Nick walked Alejandra all the way to Señora Florez’s door. She peeked inside, and her heart finally relaxed at the sight of Mr. Anderson. He was slouched in the chair, looking like he was dead inside, but he was there.
“Do you see Mr. Anderson?” Nick asked.
“Yeah.” She dropped from her tiptoe position.
“Good. I better go to work, then,” Nick said.
“Yeah.”
There was silence. Alejandra played with her fingernails as she looked at Nick, feeling heat creep up her cheeks. He of course tried to explain Derek’s situation with Emma, but Alejandra found the entire thing funny, and was grateful it was Nick explaining and not Derek, because she giggled the entire time.
“I better go to CCNC club,” Alejandra said.
“Yeah.” Nick glanced at the door.
Again, there was silence. Alejandra felt it. She didn’t know what this would look like, dating Nick. He was a prisoner in his own house, and she couldn’t keep it from Rafael forever. But they’d danced around each other for a year. It was mostly her fault, worried this could never work out, but she felt bad it had taken so long to at least try.
Before she could talk herself out of it, she reached with her hand, placing it against his jaw. He touched her hand, curious. She leaned over, kissing him gently. It was so inexperienced. She had no idea what to do. But the warmth growing in her gut told her this was an excellent start.
Nick’s hands appeared around her waist as he kissed her back. Maybe they were moving too fast, but if they counted the year Alejandra was figuring things out, then it was plenty long.
Time lost its meaning. Her heart pounded faster and faster as Nick’s lips remained on hers.
“Alright! Alright, I get it! Open and honest communication!” Derek said from nowhere. Alejandra and Nick both jumped. She broke away, but Nick still kept his hands around her waist.
Derek walked toward Señora Florez’s room, looking annoyed. “It’s not that easy for the rest of us, okay? Look at this!” Derek leaned against the door to open it, but lifting his shirt sleeve to show red marks. “She finds it hilarious to actually dig her fingers into me. Ugh. It’s like dating a harpy.” Derek walked into Señora Florez’s room, dropping his sleeve. “Yo, Mr. Anderson! I’m so relieved you’re here.”
Mr. Anderson did little more than grunt. Alejandra touched her burning red cheeks as the door clicked close, looking at Nick, who was smiling. She so rarely saw him smile, and the sight of it made her heart do flips. His hands remained around her waist. “I… guess I better go to work.”
“And I better go to CCNC.”
He smiled, leaning down to give her one more kiss. One more short, beautiful kiss before he tore his hands away from her waist. “Bye,” he said, as though pained by the thought of leaving her.
“Bye.” Her hand reached behind her to find the door. She was going to be so distracted during CCNC.
***
Derek tapped his pencil against his character sheet, his eyes glancing between Señora Florez and Mr. Anderson. It was abundantly clear that his science teacher was there to be the second adult in the room and nothing else. He was borrowing Señora Florez’s desk to correct papers, ignoring the campaign.
He wasn’t the only one.
Alejandra had a stupidly big grin on her face that anyone could understand the reason for. Those two would not keep things a secret. It would be another day before Rafael figured out. Hell, even half a day. He kind of felt responsible for pushing those two together. Hopefully, this wouldn’t blow up in their faces. He didn’t even think about how Rafael was coming with them on Saturday.
Derek rubbed his face, already feeling how awkward that would be.
“Roll for persuasion, Oskar,” Señora Florez said.
Derek forced himself into the present. All he remembered was being in a tavern, and Oskar’s character was asking a mysterious woman if she had any information about the missing prince of Osvoroth. However long the conversation was, Derek had lost himself in his thoughts for too long to remember why Oskar needed to roll for persuasion.
“Ugh, but what if this initiates a fight? I don’t have the hit points to start another one.”
Señora Florez gestured toward Oskar’s d20. “You stated your piece. You now need to roll those math rocks to see how well she was persuaded.”
