As soon as my time transitioned me into the gymnasium, I felt Lumina's presence synchronize through my visual and acoustical senses once more. As expected, she was paying my surroundings more attention now that I was in this open space. Of course, she was also a little confused about the timing of the gym session occurring just after lunch.

"Wait. I thought you had gym class later than this."

Even I was having some difficulty keeping up with it all, so I explained the situation to her, reminding myself what my new modified schedule looked like. Basically, when the administrators were doing my schedule without messing it up, they still managed to screw it up anyway, though unbeknownst to me until this morning. The issue was with my elective classes, in that I was supposed to attend two of them on alternating days, which in itself seemed unusual. Lumina never paid direct attention to some of the sheets of paper as I have, and I didn't bother telling her about it until now. Because of this minor change, some of my classes were flipped around in terms of timing, mostly my later ones. My new schedule now looks something like this.

"I get it now," Lumina replied as I had explained after walking into the gym having already changed my clothes.

As another free day had been declared, I tried conversing with Lumina only after the initial exercises were over and after I started my aimless walking. "Let's stay focused now." I started pointing my eyes all around the room as if they were lasers under my control, trying to find a group of people I might want to hang out with. They stopped on a small group of boys that were trying to build their own basketball team, still in the making. "Okay. Group A, the ones holding the basketball." Knowing that Lumina had full view of where my eyes were stopping on, I didn't need to elaborate any further on what I meant. I labeled them as Group A with the hopes I would never hit the final letter of the alphabet, not that there were enough different groups in gym to get that to happen.

"Avoid!"

"Uh, avoid?" I wondered what reason Lumina was going to give me as for why I should avoid those people at all costs. The tone in her voice was desperate and aggressive, giving her warning utmost urgency.

Lumina clarified her meaning while her sharp focus stayed on those sports players. "Group A, they're nothing but a hunch of dangerous heathens. Don't talk to them. Don't go anywhere near them!"

It was now that I remembered how much Lumina hates men, specifically masculine men. I can't think of anything more masculine than playing manly sports like basketball. As much as I found the whole comparison to be extremely absurd, I decided to ignore it and let this go for now, more interested in the original goal of our joint operation. If Lumina wants to ensure I have no guy friends, I can actually work with that for now. "Okay. Let's just skip to Group B then." My eyes trailed over to another small cluster of girls walking around the same way I have been since the start of gym, talking among themselves and laughing it up. There was a reason why my peripheral vision so quickly identified them.

"That's Banarus and Laura," I pointed out with the center of my stares. It was actually a small shock to see them here in my gum class like this. Since the schedule change was literally today, I didn't think about the oddity until now. Laura and anyone else I didn't know too well in my gym class before it was changed was now here. Seeing the results now, I welcomed the change. Even so, I knew it would waste time explaining that exposition to Lumina, so I chose not to. "I already know Banarus, and for obvious reasons, I don't really want to talk to her. But the guard dog seems to be hanging out with that other chick I don't know too well. I think her name is Ashly."

"The guard dog?" Lumina almost laughed in her own question to me.

"Right. Should have explained that first. Laura used to be safeguarding her best friend from men who wanted to date said best friend. So I just call her the guard dog, even though Kaitlyn isn't around her anymore. I happen to know quite a few people by name only, and have tried hanging out with them in the past, with little success. I wouldn't mind trying again with Laura and Ashly."

"You know, I suddenly feel responsible for this. I've somehow sent you on this strange path where you avoid all men and only hang out with women."

"You should feel responsible," I clarified. "It is your purge after all." She really shouldn't complain about that now, especially when she can't seem to control herself around other men in the first place.

"Before I do anything more, I have to ask you something." After a mild pause, Lumina spat it out and kept being as direct with me as possible. "Are you looking for platonic friends, or girlfriends?"

Her question was a good one, more as I realized to think about it. I already knew the answer, but I felt better the more confident I was about the situation. If Lumina wants to help me talk to girls the right way, it's best if we avoid taking the wrong of two approaches. "Well, since I just got my heart stomped on by that last bitch, I don't want anything to do with love right now, not in the slightest. For now, I just want to make decent friends of them, even if they are girls." As I told Lumina this, I started to change my walking pace dynamically, keeping only some distance between myself and supposed Group B. I won't get too close until I know what to try and say or until Lumina comes up with a plan.

"Okay. I can work with that."

"Good." I let my eyes focus once more starting on Laura's face. Lumina would be able to match a name with that face with only context clues given how well she can see through my eyes. "So, at first glance..." I then waited, expecting Lumina to begin making those weird conclusions as she did yesterday.

"Hm..." It took Lumina several long seconds to say anything at first, monitoring the entire situation of Group B as I walked a careful distance behind them without attracting attention to myself. "Laura sure laughs a lot... But her reactions are real... She's playful, and just wants to have fun."

"I don't know if that means much," I chimed in, making a comparison. "Banarus can be the same way, when she isn't being serious."

"No, Laura's reactions seem more real, like she isn't forcing it out of herself. Since you have beef with Banarus as well, it's best if you start with Laura."

"What about the other?" I shifted my gaze to the shorter, cuter girl, Ashly. I was fine with the idea of starting with Laura as a main target, but I knew I was going to want a backup plan for when it all goes to hell.

"Ashly? Well, she's short — I know that much already... She's taking their jokes well enough, but isn't handing any out herself. And her stance is weird. What is with that slump?"

"Are you reading her or judging her?" Easily annoyed by her own distraction, I made sure Lumina realized how wrong it was to mess this up. Besides, I don't give a crap how weird someone like Ashly is, just as long as we could be friends. After everything I've been through this week, a strange slump is the most normal thing to me right now.

"Sorry, sorry." Lumina was being genuine in her efforts, but something was taking away from her focus ever so slightly, not that I could identify whatever it was. As soon as she realized it however, her results were more precise than last time. "Okay, Ashly is more of a mystery, but likely just a cliché schoolgirl at best. She's young, probably immature, and perhaps doesn't fit in with the group that well. I'm guessing that she somehow pushed her way into it."

I was about to become pissed off when it sounded like Lumina was judging Ashly yet again. But after hearing those last words, something about them reminded me of my current situation. If Lumina's observations are perfectly accurate, the summary is that Ashly is kind of like me in this instance, trying desperately to hang out with a group of girls she wants to relate to, but can't do so easily or naturally. If that's true, then for this particular instance, she and I are more similar than I realized. I can sympathize well enough. "Okay, so then I should start with Ashly?"

"What? No," she denied, confusing me by how wrong I was to jump to my own best assumption. "I was going to suggest that you start with Laura."

I don't know why Lumina wanted me to start with Laura and not Ashly, considering that Laura and I have very little in common. It's not that we don't get along or anything, but we never clicked as friends in my last school year. "But I already know Laura, to a degree anyway."

"Even better," Lumina suggested. "Start with what you know, not with what you don't know. And from there, you can expand your popularity."

"Weren't you the one telling me earlier to forget all I knew so that I could learn from you?"

"Don't back talk me Reed. Just focus."

I guess Lumina is capable of making mistakes. I best prepare for that now. "Besides, I'm just trying to fit in with some of these people, not to become popular." Over several months, I've been passively observing some of those who are popular. The most popular person in this school is Lila, and some other nameless jock. As cliché as this might sound, Lila is on the cheerleading team, and the guy is an avid football player. But from looking alone, I knew Lila was popular for her looks above all else. Of course, appearances are usually subjective. I didn't think she was all that attractive, but that could also just be my immediate realization that Lila cares about nobody except herself, and it's painfully obvious. Even so, boys from each grade level flock to her, and the only ones that stay in her group are known by me to be some of the worst people I know. That's why I don't want to be popular here. If being popular requires me to become the worst sack of human excrement in the world, then I'm not interested. But fitting in doesn't entirely mean the same thing.

"Well sadly, most people, especially the girls of any middle school want to be popular. If your desires don't align with theirs, talking to them will become harder. However, I think you are safer with Laura. She seems to have a good sense of guard about her... No wonder you called her a guard dog. She's a little smarter than she looks."

