I was relieved to see Mizuki and Eva instead of more pissed off students or school staff hopping on my case. They ran up to us and Eva squealed the second she laid eyes on Raven. She was about to launch into another starry-eyed tirade, but Mizuki nudged her and put a stop to it before it began, thankfully.

  “Oh, right. No time for that,” Eva conceded with a nervous chuckle. She reset herself by clearing her throat. “Are you two okay? Everyone is saying that Shinsuke got into a big fight with the rugby team!”

  Raven rose from the bleachers and clung to my arm. She looked the two girls up and down and asked, “who are these two?”

  Her tone was absolutely drenched with disgust.

  “These are my friends,” I replied. “Mizuki and Evangeline.”

  Eva bit her lip and clenched her fists. Her eyes were shining, and I could tell that she was hoping the interaction was about to become the introduction she had been longing for. Her hopes were dashed, however, because Raven said nothing to anyone. She seemed completely disinterested and stood quietly, hanging onto my arm.

  “Anyway,” I refocused on Eva and continued. “Yeah, Raven and I got chased as soon as we got to school again. For whatever reason, the rugby team tried to gang up on me, so I had no choice but to fight.”

  Mizuki examined me all over, orbiting around me in search of what I assumed was visible injuries. She touched my free arm and scanned it, asking, “are you hurt anywhere? Those meatheads didn’t hurt you, did they?”

  Raven’s grip on my other arm tightened, and I felt her aura growing heavy again.

  “No,” I replied. “Not too bad, anyway. They threw me into a door, but aside from that, they, uh, didn’t really get to do much.”

  Thanks to Raven…

  Mizuki breathed a sigh of relief. “Good.”

  “That aside, this whole situation has gotten way out of control,” I groaned. “I thought the principal addressed this insanity yesterday, yet these lunatics chased us again today. Things were already bad enough with everyone on my back about Cynthia and the fight with Emil, but now you add in the frenzy here towards Raven and the paparazzi…it’s becoming too much.”

  “About that…” Eva began. She walked up to Raven who finally released my arm from her grasp. My pink haired mentor stifled another obvious squeal and said, “I know you didn’t mean what you said to Shinsuke yesterday. You know, about wanting him to be your boyfriend?”

  Raven arched a brow, but she continued to listen quietly.

  “I’m your biggest fan ever!” Eva declared. “So, I read the leaks about your next movie, Paparazzi Princess. I know you’re trying to generate some buzz for it, but poor Shinsuke over here has been through the ringer lately. He could use a little break from the media bullying him, so if you could give him some space and tell everyone that you’re not actually into him, that would be a huge help!”

  Raven didn’t say a single word. She stood there, staring holes through Eva as a sickening sensation filled my stomach. Eva waited a second for a response, but when she received none, she kept going.

  “Shinsuke has some super important things I need to help him with, and all the paparazzi following him around everywhere is making things a little impossible for him. So, if you could just explain that—”

  “Do you ever shut up?” Raven cut her off, sharp as a katana.

  Eva’s mouth fell open, but nothing came out. Not even a gasp.

  “This isn’t some kind of stunt,” Raven declared. “I do love Shinsuke, and I’m not going to stop hanging around him.”

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Silence, then nervous laughter.

  Eva laughed. Because how could she not? It sounded ridiculous.

  And yet.

  “Is this method acting or something?” Eva tried.

  Raven growled. “Did I not make myself clear enough? Stop making things up and join us here in reality. And while you’re at it, stop being such an annoying fangirl.”

  Eva was speechless, her blue eyes wide and filled with utter shock.

  “That’s enough,” Mizuki snapped. She planted herself in front of Raven and hissed. “Eva has been nothing but nice to you this entire time. Do you even realize how much she loves your movies? All she ever talks about is you, and maybe you’re used to that kind of thing, so it probably means nothing to you. But without people like her, you wouldn’t even have a career.”

  Raven was unmoved. She watched as Mizuki went off in her face.

