Chapter 20:
Totally Not Stalking

OC lay awake in her dorm, listening to the sound of light rain outside (it symbolized her mood) and Muddy's troubled thoughts. The shy MudWing kept agonizing over whether or not to talk to Expendable tomorrow. OC decided to stop interfering with her friends' relationships - after all, OC hadn't even sorted her own romantic subplot out yet.

Plottwister was gone, coveniently preventing OC from spying on her dreams. OC would probably forget to mention this very important, suspicious detail to her friends the next day.

OC shifted around, her back aching relatably. Her cool, custom sleeping place didn't seem so nice when she actually tried to use it. Whoever had designed it clearly hadn't cared to make it functional.

Since nobody in Pyrrhia had thought to invent a mattress yet, it was incredibly hard and uncomfortable. She couldn't sleep. Even if she did have a decent bed, she still wouldn't have been able to. There was too much conflict on her mind and sadness in heart. Poor OC, so distracted by personal drama! Forgetting about the murder mystery, she got up and relatably walked over to the window to stare at the sky and think about her love story.

Pale light streamed down from the three moons, dramatically illuminating her face. Though her sorrow turned her scales a sad gray color, she still looked stunningly beautiful. Her wings gleamed with elegant swirls of silver, and her lustrous eyes shined like melancholy rainbows in tranquil waterfalls.

"Oh, Hotness," she whispered forlornly, "I can't lose you."

I know he loves me, she thought. I'm basically all he thinks about, and that's a sign of a healthy, relatable romance. Still, she couldn't help worrying about what would happen on Allure and Hotness's forced 'date'. Hotness fell in love with me after five minutes. What if that happens with Allure?!

She had to see him one more time before class. She had to speak to him alone, without Allure there to flirt with him or Expendable there to stare longingly at her.

Luckily, supernatural powers for invading others' privacy did come with their perks. She had spent so much time looking at Hotness's memories that she was pretty sure she knew how to get to his dormitory. After deciding that this wasn't too weird, she slipped quietly out of her room and into the eerie, dark, foreshadowy corridor.

Following the path that she had seen in Hotness's memories, OC walked down the hall toward his room.

What do I say? This totally isn't stalking. How do I tell Hotness my feelings? OC stopped in front of a door, her wings and heart fluttering nervously. She was pretty sure this was the one. I can't just burst in. He's probably asleep. Is he cute when he sleeps? No, wait, that's a creepy thing to think. Relatable but creepy. She knocked twice.

Subzero answered the door.

"Oh." Relatably surprised, OC jumped back. "Not you," she said, then felt bad for saying that to her friend (Teammate? Acquaintance? What was Subzero supposed to be?) and tried to clarify. "Sorry. You're not who I'm looking for." Her mind was still so full of images of Hotness that her words came out all wrong.

"Yeah, I've come to expect that," Subzero said. OC couldn't tell if he was offended or just being his usual cold self. His thoughts, mostly filled with politics and petty complaints about their education system, provided her no answers.

OC peered around at all the other doors, trying not to seem weird. "Is...is Hotness's dorm near here?"

Subzero stared at her. "You're standing in front of it."

OC blinked. So Hotness and Subzero were roommates. She wondered why this had never come up in a conversation or in either of their memories. It kind of made sense - how else would Hotness have becomes friends with someone like Subzero? I guess this is as good an explanation as any other, OC thought.

"Uh, okay," she mumbled, looking over Subzero's shoulder to see if anyone else was in the room. "Where is he?"

Subzero rolled his eyes and said, "He left to go fly under the stars and compose romantic poetry. What a waste of time. He really needs a new hobby." He must have seen OC's look of disappointment, because his expression shifted to a strange mixture of pity and disdain. "I suppose he'll be back soon. Not that I look forward to that. I prefer being alone, since I'm the only dragon in this school who cares about getting anything done."

"Yes, of course," OC said. Some relatable frustration crept into her voice. She was just so heartbroken!

Subzero's brow raised slightly, impressed. "Was that sarcasm?"

All OC could think about was Hotness. I have to see him now! "Maybe. I - I don't know. I really need to talk to Hotness." She looked at Subzero, wishing that it was Hotness standing there instead of a grumpy, scowling IceWing. "Can I wait here for him? Come on, Subzero."

Frozen moons. I'm going to get diabetes if this sweet, sugary love nonsense keeps going, Subzero thought. OC remembered that it was scientifically possible for reptiles to get diabetes. Hotness would have appreciated a fun fact like that.

For some reason, Subzero decided not to snap at her. "Fine," he muttered. "Don't stay long, and don't step on my art supplies." He moved aside, allowing her to enter his/Hotness's room.

"This totally isn't stalking, right?" OC asked him. "It's normal and relatable for me to sneak over to Hotness's room without telling him first, right?"

Subzero picked up a scroll from the floor, glanced at its title, and tucked it under his wing. He tried to smirk, wincing because his face was still bruised from his visit to Plottwister. "Do I look like someone who cares about your relationships?" he growled flatly.

OC looked around at the interesting chaos that surrounded her, ignoring the pessimism that brewed in Subzero's head. She had come to expect it.