Oka, 09, Kalei, and I were all waiting for the party to so we could get back to Rising Shards. While the rest of us had ged back out of our swimsuits, Kalei yed out on the ground, only having the willpower to put on a t-shirt over hers.

  “You alright there, Kalei?” 09 asked.

  “My tummy hurts,” Kalei said. “09, squeeze me.”

  “Don’t do it, it’s a total trap,” Oka said.

  “How e?” 09 asked.

  “You squeeze her when she’s bloated, she’s gonna burp and fart at the same time." I said.

  "Just burping if you’re lucky.” Oka said.

  “They’re such liars!” Kalei said. “Please, 09? My good buddy Rex Steel?”

  “Bringing that niame back, huh?” 09 asked.

  “If you like it enough to squeeze me, yes?”

  After some bad forth, 09 decided against squeezing Kalei. We had to basically carry her bato the car because she was being really dramatic about her bloated tummy (or rather our refusal to squeeze the bloat out of her). As we loaded her in, I spotted Mr. Soleri looking our way. I luckily hadn’t had to talk to him at all at the party, but I still didn’t feel good about the look he shot my way. With him having his new power in the school now, he really could mess up my ces at staying at Rising Shards after my involvement iing his star pupil Ovie expelled. Even though it wasn’t my fault at all. At least, that’s what I wao think.

  09 was going back to the school with Peam, so it was just the three of us and Berin on the way home.

  Traffi the highway was a lot busier on the way back.

  “Hey what the heck,” Oka said. “Why all the cars stoppin’?”

  “First of all, why are you talking like that?” Kalei asked. “You guys are stealing my gimmick."

  "Maybe you're just positively influeng us." I said.

  "Potentially fair," Kalei said. "And sed, have you not been in a traffic jam before?”

  “…no?” Oka asked.

  “You just have to wait it out, pretty much,” I said. “I’m not a big fan of them. They make me feel like I’m stu a tiny box or something.”

  “Is anyone a big fan of traffic jams?” Kalei said. “Is anyone a fan of them?”

  “Shut up,” I said.

  “No,” Kalei said. “You didn’t squeeze me so now I get snippy with you, them’s the rules.”

  Our drive slowed to a crawl for a bit. People in the cars around us seemed to be looking tht. I could see some emergency car lights bring in the distance. I started fidgeting with my seatbelt, which suddenly felt a bit tighter.

  “What’s going ohere?” Oka asked.

  We passed by a bunilitary looking cars surrounding a spot by a billboard. They were c up some graffiti on the ad for Renderfold’s Tryst, but the three of us knew just from the remnants of the st word that “ENDORA JUDGES” had been spraypainted onto it. Beh the billboard was, for ck of a better term, a pile of Terina guys all tied up. I reized their outfits from Kalei’s void vision. Kalei dropped her bloated drama act as she looked at the tied-up goons being loaded into armored vans.

  “Looks like that Exile guy struck again. And pretty close, too,” Berin said. “Unfortably close to the school.”

  “Yeah,” Oka said. “But at least we have you partway in charge of the school now, so security should be better.”

  “Aw,” Berin said. “Like. Seriously?”

  “I mean it! I’d be really ed if it was just Peam running things.”

  “Well, thank you,” Berin said. “I think we’re gonna be a-ht, Oka? A-OK Oka, that’s pretty good?”

  “No, it isn’t,” Oka giggled.

  Once we were past the billboard situation, we were able to gain speed again. I looked out at the horizon when we were on the highway and ended up in a daydream about fighting Mr. Soleri and those Order of Terina cultists like the ones on that news broadcast. I knew Soleri wasn’t part of them, but he made me do long papers and was a jerk to me about Raina Starlight and the Benta Schorship and a bunch of other stuff, so he got lumped in that imagination fight.

  “So, outside of that jam there, good day everyone?” Berin asked, snappi of my vivid imagination.

  “Yeah!” Oka said.

  “Yon us visit that pool again, right Oka?” Kalei asked. “The big house I take or leave.”

  “Sometimes,” Oka said. “Berin said our pool time is reted trades.”

  “Aw, bummer!” Kalei said.

  “It is gon colder here soon, too.” I said.

  “Yeah, but it’s a heated pool,” Kalei said. “I’ll go out there in the middle of winter in the skimpiest bikini possible if the pool and hot tub are still heated.”

  Berin dropped us off in time for the cafeteria’s dinner. I skipped out oing too much at the party, so I retty hungry. Whe to our usual table with our trays filled with burgers and fries, Aira, Laenie, Lillia, Iris, and Maia were there already eating. It was rare to have all of them at oh us. Plus, with all our diverting schedules it was rarer for all of us to be in the same pce outside of css.

  Kalei dug in immediately and started wolfing her burger down.

  “Do so fast,” I said. “Did you not learn anything from like, twenty minutes ago?”

  “Zeta, I don’t learn things,” Kalei said between bites.

  Oka had sat down by Lillia. The two had bee closer friends since joining the theater club, but I still hadn’t fully broken through Lillia’s icy, grierior so I could only watch them as they chatted.

  “You look happy,” Lillia said. “Like really happy.”

  Oka had the smug smile of a cat that had just figured out a scheme to annoy their way to ara meal.

  “Just a good day!” Oka said.

  “Right, so I’ve been meaning to ask,” Iris said as Oka whispered something to Lillia that I seriously wished I could hear. Worse, Lillia’s expression didn’t ge so I couldn’t even guess what Oka just told her.

  “Don’t,” Maia said.

  “Don’t what!” Iris said.

  “She’s gonna ask if she get autographs to sell online.” Maia said.

  “What?” Iris asked. “Noooo, I would never!”

  “My sister asked the same thing,” I said.

  “So I’m guessing that’s a no?” Iris asked.

  Oka nodded as she dipped a fry ichup.

  “The Kinders I have access to don’t even have valuable autographs,” Oka said. “Try looking up how much Berin or Reit’s are worth.”

  Iris typed on her phone. “Dang it…maybe I get Peam to sign…ah, never mind, his is worth even less.”

  “But they do have a pool so it evens out,” Kalei said. “A heated pool.”

  “Well, I’ll take a pool party I guess,” Iris said. “When are we all going?”

  “Too te, you missed it,” Kalei said.

  “What?” Iris asked.

  “Yup, we just got back from it,” I said.

  “Well ime bring us!” Iris said.

  “You go,” Maia said. “I’m not swimming.”

  As Iris started to preemptively make pns for the pool party, 09 walked past our table. She got some looks from people nearby, but this was a school where people had tails or were dragons or could turn into big werewolves, so a girl with a bluish face with a butterfly pattern on it wasn’t that head turning. She stood by ay table near us with her food and pulled a chair out from it. Aira and Laenie were deep in versation and hadn’t noticed her. Just as she was about to sit at the empty table, Oka waved her over.

  “Hey, e over here!” Oka said. “You all have to meet 09! Well, Laenie and Aira know her already, but still.”

  09 sheepishly smiled and joined us. She seemed a bit more shy in a bigger group, but obviously happier than sitting alo was nice seeing her family grow a bit, and even nicer seeiart to accept that more family wasn’t a bad thing.