“Hey, 09?” Peam called over. “You wan ged a over here for a photo op for your new pops?”

  “Sure, one sed! Or a few minutes, rather!” 09 said.

  09 waved to us then ran inside.

  “I guess I better go get ged and join them.” Oka said ftly.

  “Now I’m fused,” Kalei said. “So you don’t want to be in the Kiuff, but when 09 goes without you, now you do?”

  “Shut up.” Oka said.

  Oka slouched as she walked off, which was ing. I could tell she set about something, but I wasn’t sure what.

  “This party is super awkward, not gonna lie,” Kalei said as I walked with her to the hot tub. “I really hope all our teachers here weren't watg us swim. Plus, now Oka’s getting all mad.”

  The hot tub was as fancy as anything else the Kinders had at this house. I wasn’t a big hot tub fangirl, but I had been frozen enough by my three minutes outside the pool to want to practically jump in. Kalei basically did jump in, spshing hot water over the edges.

  “I wonder if she feels like she’s being repced,” I said as I eased into the tub. “Like an older sibling thing, almost.”

  “I dunno,” Kalei said. “Remember whe 09 st week? She burst out singing about getting a younger sister and how much she wahat."

  "That is true," I said.

  "All I'm saying is that Oka is an enigma." Kalei said. "You 't predict her or uand what she's feeling, so why bother?"

  "What does that mean?" I asked.

  "It means I’m just gonna stay in this hot tub and hope nobody stares at us.”

  I didn’t feel right rexing iub while Oka set. Kalei could tell by my fidgeting.

  “You gonna go che them?” Kalei asked.

  “Huh?” I asked.

  “Make sure Oka doesn’t do anything stupid,” Kalei said. “They’ve both been gone for a bit.”

  “You think that’d be a good idea?”

  Kalei shrugged. “I think she could use the backup, then I have the tub to myself.”

  “Alright, yeah,” I said. “Have fun and do any more, or you’ll get even more bloated.”

  I grabbed my towel and headed bato the house. I assumed Oka would still be by the ging rooms. As soon as I ehe spa area, I heard Oka shouting.

  “Just let me go!” Oka said. “I just want to ge already.”

  They were standing in front of a small gardehat was another entryway to the spa. There were enough big tropical looking pnts that I was able to hide behind oo listen in, waiting for the right moment in case things got ugly.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” 09 said.

  I felt a little sneaky with my spot behind the big pnt. And a lot bad for eavesdropping on them.

  “Let’s just hash this out,” 09 said. “Because if we don’t, it’s just going to brew a worse.”

  Oka sighed. “’t we just let it brew a bit longer before I have to deal with it?”

  “I’d rather not,” 09 said.

  Oka sighed again.

  "Fine," Oka said. “I’m jealous of you, happy?"

  “For what?” 09 asked. “Being the new hotness for the Kinders?”

  “No, it’s not that,” Oka said. "I don't think I was ever the new 'hotness' for them, whatever that means."

  “Because it doesn’t really matter you know,” 09 said. “You’re not getting the attention taken off of you.”

  “It’s not that!” Oka yelled.

  “Then just tell me why you’re so mad at me.” 09 said.

  Oka crossed her arms.

  “I’m jealous because you saved her when I couldn’t.”

  I never sidered Oka would be upset that 09 helped me where she wasn’t able to when Ovie attacked.

  “Oh,” 09 said.

  “Yeah, I know it’s stupid but…” Oka said.

  “Aw, Oka,” 09 said. “If it makes you feel better, I only intervened after the fight had really ended. Zeta saved herself there. She didn’t need either of us.”

  “Still,” Oka said. “I guess I got worried today too, that you were gonna repce me for her. I know I’m being stupid, but…you’re more iing than me, you’re…”

  She trailed off and sniffled. I couldn’t see very well from my vantage point, but I knew Oka’s cry sniffle just hearing it. I didn’t know if it’d be better to intervene now, keep listening, or just leave.

  “I don’t kher of you too well, but haven’t you been friends for a while now?” 09 asked.

  “Best friends,” Oka said.

  “So this is less about me and more…” 09 said. “I don’t want this to e off as rude, sive me if it does. But this feels like it’s ing from your own insecurities.”

  Oka sniffed again. “Maybe.”

  “Oka, Zeta’s not going to repce you.” 09 said. “If you’re this worried about it, you should talk it out with her. And preferably soon sihe Kinders are waiting for us for that photo shoot.”

  “Y-yeah,” Oka said.

