Rising Shards

I stared blankly. I felt almost dreamlike, if I told myself a month earlier this would be happening, I would have slapped and or joyously hugged my future self. My past self also wouldn’t have guessed how easily I answered. “I wouldn’t…be opposed.”

“OK,” Oka said, almost breathlessly. Just as she reached for her skirt again, our door clicked and started to open.

“Damn it,” Oka said under her breath as she got back into a less suspicious looking position on her bed. That was the first time I think I ever heard her swear. “You called it.”

It was just Kalei, who looked at us with heavy anticipation.

“You both look like you had spicy food now,” Kalei said. “Everything good?”

“Yep, I think we’re good,” I said, looking over to Oka, who nodded.

“Yep, we made up!” Oka said. “All good now! Please shut up about this forever!”

“I think that’s going to be a bit of a challenge,” Kalei said, squinting at me with a doofy grin like she wanted a bribe or something. “Didja make out?”

“We didn’t, shut up,” I said.

“Why didn’t you? We were taking bets!” Kalei said. “We also got weirded out standing there thinking you could be making out, so we went to go get ice cream, here.”

Kalei got us each a cardboard tub that had superhero ice cream in it, which was a mix of red, blue, and yellow flavors. It was very tasty, and I really needed some junk food after all my stress drives were working overtime the last few hours. Any time Kalei wasn’t looking our way, Oka and I shot each other smug grins. Oka’s showed off her fangs, making her cute smile even cuter. If Kalei saw our looks I knew she’d make fun of us, but I was just happy everything had resolved well with me and Oka. It felt like a small test of us dating, and I think we passed it.

Our smug grin session was interrupted by screaming in our hallway.

“What was that?” Oka asked.

“I think I know…” I said.

We left our room and found our dorm’s prefect Naomi Ratuna had tackled Amara to the ground with some kind of tarp. Other girls in the hallway began to come out of their rooms to see the commotion.

“Unhand me!” Amara yelled. “My mission! It’s incomplete!”

“Don’t run around the halls naked!” Naomi said. “These Decency Tarps are usually only for Feral Flu situations, so don’t you dare wreck it, they’re expensive!”

“I’m not feral, I’m completely un-feral!” Amara said. “Now let me go so I can complete my destiny!”

“No, you’re going to detention,” Naomi said. She had Amara wrapped up in the tarp like a burrito and hefted her up on her shoulder.

“You’re going to bring me to detention like this?” Amara squealed.

“Wait, yeah, actually, get some clothes on first.” Naomi said. “Which one is your room?”

“A…few doors down.” Amara said weakly from her tarp burrito prison.

Naomi sighed. “Of all the things to see tonight, I did not expect…that.”

“You shouldn’t the one so upset, I’m the one who’s dignity has been defiled!” Amara said. “Defiled by not being able to complete my destiny for Rain! The stars were shining upon me!”

“Isn’t Rain on that trip tonight?” Laenie said. “I mean, that’s what she told me yesterday…”

“Oh…oh that’s right…” Amara said. She cried out in agony as Naomi tossed her back into her room.

Iris was on the ground laughing, and Maia was shielding her eyes from the entire mess. Aira and Laenie were both suppressing the potential contagious laughter from Iris. Lillia glared fiercer than I’d ever seen her glare in Amara’s direction, even after her door was shut.

“So wait, why was she out in the hallway if her plan was to wait for Rain?” I asked.

“Maybe she got bored of waiting,” Iris suggested, tears of laughter streaking down her face. “And…decided to charge out here…when Rain wasn’t even here at all…this is the best day.”

“It’s really not that great,” Maia said. “I almost…saw…everything.” She poked Iris with her foot. “And that’s because you just had to see how this went.”

“Worth it,” Iris said. “So worth it.”

“Well, I for one am disappointed I saw even a fraction of this shameful display,” Naomi said. “Debauchery may seem fun in the moment, but it’s never worth it.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Aira said. “I have an aunt that at this haven fight we were at in this open arena, she ran down—”

“Don’t finish that story, please.” Laenie said.

“Please.” Naomi said.

“What, you never get a good streak in, Naomi?” Kalei asked.

“Koridia!” Naomi said as she flinched in shock. “Don’t…say things like that about me! My record is spotless!”

“I was joking, but the way you’re reacting makes me think you have actually streaked and I’m suddenly very confused.” Kalei said.

“Say one more word and you’re getting detention too.” Naomi said as a dejected Amara returned fully clothed. “In fact, no more words from everyone, and especially words about…debauchery. Just clear out. Go do, literally anything else other than standing out here causing a potential fire hazard with your hallway blocking bodies. And please, no more nudity.”

“Yeah, Zeta,” Kalei said, elbowing me. Naomi looked confused at that statement but luckily was preoccupied enough with Amara that she didn’t question it further. Oka waited until Naomi was out of sight, then shoved the rest of her ice cream in Kalei’s face like a whipped cream pie.

“Sorry, I have to defend my girl.” Oka said casually.

“Aw,” I said as the mushed together purple-y color of the superhero ice cream dripped off of Kalei’s face. I really liked hearing her say ‘my girl’ about me. “Thanks, Oka.”

“That’s fair,” Kalei said. “I’m honestly surprised I don’t get food in the face more often for how I talk to people.”

“it’s good that you realize it, I guess?” I said. “We’re all growing up in our own ways.”

As Kalei wiped her face off, Oka shot me another quick, smug look. It really hit me in that moment that she was for real my girlfriend, and it was a great feeling.