I don’t know what’s so mysterious that we couldn’t just talk about it during lunch today. Or yesterday. Why do we have to wait and talk about it after school today? It’s gotta be something illegal. I don’t care what Ashley says. I just don’t know why we can’t get it over with already. I told them that Pavia’s going to make the decision next week. But no, everyone else is busy … I’m supposed to be doing work for my German class right now, but do I care? No. I don’t. What’s the German word for orange? I sure fucking don’t know. How do they expect us to concentrate on doing this crap when it’s sixth period and I just wanna go home already? I have more fun things to do with my time. Maybe I’ll make a new team for Pokémon Showdown. Actually, wait, I still need to go back and change my main team since Aegislash was banned…

“Ashley Davis? No way!”

Hey, wait a second, who’s talking over there?

It’s coming from a group of guys to my left. I recognize Mason because he’s in my section, but the rest I don’t know. Mason is looking at someone else’s phone with a weird look on his face.

“Well, now you know who Zoe’s going with Homecoming with,” one of the others says, snickering.

“Well, uh, I guess so?” Mason replies uncertainly.

“Who should I forward this to?” the guy who’s holding the phone asks him, flipping it back towards himself.”

“Wait!” Mason interjects. “You can’t just send something like that around!”

The other two looks up him. “Why not?” asks the phone holder.

For a few seconds, Mason doesn’t say anything. Then he starts quickly saying, “I mean… you don’t want people to think you’re into that stuff. What kind of person follows girls around taking videos of them? Everyone will think you’re some sort of rapist.”

“Well, I guess you’re right about that,” the third guy says.

“I thought you would’ve wanted to get back at her for yesterday,” the phone holder comments.

“Trust me, I will,” Mason assures him. “Just… not like that. I’m gonna get back at her by beating her at region jazz… that’ll knock that stupid superior attitude out of her!”

The phone guy snickers. “Dude, you guys play different instruments! You can’t just ‘beat her’ at that!”

“Who sent you that video, anyway?” the third guy asks.

“I got it from Taryn, but I don’t think she’s the one who originally took it. It’s weird; this is from Friday, but it’s just now getting out. Why the wait?”

At that point, however, the teacher walks up to them. “Are you boys done with your work?”

“Um… Nearly done, Mr. Ripplinger,” Mason says, quickly making it look like he’s working.

Well… that was weird. So someone’s sending around some sort of video of Ashley? I’m really not sure what to make of that. Since I wasn’t doing my work anyway, I get out my phone and message Anja on Skype.

hey anja can you talk now

?

Yeah, sure, I’m just in history. What’s up?

these guys in my german class are talking about some sort of weird video?

it has something to do with ashley

Oh really?

yeah it sounded like someone got video of her doing something embarassing

like she was usig the bathroom

...Using the bathroom?

O_O

wat

Wait, did they mention zoe at all?

yeah one of them said something like

we know who zoes going to homecoming with now

oh shit

what

I cant blieve it

They’re just fucking going out them

Fuck them

???out them

yes as lesbians

they wanted it to be a secret

wait ahsley and zoe are lesbians

They’re christians, theyre probably worried about what their families are going to do

?

we need to tell them now

Im adding you to a group chat

ok

Anja:

Ashley we need to talk

Ashley:

Anja why the fuck are you messagin me in class

Why is Nova here

Anja:

It’s improtant I promise

well fuck you too

Anja:

Nova tell her about what you hard

Aobut the video

Ashley:

What video?

these guys in my german class have some video of you

Anja:

Wait, wher’s Zoe? She should be in this chat too

Ashley:

What?

they said we know who zoes going to homecoming with

then they said they couldn’t send it to people cause they’d think they were rapists

Ashley:

Zoe’s in Biology right now and actually paying attention because she’s not a fucking heathen

What the fuck who are these guys, give me their names

Anja:

Heathen lol

Ashley I think they’re going to out you

uh i don’t know except one of them was mason the tromb one player

Ashley:

Like hell they are

I fucking knew it. I’m going to rip that boys limbs off

but he’s the one woh didn’t want to send it they got it from someone else

Ashley:

And shove them so far up his ass

That he won’t be able to sit down again

Anja:

Jesus

Ashley:

Wait, what do you mean they got it from someone else?

