gossip 8
Max narrowed her eyes. She'd come to a complete standstill, and her friends were looking askance at her. The five of them were on the verge of clogging up the entire corridor. "You go on first. I've got a call to make."
Faith followed her gaze. "Oh! Is that-"
"Yeah." Max raised her phone to her ear. "Uh, hi? Is this the Kyoto- oh, good. I'd like to report a suspicious character lurking outside Shiketsu High." After making a few clarifying remarks, she locked her phone, satisfied. There was a small but significant buildup of grumbling teenagers behind her, but she ignored them.
"I'm pretty sure that counts as mischief under the penal code," Minnie said. They'd started walking again.
"Whatever."
"You should just talk to him, you know," Faith piped up, falling back into step with Max, who valiantly resisted the urge to sigh and roll her eyes. She'd only gone on one (1) date with Cain, and it was like she'd become a whole new person. She was more bearable when she was moping and lovesick. "Remember that guy in middle school? He ate, like, a three-day suspension for fighting with you." She lowered her voice, insinuating. "Maybe you should try fighting convenience store guy."
Max twisted her lips, looking pensive. "Maybe I should." She waited for all of three seconds before elbowing Faith. "Nah, not a chance."
YOU ARE NOW ON A SECURE NETWORK.
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THUNDERDOME: so
THUNDERDOME: uh
THUNDERDOME: that happened
sugrjangz: "you cant do this to me, do u know who i am"
sugrjangz: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
not_ur_power_bank: i knew it
not_ur_power_bank: mischief
fides1104: let us know if u get charged or sth ok
THUNDERDOME: nah idt shes getting charged
THUNDERDOME: prob just gna sweat her for a bit so she doesnt do it again
sugrjangz: hello hv u even met max
The car hit a speed-bump and a girl yelped.
"Officer, he touched me!"
"Did not!"
Officer Ikari pinched the bridge of his nose. Beside him, Officer Hamada shook his head and thumbed a button on the dashboard, muting the two teenagers in the backseat. He turned to his colleague pleadingly. "Are we really doing this?"
Officer Ikari nodded. "It's not like we've got anything else on the docket for today," he replied. "And these young people are in love."
"I highly doubt that."
Officer Ikari shot Officer Hamada a look. "You've only been on the force for five months, rookie, so I'll let this slide." He puffed his chest out as the car came to a stop at a traffic light. "In high school, if a girl deliberately antagonizes a boy, it's because she likes him. Otherwise he'd be beneath her notice."
"Did we go to different high schools?"
"Perhaps you've just never been antagonized by a girl before." Officer Ikari sighed longingly. "Ah, to be young and emotionally constipated again."
The scanner beeped. 104 come in, over.
Officer Hamada raised his voice. 104 here, over. We're headed back to the station. We've got a loiterer and a frivolous reporter. Both high-school age.
A swirl of static from over the scanner. Takeshi, this again?
Officer Ikari harrumphed. Just you wait. When they're happily married with children in ten years' time, they'll look back on this day and thank me and Hamada for kick-starting their love story.
The officer on the other end sighed again. Don't mind him, Hamada. He's read too many visual novels.
YOU ARE NOW ON A SECURE NETWORK.
DESIGNATE: ~ Made by Drone! <3 ~
spookyscaryskeletons: ugh
THUNDERDOME: SHE RETURNS
sugrjangz: how does it feel to be the first person in our friend group to get busted by the cops
not_ur_power_bank: ru in trouble
fides1104: did u n convenience store guy kiss
spookyscaryskeletons: WE DIDNT KISS OK
not_ur_power_bank: suspiciously vehement denial...
spookyscaryskeletons: they just kept us in a cell for 4 hours
fides1104: nth happened?
spookyscaryskeletons: N O T H I N G
spookyscaryskeletons: he roughed me up a lil tho
THUNDERDOME: hello that is the exact opposite of nth
sugrjangz: "convenience store guy" just got upgraded to "totally not my bf"
spookyscaryskeletons: fuck u guys
not_ur_power_bank: language
spookyscaryskeletons: he pulled out my earring!!!
fides1104: did u bite him........
spookyscaryskeletons: no i punched him in the jaw
fides1104: gosh
fides1104: told u to try fighting him
THUNDERDOME: cassandra kang
fides1104: maybe i shd get back into tarot cards
sugrjangz: we still down for dinner?
fides1104: im down
THUNDERDOME: same
not_ur_power_bank: depends on whether max needs like
not_ur_power_bank: a cold compress or sth
not_ur_power_bank: for her earlobe
spookyscaryskeletons: nah im fine
spookyscaryskeletons: cops patched me up
spookyscaryskeletons: but say 1 word abt junichi n im leaving
fides1104: OHHH HIS NAME IS JUNICHI??????
