Young Writers Society

Welcome to Marie Curie University of Science and Art! You are about to begin one of the most exciting times in your life. Our university prides itself with its' grand history of accomplished students becoming amazing people changing the world. With over 100 years of its' existence, we welcome you to join that legacy. Get your books and backpacks ready, you're going back to school.

Our goal is to have ever student find their passion and become who they are destined to be. With all the programs we have available, we hope to accommodate all of you and make your experience all the more astounding.

Our university had opened its' doors in 1917 at Barrington, Illinois. It was founded by Wilbur Thaddius Kallen, a Science school teacher that was determined to open a university that would be affordable to all. It was opened to teach the locals the basics in business and technology. We managed to expand as the years went by to bring in more opportunities for all.

The rules that must be followed will be found in your student handbook. We ask for you to cooperate to make this university a safe and fun environment. Any questions you may have will have answers in that same very handbook. If there are more inquiries please feel free to contact us! Our contact information will be at the last page of your handbook. We ask for all students to please read through the handbook before the school year begins.

You will be receiving an e-mail from our New Student Department inquiring about your classes, schedules, and your dorm (We have Co-Ed rooms).

Once again we would love to thank you for choosing our university for your future endeavors! We welcome you to the Marie Curie University of Science and Art!




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Pamela Hermonia Koszczynski

First days, they are always way too stressful. I can handle a first day at a new airport job-- it was all mostly the same. But a first day at a University? That once kinda puts my anxiety on high high high. Was I ready to continue my education? Could I handle the pressure of classes? Oh God, how about finals.

I took a deep breath as I slumped onto my already made bed. Wil and I have already moved into our dorm (we got lucky so lucky to be paired together in a dorm room, like how? Best friends and we have a dorm together). We had set it up within two days, too excited to sit still and be in an empty room. Our moms had helped us out and let's be honest, the first night was really difficult for me. My anxiety was just uncontrollable and I'm grateful yet again that Wil ended up as my roommate, or else I would have died.

Anyway, first day.

First day of school, again.

"Wil, hurry up. We gotta go!" I yelled, trying to reach her in the bathroom.

"You are always in a hurry Pam. We have at least a half hour before we have to leave." Her voice was muffled by the door between us.

I rolled my eyes, knowing she couldn't see my reaction. Maybe she is right... it's my anxiety though. We are all very aware of that.

"When do you wanna have lunch?" She asked.

I grabbed my phone and started scrolling through Facebook, I had to share my memes, if I didn't my fan base would cry. "I don't know... could we even have lunch together? Do our schedules coincide?" I shot a question back as I scrolled.

"We will make it work,"

Shaking my head, I kept on scrolling and sharing. I mean, she was right, I had time. She got out of the bathroom with her Harry Potter over size tee, a typical look for Wil.

"Are you ready for this Pam?" She had asked, her eyes widening.

"I mean, I have to be. I survived the first few days... I think classes will give me a purpose to actually being here and diminish the feeling of needing to run home." I replied, feeling my heart skip a beat.

"Hey, I'm here for you and you know that." A smile grew on her face. "Come on, let's grab a coffee on our way out."

I stood up from my bed, feeling a whoosh of dizziness wave over me. Stood. Up. Too. Fast. Regaining my balance, I smiled at her. "Do we even have time?"

She shook her head with a look of disappointment, "Yes b, we do."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daniel Fredrick Huntzberger

"Danny!" someone called for me, but who? I didn't know anyone in this university-- hence why I even transferred here.

I turned to look behind me at the vast courtyard. Let me tell you, this school had no budget. It was fancy AF. I know, not very sophisticated of me, but it was the best way to describe the place. From its vintage fountains to the pristine yet very old cobblestone walkways. Even the trees felt like someone potted them with a string of gold in the fertilizer.

A shorter individual strutted over, sunglasses balanced on his nose sort of concealing his identity. When I say sort of, I meant it, I knew right away who he was and why he needed my attention.

"Stewart," I sighed, gripping onto my backpack strap to keep nice, "What's up? I haven't seen you since Senior year."

He stood just before me, a smirk playing on his face. "Yeah, when did you decide to transfer over to my school?"

"Didn't see your name anywhere last time I checked." I snorted. "Trust if I had seen Stewart Gibb I would've burned my application."

He stifled a laugh, lowering his sunglasses. "You still have that sense of humor Danny boy."

Was never a fan of 'Danny Boy' boy I also was never a fan of Stewart either so who am I to care what he called me if he wasn't really in my life anyway.

"So, what happened to Yale? Or what, was it Harvard?" He rubbed his chin, as if to show me he was actually thinking. "Ahhh, Stanford."

This time I had stifled a laugh and tried to hide the fact that I had rolled my eyes. "Yeah dude, Yale."

The wind started to pick up, making me regret my choice of not wearing a hat. Students were suddenly just everywhere, running towards the buildings. Running from the wind, or going to class? Pretty sure its' both. Stewart had crossed his arms over his chest, guess that fancy jacket wasn't good enough.

"What happened to that? You were born for the Ivy League... other than me, of course, but they don't deserve me." He snuffed. Of course he thought that. He dressed Ivy League, but he really couldn't even understand basic Calculus. His daddy could afford Yale, but he was a good man that believed he needed to deserve Yale not just buy it.

"You are right, they don't deserve you." I smiled. "Well, it was good catching up but I really have got to go to class."

"Same here kid, have a good day. May God be with you always." and that was Stewart, stuffing his religion down your throat.

Cringing inwardly, I nodded and turned towards my building which happened to be just behind me. Very grand, you could tell the most intelligent of Illinois stepped through those doors for decades. More students were gathering through the main doors, finding their way to class, as was I.

Wil Campbell

First day. First class. No big deal right? Next to me Pam sips her coffee quietly. I can tell she’s anxious. We both are. You’d think that after getting through your first year of college the beginning of the second would be easier, but it honestly isn’t. In a way I think it might be harder because now you don’t have the excuse of being a newbie. If you screw up it’s your fault now. I wonder if Jamie felt the same way at the beginning of his second year. I wonder if he knew it’d be his last...
But now is not the time to let myself get overwhelmed in thoughts. I have a job to do and that is to be the distraction and positive force in a scary day.

“Where’s your first class at?” I ask Pam breaking the coffee silence.

“Samson Hall. MGMT 324: Marketing Managment.”

“That sounds fun.”

“I guess. Sometimes it’s hard to stay focused in large lecture halls, but I’ll make it work.” She sips again. “You?”

“Structural Analysis in Milton Hall.” I say with a sigh.

“Why are you still taking those classes? You know you hate them, and all they do is stress you out.”

“First off, that’s not fair. Second off, you know how adamant my moms are about me getting a good career. And mom was so excited about me following in her footsteps.”

“Look I get it. Just promise me you won’t be so hard on yourself this year. Try to have some fun.”

“I have fun.” I scoff.

“Yeah if you consider listening to Harry Potter podcasts while doing your homework having fun.” She jokes tugging on my oversized t-shirt.

“I actually do, but that’s beside the point.” I pull away from her dramatically. “After structural analysis I’ve got a Great American Literature class. So that should take my mind off the draining shit.”

“Sounds cool. Hopefully you won’t get stuck with a bunch of bimbos taking it as a blow off class.”

“One can only hope.” I look down at my fit bit anxiously realizing the time. “Yo we got to go, but I will see you later alright?”

“Remember lunch.” She says putting up a pinky as I skip away.”

“Always.” I say with a laugh putting up my own pinky. Pinkies up has always been this strange thing Pam and I do to make promises, yet we’ve never actually completed a pinky promise like normal people would. I think actually entwining the pinkies jinxes it.

———-

After structural analysis I can already feel the stress of finals, and all we did was go over the syllabus. At least I can try to focus on some good literature for a while.

I begin my trek across campus towards the Lit building when out of nowhere some douche on a bike flies around the corner zooming straight into me nearly knocking me flat on my ass.

“Hey watch where you’re going dude! You should be more careful taking turns like that.”

“The same can be said for you.” I look up to see some guy smiling cheekily at me. I roll my eyes walking straight past him. “Look I’m sorry. Can I make it up to you?” He calls after me with a laugh trying to blow it off.

“No.” I mumble under my breath ignoring him and continuing towards my class.

By the time I make it to the Literature building I’m a few minutes late, and to make matters worse the first face I see when I enter the class room is no other than Mr. Skateboard himself smiling his condescending cheeky smile the moment he sees me walk in the door.

Maybe this class won’t be so stress free after all.

Daniel Fredrick Huntzberger

Why was my heart racing? My skin feeling so tingly? I only saw this girl for a second and she wasn't satisfied to know it was me that hit her on accident with my bike. She didn't have the same reaction as i did to her. But I needed to get a name, something, to try to get to her. You don't feel that way about just anyone. I gotta try to see if maybe, just maybe, she could feel the same way.

And that's when I got my chance-- American Literature class. She was there with her hair up in a pony, the curls making it slightly poofy. Our eyes met for just a second, I could tell she wasn't all too happy to see me, again. Maybe I wasn't a first impression guy. I mean I did hit her on accident, she can't define me as a terrible person for that, can she? I didn't want to her anyone let alone her, I'm just an idiot and wasn't looking where was going.

The lesson started but I couldn't focus. All I could do was take in her beauty; the way she focused on the professor when he spoke, or when she'd be taking notes and pause, her eyebrows raising in confusion. I couldn't help but notice her. But, why? I haven't even legitimately spoken to her. But the moment she looked at me before, her eyes felt so much like... home.

"Okay class, what I will need you to do for tonight is read the article I sent to you all via e-mail. The homework is attached in the e-mail." He paused, looking over the room from his desk. "Have a good day and welcome to a new school year!"

Everyone started to collectively collect their things and get up from their desks, causing a ruckus of talking and shuffling. I took my things, trying to avoid the Harry Potter T-Shirt girl, I can't force myself onto her. I definitely didn't leave her with a wanting to get to know me at all. I slipped my headphones on after slinging my backpack over my shoulder, hitting play on my phone.

My next class was Psychology I, so I had to rush my way over to the Science building, which not surprisingly was on the other side of campus. I had to push through the cramped hallway towards the exit doors. As I pushed them open a rush of warm air spread over me; maybe the ride over to my next class could take a bit longer so I could enjoy this weather.

Eminem beat into my ears as I unlocked my bike and hopped on. It was time to ride over--

"Hey!" I heard a yell. Almost jumping off my bike, I looked over and saw another girl I've never seen before-- pretty much that's how I felt about this whole school. She was standing just before me, her arms crossed over her chest and had daggers for eyes.

I slipped off an earphone and rose an eyebrow at her, "Can I help you?" I asked.

"You hit my best friend with your bike! Do you not know how to ride a bike dude?" She huffed.

My heart skipped a beat as I remembered that girl. Now I was actually going to be late for class, fuc-.

"It was an accident, I was in a hurry and I did ask her if I could make it up to her and she refused." I retorted, balancing myself on my left leg.

