On her way down the street on Saturday night, Karai thinks about coincidences.
It is a pure coincidence, for example, that it is nearly seven o'clock and it's also a coincidence that she is close to the Star Cinema. Not to mention the coincidence that she detects a certain redhead with her spectacled friend next to her among the people lining up for tickets.
And of course it is by pure chance that Karai walks past the line in a way that April has to set eyes on her.
"Karai?" she asks, and Karai has to fight down a smirk and the words "right on cue".
"Oh, hi April," she says. "Irma."
"What are you doing here?" April asks.
"Going for a walk," Karai replies with a shrug. "You?"
"Going to the movies. Didn't you hear us talking about it during lunch break?"
"Nah, I don't listen to the stuff you're talking about during lunch break," Karai says, trying to sound nonchalant and hoping that April buys it. Although, there is nothing April has to buy. It's the truth, just the truth. Karai does not listen to what these two talk about during lunch, no matter how awesome the movie they talk about sounds.
"So, what movie do you want to watch?" Karai asks.
It's not because she's interested. It's just a polite question, nothing more. And she knows what movie they want to watch already.
"'Colonizing Mars'", April replies. "It's about how the first humans land on Mars and start a civilization. And then there's something dark waiting for them on Mars, something they had no idea about."
"Sounds interesting," Karai says, again going for a nonchalant tone.
"I know, right!?" April replies, her eyes sparkling. "It's going to be so awesome!"
Karai blinks a few times at the wave of enthusiasm April sends her way.
"Do you want to join us?" the redhead adds.
Yes! Karai wants to reply right away, but she fights it down, waiting a few moments. No one needs to get the absolutely wrong impression that she actually wanted to be invited.
And it gives her time to indulge in the shocked face of Irma with her jaw dropped and her eyes wide open at April's suggestion.
Karai presses her lips together to prevent her mouth to curl into a smirk.
Then she shrugs.
"Sure, why not?" she says, hoping her voice sounds as bored as she wants it to. "I don't have anything better to do."
"Great!" April says and turns away because the line is moving forward.
And this time, Karai doesn't try to fight down the smirk on her face because Irma's even more shocked face, it's just too funny.
Two hours later, the three girls leave the movie theater again.
April is babbling in a high-pitched voice about the movie's awesomeness, and Karai can't help, but smile at it. April being nerdy is just a sight she doesn't get every day. Usually, it's Irma who goes all nerdy because of things Karai would never understand at school.
Or maybe, just maybe, Karai is smiling because she actually feels like smiling.
"So?" April asks all of a sudden.
Karai flinches a little as she realizes she hasn't been paying attention.
"What?" she asks, bringing back her annoyed and bored attitude with one little word.
"I asked if you want to grab something to eat with us. Pizza, maybe," April explains.
"Gluten-free pizza!" Irma chimes in.
"Alright, gluten-free pizza," April adds with the smallest roll of her eyes.
It brings the smile back to Karai's face.
Looks like she isn't the only one who finds Irma's nerdy behavior annoying sometimes. Or all the time.
"So?" April asks again.
Karai twists her mouth. This is the second time she is invited to join someone today, and this time, she didn't even aim at it.
Not that she has been aiming at it earlier.
"Sorry, I already have plans," she says, and it's not a lie. There is something else waiting for her tonight.
Okay, she really wouldn't mind seeing Irma's shocked face once more, she has to admit that. But on the other hand, who knows if it might not lose its entertainment value if seen too often? She'd better not risk that.
"See you guys at school!" she adds quickly and turns around with a wave of her hand.
She catches a glimpse of the relief on Irma's face which would make it even funnier to shock her again next time, but she can't really pin down the look on April's face.
And so she decides she doesn't care as she walks away.
She reaches the rooftop close to her dojo half an hour later. The moment she sets feet on the concrete, she lets out a long sigh, realizing how much she has missed this place.
But there's something else tingling in the back of her head, and it takes her a moment to understand what it means.
"Who's there?" she asks quickly, putting as much strength in her voice as she can. "Show yourself!"
She expects this someone to flee like the one night before.
She didn't expect what's happening next.