Rising Shards

"I get it, Kalei," Risa said, chuckling. "This isn't exactly the most romantic spot, so I figured it wouldn't be great news."

Kalei shrugged with her hands in her pockets. "Sorry,"

"Don't be," Risa said. "I should probably get back. Wanna hang out tomorrow?"

"Yeah, let's." Kalei said.

Risa walked away. She didn't want to end on that note, she had to say at least a little more. She turned back to Kalei, beaming. "Not a date, don't worry! Just...step three."

Kalei waved, looking like she was going to say something.

"And I won't stop til we reach step twelve and even past that!" Risa said, blowing a kiss.

That felt a bit much, but it was fine. Risa kept walking until she made it into the dorms, where she put her back to a wall.

"Tch..."

Every time she'd tried anything romantic lately, it went up in smoke. She supposed that was her history with romance in general.

She knew Kalei was right that she needed to slow down. They did have a long way to go with how things were between them. But with their history, Risa hoped that maybe they could just jump to some fun stuff and figure out the painful parts later. They had been friends forever, and things felt right when they talked. Risa wasn't sure if she particularly had a romantic crush on Kalei, but she still cared deeply about her. Why not give it a try?

Why did it have to hurt this much to have Kalei so quickly douse the flames that were maybe starting to do more than flicker? Risa didn't have an answer. Her playing beam chasers more wasn't necessarily for Kalei's sake, but it did work out that Risa's improved skill hopefully caught Kalei's attention. Risa knew if she wanted to overcome this and get what she wanted, she'd have to play better on and off the court. Still, it was a bitter feeling to be defeated like this.

"What a pitiful sight,"

Risa stepped away from the wall as Ovie walked by. Ovie was with 09, the two seemingly inseparable since they'd been turned back from the effects of beast tendency.

"It brightens my day seeing you in any kind of distress, Narkissa," Ovie said.

"I'm not distressed," Risa said, stepping even further away from the wall, not wanting Ovie to repeat her attack from back when they were on the Wildfire Hearts campus.

"You sure look it," Ovie said. "Did you just get dumped or did you get rejected?"

"Neither," Risa said. "And I'm not talking about it with you."

Ovie chuckled. "Oh, if anyone deserves heartbreak, it's you."

"Did Jeanette finally dump you or are you still clinging to hope that she'll take you back?" Risa shot back.

Ovie's expression darkened. "Do you really want to try that with me again? Don't you remember how it went last time?"

"Maybe we should just go," 09 said.

"No," Ovie said. "Narkissa just has trouble learning and needs regular reminders."

Risa had a few options. She could run away, maybe saying one more comment about Jeans to set Ovie off. She could do nothing and let Ovie beat her up again, though with 09 there she might react differently. Or, she could try and cash in on a favor.

"You know," Risa said. "Someone from your group still owes me a kiss."

"You're still on about that?" Ovie asked. "Couldn't get one from Aira or Laenie?"

"I still might ask them," Risa said. "But I won't tell if you give me one first."

"I'm not even humoring this," Ovie said. "I don't owe you anything, 09, let's go."

As the duo walked away, Risa thought about all the times she'd thought about who she'd cash in her little favor on. She hadn't made any real effort to do so, but after Kalei turned her down, she felt a reignited feeling to try. If she couldn't have Kalei, stealing a kiss from Ovie Chirhart seemed like a fun mountain to climb, and potentially some good revenge for everything Ovie put her through.

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