Rising Shards

I had hoped to fill some notebook pages with ideas, but was mostly just doodling shapes as I pictured an event I heard about earlier in the day.

”Ack, the societal pressure is just too much,” I said. ”Mayhaps I shan’t on this particular event.”

Kalei leaned back in her gaming chair as my pacing brought me right by her.

”I don’t know of a way to phrase this that doesn’t make me sound like an ass, so I’m just gonna go with what are you whining about now?”

Kalei had been in a chipper mood lately, with beam chasers season rolling and her resolving some things with Risa helping with that. But even Kalei being more cheerful, she had her limits with my noisiness.

”So, you know how tonight’s that big thing where everyone who’s going to the dance is going to ask out who they want to go with?” I asked.

”No,” Kalei said.

”Well, pretend you do,” I said.

”And I think you could have phrased that in a more concise way, if I’m being totally honest.”

For some reason, my instinctual counter was to flick my tail at her TV screen, which did nothing other than static up my tail fur. ”Pretend you know that tonight’s the night that the winter sun is crossing over with the winter moon, and it’s gonna make everything all sparkly, as the legends speak of. So a bunch of people are gonna be asking people out to the dance on the grounds where all the sparkliness is occurring. I am trying to envision how asking Oka to the dance during this would go. And I’m cracking under the pressure, to be quite honest.”

Kalei looked very disappointed that she’d joined this conversation.

”You two are dating, and have been for a while,” Kalei said. ”What are you getting worked up about?”

”It’s scary! What if she says no! With everyone there?”

”Did you not hear any of what I just said, or...?” Kalei sighed. ”If you’re gonna be all anxiety Zeta about this, just ask her another time, or wait until she asks you.”

”We kind of have a silent agreement that I’m going to be the one that asks her,” I said.

Kalei rubbed her face. ”This is really annoying, and I wanna quit talking about this, but now you being all combative and countering what I’m trying to tell you makes me want to win.”

”I’m just venting out loud!” I said. ”You didn’t have to turn this into an argument!”

Marmalade arrived in our room as Kalei geared up to debate me.

”Are you two fighting?” Marmalade asked.

”Marms, if you know what’s good for you just turn around and come back later,” Kalei said. ”Or better yet, now that you’re here we can vote that Zeta has to be the one who leaves.”

”What’s Zeta doing that warrants her leaving?” Marmalade asked.

”Being really annoying,” Kalei said.

”I’m just having a moment!” I said. ”You know how tonight’s that big deal where people are gonna ask each other out to the dance?”

”No,” Marmalade said.

”Why am I the only one that knows about this?” I said.

”It’d be so funny if this isn’t even a thing and you just misheard it, and you’re getting all worked up over completely nothing.” Kalei said. ”Where did you even hear about this?”

”From that one girl with the horns in math class?” I said.

”That doesn’t narrow it down, there’s like three girls with horns in math class,” Kalei said.

”Marmalade, do you have any ideas for a cool way I could ask Oka out?” I said, trying to ignore Kalei.

”Aren’t you two already dating?” Marmalade asked.

”To the dance!” I said. ”Apparently the light of the stars on the snow will be ’ethereal’ tonight, which is apparently the ideal environment for asking a gal to the dance.”

”The only thing I heard is happening tonight is that big midnight diss contest between the chess club and the cycling club,” Marmalade said

”Whoa, we gotta see that,” Kalei said.

As I wondered what a diss contest even was, a familiar knock greeted us.

”Hey, let me in! Big news!”

I gasped. ”It’s Oka,”

Kalei had a very impolite way of agreeing with my assessment. I scrambled to hide my notebook filled with ideas on how to ask her to the dance as Marmalade let Kalei in.

”What’s the big news?” I asked, hoping she wouldn’t immediately figure out my scheming.

”Apparently, some third year girls are gonna microwave batteries,” Oka said.

”Whoa,” Kalei said.

”Normally I’d say we should avoid that,” Oka said. ”But Lillia’s usually my voice of reason, and she’s out hanging with Ko. So I kind of want to go watch batteries get microwaved.”

”We do need to kill some time before midnight, and microwaving batteries is a way cooler idea than what Zeta had planned,” Kalei said.

”Hey, my thing is pretty dang cool!” I said.

”What did you have planned, Zeta?” Oka asked that so sweetly that I felt like I’d just gargled melted down deluxe sugar gummies and almost screeched on the spot.

”U-um, well, I need to investigate it a bit more before I see if that’s–” I coughed. ”–worth going to. It’ll be cool, but I uh–”

”Seems like a lot is going around,” Kalei said. ”And it’s up to us to cut through the BS. Starting with these battery microwavers.”