  I started debating if it’d be possible for me to crawl run to stay out of sight so they didn’t find out I was listening in.

  “You right now,” 09 said. “Because Zeta’s standing behind that big potted pnt there."

  "Huh?" Oka said.

  “Alright, you say you’re just like us but that’s some incredible mind reading or see-through vision power or whatever.” I said, peeking out.

  “Maybe those are my i powers,” 09 said. “But no, your tail was stig out.”

  “Oh, huh,” I said, looking down to my traitorous tail. “And er, sorry for listening in.”

  “I’ll leave you guys to talk this out.” 09 said. “See you at the photo shoot in a minute, Oka!”

  Oka nodded. I’d seen her sad before, but she looked so miserable I wao just immediately hug her until she felt better. Impulsively I did reach out to hug her, but she was wiping her eyes with her forearms so I kind of just awkwardly held my arms out for a sed, then slowly started to put them down.

  “No wait, I could use it,” Oka said.

  It hadn’t occurred to me we were both still in swimsuits until I had my arms ed around her. It made the hug feel a lot closer with my hands on the skin of her back, my head against her shoulder. I tried to hide that my hands were shaking after I let go of the hug, but I couldn’t as easily hide how warm my face was. At least Oka looked simirly flushed by it.

  “Were you that jealous of her?” I asked.

  “…Kinda, maybe,” Oka said.

  “09’s cool, and I’m grateful to her for sure for the Ovie stuff, but she’s her own person. You’re still you.”

  “I know,” Oka said.

  “But I get it,” I said. “I’m always worried I’m going to ruin our friendship.”

  “That makes sehough,” Oka said. “After Jeans, it’d make sense for you to be worried about going through ahing like that. I don’t have that excuse.”

  “You were raised in an awful school that probably brought you a lot of self doubt and stuff.” I said. “I’d say that’s a pretty good excuse.”

  Oka pohat for a sed.

  “And I’m serious Oka, I would never want to repce you, ever. You’re my favorite person. And that’s from a list that has Raina Starlight on it.”

  “Aw,” Oka said softly.

  “No matter what, you’re still you, and as long as you’re you, I want to be…near you. Friends with... Hang on, I have something here. Is there a rhyme I add into this to make it work?”

  “I get it, don’t worry,” Oka smiled. “I shouldn’t need you to tell me that to make it true, though. Sorry I ruihe pool party for you.”

  “You didn’t ruin it for me,” I said. “I got a garbage bag of free clothes out of this, and some are Magenta Haze, which are so expensive I've never been able to even sider owning them before.”

  Oka giggled.

  “You really keep me sane, you know?” Oka said.

  “Huh?”

  “Like, my st year has been so wild and uable. A year ago, I would have never guessed I’d be out of Tesata. And now I’m in this family. On paper it’s like a fairy tale…but I feel like the real fairy tale part was meeting you.”

  “What? How e?” I said.

  “Think about it!” Oka said. “We met at a dance, you ged my life instantly, you make me so happy. It’s total fairy tale. Except it’s real.”

  I smiled back at Oka. Even when she was sad, even if we were talking about serious stuff, I still liked being with her.

  “Also, good choi the swimsuit by the way,” Oka said. “It looks really good on you. I mean, wait. Not that I’m. Staring or anything. I just think that it looks good!”

  Oka’s face got redder, and she looked like she regretted saying any of that out loud. But I was too busy trying to not let my bathumpi make me noticeably anxious about her blurting that out to me.

  “Th-thanks,” I said. “Yours looks good too! I like the skirt part.”

  “To be ho, I was a bit afraid of it before I started swimming,” Oka said. “At Tesata, they always warned us about the vents in pools pulling in frills and stuff, so we’d get stuck at the bottom and drown. Or we’d get uts sucked out by them. I mean, that is something that happen I think but they really drilled the fear part in.”

  “That was me with escators!” I said. “I watched this stupid show where the baby got stu aor and it scarred me for life! But that wasn’t the same as your horrendous school, though.”

  Oka giggled. “No no, I’m just happy you get it!”

  “Crap, that reminds me I have a tail now,” I said, looking to firm it was still there. “I’m gd I didn’t think of that earlier or I’d be freaking out about it gettihe vents.”

  “Hey, Oka?” 09 called over. “They’re getting a bit antsy, you wanna it up?”

  “Yeah, one sed!” Oka said. “Hey wait, were you listening in on all that?”

  “…maybe.” 09 said, standing in the same spot I was hiding earlier.