"As usual, I don't fully understand what most of that meant. But I'm going to go head over there and talk to them, if that's alright with you." There is one thing I am certain of. Even if I focus on Laura, I have to appeal to the group dynamic at the same time. If I ignore everyone and only talk to Laura, it will be obvious that I'm too fixated on one person, and everything will fall apart.

"Okay. Good luck." Lumina expressed her confidence to me with as little seriousness as I could hear.

"Good luck? That better be a joke Lumina!" What does she mean saying it like that? I never considered the possibility that she might just be pranking me by getting me to walk up to these girls, only to leave me hanging with a stupid blank stare on my face, setup solely for her amusement. It was already too late to turn around now, since I was just meters from them, and my approach was noticed already by Ashly, the attention of which spread to the others.

As they noticed me, I gave into what felt natural, letting them know that I was coming up to them with good reason. "Hey Laura! Hi Banarus..." Even as it killed me inside to greet Banarus, I hung in there for the greater cause, waiting for everyone to return my friendly greeting. We weren't anywhere just yet, not even beyond a first baby step.

"Hi."

"Hey Reed. Sup?" Even though their responses were slightly different, Laura had plenty more energy to handle me than Banarus did in her monotone reply.

Just as well, I returned the favor, only focusing on Laura without directly making my eye contact too obvious. "So..." I wanted to say something, anything. But my paused dragged on, my mind coming up blank as I knew it would. As pissed off as I was that Lumina was not giving me anything to say directly right now, I had to concentrate my attention on the present moment, less I lose everything at once. "I'm bored." There. It isn't much, but my statement is believable and mundane enough not to suffer in anyone's likeability towards myself. Maybe they will fix my boredom and make this easier on me.

"Too honest," Lumina informed abruptly. "Just relax and wait for them to open up with something, a reference of some kind."

I didn't immediately reply to Lumina, since it was taxing enough just to pay attention to two separate people at the same time, but I heard every last word nonetheless. I was pretty relieved to realize that she was helping me after all. Lumina seems more relaxed about the situation than I am, and maybe that is the point to all this... I just have to relax. Wait for an opening, just like she said, something I already do anyway by default.

"We were just talking about Laura's sister."

Banarus, I thanked silently. It was good for me to know what context they were already involved with, and I matched my walking pace with them so that we would not be interrupted by the coach either. I was already doing okay, fitting in, relaxing the same way they seemed relaxed, pretending to pay only half attention to everything around them. Still, I don't know if Banarus meant to cue me in on that fact, being her usual self and ensuring that I always have some opening for her and her friends, or if she said that purely by chance, which was a possibility given my recent behavior towards her specifically.

"Wait to relate. You have no info on this yet." Lumina instructed me about when to speak and when not to, which was a factor I didn't consider too heavily until now.

"Okay... Good..." I felt better and calmer already, knowing that I have someone on my side helping through this social crisis for a change. Increasing my popularity with the people here would not be something I could do on my own anymore. In the past, I would just try to be funny enough to attract people towards me. But there were other class clowns too doing the exact same thing, often better than I could. In the long run, it's a bad strategy to rely on solely. Whatever I learn from Lumina today will have to stick with me forever if I want to stand a chance.

"She's still in grade school for now." Laura decided to give me that small hint, but it wasn't much information in that of itself. And after her short statement, I could already feel the weight of attention spilling over towards me, cueing me to the moment that I was supposed to say something about this, else it would feel unnatural. At the same time, I had to be careful not to mock anyone by accident.

"Not good enough," Lumina warned. "Push her for more information."

I took Lumina's brief advice to heart, realizing that asking for raw information like this would be perfectly normal for me. "Oh," I huffed slightly. "What's she like anyway?"

"There you go." Lumina encouraged my response as if I were some pet following a complicated command, so I tried to tune her out for the next two seconds.

I decided to tack on another question before Laura could answer. "She's not slightly crazy like you, right?" I was met with some shocked faces for saying that to her, but I had a good reason for doing so.

"No!" Laura tried to adamantly deny my allegation, but then her smile transformed into a maniacal laughter that would scare any normal person standing next to her. However, Ashly and Banarus broke into laughter as well, from Laura's response much more my own. To anyone who could see the crazy face Laura was making and the extreme expression she put into her laughter, you would have thought she were an insane person. The whole moment felt a little surreal.

"Wha—" I could hear Lumina failing to comprehend what just happened or how. Like I said, nothing about this moment felt normal to someone outside of it, but I knew the truth.

It was obvious enough that Laura was joking, both about being crazy and that partly faked laughter of hers to add to irony. She would often do strange things in class to her friends, like offering to hand wrestle only to unexpectedly slam the other person's fist into the desk before counting down to zero, then pretending that the other person is weak and building from there. Other examples would be doodling on everyone else's paper when they weren't looking, and pretending that she had nothing to do with it, though her laughter would often give away that she was the culprit. And of course, between myself, Ashly, and Banarus, Laura would also pretend to be just a little crazy, like it was a running joke or something. It's clear enough that she might have some attention issues, not that I minded at all. That's the reason I went with such a joking suggestion that her sister might be somewhat like herself. I don't even know how I came up with it either; the opportunity just popped into my head.

But all of that is too much to explain to Lumina, so I didn't try to. "Guess we'll always be blessed with two maniacs. Maybe you will take over the world one day Laura."

"Could you imagine if Laura was the world gang leader?" Laughing at her own joke softly, Ashly made it easier for herself and Banarus to keep it all going.

And then at last, Lumina was able to speak again, though she still didn't understand what all of that was without the context. "Okay, good I guess. Lucky breaks don't happen often though. Change the subject!"

Since I wasn't feeling too lucky, I took her advice, thinking of the very first thing that might be interesting in school today. "So, anyone have bets on what film Ms. Masters is showing us tomorrow?"

My question was also full of context Lumina would not have. Ms. Masters is our seventh grade Honors Math teacher... But even I have to admit, she runs a strange course. I've never seen a teacher and her students have so much fun learning about math and numbers. How is this possible you ask? Simple. She sexualizes every part of it with a dirty mind. Any chance she gets, Ms. Masters will find some way to make a set of numbers sound dirty, through display or equation scenarios, like examples. It's immature, but nearly every single class loves it, cause we're all old enough by now to understand half the jokes thus far. I'm mostly just impressed that she can pull it off every single day without fail; it's a real life skill for her.

I won't go as far to say that my math teacher is a pervert. I think she genuinely finds some of the cringy, quirky, dirty jokes to be funny herself. She'll even let some students take after her own example and come up with weird example stories on their own. But she'll never do something as crazy to display anything too explicit directly. Sometimes, she'll even put on movies or read us books for little kids, just to joke around and piss some people off. However, we've been getting privileged lately to watch some interesting suggestive films in her class during movie time. No nudity, not yet. But I can feel some of the kids hoping for it. Damn this teenage youth!

Banarus replied first, even though Laura wanted to beat her to the punch. "My bet is American Pie."

"Or the Adventures of Papaya!" Laura and Banarus both began giggling at Laura's suggestion, chaining right off what topic I picked. But there is a small problem with this.

Despite our simultaneous panic, Lumina and I said the exact same thing at once, both of us understanding exactly what we meant by our telepathic words. But I was the one most frustrated by this development. Movie references were by far my weakest attribute of knowledge. It's not that I didn't watch TV, but I was fairly selective on the programs I did put on. As a kid, I watched the least amount of Disney movies and whatever else was expected in America. This was usually problematic for my ability to keep a conversation going, especially since most of the people in this school talk about movies and their references for about 33% of their conversation topics. I especially didn't recognize the shows Banarus or Laura were joking about, and I could tell that Ashly's joint laughter was not falsified to pretend she knew them either; I was the only odd one out here, despite Lumina's advice. "I thought this was supposed to be simple!"

"Well if you had watched some more movies as a kid—"

"Oh don't even go there Lumina!" I ignored how odd it was that she knew what I watched in the first place, as there were higher priorities to worry about now. Banarus nor Laura found it strange that I wasn't laughing the same way they were, but they were thus far not off put by my presence either, allowing me to estimate my currently likeability change among them to be neutral so far.

"I meant to ask you—" Banarus collected herself and turned to me with a kind of confidence. "Are you okay now with the whole Malica thing?"

