Oka watched as the bus she rode in with Lillia stopped at an unfamiliar building with strange architecture. It was here she’d be spending the weekend at a theater camp, learning lots of new ag teiques from professors at this supposedly prestigious college, as well as seeing a real musical in person, something Oka had only dreamed of before.

  “Man, this is my first time at anything like this,” Oka said as they got off the bus.

  “Don’t overthink it,” Lillia said.

  “Right,” Oka said. “Have I mentiohat I’m gd you’re my friend? You really help me out through things like this.”

  Lillia smiled softly. “Likewise.”

  The group of students from the theater club gathered in front with Oka’s uncle, Reit Kinder, cheg names off on his wristband proje.

  “Wonderful, we’re all here and ated for,” Reit said. He stretched one arm over his head, pointing at the front of the group. “Naomi, could you please lead the girls to the dy bunks for this weekeaway? I pihe dires to your power blocker.”

  “Gdly!” Naomi said.

  Naomi Ratuna acted pletely different while iheater club than she did as prefect for Oka’s dorm hallway. While she was mean and strict there, she ractically bright and bubbly while ag. Lillia was staring at her like she usually did. Oka didn’t get Lillia’s crush on Naomi until she saw how she acted arouheater friends. Oka and Lillia split off with the girls’ group and followed Naomi into the college campus.

  “Hey, I have an idea,” Oka said. “I think this weekend we should try a you closer with…you know.”

  Lillia flinched, snapping out of her haze of crush staring. “What are you saying? Don’t say that out loud!”

  “You help me so much with my crush, let me help you!” Oka said.

  “Stop saying this out loud,” Lillia said.

  “Nobody’s listening!” Oka said.

  “I’m kinda listening,” Kyre Krista said as she put a big glob of hair gel onto her head.

  “It’s rude to eavesdrop, Kyre.” Oka said.

  “Who do you guys have crushes on?” Kyre asked. “If it’s me, you have to tell me.”

  “It’s not you,” Oka said.

  “You know, it’s kind of hurtful to tell me that.” Kyre said.

  “But you just…asked…” Oka said. She sighed. “Whatever, we’ll talk inside!”

  “We will?” Kyre asked.

  “No, Kyre,” Oka said. “Lillia and I.”

  “You know, it’s kind of hurtful to exclude me right to my face like that.” Kyre said.

  “I…but…just…” Oka said.

  “Just give up, Oka, it’s pointless.” Lillia said.

  The “dy bunks” for the girls was a stuffy band room that had sleeping bags id out for everyone. Oka and Lillia picked theirs out towards the far side of the room o each other. Oka, having never been in a sleeping bag before, dove into hers. “Ahh, moderately fy, with the grouh it just a bit too harsh on my back,” Oka said. “Just like I imagined.”

  Lillia cautiously wiped hers down with some anti-germ wipes.

  “I’m now wishing I had dohat before I climbed into mine,” Oka said. “But, anyways!”

  Oka leaned in to whisper to Lillia.

  “Our real mission is to get you close with Naomi.” Oka said.

  “Our real mission,” Lillia said. “Is to learn ag lessons this weekend. And to see a musical performed live by Pilr Wheat Uy's theater department.”

  “We do that awesome stuff and this!” Oka said. “e o me help!”

  “What you help with exactly?” Lillia said.

  “I’ll be your wingman!” Oka said. “I’ve never do before, but I bet I’m pretty good at it!”

  “Right,” Lillia said. “Oka, I am fttered you want to help, but you do help me enough already. Just having someoo talk to about that…business. It’s very useful to me.”

  After getting their stuff packed away, the ag csses started right away. They were a lot morous than Oka was expeg, with some intense vocal work to start, followed by some physical training. Lillia took it all in stride, and Oka was amazed that she wasn’t at all worn out by any of it.

  The third css was the most fun so far for Oka, where they focused on improv ag. She actually made the professh with one of her jokes which felt awesome. Lillia was a bit more flustered with this. Without a rigid structure to adhere to, it seemed like she couldn’t keep her shell up as much. When the professor asked for students to pair up for a duo session, Oka snuck up beside Lillia.

  “Psst,” Oka whispered. “Lillia.”

  “Quiet,” Lillia said.

  “Go over there and stand by Naomi! There’s a perfect spot there, she doesn’t have a partner yet!”

  “No,” Lillia said. “Just be my partner.”

  “No, I don’t wanna!” Oka said. “You go be with Naomi. There’s a cute girl from another school who I’ve fallen madly in love with and I’m going to partner up with her then run away with her.”

  Lillia’s eyes widened. “Y-you’re joking…”

  “Ha! Got you!” Oka said. “I’m not giving up my crush that easy. Aher should you!”

  “This sario…just isn’t what…” Lillia said. Naomi was just standing there, waiting. She had a ton of friends in this group, surely one of them would go to her first.

  “You gotta go quick or she’s gon a partner!” Oka said.

  “But what about you?” Lillia asked.

  “Don’t worry about me, I’ll partner with Kyre or something!” Oka said. She shoved Lillia forward.

  * * *

  Lillia stumbled for a sed, stopping right before Naomi.

  “Lillia ce,” Naomi said. “Do you have a partner yet?”

  “I…I don’t.” Lillia said.

  “Perfect! We’ll pair up, then.” Naomi said. “Nice flower, too.”

  “Huh?” Lillia said, feeling at her hair. There was somehow a flower there that hadn’t been there a few seds earlier. She tried to maintain her posure as she gnced back to Oka, who gave her a thumbs up that Lillia wished was at least slightly subtle. Another be to having her as a friend, I suppose. Lillia thought.