"Being in a hurry makes accidents happen dude, be less of in a hurry and maybe you won't almost kill someone!" She huffed again, her cheeks growing red from anger.

Shaking my head, I replied. "Look I'm seriously sorry I was an idio--" and before I could finish that girl came out of the building, spotting us. She ran over, her cheeks grew red once she approached us.

"Pam! What's going on?" She asked, looking from me, and I guess Pam.

Pam turned her head, focusing her attention on her friend. She let her arms fall to her sides, slipping her hands in her pockets. This rough exterior fell as she exposed herself to her best friend.

"I know you can defend yourself, but you told me he was sorta staring at you in class too. Creepy but maybe he feels bad about hitting you so I wanted to make sure he'd legitimately apologize this time," Oof, she noticed?

The girl rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "He would apologize if he felt he needed to. if he didn't, that's fine too. He a stranger, it honestly doesn't matter if he's sorry or not. Shit happens,"

Now I felt bad. I mean I already felt bad before about what I did, but now is a selfish feeling bad because she definitely doesn't want to even know me. Why am I the way that I am, what the heck? Having a romantic side to you is annoying as heck because it's that little bit in you, that little voice that tells you, shows you that this is like a rom-com and you need to keep believing, keep pushing. That's its' going to happen, you had that connection right? You just have to have hope and wait, and maybe try to be in her life and see if there could even be something there ever. Don't waste your time liking someone if there's nothing there just infatuation.

"I am sorry though," I spoke up, catching their attention. Pam rose an eyebrow, not believing me, and the other girl had her cheeks grow redder and her eyes widened. "Look, I really want to make it up to you. I shouldn't have been in a rush at all."

She looked over at Pam and Pam looked back. It's like they had a telepathic conversation.

"Wil, I think you should take him up on it." Pam sighed.

Her name is Wil. Wil, Wil, Wil... Okay Dan calm down.

Jake Harrison

Oliver did his best trying to keep himself on his feet as a pair of larger frat brothers had pushed the short red head off of the path to a tree. The students around keep to themselves seeing it as none of their business.

"Come on. I thought someone like you would want to be surrounded by athletic men. I mean...that's what you're into isn't it? Maybe we can make you a mascot," one said pushing the smaller bookworm up to the bark of the tree.

"Dude, that's sick. I mean you really want him staring at you when you're showering?" the other commented.

"Please, I just want to get to class," Oliver whimpered, clutching his history book to his chest as he looked up worried that he might have the same bullying that he had in high school.

"Shut up, fa..."

"Wow," a baritone voice interrupted. Both frat guys turned to see the a six foot two blue eyed stranger staring them down. "I feel sorry for you two. I mean...if you have to bully someone like Oliver there then then the pair of you must have zero confidence in yourselves. So what? The two of you are in the closet and you can't stand that Oliver is open about who he is?" The grin that spread over his features had a look that almost dared them to try and hit him. "Or maybe you two tied for the world's smallest micropenis?"

Both of brutish frat boys immediately forgot about the red head and focused on the lean swimmer in front of them. "So what? You his boyfriend or something?"

"I'm a friend. But the two of you certainly make a nice couple. How about the two of you just find some closet to go pound your sexual tension out of each other. You look like a catcher to me."

"You son of a..."

"Be careful. You're no longer hidden by that tree. They got cameras everywhere," Jake smiled. "Touch me and I'll have you two thrown in jail by the end of the day. With a record you can wave those scholarships bye-bye. Come on Oliver. We're gonna be late." The bookworm quickly hurried to Jake's side and the two followed the path.

"Thanks Jake. I didn't know what I was gonna do," Oliver said with a relieved sigh.

"Hey, I couldn't let my roommate get beaten up on the first day back," Jake said clapping a hand onto his shoulder. "Besides, you're the one supposed to be tutoring me in history. Speaking of which, let's get to American history

Oliver smiled as he looked up to Jake's smiling face. Those feelings welled up from his chest, bringing a blush to his cheeks. Turning away, Oliver nodded. "Yes. You're knowledge of even basic history is pretty pitiful," he responded.

"Hey it isn't my fault that everyone expects me to remember the date it happened more than what happened."

Oliver gave a shake of his head. "The dates are important because knowing what happened in a sequence gives context."

"I know that...I'm just not good at remembering it."

"Don't worry. I won't let you flunk out."

The pair walking through could easily be seen as good friends, even if Oliver's eyes shone with something that he wished was more. Still they took a seat beside one another near the middle of the sea of chairs.

Leopold Aloysius Madison

"You know, Cat, I think I'm going to love this place." Leo said. They were walking down the sidewalk together. Kate didn't want to walk to walk alone, so she had convinced Leo to walk with her.

"Why do you say that?" Kate asked.

"Well, my dad's not here." Leo flinched, he hated to remember how homophobic his dad could be. Of course, dad didn't know Leo was gay, but it still scared Leo.

"That's true." Kate agreed. "But, we dated for, like, two years. He can't be suspicous."

"Sure. What class do you have today? I have..." Leo pulled the crumpled up schedule from out of his pocket, "...aeronautical engineering. Sounds hard."

"Today I have 'Intro to Economics'. I believe it's in that building." Kate points to the building across the street. "I better be off."

"Bye Cat." Leo gave her a quick hug before she crossed the street.

"Bye Leopold! Remember to catch he bus" Kate chuckled, then sprints across the street.

"Call me Leo for Christ's sake!" Leo yelled after her. He hated his real name, but he couldn't change it. His mother named him and it was one of the only things he had left from her.

Leo arrived at the bus stop right on time. The driver pressed the button to open the door and Leo stepped into it. Only a couple people were on the bus. A middle aged man, an old lady, the bus driver, and Daniel. Daniel was Leo's roommate, but Leo rarely saw him. Their schedules didn't match, but Leo also tried to avoid him on most occasions. Daniel was handsome, he had blonde hair and was tall, but was straight. Leo sat a seat away from him and put his backpack on the ground, not wanting to invade his personal space.

"Hi Dan." Leo greeted him.

"Hey! How are you?" Daniel looked up from his phone.

"Good! What are you doing on this bus?"

"Heading to grab some coffee, then back to the dorm. Have you hung the flag up yet?"

"Flag?" Leo was confused. He couldn't remember packing a flag.

"Your rainbow flag? I saw it in the box next to your desk."

"Oh, yeah. I was going to do that after class." Leo lied. Now he was positive he didn't pack a flag. His father would've never let him have one, so he didn't own one. Kate must of snuck it in his dorm.

"Cool."

Leo looked out the window, "This is my stop. I'll see you back at the dorm!"

"Bye." Daniel said, looking back down at his phone.

Leo stood up, grabbed his backpack, and walked down the middle of the bus.

"Thanks." He told the bus driver, then headed towards the building the Class was held. As soon as he walked through the door, the professor turned to him.

"You're late! Sit down boy!" He yelled.

Shit.

Joshua Jung

“Alright you two. You both can start by taking those last few boxes up to Josh’s room while your father and I go park the car. Okay?” My mom yells from the car window. “Then we’ll go get some food.”

“Yes momma.” Lily replies readjusting her grip on one of the smaller boxes.

“Alright see you both in a bit. Love you.” She rolls up her window as we watch them pull away.

Lily and I walk inot the old dorm building chatting about Lily’s dance schedule until we finally make it to my room. It’s nothing particularly big or special, but it’s home.

“Okay from zero to a million, how excited are you to go back to school?” She asks placing her box down on my empty bed.

“Negative fifty.” I say with a smile placing my own down as well.

“Negative fifty?!” Lily gasps. “Why?! Is it that bad? Are there bullies? Do I need to beat someone up?” She puts up her fists looking around curiously.

“No.” I laugh ruffling her hair. “I guess I’m just sad I don’t get to see my annoying little sister as much.” She twists her face clearly annoyed, but she can’t hide the red that flushes her cheeks.

“Get a grip. There is such thing as FaceTime you dummy!” She hits my arm. Lily was never one for subtlety. “But I understand. I’m kind of amazing.” She flips her hair back.

“Yes.” I agree. “Yes you are.”

“Now, putting me aside. How excited are you to be going back?”

“I guess, I’m pretty excited.” I shrug.

“Good... Wait! Is Thomas here yet?” Suddenly dawning on her, she looks around the rest of the room excitedly to see my roommates stuff already unpacked and splayed about. “Oooooo. When do you think he’ll be back?”

“Oh, now I get it. I now see why you were so eager to help me bring these last boxes up while mom and dad parked the car. You wanted to see Thomas, not help your favorite brother.”

“You’re my only brother.” She crosses her arms.

“Right.” I laugh. “Besides I thought you didn’t like boys yet?” I ask jokingly making her cheeks grow red once more.

“I’m 12, not 5 Josh!” She stomps her foot. “I’m not a child anymore.”

“I know. I know.” I guiltily raise my hands. “Besides-“

“Smoshua!” Thomas yells bursting into the room, hands full of yellow Lays bags. He throws them dramatically onto his bed grabbing my arm and pulling me into a tight hug. “It’s good to see you man! How was your summer?”

“Pretty good. Mostly just training for the upcoming season.” I explain half lying.

“Right on! This year is gonna be pretty awesome if I do say so myself.” He turns noticing my sister. “Little Smoshua! I haven’t seen you since...”

“Spring break last year.” She finishes his sentence shyly rubbing her hands together.

“That’s right!” He laughs high fiveing her. “Oh by the way, do you need anymore help bringing in your stuff? We might want to get it done fast since we have that meeting with the captain tonight.”

“Oh shit I forgot.” I shake my head. “It’s to discuss this years try outs right?”

“Yup. Since Duke and Ray left last semester we need to fill both our right and left fullbacks. Didn’t you read the email.”

“Yeah sorry man. The last few weeks of my summer were pretty busy.”

“I get it, no worries.” He walks towards the door. “Alright let’s get you moved in.”

“Thomas you don’t need to do that. We just finished. But if you want you can come get lunch with my family and I.”

“Really? Sweet.” He fists bumps me then walks out the door and I turn to my little sister.

“Goodness he is such a gentleman.” She sighs dreamily.

“You are a lost cause sister o mine.” I laugh. She punches me in the side and continues to follow Thomas out the door.

Wil Campbell

“Wil I think you should take him up on it.” Pam said quickly. I was speechless. Pam looks at me grinning as I look between her and douche bike who was also now grinning and staring at me probably ecstatic to have Pam on his side. Coming up with the quickest excuse I can I grab Pam’s arm tightly pulling her away.

“Hey, don’t worry about it. There is literally nothing to make up for. Come on Pam we are gonna be late for lunch.” My voice cracks as I tug on her unmoving arm.

“No we aren’t.” She said assuredly. I eye her warily as she continues to smile at me.

