In The Orbit (Part I)

26. Azalea

The other pod arrives with two minutes left on the clock. They spill out of the ship with their arms full of bombs. I close my eyes and try to focus on my breathing. I can't focus. It's too exciting.

I look at Strom. His eyes are wild as he diffuses the bombs one by one. His hands are working so fast that they are blurs.

"I can't get them all!" he yells. "The process takes too long."

Karma's brow is furrowed as she watches Strom. "Hey... Strom, do the first three steps and separate the halves so the wires are exposed."

Strom grunts and obeys her. I watch Karma get a big metal crowbar that is leaning against the wall among some other tools. She takes it and goes over to the bombs. She raised the bar and swings it down hard on the bomb.

"Thirty seconds!!!" Harold screeches. Karma crushes the rest of the bombs one by one.

"TEN! NINE! EIGHT! SEVEN!" yell Fifi, Harold, and Khan.

Karma has two more to go.

"SIX! FIVE! FOUR!" some of the officers have joined in.

Strom opens the last bomb.

"THREE! TWO!" Karma screams as she brings the crowbar down on the last bomb.

"ONE! ZERO!"

Nothing happens. One of the bombs sparks a bit. After thirty seconds of silence everyone is screaming and whooping and Karma and Strom are in a tight embrace. Khan runs over and pulls me up and lifts me off the ground.

Harold is on the floor screaming in delight. Fifi and I do a very awkward high five-fist bump thing that ends up with her hand in my mouth. Then Karma is squeezing me and yelling "WE DID IT!" in my ear.

"Careful, Karma, she was almost dead fifteen minutes ago," warns Harold.

"Yeah, we'd better get you to the hospital," says Kunley. "You might have done a lot of damage to your body."

He and Kela walk me to the hospital.

"Interesting fact about our hospital, nobody has ever died here," Kela informs me.

"Nobody's been born here either," Kunley says.

"Yeah, and they shouldn't be, this is a school," Kela fires back. I feel the blood rushing to my head and I put my head against the wall to steady myself.

"Woah there, hang on," Kunley tells me. He pulls out his little screen and taps away. Within seconds one of those luggage carts is here. I get on the cart and it zooms off towards the hospital with me on it, with Kela running to catch up. Kunley must have stayed behind.

The hospital keeps me for a few hours. They see that nothing is wrong and send me back to my room with Karma.

When I get back, she is in the hot tub. She is wearing a tiny top that isn't hiding much and shorts. She gets out and runs up to me. She throws her arms around me and gets me all wet.

"Karma Kashner!" I shout.

"Get in the tub! I have ice cream and Pepsi from the cafeteria."

We sit in the hot tub for a long time. We talk about all kinds of random stuff. But there is one question I am dying to ask. Well, two questions, but one is way too weird.

"Yeah, that's typical for my brother. He isn't too smart," Karma says after some big story that would have been fascinating if I could focus.

"Did you have a..." I don't know how to word it. "...special someone back in Cleveland?"

She sighs. "Yeah, my boyfriend. I miss him."

Then I remember the last two nights and how she spooned me and said how she missed her boyfriend. I feel awkward.

"He was really cute," Karma continues. "But he drove a wedge between me and Chelsea-"

"Chelsea?!"

"My ex-" My eyebrows raise. Karma laughs. "Friend. Ex-best friend."

"Oh. That sucks."

"Yeah. I miss her too, but honestly I haven't thought about her much since I came here."

"Same with my friends. But we weren't really that close anyway," I tell her. "They were more like acquaintances."

"Yeah. You know, I snuck out every night to sleep with my boyfriend."

"WHAT?!" I stop cold. "You had sex every night?!"

"Oh my god, no! No no no no no. We went to his parents' extra apartment and slept together. Like spooned. We only had sex once. It wasn't very great so we didn't do it again."

"Damn," I whisper. "I haven't even kissed anyone. Also, you don't have to answer this, but why was it so bad?"

Karma hesitates. "I guess I mentally loved him. Not physically."

"That's deep," I say. "I guess it's good that you realize that."

"Yeah," Karma says. "Also, that isn't possible. You're sixteen and have never kissed anyone."

"Nope. Never."

"I don't believe you. Everyone had their awkward fifth grade first kiss and gross kisses from upperclassmen as a ninth grader."

"Well, I don't know what's wrong with your school. Most of the kids lost their virginity in fourth grade."

Karma's eyes go huge.

"I'm kidding. It was like seventh or eighth grade."

Karma breathes out and says, "Well, I know those parts of the city don't have the best reputation, but fourth grade..."

"Yeah. But even seventh's bad. In the suburbs it was sophomore year. So right around now for me."

"That's awkward. I can't believe you haven't ever kissed anyone."

"Yeah. I was the weird awkward kid in the corner who nobody talked to."

"Aww, Azalea," Karma pulls me into a hug. She holds on for too long and whispers "I really miss my boyfriend."

"Don't you dare start crying," I hiss.

"Do I seem like a crier?"

"Looks can be deceiving."

"That is the truest statement you have said all day," answers Karma.

We finish the bottle of Pepsi and get out of the hot tub. After drying off, we climb into bed. Karma wraps herself around me, but not as tightly. She probably doesn't want to suffocate me.