After Caddy reveals he stole the Golden Boots, Mai drags him off by the ear to where the Normal Boots club is playing Stupendous Stomping Sisters. Then, when Mai makes Caddy confess to all the guys, PBG gets very, very angry…
"Owowowow, let go of my valuable ear!" Caddy protested, stumbling over his shoelaces.
"Absolutely not!" Mai yanked hard on Caddy's ear as she pulled him out of Poppy Hall into the brisk nighttime air. "You're going straight to Normal Boots and apologizing right now! And then some!"
"Ow! I can walk, you know!"
"I won't let you get away so easily!"
Caddy harrumphed. "Can you at least drag me by my arm or something?" He rubbed behind his sore ear. "Crazy lass…"
Mai groaned and rolled her eyes. "Fine." She grabbed his shoulder and stomped off towards Bluebell Hall, shoving him in front of her. "Better see which dorm they're in first…" Holding Caddy fast by his jacket collar, Mai pulled out her phone and dialed Jared's number.
"Why hello, how may I help you?" Jared's suave voice echoed through the phone. Shouts, curses, and video game music played faintly in the background.
"Jared, this is Mai. Satch found the real thief."
"He did? Wait, how'd you get my number?!"
"Not now!" Mai's cheeks flushed, a sight faintly visible in the darkness. "Where are you guys? I have him with me."
"Let me hear whoever this culprit is, first," Jared growled.
Mai sighed, putting her phone on speaker mode. "Go on, say something!" She yanked Caddy by the collar.
"Oh, uh…" He wavered under Mai's stare, then cleared his throat. "Greetings and salutations, my, uh, beautiful person!" Caddy chuckled with a quivering, forced smile.
The music in the background played softly, as if almost muted. "Where's Satch?" Jared asked.
"Putting the boots back in the closet," Mai replied, giving Caddy a glare.
Jared hummed. "We're up in Jon and PBG's room." The line clicked; Jared had hung up.
Mai pocketed the phone again. "C'mon, you lout," she grumbled, pushing Caddy inside the dormitory.
"Hey, I can walk!" Caddy protested, shaking her hands off his shoulders. "And you're not even using that word right!" A pointed glare from Mai made him clamp his mouth shut.
They marched to the third floor. Mai never took her glare off of Caddy as he walked in front of her like a prisoner before a guard. Finally, when they reached the room blasting battle music, Mai slammed her fist on the door.
"Whoa, okay, no need to be so violent!" Jon exclaimed as the doorknob turned. When the door opened, Jon stood there with a puzzled expression.
"Oh, hello, pleasure to see you!" Caddy said, shoulders scrunched.
Jon stared at Caddy, then lifted an eyebrow at Mai. "What's all this?" He waved his arm up and down at the entirety of Caddy.
"Caddicarus here has a confession to make—to the whole club." Mai gripped the collar of Caddy's jacket as the boy trembled.
Jon shrugged. "Okay." He stepped aside and let Mai nudge Caddy into the room. The rest of the club members were huddled on and around the couch, some holding OuiU controllers in front of the paused game of Stupendous Stomping Sisters. Everyone stared at Mai and Caddy, most of them confused while Shane and Jared glared. Jon shut the door with a click.
"Well? Tell them what you told Satch," Mai commanded the wobbly-kneed Caddy.
"Oh, uh…" Caddy wrung his hands, eyes darting between all the Normal Boots members. "I… I took the boots." The boys gasped and murmured; Caddy fell to his knees. "I'm so very sorry, please forgive me! Step on my head, anything!"
PBG dropped his controller, his fingers twitching.
"Why?" Shane glowered at Caddy.
"I-It was just a prank! A stupid prank! But then the boots broke and I sent them to get fixed and—"
PBG hopped over the controllers and towered over the crouching Caddy. "You…" he seethed, hoisting Caddy into the air by his shirt collar. "You let us believe Hana and Mai stole them?! And they were innocent?!"
"PBG!" Jared yelled as the lanky boy shook Caddy.
"Whoa, Peebs, let him go!" Jon exclaimed.
PBG threw Caddy against the couch before anyone could stop him. "Where's Hana?" PBG whirled on Mai.
"H-Helping Satch put away the boots," Mai stammered.
Eye aflame and fists clenched, PBG ran past Mai, slamming the door shut behind him. Everyone in the room froze and stared at the door. Mai covered her hands with her mouth, eyes wide.
"Wow, PBG was the last person I expected to pull off something like that," Paul said, mouth agape.
Jirard knelt by Caddy as the British boy rubbed his head. "Hey, are you alright? Does it hurt badly?" Jirard asked, placing a hand on Caddy's shoulder.
"Oi, it stings," Caddy moaned. "Not dizzy yet, though."