“Look...” Douche bike cuts in looking between the both of us. He pulls out a post it note from his bag and scribbles on it quickly. “Why don’t I give you my number just in case you change your mind or if there’s ever a favor you need from me.” I stare at the note for a minute before Pam grabs it for me.

“She’ll give you a call.” I tug her arm harder. “Hopefully.” She laughs as I finally pull her away not making an effort to turn back and look at Douche Bikes reaction. My face burned with embarrassment, and I really hope its not noticeable.

———————————

Later at lunch Pam hounds me about the guy.

“Girl, you didn’t even get his name.” She whines grabbing a french fry.

“I don’t want his name. I don’t even want to know him.”

“Why not?” She whines louder.

“Okay whats going on?” I put my pasta down glaring at her. “Literally 30 minutes ago you were on my side and yelling at him for almost hitting me with a bike.”

“Yes, and that was before he apologized, and also presented a very interesting proposition.”

“And whats that?” I ask rolling my eyes.

“Girl he offered to take you out to ‘make it up to you.’” She gestures with quotations.

“Whoa he was not asking me out if that’s what you think.” I wrinkle my nose. “He simply felt bad, and assumed he had to apologize to avoid your wrath and clear his conscience.” I say plainly as she groans loudly.

“You always assume the worst in people. Especially boys.” She takes an aggressive bite of her chicken nugget. “He’s cute, and he seems fairly nice. Why not just take him up on his offer and see where it goes.”

“Cause it wouldn’t go there, and he’s not even that cute.”

“The color of your ears beg to differ.” She points at me with one of her fries as I cover my ears anxiously. “You’ll always be such a terrible liar.” She laughs.

“What does it matter what he looks like? He probably wouldn’t even think of that. I’m not exactly the type of girl guys like that would go after.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” She looks at me with a threatening look.

“Nothing…” I sink in my chair.

“Look, I’ll drop it if you really want me to. Although if you won’t go out with him then you’re going out with me.”

“What?”

“This Thursday. I was gonna wait until later to surprise you about it, but apparently there is this flashback cinema event going on at the theater.”

“For what movie?”

“Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.” My eyes go wide, and she laughs. “Apparently its this big event where they have themed snacks and games before the movie. People dress up and stuff.”

“Seriously?!” I ask excitedly.

“Yeah. Its an annual thing. We must’ve missed it last year in the rush of being new and all.”

“That’s so cool! We’re gonna dress up right?”

“You know it! I was saving my modern McGonagall costume for Halloween, but I suppose I can break it out early!” She shrugs, and I hug her excitedly. “But only for you.”

“Honestly I just hope someone gets mine this time. Everyone always thinks I’m Hermione.”

“In their defense, you are wearing a Griyffindor uniform with bushy hair. Plus no one ever notices the toad till you show him off.”

“Trevor needs more appreciation, but I suppose a female Neville is a little obscure.”

“Who knows maybe we’ll get lucky at this event, and you’ll find your nerdy soulmate!” She jokes giving me a playful shove.

“Okay enough talk about boys and soulmates. We’ve got a movie event to prepare for.” I say with a smile.

Pamela Hermonia Koszczynski

I had to geek out at least a little bit. Wil is a bit more geekier than I am-- but I still had that bit in me that really wanted to break free when it heard Harry Potter. I peered into my chest of drawers and searched for my Gryffindor Tee. It wasn't easy to find as it was buried all my regular clothes. I reached for it and pulled it out, having some shirts fly out onto the floor. Picking them up, I folded them and stuffed them nack into the drawer and shut it. My tee shirt was pretty old as the fabric was much softer than when I first got it, from use. Now it was time to find my cardigan that proved my Hogwarts loyalty.

"Wil, are you dressed?" I yelled over the Zedd that was blasting from our Sonos speaker. I specify only because it was one of the best buys I've made this year for school. It connects through bluetooth and costed a fortune. But it works so well, no static ever when you play music or movies or... I'll stop sponsoring this speaker right now.

"About," She yelled back through the bathroom door.

I went over to our closet and pulled the door open, finding a bunch of sweaters hung onto a rod. My cardigan had to be... Got it! I pulled at the grey cardigan and got it off the hanger. This one wasn't used as much since I bought it just last year for Halloween when I decided to be Hermione.

"I got my look, very simple but you could tell I'm a student at Hogwarts," I laughed. "I can't wait to see that guy again... your soulmate." I teased.

I could hear her grunt, "Come on Pam, this is for us to have fun and enjoy Harry Potter-- not to hit on some guy that I don't even care for."

Gasping, I replied. "You do not care for him?"

She stifled a laugh and opened the bathroom door, eyeing me with a glare. "I don't know him Pam, he seems... nice I guess? I mean he's very apologetic, But that doesn't mean he's a match for me."

"You know I'm just teasing Wil." I smiled, "But let's be honest here, you don't really give guys' a chance and I want you to be happy... and I know you're happy you don't need no man to be happy, I got that, but who knows? He might be a good run."

She took what I said into consideration and walked over to her bed, plopping down onto it and shutting her eyes. "Do I really need to think about that now? I have so much school work to focus on already."

"Okay, no. You're good babe. But, always make a little room to think about boys, it's a fun distraction from when you're drained from homework." I took my clothes and hopped into the bathroom. "Plus, he is really freaking hot."

___

Daniel Fredrick Huntzberger

I had put on my Ravenclaw tee shirt, which I bought maybe a month ago. My old one was torn in almost every place and needed to be replaced. My roommate hadn't come in yet, so I left him a post it on our door telling him to join me at the event. I am not sure if he even likes Harry Potter, but it'd be a good chance to bond, I mean, I will be living with him for a while.

I was on my way over to the theater. I had my earphones in, enjoying the music of Blackbear. I mean, going to an event when I'm still not really friends with anyone, it;s still scary. I had also brought a blanket with me, cause I know that I might take a short nap, they had to be playing more than one movie.

As I was walking through the hallway and out the main doors, someone rammed into my side. Maybe rammed was too of an aggressive word. But they bumped into me, causing me to lose balance, but I regained myself and looked to my right, seeing a smaller girl, straightening her shirt and looking down.

"Can you watch where you're going, dude?" She huffed, meeting my eyes. For a small person she seemed pretty filled with anger. I caught sight if a phone in her hand, must be the culprit since she bumped into me.

"Texting while walking will cause accidents," I retorted with a smirk. Her eyes got a bit wider as she looked at her hand noticing her phone. "It's fine dude, no worries, but I was definitely watching where I was going."

She then took this second to scan me, as if slightly judging me. "Sorry, I should've been looking." she then said. "Ravenclaw, huh?"

"The best house there could ever be," I said placing my hands on my hips.

"Are you going to that Harry Potter event?"

Nodding my head, I replied. "I mean, if the shirt didn't give it away, yes I am." I grabbed my blanket from my arm and shook it, indicating I had it. "I plan on taking a short nap in between movies."

A smile creeped onto her face as she looked at me. She seemed nice, maybe I should invite her? I need to make friends anyway. And maybe she could bring some people with her. Coming into a new school after being head of your previous school is pretty rough.

"You wanna come? You can bring your friends." I suggested.

Kate Eve Idna

Kate walked into the lecture hall, shocked at how many people there. Who would actually want to go into business? She walked down the aisle of chairs and sat down next to a rather tall guy, wearing an orange striped shirt and khakis. His dark yellow hair was all greased up and parted on the side.

"Good morning class and welcome to this class, I'm Professor Hel..." The woman on the stage said.

"Hey, can I borrow a pen?" The boy leaned to Kate and whispered.

"All I have is a pencil." Kate holds up the pencil and the boy snatches it out of her hand, returning to his work.

“Your welcome…” Kate mumbled. She hated people who didn’t take the time to say “please” or “thank you”.

Around ten minutes had passed before the boy leaned over to her again, “Do you have a sharpener?”

Kate dug through her backpack and found a small, purple pencil sharpener, “Here.”

The boy took it, sharpened the pencil, then put the sharpener back on her desk. Kate directed her attention to the professor, who was struggling to put a presentation on the screen. Soon enough, the boy turned to Kate for the third time.

“Do you…” He started, but Kate interrupted.

“..have an eraser?” Kate held up a pink eraser.

“No, actually. Do you have any Harry Potter merch I can borrow?” He said.

“What for?” Kate asked, confused.

“The Harry Potter Party! It starts after class.” The boy said.

“Oh, I didn’t know about that.” Kate said.

“I can text you the details, what’s your number?”

“You can just write it down. I have an index card.”

“It’d be easier if I just text you.”

“I don’t give my number out to random people, please just write it down.”

“Fine. What’s your name, anyways?” The boy takes the card and starts writing stuff down.

“Kate, you?”

“Jacob.” He passes the card back to Kate, “Here’s the info. I guess I’ll see you there.”

“Maybe.” The rest of the class passes without a word. Kate stands up and puts everything back into her backpack, except for the card, which she stuffed in her pocket.

Sebastian Davis

10:55 am…Five more minutes until I’m released from the constant choke hold that is tech support for college students. I tap my pencil rhythmically against my desk praying for the time to go faster so I can just go home and take a nap before my afternoon classes.

“Bro, you dreaming about me over there or something?” I turn annoyed to the idiot standing behind me drinking his third cup of coffee. “Cause you been staring at that same online page for the last 15 minutes.”

“Of course, Simon. There’s nothing I’d rather do than fantasize about making sweet love to you right now on this desk.” I say sarcastically patting the top of the desk gently.

“I’m flattered, but whoa dude I’m your boss you can’t talk to me like that.” He says placing a defensive hand up.

“Boss? You’re the tech coordinator, not my boss. Also, you’re my roommate and best friend from high school so I think that gives me the right to make fun of your ass.” I spin my swiveling chair back towards the screen with a sigh.

“There’s nothing wrong with my ass. My boyfriend likes it just fine.” He says emphasizing the word boyfriend. I turn sharply with a dramatic gasp.

“You finally asked the guy out?” I say perplexed.

“Actually, he asked me out. Pretty surprised if you ask me, but let’s face it I’m a catch.” He smirks taking another sip of coffee.

“You are something.” I laugh. “But seriously congrats man. You’ll have to introduce me some time, so I can give him the ole ‘don’t fucking hurt him or I’ll screw you up’ speech.”

“Seb, you do realize you couldn’t beat up a small child if you needed to.”

“Ouch I’m hurt.” I say grabbing my chest. I then look at the clock and smile. “Well well, would you look at the time. It’s time for me to head out.” I say grabbing my bag from the floor beside me.

“You’ve still got one minute.” Simon says tapping his watch with a smile.

“Simon no one is gonna come in the next min-“

“Hey, can I get some help over here?” A girl interrupts at the edge of the desk. I turn to her letting my bag fall to the floor and putting on my best customer service half-smile.

“Yeah, what can I do for you?” I ask looking down at her laptop. She slides it over to me.

“I can’t seem to access the color printer, and I’ve followed all the online instructions. Also, I’ve tried resetting, and rebooting the webpage with no luck.” She sighs rolling her eyes.

