Two girls on skateboards rolled up. One of the girls rolled in from the right, a fennec fox Kanibari that popped a big bubblegum bubble as she braked in front of us. The other, a girl with a side buzzcut with ‘EMA’ crudely shaved into it, slowed to a stop from our left.

  “Hey,” the fox Kanibari said. “You guys should like…get the hell out of here.”

  “Yeah!” The other said, snickering. “Get the hell out of here.”

  “That’s our line!” Iris said.

  “So you two are Ema and Shen?” Maia asked.

  “Yeah, you tell which is which, right?” Ema said, pointing at her name shaved into her head. “I shaved my o my head. It was cool.”

  “We got that,” I said. “I really don’t wan like beat up, you guys just like get the table another day?”

  The two just stared at us.

  “But we like, want it today,” Snake said. “We have to practice tricks off big table for the skate…thing.”

  “The skateboard…fight.” Ema said.

  “No, it’s not a fight,” Snake said. “It’s like a skateboard…like test thing.”

  “Just say petition!” Maia said. “It’s a petition!”

  “Yeah yeah, that’s it,” Snake said.

  “Wait, Zeta!” Iris said. “You were in a skating tour once, right?”

  “Once,” I said. “I hate that you remember that.”

  “How could I fet such a tantalizing story?” Iris said. “Use like…skateboard lingo to talk to them!”

  I tried to think back to that time I was really into skating. In addition to the Raina Starlight Adventures skating book I read, there was a cartoon about extreme sports and stuff on at the same time and I really bought in on the fad, and begged Stel to buy me a whole big set of skate stuff. I somehow got it in my head that despite no actual experiehat it was time to enter a skateboard petition, which quickly resulted in me running away g after a series of botched trick attempts.

  “So what…skateboards…do you have?” I asked.

  Ema and Snake looked at their skateboards. “We have like…two skateboards? With wheels?”

  “Real great skate lingo, Zeta,” Maia said. “Better idea. Snake and Ema!”

  “…that’s us,” Ema said. “Right?”

  “Yeah,” Snake said. “What do you want? We’re ready to just kick your asses already because we really want big table.”

  Maia turo us quid whispered the pn.

  “No!” I said immediately. “Uh uh! Noooo way!”

  “Just do it, Zeta!” Iris said. “I’m in!”

  “If they beat me up, I’m going to be so mad at you guys,” I said.

  “OK, we challenge you to a skate-off, or whatever,” Maia said. “Whoever does the best tricks wins the big table for today. I nominate Iris aa for our team.”

  “Yeah, yeah!” Ema said. “And I nominate me and Snake!”

  “Cool, Zeta and Iris go first,” Maia said, shoving us forward. “Show em your tricks.”

  “I hate this pn.” I said.

  “Oh rex, Zeta, you were in an actual skate petition, yonna crush them!” Iris said.

  “Yeah, this makes seo me,” Snake said. “I bet green hair sucks at skating too, so we’ll win. Then we don’t even have to hurt our fists like st time.”

  “Uh huh,” Ema said. “That way we don’t get suspended again.”

  Ema and Snake kicked their boards over to Iris and I.

  “Just do it, Zeta,” Maia said. Iris me.

  The two of us ran in opposite dires with the skateboards, each darting into a different part of the pnt life in the garden.

  “Hey!” Ema and Snake yelled.

  Running through the forested area of the garde more like running through a jungle. How big is this stupid pce? I had to dodge trees and pnts and vines, as well as the stone block looking things that housed the pnts. I really hoped I wasn’t stepping on anything that would grow back. Gng backward for a moment firmed that Snake was hot on my tail. Like, close enough to grab my actual tail, which I really wished would turn out to be a stress tail and fall off as I ran.

  “I don’t know if I get this trick!” Snake said. “But that’s my skateboard, so if this is gonna break it I’m gonna be really pissed at you! And like kick your ass and stuff!”

  I skidded to a stop at a small fountain. I had to jump over it as Snake swiped at me. I didn’t fully clear the fountain and got my shoes and leggings wet which sucked.

  With burning lungs I kept running, making what I assumed was a full p of the garden. I even spotted a small treehouse that looked like it'd be a fuo hang out with someone if I wasn't being chased. Snake was losing energy too at least, and by the time we looped back to the spot before the big table, I wheezed to a stop.

  “I don’t…want to run anymore…forever…” I gasped. I checked the big table, and saw Amara, KJ, and Rain were already sitting there. “You guys…made it?”

  Too tired to even sider Snake’s rea, I dropped the skateboard and sat down at the table, putting my head down. They offered me a lemonade, which I guzzled in about .2 seds.

  “Yes, thank you so much, Zeta!” Rain said.

  “Did Maia…leave?”

  “She had a few terse words for us the,” Amara said. “I tell you, that girl is very antisocial.”

  I was surprised Maia even gave them the time given how much the love trio annoyed her.

  “Please don’t film me,” I said as KJ had her camera out.

  “Aw, but the look on your face is so triumphant, and I want to save this memory of this forever.” KJ said. Her camera's lens whirred as she aimed her camera at me.

  I didn’t feel triumphant. Still catg my breath, I got down on the grass and looked up to see Sanding over me.

  “This sucks,” Snake said. “I ’t believe you like, tricked me.”

  “Sorry?” I said. “Just wait in line for the stupid table ime. Did Iris and Ema e back?”

  “I don’t know,” Snake said. “Maybe they like, died.”

  KJ, Amara, and Rain tio set up ptes of cupcakes and lemonade for their garden party.

  “You know, it is a shame that for all their effort, Ema and Snake didn’t get big table.” Rain said. “Shall we ihem to sit with us?”

  “You’re s, Rain,” Amara said.

  “I dunno if that’ll make me feel better.” Snake said.

  “You could step oa’s tail.” Rain said.

  “What?” I squeaked. “No!”

  “Cool,” Snake said and stomped hard on my tail, smashing it to the ground. I doubled up in pain and rolled over, clutg my tail and g.

  “Yeah, now I feel better,” Snake said.

  “I guess we’ll have quite the tail to tell ter!” KJ said.

  They all burst out ughing while I groveled on the ground.

  “I don’t get it,” Snake said.

  “We’ll tail you about it ter!” Amara said, and they all ughed more as I wondered what my life had bee.

  “Why are you ughing?” I asked. “Why?”

  “Oh, the fun we have at big table!” Rain said.

  “ one of you just freaking call it ‘the’ big table?!” I yelled.