I was not expecting Banarus to ask me that, but Lumina delivered her analysis on the situation before I could even process it. "Worse. They just changed the subject for you. Sorry Reed, but your only option in this case is to answer them."

As much as I wanted to sigh with the steaming rage that everything could turn around so quickly, and that Lumina's advice was circumstantially beneficial at best, I refrained from showing the humans any emotion, as I needed to hide having a second mind. Even so, there is too much Lumina does not know; I can't allow her to answer for me on everything, something I'm learning too late. "Just let me handle the personal stuff, Lumina."

Laura chimed in before I could get a chance, reminding herself and Ashly what context Banarus was pulling from. "Oh yeah, I heard about that. Malica cheated on you... And then you let her have it!" Jumping up her volume to emphasize what I was known to have said to Malica that day, Laura did it to have some fun at my own expense, laughing right beside Banarus, who caught some of that infectious playfulness.

"Yeah..." I had to pause before saying anymore, as I knew by now their playfulness didn't nullify the seriousness of the situation. I think Banarus likes me when I'm this way; talking with or around her, trying to chill out, hang out, and getting along to have fun. Even though I was focusing on Laura, I seemed to be getting the attention of the three of them equally. But more importantly, Banarus wants me to be the way I was before I went out with Malica in the first place; God knows why. But is the reason for that desire something from what I'm causing?

I wasn't sure, but the experience made me feel some amount of guilt, all while reminding me that I literally sat with Banarus and Malica just yesterday. I was afraid to before, but it turned out to be not so bad; I can hang out with people even if I'm pissed off at some of them. And it's zero surprise that Laura and the others also know everything that happened here. My relationship with Malica wasn't exactly talk of the school, but others considered our public flirting to be out of some cute story, so plenty more knew about it.

Can I forgive her? I don't think so. Still, maybe I can just get by this if I stop being so angry about everything. What's done is done, and Malica and I will never be an item again, even if I have the audacity to talk to her after today. Most of me wanted to tell Banarus off again, to reject her non-stop pestering to get me back into her good graces. I never had too much against her personally. And with the others here listening to what she was asking, I was essentially put on the spot, my words to be judged by more than three people, whom I was trying right now to be friendlier with in the first place. Lumina was right to feel overly cautious all the sudden; I'm trapped on a real land mine. Even so, I only want to speak the absolute truth from as deep in my heart as I could... "Well, the way I see it, being away from it all has opened my eyes back up a little." Even if I gave no context, I knew it was true. I've spent long enough in isolation and with all this weirdness to know what I desire most; friendship. "So, I'm not mad at anyone anymore, if that's what you are asking."

I don't know what Banarus was hoping for in an answer, but I did know I couldn't be faulted for saying any of that. "Oh, it's cool, but..." Banarus wasn't as excited as I'd expect her to be hearing that. She seemed a little more distressed if anything, as if she couldn't believe a word I said.

"Why is she stalling her words?"

Lumina's reaction to all of this was the reason I wanted her to leave me to the personal aspects of my life during this failed operation. I already told her as much, so I ignored her and spoke only to Banarus instead. I knew exactly what was landing in her mind right now. That hesitation, the one thing she didn't want to ask me directly. "I told you already. It's fine. If she wants to talk to me again, so be it. But I'll only answer her most basic questions. I don't know if she and I can ever be normal friends. But us being apart is for the best. And I won't be partnering with Malica in the future." All that time, Banarus was worried that I would continue to pretend Malica doesn't exist. On some level, I still planned on that course of action. But even I realized by now that I have to move on and get past this, or nothing will improve. And with everything I said, I noticed a strong but silent sigh of relief escape her breath.

"Look at you, so sure of yourself." Laura was pretty proud of what I told her friend, and it put a smile on her face that I'd never seen before.

Cause I am. I wasn't able to come up with that out of thin air or on a whim. I only expressed how I really felt, a decision I just decided on by myself... I waited one more second, wondering why I did not hear some witty reply or anything else from Lumina. Was she not expecting me to handle it so well? Whatever, can't say she helped me out much this time. If I would have started with Ashly like I recommended, things might have turned out differently. But the next time I am in math, I can hope to have a little more fun with Banarus, Laura, and Maddison.

"Sorry to bring that up." I was wondering why Banarus didn't seem to be overjoyed to hear me say that like the other two were, but hearing her apology made me realize it. She knew I wasn't handling the Malica situation well. I have to hand it to her for bringing it up anyway despite knowing how it made me feel. Either Banarus wasn't really sorry, or she was pushing me on purpose – hoping to get me to this conclusion. I still wonder if it is the right thing to do.

"No, it's fine. I suppose I should have said something, or left a note about how pissed off I was. But I figured, 'hey, it must be obvious'!" Though quoting myself like this made my words sound less serious, I was as genuine as I could be. Banarus knew it bothered me, there is no way she couldn't have known. Even so, if I can grow from this, I won't hold anything against her.

With sparks igniting in her eyes, Laura unleashed her adrenaline-filled idea, stepping a little closer to my face in her own excitement. "I know! We'll find you a new girlfriend!" If she had chanted those words any louder, I could never face a single person in this gym ever again. Luckily, from what I noticed around me, only two people overheard, people I don't care to know. But even beside how embarrassing her loud remark was, I was just as well surprised by the very idea she had.

"What?!" Lumina seemed just as shocked too.

However, recalling what I said to Lumina minutes ago, I needed to release the same sentiment onto these brainless knuckleheads. "No thanks." I put my hand far out in front to show Laura that her idea won't work. "I'm actually just looking for regular friends right now."

"But..." Confused, Ashly pointed back behind me, causing the rest of us to turn our heads to understand her context as she elaborated her gesture. "There are regular friend people over there, playing basketball."

"This won't end well."

See what I mean about Lumina not being as helpful as I wanted her too? I continued to ignore her since all she could do now was make everything sound worse than it had to be. Ashly is somewhat new to my own personality, and truth be told, some of that girly behavior hid itself away while I was dating Malica, so I don't blame her for not remembering the problem with such a normal plan. "I meant, regular friends, who also happen to be women."

"Now who's getting picky?" Laura thought she had me on that point, and I didn't know what else to say.

Lumina was right to assume I was doomed, but I could still think of two ways out of this situation. The problem is, the most likely one to work involves nullifying everything I just said to Banarus and disowning the three of them right here and now. As much as I want this to work, hanging out with a bunch of heathens just isn't going to be a sacrifice worth making...

As soon as I checked my own thought process, I realized that some of Lumina's residual hatred for men must still linger inside me after all, enough to want to avoid being near them at least. I'll have to chip away at it over the week or something. But for now, I have to fix this. Ashly's solution is no solution at all. It only puts me further away from the three of them and shoves me to people I don't get along with even with the toxic emotion set aside. Am I going to have to stop hanging out with them over something so stupid?

"Don't worry about it," Banarus waivered, standing beside me with her arms crossed to address her other friends in solidarity. "Reed can still hang out with us for a while."

"Wait, he can?"

"Why does that surprise you?" Finally addressing Lumina's solo rants as I repaired what I could, I had to wonder why she of all people was surprised by this development. I wasn't exactly expecting Banarus to help me like that either, but I didn't rule out the possibility. "Thanks. That makes me more comfortable."

"You must really hate sports." After Ashly's remark which I ignored, the four of us began walking again, since we made a brief pause a few seconds ago. Laura and Ashly continued on with a new conversation that I chose to tune out for the moment, appreciating all that was happening.

Banarus walked alongside, paying more attention to her friends than to me. But I had to wonder. Does Banarus know that I don't mix well with men so much that she was willing to come to my rescue willingly, like the silent knight that saves the damsel in distress? Or was that small gift a token of gratitude given from what I said to her earlier? She really does go out of her way to help anyone in need, at the very least to ensure I am involved with her own group, even when the others disapprove a little.

"Right, I just remembered. Banarus is out to help you for some reason."

So Lumina finally gets it, some of it anyway? I wasn't totally sure why Banarus's motivations were set this way, but it was also that same behavior that pushed her to nag me on about sitting next to her again and again. My disassociation from her motivated by Malica alone is what bothered Banarus so much. Thinking back on it now, I think I really was being unfair to Banarus after all. "She's just overly accepting of everything is all. She wants everyone to be involved in her group if they want to themselves."

