I had never beehe choir room before. I held a bit of a grudge against the school choir; once Oka joined, she had to switch out of my sed period literature css with Soleri. I had to rush over after css, but I miscalcuted my rushing as I ended up in the music area a few minutes before their practided, and was left staring at a big, deep green curtain that the choir was led within.

  By the sound of their singing, it kinda sounded like they were maybe ing up. I mean, they had to be, there was another css soon. As I looked around, not seeing anyone I reized in the room, the thought hit me over and over.

  I have a girlfriend. I am seriously actually dating Oka Ohri.

  Things had ged a lot since we officially started dating. We told Kalei right away that night.

  “You guys are finally officially a thing?” Kalei asked. “Just don’t be making out when I show up in our room, kay?”As Oka and I blushed, she just ughed. “But seriously,” Kalei said. “it’s really about time.”

  The others were happy about it as well. Aira and Laenie hugged us bht away, and Lillia even offered me a supportive fist bump. I wasn’t sure anyone would be upset about Oka and I dating, but I still worried si was something so new. I’d never dated someone who went to the same school as me.

  “Zeta?” Oka asked, surprising me by showing up from a hallway that was not the choir room. “What are you doing here?”

  I don’t know if it was a haze of my hormones, but every time I saw Oka was different now. I knew she was cute before, but now I saw it even clearer; even down to small things like the way she brushed her hair back or how she carried her css books around.

  "I...thought this was the choir...room?" I said, putting my phone away.

  "It is, we just go out through the back hallway," Oka said. "I'm surprised you're here."

  “I just…wao see you.” I said.

  “Aw, something up?” Oka asked.

  “I just want to make sure it’s still real,” I said.

  “It is,” Oka said and we shared a nice hug. Even hugs felt niow that we were dating.

  “ I walk you…baewhere?” I said.

  “Well, we do have the css together,” Oka said, smiling as she bit her lip.

  One dowhat weirdly didn’t hit me as hard when the pre-dating crush was raging the hardest was how shaky I was around Oka once we officially were dating. But at least Oka was in the same boat. We walked together to Atrax’s social studies css holding hands, and while I was eted, I was also very sweaty. Kalei was already sitting in ur spot, a down by her. I made sure I had fihe worksheet we had to do, then started paging through my notebook.

  “Man, where’s Atrax already?” Kalei said a few mier. “I wan roll call over with so I ap.”

  I had been doodling in my notebook for a while and hadn’t even noticed social studies css had been going on for a few minutes already with no Mr. Atrax.

  “Usually he’s pretty timely,” Oka said. “I hope he’s alright.”

  “Well, wake me up if he does show up, I’m making aive decision that I’m not gonna wait for him,” Kalei said, getting her space ready for napping.

  Atrax’s social studies css didn’t have desks, so we were all seated at tables. Oka, Kalei and I usually grabbed seats in the back row. Other back row students in social studies were Latte (who o be close to a plug in for her coffee maker that she hauled around everywhere when she didn’t have a thermos), Iris, Maia, and the Matora sisters.

  Rain and KJ were seated in the row in front of us, but there was curiously no Amara. Elisa Burwell, the dragon Kanibari obsessed with a pop singer named Osiris, took the st seat o the two and got to work looking up Osiris fan sites and social media feeds oablet.

  “Should we tell someone?” Oka asked.

  “Don’t ruin this, Oka,” Iris said. “This could be a freebie css!”

  “We’ll probably be in more trouble if we don’t tell the faculty,” Oka said.

  “Yeah, but that forty-five minutes of bliss will be worth it.”

  Amara suddenly burst into the room, almost out of breath.

  “Sorry I’m te, bathroom emergency!” Amara said, then looked around. “Oh…no teacher. Hm.”

  Amara went to the row KJ and Rain were sitting at but froze seeing Elisa. Iris started poking Maia to get her to pay attention to the se in front of them.

  “Elisa, you please move?” Amara asked. “I’d like to sit o Rain.”

  “No,” Elisa said. “I get the best reception in this spot.”

  “But…I always sit o Rain,” Amara said.

  “And I always look up Osiris during third period,” Elisa said. She poked her horns towards Amara. “So scoot.”

  “Those horns could have jabbed at me!” Amara said.

  “I was just pointing, leave me alone,” Elisa said. “You’re distrag from Osiris time!”

  I noticed some others in the css were watg the argument as well, and a lot of whispers and pointing were had. her KJ nor Rain stepped in to cool her dowher, which I thought retty crummy of them. But I guess I didn’t do anythiher so I was implicit in the crumminess.

  “Poor Amara,” I said.

  “I think she go without sittio Rain for one css period,” Maia said.

  “Still,” I said.

  “Why’s Letoh here?” Oka asked.

  “Huh?” I said. Ms. Letoh, one of the teachers at Rising Shards, was standing at the front of css unpag her stuff. Once she had finished, she smiled softly and stood still.

  “She’s just…standing there.” Oka said.

  “Yeah, this happens with her,” Maia said. “If nobody says anything, aire css period pass not getting anything done.”

  “Freebie css!” Iris said, pumping her arms. Her wish was not granted however, as her excmatioo Letoh snapping out of whatever haze she was in.

  “Oh!” Ms. Letoh said. “Wele, css. Usually you have Mr. Atrax, but he has suffered a serious act."

  Several in the css gasped.

  "W-well, he’s not dead at least!” Letoh said, prompting even more murmurs. “I-I mean, oops, that’s probably…not the best way to phrase it. It was a seriously embarrassing act involving a pair of overalls and a water well, and that’s probably…more detail than I should be giving. A-anyways, he will be on leave for the rest of this semester, so I will be taking over social studies. So, let’s begin, shall we? Um, Amara…?”

  Amara still hadn’t sat down, and Elisa still hadn’t moved.

  “Ms. Letoh, could you please tell Elisa to move?” Amara asked. “She’s in my spot.”

  “Amara, I think it would be in your best is to settle down a little,” Ms. Letoh said.

  “Wh-ME?” Amara squeaked. “I’m the victim here!”

  “Amara, please quiet down,” Ms. Letoh said. “There are plenty of seats you take.”

  “I…” Amara suddenly seemed tnize all eyes in the css were on her and sulked off to a seat in the front er and put her head down. It was almost heartbreaking to watch. For me at least, there were others in css snickering at the se. Kalei wasn’t one of them, but she did look very upset her nap had been interrupted.