“Alright let’s see if I can fix this for you then.” I start to scroll through the page to check for the correct settings when after a few minutes the girl pipes up again.

“So, Sebastian…” She says looking at my name tag. “Having a good first week?” I shrug not bothering to look up at her as I continue my work.

“I guess.” I say quickly. As the next few minutes pass a blur of a conversation happens between us. She asks a question I don’t really hear, and I give her my typical one to two-word answers. She’s in the middle of asking her next question when I spin her laptop back towards her.

“All good to go. Your problem is that you weren’t connected to the main system before trying to print. It’s an easy fix if you have to automatically set up, which I just did for you so there you go. You have a nice day ma’am.” She looks at me for a moment before smiling and grabbing her laptop.

“Well, it was nice to meet you Sebastian.” She starts to walk off giving me a small wave as she goes. I start to grab my bag again, when Simon rushes up behind me.

“Dude, she was totally flirting with you.” He says excitedly gripping my shoulder.

“What?” I ask actually confused.

“You seriously didn’t notice? She even did that hair flip then twirl thing that some girls do when they like a guy. Also, she totally checked you out before talking to you.”

“No, I don’t think so. Also, I’m pretty sure that was just awkward small talk.” I say brushing the back of my head nervously.

“Yeah that was flirty small talk, and you were awkward.”

“I gotta go.” I brush him off walking out from behind the desk. “See you back at the dorm.”

“Hey wait! I need a favor really quick!” He yells holding a hand out.

“What do you need?” I jog back to the help desk eyeing him warily.

“You know how that Harry Potter event is tonight? He asks already exhibiting his lost puppy eyes. I nod already knowing quite well where this was going. “Well, Sam got us this really great reservation at a nice restaurant, and I’d already signed up to be the tech organizer for the event. I just really don’t want to let either party down and…”

“Simon, you know I have a raid tonight on Archgate. My team needs me, and we’ve been planning this one for a while.”

“I know Seb. I know. But your raids don’t typically start till until 12:30 a.m. anyways. And that’s when the event ends. You just ask your team to delay by 30 minutes, and I promise that you can have the dorm to yourself tonight to cuss and scream all you want. I’ll can stay at Sam’s place.”

“You guys are already at that level?” I ask raising my eyebrow.

“Seb, we’ve been like talking and going out sometimes since last semester so it’s not the weird. It’s just that now we’ve made it official.” He shrugs. “But back to the subject at hand. Please Seb. Please!” He brings up his hands to beg.

“Ugh fine.” He reaches over the desk pulling me into an unsuspecting hug. “ I guess I can practice some Smash on my Switch while I’m at the event instead of sleep preparation for my raid tonight.”

“You’re the best! And you can have all of Saturday to hole yourself up in our room and hibernate to make up for it.” I roll my eyes and start to walk away. “Seriously you’re the best man!”

What have I done?

Wil Campbell

“Alright ready to go?” Pam asks hanging by the door as I finished strategically securing my own version of Trevor the Toad inside the pocket of my denim jacket. I loved my Neville-bound costume, but it wouldn’t be a completed Harry Potter event without my, as Pam calls it, iconic nerdy denim jacket. This jacket has been a staple of my wardrobe for the past five years and clearly shows the wear and tear. Adorning the denim jacket are a fair share of patches, and pins representing my house Hufflepuff, but also references from all of the books and movies.

“Wow you really are a nerd.” Pam smiles looking at me.

“You are too.” I scoff grabbing our blanket.

“And that’s why we’re the best.” She wraps her arm over my shoulder and we stagger out of the dorms making our way to the event.

When we arrive to the quad holding the event, I smile hardly unable to contain a squeal of delight rising in my throat. Whoever put the event together should be proud. The quad was already filled with quite a few people bustling around trying to get the best spots to watch the movie or get the best snacks from the little themed booths set up. The event was clearly divided up into three parts: the movie area, the snack booths, and a comfortable looking lounge area for people to hang out and be more social. The subtle yet effective decorations were decked out across the quad to really create an ambiance of the Wizarding World. It was so much to take in that I hardly noticed Pam starting to walk off to find a spot.

“Wait up!” I call after her, and she laughs.

“Don’t want to lose a good spot. The crowd is getting bigger, and I am not going to watch Alan Rickman’s beautiful performance behind some dude who talks for the whole movie.” I giggle as we find a nice spot a few yards away from the screen.

“I have a feeling this event isn’t going to quiet down anytime soon. It’s more social and fair-like than I thought it was gonna be. It’s really cool.”

“Apparently this club pulls off one of these events every month with a new theme. I saw Indiana Jones, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and even The Shining. They really pull out all the stops.”

“We’ll have to go to more later in the year if we have time.” I say excitedly still unable to take my eyes off of everything going on.”

“Well, we've still got like an hour before the movie starts so I’m going to go get our lovely themed goodies and snacks!” Pam says excitedly holding up the tickets she showed me earlier in the week. “One chocolate frog or two?”

“Is that even a question? Two for sure.” I say assuredly. Pam smiles throwing up a pinkie before walking off and leaving me alone to enjoy the nerdy world around me


Movie Area:


Social Area:


Snack and Merch Area:

Pamela Harmonia Koszczynski

It was beautiful-- maybe I exaggerated, but it was nice. Having this Harry Potter theme all throughout, and people all dressed up as well-- it gave off such a great vibe and honestly I could live in it forever.

I left Wil to grab some snacks, I knew we were either gonna get hangry or worse, so I had to get sustenance for the marathon. And well, there were Harry Potter themed snacks so like, yes. The snack booths were just to the right of us, so I walked over, enjoying the cool breeze that ran around us. People were already crowding each booth, handing over money for amazing treats. I peeked over a very taller people and read the menu off of one sign. Hmmm.

I heard a clanking sound come from my left, which had to be loud cause all the people here were making a big ruckus. Peering over, I saw a guy picking with some kind of computer system, I'm assuming that will be used to play the film. I tried taking a closer look at him but alas, my vision was shit and I left my glasses in the dorm. But if I squinted, I could tell he had to be the least bit cute, and very busy setting up our movie marathon.

"Next in line!" A girl called. I turned my attention towards her and noticed it was me that was next.

Smiling, I approached her and ordered. She took my card and swiped it through the register, leaving my stomach jumping. Ugh, I needed to work extra shifts. She got started in assembling our food and I tried to look at the guy again, I don't know, something in me was very curious. I took my phone out of my pocket and turned on Snapchat.

Leaning against the booth and maneuvering around a few people, I had managed to get a clear view of him. I took a picture and sent it to Wil, hopefully she will open it up. I wrote a caption saying 'He's a cutie, do you know him maybe?'.

I looked back at the booth and saw a tray of food waiting for me. That smell of popcorn was more than enough to make me excited to sit down and watch for hours. There were a few Harry Potter themed sweets on the tray and two glasses of Butterbeer. I picked it up and took it over to Wil. It was a mission since I had to avoid so many collisions. People just kept on piling in; who knew that Harry Potter love was that strong?

I found Wil plopped on our blanket. “Dude! You will not believe that snack table. It was epic! Also, there was this super-hot-” She pointed at the guy next to her, and I noticed, bike guy. I sit down next to Wil, placing the food before us.

“Bike dude? You’re here?” I turned to meet Wils' eyes and grinned. This is good so so gooood. She rolled her eyes and hit my arm, obviously annoyed by me.

"His name is Daniel." She said.

"Ahh, it's just Dan." He said in turn, sitting up on his blanket. I kind of felt awkward sitting between them but... I want to be in the middle of this soon to be love.

“Ah good to know you guys are acquainted now...” I smiled, grabbing a chocolate covered pretzel stick and taking a bite out of it. It kinda got awkward, again, I definitely interrupted probably an amazing conversation. But I did want to be here with Wil, I don't want to be the third wheel.

'So," Wil chimed in, I steered my attention towards her. "Pam, you mentioned a hot--" I quickly cut her off, feeling my smile grow even larger.

"Oh yeah!" I said but got distracted by the bright light that grew in front of us. Looking over, I notice the screen lighting up, meaning the movie was about to play.“It can wait. The movie is officially starting!”

***

Throughout the first half of the movie, I definitely noticed how Wil and Dan would exchange glances. So sweet yet so awkward for me. Maybe I should switch my position, I could sit on Wil's other side, The fact that I sat in between them was already dumb.

"Hey, Wil, I'm gonna go to the bathroom, be right back." I whispered to her. She simply nodded and I got up. I had to walk around a lot of people either sitting and laying down. But I managed. There was a sign indicating where the porta-podies are, so I followed it, going back to the food area.

I walked passed a few booths, avoiding the sitting area, and found my way over to the wash room area. It was by the large projector screen, but far away enough to not be noticeable as you were watching. You had to walk down a shirt path by the willow trees to get to them. Before I walked down the path, I turned to see if maybe that guy was still here. And he was, seated at the computer which his head leaned against his hand. Was he not a Harry Potter fan? I mean he could just watch with us.

"Hey," I said, smiling. He wasn't too far so he could hear me, which presented true as he jumped in his seat.

Turning towards me, his eyes were wide. Ugh, that would be me to scare a cute guy.

"Hi?" He questioned.

"Sorry, I was just--" I don't really have to explain that I had to pee so. "Umm, you look bored. You don't want to sit out there with us maybe? It's not like you have to monitor the movie from the computer."

America was… interesting. Colourful, definitely. Also a few degrees — Celsius, not that godforsaken Fahrenheit — warmer on average than Cambridge, but maybe that was just Barrington. The summer heat would be pleasant, but Kieran didn’t look forward to the winter; temperatures typically dropped below zero, and he wasn’t particularly fond of snow.

He’d expected that changing universities so soon would be a bit of an adjustment, but the contrary proved true. The majority of the students were infallibly friendly, and although their conversations lacked the finer nuances of communication, they were always spirited and entertaining. He looked at Dario, a case in point. No sooner than Kieran had sat down for his first class, the young man and three ladies had moved over to sit beside him.

Dario hadn’t done much talking then, as his girlfriend, Angelina, was clearly the one to take the lead. She’d initiated first contact, introduced Kieran to Dario and their two friends, and proceeded to assimilate him into her friend group. He got along with essentially everyone, so he hardly minded. It wasn’t like he ever had to try to find himself surrounded by people. Furthermore, they provided all the networking opportunities he could need. He’d attended his first party just the previous day, and they’d already dragged him off to another event.

A Harry Potter-themed picnic and screening wasn’t a bad idea at all. Apparently, an event like that one was held every month, but since the nearby theatre was holding a flashback screening of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, the theme was chosen to match. Was anyone at the mini-fair even planning on going to the cinema? The organisers had arranged a projector to display the film right there in the quad, so people wouldn’t miss anything by not going, and in fact, they’d miss the socialisation.