"That mentality will come back to bite her in the ass one day... But people should be allowed to live like that, free of consequences..."

"Don't get all dreamy and sentimental on me now." I only realized it now, that Lumina could become distracted too. In fact, I began to imagine how quicker her mind actually thinks, at least compared to mine. I always assumed it was faster, being an Altiri, but what if it's not?

"Well, mission accomplished, I guess." That doesn't sound convincing. "We'll try it again in the next class. And this time with total strangers."

"Oh, so now we are going to admit it? I told you before that it would have been better to start with someone I didn't know too well." That was the sole reason I picked Ashly instead of Laura. I can't practice talking to a stranger and making a friend out of them if that person already knows me first. We can never start fresh with the people we know; only build off what we already have. "Well Lumina? What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Shut up Reed."

By next period, Lumina and I were both simmering in anticipation. The operation was still in progress despite the last setback. She finally decided to take my advice and start with a total random stranger, even though she keeps pretending that was her idea from the start. Since my English class got moved around, I initially worried about who would even be in here this period. But I worried for nothing. I still have Ms. Dang as a teacher, and the only other person I recognize in here is Maddison and Silla, both of which are not friends of each other, and Silla seems to not care about my presence anymore. I'm not too surprised by that one.

By now, the teacher had explained the group assignment, and started to hand out the worksheets to everyone. I need Lumina to be in synch with me this time. "Okay. Talking to people in this class will have to wait until we all get our papers. Afterwards, I'll try and merge into a random group. That's when you will come in."

"Okay. That's where I will jump in. And I won't fail!" Her confidence was contagious, and it snapped me out of any doubts holding me back from trying.

The group of desks I picked was a smaller one, currently consisting of only two girls. Once the assignment was announced and we finished moving around, the group stayed the same, only with me inserting myself into one of the only other empty seats. Whoever the stranger was obviously didn't seem to fit in all that well in this class, reminding me that I'm not the only one who can have issues making friends.

As I sat down, I pushed my sheet forward just a little, presenting my intensions to work together with them before even having the chance to introduce myself to her. "So, I haven't seen you before." I held my hand out to shake, trying to be as formal and well-behaved as possible. I somewhat ignored the other girl to the right of me, all with good reason. As I was talking to the stranger, I was simultaneously informing Lumina of facts she needed to know in advance. "I do already know the one beside me. But Maddison and I still barely know each other on any personal level."

"Hi." Shaking my hand, she happily introduced herself. "My name's Abby. And this one here is Maddison."

"And I'm going to draw a cat on your paper!" Before any of us could react, Maddison unleashed some of her insanity of joy, snatching up my worksheet and drawing doodle cats on the ends of my paper, just as she said she would. Even Abby seemed put out by that unexpected turn. It threw me off just as well.

"What the fuck is wrong with Maddison?"

As cute and fun as I thought it was for Lumina to barrow from my pool of curse words and use them on someone else, I still had the sense to place all priority where it needed to go. "Focus!" I needed to make this work before Abby shrinks back into herself, working on the sheet silently to herself. I knew she was about to, because despite this being a group project, the design is not exactly tailored for multiple collaborators, plus she looks like the introverted type herself.

After my projected scream of demand, Lumina ignored Maddison just as I had done, and was now staring at Abby through my stare to study the details for herself. "Okay. Abby is certainly new material. So, take it slow, and open up with a very personal topic."

A personal topic? I would have assumed the opposite would work better. Then again, maybe our own fears of being too personal about anything are the behaviors that lead to mindless, empty small talk in the first place. While I still have Abby's attention, here goes... "Okay, so what places do you normally like to visit in Georgia? I still argue that I haven't been to Six Flags or White Water enough."

"I know!" Enthusiastically meeting more of my own energy, having been to Six Flags and White Water herself in many summers, Abby felt the desire to relate. "But, they will be closing those places down for the winter soon, if they have not already."

"Yeah. If only they would just stay open during a blizzard haze."

"I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or not."

Of course, I was being a little of both. But I didn't say much to Lumina. I wasn't sure how this was supposed to work, since she wasn't feeding me anything specific data after a random opening like that.

"I don't think I've seen you in this class before." Now paying me more attention than she ever did before, Abby met my eyes as she spoke, curious as to where I've been. The strangest aspect to all of this was that my notoriety from before, back when I was being girly and presented all of those projects happened in this class, but during a different period, which means most of the people here don't know my name or what I look like. It felt strange to me, something else I had to ignore for the time being. "You have all honors?"

"Yeah, for now anyway." Staying on topic since this was beginning to go somewhere after all, I gave her the full detail of how this worked for me. "I did get moved around a bit in some of the classes, but English is the easiest one. And then, there is math."

"Yeah, most say that about math." She was almost laughing, and I didn't bother cleaning up the tiny misunderstanding she made about me not liking math. The order in which I said it led her to believe so. "What did you say your name was again?" I realized by now that she must have tuned me out at first, categorizing me as some stupid ordinary guy who just thought she was pretty. But now, she cares enough to want to remember more about me.

"This is working! Abby wants to get to know you better!" I was happy for myself too, but I still wasn't sure exactly what advice Lumina gave me, other than to avoid non-personal topics. I guess I can give her some credit.

"Oh, I'm Reed. It's nice to finally join a group that knows things." I'll tell her she's smart, but not that she's pretty. I can't flirt with anyone, but I can still build all of us up!

"Ease off now. Don't panic and compliment everyone too quickly. By phrasing it that way, you could end up insulting some of her friends without ever realizing it. Other than that, it's all going well."

I and Abby both opened our mouths to say something, but were cut off before we could get a word out. "All done!" Maddison aggressively slid my paper riddled with chicken scratch graffiti to the center of our desks, allowing Abby and myself to absorb the works of art she constructed so quickly.

Naturally, the rest of us were speechless. It wasn't just the distraction that caught us off guard, but the detail used to create several pencil drawings of cats. I've created some abominations of creatures myself, but it seems Maddison was determined to break my own record instead. It was hard for both of us not to laugh, since the drawings were so far off realism that it was totally ridiculous. I managed to hold it in, but the three of us were now staring deep into the single sheet, vandalized by something so bizarre, it brought down myself and Abby to a level of how we should question life itself, since such abominations could exist. "Oooh! That's great!" I couldn't have made it more obvious that I wasn't serious about complimenting this.

"And— she ruined it."

"How come you draw cats on everything all the time?" Abby seemed genuinely annoyed by Maddison's process, but not enough to cause a fuss. It clearly revealed to me that Maddison was as much a stranger to Abby as Abby was to Maddison, not that such a revelation helps me now.

"Eh, I don't know." Maddison doesn't even care or acknowledge that her own habit is an issue for anyone else, which was impressive in itself, just as much as she could change the subject. "Hey, can you help me with problem six?" The assignment itself was one of reading already conducted, not of research, which is why she could ask that so soon.

"Sure." Just like that, Abby agreed to help her, putting aside everything else and sending her focus back into academics directly.

Before long, I was sitting there, quietly observing how two people who I had in direct attention were now so far away from me, all from a tiny distraction and a devotion to getting perfect A's. "Dammit!"

"Ugh!" Following my quick analysis of the issue, Lumina displayed her frustration to how quickly everything fell apart. It was all going so well too, or so it seemed. "What is wrong with the people in your school? These are supposed to be normal teenagers!"

I wonder if Lumina realized that her observations of people in the past are missing at least two years of social context, given that she lost sight of Earth since the beginning of her purge. A single generation's worth of culture can change so much that used to be. But my most certain and immediate conclusion is where I went to next. "They are normal, it's just that you and I are not. We're both trying to fit in to a place where we can't."

"I know you said it before, but how much do you know Maddison?"

"I know Maddison, but she probably knows a lot more about me than I do about her. We don't talk too often." From my response, Lumina was silent for a bit, while I let my eyes wonder around the room again, no longer caring if Abby detects my own frustration with what just happened.

"You never did tell me about this strange circle of friends you already had before we started this."

"Don't blame this on me somehow. Besides, there's a reason I didn't tell you. They're not exactly the kind of friends that I want to keep. I need new ones to ditch the old ones, right?"