"That's good," Jirard remarked as Josh crouched at Caddy's other side. "Think you can stand? We'll get you to the infirmary."
"Yeah, that'd be good, thanks…" Caddy leaned against Josh and Jirard as they guided him to his feet. "I… really am sorry." Caddy stared at the carpet. "For all this debacle and letting the ladies take the fall."
"Well…" Nick started, rubbing his neck. "At least we have the boots back now…"
"Hold on." Mai gripped the doorknob. Jirard, Caddy, and Josh paused. "Caddy…" She stared at him, her burning rage settled to a stiff stance of simmering anger. "I'm still mad at you since you made me and Hana suffer for weeks by not 'fessing up. But…" She opened the door. "We'll settle that score tomorrow morning, before class."
Caddy nodded. "Yeah, yeah, alrighty." He winced. "Oi, head throbbing…"
"Don't shake your head too much," Jirard said to Caddy as he hung one of Caddy's arms around his shoulder. "Josh, you got his other arm?"
"Yup. Let's hurry," Josh remarked. Jirard and Josh guided Caddy out of the dorm one methodical footstep at a time. Mai shot Jared a worried look; Jared bit his lip and looked away as Mai followed the three other boys out of the room.
Once the door clicked shut again, Jared remarked with a flippant hand gesture, "With Mai and PBG's hand in all this, I suppose there's nothing more we need to do… right?"
"Agreed," Shane murmured, arms crossed.
"We can get the whole story from Hidden Block tomorrow," Nick added.
Jon sighed. "I'm callin' this a night. Out of my room, out!" He pumped his arms upward as if conducting a choir to rise. The other Normal Boots members turned off the OuiU and shuffled out of the room, and Jon mumbled, "Let's just hope PBG doesn't get himself into a bigger mess."
PBG sprinted into the darkened Poppy Hall, leaving the door to swing shut as he jogged up the stairs. The Normal Boots club room… he hoped Hana was still there. He had to apologize for not trusting her—for not supporting her when she needed him. Dangit, why did he listen to Shane?! He knew Hana was innocent all this time! She was his friend! His childhood friend… gosh, what an awful friend he had been all these weeks.
His stride slowed as he reached the top floor. Laughter echoed in the unlit hallway. Back hunched over, PBG tiptoed to the club room. The laughter subsided, replaced by an animated chatter from a modulated bass voice. A soft, high-pitched voice extrapolated on something, her words running together in excitement. Both voices were… coming from the clubroom?
He crouched by the club room door. His eyes peered over the bottom edge of the door's window. Hana and Satch sat on the ground talking, their forms illuminated by the silver-white moonlight. Satch's arm was slung over Hana's shoulders. Hana grabbed Satch's hand as she spoke to him.
PBG collapsed to the ground. Hana's smile shone… for Satch. For the one guy who didn't abandon Hana in her time of need. PBG's fingers clenched and unclenched as his throat tightened. He crept away from the clubroom, dragging his arm across his tear-filled eyes. Once he reached the stairs again he dashed down them, not caring how his footsteps echoed in the empty staircase.
Eventually, Jon went to look for PBG and found the lanky boy in the soccer field. PBG kicked another soccer ball towards the goal, then another, then another. Only half of the balls reached their intended target. He opened the second bag of soccer balls he'd retrieved and started to kick them towards the goal net, one after the other.
"Hey, you gonna be okay?" Jon asked, striding up to PBG as a soccer ball smashed into the net.
"Just leave me alone," PBG grumbled. He kicked two balls at a time. One of them spun towards the bleachers and rolled next to Jon; he poked the ball with his foot.
With a dramatic sigh, Jon shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. "Okay, then… just… don't stay out much longer." He turned, then glanced over his shoulder. "Wouldn't want Miss Shizuka or Mr. Saitomo to find you out past curfew."
"Whatever." PBG dribbled a ball between his feet, arms stiff at his sides.
As Jon trudged away through the grass, PBG continued kicking the soccer balls. "Stupid… stupid… stupid Peanut…" he muttered with every ball he kicked. No matter whether the balls made the goal or not—he just needed to kick something before he punched someone. Shane, or Caddy, or himself… which one he was mad at most no longer mattered.
He should have sided with Hana over the club—he should have trusted Hana's word.
Growling, PBG picked up a ball and punched it. It bounced on the ground and skittered towards the bleachers. He collapsed backwards onto the grass. Dew from the grass made his sweat-soaked skin even more wet. Panting, he stared up at the night sky. The stars seemed to twinkle more than usual…Tears trickled down the sides of his head into his ears.
He covered his eyes with his hand. "So stupid… why was I so stupid?!" His free hand curled into a fist and pounded the grass. Cursing through his sobs, PBG rolled onto his side and tucked himself into a ball, his whole body shaking as he cried.