 

"Of course."

After Caspian and Lori changed, ate some cereal, and got their needed items for the day, they tackled the scavenger hunt. 

"First things first - let's see what's in this." Lori grinned and rubbed his hands together like a mad scientist. 

Caspian laughed and peeled off the paper and tape, revealing a small, plain box. Inside that was another small box and a note. 

Hey Caspian! This is your first present. Can you guess where your next stop is? 

Lori read the note out loud while Caspian opened the smaller box. Inside sat a small, black bracelet. It had rainbow beads on one end and a metal clasp on the other. 

"Oooh, friendship bracelet!" Lori exclaimed, fingering the clasp. Caspian frowned. 

"I- I don't know how this is a hint." He muttered, turning the bracelet over in his hand before slipping it onto his wrist. 

"Well, I wouldn't know, so it's up to you." Lori shrugged. Caspian thought. 

"Oh! Ha! I remember!" He jumped up and took off out of the house. Lori ran after him. 

"Casp! Slow down! The heck?!" Around five minutes later, Caspian stopped in front of a small building. 

"This is a bracelet shop. I came here with a group of friends once." Caspian was bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

Lori was doubled over, hands on his knees, gulping down huge lungfuls of air. "Y-you know, for somebody who didn't want to do this... your pretty e-energetic." 

Caspian ignored his friend. "The shop is closed... I- what was the point of me coming here if I can't go in?" 

Lori pointed to a hanging plant next to the door. "That?" A little slip of white paper stuck out and Caspian grinned. 

"Thanks." he pulled it out and opened it. 

Wow, congrats! I didn't think you'd get this one so fast. Your next place comes with a question. Where is the moon closest?

Caspian went silent, looking at Lori for help. Lori was staring at the note, thinking. 

"An observatory?" He guessed. Caspian shook his head.

"I've never been to one, although I know Cassi has a-" He froze. "Cassi! She has a telescope! That's it!" Lori groaned as Caspian took off again.

"Give me a minute or two to breathe-!"

~

After a few hours of running around and finding clues, Caspian and Lori got to their last slip of paper. 

This is it! Are you nervous too? Find me where you spend all your time. (And hey while you're at it, shoot our friend Liam a text saying you're on your way so I can prepare.)

"So this girl is in our friend group?" Lori thought. "Maybe it's Cassi after all." 

Caspian shook his head. "First off, this person led us to Cassi's house, so if it were her, the hunt would have ended there. Second, she and Liam are pretty much an item. And third, she hates the library. She'd never wait there for hours. She's too loud."

Lori snorted. "Okay then. To the library!" 

Caspian smiled, and they headed towards the building, only a few blocks away. "You nervous?" Lori asked. 

Caspian shrugged. "Maybe? Sort of? I'll probably reject them anyways..." Lori gave him a look of disbelief. 

"What? Dude, you can't do that! You have to go on at least one date with them. This probably was a lot of time and money to create. Just delivering the package is around $70."

Caspian cringed. "Okay, okay, I will." They reached the library door, and Lori pulled it open. The guys walked in, looking around. Then Caspian's phone dinged. 

He read the text then looked up. "You have to blindfold me." Lori looked confused. 

"What?" 

Caspian showed him the text. "According to this mystery person, you're supposed to blindfold me." Lori shrugged. 

"Okay." He steered Caspian forward to the meeting place, hands over his eyes. 

Casp stumbled and tripped as they walked onward. "God, Lori, I'd like to keep all my bones intact here." 

Somebody laughed, and Casp froze. 

"Don't worry, you can put your hands down now." The person said. 

Lori, smirking, did as he was told and Caspian opened his eyes. 

There stood a tall, blond-haired, and blue-eyed boy, a matching bracelet clasped around his wrist, and a dorky grin plastered on his face. 

"Oh my god- Erin?!" Caspian's mouth hung open. Erin's smile only got bigger and he ran his hand through his hair. 

"Hey, Casp. Surprised?" Lori shook his head. 

"Dude it was so obvious! Erin invited you to the bracelet store, he took you to Cassi's for your birthday because you were talking about constellations a few days before, I'm shocked you didn't realize it!"

Caspian's cheeks flushed and he looked down, fidgeting with the bracelet. "Y-you kept saying it was a girl- so I thought-" 

Erin laughed again and a warm feeling bubbled up from Casp's chest. "Nope, I'm not a girl. That's okay, right?" A tiny bit of worry edged its way into Erin's voice. 

Caspian's head snapped up. "No! No! I mean, yes. Yes, it's okay. No, it's not a problem." He tripped over his words. 

Erin smiled at him softly and took a step forward, intertwining his fingers with Caspian's. The metal clasps clinked together on the bracelet. 

"Caspian, I've liked you since middle school. I tried dropping hints so you'd notice, but it never seemed like you did. But then I found out about the soulmate game, and I thought I'd give it a shot. So... what do you say?" 

Caspian grinned. "Yes. I say yes. I'll be your soulmate or your boyfriend or whatever this makes us." He stepped forward. Erin grinned back. 

"So, does this mean you'll go on at least one date with him?" Lori asked from behind, the smirk visible in his voice.