I nearly forgot to post this again - I'm sorry! I really wish ff had an autoposting thing...
Back to it though! More happy thoughts :D
The next morning was different from any other morning. Maybe because it was a Thursday? That didn't seem very special because there were lots of Thursdays, but something about this Thursday was different.
Whatever it was, Yang broke routine and didn't snooze her alarm multiple times like she usually did. Nope. The instant that bad boy went off, she silenced it and popped out of bed like she was a straight-A student or something. Like Weiss. She imagined that Weiss popped out of bed, probably before her alarm went off. No, Weiss didn't even set an alarm. She didn't need such trivial human inventions to wake her up. Her mind was much more powerful than any alarm clock.
Yang still needed an alarm.
But after her alarm went off, she was ready for the day in a fraction of the usual time. It helped that she'd picked out her outfit last night - because she wanted to look extra put together and coordinated today. And she'd already packed her gym bag with a new set of practice gear, and put her gym bag into her backpack, which still had all her books in it since she hadn't bothered removing them yesterday. Basically, everything was already done - she just needed to go through the motions of the morning!
Yesterday, she hadn't wanted to go to school, but today she was excited to get there. Not because she'd had a brain transplant and was suddenly excited about all the learning she was supposed to do, but because the people at school were awesome. Nora, Pyrrha, Ruby - all great. And Weiss, kind of tolerable.
Besides the regulars, Yang met some great new students yesterday. There was the math whiz, Violet, the up-and-coming boxing superstar, Hannah, and the new girl...Blake.
Lots of people to be excited about!
Dressed and ready, Yang grabbed her bag and took one last look at herself in the mirror. Fortunately, her hair had decided to be extra cooperative today, and her outfit was on point. Maybe spending time picking everything out the night before wasn't such a bad idea. There were definitely visible results.
Satisfied with her appearance, she opened the door and stepped into the hallway only to find that Ruby's door wasn't even open yet. She was that early.
Well...these were uncharted waters now. Ruby was always ready first. It was part of that whole 'speed' thing she had going on.
"Ruby!" Yang yelled before heading downstairs at a jog. While slipping on the shoes she'd set out for herself last night, she heard hurried rustling coming from upstairs, which was definitely Ruby scrambling to get ready.
Already ready to go, Yang headed into the kitchen to grab something to eat. As usual, her dad sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in one hand and the paper laid out in front of him. When she walked over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, he did a double take when seeing that she was the first one downstairs.
"Did Ruby already leave?" he asked, setting the mug down and turning to watch her grab a plain bagel from the countertop. Before she could respond, both of them heard what sounded like a herd of...very light-footed cats...tumbling down the stairs and into the entryway.
Poking her head out of the kitchen, Yang grinned while Ruby scrambled for a pair of sneakers.
"Jeez Ruby, you're such a slowpoke!" Yang teased, earning a grumble before smiling at her dad. "Bye Dad! Try not to miss us too much!"
Opening the front door, she gestured for Ruby to get a move on so they could leave. Of course, just as Ruby got her shoes on and both of her legs straightened out, she stood up and gasped.
"Gotta say bye to Dad!"
When Ruby raced into the kitchen to find him, Yang groaned. Sure, they were early and sure, they had plenty of time, but she wanted to leave already! So, after silently counting to three, she hurried outside and heard Ruby shoot through the door behind her.
"What's got into you?" Ruby asked after catching up to Yang on the sidewalk - the two of them finally falling into step together.
"Nothing. Just excited for school!" When Yang smiled, Ruby looked at her like she was crazy.
"Then something's wrong. You're never excited for school."
Laughing at the (true) statement, Yang threw her arm around Ruby's shoulders and tugged her close.
"It's my last year, Ruby - gotta enjoy it while it lasts!"
"Are you gonna miss me next year?"
"You know it." While saying the words, Yang ruffled Ruby's short hair - earning a disgruntled protest while Ruby pulled away.
Thankfully, Yang wasn't worried about leaving Ruby behind - not like she'd been when she left elementary and middle school. Ruby was no longer the little shrimp that bullies tried to pick on. Those years were long, long gone. Not because of anything Yang did, but because Ruby had grown up to be pretty popular herself. She was super sweet and willing to be friends with anyone and everyone. Plus, she was well-known and respected as the star of the track team. Even without having a bodyguard around, she'd be perfectly fine for the last two years of school - Yang was sure about it.
There were pros and cons of not having to worry about Ruby though. The good thing was that...well, Yang didn't have to worry. And she didn't have to come back and kick anyone's butt. The bad thing was that if she didn't have to worry, then all she could do was be sad that she wouldn't get to see her sister at school every day.
