Bernadette Marbel puckered her lips as she put the last touches of lipstick on them. She took a breath, smoothed out her dress, and teased her graying hair. She took another breath. She adjusted her necklace for the third time, dusted the hairs off her dress, and washed her hands again. At last, she put a dabble of perfume on, and made sure everything was in place. Her lover and wife came in, adjusting her earrings, and made a polite smile. "Oh, you look nice. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you weren't even a middle-aged woman, let alone the Headmistress of a School." "So I don't look terrible." "Not to my eyes," she said. Joanna kissed her wife's shoulder and hugged her from behind, regarding "Marvelous." Bernadette smiled weakly. "I feel much older than my fifty-some years. I'm getting fat and gray." "More for me to kiss," argued her wife. "And I did always like the color silver." Marbel grinned, turned around, and became even more serious than she usually was. She held her wife's arms and pressed their foreheads together. "Maybe this is the year I finally tell them about you," she whispered. Joanna shrugged. "Maybe. You've put it off forever and ever." "I just... wish I knew whether or not we'd be accepted. If the Superintendent found out—" "Which I'm sure he will anyway." "I don't know what we'll do," sighed Marbel. Joanna kissed her nose, and touched her face gently. Her wife continued with, "It's not as if I'm embarrassed or ashamed, it's just... my job. I have to keep that job." "I know you do. And I have to keep mine." "Do you think..." Marbel's eyes crossed with her lover's. "...Society has evolved enough to accept the fact that two women in their early fifties are married and in love? It's always a sketchy topic, I know, but—" "Will the other teachers support you?" she asked. Marbel shook her head. "I don't know. I don't know. So few of them are really, honestly like us—the few that I know of, anyway. Those that are, I know wouldn't care. They'd have a field day regardless." Her beautiful Harmony nodded her head. "I do so want to come with you. I've been aching to... for years... and I've always understood how my presence would jeopardize our jobs. The way you say things, now would be the worst possible time for us to lose them. But all times are. Those girls need you, Sapphire." "And everyone else needs you, Harmony." They kissed, and kissed again, and stood in silence. Marbel felt her lover's touch across her naked hand and smiled. "I really want you to come with me, love. I really do, and damn those who disapprove." "Ah, the old firebrand awakes. See, old age has made us careful—and we were so brash in our youth! I think in time, we may yet afford to be silly again with ourselves." Joanna kissed her lover's hands many times, and even though it was mere hours before the opening festivities of Homecoming, Bernadette Marbel moaned in pleasure and undressed herself before her wife. Do you wanna be a poet and write Do you wanna be an actor up in lights Do you wanna be a soldier and fight for love Do you wanna travel the world Do you wanna be a diver for pearls Or climb a mountain and touch the clouds above Be anyone you want to be Bring to life your fantasies But I want something in return I want you to burn burn for me baby Like a candle in my night Oh burn Burn for me Burn for me Are you gonna be a gambler and deal Are you gonna be a doctor and heal Or go to heaven and touch God's face Are you gonna be a dreamer who sleeps Are you gonna be a sinner who weeps Or an angel Under grace I'll lay down on your bed of coals Offer up my heart and soul But in return I want you to burn Burn for me baby Like a candle in my night Oh burn burn for me burn for me Yeah Ooh I want you to burn baby ooh Laugh for me Cry for me Pray for me Lie for me Live for me Die for me I want you to burn Burn for me baby Like a candle in my night Oh burn burn for me burn for me Yeah Ah yeah I want you to burn I want you to burn for me baby Ohh yeah "Homecoming Blues" The time, Friday evening at seven, all the way to eleven that night; the place, Stanton's large soccer field; the cost, $15 for advance tickets and $20 at the door; as to who could come, it was everyone, students and teachers alike, plus their dates; the event, Homecoming, a celebration of the school's basketball season and triumphs, although it did not end up taking the championship title. It was going to be a great night regardless for everyone, just so long as they behaved themselves. Avelina and Ethan searched for Vai, but they didn't see her in the crowds, nor did they see Kula, whom Avelina had also befriended. Rai Zanders came with arms crossed and expectations low; Ana Lu had stayed home due to still feeling upset over the break-up. Dr. Andrews stood watching the festivities inside the medical tent, her date temporarily absent since she had volunteered to greet guests. Bernadette Marbel was at the very front, welcoming people and helping with ticket sales, and her wife Joanna Langston was there with her, looking shy if not anxious. "No turning back now," said Erica to Jocelyn as she helped her friend around. Joss was not quite showing yet, but she could feel her baby growing larger and stronger; soon she'd