Lie to Me Again | ONC 2024

14 - Hit the Fan

"You don't know?" Rhett stopped both of them, pushing her bangs to the side to put a hand on her forehead. His eyebrows creased. "Yuki, you're not...sick, are you?"

"No, I'm fine." Yuki took his hand again and squeezed it. "You're the one who's been sick. Glad your parents weren't too upset though."

Rhett shrugged. "I only relapsed for a day and they understood how much I wanted to go once I told them. Though if you were to get sick too, I'm sure I'd be grounded for longer." 

One week of walking to school and no driving privileges. Yuki supposed there were worse consequences for sneaking out.

Down the hall, a girl shouted out, waving a handful of papers over heads. Once the other students parted, Sophia paraded up to the two of them. In preparation for PE, she'd changed into a burgundy pair of leggings and matching fitness jacket. 

"I've got Trig," Rhett said, giving Yuki a quick hug before leaving her to Sophia's clutches.

"I got an A+, Yuki!" Sophia squealed, jumping up and down. "Mrs. Dayang even kept me back to tell me how much she approved of me applying myself to the work." She'd colored her hair again with the new "oreo" trend, white streaks under black.

"That's great." Yuki tucked her own paper into the binder she carried. A paper marked with a B minus. She sucked on her cheek, trying to think of how she could get out of walking with Sophia to PE.

That concern evaporated as Sophia held out a folded check. Trying not to look desperate, Yuki took the payment with a nod. She needed a new schoolbag, clothes, and shoes. If she wore the same outfit to school twice, she'd be dead meat and her wardrobe needed the reset. 

While they walked out to the track to run laps, Sophia said, "Let me know if there's any other way I can repay you. An A+ deserves more, don't you think?" She turned with a small gasp of excitement, bouncing on her toes. "We could go on another shopping trip! My treat." 

Tempting, but shopping with Sophia happened to be an extreme sport Yuki had zero interest in. She eyed the ring on Sophia's finger. "There is something you could help me with, actually."

"Name it," Sophia said with a confident tilt of her chin. "Nothing is too much."

Yuki could think of several things that were too much. Peak physical health, her family's reputation, her grandparents' approval, having her own self-confidence back. Sophia couldn't hand those things over like a check. Even Era with all her omnipotence probably couldn't. Better yet, why would they want to?

It could be hard to sympathize with someone when you had everything and more.

"You're not playing the fortune, are you? I'd like to use your ring," Yuki answered.

"What for?" Sophia asked with casual curiosity but already slipping it off her finger to hand over, as if it were made of paper—not even the green kind—instead of Yuki's highest hopes and dreams. "And no, my university path is already arranged. I don't really want to run a club either. It sounds like too much work."

Yuki tucked the ring into a zipped pocket of her bag, trying to avoid stepping in some of the wetter patches of grass. The school buildings formed a ring around what everyone called "The Park", which included a football field, baseball diamond, tennis court, and a track. 

"I'd like to win the presidency if I can," Yuki said, waving to their PE teacher. 

The middle-aged woman gestured to the bench where Yuki picked up the stopwatch and pad of paper to record stats for their monthly physical evaluation.

"Go do your stretches with the others, Lim," the teacher ordered.

Sophia gave her a note which was received with pursed lips and a terse nod toward the bench.