"It shouldn't make too much a difference, but you have some major bad luck running into them like that."

I've always had rotten luck. Even the time I was asked out by Malica and thought my luck had turned, it was always the same, the relationship never to last. I should have sat somewhere else instead, and now that I'm committed to this table, if I leave it right now, it will only draw a bad picture of me to everyone else. "Yeah, whatever. I'll just do whatever I can to go around Maddison. Screw it!"

"Don't give up yet. Abby doesn't hate you. So try it again tomorrow, or another day. Plus, you still have another class period after this one, right?"

So she realizes I can do nothing more today too? I have to hand it to Lumina on one thing. Even if her plans fail, she really isn't an idiot when it comes to most situations. She can see the bigger picture just like I can. And I do have another class, one I've never actually been to before, so I shouldn't know anybody there. "Yeah, Homech. It's like some strange kind of health or consumer class? Something like that. But they actually have me scheduled into the class incorrectly, or halfway through the course? I swear, this school has some creative ways of screwing up all the classes I have every year or half-term."

"Okay. When you get to that class, take a seat by yourself or in a group of people you don't know at all. I'll be able to spot some candidates while you get introduced."

Sighing heavily from the day this is turning out to be, I just nodded and agreed with Lumina, ignoring the looks the other two were giving me for the unwarranted behavior. Even though school is nearly over, I could tell this was still going to be a very long day. Operation Find New Friends is still in effect, even after two total failures. As much as I appreciated Lumina's assistance in helping me try, I can't speak highly of the results thus far.

Of course, the moment I opened that Homech door for the first time, despite class not even starting yet, all eyes of those who were in fell to me, including the confused teacher. I had to hand her my schedule update to prove that I was already supposed to be here, some time ago. I waited for her to accept my explanation while I showed Lumina the room, taking in the warming smell of freshly baked cookies, which for now were invisible.

Everything we were both seeing told us that this was more of a cooking class than anything else. I guess 'consumer' in Consumer Science meant the consumption of food. Based on the large refrigerator, the three white stovetop ovens, the two huge industrial sinks, and walls full of mounted cupboards top and bottom, this was in all aspects a cooking class. Whatever smelled so good must have come from the class before this one.

As my teacher finally accepted the situation of getting a transfer student within the same school so unexpectedly, my peripheral vision managed to spot out two people I already knew. One was a little familiar to me, Zero, who was also sitting next to Jaiden, whom I recognized from minor association from my updated gym class. There were four seats at the table, and two were empty, indicating that they either sat alone, or one was absent today. By the time I was approved to be in the class, my teacher waved her hand for me to take a seat anywhere.

It was quite a rush to have so many thoughts going through my head, including the conversation with Lumina all while I walked to a spot I already chose to sit. There was still so much to absorb about this class. One of the interesting facts about this already was that out of all the students in this entire class, assuming more don't enter before the bell, I'm the only guy in here. It's a cooking class, so expecting a majority of girls versus boys was a sensible wager. But am I really the only guy in the entire class? How long before I'm made fun of for that fact?

As soon as Lumina noticed where my feet were dragging me, question time was already on. "So, do you know anyone here? Are the girls at that table people you know?"

"The girl on the left is Zero. I've seen her in one of my classes before, but I've never actually spoken to her. I don't really know anything about her at all."

"Nothing? You never learned anything from previous observations?"

Lumina has a few things to learn after all. I know I wasn't giving her all the details, but there is a perfectly good reason why I avoided talking to Zero for the duration I knew of her. She first showed up in my fifth grade class, as far as seeing her around anyway. I think she waved at me once in sixth grade, since she and I recognized seeing each other a year before. But all this time, I've been scared to death of talking to any girl, more so to those who are drop-dead pretty.

I know that I've commented a lot on other girls around the school who look very nice... But compared to all of them, Zero comes in first place. Being anywhere near or in front of her can make a guy's brain melt to mush, which is partly the reason we don't know each other so well. I avoided her on purpose, and against what I should know now, I'm heading right for her table. Are my instincts and hormones driving me there right now, or is there a different desire? Just at a distance, I had a hard time wondering which was which. She really does have the most well-structured face, and a perfect body build and height. She also had the largest assets in front of her chest, though, I didn't pay it much attention there, since I could care less about those on anyone. "Now that you mention it, I do only ever see her rarely with anyone else, or talking to anyone else." I have seen her around here a few times, reading a book most often. She hung out with Banarus once or twice I think. "I think she's actually shy, more so than I am."

"Oooooh! That's good! If she's shy, then it won't be that hard to talk to her!"

What is it, opposite day? Lumina should know better how this all works. If Zero is shy, then I know exactly what is going to happen; nothing. Nothing will happen, because we will both end up saying nothing to each other. That's what happens when you put two introverts together. Both are too shy to start a conversation, and everything gets awkward. I don't see how Lumina's logic will apply in this setting, even with Jaiden next to her. I didn't actually think the two of them were friends. And as I got near the seat to sit down, I tried keeping my eyes off her directly, since this was difficult and nerve-wracking enough. "You say it will be easy, but your plan falls apart if we both end up saying nothing to each other for the entire period." And at last, I got my chance to sit down, just as the teacher began reading the roster for local attendance.

"Don't worry. I won't let that happen." Lumina reassured me as I took my seat, waving to Zero and Jaiden as though it were a normal greeting. I could see Zero looking me over a little, surprised to see me here at all, but Lumina kept on going. "So, is there anyone else you know?"

"..." There was little point introducing her to Jaiden, mainly because I was not interested in hanging out with her anyway. My eyes wandered around the room once more, trying to confirm who I knew and who I didn't. And that's when this happened:

"Kaitlyn? No Kaitlyn today?"

Kaitlyn? I shuttered inside, trying to pretend like I didn't just think her name out loud. I must have been hearing things, but I hoped Lumina didn't register that.

"And who's Kaitlyn?"

Blasted rules of telepathy! "Oh, she's no one! I don't know her at all. That's pretty much everyone for this class." Between my own hesitations, I had time to think why I was hearing that name on the roster. Just now, in the middle of roll call, the teacher marked Kaitlyn as absent for the day. That can only mean one thing. There is someone else in this class that I know. Based on the memories I have of her, I'm really glad she was playing hooky today.

"... You're lying to me."

"What?!" What does she mean? Can she read my most internal thoughts too? Can she see the face I'm making?!

"Haha! What is that face?!"

Jaiden can see the face I'm making; she and Zero are now having a quiet chuckle about it, while I tried resetting myself to stay calm. I can't believe I just tried to lie to Lumina, and worse, I can't believe she was able to tell instantly! Or can she tell?

"Yeah, I can tell."

So certain was I that my most inner thoughts were private! Yet she still knows! I already confirmed earlier that she can only read projected thoughts, so I must have some other tell she can pick up on. I'll have to find it soon and eliminate it! But for now, I have no choice but to fess up. It's too embarrassing to tell Lumina this without my face going red in front of the others, but I just don't have any other choice. "Fine! No privacy at all... It's Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn is the other chick that I know, who oddly enough is absent today. It's good enough, cause I don't want to be around her today."

"Why?"

Has she no shame? Does she enjoy this kind of torture? I can't believe I have to explain myself to her like this. "I..." I paused, trying to dig my head into my arms laid on the table to hide my blushing cheeks from the other two. "I used to have a crush on her, long before the Malica thing ever happened."

"I had no idea."

Yeah, that was the idea, invader of my personal thoughts. "I was too chicken to act on it, so before long, the crush ended, and nothing happened between us. However, the guard dog I mentioned was protecting Kaitlyn of all people, and even found out about how I felt, and then told her everything. If Kaitlyn were here now, things would be really awkward, if she remembers anyway."

"Okay, so why did you hide it from me?"

"Because it's embarrassing Lumina! Besides, I didn't want you to get the wrong idea, trying to pair me up with her." Why am I saying these things? How could I even admit them to her?

"I would never have done that given those circumstances. I'm here to help you, not to see you suffer... Even if your little pout is too cute to be serious about it."

Wow Lumina! Could have fooled me. I should have accepted the idea that you would never-ever tease me about it for your own entertainment. Whatever. It's over with now. I should take my face out of my arms before the others wonder what's up. "Okay then... I'm sorry I lied to you." I couldn't return any of the playful sentiment she tried to spice into this, not this time. By now, the teacher began going over the lesson plan once more, mainly for myself, so I pretended to listen while having the other conversation with Lumina.