"I'm going to miss you too!" Ruby replied. "It's gonna suck without you or Weiss or Pyrrha around!"
"Ugh…" Yang groaned. "Did you have to group us together with Weiss?"
"I really like Weiss!"
"Well you might be the only one," she teased, tickling Ruby's sides while the school building came into view.
Honestly, Yang didn't know how Ruby and Weiss became friends, to begin with. How did they even cross paths? At the library? Yang had it on good authority that Ruby spent very little time in the library, while Weiss spent a fair amount of her free time there. So how did it happen?
Maybe one day she'd ask Ruby for that side of the story. Assuming that they bumped into each other in the hallway - which was something Ruby would do because she was a bit of a klutz - what happened next? Knowing Weiss, her response would be to berate Ruby for being careless and not paying attention. And then...they became best friends?
Whatever happened, it went against everything Yang had learned about Weiss during their first two years of school together. The older girl was notoriously difficult to befriend and, apparently, even more difficult to get rid of once you had.
"What're you gonna do before school starts?" Ruby asked while they cut across the mostly-empty parking lot.
"Hang out in homeroom, most likely." Out of the corner of her eye, Yang caught the confused look Ruby gave her but shrugged as if that was something she normally did. "I want to catch up with a few people before class starts."
The answer only moderately erased some of Ruby's suspicions, but the rest disappeared when they headed up the steps and into the building.
"Ruby!" someone called out almost as soon as they stepped inside. Turning towards the unfamiliar voice, Yang saw a younger girl waving at them. Or, more specifically, at Ruby.
"Ah, gotta go, Yang!" Hopping away, Ruby gave Yang one last parting grin. "I'll see you later!"
"Have a good day!"
With a wave, Ruby raced off to join her friend - who must also be on the track team from the track jacket she wore. Shaking her head at Ruby's boundless popularity, Yang watched the pair disappear through the gym doors before making her way to homeroom.
Knowing Ruby, she was probably going to run five miles before classes started, which seemed like a crazy idea – mostly because running that much would be horrible, but also because normal people would have to shower afterward or risk smelling for the rest of the day. Of course, Ruby probably wouldn't even break a sweat - Yang was only partially jealous.
But she had better things to do!
On a typical day, she spent her free time dawdling in the halls until the bell rang. But she wouldn't call it pointless dawdling! She liked to talk to people and see how everyone was doing. It was part of her...well, it wasn't her 'job,' but it was part of what she liked to do. By talking to people, she could get a better read of what was going on and where the bad apples might be hiding.
Of course, in the name of purposefully dawdling, she often got caught up in conversation or walked to class with someone new and ended up slipping into her own class right when the bell rang. But not today. Today, she was going directly to class after stopping by her locker to drop off her gym bag and as many books as she could get rid of. If she carried that sack of bricks around all day, she'd have back problems in no time.
After everything was deposited in her locker, she slammed the door shut and spun the combination before heading to homeroom. The moment she walked through the door, she knew she was way early - so early she'd beaten almost everyone else here - everyone except for Blake.
Once again, Blake was reading and seemingly oblivious to everything going on around her - and especially oblivious to the huge grin that lit Yang's face the instant she caught sight of the new girl. All of her efforts to get to school early had paid off, because now she had the chance to talk to Blake for a few minutes without anyone else around.
"Hey, good morning!" Yang said, throwing in a friendly wave once she caught Blake's attention.
"Good morning," Blake replied with an amused smile, closing the book and setting it on her desk. "Are you the official greeter of the school?"
Sensing that Blake wasn't opposed to the added company, Yang dragged a chair over so she could sit down.
"Unfortunately not," she replied with a shake of her head. "But that should be a real thing! I'd love to do that."
"It would be quite the welcome. The famous Yang Xiao Long of Vale High...welcoming all the newcomers."
"Oh come on, I'm not famous," Yang said with a good-natured laugh, although the compliment was flattering enough to make her cheeks warm. "But tell me, how was your first day?"
"It was good. Pretty uneventful."
"Uneventful is normally a good thing. Everyone was nice, I hope?"
For some reason, it felt like Blake had expected the question. Something about her smile...again, she seemed to know something that Yang still wasn't getting.
"Yes, I met some very friendly people. Although...there's one girl who doesn't seem to like me very much."
"Who is it?" Yang asked, her brow furrowing at the news.
"It's probably nothing," Blake replied with a shake of her head. "But her name is Weiss - Weiss Schnee?"
"Oh…" