Kalei looked pretty shaken when she and Nikki got off the bus. Luckily, Nikki didn’t seem to notice or care.

  “Sup dudes,” Nikki said.

  “Hi!” Kalei said with more energy than I’ve heard from her. She looked like she was beiionally pulled in a lot of dires at once.

  “I have not met this frie,” Stel said.

  “Stel, go away.” I said. “Sorry Nikki, it’s just my sister. She’s gy after I got attacked by Ovie and stuff.”

  “S’cool,” Nikki said. “I’m Nikki.”

  Stel gave Nikki a firm handshake, which looked like she was trying to decide if Nikki was going to poison us or something.

  “Alright then,” Stel said after Nikki passed whatever weird test she had.

  We left for the movie theater, with Oka still standing close to me, Stel close behind us, and Nikki and Kalei leading the front. There were a lot of people oreet iist Haircut shirts and hats, excitedly talking about Dentist Haircut. Some people came up to Kalei to talk to her about her Hado Diius shirt, and a few of them were actually at the vention with her too.

  “I’ve actually only retly seen a new movie iers for the first time,” Oka said. “Berin brought me to this one about this like magic puppeteer guy, it looked pretty advanced!”

  “That movie is super old,” I said. “Was it like a legacy showing or something?”

  Oka stopped for a sed to process that. “What, no way? The effects were so good!”

  “…they weren’t.” I giggled. “That movie is super old.”

  “Are you saying I’m about to have my mind blown by the special effects in Dentist Haircut?”

  “I don’t know how much CG Dentist Haircut is going to have.” I said.

  “Did you guys not see the trailer with the little alien dude?” Stel asked. “That guy is all CG.”

  “The little…what?” I said.

  When we were finally past the long line ihe theater (I had to force myself not to think about how a majority of the actual hang out time of the night ent waiting in a line for a movie I didn't care about), Nikki sed her pho the ticket ter and gave us each our tickets ohey printed.

  “Oh dang, does your sister need a ticket?” Nikki asked.

  “She’s gonna see Versus instead,” I said.

  “You sure, dude?” Nikki asked. “Ask the guy if there are still seats.”

  “But the other theater was sold out,” I said.

  “The sucky theater,” Nikki said. “This is the good o has way more seats.”

  “Yeah, Zeta,” Kalei said. I shot her a look of “I could really embarrass you in front of Nikki right now” that made her back off from her usual snarkiness.

  As Kalei bought us all snacks, Stel asked the people at the ter about Dentist Haircut tickets.

  “There are still a few seats avaible for that showing,” the ticket guy said.

  “Great,” Oka muttered.

  “What’s up?” I asked quietly.

  “Your sister’s awesome," Oka responded just as quietly. "But I don’t waaring at us iheater while the movie’s going, you know?”

  “Well, it’s pretty dark in there, right? We could probably do anything in there and she wouldn’t notice.”

  Oka’s face was suddenly bright red.

  “What did I say?”

  “Oh! I mean, I just…a-anything? Like…anything?”

  I pyfully shoved Oka's shoulder. “Stop,” I said, giggling.

  “How I stop?” Oka asked. She locked eyes with me, looking pletely serious. “I mean it.”

  “Alright, let’s go,” Kalei said, patting me on the back, breaking whatever moment that was about to be.

  Once we got seated, I had to give Oka an apologetic look as Stel sat right by me. She took the seat oher side of me, and Kalei and Nikki got the ones past her. We were front aer for this movie, which everyoting down was buzzing about.

  None of the trailers really grabbed me, save for a horror movie about Exa i that looked cool and a period piece about medieval i that had Raina Starlight in a supp role, which had me practically up and pointing at the s when she showed up for .02 seds. There was one about a superhero that turned all murder-y that looked awful that had most of the crowd screaming in joy at that I decided I really did not want to see. It arently called Project: Flyswatter too, which was a really weird hat sounded vaguely familiar. Oka shot me a simir look of disgust.

  Finally, the movie started to actual straight up appuse at the opening credits, which I did not get because this wasn’t a Versus Wars or Infiype thing. And the movie rolled on, it retty standard rom with some weird elements (a dream sequeh an alien and a really dark subplot) about a dentist who has to get a haircut from his wife’s ex-husband.

  I was experieng something more tehan the movie, though. Oka had her hand on the armrest, and I suddenly really wao just hold her hand. But that would be weird to just do out of the blue. And with Stel right by me, she’d defiease me at the very least about it. Making matters worse, my power blocker wristband was bumping against the little footrest button thing while I kept my arm off the armrest, making a grinding noise as the footrest whirred up and down. This was also the first movie I saw post tail having, and the movie seat felt especially not suitable for those cursed with tails. Eventually I gave up out of frustration, a my arm dht on the rest, bumping forearms with Oka. Now normally this wouldn’t be a big thing, but this was a night with a lot of charged emotions. Oka jolted in a manner more befitting of my jumpiness.

  “Sorry,” I whispered.

  Oka shook her head. “It’s…not your…” she mumbled and trailed off. She was watg the movie, but she also looked unsatisfied, which I assumed wasn’t just from the paint by numbers romantiedy. It could have possibly been the Big Boy from Ultra Taco giving her an upset stomach too, but I hoped it hadn’t hit her that fast or the rest of the night was gonna be a real bummer.

  My mind drifting away from the movie, and my panic preventing any real rea, I lost myself in a daydream. I imagihat Oka's sad look literally forced my hand. While my hand remaiill, petrified, in my mind I reached over to her side and grabbed her hand, managing to stay out of sight from Stel.

  “You read my mind,” the Oka in my daydream said, and leaned her head against my shoulder as she gripped my hand tightly.

  My heart ounding for the rest of the movie and I felt very warm, but it wasirely from my usual rea t lights and bsting sounds mixed with sugar and caffeine snacks. It was entirely from a mental image. I couldn't stand to look over as I wished that Oka would nuzzle against me as she held my hand. I felt a chill down my spine.

  Even if I was too much of a coward to really reach over and grab her hand, it was a hought, at least. A hought that brought a bittersweet feeling cloud over the night as we tio watch the movie.