Dario absolutely exploited the opportunity to convene with fellow Potterheads. He proudly displayed the red and gold of his official house attire and accessories, and from the sound of it, he and another Gryffindor were enthusiastically complimenting each other. Kieran had elected to wear a suit, as he always did, but he’d donned a yellow dress shirt for the occasion. (He’d ordinarily just have went with a yellow tie, but it didn't complement white all that well.) Angelina, looking irritable next to the punch bowl to his left, simply wore red.

“Not feeling the spirit?” Kieran asked, leaning back against the table and inspecting a yellow bean. He offered the carton in his other hand.

“More than half the people here just came to nerd out,” she replied, selecting a black bean and popping it into her mouth. “I thought this was supposed to be a social event!”

Sulphur. Cringing in disgust, Kieran added, “It is a social event.”

“Social events are for people who don’t only crawl out of their make-believe castles once a year to discuss potions and broomsticks and Snargalump horns!”

“I believe you’re conflating Snargaluff pods with Erumpent horns.”

“It. Doesn’t. Matter!” She actually clenched her fists in indignation.

“Be nice. Eat another bean.”

She muttered under her breath but obeyed. She picked a brown one, but she spat it out as soon as she began chewing. “That tastes like literal dirt!”

“They’re Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans, Angelina.”

“Fine! You eat one too!”

“Angie, I bought this. I’ve been eating it this whole time.”

She ignored his statement and picked another brown bean. “Here, eat this one.”

Kieran’s lips twitched up into a brief smile, but he didn’t protest. “Chocolate fudge,” he informed her after chewing for a few seconds.

Angelina fumed. “Olivia and Harper decided they’re too cool for this place, you’re nothing but sass and are trying to poison me with fake candy, and that bastard—” She gesticulated at Dario. “—is too busy comparing hypothetical wand sizes to attend to his girlfriend! I should leave and find better company.”

Dario looked over and grinned. “Babe, you could’ve joined me and Thomas if you’d gotten your passport when I asked you to.”

“I have an actual passport,” she retorted in a low hiss. “I don’t need a stupid account I’m never going to use.”

“That’s what you said back then, but look where we are now.” He pointedly turned to Kieran and ignored Angelina, provoking an indignant gasp from her. “Kier, can I see your wand again?”

“You’ve seen and held it three times already!” Angelina interjected, desperately attempting to regain their attention.

“Five times, actually,” Dario replied with a wicked smirk. “And you were there there first—”

“OH MY GOD.” She threw her hands into the air. “That’s it. I’m done. I’ll go find a different loser to fuck tonight. You can sleep in the guest room.” She stormed off before anyone could utter a response.

“Do you… not want to straighten things out with her?” Kieran asked cautiously.

Dario seemed unfazed. “Nah, she’s fickle like that. Besides, who says I plan on going home?” He waggled his eyebrows. “Now, c’mon! Thomas wants to see your wand already!”

Kieran smirked. “It’s rude showing off other men’s wands like they’re your own, you know.”

“But yours is so cool! C’mon, a straight man has never been so hyped!”

Sighing good-naturedly, Kieran produced his wand case and pulled it out. Dario and his conversation partner alike gawked at it.

Dario elbowed Thomas in the ribs. “What did I tell you? This man is the shit. A legit beech wood wand. Thirteen inches and reasonably supple flexibility. Phoenix feather core, right?”

That was the detail of which he wasn’t sure?

“Yes. I don’t know which kind of feather was actually used.”

Thomas whistled. “Man, it’s impressive that it contains anything at all.” He turned back to Dario and began discussing what breed of horse would be used as a substitute for unicorn hair.

Kieran shook his head, marvelling at their enthusiasm. He felt it too, but he had no way of expressing it as energetically. Another student sidled up to him, an objectively creepy smile on his face. He wore plain clothes, apparently indifferent to the event's theme. The least he could have done was wear one of the four primary house colours.

“Hey.”

Kieran pointed his wand at the young man’s chest. “Repello Muggletum.”

“Oh. Got it.” The man disappeared as quickly as he’d come.

“No, seriously! Hear me out—” Dario turned to fist-bump Kieran, saying "Sick burn, man!" before resuming his conversation. “—a dapple grey obviously isn’t all white, but I still think…”

Kieran stowed his wand away and directed his attention elsewhere. The quad just kept getting fuller, but the majority of people seemed to arrive in clusters, which made mingling somewhat more difficult. Dario had ensured that they arrived early, and though it was an objectively good call, Kieran felt especially relieved that he wouldn’t need to brave the crowds surrounding the snack booths.

“Hey, Kier, we’re gonna go claim a spot before the movie starts.”

Kieran nodded. “Sure. See you in a while.”

“No, no, we’re still coming back to move the stash—” Dario gestured at the heap of snacks and drinks on the table to Kieran’s right. “—we just need you and Josh to guard it while we’re away. You haven’t chatted much, so you can use your watch as an opportunity to banter!”

“Acknowledged, sir,” Kieran said with an amused grunt.

The pair scooped up their blankets and bags before disappearing into the still-growing crowd. Thomas’ friend, who had been pried away from a conversation with a nearby student, shook his head at them. “Maybe we’ll get lucky and they’ll be mobbed before they come back.”

The man wore Levi jeans and a navy, hooded jacket over a monochromatic cyan shirt. He’d obviously intended to pass as a Ravenclaw, but for some reason, his friend hadn’t bothered correcting him on the colour scheme.

“I take it you were dragged here as well?”

“Pretty much.” He gave Kieran a quick once-over and smirked. “But you look too dressed for the occassion to be a convincing tag-along, even without the suit.”

Kieran raised an eyebrow. “Just because I’m wearing yellow?”

“Yeah. Isn’t that one of the house colours?”

“It is, but yellow and black are technically Hufflepuff’s colours, so my suit is as in-theme as my shirt.”

The other man’s smile faltered. “Oh. So just blue isn’t enough?” He looked down at his attire, reevaluating its appropriateness.

“Not to be pedantic, but cyan isn’t actually blue.”

“Oh, shit. I always thought that was just another name for light blue.”

He seemed genuinely surprised and disappointed. Kieran elected to relent a little.

“It depends on the culture of the individual perceiving the colour. Your accent is American, but… Forgive me, I can’t tell if your lineage is Chinese or Korean.”

The other man had dark brown hair, almond-shaped, chocolate eyes, and light olive skin. He was clearly of Far Eastern descent, but Kieran regrettably couldn’t tell much else.

“Korean.”

“Ah, I was leaning towards that. Well, if I remember correctly, Korea still doesn’t make the blue-green colour distinction that the West does. You grew up here in America, so that’s probably not the case for you, but your parents… grandparents…?”

“Parents. They moved here after getting married.”

Kieran nodded. “Parents, then. They probably don’t make the distinction, whereas you do.”

The young man looked thoughtful. “I can’t speak for them, but blue and green are definitely two different colours to me.”

“Exactly. You therefore can’t see green as a shade of blue, or blue as a shade of green, even if you tried. Russians and Greeks make the same distinction between blue and cyan — or aqua, turquoise, whatever you want to call it.”

Thomas returned just then, grinning at the two of them. “Ah, getting along, I see. Fantastic! Don’t let me interrupt. I’ll just…” He collected as much of the snacks and drinks as he could without risk of dropping them. “Grab these and be off. Dario will be right over!”

His friend watched him go with a smirk. Turning back to Kieran, he said, “So, what should I have been wearing?”

“Blue and bronze,” Kieran replied with a focused gaze.

The other student frowned. “You sound sceptical.”

“I am, but not about the colour scheme. Is Ravenclaw definitely your house?”

“I don’t know; Thomas thinks so. Says I study too much.” Noting Kieran’s slightly pursed lips, he asked, “You don’t think it fits?”

“I’m not convinced, but I could be wrong.” Kieran added the uncertainty mostly out of courtesy. He trusted his intuition, and he majored in psychology to boot.

Dario returned to collect the rest of his ‘stash’. He saluted Kieran with an expression of mock gravity. “Great work, soldier. Dismissed.” He broke into a wide grin. “You two coming over?”

Thomas’ friend voiced his assent, but Kieran shook his head. “Not just yet.”

“All right, but don’t think you can escape! You’re watching this thing with us, even if I have to Stupefy you in the process.”

“Imperio would be more efficient. And you forget who has the wand here.”

“Damn, fair point. Well, I’ll beg!” He smirked. “You know I don’t mind.”

Kieran rolled his eyes. “Just go. I’ll join you before the film starts.”

Dario snickered smugly and sauntered off.

“I think I’m going over already,” the young man said. ”To be continued, I guess…?”

“Indeed,” Kieran replied with a slow incline of his head. “I’ll withhold judgement until we get to know each other better, assuming we do see each other again.”

“Oh, we totally should! I’ll get your number from Thomas.” His expression changed from enthusiastic to sheepish. “But I… just remembered we haven’t actually introduced ourselves.” He extended a hand. “Joshua Jung.”

“Kieran Driscoll-Spencer.”

“It was nice to meet you. Talk again some other time!”

Kieran waved him off and collected his carton of dubious jellybeans. He’d loitered around for long enough; it was time for a walk.

He ventured into the crowd at an angle leading away from Dario’s campsite. He ambled along, entertaining himself with observing people and gambling with the fate of his palate. He caught snippets of conversation as he passed by, all of them either mundane or revolving around some thematically appropriate topic.

Eventually, a light reddish bean halted him in his tracks. He tried his best to battle the truly disgusting taste of spoiled fish, staring resolutely at an unremarkable spot in the air above the crowd. Part of him wished he could just spit the bloody thing out, but he’d regret the blow to his dignity more.

He strode to the nearest side of the quad and leaned against a pillar, finally swallowing the wretched piece of confectionary with eyes squeezed shut. His entire body shivered in protest.

“Oh, come on, it isn’t like anyone here is gonna bite.”

Kieran latched onto the bold voice nearby, hoping it would distract his tortured senses.

“I know that,” a milder voice replied in a hushed tone, “but… I’m concerned about what you meant by ‘meeting people’.”

The distraction seemed to have worked. The foul aftertaste lingered, but Kieran regained enough composure to look up and limit his involuntary shivering.

“Well, I happen to know that you are in need of someone to give you a little romance,” the first voice continued cheekily. “And I, as your wingman, will help you with that.” A chuckle and a pause. “There’s one now. He looks like a good match.”

Kieran’s distant gaze surged back into focus. The slightly increased clarity of the young man’s words suggested he’d looked at Kieran while uttering that last sentence.

“Jake, I don’t even know him,” the second voice objected quietly.

Feigning ignorance, Kieran placed his carton on the ground and adjusted his cufflinks. He wasn’t in the mood for being the subject of someone’s matchmaking, but he couldn’t muster the indecency to walk away, lest the pair realise he’d been eavesdropping.

“Then let’s get to introductions,” the first voice declared.