"And how does this look, miss?" the attendant asked.
Max squinted at the offered pair. It was a lot thinner than the earrings that she was used to, but her piercings had come back wrong. And she wasn't going to put herself through that sort of agony again. "It looks okay," she replied, doubtfully, and poked at her tender earlobe. "I guess. Do you have any others?"
She was so absorbed by the options on offer that she barely noticed Edie nudging Hailey behind her. Faith started whispering with Minnie, and it wasn't until she turned around, earrings now safely attached, that she realized that her friends had completely vanished. And that there was someone else standing behind her, browsing the men's section without a care in the world, back turned.
"You."
The boy stiffened and turned. For a split second, Max wondered why she'd even opened her mouth, but it was a little too late for that. "You owe me a new uniform, asshole."
"Er, miss-"
Max whirled back around, a pair of bony pincers poking out from the back of her dress. "What?"
"Would you like this pair?" The attendant looked nervous. "If not, you'll have to remove it."
Max sneered. "I'll take it." She swiped her card across the payment terminal, yanked her purse away viciously, and stalked after the boy as he tried to beat a hasty retreat. "Asshole! Hey, asshole! I'm talking to you!"
From behind, Minnie, Hailey, Faith and Edie emerged. Edie was cackling as she filmed. Faith was giggling helplessly. Minnie was shaking her head. And Hailey was checking her watch.
"If we want to make it in time for our reservation, she's going to have to wrap this up within the hour," she said. "C'mon. If they actually start fighting, we're going to get banned from here."
YOU ARE NOW ON A SECURE NETWORK.
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fides1104: @THUNDERDOME
fides1104: @THUNDERDOME
fides1104: @THUNDERDOME
fides1104: @THUNDERDOME
fides1104: @THUNDERDOME
spookyscaryskeletons: tf
fides1104: heard some stuff from chris
THUNDERDOME: what
fides1104: u went out w atsushi?
sugrjangz: she went out with atsushi?
not_ur_power_bank: atsushi???
spookyscaryskeletons: oh shit
not_ur_power_bank: max what happened to keeping edie company
sugrjangz: 20k yen says she got sidetracked by totally not her bf
spookyscaryskeletons: fuck off
fides1104: is she wrong tho
THUNDERDOME: it was ok
THUNDERDOME: look it was gna happen eventually
sugrjangz: jesus christ max
THUNDERDOME: all ur other stuff syncd up on the same day for once
spookyscaryskeletons: sorry
THUNDERDOME: k
not_ur_power_bank: let's go korea for the weekend
fides1104: i thought u were doing sth w samson
not_ur_power_bank: he'll have to deal
sugrjangz: kk lets do it
sugrjangz: @fides1104
sugrjangz: chix b4 dix
fides1104: ok
fides1104: chris will understand
THUNDERDOME: wait ru all at home rn
not_ur_power_bank: w/ bobby
sugrjangz: onw back
spookyscaryskeletons: yea
fides1104: just got back
fides1104: chris went off on his own n msgd me about u lol
THUNDERDOME: gna be late then
THUNDERDOME: grabbing dinner w the gang
spookyscaryskeletons: who?
THUNDERDOME: mccathy cain sagara myoga nyoro atsushi
sugrjangz: someones feeling social
not_ur_power_bank: i could drag bobby over
not_ur_power_bank: where yall gg
fides1104: i feel like its gna be some cheapo joint
fides1104: shd i go n find chris? i feel like im being clingy
sugrjangz: turning my car around
spookyscaryskeletons: pick me up?
sugrjangz: no
sugrjangz: stay at home n think on ur sins
spookyscaryskeletons: jeez
sugrjangz: sike ill be thr in 6
THUNDERDOME: just come @fides1104
fides1104: ok :)