VII. Second Wind

Hannah and Barbara were wandering around the hallways confused and worried. Hannah was looking around and stopping fellow students to ask if they had seen Diana. Barbara was imagining the worst and was trying to suppress it.

"Ugg. This doesn't make sense! It's lunch time where would Diana possibly go?" Hannah asked.

"Well, you saw her when she came back to class. How worried she looked. I know Diana isn't that expressive but I think something must have scared her." Barbara explained. Her instincts told her this and Barbara always listened to them.

"Scared her? Okay. Where would Diana go when she's scared?" Hannah stopped walking and turned to Barbara, her partner in crime.

Barbara looked to the side and her eyes lit up.

"Diana likes to hide her emotions, so if she's scared… scared of expressing them, she would go some place where people wouldn't find her."

Both of them stood looking around and they both lit up at the same time.

"The edge of the flying field!" They said at the same time before they both took off running.

The flying field, where many students practiced flying on their brooms, had a few secluded places on it's perimeter. They were obscured by various bushes and hedges with few students venturing to them. Hannah and Barbara made it to the edge of the hedges avoiding teachers who would yell at them for running on school grounds. Hannah went to the thickest part of the hedges and sure enough Diana was laying on the grass looking up at the sky, with eyes that seemed far away.

Diana looked over at Hannah and Barbara and started getting up.

"I knew it wouldn't take you two long." Diana said.

Barbara injected first. "What happened? You seemed scared and shaken up, when you came back to class."

Hannah piped. "Alright, no more keeping us in the dark. If you don't tell us what's going on, by now -."

Diana held up her hand and walked up to them.

"My aunt Daryl wanted to speak with me. She gave me an ultimatum. I will impress her at the ball with my presence, manners and attire or she will force me to see a counselor." Diana explained leaving out the gay part.

Hannah and Barbara stood there not sure what to do with that information. Hannah saw in Diana's eyes that she was in a lot of pain and knew that forcing her way in was not the right solution.

"We'll do what we can to help. Right, Hannah?" Barbara looked at Hannah daring her to challenge her.

"Of course. We want to help you in any way we can. Just tell us what to do." Hannah said.

Diana looked silently across the field to where Akko and her teammates were sitting.

"I appreciate your concern, but there isn't much you two can do. I have to do this myself. It would mean the world to me if you two could be there for me." Diana asked humbling herself.

Both Hannah and Barbara nodded.

"I promise we got your back." Hannah said.

"Yeah, no matter what." Barbara replied.

Diana smiled as Hannah and Barbara both hugged her tightly. Diana wanted to believe them, she had to if she was ever going to have the courage to face the ball. She decided to have faith to let them in a little more.

"I have an outfit prepared for the event and I will have to retrieve it tomorrow… it may sound foolish but this whole mess that you both have seen me go through is because of it." Diana smiled wistfully up at the sky.

"Yet I still have high hopes for it, because it represents something much more. I know I'm being vague but Friday you'll hopefully understand." Diana said, it felt good getting it off her chest.

Diana lead the way back to class as Hannah and Barbara followed closely behind. Both were more sympathetic to Diana after all that they had heard.

The rest of the day came and went and Diana found herself sitting in the school's courtyard the next day answering questions a group of students had on the ethics of magic for a project. Diana picked up Akko's voice and secretly listened in between the pauses in her conversation with the other students.

"Wow! Tomorrow's the ball, aren't you and Sucy excited?" Akko exclaimed as they left their last class. Sucy and Lotte looked at other as they all walked down the bustling hallway of students.

"Sounds like a good place to test out my new potions." Sucy grinned.

"I guess I'm going with Frank. He asked me yesterday. But I guess you're excited to be going with Andrew." Lotte said to Akko's excitement.

Akko deflated a little and scrunched up her face like she was deep in thought. Lotte and Sucy seemed to notice and Sucy rolled her eyes.

"Okay, what are you thinking about? Some silly scheme to make the ball more 'magical'?" Sucy asked thinking that she could see through Akko.

Akko looked to the side with a concerned expression. Lotte thought she knew the answer.

"We can go together, it could be like a double date if that makes you more comfortable." Lotte offered.

The team exited the hallways and found themselves in the main courtyard as Akko stopped, sitting down on one of the wooden benches. Lotte and Sucy sat on either side of Akko and both looked worried. This was unlike Akko, she wasn't usually this quiet.

"I don't know if I want to go to the ball with Andrew. It feels weird that it's a date. I just, I don't know!" Akko stood up with energy and started walking around. Sucy and Lotte stared at her.

"He surprised me! I mean... yeah sure it was nice when he asked me, but I was scared and it just came out! I mean I've never had a boy ask me something like this. It's a lot of pressure! I just- I wanted someone else to ask me, okay!" Akko stated.

Across the courtyard Diana's ears perked up like a dog at the sound of a doorbell. Stopping halfway in a sentence to Hannah. Hannah stood confused and excused the first years that Diana had business to take care of. Hannah and Barbara stared at Akko who ranting about how Andrew was a nice guy but she wasn't sure that she had feelings for him. Sucy offered some sass and Lotte tried to calm Akko down.

Diana couldn't believe what she was hearing. She actually had a second chance, her plan might actually work. She felt invigorated and remembered that today she had to pick up the suit. She silently thanked the universe for an extra chance. Amanda walked past Akko and gave Diana a toothy grin as she wiggled her eyebrows. Instead of being mad, Diana quietly straighten up knowing that she was going through with the plan, do or die.

"Honestly, Akko is such an idiot! How is she complaining about going to the ball with Andrew?" Hannah asked judgmentally.

"Yeah, so many girls are jealous of her. Diana should be the one to -" Barbara said but she cut off.

"I have to retrieve my outfit for tomorrow's event. I won't be long." Diana said about to walk off. Hannah and Barbara started after her both bursting with excitement.

"Can we come with you? We really want to see the dress. Oh please Diana!" Barbara asked pleading.

"Yeah, you talk so highly of it. Come on please!" Hannah asked.

Diana was firm and looked at her teammates with minor annoyance.

"I've already told you that you'll see it tomorrow when we get ready for the ball." Diana said folding her arms.

Both Hannah and Barbara were saddened but they both remembered Diana's conversation with them earlier and Hannah sighed crossing her arms as Diana walked away to the room to retrieve her broom.

"Diana, why do have to be so mysterious, all the time?" Hannah accused but Diana had walked away and wasn't planning on answering.