"Yup, It's busted alright." Sheldon stated. He pulled out a jar from under his counter. No squid Sherlock.

"Can It be fixed? Coral needs it for a very important date!" Lucas said while anxiously pulling his sweatshirt drawstrings.

"With who?" Teased Sheldon, dragging his finger through the air as he picked up a glue gun. A bubble of rage filled my chest.

"It's a dojo match! I'm fighting a girl I don't like! And I got less than 20 minutes!" I yelled, tapping my toes and shaking my hands.

"I can't fix it in less than twenty… It will take me at least an hour to re-seal the plaster… You might want to try a different weapon..." Sheldon muttered, picking up a small brush.

"I don't know how to use any other weapons!" I yelled holding the side of my head.

"Well, you can borrow one of my Inkbrushes," Sheldon told me, scratching his neck. I scrunched my shoulders in displeasure as I saw Sheldon carry away my Inkbrush with my lucky red handle. My inkbrush had belonged to my dad and the handle was really important to me.

Looking in the corner, I saw a inkbrush labeled "Test novice prototype". I frowned, but I took it anyway.

Cassandra was already there sitting on the railing. She was wearing a red Zeeko sweatshirt. Ninja Squid. My pilot goggles hung around my neck, and my jacket was open around my shoulders. I gasped as I hurtled up the railings.

"I-i'm here! Sorry I'm late!" I panted as I fell flat on my face. The prototype inkbrush rolled over by the door of the dojo.

Sheldon couldn't fix my inkbrush fast enough, so he said I could borrow one. I took the one leaning on the side of the door. It had a sign on it that read; "NOVICE PROTOTYPE". I had no idea what the difference between it and a regular inkbrush was, but the point was, It was an inkbrush.

"What a shocker." Cassandra mocked, her mouth curling into a smile. "It's like you're never late for history or anything." I suddenly lost all motivation to be polite. I followed her into the dojo after grabbing "my" brush.

The lady inside was at least polite.

"Name?" She asked us.

"Coral Freshwater."

"Cassandra Fishbait."

I cringed realizing we had the same initials.

The lady scribbled our names on a clipboard."Battlemode?"

"Turf War." Cassandra said cooly. I clenched my fists. I hope she didn't see my tentacles curl.

"Stage?"

"Salt-"

"MORAY TOWERS!" I yelled before Cassandra got the chance to open her mouth. Cassandra gave me a dirty look.

"Weapons?"

"I-Inkbrush." I sputtered clutching the handle for support. What have I gotten myself into?!

"E-liter 3k." Cassandra said in almost a snicker. I thought I might have passed out for a moment. Yup. Sheldon only lets you have a E-liter if you are a really high level. Im doomed.

"Alright. Grab some ink tanks and head through the filters." I gulped. I snatched up a ink tank took about two seconds to attach it to my ink sac, and sped through the filter. The inkweb clung as I ran through it. Glancing at my tentacles I saw they changed from bright green to orange.

Here goes nothing.

"You lost?"Asked Lucas, knitting his eyebrows together. We stood in Jelly Fresh. Cal was looking at shirts, debating over a 8-bit fishfry or a Black Pipe ("BlackBelly Invasion was my favorite as a squiddie, but I shop from fishfry allot… witch do you guys like better?"), and I looked nonchalantly at a street style shirt with a spray paint like pattern. It was unimaginably expensive. I burrowed my neck further in my jacket.

"Yeah. I don't believe it." I moaned miserably. I basically got splatted fourteen times, and she covered the whole map, keeping me locked up in my base. But the worst part was, the inkbrush I was using. I had no clue what was wrong with it. The sub and special were different from a normal inkbrush! Instead of a Sprinkler, I placed a pointless ink mine! And when I was at my base trying to distract her with a inkstrike, I BUBBLED. SPECIAL WAISTED. I got only 31% of the map.

"Well, yeah. She really was good."

Jellonzo saw me and waddled over.

"Your jacket is among the freshest! I may ask you, did you buying it here?" Asked Jellonzo in his funny accent and horrible inklesh.

"No, I got it out of town," I started.

"Make sure it's fresh. I'm not wearing anything drab." A voice said. I recognized it instantly. "Oh hello, Coral! How are you, dumpling?" Lucy's silky voice called. I grunted quietly. Hope she didn't hear that.

"Hello." Lucas said pleasantly and turned away from me. He gave a bow to Lucy who curtsied back. Lucas was too kind. Even to the LEADER OF #SHELLFIE. Lucy was what you would call "model ready". She's popular, pretty, talented, has over 1'000 followers on insta-squid, and mean as hell. She wears a Tekedora mesh over her tousled tentacles giving her a lazy but pretty look. A mint tee, the black collar at the base of her neck. I despise all of it.

"Hi, Lucy." I muttered and pretended to look busy looking at a t shirt picturing three squids around a campfire. Lucy seized her chance.

"How was your afternoon?" She chirped in a phony sing song voice. My ink was boiling. She hated me. She wanted me off QuickStart. She hates my team because my sister Once beat her in rainmaker. Lucy was out for my ink. She was desperate to see my team burn in hell.

I scoffed. "Exilent! Yours?" I snapped and turned to face her." Her eyes were hidden under her hat. Like always. She smiled at me, even though she couldn't see my face. She knew I was agitated.

"Fantastic. Had myself a nice battle of turfwar." She mocked. I couldn't stand it. I was done letting her taunt me. I was done letting her bully me. I lifted my leg and slammed it onto her stomach causing her to retch and fly backwards. She slammed against the wall and I cursed at her. Knowing I was going to get kicked out of the store, I ran out of the store, tears in my eyes.

Not even the calls of my friends could get me to stop running. I ran to the train station and plopped down onto a bench. My eyes stung from crying and I checked the train schedule on the wall. Ten minutes till the next train to my neighborhood. I waited. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to my mom.

Coral: Going to be home early today mum.

I waited.

Mum: Oh okay hon. You not feeling well?

Coral: Um yeah I have a headache.

I cringed at the lie. But there was no way I was going to tell my mother that I kicked Lucy Capricorn in the stomach. She would kill me. Than she would ground me.

Mum: Okay honey. I'll see you at home. Ruthie will make You and Miff grilled cheese and soup. Miff isn't feeling well either.

Crap, I forgot that Miff went home sick today. The train pulled in. I lept up and hopped on the train. Who knows what horrors awaited me at home?