Sunday was awful, the schoolwork was useless and the loneliness was ever-present. After completing the rest of the papers, I decided to fill the void with some rock ring but quit playing after a few games. Still not in the mood for vidya I guess. I opted to just lay in bed and watch some videos on my phone. I had forgotten to stop by the bank on Saturday so I couldn’t go out to do something even if I wanted to. This also meant that I couldn’t go out to buy food either, as the last bit of my money was spent on the bus fair. Needless to say, if I even look at a bowl of oatmeal again I might vomit. But thankfully today I won’t forget to stop by the bank or the grocery store. As I walk up the steps of the high school the words of Reeda bounce around in my head. “Also, let’s meet in the auditorium on Monday.” “Nah I’ll be sure to let Trish know that you and I’ll be in there, I’m sure she’ll keep Fang away.” I’m sure this meeting of ours will just be eating lunch together and catching up or something, considering she knows pretty much everything. And if she wanted to kill me for not telling her about the breakup, I was within arms reach the entire time she was at my apartment. …I should probably keep a little distance between us just in case. Making my way through the hallway towards the stairs I catch a glimpse of someone in my peripheral vision. I hear them as well, they seem to be arguing with another student. I give a glance in the direction of the argument and I freeze. Fang stands next to a set of lockers across from the bathrooms. She yells and points towards the other side of the hallway. Naser stands with his hand up to his beak, stunned and silent. I can see from here there are tears in his eyes. I wouldn't blame him if he cried, anyone would given Fang’s current condition. She looks paler than normal, this is accentuated by her all-black makeup. Her wings are extended outwards in anger but they don’t take up half the space anymore. Cuts and scratches cover her arms up to her shoulders, and the back of her right-hand sports a new tattoo. The only thing that hasn't changed is her hair, still half-shaved. She looks rough, worse than she did at the concert Friday night. Naser doesn't look much better than Fang. Judging from the bags under his eyes he hasn’t gotten a good night's sleep in a while. And his shaking hands tell me he might fall apart at the sight of his sister. She continues to yell at him even as he begins to cry. I want to go help Naser, I want to tell him this wasn't his fault. I failed as a boyfriend and did this to Fang, Naser didn't have anything to do with it. He shouldn't have to bear this weight… I’m… I'm sorry, Naser. I can't face either of you, even if it is my fault. I turn around and continue my walk to Mr. Tsuki’s class, leaving both of them behind. I make it through the door just as the bell chimes, and I take my seat. I hope Naser makes it out of this okay. … I talked with Mr. Fernsworth and let him know about My and Fangs’ breakup, he seemed to understand and reassured me there would be no more partner requirements. This was a relief, especially when I can see Fang giving me a death stare from the corner of my eye. Every time I think of talking to her again, of apologizing to her, of trying to fix things between us, I remember that night. I remember how quickly she moved on and never seemed to think of me again. She has the nerve to sit across the room and stare at me when she found someone else. It's not like she doesn't know I was there, not after I told Reeda. And yet she still sits there and doesn't say a word to me. I need to stop before I explode. I just need to get through the week. Just. Get. Through. The. Week. *DING DONG BING BONG* Perfect. I pack up my bag and walk out the door, not paying any attention to Fang. … *bonk* A rolled-up piece of paper bounces off my head and lands on my desk. Looking up I see Reeda giving me a wink and a thumbs up. I was kind of worried she wouldn't hook me up anymore but I guess I don’t have to worry. I unfold the paper and notice a little note on the bottom corner. “dont 4get to meet @ lunch” Okay. I look up and see her still looking my way, so I nod in response. She turns around back to Trish, who just noticed she was talking to nobody for the past few minutes. I’m still wondering what this meeting is about, if she wanted to just catch up she could’ve done it in here, not like Mr. Carlskiidewski would notice. I lean over slightly and catch a glimpse of our “teacher” asleep in his chair. If the meeting isn’t just to catch up maybe I’ll ask Reeda to sit by me tomorrow. Actually, I should do it now so I don’t forget. I doubt I’ll be able to ask her with Trish by her side. I reach into my bag and pull out a piece of paper, “hey do you wanna sit by me tomorrow so we can chat some?”