be in emotional hell. As for Erica's sister, she had come to the event solo, and decided to stay solo unless some lonely woman came up to her. Ancelin and Ivory came as dates, although they still were not officially a couple yet (because Ancelin was still cautious about Ivory's reputation); Farrah was there with Tristan, and frankly not enjoying herself since she feared her friend was going to make a fool of herself. When she had some free time, Joanna walked over to her wife and discreetly nudged her in the ribs. Hitomi and Abby Keeping were clearly acting as more than friends and coworkers; Abi Cerio looked like she didn't care if people saw her flirting with Dr. Andrews; Sarah Jo and Em McGowen were holding hands, and even Samantha O'Brien had brought a female companion. Marbel saw it all and raised her brow. "My... I didn't realize there were so many gay women in my school." Nomi knew that she and Amina had to stick together, because many people had warned them of how poorly first-year students were treated during Stanton's Homecoming festivities. Oh of course, nobody was hurt, but humiliation was often more hard to bear than actual physical pain, and it was usually the first-year girls who fell victim the most. Even if the two hadn't decided to stay together—as dates, as friends, as support, who knows—they were soon bunched together in four large groups, each one containing the members of the four classes of Stanton. Nomi and Amina found themselves looking pale as they scanned over the small size of the first-year class. Kathlyn Parkin hung back with a few of the teachers, content to watch unless certain activities enabled her to participate. Thanks to the efforts of Leena and Sarah Jo, she was becoming a healthy young woman again, although she could still lose her breath and lag behind. Her romantic life was in worse shape, though: after her failure with X Walker, Kathlyn had gravitated towards Ancelin, whom she had a sizeable crush on. Their romance lasted quite awhile, considering the younger girl was still contemplating Ivory's place in her world. Ancelin was just what Kathlyn was looking for in a woman; however, she was eventually released to find someone else. As Ancelin put it, "I know what you're going through, Katt, and I agree that a person like me would be ideal to help you, but frankly, I think you need to look for... maybe... an older woman, one who's had even more experience than you, to help you along. It's not that I don't like you, I just think... I'm not what you're looking for." Ancelin had kissed her and sent her on her way, and now here she was, alone and not enjoying the Homecoming, despite being in the senior class. At least Leena was there, and never too busy to be with her. Leena. Another person she had a wild crush on. And she was older, too. It was something to consider. Alisha Fox was now dating Ancelin, though it wouldn't last (and poor Ivory was kept "on hold"!). She was actually more concerned about her younger sister, who seemed to have grown awfully close to Jocelyn since her boyfriend passed on. Sure, the girl was emotional because of her pregnancy and the big loss, and Erica had been her best friend since grade school, but something didn't seem right about their relationship, nor hers with Ancelin. The tall girl with enviable buckeye hair was staring off into the distance, watching Ivory clown around with Farrah. "Yo, Ants, you awake?" Alisha rapped Ancelin's shoulder, grabbing her attention briefly. "Look, uh, we're in separate classes, and you're with my sister, so uh... go easy on her when these games start flying, will you?" "Go easy? Oh. I don't know if I'll play those rough games. I like the ones where everyone has a good time and doesn't care about winning." "Uh, then you're in the wrong place," she murmured quietly. She managed a careful smile and sat back as the Headmistress called everyone's attention and began to speak. "Good evening, and thank you for attending this year's Homecoming event. Let me first explain this evening's schedule for the newcomers. Most Homecomings, you know, involve dances, but since this school does not admit male students, it was decided that such a social gathering would be very hard, if not impossible." (Would anyone have believed the number of rolled eyes there? Even Joanna chuckled) "Therefore, we have instead opted for a more casual get-together, and it's been passed around the board to promote theme years for each Homecoming. Last year's successful Luau is just one example." Several people nudged Kula, which only served to aggravate her. Marbel continued. "As you know, this year is American Western-themed, and our activities shall reflect as such. We will have a concert at the end, plus refreshments, but first you'll notice that you've been divided up into four groups according to your class and age, so this first activity will be held in each of your groups. Your sponsors will give you details about the games, but we'll get into that later. Let me first go over a few ground rules." A few people groaned, but Marbel's voice won them over. "Your sponsors are there to ensure your safety, so these rules must be obeyed. "First, there will be no fighting, no poor sportsmanship, no cheating, et