Rising Shards

While we were dealing with Roux and Latte, Diast and the cashier were trying to thwart Ema and Snake’s book burning attempt. The two delinquents each had a lighter, but they didn’t seem smart enough to know how to use it. Diast managed to use her metal powers to fling the two lighters out of their hands and into hers. After scolding the two and making them leave, Diast returned to the group. The cashier scooped up the books that were spared from an unfortunate fate and brought them inside.

“Well, that was exhausting.” Diast said. “Can we put a rain check on your sleepover shopping and just get back to the school—"

“Now hold on there, gang.” A deep voiced man said.

Even Diast groaned with us at the arrival of Mantorvel, Principal Penteldtam’s new assistant. He had a strange looking backpack on and was flanked by about six grade schoolers.

“Is there a bright neon sign pointing to us here or something?” Kalei asked.

“Bring It Real kids, what’s wrong with this picture?” Mantorvel asked.

“Oh my god, please do not do this to us today.” Diast said.

“That drink spilled on the floor?” One of the kids asked.

“The sidewalk isn’t a floor.” Mantorvel said.

“Diast, can we just go?” Kalei asked. “I already got jumpscared like five times by this guy when he puts those weird videos up on our wristbands. And the kids that hang around him really creep me out.”

The grade schoolers uniformly turned to Kalei with a zombie like gaze, which sent shivers down my spine.

“Afraid not,” the voice of Principal Penteldtam spoke, but I couldn’t see him. Mantorvel turned slightly, revealing that Penteldtam was hoisted up on the beefy guy via an adult version of one of those baby carrier things. His legs dangled with a carefree energy. “When my main man Mantorvel has something to say, it’s required that my students hear it.”

Mantorvel looked down at us and beamed.

“Now if you’ll excuse me…” Penteldtam said groggily as he nuzzled into the holder. “I gotta…get back to napping…” He quickly fell asleep.

“She’s holding a bootleg book!” Another of the Bring It Real kids said as he pointed at me.

“That’s right.” Mantorvel said.

“What?” I asked.

Oka gently smacked the kid’s hand away as she rushed to defend my honor.

“Two students just tried to light a bunch of books on fire in the street and you’re worried about Zeta walking around holding a friggin’ fake book?” Oka asked.

“Bootleg books are interesting finds, but they can also be dangerous.” Mantorvel said.

“How?”

“Legitimately, how can a freaking bootleg book be dangerous?” Diast asked.

A very short video played on all of our wristband projectors (even Diast’s) that looked to be very old CGI about replicating books. I expected Mantorvel to send his zombie children after me to swipe the book, but he just recommended I be very careful about bootleg books and left.

“That guy sucks.” Diast said.

“I’m just waiting for Chumbler to show up now.” I said. “Did I mention Chumbler has a secret casino in that old building where there used to be a ballroom?”

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that." Diast said.

“Little Chumbles is hitting the big leagues?” Kalei said.

“Who or what is a ‘Chumbler’?” Lillia asked.

“Oh, guys, this one might be my bad,” Oka said, showing us her phone. “I posted a pic of us in front of the bookstore on Friendliest, and then Roux and Penteldtam liked it.”

“You have our principal added on Friendliest?” Kalei asked, disgust dripping from her voice.

“He’s family!” Oka said.

"You have Roux added?" Kalei asked with even more disgust.

“You only posted it like twenty minutes ago, they must’ve sprinted over here…” I said.

“Let’s just get this book back, I need to be done with today.” Diast said.

* * *

After a pretty daring distraction play by myself to Stella, Diast was able to sneak in and out of the library undetected, getting the old book replaced. We regrouped back at the dorms, where Diast confirmed that we were in the clear.

“Well, I’m calling it a day,” Diast said. “I think we all learned a valuable lesson here.”

“Uh, no we didn’t?” Kalei said.

“And with that lesson learned, may we never speak of this again.” Diast said.

“Did we win? Is this finally over?” I asked after Diast left.

“I think so,” Lillia said.

“Oh wait, Kalei, didn’t you want to talk about something before all the stupid with the library happened?” I asked.

“Right, you said you had a question?” Oka asked.

“Yeah…” Kalei said. “I guess we could talk about that now, yeah. Nothing I could say will be as dumb as that whole ordeal, at least.”

She gathered her words for a bit as we walked around the dorms. We remembered we hadn’t even had dinner yet and stopped at the cafeteria. With some food in her, Kalei was ready to talk a bit more about what was on her mind.

“You three all are like. Yeah. Right?” Kalei asked.

“Like what?” Lillia asked.