"You seem kind of shaken about it though."

Shaken? Yeah, that's one understatement. "Yeah. I normally don't have people find out that I'm lying to them so easily." I normally have no need to lie in the first place, it's just not the kind of person I am. The only people I would willingly lie to are those who overstep boundaries and those I don't get along with.

"Oh, get used to that. Remember what I said about keeping our little secret between us? If anything happens, you might have to become an avid liar to those around you."

"I can't help but wonder what kind of influence you are on me."

"Deal with it. You have to realize by now that the other factor that we share in a good telepathic connection are each other's emotions, at least our thought patterns regarding them. Even if I can't read what's on your mind because you try and hide it, if you struggle or stress to lie even a little, I can pick up on it. And with time, you would be capable of doing that to me too. It's a two-way street."

"So... If I had some kind of secret..." The violation haunted me even deeper. For now, I realized that any secret that I have cannot remain a secret from Lumina, not if I connect to her and keep calling her back in return every morning. And that could mean anything! What I secretly like, the desires that I have, even the things that should stay behind a locked door.

"Don't count on keeping it from me. Luckily, this is the kind of thing that works both ways. You'll always know that I never have any ulterior motive against you. Secrets or not, one thing I do promise is that I'm on your side Reed. Always!"

"Yeah, yeah. Class is about to start, and I decided to be in Zero's group. So are you gonna help me, or not?"

"I think getting closer to Zero is a given in our case. You're not at odds with her, but you both don't know each other to cause interference..."

Hearing that instinctively made me glance at Jaiden. I do know Jaiden, and have less a desire to try being friendly with her, though I wasn't entirely sure why. I didn't think Zero would be the type of girl who pairs up with someone as immature as Jaiden, but this is a learning experience. When my eyes drifted over to Zero, who was moving her gaze the same way I was, trying not to draw attention to herself, I felt something strange.

All of my words and thoughts got jumbled up, and deciding on what to say become totally impossible! But... That wasn't me feeling that... Is she— "Hey! I can feel that. I can feel you hesitating now..." But how? It can't be possible to feel someone hesitate like that. Why is Lumina's mind hung up?

"You can feel that because of what I said earlier. Certain sensations and emotions are transferred through telepathy. It isn't just me who can pick it up. More specifically, our own thought patterns can sometimes synchronize at the same time, allowing either one of us to immediately detect any tiny deviation from that process without me having to express it. You felt me hesitate just now, because I did."

"That's something else." I let her know how strange it was, that I could sense the little actions she does, like how she follows my eyes around. It isn't just a buzzing sensation in the back of my head; there's more to it than that. Her thought patterns can synchronize with mine? I didn't know that was possible! Still, it doesn't explain the reason. "But tell me why the hesitation."

"Because... I had absolutely no idea that you could so casually sit next to some girl so pretty."

Now I was shocked. The big bad Lumina finds someone pretty and compliments on her? I got the vibe earlier that such was a rarity. Still, it was also strange to hear one woman complimenting another in the same manner that I had. Zero really is a knockout, and that's no stretch. If my father ever saw me sitting beside this woman, he'd shit a brick. If Zero weren't the shy quiet girl that she is now, but instead had the personality of Lila, then she would be the most popular girl in school, not Lila; the two can't compare. Even someone like Lumina can see that with her own eyes, well, my eyes anyway. "Yeah, Zero is pretty, but..."

I couldn't easily explain what I was feeling. As my eyes trailed all up and down this classmate, something about what I should have felt seemed off. Was it that I felt she was too good to exist? No, it's something else. I saw her before, a couple of times in this school, and another time in the last. We never spoke to each other before, but somehow, I feel some kind of deeper connection with her than what should exist in the first place. On one hand, the idea of ever falling for this girl returned internal screams of horror from my own mind, returning the phrase off limits. But, when I tried to think about Zero in a most platonic manner, I suddenly felt at ease, comfortable, happy even. It doesn't make any sense to me at all.

"But what?"

Oops! I stared for too long, but luckily nobody noticed. I returned my gaze to the center of the empty table, concentrating on telling Lumina why this must be a more planned operation. "Look, it's not going to work out like that Lumina. I'm okay with being her friend, but girlfriend is simply out of the question. And don't ask me why. I don't know the answer to that myself right now."

Lumina waited, taking in what I was saying so that this can go more smoothly this time. With everything to consider, this should be the perfect storm of circumstances, despite my bad luck. "Okay. I think it's a good thing in this case. Besides, I can't have you drooling over your new friends."

"Drooling? Really? You think that lowly of me?" I'm not some dumb cartoon character who can't control his own emotions. If I were that tongue tied, I would never be capable of sitting anywhere near this table in her presence.

However, my retort seemed to aggravate her, at last. "Just introduce yourself already!"

She asks, she gets! But as done as I was with Lumina's quick temper, I took the opportunity and timing of the teacher finishing up the opening instructions of our project to talk to her, addressing Zero first. "Hey, Zero. I'm in this class now." Crap! I shouldn't have called her out by her first name. What if she doesn't know how I know her name even though the only explanation is a good memory, and what if—

"Reed, right?" Zero did know my name after all, proving that I nearly melted down over something so arbitrary. Despite what I said earlier, Zero is difficult for me to face, a true demon of beauty who can steal my gaze and swallow my mind whole. I have to be careful not to get lost in those eyes of hers.

"You two know each other?" Jaiden, who I nearly forgot was here was thrilled to see that Zero and I were already acquainted. Even so, she has the wrong idea already.

But before I could jump into explain, Zero did it all for me. "Yeah, I remember now. Reed was in the same elementary school that I was. We never had any classes together though."

So she remembers too? I'm warmed just to hear it, that her observation skills are on par with my own. Does she know I'm an introvert already too? She must know more about this school than I do. I can tell her intelligence is top notch. And her manners, far above what I was expecting, which for Zero was already high to begin with. I'm glad to have that information, but I'm flying blind here. I need more information, something Lumina taught me right at least. Jaiden... What is your connection with Zero? Why sit at this table when I know you two should not mix? "What about you Jaiden? How did you come to know Zero?"

"Tread lightly Reed."

Jaiden didn't resist my question at all, proving the explanation to be simpler than I could have imagined. "Zero is friends with Laura and Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn is friends with me, and you are friends with Zero. Simple."

That was simple. But I surmised a different conclusion about her last part of the sentence. Zero and I are not friends, not yet anyway. Hanging out with someone does not make them a friend, only an acquaintance. I'm actually learning that this month, a very difficult lesson to learn. It only proves how right I was, about how little Jaiden understands about the world. But God! If Kaitlyn were here right now, this would be twenty times harder!

"Focus! Focus!"

Just this once, Lumina's reminder was a bit more helpful. I'm letting my runaway thoughts distract me again, courtesy of my ADD. I have to stay focused on what's important. Of all the things I don't know about Zero, one thing I have guessed correctly is that she too is an intelligent straight-A student. Therefore, of all the priorities on her mind, one of the higher ones will be this assignment. It's also a complicated situation, since I was transferred to this class minutes ago. Even though I tuned most of the teacher out, I did pick up on the fact that this assignment has already started and is due by next Monday for presentation.

"Anyway, tell me where we are with this project, now that I'm going to suddenly be on it. I'll still help you even if it's close to completion."

Zero remained logical about the situation, keeping me somewhat at bay where the work was concerned. "Well, we are mostly done with the setup already. There are vocab words you have to learn before the due date, and also before setting this up anyway. So you should really focus on that. We'll just say you helped us, and then we can all prove it together by passing the quiz on it."

S-M-A-R-T! If I weren't so concerned with everything else right now, that's probably how I would have done it. No, I would have taken too long to come up with that idea on my own for it to be effective. Could she be more intelligent than me? Either way, the bar is set pretty high, so I'm going to have to make some impression.