. I crumple the paper and line up the shot, giving it a throw I land it right in front of her. She unfolds the paper and reads it, turning back to me and giving me a smile and nod. She has a light blush on her face, she must not be used to being the recipient of a note ball. Trish, not minding her business and watching the entire thing, gives me a flat stare before leaning in to whisper something to Reeda. Reeda simply waves her hand in a calming motion and pockets the note. Trigger suspicion aside, the rest of the period is uneventful. The bell lets us out for lunch and the anxiety begins to build as the meeting time approaches. The walk to the cafeteria is as chaotic as ever, and the lines are as long as usual. As I pass through over to the omnivore line I spot Naser sitting with Naomi across the lunchroom. His face is cradled in his hands and his body shakes as he cries, Naomi is holding herself against him and rubbing her hand across his back. I turn around and set my gaze on the floor, trying to hold back the feeling of regret building inside me. I make it through the line and out of the cafeteria, walking through the school I arrive at the auditorium. I pause and mentally prepare myself, if there's been a mix-up and Fang is here I don’t want to fold immediately. I brace myself and push open the door. Sitting in a chair in front of the stage is Reeda. The chair is in the middle of the center aisle, one-half of the room on her right and one-half on her left. I make my way down the center row and stand in front of her as she types on her phone. She eventually looks up at me and gives me a soft smile. “You can sit right there.” She points behind me. I take a seat to her right, on the left side of the aisle. “Go ahead and eat first, it’s gonna be a minute before we talk anyway.” Happy to oblige, I dig into the state-supplied “sandwich”. A few minutes of silent eating pass as we wait for… something. I’m still unaware of what we’re going to be chatting about. “Aren’t you gonna eat?” I ask through a full mouth. She responds with a head shake, and by taking an energy bar wrapper out of her pocket and waving it in the air. I feel on edge, the same feeling of Principle Spears’ office fills the room. An eerie silence and an ‘authority’ figure with unknown intent put a small pit in my stomach. I eventually finish my sandwich and pull my phone out to check the time. We still have about 45 minutes till lunch is over. “Done?” Reeda asks as she looks up from her phone. “Uhh yeah?” She looks down at her phone again and types out a message before pocketing the device and looking up toward the door. About 5 minutes pass before the door opens and someone steps into the room. The short stature and easily identifiable horns on the person's head immediately fill me in on who this person is. Trish walks down the center aisle and sits on the opposite side, to Reeda’s left. Her face is neutral and she remains silent. Reeda leans back in her chair and clears her throat. “Thank you both for showing up.” She gives a slight grin and glances at the both of us. She then fixes her posture and puts on a deadpan look. “I wanted to talk to you both regarding this whole situation with Anon and Fang. Specifically, I’d like to talk about my feelings on the subject, which seems to be the last thing that any of you cared about.” And now I’m terrified. I’ve never heard Reeda talk like this, she sounds like a completely different person. I glance to my right and spot an even worse sight, Trish is fidgeting with her hands and is staring into the ground. “How many times did I ask you about Fang, Trish?” The question makes Trish fidget even worse, and her eyes struggle to meet Reeda’s. “I-I’m not sure Reeda. But I didn’t-” Reeda puts a hand up and Trish stops talking. “When I asked you if you knew where Fang was, and you said you didn’t know, why did you lie?” “F-Fang told me not to tell anyone what had happened, even… even you.” Reeda nods. “So why couldn't either of you tell me? What did I do to cause this lack of trust?” Trish glances my way, “Reeda shouldn’t you Fang and I talk about this in private?” She says with a hushed tone. I see Reeda glance at me in my peripheral vision. “I want this all out in the air Trish, I’m tired of privacy, tired of having secrets being kept behind my back.” Reeda is starting to shiver as she speaks, her voice wavering slightly with each word. Trish begins to crack under the pressure too, her eyes are a little hazy and she’s tapping her foot. “I think… That you and Fang should keep your secrets. If I’m not enough of a friend to the two