cetera. Second, I will not condone violent language or excessive aggression. There have been enough fiascos in previous years due to several first-year students being humiliated, so I also do not want anyone taking this very far. No drugs and alcohol, of course, and please, please, if you must create a mess, do remember to clean it up. We're not animals and we're not children, so we must behave as such. Failure to follow these rules will result in punishment too severe to speak of out loud." The crowd murmured and whistled grimly. Marbel smiled, said "Have a good time and be safe" grimly, and left the day to the sponsors, three volunteer teachers per class. First-year students had Raulson, Torvald, and Keys; sophomores had Madsen, O'Brien, and Post; juniors, Keeping, Andrews, and McGowen; seniors, Cerio, Johansson, and Katajisto. "Well," said Nomi to Amina, "guess we better get started." The games started out stupid: races, improv, use the prop, things like that. Competition already started to break out, even amongst teammates, and some forgot that the people they were "fighting" would soon be the ones they would have to rely on. Sponsors soon called the girls together and told them of the three main events, ones where class would compete against class. The first activity was find the flag; the second, a dance contest between the four groups; the third involved a rather large quick-draw contest where everyone would be given a water gun and told that, like in many good Westerns, whoever had the fastest hand (and the driest clothes) would win. As an added incentive to squirt first, the losing class would be bombarded with water balloons. The winners would be treated to an ice cream trough. The soccer field was broken into four parts for the first group activity, and each student had an idea or strategy to win the game. A few teachers were chosen to be group leaders—McGowen, Torvald, Madsen, and Leena led their individual classes—and the students were divided up according to their skill. Some were sprinters, people chosen to rush in and take their opponents into the jails, or to break their allies out. Others were hunters, people chosen to search for the flag. A few were guards, picked to keep watch over the flag, and those remaining were seekers, who drew out their opponent for the sprinters to tag. Neither Amina nor Nomi could run very well, so they volunteered as guards. Ivory was practically bouncing with glee, and vowed to partner up with Ancelin (of course) to route out the other students. Blake Baum laughed with anticipation as she prepared her legs for a good jog. Vai Knox resolved herself to hunting down the flags with Rai and May. Victoria stood by and watched as Kula psyched herself up. "If we lose," she swore, "I'm gonna use you all as shields. I'm not getting soaked! I want that ice cream!" "I think everyone gets it, it's just that the winners get it first," said Nomi. Kula grinned. "Then let's not lose. Okay, everyone ready?" "Good luck to you all," muttered Ms. Torvald. The girls stacked their hands on top of each other's and broke. In war, only one can win. To the juniors went the spoils: one of three points. "At least we got one flag," offered Amina quietly. Kula frowned. "Yeah, I guess so. I almost pity those poor sophomores, though, losing their flag like that. I didn't think they'd be out of the race so soon. Heh." She chuckled, but she really wasn't happy that she didn't win. Of course, better to not lose than to fail, and keeping their original flag was no shameful matter. Next was the dance contest, and it was assumed that since the theme for that year was Wild West, most people would do hoedowns, square dances, and other ridiculous stunts, all to the sound of awful, worn-out country music. The music was dead-on, but the performances were not. Janine alone could've clenched the victory for the juniors, since she had years of dance experience under her belt. She didn't even need a partner; she performed magnificently all by herself. A few other girls did take partners—as promised, Ethan had a slow dance with Avelina, and Blake, Mira, and Usha performed what might've been interpreted as the spasms of a person going into convulsions before death—but some competed against each other, performing backflips and break-dances and even, observed the crowds, a good impersonation of Curly spinning and running around the floor. Ultimately it was the junior class that won, with first-year girls coming in a close second (Kula really wanted that prize), and seniors coming in dead last (in spite of the sweet Avelina-Ethan number). Before the girls could relax and bathe in the glow of the concert that had been scheduled for them, one last activity had to take place to declare the winner of the whole night, the quick-draw. Whoever was standing last for each class would be the Queen of her group, sure, but whoever remained at the very end would be the de facto winner, no questions asked, and would usher in delicious sweets for her team. "This reminds me of someone," mused Rai to herself as she was given a pistol. She was told by her sponsors that as more and more people were taken out of the contest, the guns would get bigger and the splashes wetter, thus increasing the "risk". She