Sure enough, Kieran spied the man named Jake pushing a reluctant redhead towards him. Jake himself was the picture of idealised masculinity: tall and lean, with ocean blue eyes set in a light, handsomely carved face. He had a particularly attractive nose — the bridge was straight and leaned towards being long, and the nostrils weren’t too prominent. Only his brown hair saved him from being the literal idol of Western society.

His friend, on the other hand, was a more realistic depiction of the layman. Short, pale, lanky, and bespectacled, he seemed exactly like the kind of person Angelina had previously ridiculed for attending events like that one. If not from Britain directly, he at least had deep roots there. As they stopped beside him, Kieran noted the young man’s freckles with a pang.

“Greetings. I’m Jake. Haven’t seen you around.”

Kieran shook his hand wearily, already wishing they would leave. His expression and tone, of course, were calm and casual. “Kieran. This is a rather large campus, so that wouldn’t surprise me even if I hadn’t transferred here only this year.”

Jake nodded, oblivious to Kieran’s reservation. “I bet you have some good stories from where you’re from and it is very nice to meet you. But I will admit that I am here for another reason.” He spoke in a way that suggested neither his intentions nor Kieran’s origin were obvious. He stepped aside and nudged his friend forward. “This is Oliver. Sensitive. Caring. History lover. Single. Enjoys quiet readings in the library and to be tucked into the arms of a wonderful male companion. Would you happen to know anyone interested in a smouldering red head?”

Oliver extended a trembling hand, almost blushing deeply enough to match his hair. “Umm… h-hi. I’m… Oliver.” He seemed to realise just as he said his name that he’d already been introduced. Kieran hadn’t thought it possible, but he actually turned an even brighter shade of scarlet.

“I’ve heard great things about you,” Kieran quipped, shaking his hand, but not too firmly. Jake chuckled, but Oliver squirmed.

“So… umm, you're from England, I take it. Lots of history…”

Kieran smiled wryly. “Yes, there’s—”

“Hold up.” Dario appeared seemingly out of nowhere. “I sense a set-up. I’ll have you two know that Kieran here has an agent. Any negotiations need to be conducted in my presence.”

If the typical American had been capable of interpreting stony-faced stares, Dario might have detected liberal amounts of “What the absolute fuck are you doing?” with a hint of “Have you been trailing me?” in Kieran’s eyes. As it stood, he simply grinned, motioned for Jake to follow him to a respectable distance, and invited him to begin discussing terms.

“Terms?” Jake asked, following with a smirk and raised eyebrow. “Oliver is looking for a relationship. I was seeing if Kieran knew any strapping young men in the market.”

Oliver rolled his eyes at Jake, desperately acting like his cheeks weren’t aglow. “I’m so sorry about him.”

“He’s at least as bad, but likely worse,” Kieran replied, gesturing at Dario with his head.

Dario pretended not to hear. “Hmm, that’s a… an astute deduction! It seems I have misinterpreted, no, umm… misgauged your intentions. But never… none, umm…”

“Nevertheless,” Kieran offered.

“Nevertheless!” Dario exclaimed, beaming first at Kieran and then at Jake. “Information like that is highly sought after. What would you be willing to trade in return?”

Jake frowned. “What exactly are you in the market for? ‘Cause I can’t say my tastes are the same as Oliver’s. And I’m not sure how an agent gets involved in the relations of his client.”

Oliver whimpered and buried his head in his hands. “I… I’ll go. I don’t want to embarass you anymore than we already have.”

Kieran felt about ready to die of second-hand embarrasment. He wasn’t sure it could get much worse at that point. He wanted to put a reassuring hand on Oliver’s shoulder, but he wasn’t opposed to Dario unwittingly chasing the unwelcome pair away.

“You asked for information,” Dario continued, “so information is what I take my commission from.”

Jake crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Well I don’t deal in cheat answers, so you might have to work on finding another source of that.”

Kieran sighed heavily and moved to the other part of the pillar. Dario and Jake were still within earshot, but far enough away that he wouldn’t immediately be associated with them. “Give them some space to discuss their silly contract,” he advised Oliver, resigning himself to the redhead’s company. “Our friends are both a bit much, it seems.”

Oliver chuckled, nodding and moving a few steps away. "Jake means well. He’s just…” He sighed, deflating and seemingly trying to become even smaller. “He’s trying to set me up to get over my last crush.” Oliver had no experience in hiding his emotions, so it wasn’t difficult to deduce that Jake was the crush.

“That’s noble of him. How long has he been at it, though?”

"Well, we were roommates last year, so I guess since the start of this year, after I… I mean…” He looked at Kieran, his eyes wide.

Kieran drew on his inner calm to help soothe the frightened boy. “Don’t worry about it. You don’t need to justify anything.” Oliver visibly relaxed. “So, he’s been like this on and off for seven months?”

“I guess, yes. He most definitely prefers the upfront way of doing things."

Kieran allowed himself a slight shake of the head. “Subtlety is lost on some people.”

"So… you transferred in,” Oliver said, rocking on his heels. “Any particular reason why?”

It was as good a time as any to apply his theoretical knowledge. He locked his emotions away before answering, “My partners — boyfriend and girlfriend — broke up. They weren’t good at limiting the collatoral damage.” He shrugged, as much for his own sake as for Oliver’s. “Seeing them every other day lost its appeal.”

“Wow! I’m sorry to hear that.” Oliver’s nervousness bled away into sympathy and relief. Kieran still hadn’t agreed to anything, but at least Oliver needn’t worry any further that his friend was attempting to set him up with a straight man. “So, you were in an open relationship before? I don’t know if I could handle that."

Kieran patiently shook his head. “No, an open relationship means the people in the relationship are free to sleep with people outside it, perhaps with some conditions involved. My relationship was polyamorous, which means one person is romantically involved with multiple other people, with everyone’s knowledge and consent. A relationship can be open and polyamorous, of course, but the terms are distinct. In my case, the three of us all dated each other. Instead of a ‘couple’, you’d call us a ‘triad’.”

“I didn’t know that,” Oliver said, grimacing. “I’m sorry for the misunderstanding.”

“There’s no need to be sorry. You didn’t know, but you do now.”

He took heart and stood a little less forlornly. “That also seems more than I could handle. I mean… the last person I was interested in didn’t reciprocate. I don’t think I could find more than one for myself. And… I tend to want to be with the one I am with,"

Kieran nodded. “All relationships are hard, but poly ones even more so. You don’t typically start out with multiple people dating. It’s more likely that a couple expands to include a third member, in the case of a triad. Not all the people need to date each other, though. The other common type of poly relationship is called a V, where one person dates two people who aren’t also dating each other.”

“I see. Well… that would be interesting.” He considered the thought for a moment, but a worried look passed over his face. Whatever he felt, he must have decided it was time to move on to a tamer subject. “Umm… what is your field of study?”

“Psychology.”

“History for me. I just love learning about the past and how people used to live. How culture and tradition became the way they are and how…” He trailed off, suddenly self-conscious. “I’m rambling. Sorry.”

“Don’t worry. Our ‘agents’ seem to have reached an agreement.”

Dario glided over, a gleam in his eyes. “We’ve settled on the terms! Jake, would you care to do the honour?”

Kieran and Oliver moved back to the other side of the pillar. Jake sighed ever so slightly before nodding. “We have arranged a date between the two of you… as well as one between Kieran and me.”

“Wait… what?” Oliver gasped.

Kieran raised an eyebrow. “…He tried getting you to agree to go on a date with him instead, didn’t he?”

“He did, but he also made it very clear that if I wasn’t going to have a date with him… then I had to date someone else.” Jake chuckled. “So, if it gets Oliver a date… then I’ll take one for the team.”

It didn’t escape Kieran’s notice how Jake could have offered to date Oliver instead, but had chosen not to. Perhaps he thought it would undo much of the progress he and Oliver had made, or perhaps he simply thought Kieran would respect his boundaries and not press the matter. Kieran knew both instances to be true, so he supposed the distinction mattered little.

“Your friend has more honour than mine, Oliver,” he said with a smile. “I told you Dario was worse. But come to think of it, Jake, what does he get out of it?”

Dario winked. “Like I said, I deal in information.”

“…I’m not giving you a report on my date.”

“You’re right! I landed you two dates, so you owe me two reports!” He saluted and left before Kieran could protest again.

Kieran sighed and looked at the other two. “If the suit didn’t give it away, I always follow the gentleman’s code.”

“Gentleman or not, Oliver gets looked after,” Jake replied with a grin. “He might not be my type, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about his happiness.”

Oliver groaned, covering his face with one hand. “Jake! Seriously! You don’t have to do this. I’m fine! You don’t have to go on this date that we both know isn’t your thing.”

And as much as Kieran enjoyed seeing a straight dude fall for another man, that one time had been an organic process, not a forced conversion. Moreover, Kieran’s measured composure belied his own discomfort with the whole situation.

“Already made the contract,” Jake stated simply. “And I keep my word. You know that.”

Kieran groaned inwardly. “Ordinarily, the clients need to sign the contract before it’s binding,” he pointed out, “but I don’t want to undermine your determination.” He unlocked his phone and opened his contact list, handing it to Jake.

Quickly tapping away on the display, Jake entered both his and Oliver’s numbers. “There — now you can’t argue it. Besides, if you’re that worried about it, you can just find me a date later.” Jake smirked at the redhead and handed the phone back. He pressed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“What now?” Oliver asked uncertainly.

Kieran sighed and collected his chaotic neutral carton of candy. “For me, at least, I shall question my choice of friends as I head over to the spot Dario claimed for watching the film, after which I’ll naively look forward to ninety minutes of relative peace. If you’re smart, you’ll flee before he assimilates you into his friend network as well, but if you decide you want compensation for this ordeal, you can follow me and raid his hoard of snacks and such. The choice is yours.”

Shayleigh “Lei” Sabarley

R button; while hitting the ground = recovery

Sparklei’s Wolf was launched backward from the power of a lateral hit from The Cloud player's Buster Sword. He’d have hit the ground heavily and would’ve been subjected to more damage had he not used his arms to cushion his fall, then manage to get back up just in time to witness Cloud perform a vertical slash in the air, releasing a green-colored, literal air blade speeding through the ground in Sparklei’s Wolf’s direction.
A smile appeared on both character and gamer’s lips; Wolf because his animations showed the expression, and Sparklei, because she knew exactly what to do.

↓ + B Button = Reflector

Taking a defensive position with arms around his body, Sparklei’s Wolf activated his reflector shield. As the air blade collided with it, it instantly changed its course, redirected against a dashing Cloud. Just as planned, the player's swordsman was hit by his own attack.

→ = Dash

It was Sparklei’s Wolf’s turn to dash, readying for a practiced counterattack.

Y button (light press); → + A button = Forward Aerial attack

Hopping slightly above the ground, Sparklei’s Wolf performed a downward arcing slash with his left arm, sending Cloud flying further to the right.

Forward Aerial

Sparklei’s Wolf performed the motion once more before dashing again on the ground, chasing Cloud down like the hunter he was.

