Rising Shards

Kai figured her sister Ko was usually a pretty good workout partner, but it was clear as soon as they got to the school’s indoor gym that her mind was anywhere else than being supportive. While they were having a weightlifting day, Ko was staring at a girl on a treadmill. The aerobic machines were across the gym, but it was pretty clear who Ko was looking at. Kai could only roll her eyes and ignore her as she got to work on a pulldown machine. She tried to focus on her reps, but Ko kept sighing and making weird noises.

“What’s her deal?” Ko asked.

“Working out. Shut up.” Kai said.

“Come on, let me vent.” Ko said.

Kai finished her set, letting the weights slam into each other a bit to hopefully let Ko know she was really not having her romance woe business that day.

“Alright, you have ninety seconds before my next set.” Kai said.

“I just asked what her deal was.” Ko said. She pointed to the girl on the treadmill. She was that annoying prefect that was always getting on everyone’s case to follow the rules and stupid stuff like that.

“Who, Naomi?” Kai said. She shrugged. “The prefect or whatever?”

“Yeah.” Ko said. She stared into space, wasting her alotted ninety seconds, so Kai started her next set of reps on the machine. 

“Now be real with me.” Kai grunted as she pulled on the bars.

“It’s not like that.” Ko said.

“I didn’t even say it yet!” Kai said.

“You were gonna say it’s a cluster. It is not a cluster. I am just looking for some competition to make things more interesting.”

“Uh huh, that’s what you said last time, too,” Kai said. She strained on her seventh rep. “You are such a…like. Weird about people person.”

“I’m just a romantic.” Ko said as the weights clanged down again. “I want to earn Lillia. And to really earn her, I have to beat someone that also wants her.”

After finishing her second set, Kai scratched her forehead.

“Can’t you just like be all cool to her and stuff? Like earn her that way? You guys kinda had like a date thing so like. Just keep doing that?”

“But that’s not as fun, right?”

“It could be?” Kai said.

“What fun is a road without some twists and turns? Some dangerous slopes and highways over cliffs with icy roads?” Ko said.

Kai started her third set because she needed to be lifting to answer something so stupid. “I’m glad I don’t get into this BS like you. I’m all about BC. Which stands for, you know, beam chasers.”

“I got it. I’m into BC too. But…I feel like Lillia might be more into Naomi than me.” Ko said.

“So what are you gonna do, beat up Naomi? Do you even know if Naomi’s into Lillia?”

Ko scrunched up her face and played with her ponytail.

“What?” Kai asked.

“I creeped on her Friendliest page and kinda saw that she’s seeing someone already.” Ko said.

Kai stopped mid-set.

“Alright, stop.” Kai said. “Stop, stop stopstopstop. This is gonna be a cluster. One thousand percent.”

“No, but—”

“Dude, shut up. So Naomi’s dating someone. Stay out of it. Go talk to Lillia. You just wanna date her, right?”

“Well…you know,” Ko said. “Date’s a strong word. I don’t wanna say anything unless I earn her.”

Kai groaned. “I think you’re the stupidest person I know. I’m serious.”

“I get way better grades than you.” Ko said.

“I mean like dating people wise.” Kai said.

“I’ve dated way more people than you.” Ko said.

“That kinda backs up what I’m saying.” Kai said. “If you start messing with Naomi and whoever she’s dating, then they’re gonna get roped into your BS, and then Lillia’s gonna get hurt, and just like the last time you did this, it’s gonna be a C-L-U-S-T-E-R.”

“I’m impressed you can spell such a big word.” Ko said. “Alright, she’s wrapping up. I’mma go talk to her.”

“No, I was gonna do bench press next, you said you’d spot m—” Kai started, but Ko was already jogging to Naomi, who was getting off her treadmill. She sighed. “It really sucks being related to someone so, so stupid.”

* * *

Crap.

Ko’s strut towards Naomi Ratuna was interrupted halfway, as Naomi was talking to someone. She’d have to find some way to butt into their conversation without being too weird. Naomi was leaning on one of the arms of the treadmill she was on as her short-haired friend was in the middle of some weird story. Ko got onto the treadmill next to them and started slowly, so she could still talk if the opportunity showed itself.

“I think you’re looking way too far into it and making up things that aren’t happening,” Naomi said. “Clover, she’s a first year. She’ll be alright. You watch that inane Teensly Street too much.”

Ko side-eyed Clover, trying not to be too obvious she was looking as she sped up her treadmill slightly. Naomi’s Friendliest page had enough privacy stuff up that Ko couldn’t see who exactly she was dating. But Rising Shards has a reputation, so she could be dating this Clover girl. They seem pretty friendly, at least.

“But the poor girl, I can’t help feeling bad for her,” Clover said. “I feel like I should protect her, she’s dating a serial cheater and all.”

“Huh?” Ko said. She realized she said that out loud when the two turned to her.

“It’s nothing, don’t let her stupidity interrupt your workout.” Naomi said.

“I can talk and walk,” Ko said. “I’m pretty multitalented. I’m a first year too, and I’m very protective of my fellow first years. What’s this cheating girl’s deal?”

“Yeah, I heard she stole Ovie Chirhart’s girlfriend away from her while they were still dating, and now she’s with someone else and I think the same thing’s gonna happen again.” Clover said.

“I am not getting involved with this gossip.” Naomi said. “I’ll talk to you later.”

Naomi left. Normally, this would feel like a big failure, but Ko was too curious about what this Clover girl was talking about.

“I can get involved with this gossip,” Ko said. She stopped her treadmill so she could listen better.

“There’s a girl in the play, her name’s Oka,” Clover said. “She’s got enough problems being a Kilander and all, right? And now she’s dating a problem child and I’m just a bit worried.”

“Who, Zeta Faleur?” Ko said. “Faleur stole Ovie’s girlfriend while she was dating Ovie?”

“No, Ovie was dating this one girl, and Zeta seduced her,” Clover said. “And then she beat up Ovie and got her expelled while she got to stay here.”

Ko knew Zeta got in a fight with Ovie, but that sounded more like Ovie picked a fight and was winning until 09 showed up from how Kalei described it.

Still…

“I’m a bit fuzzy on the details but that’s what I heard from a friend of a friend. Ovie didn’t tell me herself; she didn’t like to talk about that stuff.” Clover said. “And I obviously haven’t heard from her much since the whole Wildfire Hearts thing.”

It was a lot to process.

“Well, I’ll leave you to it. I wasn’t really feeling working out today, anyways.” Clover said.

Ko barely noticed her leaving, as she was too deep in thought about this information. She thought back to what Kalei had told her a while ago, after she found that Zeta had admitted her crush in her Tyrant Rangers profile.

“Tell me who Zeta’s crush is.”

“It’s Lillia,” Kalei said.

“No way,” Ko said. “Ohhh, that’s why you didn’t want to say it.”

“Yep, yeah, you know it’s just like,” Kalei said. “I didn’t want to make things awkward for the group, especially with Lillia only there sometimes. Like, then we all know that, and we’re all thinking about it when Lillia’s playing with us.”

“I get you,” Ko said.

Ko started the treadmill up again to think.

I thought I scared Faleur off Lillia already from my presence alone. But is she just dating Oka so she can try to cheat on her with Lillia?

This was a problem. At first glance, Zeta Faleur was far from someone Ko would have guessed would be a serial cheater. But it’s always the ones you least suspect, right?

If her Naomi lead was a bust for now, then Ko knew where her attention should go next. Taking care of this Zeta problem as soon as possible.