took aim and fired off one shot onto the grass to test it. A few of the girls were already anxious to get going and douse their comrades; some seemed to care less. Alexis Walker squirted herself in the mouth to relieve her thirst and accidentally dribbled some on her shirt. "Oh, shit," she groaned. She looked up sheepishly and asked, "So does this make me disqualified?" Everyone was paired off into twos, each with their backs turned against each other. They were instructed to find space, take five steps, turn, and fire. Squeals, shrieks, and laughter rose up as the girls gunned down their friends. May clutched her chest in mock agony as Kathlyn shot her down. Mira stuck her tongue out as Usha tagged her. Hero and Ayanna blasted each other, their aim too close to call, and Nomi quickly shot down Victoria. The ranks thinned and the losers filed away, some cheering their friends, others wringing their clothes dry. It was becoming personal. Some girls wheeled around almost too quickly, while others kept firing even when they knew they won. Ancelin got soaked, so Ivory took it upon herself to avenge the loss. Vai got drenched by Alisha. Kula blew away her competition easily. Blake actually strafed to avoid fire (or water?) and nearly emptied her gun. Again and again, just like in The Quick and the Dead, women fell and were rooted out, some lamenting their loss, others relenting and rejoining friends or loved ones. Sometimes it was very hard to tell who shot who first, and a rematch was called. A few of the very aggressive girls found themselves soaking by the time they were disqualified. Due to her competitive nature, Kula ended up triumphing over the entire first-year class, and howled in victory. As for the sophomores, Janine came out on top; Usha, of all people, won over the juniors, and after several upsetting victories and close calls, Rai won in the senior's division. Their respective sponsors congratulated them and gave them awards before turning them against each other. The few friends that Kula had made since transferring to Stanton began to fret as they watched her face off against Usha (Rai and Janine, for the record, looked pleased with the outcome, and agreed to not care who won—they would both bathe each other mercilessly with the big guns). Hero Love grinned. This was beginning to remind her of The Magnificent Seven, her favorite movie. Olivia kept her eyes open and her brows raised. Jocelyn pursed her mouth shut. Avelina held Ethan's hand. Gabrielle began to eye the ice cream hungrily. One, two, three, four, five—BANG! The flowing water was glorious, ejaculating out of its plastic canister of doom by a quick thrust and pull of the trigger, splashing wetness all over its victim. People laughed out loud as Kula Nanahara was drenched, and even Usha chuckled. Kula just stood there, soaked all the way through, the last straw having broken her back. To be beaten by Usha, of all people, by the use of water, her own element! This wasn't just intolerable, this was downright unforgivable! Without any restraint, Kula screamed out and slammed her fist right in Usha's face, shouting "BITCH!!" with all her might. Krishnan fell to the ground and Kula toppled after her, beating her lifeless again and again. The teachers were already making a mad dash to stop the fight, but they were overwhelmed by students crowding around to see. Mira van Dijk screamed a wicked obscenity in her own language and ran to avenge her love, but was suddenly floored by an enraged Kula. "What did you say to me, bitch?!" she yelled. Now Blake was on the scene, and Alisha, and Zane and Alexis, and soon Furious Hail ran to join the fight, shouting "Finally, somebody decked that bitch good!" She got in a few blows, but was suddenly turned on by Kula, who despised ravers and druggies like Hail. "Stupid bitch, this is my fight!" she yelled. Ivory Tran was already in the mix, whooping and hollering for joy: the bottled soda had been shaken far too long, and the contents had been released under the greatest pressure into the worst form of chaos imaginable. Soon nearly every girl, violent or otherwise, was in on the fight. A few brave teachers managed to dart in and pull out the cursing banshees—Leena got an elbow in the face and Keeping had her toes smashed on—but overall they could not control the battle. Bernadette Marbel watched in disgust, and finally came down to stop the fight herself. She was struck, of course, but those girls were soft and frail compared to the viciousness she had felt in her youth. Eventually, security came in and separated the girls from each other, leaving only Kula and a bruised Usha (and, notably, an enraged Mira and an angry Blake). Dr. Andrews was on the scene, checking Usha and applying salve and painkillers in her quick professional manner; Kula herself was being held by two weary security guards. After taking a deep breath and assessing the damage—fifteen wounded, one harshly, and plenty of destruction in the wake—Marbel calmly walked to Kula, glanced at her, and frowned. "Do you have anything to say for yourself?" Kula just spat at her feet. "I see. You're not the first violent girl to pass through my halls, Miss Nanahara, nor are you the worst. But I can assure you, you'll