“Nova.”

I look up and see that the teacher is standing over me.

“You boys and your phones. Do I need to start taking them up?”

“Uh, sorry,” I say quickly. I grab a Langenscheidt Universal-Wörterbuch Englisch and finally start working on my assignment.

After biology is over, I have to go to the band hall to get my instrument for after school practice. Nobody’s said much in the group chat since I was interrupted, just Ashley saying more violent shit.

When I walk into the band hall, I see Ashley and Anja near the mellophone lockers in deep conversation. When Anja sees me, she beckons for me to come over to them.

“Hey Nova,” Anja starts, speaking quietly. “There’s been…”

“Hi guys!” Zoe greets us cheerily, walking up from behind me. “I haven’t had a chance to check the group messages, is there something going on?”

“Uh yeah, we have a bit of a situation on our hands,” Ashley explains. “We need to get somewhere private and talk, like, now.”

“I thought that wasn’t until after practice today?” Zoe questions.

“No, it’s not about that,” Ashley says.

“Wait, are we still on for this afternoon?” I ask.

“Um, no. We’re going to have to postpone that,” Ashley tells me.

“What? Why?”

“Because… look, I’m not inviting debate over this!” she hisses at me. “C’mon, Zoe.”

She takes Zoe by the arm and leads her away. As they go, I see a few other students looking at them and whispering.

“We need to get going!” I tell Anja angrily. “The decision is next Thursday!”

“I know… I’m sorry,” she replies. “But… come on, let’s walk and talk.”

We both grab our respective instruments from our lockers, and Anja starts explaining as we walk out to the parking lot

“We’re going to take him down, I promise,” she says. “But… at least for today, we need to let those two deal with their own issues.”

“Is anything bad going to happen to them?” I ask. Sure, Ashley’s kind of a bitch, but I thought that Zoe was at least alright.

“Well… I don’t know. But I’m willing to bet that they’re going to be the target of some harassment by our classmates.”

She sighs seriously. “The best thing the two of us can do for them is just keep being their friends. Let them know we support them. We’ve got to be good Allies. Or you do, at least, since I’m technically bi myself, so…”

“Wait, you mean like, bisexual?” I ask, taken aback by this information.

“Yeah. I’ve never mentioned that before?”

I look around to see if anyone’s nearby, as we plop our cases down on the grass. “I think… I might be too.”

“Oooh, really?”

“Maybe. I’m not sure.”

Anja starts giggling. “Oh boy, what a group we are! We should call ourselves, like, ‘the all-gay supernatural strike force…’”

“Wait, supernatural?”

“Shh!” she says hurriedly, looking over her shoulders. “Okay… fine, what we’re doing is something to do with the supernatural.”

“Whoah…” I just have to take that in for a moment. “So are we gonna be… witches?”

“Uh… sort of?” She giggles again. “Our team name: ‘The League Of Gay Witches: No Straights Allowed’!”

I snigger at her. “No straights allowed? That would be stupid.”

“Yeah, I know, I’m just joking about that part.”

She starts unlatching her case. “Maybe if we can gather all of the gays in the school together, we can overthrow the government… start our own socialist uprising…”

“Socialist? Uh, Ashley’s not going to like that part.”

Anja sighs again. “Yeah, I know she won’t… okay, we’ll compromise and make it a non-partisan uprising, I guess…”

Suddenly, I realize that almost everyone else is already out in the parking lot, and the band director is yelling over the megaphone.

Anja notices it too. “Awh shit, we better hurry!” We both begin scrambling to get our instruments together.