Freeze Frame

Chapter 42

Third person pov

The next day at school, Lillian knew she'd have to play it safe. She had a job. Hitoshi and Neito would walk her in a desperate attempt to fend off Kaminari, who was on the prowl. She was safer in the classroom, so once she was in there, she'd give their sloppily cobbled-together dietary plan and let him make the changes they needed for whatever hellish workout he had in store for them.

Lillian would need to surround herself once she got into the classroom. After her dabbing stunt before, on top of the fact that she'd directly given him that Chungus note, he was probably near rabid by now. Lillian was okay at acting, which was probably driving him even crazier. It's not like the girl really had friends prior to UA, so most of her time was spent bouncing around her bedroom singing at the top of her lungs and reenacting scenes from whatever she was into at the time.

"Do you see him anywhere?" Neito asked as they cautiously pattered down the hall. They had all seen the look on Kaminari's face earlier. The guy was definitely desperate. What exactly he was desperate for, none of them were quite sure. Answers, maybe? We're Hitoshi in the electric blonde's shoes, he'd have a hell of a lot of questions.

"N-Not yet." Lillian murmured back, glancing over her shoulder. "Keep a feel out for static. It's subtle, b-but I've noticed it a few times around him."

"Got it." Hitoshi nodded. He could understand why Lillian wouldn't want to be interrogated. Besides, her meme-status needed to remain a secret so they could reveal it when it was least expected. They had plans, after all. Plans that were not to be foiled before they could ever be put into motion.

"What sort of workout do you think Aizawa-sensei will be giving us?" Neito glanced down at her. "He's your teacher, so you'd know."

Lillian smiled a wry smile that looked out of place on her face, a distant look in her eyes. Neito and Hitoshi shared a glance. Lillian ducked her head, her ponytail slipping over her shoulder in the process. She looked almost as though she were mourning.

"Let's just say... W-Well, have you ever felt like you were going to die? Physically? Danger wise?" Lillian looked up, peering at them to gauge their reactions. Neito looked grim, and Hitoshi, mildly horrified. "I-It'll be like that, but worse."

"Worse?" Hitoshi croaked weakly.

"Worse." Lillian winced. "But uh... It'll be effective?"

"The questioning in your tone terrifies me, and I hope you realize that." Neito winced as he considered it. Lillian did tend to freak out even the smallest of things, blowing them up and out of proportion before she could even fully process just what was happening. This time, however, she seemed dead serious. Completely, and calmly, set on the idea that they were about to experience a month of hell. He found himself believing her because of her surety.

"Lillian!" A voice called, causing the girl to jump. They all turned to see none other than Kaminari, his clothes looking as though they'd been put on in a rush, darting towards them. Lillian backed up ever so slightly towards the door to her classroom.

"See you at lunch?" Hitoshi asked the girl, who nodded and gave her two friends a smile before ducking into the classroom. Neito and Hitoshi both stepped to make way for Kaminari as he all but dove after the poor girl.

Lillian managed to make it to her desk and seek cover in the midst of her other female friends. Half of them told Kaminari to buzz off anytime he tried to confront the freckled girl, and the others ignored him and continued on with the conversation like he wasn't there. When he wasn't trying to corner her, class was in session, so it worked out rather well. Lillian was glad. She wasn't the most confident in her acting skills. They weren't the worst; it's not like she had friends before UA, which meant she'd had plenty of time to sit back and practice. It's not like there was much else to do.