"Kaitlyn has most of the art assets on her, so once tomorrow comes, we can all set it up together." Normally, hearing someone tell me that would cause concern due to the issues I have with Kaitlyn and myself, as well as being told that too much of my own involvement would be a third wheel. But this is the first time I've ever heard someone tell me this in such a nice manner, on top of her being so pretty. I'm almost glad that I had such resistance training with Kaitlyn, because without that, my mind would have already exploded, melting down all I am to a dumb drooling cartoon character who knows nothing but bliss...

But I'm not that guy anymore. I'm a little stronger than I was before. Plus, I have Lumina here to guide me, assuming bad luck does not kick in again and everything goes south in an instant. "In that case, our pace can be a little easier. I'll write them down and study them when I get home." I can't waste precious time doing that kind of work here! "I'd also rather talk about stuff anyway."

"You mean how like, you're the only boy in class?" Jaiden's eye opening comment set Zero off, causing her to laugh in a quiet hissing style while holding her hand near her chin. She was obviously laughing at me in this case, proving that I would be teased for it after all.

Addressing Jaiden, I stated the obvious. "That's coincidence. Besides, a boy can cook just as well if he learns what to do in the kitchen. Should I suddenly be scared or feel bad for being the only boy in here? It sure isn't my fault."

"You have to be more careful how you respond! One wrong word and your chances are gone."

"Gee, thanks! No pressure Lumina!"

"It's not about pressure! If they laugh at a joke, even at you, you have to stay calm."

That's easy for her to say. Man, I'm already annoyed with Lumina, and we haven't even started the operation in this class yet. This plan feels like a flop from the start.

"If Reed doesn't care and wants to have fun conversations with us, why stop it?"

Exactly! Zero, you are a saint to me! At last, by bad luck is coming to an end. Jaiden's worse manners are clearly overpowered by Zero's kindness.

"Okay. That's your opening. Pick a subject of interest. Anything will do!"

Anything will do? I had to rephrase her question in my head, not believing my psionic ears. We already agreed that small talk was bad, but she doesn't give me anything specific? I really have to be the one to come up with the plan? Lumina isn't helping me. She's merely encouraging me; that's all! What a nuisance... Fine then, have it your way. "Hey Zero? I always wanted to ask someone this, just for fun anyway." I gave her a chance and time to pay more attention to me, all while I tried to ignore Jaiden, who luckily was behaving herself properly now. With the perfect topic stuck on my mind, I shot the subject into the open air, hoping she would answer. "What's your take on aliens?"

"Uh, what now?"

"What? Aliens?" Pure curiosity riddled her face, and she actually turned her head to face the table with her hand on her chin in deep thought, the same way I would do. "Well, I don't believe they really exist. All of these UFO sightings just don't sound right to me."

So she isn't fond of them either, huh?

"Not funny Reed."

I was beginning to find my defiance to her very funny, but I kept to myself, focusing on the task at hand, on my own. "Yeah, I agree with you there. But I was talking more about distant aliens. I'm not even close to suggesting that we are about to be visited by them, or us visiting them. But surely, they must exist out there, right? They might even have personalities, maybe even aggressive or unhelpful personalities."

"Wow. I thought you wanted me to help you. Guess I was wrong."

"Yeah, well, you've been of no help today." Despite how rude I knew I sounded, I began to lose my own temper with her, throttled to wind up in this awkward position. "Your advice on people sucks!"

"Yeah, I'm sure it's possible. But it would be so far out of reach, we're better off not worrying about it." Somehow, Zero seemed more distracted now than the first time I asked her the question, disinterested maybe?

"Yeah..." I couldn't think of anything else to say then. She didn't add anything new to the conversation, so my ability to keep it cycling was useless here. And after another few seconds of silence, I heard nothing from Lumina, and Zero went straight to work on the poster board of the project, inserting more items with glue, though there was not much to do with it.

"Told ya so. Now she's gone right back into silent mode. You scared her shut with your dumb alien comment."

"You think you're always right and know everything, don't you Lumina. Well I'll show you." I kept my focus on her, talking to Zero while she was working, hoping to burn down her attention to that boring schoolwork yet again. "What of it though? I mean, are you into astrology and sci-fi movies?"

With a sharp and stern penetrating glare, Zero returned the question to me. "Are you into them?"

"Ouch!" Lumina commented. "She knew just where to strike! It's a counterattack with double the damage!"

"Shut up... And don't steal my jokes." "Well, half the time at least." My words were not reaching her the way I wanted them to. Zero turned her head back to the poster, focusing only on that and ignoring my desire to speak to her about anything interesting. I wasn't sure if she knew that I was trying to have a buzzing conversation and was putting me out, or if she was clueless to the fact. However, even on my own, the plan was crashing and burning. "Don't even say it." I stopped Lumina before she could rub it in. "If you won't help me, then just be quiet."

"Oh? I thought you already made it clear that you didn't want my help."

"I don't."

"Good!"

"Good!" Despite sounding like school children, our little squabble finally died down in volume, leaving behind only silence. I knew Lumina was still there, and she would be until the end of the day when we disconnect from each other. However, as upset as I was at her, I was far more upset about the situation itself. I knew by now that this was a more complex problem that would not be solved in one day. But I was already impatient, my desire for friendship being shot down for more than a decade. I really can't say if Lumina's advice is helpful or not... But, I don't know what else to do here. I'm totally out of options I could try on my own.

With an annoyed sigh, I got her attention again. "Fine. I do need your help. Just quit it with the passive aggressiveness already. I can't take much more of it."

"You're the only one doing all of that." Lumina felt she had a point to make, but calling out my own stress reliever wasn't going to get her anywhere.

"Lumina?!" What does she, need a leash or something?

"Fine. I will help you, but only one more time. I don't even want to anymore, but I have a point to prove. You'll soon learn how much I do know when Zero becomes your new friend."

"Fat chance of that happening."

"What did we just talk about?"

"Sorry, sorry!" I still had to reset myself a little... Lumina was right, I'm doing it to her too. I don't know where or how I learned to speak like that, but if I can just try and be polite for ten seconds, it might lead somewhere. "Okay. Here's what I do know from her already. Zero is an introvert, shy, and unusually nice. She's been like this always; it's not an act. But because she and I are both introverts, opening up to a fun conversation just isn't going to happen on its own. One of us has to initiate it; there is no other way. The problem here is that neither one of us knows what to say to get the ball rolling."

"You mean you don't know what to say. I'm willing to bet she will be thrilling to talk about herself, given that you will automatically show an interest. So, get her to talk about herself; see what interests she has."

Even knowing my physical silence was a long one, I tried speaking to Zero again as though the awkwardness never existed. "So... What things do you like to do, Zero?"

Zero kept her focus on the paper while answering me, dividing her attention as if she were on autopilot. "Watch TV, I like to babysit my little sister a lot... I'm also going to be joining the band club."

At last, Lumina turned her words into a guiding light for my wandering mind to follow. "There you go. You suck at TV references, so try opening with band?"

Following her instruction to the letter, I tried asking her about Band, even knowing nothing about it. "Band huh? I wonder, do they play just any instrument, like piano or guitar? Or is it specific to what the school wants us to play?"

Finally showing some interest by slowing her work pace down a little, Zero gave herself a second to think her answer through. "If it were our own music, I suppose we would be an orchestra instead of a band. You know, trumpets, bass drums, stuff like that."

"Oh." I realized something on top of her own analysis to what band would be like. "It sounds like it would bog down a lot of your spare time, since it's school based and all." Middle schools don't normally have many clubs, but band is the exception to that rule. People go to band and practice, but this can lead one staying after school. How long? I don't know.

"That's kind of the idea," Zero pointed out. "But I like band, so I will be joining soon."

"Great. Now carefully lead into what you do after school."

What I do after school? I didn't have to think too hard about my own hobbies. Of all of them, there was one thing I enjoyed as much as video games. "Yeah, I like music, but I actually like writing even more." As soon as I said that, I could see Zero's face light up a little, while Jaiden raised one eyebrow, passively listening on the conversation.

"FINALLY!" With great emphasis, Lumina made sure I knew that my words were the right call, despite having never tell me herself.

And her reaction was with good reason, because Zero finally stopped what she was doing long enough to dive into this tangent I opened up for us. "Oh, what do you like to write about?"

"Short stories and stuff. I'm planning on moving into novels soon, but I still have to figure out how all of that stuff works first." I'm glad she's interested in what I have to say, let alone something more personal about myself. I really do love to write, even though I'm no author just yet.

