O-kay. Well this is something else. Some crazy rich person who wants to defund the arts has it out for me--*maybe*--while another rich person who happens to be the mother of Chrissy and Sabrina and who also happens to have it out for the other guy decides on a whim to put me and Rachel up in a hotel until the play is over... and she''s also the owner of the company that produced the game we all play. Sabrina explained this hotel-situation to my dad as a “patronage” thing her mother wanted to do for the stars of the musical; that should keep mom happy, at least. I know *he* probably saw through to what was going on, but the cover story''s better for her, I suppose... I mused to myself.
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Oh wow... long time no see, I thought to myself as we made our way to our own side of the campus, the high-school side.
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“this one--I couldn''t imagine trying to get through eight of them.
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“the person running Panarena, and all of a sudden she decides to put you up in a hotel just because someone she seems to dislike might be going after you?” the blonde girl shook her head.
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“I don''t mind it,” Rachel said with a soft pout.
“minded it, I''m just agreeing that it''s over-the-top,” I quickly said. She blew bubbles into her drink for a few seconds before replying.
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“then tell us where they are,” Ellie quipped.
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“most people in their costumes!” she grinned.
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“you are practically elf-like in that regard, so we''ll have to stick this on you!” she grinned, carefully but firmly placing it onto my upper lip.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.
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How did I not notice that before? I wondered confusedly. Come to think of it, Stephen and Marcus actually have theirs as well... and Brian, I noted.
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Well this is new, I mused to myself as we all gathered on stage. Well, new for me, anyway; I guess for most of the others this is pretty normal, huh?
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Gyeck!?
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“you in the incident report my brother mentioned, huh?” Joanna then said softly, and I quietly nodded back. “You and Rachel are something else, you know? She causes trouble in our little game, and you get wrapped up in it in real life,” she said with a shrug as she took off the accessories she had as Gisbourne.
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That was a narrowly dodged bullet, I bemusedly thought to myself as I collected my bag from the pile of others in one of the side-rooms. Rachel''s own bag was still here as well. I decided to pick it up as well, and headed out to wait in the hall. She came around the corner just then, and I held it out to her with a smile, which she returned.
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“really have to work on those kanji,” she noted.
“next year we''ll be back to the Simplified Characters for Chinese,” I added.
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Well that was worth it, I thought to myself with a smirk as Rachel looked at me with a shake of her head.
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“definitely need to visit. And then, someday...” she remarked, leaving the rest unspoken.
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I think the old man was even teasing me about it at one point, I vaguely recalled.
“senior year thing for us, though, right? Or at least a post-graduation thing...” I asked her.
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I-is that even a thing we can do at our age...? Isn''t it eighteen... no, wait--yes, it''s eighteen... no wait, what the heck am I thinking about this for?! I have school exams and a play to think about, not to mention a couple *more* years of school after that... I can''t be-- my thoughts began to run on, halted by a hand softly taking my own. I looked back at Rachel; she was smiling.
“is teasing us, mostly,” my girlfriend reminded me.
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What the heck do people watch on TV? I don''t think I''ve really watched anything since I got into gaming, I suddenly realized.
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Oh time, please stop for a little while, huh? I pleaded to the unseen force that would, inevitably, move us from this precious moment into a new one.