Of course, classes have already started. No wonder there was nobody else in the restroom. Arienne yelped and broke into a run, praying she wouldn't be too late. She didn't need any more school troubles!

"Ah, Miss Maureau, how considerate of you to finally grace us with your presence."

"Sorry, Mr. Corrie, I thought I had more time."

"Evidently not. Please take your seat."

She hurried to where Mish was signaling her like crazy. Getting behind the desk, Arienne noticed something strange. A boy now sat next to Carolline, which was certainly new, considering she always preferred the company of her cronies.

"Gosh, you've missed everything!" whispering in her ear, Mish simply buzzed with excitement.

The boy turned around, glancing directly at her, and Arienne couldn't help but stare. He was the dreamiest boy in the history of dreams! Of boys! Of history! He had sandy blond hair, and his fringe fell on his bright blue eyes in the cutest manner ever. His smile radiated warmth, curving gently on those full lips. And. He. Wore. A vest! A real one, over a shirt with stylishly rolled up sleeves. She would've never believed in his existence outside of fashion magazines if he hasn't been right there, looking at her. Wait, why was he looking at her…?

But he wasn't anymore. Carolline touched his arm, all sweetness and charm, and he switched his attention to whatever she had to say.

Typical.

"Are you listening?" Mish shook her shoulder, trying to get a response.

Arienne flushed. "I am, I am! He's a transfer student?"

"Starting here today, coming straight from the land of perfection and mile-long eyelashes…!"

They totally were mile-long, too. Arienne sighed. No wonder Carolline draped her slimy tentacles all over him. She probably thought it her divine right to date the prettiest boy in school. Anything less simply wasn't up to the princess' standards. And if said boy just happens to be the shiny and exciting new arrival? Well, all the better!

Urgh, Carolline sometimes seemed utterly despicable.

Around lunch break she just couldn't stand to watch it anymore. Every dirty trick in the book got employed: "accidental" touching, giggling, lingering eye contact, and dropped pencils. Arienne wanted to facepalm, but couldn't afford to be this conspicuous. Only stumbling and pretending to fall thankfully went unused… Oh, wait, there it was. He caught her, of course, and their hands stayed interlocked afterward.

Thus it became all the more impressive when he extricated himself from Carolline's clutches to eat separately. Currently he was surrounded by other boys, the entire group engrossed in a heated debate. Probably about some arcane subject like racing or card games. Hopefully not the video of her fight.

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She grabbed a table with Mish, Mery, and Iue, catching up on the latest school chatter and the events in one another's lives. Carolline continued to steadfastly ignore her, which was just as well; engaging with her could easily lead to another detention.

"So, the new guy?" Mery skipped straight to the juicy part.

"His name is Krystian." Mish's gaze immediately went misty and melancholic. "No doubt sent to us as proof that the world is truly an unfair, evil place. Carolline had already sunk her claws into him. He'll be wrapped around her finger in no time."

"Maybe you should do something about it, then."

"Ha-ha. Very funny."

Mish was easily as pretty as Carolline, no less socially oriented, and without a mean bone in her entire body. They would've been destined for bitter (certainly on Carolline's part) rivalry, if not for a small yet greatly important detail: Mish couldn't talk to boys. Sure, she possessed the capacity to form coherent sentences around them, and had even done that on a few select occasions, but such feats relied on her not remembering the fact boys were the object of romantic feelings. The moment matters of heart, however ephemeral, entered the equation, Mish lost any ability to successfully communicate, being reduced to babbling haplessly, blushing, and then probably running away.

Arienne has been trying to battle this unfortunate affliction for years now, and it only seemed to get worse. She kept her optimism, though. If anyone ever deserved a book-perfect love story, it was Mish, no doubt there.

Iue, as usual, remained quiet, but somehow very present and important to the flow of conversation. A unique cultural disposition that Arienne envied passionately, but wouldn't be able to replicate even if her life depended on it. Like, she could've just been all stoic and mysterious instead of sidestepping the questions about the rest of her previous day by emphasizing the pains of detention. Not that she needed to strain much, since those were remarkably fresh in her mind, but still, misdirection is misdirection.

Discovering Arienne's wistful gaze, Iue gave a small wink, briefly spoiling her traditionally unreadable exterior.

Argent returned during the last class. One second he was nowhere to be seen, the next he covertly poked out of her bag, giving notice of his return. To her credit, she jumped only slightly, and no one noticed it. Apparently "good at hiding" was more of an understatement than exaggeration. He snuck through a classroom full of people without drawing anyone's attention. She made a mental notch, meaning to ask him about it later.

Anyhow, after that she had little reason to be concerned. There have been no pointing fingers, no accusations, no attempts to take her into custody or some other sinister government euphemism. Her friends have seen the video a dozen times by now, and no hint of recognition surfaced in their behavior. Everything was fine.

Finally exiting the grand front doors, Arienne happily found herself in a position to note that she just had an ordinary school day without any kind of disaster erupting around her. Score one for normality! Argent was probably right. There is a limited amount of stuff that can go horribly wrong, and what's the possibility of it all going wrong at the same time? Surely the universe has more important matters to take care of than making her existence an unending trail of misery. She really shouldn't have worried so much.

Following this line of thinking, Arienne felt herself calming down enough to maybe start dealing with everything that's happened in a healthy and mature manner. Life showed signs of being good again. Sun was shining and the wind was warm, carrying rich aromas of early autumn with it.

Then she got home, flipped on the screen in the living room, and was struck breathless, her heart a lump in her throat.