"This is crazy," Sora complained. "How am I supposed to figure this out?" The boy was baffled by the textbook in front of him. It contained mystical symbols that he couldn't possibly decipher. "Am I right, guys?" He was in the company of his friends, a group of seven studying together in preparation for finals.
"Quit your whining. All you have to do is concentrate. Maybe if you focused a little bit, you might actually start to understand this stuff," Kairi admonished. "Just read it over again. It makes sense the second time. If that doesn't work, then read it a third time."
"Read it over again? Come on. I already read it once. That should be enough."
"I agree with Sora. I propose that we all go out and have some fun instead," Riku said. "Or else I'm gonna have nightmares about cosines and tangents."
"It's not exactly rocket science. All you have to do is follow the formula," Roxas countered.
"The formula's too hard to follow!" Selphie protested. "Why do we even need this stuff? I'm going to beauty school anyways."
"How hard can it be to follow a formula?" wondered Pence. "If you're having trouble, you just gotta approach it from a different angle. Flank the problem."
"Um…it's fine as long as you memorize it," Naminé uttered quietly. Nobody seemed to notice her comment.
"This is why we never get anywhere with these study sessions," Kairi said, throwing her hands up. "Some of us shouldn't even be here, like you, Roxas, and Pence too! You guys don't need to study like these dummies over here." She pointed to Sora, Riku, and Selphie.
"We're just bored," Roxas said, smiling back.
"You're distracting," she accused.
"Now now, let's all calm down and take a vote," Riku said. "Raise your hand if you want to get out of here?" Everybody with the exception of Kairi raised their hand. "Majority rules. Let's get out of here!"
"Wait, what about the test?"
"It's next week. We have the whole weekend to study," Riku answered.
Her eyes narrowed. "That's the problem. I don't trust you guys to study."
Sora, Riku, and Selphie exchanged sheepish glances. They were guilty as charged.
"Even if that's true, you gotta let loose a little. We can't stay cooped up in here forever," Riku argued.
Popular opinion was against her. "There's a difference between letting loose and shirking your duty, but whatever, it's your funeral."
"That reminds me, aren't you going somewhere over the weekend?" Roxas asked Sora. He managed to steer the conversation away from another Kairi vs Riku match.
"Yeah, I'm visiting my dad off-island," Sora said.
"What about the test?" Kairi asked.
"Don't worry, I promise to study." He wasn't very convincing.
"Just worry about yourself, Kairi," Pence advised. "There's nothing else you can do for him."
"Don't blame yourself if I fail," Sora said with a grin.
"You guys are impossible." She let out a sigh. "Fine, let's get out of here. It's getting pretty late." She looked at the clock above the whiteboard. It was five o'clock.
The group of seven friends started packing their bags. They had been studying after school in the classroom. It was near the end of the school year, and this was the last thing they had to finish before graduating.
The study session had a tinge of regret to it. It was the last time they could study together. After this, they would part ways and go off on their own separate journeys. Some planned to go to college, some decided to look for work, and some had no idea what to do. It was a little sad, but that was life.
"The sky looks really red today, doesn't it?" Sora commented. They were leaving school and the afternoon sun was slowly sinking. Perhaps it was the angle of the light, but the clouds looked drenched in crimson. It was a haunting but beautiful image.
"Kinda reminds me of Twilight Town," Roxas added. "Right, Naminé?"
The quiet blonde nodded.
"Feels kinda depressing," Pence said. "So, where do you guys wanna go eat?"
"I think I'll pass," said Selphie. She was following a strict diet. "I'll head straight home and pray for the best."
"Good luck with that," Riku offered. "I'll tag along with you, Pence; wouldn't want you to get all lonely now."
"Oh, great…" Pence wasn't too happy about that.
"What do you want to do? Whatever you decide, I'll go along with it," Roxas said to Naminé.
She paused and averted her gaze from Roxas' intent stare. "I could go for some food…"
"Great, then we're having a meal!" Pence shouted excitedly. "What about you two?"
"Sorry. Sora and I will be having an extra intense one-on-one study session. You guys might've wormed your way out of it, but not him." She gave Sora a wicked grin. "I'll make sure you study hard enough for the entire weekend tonight."
"Lucky you guys live next to each other, huh?" Roxas laughed.
"Shut up," said Sora. "What are your plans after eating?"
Pence folded his arms behind his head. "Tear it up online and show no mercy."
"Some R and R," Riku said. "It's the last weekend of school. You gotta go out in a blaze of glory." He shot Kairi a wink and she rolled her eyes.
"Definitely take it easy," Selphie said.
"Study," Naminé added. Everybody looked at her weird. "What?"
Kairi put a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Good work, Naminé. Glad to know some people here have their eyes on the prize."
They all had a good laugh and separated.
Sora and Kairi walked home together. Since they lived next to each other, they grew up as close friends. They were a complimentary couple. Sora brought levity when things were too serious while Kairi did the opposite and grounded things when necessary. Unbeknownst to the rest of the group, they had been going out in secret. It wasn't that hard to hide since they acted the same as always.
"About that one-on-one... Is it going to be extra intense?" Sora said, raising an eyebrow.
"Aren't you looking forward to it?" Kairi teased.
Sora chuckled. It was moments like these that he relished. He had an amazing girlfriend, a fantastic group of friends, and a future to look forward to. "It's gonna be a little sad once we all graduate. I'm glad we're going to the same college after this."
Sora and Kairi had been accepted into the same university. It seemed impossible at first, but with Kairi's harsh tutelage, she managed to drag his grades up to an acceptable level. They could now move forward together.
"Me too. No matter where we go, we'll always be connected by our memories. That's what it means to be friends." She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Now let's go study until our eyeballs fall out!"
"Sounds great…" he said nervously.
"You'll be fine."
"I sure hope so."
