Rising Shards

I had hoped to check in on my friends, but a barrier of girls that were not ones that'd spring to mind when I thought of the word 'friend' stood in my way. Ovie, 09, Risa, Chellsi, Mikeila-Keila, that clique/newly formed polycule.

"Saw you dancing with P.D.," Ovie said, crossing her arms.

I wasn't afraid of Ovie, nor did I find her meager attempts at bullying all that engaging, or even worth being upset about. I wasn't one of her main targets, but I'd attempted conversations when she was in a mood like this, and on more than one occasion I needed to remind her of my fire breath ability.

"Ovie's in a mood, sorry," 09 said, waving like this was an occurrence she dealt with regularly.

"We shouldn't have to apologize for that," Risa said. "I like Ovie's awful moods, too."

"It's just polite," 09 said.

"You know what, I'm having such a good time, I'd love to hear what Ovie has to say about my dance with Anastasia," I said, attempting false sweetness and managing only venom. Maybe if we can just skip to the part where she says something cruel and I let out some fire breath, we can all get on with our lives.

You have a thing for her now?" Ovie asked. "Or were you just into Zeta and you haven't got over her picking someone else, so you go for the next closest thing?"

Not her best work. If I did ever have romantic feelings for Zeta at some point that would have stung more, but it just sounded...silly. I scoffed, which turned into a hearty chuckle. Ovie's defenses withered, and I braced for her to escalate to something else, but strangely, she just grimaced and shook her head.

"No, 09's right," Ovie scoffed. "That was low of me, sorry."

That was new. I wasn't sure what effect her new polycule would have on her abrasive personality, but I wasn't expecting any great changes. If the ordeals she went on that culminated with her turning into a giant monster and back didn't seem to greatly change her, I didn't know what could. But her apologizing was decidedly different.

"Low and completely inaccurate," I said. "Outside of me dancing with Anastasia, yes."

"I'm still pissed at her for hiding that she's Zeta's sister," Ovie said. "Wouldn't even tell me her real name. I shouldn't take that out on you."

"There have been lots of things that you probably shouldn't have taken out on others," I said.

"Probably," Ovie said.

I wondered if I could just leave it at that. I wanted to, and hopefully avoid this ending up as a fire breath situation.

"Moving forward is hard," I said. "But at least you've taken steps."

I blushed as I left. I don't know if what I said was wise or sounded completely foolish, the words came to me and left my mouth in the same second. I assumed Ovie and her new partners would spend the rest of the dance making fun of what I'd said.

Before I could ruminate too much on my embarrassment, however, another obstacle stood in my way. For some reason, Ema Kari, Snake Riley, and Kyre Krista were approaching me now, waving. These three were in Laenie Aadris' strange bicycle gang, a mismatch of personalities if I'd ever seen one. But Laenie seemed to enjoy being their leader, even if it cut her off from the rest of her friends.

Ema and Snake I'd had some run-ins with in the past, another set of students I've had to show my fire breath to, though for them it was usually because they were trying to destroy school property. Kyre was...just not the brightest, to put it in rather unpolite terms. She wasn't as foolish as Ema and Snake, but what she didn't match in their intellect she excelled in poor decision-making and an affinity for hair gel. Ema and Snake were in casual wear, not bothering to get gowns or tuxedos (though the two would have likely looked very strange in formal wear), while Kyre had a tux on, and as always, her hair had way too much of whatever product she was using in it.

"Ahhh, ain't life grand?" Kyre said, patting me on the back. "We got everything we need."

"That's...sure?" I said, squinting.

"We got it all," Ema said. "A boss we love, and lots of cash."

Were they making money from this bicycle gang now? That...strained reason to think about. Maybe they just had jobs outside of class.

"Yes...congratulations...?" I said. This group I would happily walk past without leaving with any words of advice, and fortunately they didn't block me, they just whistled as I passed them by.

I let out a groan when yet another pair approached me.

"Hey, Lillia," Latte said, waving her thermos filled with coffee around. "Want some coffee?"

"Don't get distracted, we're talking about the Grunkler here," Elisa Burwell said.

Ovie's group was one thing, Laenie's another, but now these two? Did I have a sign on my back? I just wanted to go see my friends.

"What...is the Grunkler?" I said, shutting my eyes with regret as I really didn't need to know.

"You don't know?" Elisa grinned.

"Is it an Osiris thing?" I asked.

Elisa Burwell was a blue dragon Kanibari who was obsessed with a pop singer named Osiris.

"No," Elisa said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still into Osiris." She stopped to show me that she somehow stuffed her Osiris branded bear hoodie under her dress. "But right now, I'm way into Autumn Summer in Winter."

"Ah." I said. I'd read the first book in that series and didn't go any farther, it seemed like a very basic story, and one much too straight for me to get incredibly invested in. I didn't remember any "Grunkler" character, though.

"He's only the hottest guy ever conceived of in a story, seven feet tall and the broadest shoulders you can imagine," Elisa said. "A master of shadow magic and a master of some other things too, if you catch my drift."

"Say, Lillia, do you want coffee?" Latte asked.

I thought Latte was expelled after she threw coffee in another girl's face, but I supposed the school district's bizarre ruleset ended up working out in her favor.

"I'm good, thank you," I said.

"Something wrong with a person who says no to coffee," Latte said, shaking her head.

I couldn't believe that when Latte had a very blatant crush on me that I even entertained the notion that we might go out. I didn't entertain that notion very thoroughly, but still.

"I suppose so," I said.

"Lillia, we're doing a book club, do you want to join?" Elisa asked.

"I'd..." If I said yes would they leave me alone? But if I did, I'd likely be reading Elisa's books, and that...didn't sound pleasant. I muttered a response, and my neutral statement apparently pleased Elisa enough to let me pass.

Finally, I had a clear shot at my friends, I could see Oka and Zeta having an animated discussion with the love trio, Michi, and Tay. After the last few conversations, seeing my friends was like finding fresh, clear water after miles walking through a desert.

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