Y; ↓ + A = Down Aerial

Upon noticing that Cloud’s body was finally off-stage, Sparklei’s Wolf performed another jump, this time preparing both of his arms before launching them downward, slashing Cloud in order to perform a Meteor — a hit designed to send any foe crashing downward, off to the boundaries of the stage.
But Cloud, apparently, wasn’t one to go down so easily.

“Limits are meant to be broken.” Having uttered his catchphrase, the relentless warrior’s entire body covered itself with a blue aura, and he used the extra strength to unleash an upward slash in mid-air, covering much more distance than he would outside of his Limit Break state. And so, he reached for the ledge of the stage, grabbing it with his hand.

B button + ←= Wolf Flash

Sparklei’s Wolf performed his Wolf Flash in mid-air, a diagonal-angled attack leaving a claw trail behind Sparklei’s Wolf as he reached for one of the three platforms of Battlefield. He quickly climbed it down and landed on the ground, just as Cloud lifted himself back onto the stage.
And then, it happened.
Sparklei couldn’t help but smile as she noticed her Wolf calmly place himself in battle stance, knees bent, arms up and metal claws out, while both him and the Cloud player stared at each other for several seconds, waiting for a mistake from the other to decide on what to do.

B button = Blaster

Quick as the wind, Sparklei’s Wolf put a hand to his holster and fired an energy bullet from his blaster gun; but Cloud immediately responded with another air blade, which cut through the bullet like it was nothing. As Cloud dashed after it, Sparklei frowned. That Cloud should know what was coming next — he was too good to repeat such an action without a plan. She’d have to be careful.

↓ + B = Reflector

The reflector shield struck again, but this time, Cloud performed a flawless acrobatic jump above it, then lifted his sword for a powerful slash as he landed.
And that was his plan, as Sparklei understood: the start of a combo, using the advantageous length of his enormous Buster Sword to plow through Wolf’s defense. But... there was one move Sparklei could attempt to stop this from happening. Not the only one, but certainly the most rewarding one.

R button + timed R button release = Perfect Parry

Heart pounding, Sparklei’s Wolf let a red, bubble-like shield cover his body. Then, he released it at the moment Cloud brought his sword down. It was at this moment that a white light burst from Sparklei’s Wolf’s body, and his eyes turned golden. Using one of the metallic gauntlets that protected his arms, Sparklei’s Wolf promptly deflected the hit, letting an awestruck Cloud pass in front of him.

“Okay!”

← ; ↑ (light press)+ A = left-faced Up-Tilt

Following her passionate cry, Sparklei’s Wolf turned back and performed a devastating leaping upward kick, using the brunt of his metallic boot to send Cloud flying.

→ ; Y (hard press); ← + A = Reverse Back Aerial

Then, Sparklei’s Wolf jumped through Battlefield’s platform to chase after Cloud and performed a back kick, this time sending him flying towards the other edge of the stage. As Wolf landed on the platform, Cloud performed a double jump in an attempt to recover from the strike; but by doing that, he found himself away from his opponent, but diagonally above him.
The perfect spot.

← + B = Wolf Flash

Bending his knees in anticipation, Sparklei’s Wolf suddenly vanished, leaving a claw trail behind him as he reappeared right in front of Cloud. A millisecond after that, a second claw trail appeared and Cloud uttered a pained scream as he was sent spiraling downward, hit by an impossibly fast strike.






Lei removed the headset she had placed on her ears and nodded at her chosen champion as she watched his victory animation, smiling with satisfaction. She calmly put her Switch pro controller next to her seat and scribbled a few notes on a notepad next to said controller.

+Better reflexes.
+Can Parry consistently again.
-Nayblaster training makes it hard to use the Blaster when it matters; gotta practice aiming again.

Lei frowned at her last note. Well, she couldn’t say she considered it a bad thing… She knew that Wolf players were often made fun of for relying on it, and she did feel good defeating that Cloud with a flashy combo. He was clearly no pushover, as well; though he probably didn’t know the match-up as much as she did.
At any rate, Lei quickly glanced at her watch and spent the next seven minutes or so putting her Nintendo Switch back into her box, replaying the battle that had just transpired in her head. Joining the e-sport club meant that she’d have to practice her skills daily, and though she was still rusty, she was glad to see that she still deserved her spot in the Elite Smash mode provided she kept on fighting.

“...Oh,” Lei spoke aloud. “I didn’t check his nametag.”

Oh, well. Winning a battle meant literally taking the enemy’s name with her anyway, so, she could check that later. The thought quickly left her head as she moved out of her room and into the streets, having taking her shoulder bag with her; a quick, thirteen-minutes bus ride awaited her before reaching Marie Curie, so, she’d have time to catch up with her club on Discord, as well as check her planner.

♦Supermarket (with sales) V (x2; check sales every month or so)
♦E-sport logo (In Progress)
♦Calligraphy assignment (Custom Alphabet) V

Lei re-read the calligraphy assignment note. She wasn’t exactly finished, but she knew she could use her pause time today to finish the last touches. And, she could easily deal with the presentation part — she rehearsed it enough times that she was confident about it.

♦E-sport club name V
♦Arcade

“...Oh, right, the Arcade.” Lei briefly looked around her to check her surroundings; she wasn’t close to arriving yet. Nodding to herself, she opened her Discord App, moved straight to the Sparking Meteor server and pasted a link to Galloping Ghost Arcade.

Sparklei, today:
Hey y’all! Found the gaming road trip spot y’all wanted. GGA was prolly already on your mind, Funky, but with Fly’s car and proper planning, we could actually make the trip there for a weekend and participate in a tournament (hopefully takin’ heads in the process). We could go back during the holidays, too!

Lei closed the app, having received a message simply reading “promised poke!” from someone else.

Lei:
Estelle, my favorite girl! You doin’ alright?

Estelle:
Heeeey, pal! Yeah, fine. Just wanted to know how your adaptation was going? What are you doing right now, for example?

Lei: Uh… I’ll skip the obvious “talking to you”; there’s this dude in my e-sports club, FlyBoogie, he loves disco music, and so he sent everyone this album called “Funky Cops”. And I’m listening to that. And uh, it’s pretty neat.

Estelle: Okay yeah that’s pretty cool. Random, but cool. Also, You’re in an e-sports club? Wow, and I thought you’d basically just do calligraphy and nothing else!

Lei: I mean, I rarely do just one thing, sooo…

Estelle: Eeeeh, debatable. But hey, glad you got people already! #TrainingToDefeatEgotism

Lei giggled.

Lei: *Eternally training to defeat egotism. Now, allow me to be slightly tender and tell you that you helped a lot with my fight with that.

Estelle: Oh you are not flirting with me again, that is not a sane idea.

Lei: I said TENDER, not ROMANTIC! I barely know how to flirt anyway. You do get to have some credit, right?

Estelle: I knoooow. Your tenderness is appreciated. And hey, thanks for the credits! Have fun, today.

Lei: Thanks! You too. Gotta get off this bus, but tell me how you’re doin’ when you can. Ciao!

Estelle: Also I disagree on the flirting matter and shall tell you in excruciating detail how you used to do it with me k thx bye

Lei: ...You know, I’m all ears, actually.

Lei hurriedly exited her bus, thanked the driver for the ride, got a weird look for it and headed out to Marie Curie.

Luckily, Lei wasn’t lying to Estelle when told her the adaptation was going well; it had been a few days since the university had started, and the routine that came with it. Granted, because it was university, she was already machine-gunned with work assignments left and right, but that was something most people expected; it’s not like the teachers hid it, anyway.
But still, after the mandatory class introduction, she had been left to her own devices by her classmates, befriended two teachers, and got everyone she had met so far to call her Lei instead of Shayleigh. Lei had also found essentially all the spots she needed to function and practice her hobbies — only missing a proper audience for her budding calligraphy service, but then again, she had just started her professional training on that level, so, she knew she’d have to be patient with that. Aside from relaxation, that was what the e-sports club was for, anyway: a place for her to practice making semi-professional logos, and build a good enough portfolio to attract attention.

“Hi!”

Lei lifted her head away from her current read. In front of her stood one of her classmates, a girl that had previously attempted communication, and whose most memorable feature in Lei’s eyes were her very thick eyebrows. This time, she was saying hello to her in the cafeteria, where Lei usually just picked the loneliest table she could find to eat and read.

“Hi.” Lei then frowned. She sounded far too reserved. “Sorry.” Lei closed her book — well, it was actually a printed copy of a fan-translated manga instead of the real thing, but she supposed it counted as a book anyway — and straightened in her seat. “Hello! Need something?”

The girl’s smile stretched ever so slightly. “U-um, not really! I just… wondered what you were reading?”

Huh, she wants to be friends. “Iron Wind. It’s a copy, though: the original book’s only available in Japanese.”

“Oh, so it’s a manga! Is it good?”

Oh my god. I hate that question so much. Lei smiled. “I hate this question so much.”

The smile on the girl’s face, however, promptly vanished. “Wh-what?”

“I hate this question. ‘Is it good.’ You’re still standing though, so, if you sit down, I can explain to you why in like two minutes, and without hostility.” she solemnly raised her hand. “Pinkie swear.”

“O-okay.” Still worried, the girl sat in front of Lei, placing her plate of barely touched food in front of her.

“So, the reason I hate that question is because of how loaded it is?” Lei continued. “If I say just ‘yes.’ What exactly does that tell you about the book? And also… If I say no. Why would I be reading something I don’t find good during my free time? Wouldn’t that be super weird?”

“That’s… Wow, I never thought of that.”

HOW?! Leaving her thought-scream to herself, Lei nonchalantly shrugged instead. “I hear that a lot. I mean it’s fine, it’s just that we can’t really make a conversation out of it, and clearly that’s what you’re here for.”

There were a few seconds of silence, which Lei used to eat a bit more.

“Well, I mean, at least that makes sense. Can I- can I ask what it’s about instead?”

That’ll do. “The shortest way to explain it is that it’s about women beating the shit out of each other and loving it. The slightly longer way to explain it is that it’s about this girl, Natsuo, who’s super tall, super talented at basically everything she does and so she’s lonely, and super jealous of everyone that has to work hard to do things — because those actually have friends, and mentors, and all that.”

“She… doesn’t sound very nice.”

“She isn’t. If you’ve ever seen an anime, you usually have this main character who never gives up, and his rival who’s a hyper-talented jerk. Well, Natsuo is the MC and hyper-talented jerk, while Yuzuko, the rival, is the never-gives-up girl.” Lei grinned. “The twist being that Natsuo is just lonely for reasons she can’t control, which makes her deeply human, while Yuzuko has a psychological thing that makes her… unable to be anything else than happy to fight, basically.”

The girl frowned her gigantic eyebrows, which allowed Lei to noticed that they were carefully smoothed and shiny, a showcase that the girl clearly didn’t want to just shave them off. “Okay, but I don’t see how being happy all the time is a bad thing. I mean I guess it can be, but she sounds way nicer than the MC.”