  “Stop being such a giant piece of trash and listen to what she’s trying to tell you, jerk.”

  “…”

  Raven’s eyes were empty, but the feeling I sensed radiating from her was anything but.

  I hadn’t intended to remain silent, but even my surprise was surprised. Raven was behaving in manners completely unlike when we were alone together. But after seeing what she was capable of with the jocks that attacked me, I wasn’t going to stand by and let a fight break out between her and Mizuki.

  This isn’t going to end well. I need to stop this before it gets any worse.

  Raven parted her lips, preparing to respond to Mizuki, but the loudspeaker crackled to life in the top corner of the gymnasium.

  “This is your principal speaking. Can Raven Blackwell come to my office, please? Thank you.”

  Raven acknowledged the message with a slight sigh. She said nothing but continued to stare Mizuki down. I got the feeling that neither of them wanted to blink first, but Raven eventually gave in. She turned and addressed me with a warmer disposition.

  “I’ll see you soon, Shinsuke.”

  She took her leave after that, a suffocating air of hostility remaining in her wake.

  Feels like I’m stuck inside a pressure cooker…

  Eva’s head drooped, her pink hair casting a shadow over her features. Her hands had been dangling at her sides but were now tightened into shaking, clenched fists.

  I wondered if I should say something, but she abruptly exploded into a furious rant while I was in mid thought.

  “That… bubble butt!” she fumed. “I guess it’s true what they say: never trust a nice smile and a big butt! And after how much I believed in her and supported her on social media! After all of that, she treats me like that. Like trash!”

  Okay…not how I was expecting that to come out.

  “I’m sorry, Eva,” I sighed. “You didn’t deserve any of that. The way she treated you just now was completely uncalled for. I should have stood up for you, too. But I was honestly shocked by the things coming out of her mouth.”

  She shook her head. “It’s okay, Shinsuke. I’m not mad at you, she’s the one to blame for all of this! I mean, I feel so stupid now for thinking this was all a publicity stunt. But all of the love stuff she was saying about you just seemed so…”

  “Delusional,” Mizuki interjected. “She’s delusional and absolutely insufferable. I didn’t think I’d meet someone I can’t stand more than Cynthia this soon, but here we are.”

  “Aw, Cynthia isn’t so bad!” Eva disputed. “But speaking of Cynthia, she’s going to be really mad if we don’t start training for the next round of the gauntlet soon, Shinsuke. But that’s going to be impossible to do with any peace or secrecy if the paparazzi are always stalking you.”

  I crossed my arms and nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t know what to do about it. Even if Raven and I addressed the media outright and said we aren’t a couple, they’ll still harass us.”

  “That’s true, but Raven saying something would still be better than nothing. We’ll figure this out,” Eva assured me. She turned her attention to Mizuki and said, “by the way, I wanted to thank you for standing up for your big sis, Mimi! You were so cool getting in her face like that!”

  My best friend’s face flushed with embarrassment. “I-I was?”

  “Yes! So much cooler than any dumb actress or character!” she yanked Mizuki into a tight hug and squealed. “My hero~!”

  Mizuki’s cheeks were burning through with redness at this point, and she shifted awkwardly in Eva’s arms. She tapped her back twice and mumbled, “y-you’re welcome…”

  I had to admit that I was pretty shocked at Mizuki’s outburst as well. I knew how hard it was for Mizuki to trust others, let alone express any kind of warmth toward them. And yet she stood in front of Eva and defended her honor without hesitation. It hadn’t been that long since she had confided that Eva’s affection was hard for her to process, but it was clear that her “big sis” was growing on her. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

  But as heartwarming as it was to see her stand up for someone else besides me, my family, or her father, the way her desperate eyes quietly pleaded with me over Eva’s shoulder told me that I should give her a helping hand.

  Besides, there was something I needed to tell them both.

  “Hey, Eva?” I called.

  Eva released Mizuki from her crushing embrace and faced me. “Yeah?”

  “There’s something I need to tell you about that fight with the rugby team.”