wish you had restrained yourself before the night is over." "What, you gonna expel me?" "Expulsion does nothing to improve character, it merely pushes it underneath the rug," stated the Headmistress in a strong voice. "I do not believe in it, or even suspension. Punishment must be made to fit the crime, and in this case, it seems as if Miss Krishnan's medical bills should fall on your shoulders." "It's a hell of a lot," remarked Dr. Andrews, still examining the wounded lady. She looked up and gave Marbel a grim frown. "This one really didn't have any mercy for her. She's going to have to be in the hospital for awhile." "Fuck you!" screamed Mira, but she was held back before she could pounce. Marbel kept her calm and resumed speaking. "Let Miss van Dijk know that she will be punished as well, as will everyone who participated in this fight, no matter if your intentions were good or not." The girls groaned and screamed, some suing for mercy and fair play, but Marbel wouldn't have any of it. "So what're we in for now?" asked Ivory, who had weathered the Headmistress' discipline before. She couldn't help but notice a trace of a cruel smile playing on the older woman's mouth. "Well, that is a troublesome thing. Obviously my punishments aren't getting through to you, and there are lots of girls here who came only for the festivities, not to be harassed or witness a fracas. I will allow those who showed restraint to continue on, but as for you all..." She addressed those whom she had gathered together, the ones she had seen fighting, and pointed to them all. "You will be left out of the festivities." A few groaned, but Alisha waved her off. "Big deal. So we don't get to listen to some band or eat crappy ice cream." "Ah, but that's not your punishment," said Marbel (Ivory screamed for Alisha to shut up before she got them in more trouble—but it was too late). "Your punishment, the whole lot of you, will consist of two phases, personally overseen by myself and security. Mrs. Keys, Ms. O'Brien, please resume the Homecoming in my stead; I have to take care of these girls." "Yes, ma'am. Don't go too hard on them." "Janet, I will do what I must to reform them. The evening is in your hands; I trust you both to take care of it." They obeyed, and tried organizing everyone else back to the main event. A very soaked and very bruised Kula scowled as she and her "chain gang" were led off away from the Homecoming, right into the first half of their punishment—right into the cold mouth of Hell, deeper than the frigid ninth circle. ......... "You have got to be kidding." The girls recoiled as Marbel presented them their Herculean task: the entire school of Stanton, its halls and its bathrooms, its locker rooms and its classrooms, had all been presented to them, all of it in its filthy, disgusting, neglected glory. Marbel and the security team opened up several closets and handed each of the girls some cleaning material, purposely neglecting gloves. Kula stared angrily as she was given a toilet brush. "What're we supposed to do with these?!" "Clean the entire school, girls," said Marbel coolly. "You've stained our reputation, see, in front of so many people. It's now your responsibility to clean it up. By the time everyone else goes home, I want this entire school spotless." "You've gotta be fucking kidding me!" screamed Ivory as she slammed her mop to the floor. Security stood in front of her, arms crossed, giving her faces that were not meant to be trifled with. Ancelin regarded Ivory with a sigh, and obediently took a rag and bucket. "Let's just get this over with," grumbled Furious Hail as she took a window cleaner. "C'mon, there's enough of us to get this done." "I'm not cleaning the school!" screamed Kula. "Especially not the toilets!" "Oh, but you will—and after that, you're on garbage duty." "WHAT!!" "Then part two of your punishment begins." "I oughta..." "Ought to what, Miss Nanahara?" said Marbel sharply, using her height as an advantage over the tan girl. The Headmistress might've been getting bulgy and gray along with her age, but she was still tough, and had taken more abuse in five years than many people had in their whole lives. She wasn't afraid of anything, or at least not the young girls, and stood so firmly that even Kula backed off. "Just chill, girl," said Alexis calmly. "Let's just do this quickly. I'll help you." "No, you won't Miss Walker," stated Marbel. "Miss Nanahara can do it all by herself. Every bathroom and every toilet, Miss Nanahara, is your responsibility. If you fail to do even one, then you will be forced to do every single one again until you are through." The words hit Kula like an explosion, and although it made her angry, Marbel's words were laced with too much strength to go against. She roughly grabbed her brush back, and a bucket, and marched off to the nearest bathroom, the other girls going towards whatever spots they had been given. Bernadette Marbel crossed her arms coolly, and stood watch as her charges, her students, amended for their ways. Mopping floors. Washing walls. Cleaning windows. Vacuuming. Emptying garbage cans. Cleaning filthy toilets with only a brush. Scrubbing floors. Polishing mirror. Backbreaking labor. Smelly, stinking toil. Degrading