"There you go. A conversation!" Annoyed as I was by her mental interruptions, I could tell already that Zero and I were finally on track, clicking and making words that mattered to us.

"What do you like to read?"

"Actually, I'm still reading this interesting series. It's called Twilight."

"What?"

"Twilight?!" Her face filled with an excitement of shock and wonder, revealing to me that she was yet another fan. "I love that series! Everyone is reading it now!"

"Really? I wasn't aware that it was actually that popular. I'm already starting Eclipse."

"It's a good book," she returned as a promise to me. Seeing her in this new state, really showed me how much more depth there was to her. "But I am kind of surprised... I thought only girls read that stuff."

I cringed inside just as I heard Jaiden trying not to chuckle. And then it dawned on me, a conversation I recalled from Silla some time ago, about Twilight being more of a girl's book than a boy book.

"It doesn't matter! You like what you like!"

I knew I was not supposed to translate Lumina's responses word per word, but I understood the sentiment this time around. I can understand and equate that into a response. "Yeah, well, a good book is a good book, regardless of who picks it up." I like what I like huh? Something so obvious that I never thought about before in this light, and Lumina came up with it first?

"Are you Team Edward, or Team Jacob?"

"What?" I know I've read to some amount, but I had no idea what she was going on about. Even so, I was happy to finally have Zero so engaged in this.

"Oh, maybe you haven't heard. But all that means is whether you think Bella should be with Edward or Jacob."

"Oh, I get it!" I totally forgot about that. Silla said something like that, though I can't recall what it was about. Should Bella be with Edward, or Jacob? I would normally want more time to think about it, but I also got the sense that there were other reasons the girls found this concept to be popular, if we were going by looks at least. "I'm still in Eclipse, but so far, I would say Team Edward, even though he did leave her like that."

"Huh..." Based on Zero's reaction, I quickly surmised that she didn't like my answer. It was too late to change it now though, and all I could do was explain myself away more thoroughly.

"I actually like the concept of the story more than anything. They're vampires, preying on tasty humans and turning one ordinary girl's life upside down. And I guess, Bella wanted some part of her life turned on its side, which turned out to make her special anyway. And now we're all supposed to decide whether Bella should be happy with that, or happy going back to an ordinary life, according to what happened in book #2."

"You're doing great. Just remember, you can't talk about the book forever. Use this time now to think of another subject."

Lumina doesn't understand, but I already have been thinking of a new subject all while saying that, as well as many other considerations. The noise of my own head generates so many thoughts to process simultaneously. I'm even more surprised that Lumina made no comparison between my current situation and the premise of that story blurb I gave. Not that I'm some teenage girl wanting to be abducted by Altiri aliens... But I have to admit, trying to imagine my life going back to normal from this point was getting a little harder now. Yesterday, I was so certain that I wanted her voice to be gone for good. Now, I don't know anymore. Am I really okay with this?

"Yeah, but most people just pick Team Jacob."

Most people also see the cover and the movie adaptation, where Jacob has his shirt off far too often for it to be a PG rated movie series. Part of me wanted to tell her that, but I decided to just take it easy with Zero and keep this going. "Well, it's not like you're going to find me judging which of the two is hotter; since I don't swing that way. But the way I see it, Bella and Edward were set to be this original couple, and they already have more of an intense history together than she does with Jacob. No matter what happens, it just isn't right to switch from one person to the other over trivial things. Bella and Edward should keep trying, because despite what happened, their connection between each other is more genuine." I sound like I'm giving a book report. I hope I'm not being too dorky.

"Well, it's good that you read that series. Have you ever seen Camp Kugar? Or what about The Breakfast Club?" Zero totally forgot about her own assignment, and continued giving me direct eye contact after adjusting herself in her seat a little. I was also able to smell her breath from here after she got slightly closer. How lucky I felt now, getting to smell the faint trace of mint in her warm breath!

"This is better than I expected. She's talking on her own now."

I noticed the same as Lumina did, proving my previous assumption about our comparison to be more accurate than before. "I know. We're sort of the same kind of people in a way." "I've heard of them, but I've yet to watch it for myself."

"Even better! If you act like those shows aren't alien to you, she can't be freaked out that you haven't seen them."

"Yes," I responded with a dose of continuation, "but I actually have heard of them, so I wasn't lying."

"Good. In that case, don't lie."

Like I was going to anyway. "I just watch whatever is on TV, but only at a specific time of day. I won't waste my entire night on TV, because I still have things to do at home each day anyway." It really was getting harder for me to spend and allocate my free time the way I wanted to, something I considered incredibly important.

"What classes do you have, other than this one?" As Zero asked me that, I could see Jaiden drop her jaw and stare at Zero like she was from another planet, though I found it a little funny, while Lumina considered it to be a sign.

"My work here is done."

So she considers this mission accomplished? It's still incomplete. And what does she mean by her work? "Team effort Lumina. It was a team effort, not yours. I pulled about 70% of the work." Trying not to get too caught up and distracted by Lumina's comments, I returned my mental attention back onto Zero. "I have Ms. Dang for sixth period, Honors English, and Ms. Masters for Honors Math, second period."

"You have honors classes?" Zero really asked me that, as if it were impossible that I would be considered an advanced student.

Of course, I wasn't too offended. This now meant she saw me as intelligent too, hopefully more equal to her than before. "Well yeah. I'm not as dumb as I look."

"I never said you were dumb."

"Oof!"

"What about your Social Studies class?"

"Honors that too." I had to check from the confusion. Apparently, they don't list that class as honors on the student schedule when it is honors. Even so, I am in three honors classes this semester. In fact, my classes are supposed to be split up in semesters in half years, but this time it looks like a real mess. "The schedule isn't exactly clear about some things. Next semester, my social studies class stops, and gets replaced by Honors Biology. Sounds normal, right? But right now, they also have me alternating between this class and music class. On top of that, once the end of this year is over, I have Homech again in the eighth grade, for a full term. I checked ahead of time." My complaint sounded quite natural, because it really made no sense at all. Why have Homech twice when I only need it once to graduate? It really makes no sense, and the administration seems to enjoy toying with my life.

"And here I thought my friend's schedule was a mess."

"Yeah, Saffrin Middle isn't half as bright as Ovlar." I knew what I was comparing. Ovlar Elementary School made quite an impression on me, even though I was there for one single year. Their cafeteria was amazing, their outdoor area lacking but imaginative, and their teachers all top notch as well as nice. They had it together at that facility.

"You went to Ovlar Elementary?"

That's right, I realized. Zero doesn't know what happened to me before the fifth grade. She and I saw each other around only after my transfer to Bereaton Elementary. Most assume students don't transfer too often. "Yeah, I was shoved around a lot in grade school. I started off at Robins Elementary, then I home schooled for two years, putting me behind by one year since that got hectic. Then we moved, and I ended up in Ovlar for a year. After my third grade was up, my parents split up, we moved again, and that's how I wound up in range for Bereaton instead. We haven't moved since."

"That sucks, about your parent's splitting up I mean."

"Yeah, well, somehow I feel like it's no big deal. I guess it was more at the time. But after this long, I'm beginning to see why it had to happen, not that my dad was at any fault." Divorces just happen sometimes. It affected me to some degree, but worse than anything, the move bumped me around from a school I actually liked to a school I didn't like as much. I would say it was all bad. But if it hadn't happened, I wouldn't be here right now either, so now I don't know.

Despite my uncertainties, Zero remained engaged, finding more to talk about, and changing the subject herself wherever she deemed necessary. I got the sense that she wanted the momentum to keep going and not die down into silence again, for it would be more difficult than to start something than to continue something. After some time, I heard Lumina deciding to bug out.

"I'll just leave you alone until class is over." Lumina made it clear that she didn't want to bother me, which in itself made it clear how well things were going without her continued direct input.

To say the truth, I had no real idea what was working and why. It felt more to me like we just threw ideas at the wall until something got the gears turning. But I didn't mind in the moment. Today's Homech class was the most fun I've had all day, and I've never talked so much to someone like that which such engagement. I could tell by the time the final bells rang that Zero and I were now on the path to becoming great friends!