“Did y money?” Oka asked.

  While I hadn’t remembered to myself up a bit more, I had at least remembered t money, or my lil Raina Starlight Wallet with money in it.

  “My treat,” I said, fshing the wallet. “Oh, but we shouldn’t get something too big because Kalei’s buying theater food.”

  “Oher hand,” Oka said, looking towards the street’s Ultra Taco. “I desire that.” She poi a weird but very popur item on the menu called The Big Boy.

  “A Big Boy is pretty big,” I said. “Are you sure?”

  “I crave the Big Boy.” Oka said.

  I took a booth seat ira Taco, expeg Oka to sit at one of the spinny chairs across from me. Instead, she sat right by me in the booth as she plopped dowray. Each of us got matg orders of a Big Boy (the poor person behind the register had to actually say “The Big Boy (Trademark)” out loud) and a Shimmering Su Green pop. Our hips touched for a sed and it really made me o take a subtle deep breath to not freak out.

  “This boy is not as big as I thought,” Oka said, untangling what was effectively a taco shell bowl filled with like three tacos and a burrito.

  “Luckily we got two, I guess?” I said. “These usually fill me up pretty quick if you want the rest of mine when I’m stuffed.”

  “You know I will,” Oka said, scooping a big bite out of her Big Boy with a regur sized spork. “Ack! This is…spicy? And…is that mint I taste? Why is there a hint of mint? I’m so baffled I’m rhyming!”

  “That’s the secret ingredient, I think,” I said. Oka looked a bit repulsed. “Do you want to order something else?”

  “No, this is fasating,” Oka said, dev her meal. “I bet everyone arouhinks I’m an alien or something.”

  “I don’t think they care,” I said.

  I got full pretty quickly from mine as usual when I ate there.

  “It really feels like it’s been a while,” Oka said.

  “Since you’ve had Ultra Taco?”

  “No, I’ve actually never eaten here before,” Oka said. “It’s just been a long while si’s been just us.”

  “Yeah,” I said.

  The high sugar levels of Oka’s drink began to ki, bringing her giddy hyper levels up even more. I had the paper ing of my straed around my finger, somewhat nervously twisting it around. But it was a good kind of nervous.

  “Reminds me of our first versation,” Oka said. “Or our first versation at the school, I guess, not at the dance. I alut on a bit of a voice when I formally introduce myself to people.”

  Oka took the same more fident posture she had that day at Rising Shards.

  “So, Miss Faleur,” Oka said, fshing a winning smile that was somehow the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen uhe fluorest lights of Ultra Tabsp;“Tell me your hopes, dreams, how you got your fangs?”

  I ughed, thinking, most of my hopes and dreams are that this night go on forever.

  “Is that line part of your formal introdu?” I asked.

  “No, that one’s just for you.” Oka said. I didn’t realize it ossible to feel myself blush more instantly, but Oka had aplished it. Possibly realizing what she just said, she suddenly had a nervous look on her face.

  “You alright?” I asked.

  “Yeah…just…there’s someoaring at you.” Oka said quietly. “Don’t look, like, obviously. They’re a few tables away from us.”

  I tried to look out of the er of my eyes as I took a sip of my drink.

  “Make sure to monitor your caloritake,” the person a few tables down said in a deep voice, wearing a big brown coat, a giant fuzzy hat, sungsses, and a fake mustache. They were holding a neer.

  “Are you talking to us?” I asked.

  “Y-yes,” They said.

  I squinted.

  “Do you know this guy?” Oka whispered.

  “Wait,” I said. “…Stel?”

  “Why no, I am the…spirit of…the season? Who, uh—" The person in the coat coughed, then sneezed, and their mustache fell off, as did their sungsses. “Fi’s me,” Stel said, taking the hat off.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked. “Did you follow us? How did you even knoere going here?”

  Stel coughed again. Then sneezed again.

  "That mustache," Stel nervously ughed. "It's preeeetty itchy."

  "Don't dodge the question." I said, crossing my arms. "Or, questions. Don't dodge any of them."

  “I might’ve…” Stel trailed off. “Followed you a little. Using the uh, the…”

  “Using the what?” Oka asked.

  “Ugh, are you on that app again?” I asked.

  “p?” Oka asked.

  “Stel had me get chipped and she tracks me on this app thing, but I thought we agreed we weren’t gonna use that anymore unless I don’t tact for at least 48 hours. And you’ve had much better es than this.”

  “…Chipped?” Oka asked. “Like a…potato…or a puter…?”

  “Like a whatever chip! I just want to protect her, is all.” Stel said. “Especially after…you know. All that. With that Ovie Chirhart girl.”

  “Ah,” I said. I really didn’t want to think about the Ovie i, or any of my past crap on such a niight. “Stel, I’m fine. I have Oka here, too.”

  Oka smiled and waved, which she didn't really have to do siel knew she was there this whole time, but it was agonizingly adorable.

  “Alright,” Stel said. “But I’m still gonna stand kinda near you tonight, just in case.”

  “ you stand like kinda far?” I asked.

  “We do have to meet up with Kalei and Nikki soon,” Oka said. I instantly felt sad our aloime was almost ed up.

  “Great! I’ll chaperone,” Stel said, doing that series of quick cps where the bottoms of the palms stay toug the whole time, which she always did when she was about to do something like naming herself chaperone of a trip to a movie. “Do we have a game pn tonight?”

  “We’re seeiist Haircut,” I said. Just then, Kalei sent a text that said, “ZETA. Im on the bus with NIKKI HELP.” I texted bae emojis to tease her.

  “Really?” Stel asked. “You two?”

  “We were invited,” Oka said. “Maybe it won’t be…that bad.”

  Oka and Stel almost instantly burst out ughing. I was gd they got along, at least.

  “Alright, well I’ll see if I get tickets,” Stel said. “If not, I’ll just see the new Versus Wars again or whatever Infinites is pying.”

  “Aw, we could be watg Versus Wars instead of Dentist Haircut,” I said. “I fot it was still pying…and it’s Aluminum Foil Man for Infinites, if you end up going to that. It’s more C-tier, but it’s fine.”

  “Yeah, I think I’m just gonna do Versus Wars,” Stel said. “If everyone’s at Dentist Haircut, I should have the theater to myself.”

  “Whies are those?” Oka asked. “I’m gonna be ho and say a lot of these sound like gibberish.”

  “I’ll take you week, how about?” I asked. “If you haven’t seen em, we’ll have to watch the other movies first, so it doesn’t get fusing. Oh, and they’re like scifi and superhero movies, respectively. With some overp. It’ll make sense when I show you.”

  “I’d like that greatly!” Oka said. “We should go wait for Kalei though, yeah?”