Rising Shards

I wasn’t sure if I had a season, but I woke up on my first morning back at Rising Shards wondering if winter could be mine. If I had to pick, I’d say spring would be my favorite season, but then there are things I absolutely love about summer, fall, and winter, too. As I got ready on a chilly morning, getting all my big poofy wintry clothes out, I decided that maybe I didn’t need one season to be mine, maybe wasting a lot of time on the debate part. But despite that wasted time, I decided that I wanted this winter to be a big Zeta Faleur winter. What that meant I had no idea, but the phrase felt nice in my head.

One thing I decided it meant: I was going to dress very cutely and stylish and have big scarves and also see my girlfriend Oka in big scarves and cute wintry outfits. I may or may not have been making image boards collecting winter fashion pics that I thought Oka would look cute in.

I felt like returning to school in style, which in this case meant just wearing the winter uniform, which had a slightly thicker sweater we could wear, but like really wearing it, like putting some oomph into it. I may have been making a very big deal out of a winter uniform change and the general changing seasons, but I had an excuse for extra excitement.

The school had put out an announcement that some new students that the teachers had been talking about for weeks were finally arriving. It would definitely be a new start for the students, so that energy I imagined they were feeling rubbed off on me.

I was in the middle of my brush, triple brush, double brush when Kalei snuck up behind me and mussed my hair up.

“Hey! Quit it!” I said.

“Nah, it’s for your own good.” Kalei said.

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t wanna put too much effort into your looks today.” Kalei said.

“How come? I wanna look nice for the new people?”

“No, you don’t, trust me,” Kalei said. “Think about how Oka will feel about you getting all dolled up for new girls. Even if you don’t intend it that way.”

“OK...” I squinted as I thought it over. “Fair. Thank you. Good point. I’ll just…do you think a bun would look like too much effort?”

Kalei shrugged. “Maybe like a real lazy bun.”

We met up with Lillia and Oka at breakfast. Lillia looked as pristine as ever, but Oka didn’t have her hair tied up in her usual cute little ponytail deal.

“Did you guys have the same debate?” Oka asked when she saw my hair up in a messy bun.

“Less of a debate, more Kalei being smart.” I said.

“Hell yeah, I’m smart.” Kalei said.

“Smart people usually don’t have to announce their intelligence.” Lillia said.

“Great, now I sound like a total moron,” Kalei said. “Don’t judge me before I had breakfast.”

“I appreciate you putting everyone’s feelings into consideration at least.” I said.

"And I was merely joking." Lillia said.

“Lillia just told me point blank to look less nice today,” Oka said, elbowing her roommate. “It took me a second to figure out what she meant.”

“I hoped she could convey something closer to ‘student trying to get through the day’ rather than ‘student actively seeking a partner,’” Lillia said. “Once first impressions are made, then I imagine it’ll be safe to return to your normal level of care for your appearance.”

“Yep, that’s what I was thinking too.” Kalei said.

“Well, you still look super cute,” I said to Oka.

“You too! Do your hair up in a messy bun more, I like it!” Oka said.

“Oh also! How’d you sleep last night?” I asked.

“Super good!” Oka gave me a thumbs up.

“Good, cuz I was a little worried with how you said sleep had been hard lately.” I said.

“Thanks,” Oka said. “I think I’ll be OK right now. That sleepover was like. A mental cleanse. And I’m hopefully getting some new meds this week! Oh, and I told Berin I’m quitting choir so that’s a load off my shoulders too!”

“Yessss,” I said. “Do I get you back for literature class then?”

“Maybe.” Oka said. “Berin said he’d take care of it, but also that he had to take care of some weirdness at the school with the newbies so it may take a bit, and since it’s so close to the end of the semester I may have to just muscle it…” Oka looked down at her breakfast as a girl with dark blue hair walked by, looking right at Oka.

“Is that…?” I asked.

“Yeah, that’s Clover.” Oka said quietly. “Zeta?”