  The professave each duo three small strips of paper. Two were their characters, and one was their sario. Lillia was supposed to be a gas station attendant, while Naomi ying a vampire. Their sario sheet just read “toilet broken.” Each duo had to go up in front of the others and perform a short se. Lillia didn’t even have time to sider the fact that she was about to perform on a stage of sorts with her crush. Naomi’s character in the py at school didn’t share any ses with Lillia’s, giving Lillia plenty of time to wataomi perform. But that watg came with the longing feeling of wanting to be there with her.

  The duos were given two chairs to work with as their sole props. Generally, the other duos just used the chair to pretend they were in a car even if their sario didn’t involve a vehicle. People were generally pying their ses edically, but Kyre Krista threw Oka a curveball when she randomly added that her character retly suffered a tragedy involving chairs that she described in darkly graphic detail. Oka tried her best to cover for Kyre but the se was lost as her partner kept trying t the mood down even more. Lillia solemnly vowed to repay Oka for the sacrifice she made to ensure Naomi was her se partner. Oka winced all the way back to her seat and put her head down in shame, something Kyre didn’t seem capable of feeling.

  Despite their se having a vulgar premise, Lillia wao relish the moment with Naomi as she was directed to the front of the css. Naomi looked expetly at Lillia to start.

  “Right…I…am a gas station,” Lillia said, coughing from a dry throat. “Attendant.”

  The entire css’s eyes were on her. Well, except for two boys and three girls on their phones. Lillia didn’t want to be doomed to the same rea Kyre got in polite sympathy cps. She also didn’t want to perform badly with Naomi.

  “And I’m toilet shopping because the gas station I work at has a toilet that’s out of service!” Lillia yelled. Her sudden outburst got Oka ughing instantly, and some others joined in. Lillia’s inner performer kicked in.

  “You would not believe what some people will do to a toilet. At a…gas station.” Lillia said. It wasn’t the best joke, but it kept the momentum rolling. Especially as Naomi pretended she had a cape and dramatically sat down by Lillia, moving her chair beside the other. Naomi gave a quick smile to Lillia befetting fully into character.

  “I am t Dramatis,” Naomi said, baring her fangs more than she normally would. “I had a big vampire party over the weekend and now my plumbing is in shambles! So I too know the pain you feel, lowly gas attendant. Ued, but do you mind sparing blood? Any blood will do. But preferably your blood.”

  “This li the toilet store sure is long, isn’t it t Dramatis?” Lillia said. “I hope they have a w bathroom in here or I’m gonna have to use a store model!”

  Lillia would normally never make such a joke, but she was feeding off the energy of the css, and more importantly the energy Naomi was giving. By the time their se ehey had the whole css ughing.

  “Great work!” Naomi said. “If I ever need an improv partner, I’ll know who to call.”

  “R-right,” Lillia said. “The same…to you.”

  Naomi winked and sat back down with her friends as Lillia sat down by Oka, who looked giddy at how it all had gone.

  * * *

  The rest of the weekend proceeded without anything too exg happening. The sed day was mostly watg speeches from actors, then a performance of a famous musical that shocked Oka in that she actually k. They both sang along to every song. Lillia had the songs stu her head all the way to the end of the trip. She and Oka walked back to the bus still singing their favorite songs from the musical. They sat in the fy enough coach bus seats, taking o look at the college before the bus took off.

  "That was awesome," Oka said. "I hought I'd get to see a real musical in person."

  "And one you koo," Lillia said. "I'm surprised your school had a tape of The Domicile given the way you describe that pce."

  "Right? It must've been the ape there!" Oka said. "Is it weird that I'm a bit homesick?"

  “By homesiean missing her specifically, correct?” Lillia asked.

  “Oh, e on,” Oka said.

  “I think I’ve earned some teasing after your behavior this weekend,” Lillia said. “And for sg me with that joke about meeting someone here and running off with them.”

  “That’s fair,” Oka said. “And you’re right, her specifically. Zeta her, not the imaginary new person I made up.”

  “Because I’m ied in yours as well, you know,” Lillia said. “If you ever need me to be your…er, wingman. Just tell me?”

  “Got it!” Oka said.

  “Well, just a few hours or so and we’ll be back,” Lillia said, looking out at the highway. “I’m sure she’ll be very excited to see you.”

  “I know I’ll be happy to see her,” Oka said. “This is the lo I’ve gohout seeing her since I met her. Or met her the sed time, I guess.”

  “It’s good to take breaks,” Lillia said. “Now your feelings are probably that much more invigorated by missing her.”

  “That’s true,” Oka said. “Now I’m gonna have to see if I get her to do an improv se with me. Yours was so good. So romantic, even!”

  “Shhh,” Lillia whispered. “She’s right there!”

  “Sorry,” Oka said. Lillia gred at her. “I mean…sorry…that se was really romantic? Yes, sorry that se was romantic, I know you didn’t like those two ending up together in the movie. The movie that ying.”

  “Det save.”

  The movie pying on the coach bus ss didn’t i Lillia too much, but it was fine. She was happy to stare out the window and daydream about having more ses with Naomi. As a bonus, Naomi was seated a few rows in front of them, giving Lillia a great ce to observe a third of the back of her crush’s head.

  Oka and Lillia were quiet for the rest of the trip, the events of the weekend catg up with them and making them very sleepy.

  “You look very tent,” Oka said. “Didn’t think it’d go this well, huh?”

  “I did not,” Lillia said. “And thank you.” Lillia held her fist out.

  Oka bumped her fist against Lillia’s. “Anytime.”