“Like I know Zates and Oka, obviously, because they’re like. Yeah. Right? But are you, also? Lillia?” Kalei asked.

“I’m also what?” Lillia asked.

I wasn’t sure if Lillia was following what Kalei attempted to say, but if she did, she wasn’t making it easy for Kalei by telling her that with her trademark stoic expression.

“The whole,” Kalei coughed. “School reputation. Deal.”

“You’re saying a lot of words there, and I’m not sure they all align in a sentence.” Lillia said.

“Are you into the whole…girls deal?” Kalei asked.

“The whole girls deal.” Lillia said.

“Y-yeah.” Kalei said, fidgeting with her dinner tray. If she didn’t still have food on it, I felt like she might flip the whole thing up to hide behind it like a shield. I suddenly felt unified with my friends as we all seemed to have an innate need to hide beind the nearest object when things were socially overwhelming.

“If you’re trying to ask if I’m gay, just ask that.” Lillia said.

“Are you?” Kalei asked.

Lillia nodded.

“Cool, coolcoolcool.” Kalei said. “Because I know Zeta and Oka, like I said, are. Yeah. Because they’re dating and stuff.” She tapped on her tray, which seemed to help her form what she was really trying to ask. “So, Lillia. I guess I’ll ask you as well then. Can you guys all…like, help?”

“Help with what?” I asked.

“I…don’t know if I’m doing it right? The whole figuring me out thing?” Kalei asked. “Labels and such…I thought a sleepover might be a good time to…” She looked around nervously, even though there wasn’t anyone seated near us. “Ugh, I don’t wanna talk about this here.”

“And a sleepover would be easier?” Oka asked.

“We did have a sleepover once.” I said. “Kinda.”

“I mean like a true sleepover,” Kalei said. “That was a console launch, it’s different. I feel like I can only say what I wanna say in that tired talking in the dark energy.”

“We could just do that in our room.” I said.

“With Naomi Ratuna out there roaming the halls and probably listening in? No thanks.” Kalei asked.

“So who all do you want at this?” Oka asked. “Just us four?”

“Oh, let’s invite Aira and Laenie!” I said. I sent Aira a quick message but got an unfortunately disheartening response immediately. “Oh…they’re busy this weekend.”

“I’d rather not invite them, to be perfectly honest,” Lillia said. “It’s not that I dislike them, or am generally annoyed by their presence…”

“It’s just that you dislike them and are generally annoyed by their presence.” Oka said.

“At the very least, that has softened since they left for Wildfire Hearts.” Lillia said.

“Iris and Maia?” I suggested.

“I dunno, I doubt we can get them to show up,” Kalei said. “Plus, Maia yelled at me that one time and I’m still kind of afraid of that happening again. I really just want my most trusted partners here for this.”

“Aww.” Oka said.

“And then we can gossip and stuff about everyone else, too.” Kalei said.

“Will it be weird for you if Oka and I are there together?” I asked.

“It wasn’t a problem when we were roommates,” Kalei said. “I know I said to be discreet or whatever, but you guys are fine. I want you both there. Unless you really wanna gossip about Oka without her there, but I figure you’d wanna be there with her.”

“I do, I do!” I said.

Oka giggled and actually did start to pick up her tray to hide behind like a shield, until she remembered she had mashed potatoes left on it which glopped onto the table. "Aw, shoot."

“I don’t really want to talk about this with anyone else right now, either,” Kalei said. “Plus, the Matora sisters are kinda banned from my house after they broke my mom’s glass table.”

“Strong enough to break a glass table…” Lillia muttered to herself. “Interesting…”

“I think we’ve had enough broken glass for one day.” Oka said. Her head drooped low. “Oh, I’m so tired…I used all of my energy.”

“Not falling for it.” Kalei said.

“Hup!” Oka said as she reached across the table, but Kalei blocked her strike attempt. “Aww.”

Oka turned her attention to me. “Zeta, hup!” Oka’s strikes towards me weren’t as harsh, so I was able to block them. “Or is it Zeta, twip?” I tried to block that one, but she got her hand too close to me.

“Twip is for triple kill combo.” Lillia said.

“You can’t just throw out a twip.” Kalei said.

I gently grabbed Oka’s hand that was still close to my face. “Counter.” I said, interlacing my fingers with hers. Her eyes widened and she was red immediately. She accidentally conjured another burst of petals as red as her face from that hand, which felt like a bunch of bugs crawling on my palm, so naturally we both handled that really well and definitely didn’t flinch, yelp, turn bright red, or shuffle away from each other with Lillia and Kalei right there to see all of it.