“Hm?” I said. I didn’t even realize I’d done it, but I was standing up. “One second…” I wasn’t thinking clearly, but in a way I was. My brain was hazy with anger and sleepiness, but subconsciously I was determined to make this my winter. At the sleepover that after Ko’s whole thing and the incident with my parents, I decided I didn’t want to be a doormat anymore. I marched over (well walked on immediately trembling legs) to Clover, who gave me the expression of a stereotypical teenage movie bully, which oddly made her seem somehow more intimidating to me.

She’s not my parents. I can do this. What exactly, I don’t know.

“Hey, I…” I started, my voice trembling and cracking instantly. Clover had piercing eyes and was taller than me by a lot.

“What’s that?” Clover asked tersely. “Can’t hear you.”

I clenched my fists. “Whatever…you said to Oka. Don’t. Again. Don’t say it again, I mean.” I didn’t know what her Cani powers were, but I knew she didn’t like me, and probably didn’t like Oka. I had to do something

, even if I was already shaking all over.

“Alright, you said that louder, but that barely constituted words.” Clover said.

She talked just like Ovie, who also bullied me while she was at school. This made me think my theory Clover was in with Ovie’s friend group, leading to her finding out that I “stole” Jeans from Ovie might be spot on. I just tried to ignore Ovie when she was being a bully (outside of the times she tried to actually physically attack me), but this I was handling differently than I handled any bully situation prior.

“I…” I said.

“You what?” Clover said, stepping closer as I began to really consider that I was about to get beaten up.

I flinched instinctively, thinking she just swung at me or something. But it was just Kalei wrapping an arm around me, patting me with her left hand. Her right went up with a middle finger directly at Clover, which made my stomach drop because I’m a huge dork and such a gesture legitimately startled me. I thought if what I’d said didn’t get Clover to attack, that definitely would. Instead, she just rolled her eyes.

“How cute.” Clover said.

“I thought so too.” Kalei said.

“There is an assembly shortly.” Lillia said from my left. I didn’t dare turn my head, now treating this situation like Clover had jumped movie genres and now was some kind of monster that couldn’t see me if I stopped moving. I hoped Lillia was giving the most burning glare possible. “I’d prefer if none of us were late.”

“That’s right, so why don’t you get walking.” Kalei said, shooing Clover away. For a few seconds, Clover stared at me like we were about to have a wild west gunfight, completing a trilogy of movie genres in my head.

“Tch.” Clover said, snarling before leaving.

Kalei waited until Clover was out of sight before deciding we were clear.

“Good work, Zates.” Kalei said, patting me again. “I’m glad you held your own there.”

“Y-yeah.” I said. “Thanks for helping there. I think I’m probably gonna cry now, though.”

“Why don’t we finish breakfast first?” Lillia asked.

When we got back to the table (I was shocked my jelly legs were still functioning), Oka stared at us, me in particular, with her jaw slightly dropped in disbelief.

“You didn’t have to do that.” Oka said. I hoped I didn’t upset her.

“Yeah, we did.” Kalei said.

“I think it was for the best.” Lillia said. “You don’t want something like that to loom.”

“She just…she put you through a lot of crap.” I said, my voice still pathetically shaky. “And I don’t want her to think any of that was alright.”

“Did you see Zates back there?” Kalei asked, grinning widely as she slapped my back again. “You’re dating a badass, Oaks.”

“Sure am.” Oka said, matching Kalei’s grin with one of her own.

After we had breakfast and I somehow managed to I was expecting a usual speech from Principal Penteldtam along with his co/vice principals Mr. Soleri and Berin Kilander. Penteldtam would have some kind of awkward social disaster on stage, then Berin and Soleri would try to wrangle him down. I was even somewhat expecting Penteldtam’s weird new friend Mantorvel to be on stage standing menacingly.

“Uh. What.” Oka said as we took our seats in the auditorium. She saw something under the curtains that I hadn’t. I didn’t have time to ask her, as the curtains raised seconds after she said that.

For everything I expected from the assembly, what I expected least was a mini-Kilander family reunion, with Penteldtam standing in front with his brother Berin, with their sister Kitty Kilander shoving them aside to take center stage, microphone in hand.