of you, just to know that Fang is alive, after all we’ve been through… Then the both of you should leave me behind.” Tears roll down her face as Reeda says this, her body shakes as she cries. Trish sits in silence, tears running down her face. She isn’t looking at Reeda anymore, instead, she looks down at the floor in front of her. “Nothing?” Reeda asks, her eyebrows raising in expectation, but no answer comes. Trish folds and cups her face with her hands as she sobs. “Fine.” Reeda stands up from her seat and walks over to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me to my feet. I follow behind her as we walk out of the auditorium. We make our way through the building and out of the side exit, into the gardens. Reeda pulls me to a bench facing the flowers and we sit. A few minutes pass as she slowly calms down, tears still flowing down her face. I reach out a hand and place it on her shoulder. Immediately she turns to me and pulls me into a hug. I put my arms around her and hold her as she cries over my shoulder. Her tail comes up and wraps around my waist, the same way as when she came to my apartment. The bell blares as we hold each other, but we stay embraced. Eventually, after a few minutes, she lets me go and sits back on the bench, her tail remains wrapped around me. We sit in silence for a while, watching the birds fly through the trees and the various bugs dart through the flowers. “Sorry for making you sit through that.” “Huh?” The sudden apology confuses me. “I… I just needed you to be there, I couldn’t talk to Trish like that by myself. Sorry that I used you like that without telling you.” Her voice wavers again as she speaks. I notice her hand laying on the bench seat next to me. I lay my hand on top of hers and give it a light squeeze. I feel her tail tighten and she pulls me into another hug. It’s a gentler hug this time, more controlled. “I hate when I have to be serious… I just want to be cool and relaxed ya know? I’m not made to be all mean and stuff.” She says over my shoulder. I just return the hug, I’d rather not try to say something and ruin this. I won’t have another beach moment. … After sitting in silence for a while the bell blares again, and we finally decide to rejoin our peers and finish the school day. We grab our bags and walk up to the building, entering the same door we came out of. We go our separate ways and spend the rest of the day in our respective classes. As I make my way to my seat I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket, checking it reveals a text from Reeda. I immediately open the text. ‘Reeda: can u meet me on the front stairs after school??’ ‘Me: sure’ ‘Reeda: *thumbs up* Let’s hope this meeting isn’t as dramatic as the last one. … I push my way past a group of students circling a fight. I manage to catch a glimpse of the students brawling. It's Rosa and Stella beating the absolute shit out of some triceratops guy. Well, I say Rosa and Stella but it’s mainly Rosa, Stella is actually trying to hold her back. I give a quick “WOOO” and continue on my way out. I push open the door and step out, quickly spotting Reeda sitting on the bottom step. I walk down the steps and tap her on the shoulder, she looks up at me and smiles. We start down the sidewalk. “So… I was wonderin if you’d like to come with me to a place in lil tro tomorrow night.” “What place is that?” “It’s an Italian joint, it’s about 30 minutes from the school. Figured you and me could stop at my house for a bit and head over there at around 5 or 6.” “Doesn’t sound bad, just you and me?” She skips a step and almost trips. “Yeah… Trish Fang and I were supposed to go check it out but then today happened. I was gonna invite you anyway, maybe try and patch things up between the four of us.” “I’ll go with you.” I say without even thinking. “Really?! THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOU! I’ve been wanting to go forever!” “No problem Reeda, are we going right over to your house after school?” “Yeah we can just hang out for a few hours till dinner time rolls around, then we can take the bus to lil tro.” “Alright, sounds like a plan.” …We stand around awkwardly, not sure how to continue. Reeda ends the silence with a fistbump and a goodbye. As I walk home I remember to stop at the bank thankfully and withdraw enough for dinner tomorrow and my bus fair. I also stop by the grocery store and pick up a few microwave meals. I walk the rest of the way home and make it inside, throwing my bag in the usual spot and stripping down to shower. After my shower, I put on some boxers and sit down on my bed. My phone shows a missed notification. I unlock my phone and open my messages. What. ‘Fang: We need to talk’