Crush
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiAuAJBZuGs
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sugrjangz: is no one going to talk about cains glowup
not_ur_power_bank: don't u have a boyfriend
sugrjangz: i also have eyes
fides1104: hes so hot
THUNDERDOME: what
not_ur_power_bank: what
sugrjangz: what
spookyscaryskeletons: what
not_ur_power_bank: honestly i thought he'd be more edie's type
THUNDERDOME: nah too serious
spookyscaryskeletons: oh and faiths a serious girl
fides1104: im a serious girl >:(
sugrjangz: lmao
sugrjangz: but ru srs
sugrjangz: like fr srs srs
fides1104: he looks different outside of school
fides1104: like u rmb that cafe?
fides1104: b4 u and sagara made up
THUNDERDOME: we shd go back
THUNDERDOME: midget barista makes a mean hot choc
fides1104: oh and that mcd's where u got hit on by blondie and microphone head
fides1104: the look in his eye...
spookyscaryskeletons: omg
spookyscaryskeletons: shes serious
not_ur_power_bank: ru sure it's not just like
not_ur_power_bank: he's easy on the eyes and all but
spookyscaryskeletons: ass almost as nice as soyjuro's
THUNDERDOME: soujyuuro
spookyscaryskeletons: gesundheit
fides1104: idk
fides1104: im not as brave as u or hailey lol
fides1104: im perfectly ok to admire him from a distance <3
sugrjangz: me and hifumi was a group effort
not_ur_power_bank: it's complicated.
not_ur_power_bank: worked out in the end though
THUNDERDOME: u need to do sth abt it
THUNDERDOME: rmb that guy who moved away
fides1104: i do...
fides1104: but im over him!
spookyscaryskeletons: litrally running from one crush to another
not_ur_power_bank: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Limerence
sugrjangz: thats literally u and samson tho
not_ur_power_bank: i was lucky
fides1104: srsly its ok
fides1104: i'll just chill out!
fides1104: mayb im just not rdy 4 a r/s yet
"THEY'RE GOING ON ARCADE DATES?" Minnie screeched.
"ONE HANDMADE PLUSH A DAY?" Edie echoed.
"Nope." Max shot to her feet. Tugging Faith's phone out of her grip, she locked it and tossed it to the sofa as the other girl squealed. "Nope. Nope. Nope. I can't sit there and watch you break your own heart again."
"It is cute, though." Faith sighed, rolling on her back as she stared dreamily at the ceiling. "Him and Sagara make a cute couple."
"You need to learn to be selfish for once, Faith," Hailey said. She, Minnie and Edie were typing furiously as the conversation on Inigo's makeshift groupchat continued. "Fuck Sagara! And fuck Suzuki, though that's a given." Leaving her phone suspended in the air, she climbed onto the couch and thrust one small fist towards the ceiling. "Pull yourself together! Go. Confront the problem. Fight! Win!"
There was a brief silence, interrupted only by the sound of Max unlocking her phone and dashing out a quick message. A few seconds later, Edie's head snapped up. "Hey, what was that for?"
"It was a genuine question! Her profile doesn't have any information at all! It's like my eyes just slide off it."
Edie groaned in disgust. "The groupchat's ruined. Myoga's gonna go on about Nyoro for an hour."
Minnie set her phone down. "Okay, I could be chatting with Bobby-"
"Sexting," Max chirped. Minnie ignored her.
"-but this is way more important." She grabbed the ornamental calendar on the coffee table and flipped to August before spinning it around to face Faith. "See this? Summer festival's coming up. Now, here's what I'm thinking..."
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fides1104: ur sure this is gna work
sugrjangz: sure
not_ur_power_bank: still think we should've gone with a yukata
sugrjangz: bitch about it w max
THUNDERDOME: she ditched lol
sugrjangz: werent u gna ditch too
fides1104: no sign of chris :(((
sugrjangz: maybe hes chasing desolator lol
THUNDERDOME: im just gna hang arnd faith till we find cain
THUNDERDOME: this summer festival thing is pretty boring ngl
not_ur_power_bank: i kind of have my hands full w/ bobby but
not_ur_power_bank: you can do this
not_ur_power_bank: just do it like we practiced
not_ur_power_bank: 화이팅!
Hailey was drying her hands off on her monogrammed handkerchief when she fell into step beside Minnie and Faith. "Did you manage to catch Cain?"
"Wasn't he with you?"
"He and Suzuki were already here when I reached." Hailey scowled as she summoned her handbag with a flick of her wrist. "Didn't even glance at Faith before they flew off. Even when we put in so much work into styling her. Asshole." Lifting her head, she squinted into the night. "...And now they're gone."
Edie joined them as they crossed the grass patch, cutting a straight path towards Max and the guy from the convenience store. "Did you manage to speak to Cain?"
Faith shook her head glumly. They were silent for a while. Then:
"Hey, H. Did Max come here with the guy from the convenience store?"
"Why're you asking me? I was busy saving people from, like, literally drowning themselves-"
"Have fun working security, asshole," Max shouted.
