Chapter Nine

When we were off the stage, the three of them embraced me, and showered me in congratulations. I woodenly accepted it, as I didn't want to upset them already as a leader.

Ruby then said "Guys, if it's okay, I'm going to go check on my sister now. I'll see you later." And walked off.

"We should probably go find our dorm." Blake suggested.

We obeyed and followed her to the room. We met up with team RWNS along the way, and found that our rooms were opposite.

We entered the room and found four beds in a line.

"Who gets which-" Jaune began.

"This one's mine." I declared as I slumped onto the nearest one, (third from the left) exhausted from shock of the day. "Choose which ever one you want."

Blake took the one on the far right next to mine, and Jaune took the one on the far left.

"I should go find Ruby." Jaune declared, leaving the room.

Blake then turned to me and smiled.

"Congratulations leader..." She said.

The word felt like ice in my ear and despite Blake, I cringed at the word. She noticed and felt hurt.

"I'm sorry." I quickly said. "It's not you."

"What's wrong?" She asked, concerned.

I sighed. "Jaune should have been the leader, not me. Ozpin must've changed it to punish me."

"Punish you? For what?" She asked.

"I don't know...attempting to cheat maybe?"

"But you didn't cheat, else we wouldn't be partners."

"And thank the realm for that..." I said.

She smiled.

"So what you're saying is that you think Ozpin is punishing you by making you the leader, even though you've done nothing wrong?"

"Well, he's an asshole. He'd probably try something like that because that's who he is."

Blake laughed. "So what I see is that there are two possible options: 1) you're right; Ozpin's an asshole and is punishing you by making you leader, even though you've done nothing wrong. Or 2) he made you the leader because you were the best person for the job."

She sat next to me and I stared at her, trying to understand what she was saying.

"Because, from what I saw, Jaune may have rescued Weiss or killed the Nevermore or taken the credit, but you were the one who told us what to do in order to kill it. You were the one who volunteered to put someone out of their misery when no one else could. And I've never met anyone who rode a death stalker back to school AND saved the life of someone everyone else had left for dead. That's what being a leader is about."

I took in her words slowly, trying to understand. I'd moped like this before, and usually whenever I do, no one helps me through it, and I just wait until it passes. But Blake had managed to break me out with only a few words. I stared longingly into her cat eyes, and I knew how I felt about her.

I pulled her in slowly. I'd never actually kissed a girl before, being an introvert who lived on a mountain, but I didn't feel nervous about doing it to her. And I would've done it, until Jaune and Ruby came back in, and I panicked and released her.

"Oh, sorry, didn't mean to interrupt..." Jaune hesitantly remarked.

Blake and I broke away awkwardly, and there was silence until Ruby suggested we go to bed. I agreed, and changed into my night wear in the bathroom. Once I was out, the others came in to change one by one, apparently as uncomfortable about changing in front of others as I was. We all just slumped into bed and fell into a slumber.