work—they were being forced to work as janitors, all of them, even those who had stepped in valiantly and gotten caught in the fight. Ivory cursed. Aintzane groaned. Alexis wiped sweat from her brow. Mira and Blake grumbled. Alisha wheezed. Furious Hail muttered. Ancelin wore herself out. Farrah snorted. Kula gasped for air. The school's filth seemed to last forever. The girls slaved themselves weary until eleven that night, when the Homecoming festivities concluded and everyone else went home. The school had been cleaned, although the troublemakers seemed to have absorbed all of its filth on their clothes. Marbel appraised them and approved of their work. "Good, good. Officer Lemley, did any of the girls stray from their task?" "No ma'am, they all did their job." "Good. The entire school is cleaned. Doesn't it feel good to be doing something for the community?" The women answered with acidic glares. "Well, the easy part is over," said Marbel. She didn't give the girls time to gawk as she continued. "Now your responsibility is to clean up the soccer field for tomorrow. I'm sure plenty of people left enough of a mess for you all to handle. Don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds, and I promise you will all have a nice shower or... two once you're done. I've already gone through the trouble of telling your parents where you'll be, so you'll have lots to say to them in the morning. Well, get to it." The women groaned, but their spirits were too broken to protest. The Headmistress sent them on their way, mercifully giving gloves to the half of the team she believed to be mostly innocent in the fight, and would've pitied the others if they hadn't brought it all on themselves. She also asked that the stadium lights be left on, and gave each girl a large trash bag. Finally, she escorted them outdoors into the chilly air, threw on a jacket, sat down, and observed their work. First she called her wife. "Hello, Harmony? It's me. I'll be a little late. ...Well, at first they gave me trouble, but after awhile I got to them. ...Well it wasn't easy, I'll tell you that. ...Cleaning the soccer field. Those people really left a mess. ...It's really not very funny, but apology accepted. ...Oh, maybe midnight, maybe one, however long it takes for them to pick up all the litter. ...Yes, it is the work we chose. Thank God for weekends, though. ...All right, I'll see you later. Save a spot for me in bed. ...I love you too." She put the phone down and started to read a book. She counted herself fortunate to be so far away from the girls, because surely their cursing would've upset her more. Ah, the tranquility of an autumn evening, spent under halogen lights with a good book and a host of willing prisoners working off their debts... ......... It took the girls two agonizing hours and several false alarms, but at last, Stanton's proud soccer field was restored to its beautiful glory. All the delinquent girls had sacks full of garbage—Kula had to clean up bags that had spilled liquid inside, and Ivory had to clean the ice cream trough—and they stank like they had just rolled in a landfill. But they were finished, exhausted but finished, and humbled before the Headmistress. She gave them an approving smile. "Good, good. Well done. You've earned my forgiveness. Hopefully you all will think twice before resorting to violence. I've kept the locker room open, so please take a shower. I hope you brought a change of clothes with you." The girls just rolled their eyes and meandered to the shower, Blake pulling Mira aside. "I've never worked so hard in my life." "I know, I know. We should get compensation. It's not fair we are punished because we stood up for Yusha. We should get a reward." "Yeah, well, we weren't exactly trying to talk our way out of that. I hope Usha's okay." "...Me too. I really want to bash that fool's head in..." "Just relax, okay?" called Farrah, who had overheard the conversation. "Kula got what she deserved, so let it go. No it's not fair that we got punished for being involved, but plenty of people got hurt on account of us. Let's just get cleaned and go home. Maybe we can all go out to eat tomorrow and forget about this whole mess." "Only if Kula foots the bill," said Blake wryly. The Hawaiian skater snorted past her as she shoved her way towards the showers. "Fat chance," she murmured. Blake, ever the peacemaker, called out to her in vain. "I was just kidding, okay? No need to take it personally!" Sigh. "Come on," whispered Mira, taking her beloved's hand. "Let's go, we both stink. I will even let you look at me naked." "Mira!" Blake grinned and blushed, along with her girlfriend, as they scampered into the locker room. Having overheard them, Ivory nudged Ancelin in the ribs. "So, Annie, do you think you and I could—" "No." Ancelin entered the locker room by herself, leaving both Ivory and Alisha out. Tran crossed her arms and drew the stinking air in deep, exhaling it with a screech. "Cold," she said, "that was utterly cold. But shit, I deserve it. Well, time to baptize myself and wash away all my nasty sins." She marched inside, Alisha behind her and Aintzane before her. What a way to start a weekend.
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