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sugrjangz: ok
sugrjangz: ignoring maxs whole deal with convenience store guy
spookyscaryskeletons: THERES NO DEAL
spookyscaryskeletons: HES JUST A COCKROACH THAT KEEPS POPPING UP
THUNDERDOME: surejan.jpg
sugrjangz: IGNORING THAT
sugrjangz: cain is in the hospital again
not_ur_power_bank: what
THUNDERDOME: huh
spookyscaryskeletons: tf
fides1104: ???
sugrjangz: myoga told me
sugrjangz: he was like
sugrjangz: a lil cagey on the dts
sugrjangz: but its prob desolator
THUNDERDOME: man what does cain have against that guy
not_ur_power_bank: maybe he killed his mom lol
sugrjangz: also the brit is in hospital too
sugrjangz: seems more srsly injured than cain
not_ur_power_bank: might as well drop off some stuff for her too then
sugrjangz: whatever
spookyscaryskeletons: this is ur chance @fides1104
THUNDERDOME: yea exactly
sugrjangz: get him sth nice
sugrjangz: try to broach the subject idk
fides1104: ok
No sooner had they piled into the convertible than Max gave Faith a savage noogie. Edie snorted.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"You couldn't think of anything to say?" Max demanded. "It's an E-reader with books you might like. That's it? Not even an I'm glad you're okay?"
Faith's mouth opened and closed. "T-the room was too crowded, okay? And Sagara was there! What if I-"
"Okay, it's time for the nuclear option."
Minnie narrowed her eyes. "What nuclear option?"
Hailey shrugged. "I'll ask Hifumi to ask Cain."
"They've barely spoken."
"Then you can ask Samson."
"Fine. You ask Takeda, I'll ask Bobby."
"Could try Myoga," Edie suggested.
"Myoga and his big mouth? I'm pretty sure he thinks Cain'd be better with Sagara."
"Why not get Soujyuuro to read Cain's mind or something?" Max piped up.
"Don't you, like, hate his guts because he mind-raped you?"
"Hey, it's the path of least resistance."
"Except he's probably going to refuse."
"It's literally just relationship stuff! Nothing significant. I'd kill for a quirk like that..."
As the others started to bicker, Faith sighed and turned to stare out the window.
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sugrjangz: what does that even mean
not_ur_power_bank: well, he thinks she's pretty
sugrjangz: kinda fucking obvious
sugrjangz: understatement of the fucking year
THUNDERDOME: language
sugrjangz: ARGH
not_ur_power_bank: "that would depend on who she is"
not_ur_power_bank: what did he mean by this
THUNDERDOME: takeda is worse than useless
sugrjangz: @fides1104
sugrjangz: u ok
sugrjangz: ?
fides1104: i think hed do better w sagara tbh
THUNDERDOME: OH MY FUCKING GOD
not_ur_power_bank: FAITH!!!!!
sugrjangz: THIS GIRL
fides1104: he thinks shes an amazing person and objectively the most attractive girl in class
fides1104: like how can i even compete with that
sugrjangz: HE DOESNT EVEN KNOW U YET
sugrjangz: U LITERALLY HAVENT SPOKEN TO HIM FOR MORE THAN 5 MINUTES
not_ur_power_bank: just. like. ask him out
THUNDERDOME: ur one of the smartest ppl i know but u can be so incredibly stupid sometimes
fides1104: im just paralyzed ok
fides1104: i feel like once i get to know him itll just be like
fides1104: hell be so different from my mental image of him that it wouldnt work
fides1104: i feel awful im just obsessing over this imaginary version of him
fides1104: but id rather live in uncertainty 4ever than know for sure
fides1104: bc i cant get hurt in my imagination
fides1104: i mean what if im too intense? what if i come on too strong and scare him off
sugrjangz: i dont give a shit im coming over
THUNDERDOME: please do
not_ur_power_bank: where the hell is max
Hailey checked her watch.
"Should we just go to your place?" Edie asked.
Hailey shook her head. "Maybe once Minnie and Max get here." She groaned. "I shouldn't have repeated what Cain said about Sagara."
"I mean, nothing against Sagara, and nothing against Cain," Edie agreed, arms folded. "But still."
"Yeah."
"Yeah."
Hailey checked her watch again, then followed Edie as she carried a steaming mug of hot chocolate into Faith's room. The girl in question was huddled up on her bed, staring blankly into space. Realistically, Hailey knew that Faith couldn't be happy all the time, but she'd known the other girl for years, and while she did cry sometimes, the last time she'd been this miserable had been in middle school, when that guy had moved to South Dakota. Hopefully Edie's hot chocolate would work its magic a second time.
They sat in silence for a while until Minnie and Max let themselves in. When they appeared in the door, Edie blinked. "What's that?"
Minnie looked down at the massive, A2-sized board that she and Max were carrying. "Uh, it's Max's evidence wall."
"For what?" Hailey demanded. "How fucking tone-deaf can you be?"
"It's about Cain's relationship with Desolator," Max said. "Look, Minnie joked that maybe he'd killed Cain's mom, so I did some research, and then one thing led to another. I don't have, like, a definitive answer yet, but-"
"I want to look at it," Faith said.
Max and Minnie put the board down and joined the others on Faith's bed. They sat there for a while.