Oskar sighed, then rolled the d20. Derek leaned over to see it landed on a six. Oskar winced, checking his sheet and doing a quick count with his fingers. “Eight?” His voice had an audible tremble.
Señora Florez smiled. “Well, that’s all the time we have for today. I will see you all next week.”
“Ugh, dammit, Derek,” Oskar said.
Derek lowered his pencil, confused. “Me? Why are we damning me?”
His friend shoved his character sheet into his folder. “You’re the one that’s got play practice every day this week. How can I possibly wait until next week to know what’s going to happen?”
Derek couldn’t help it and smiled as he gathered his own things, placing his dice back in his container. “I feel that.”
Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Señora Florez glanced over at Derek. “Hey, a word? Since you’re president of the club?” she asked.
Derek shoved his things in his bag. Alejandra was completely distracted, and everyone else was gathering their things. “Yeah, what is it?”
Her voice lowered. “Are you… sure you want Mr. Anderson as the second adult?”
“Yes.” Derek glanced over to see his science teacher shuffling through some papers.
“He just… doesn’t seem interested,” Señora Florez said.
“What did he say when you asked him?”
“Swore up a storm, then agreed.” Derek had a difficult time hiding his smirk. Señora Florez shook her head. “If he doesn’t actually want to be here, we shouldn’t make him.”
“It’s…” Derek scratched his head with his pencil eraser before sighing. He wasn’t sure what to do until an idea struck him. He had a file dedicated to the research he and Tyler had collected about CCNC characters coming to Earth. “I’m going to give you a few articles of research. Read them and let me know if anything… changes.”
Señora Florez frowned. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Derek opened his mouth to explain, but he didn’t know what else he could say. “I know.” He stuffed the rest of his things in his bag before swinging it over his shoulder and giving Señora Florez a smile as got up to leave the room.
His thoughts were all over the place as he made his way out of the school. He checked to make sure Alejandra was okay, but she looked like she was happy in her own little world. Not even an attack from Akshi could get her out of her daydreams.
Derek shook his head as he walked down the stairs, pulling out the key to his car. He unlocked it and slid in, waiting for a moment before the other side of the door opened and Milo climbed inside the passenger seat. He waited as Milo buckled himself in.
He turned the car on. “How’s the red mana coming?”
“Great,” Milo said as Derek pulled out of the parking lot. “I might pop over to Calawit’s to check if she has any other softening ingredient. The hell hound corpse has been completely drained, so I disposed of the remains in a way that shouldn’t attract anything.”
“Good.” Derek flipped on his blinker. “Do you want me to take you to Calawit’s?”
“No. I would hate to busy a bard’s night with something other than seeing his woman.”
Derek didn’t know what possessed him, but he slammed on the brakes a lot harder than intended at the stop sign. He shot his head toward Milo, seeing the mana fusor with a humorous smile on his face. “I do not! I am not. Who told you? There’s—”
“It is absolutely incredible the things you hear in Mr. Anderson’s class,” Milo said.
“We’re not… I’ve never… there is absolutely…”
Milo chuckled. Derek’s nostrils flared, and it was somehow this banter that made him realize he needed to break things off with Emma.
He moved the car through the four-way stop. “I am not a bard.”
***
Wednesday game night was such a hit that Rafael felt worried this would become a thing. Not that he would have minded. Every day Hazel was still in his life seemed surreal. He was waiting for the moment she discovered how dark his secret went, and that would be enough for her.
Speaking of secrets, he waited oh so patiently for Alejandra to say anything at all about dating Nick. He waited the entirety of game night for her to mention anything at all. He had his arm around Hazel’s shoulders, listening to the two of them chatting it up like a storm. But Nick never came up.
Rafael hated the idea that he was testing Alejandra. He didn’t want to play mind games with her, but he was wondering why she didn’t bring it up once. Even when Hazel asked questions about CCNC, Alejandra went out of her way to avoid mentioning Nick in the group.
Rafael didn’t want to get angry about it. He heard from Parker yesterday that he saw Alejandra and Nick kissing. Yesterday. And his little sister said nothing.