“Well, think about it like this. If Yuzuko is gonna fight you and must almost break your arm to win, she’s gonna break your arm. Then she’s gonna shake your broken hand and go ‘this was fun, right?’ and be unable to understand why you’re insulting her for breaking your arm. Kinda like how a typical ‘never-give-up’ MC would legit kill the villain, then have a happy ending and no issue with having just murdered someone in cold blood. Whereas Natsuo would basically never do that, or would at least call an ambulance.”

“Oh.” a slight change in her facial expression gave away that she had grasped the point. “Yeah, okay, I get it.”

“Neither of them is my favorite character, but I think it’s a fun twist, so, I read it.”

“Okay! Well, I guess that says a lot about your tastes.”

Lei raised an eyebrow. “The clothes didn’t?”

“I… guess they just make you look goth?”

“Hmm...” Lei knew she had switched outfits today: she was wearing black shorts, black thighs, white shoes and a stylish black jacket that she kept opened to show off her dark gray-colored tank top — also because she wore her favorite hood scarf and black arm warmers, so, an open jacket would prevent her from sweating too much. “I mean I guess…? I’m pretty sure goths don’t use white at all, though.”

The girl’s smile slightly brightened. “That’s what I said, actually!”

“To whom? Also, what’s your name?”

“Marlene! And, um, well, we talk about you. And people in general.”

Oh, right, gossip. “So, I guess you’re here to gather information?”

Marlene suddenly looked a lot more uncomfortable. “You don’t… mind?”

“Well, not if you’re actually interested. Are you?”

“Yes! The… Iron Wind sounds cool!”

Lei nodded. “Then we’re good.”

“Okay, good! Because yes, I am gathering information. It’s just...” she looked away, checking if anyone was hearing them. “It’s just, like, not even everyone in the class realizes that you’re a girl, for example.”

Lei frowned. “Okay, that’s stupid. I introduced myself at the beginning of the year. I wear dresses. And I am convinced that my breasts are visible.”

“Yeah, but it’s kinda like how you didn’t know my name even though it’s… uh… I think the fourth time I’m talking to you?”

“But gender, though.”

Marlene shrugged fatalistically. “I guess it doesn’t take much for people to speculate, here. You just have to look different.”

Lei let out a sigh. “At least everyone calls me Lei,” she muttered to herself.

“Oh, and I also came to ask if you were interested in the Harry Potter-themed live-screening.” Marlene continued. “A lot of people are going, and we need to check who is and who isn’t interested to properly organize it. It helps to know.”

Lei grinned with a hint of cynicism. “Good job properly socializing with me for long enough before that, then. Have a compliment: I think your eyebrows are sick.”

Marlene’s eyebrows came alive, rising on her face to properly showcase her utter astonishment. “I… thank you?”

“You could’ve just shaved them off and painted eyebrows over them since that’s a thing now, but no, you decided to keep them around and keep them stylish. That’s bold, and you’re welcome. And for the live-screening, I don’t know the first thing about Harry Potter. Does it have fight scenes?”

“Uh…” she seemed lost in thought for a few seconds. “Oh! The Voldemort VS Dumbledore fight is pretty good. And has a lot of technicality to it! It’s short, I think, but if you read up on it beforehand it should be great.”

“See? You know how to appeal to me already. I’m in. And I guess Harry Potter’s popular for a reason, so, I’ll go discover it.”

“Great! Okay, well, see you there, then! I’ll be at one of the small booths, before everything begins. Mostly just the merchandise area. Thanks for a good talk!”

Lei offered her a smile. “Enjoy the gossip! And thank you for even bothering.”

As Marlene left Lei’s table with a light gait, Lei made a mental note of letting Marlene speak more, if there was to be the next time. It had been a good talk.

******

...There were two possibilities in Lei’s mind. And neither of them were good.

Either she had, as was her habit, misread the time and come several hours before the crowd that was supposed to exist, existed… Or, she somehow managed to get the location wrong, in which case, there was something wrong with the satellite her phone was using to help her move towards said location. That, or the map itself — which would be just as troublesome.

In the second case, it was more like an objective bad; nobody liked when things didn’t go according to what was supposed to be a simple plan. But in the first case, it was much more personal: Lei simply had not the slightest idea how she somehow managed to come far too early to events that she had clearly read the time for. It was like something in her brain prevented her from doing things right, which frustrated her more than she’d openly admit.

Luckily, the presence of a certain pair of thick eyebrows eventually made itself seen, which confirmed to Lei that, at the very least, she most certainly wasn’t lost.

“Hi!”

“WOW!”

Lei frowned slightly as she watched Marlene turn around far too quickly as if some thug was attempting to take her purse from behind.

“O-oh! Sorry,” Marlene apologized. “I… I get sensitive about people sneaking up on me.”

...I can sneak up on people? “Was that too loud? I tried to get your pitch right.”

“My pitch…?”

“When you said ‘hi’ to me. I’ve studied that communication’s made easier if you try to go on a person’s wavelength. I can’t do that with appearance because I refuse, so, I try with everything else. Did I fail? It’s fine if I failed.”

“Oh nono, it’s just...” Marlene seemed taken aback. “Do you… put thought into everything you do?”

Lei raised an eyebrow. “The... phrasing of that suggests that I shouldn’t? Sorry: yes, I do, but I’m currently wondering if nobody else does it. Because it feels like there would be a lot more car accidents if they didn’t.”

Marlene smiled a little. “I feel like I’ll say this a lot, but… that makes sense.”

A moment of silence passed by while Marlene arranged certain items on the booth she was taking care of.

“I’m too early, aren’t I.” Lei eventually said with resignation.

“Y-yeah.”

“I’ll go find a seat to hide over, then.”

“Don’t forget to buy a ticket!”

“I won’t! Thanks.” Raising her eyebrows, Lei suddenly noticed that Marlene was dressed wonderfully: it was definitely for the theme’s sake, but she wore a black cloak over what looked like a white shirt and blue tie. The undersides of the cloak looked equally blue, though she couldn’t see that clearly, with the brown hair falling down over it.

Marlene eventually noticed the analytic look, and reacted with a simple: “Uh… What?”

“Well, now it’s not just your eyebrows that look sick, it’s your everything.” Lei said. “I know it’s for the theme, but I feel like you could be onto something with that cloak.”

“Oh. Thanks! Uh…” she stared at Lei’s eyes. “Your… contact lenses look pretty.”

Lei smiled. And egotism bites the dust again. “I think so too. I hope you’ll get to enjoy the movies, by the way. I looked up the fight you talked about and the complex spells behind it, but I wouldn’t mind your explanation of it later.” and with that, Lei departed with a final wave.
It didn’t take long before Lei was allowed in, found herself an empty seat and began eating some snacks while she remained still. She had brought both that and two books in her bag anyway, and wouldn't mind talking to anyone that attempted socializing, so, it’s not like she expected to die of boredom. As she ate, she gazed at her phone to check on the time, but realized that she had received a new message instead.

Estelle: ‘sup, pal! I got some time to elaborate now. I’d end this with “you up”, but…

Lei almost burst out laughing.

Lei: I think we can agree that urban talk kinda ruined that one for us. Scary-bold-flirting aside, tell me! How do I flirt?

Estelle: Well basically, you start by saying something super blunt to get a person’s attention to get glued on you. That gives me (obviously I’ll use my example instead of a more general one) the perfect opportunity to get a good look at you, and notice your orange-colored contact lenses. And then wonder why the hell d’you look like you cosplay every day.

Lei: That… doesn’t sound appealing.

Estelle: But see, here’s the thing about flirting. The point of it isn’t to be, like, positive all the time. The point of it is to first attract attention, then get your targets to think about you more often.

Lei’s discreet munching stopped.

Lei: Go on?

Estelle: in your case, after the blunt thing, you start elaborating on… whatever, something weird you do or like, and from there I just feel awkward so I try to be positive about what you’re saying. Then out of nowhere you start giving me a compliment about my personality or my physique, and the more we hang out, the more you do it. So, now I’m stuck thinking that you like me, and so I’ll get more interested. But then you blurt out more blunt things that makes you more of an alien; then you elaborate, I comment again, and you compliment me again until the loop gets so unbearably intense that I suddenly just ask you out.

A look of serious concern began to show itself on Lei’s face as she began to replay the events of her day.

Lei: ...Oh.

Estelle: Eeeeyup! Oh, and then you look like you had no idea this was going to happen, because well you didn’t, so, then you get interested too and tell me you’re gonna take me seriously; and by that point it’s pretty much game over.

Lei: Uh, Star

Estelle: surprised, huh? I can analyze stuff too :3

Lei: Star.

Estelle: And now you sound worried.

Lei: Star, the, the first part of what you just said. The blunt thing, the elaboration and the awkward and the compliment. And the loop.

Estelle: Oh god. You did it just a moment ago, didn’t you.

Lei: I… yes

Estelle: Oh my god. What happened?

Lei: Uh, this girl (Marlene, sick eyebrows and cloak) came to like… chat, so, we chatted, and what you just said happened. Then, we chatted again, and I complimented her looks the second time.

Estelle: And her eyebrows the first time? Why?

Lei: Because girls shave those off now! She must be super self-conscious about it, right? We had a nice chat, I just wanted to be nice!

Estelle: And how did the second chat end?

Lei took a second to think about it.

Lei: …I’m at a live-screening right now, there’s a fight I’m looking for, so, I told her I’d be fine hearing her explanation of its details later.

Estelle: LEI!!! THAT IS BASICALLY A DATE!!!

Lei: BUT I KEPT TALKING AND TALKING THE FIRST TIME, I OWE HER SOME SPOTLIGHT! I’M SUPPOSED TO FIGHT OFF EGOTISM, RIGHT?!

Estelle: Hold on, laughing break.

Lei: -__-

Estelle: Okay so don’t bother fighting this, it’s your destiny. If shit hits the fan and she goes for the smooches, you let it happen.

Lei: But we don’t even know if she’s into girls!

Estelle: This is more of a gut feeling, but given your history, I have not a single doubt that she is.

“Uh… L-Lee?”

Lei turned her head away from phone and snacks to gaze at an approaching Marlene. Several other people, Lei had seen walking around preparing the stands were with her, checking on everything.

“Your pronunciation’s slightly off, but I promise not to be nitpicky about it.” Lei raised her arm. “Pinkie swear.”

Marlene smiled. “Well that’s fine, but are you really not gonna move? It doesn’t start for two good hours. More people are starting to come, so, you can explore if you want.”

“And lose my seat? I’d rather not — I’m one of those people.” a pause. “Uh, who’s your favorite Harry Potter character and why?”

“Hermione.” Marlene hadn’t even hesitated for a second. “A bit cliché, I know, but it’s partly because I like her development, and partly because I kinda… I kinda have a big crush on her? I mean I’m not alone in this, but—”

“Destiny it is.”

“What?”

A resigned smile made its way on Lei’s face. “Nothing.”