Was this some sort of trick Alejandra was playing? Some sort of payback for him not mentioning about him and Hazel? He honestly didn’t know. And the fact that he didn’t know hurt in its own kind of way. Proof he had drifted apart from his sister.
“You chose a sorcerer?” Alejandra asked with a raised eyebrow.
Hazel’s smile faltered. “Is there something wrong with a sorcerer?”
“No, no.” Alejandra shook her hands out in front of her. “Sorry, no. I just… I’m impressed. The magic system of CCNC can get complicated. Each magic class has its own separate way of using mana. I didn’t dare attempt a magic user until I’d played the game for at least three years.” Alejandra seemed to sense Hazel was worried about her decision. “Then again, not everyone starts playing when they’re twelve years old. I bet you’ll be fine.”
Hazel nodded. “Thanks. I’m sure it makes a difference that the other two girls in my group have no idea, either. And Evelyn is such a sweet girl. I guarantee she’ll go easy on us.”
“Without a doubt,” Alejandra said.
He remembered why, with painful clarity, why he drifted apart from Alejandra. Which is why he stayed silent, keeping a small smile on his face the entire time Alejandra and Hazel talked about CCNC. And he let them have their chat. He couldn’t spoil it. Not today. Today Alejandra and Hazel would get to know each other. They would have their moment. He would pretend it wasn’t a betrayal that Alejandra didn’t want to bring up Nick.
Besides, it was really Nick he wanted to talk to.
***
Evelyn did her nightly routine where she checked her grey marks and sent her text update to Tyler. There was no change. It still looked like grey lines and bruises, but it wasn’t healing.
There were a lot of things on her mind. The football game was in two days. Hazel, Annie, and Brandi had texted their character’s backstories. For being a bunch of cheerleaders, she was actually surprised at the vast differences between the characters. Annie chose a female elf fighter because she was really nervous about this being her first time, and that was Rafael’s suggestion. Like Tyler had suggested to Alejandra all those years ago. Hazel chose a human sorcerer, and Brandi chose a gnome monk. Evelyn didn’t know how a gnome monk would work, but she was genuinely excited to see how Brandi would play her.
She paced the length of her room as Clarissa left to get ready for bed. She was nervous, trying not to think about Saturday, when Rafael would be there at the session. Instead, she focused her worries on Friday night. Being a game master brought her way more fear than the routines of their cheer.
Her thumb hovered over her texts, seeing her last message she sent to Tyler seven minutes ago. She explained the marks were still gray, and nothing had changed.
Sounds about where Nick and Derek are, too. Thanks for letting me know.
It was what he sent back five minutes ago. It was nine o’clock, and the house was quiet. Nick was in his room, reading his book. He spent most of his time there, anyway. Her family found it easier to never be around each other, and she felt an ache thinking about it.
Her fingers hesitated, but her mind forced herself to do this. She needed advice, and who better to go to than Tyler?
Hey, I’ve been asked to be a game master for a CCNC campaign for a bunch of newbies. Do you have any advice? Because I don’t know if I can do this.
She sent it, then placed the corner of her phone against her chin, closing her eyes.
Her phone buzzed soon after, and she glanced down.
Say no more.
Evelyn was confused, then her phone vibrated, and Tyler was calling her. She couldn’t help it, feeling herself smile as she swiped. “Tyler?”
“Alright, I’m setting a timer to force myself to get off the phone with you. If I don’t, I could talk until three in the morning, and that won’t help either one of us. How long do you want to chat about being a game master?”
Evelyn’s smile widened, already feeling herself relax as she checked the clock. “How much can you tell me in an hour?”
“Enough to make you not nearly as scared. And Evelyn? I assure you, you don’t have to be scared. You’re going to do a fantastic job.”
She let out a breath, her heart already lighter. “Thanks for believing in me.”
Tyler chuckled as Evelyn settled herself into a long conversation with her friend.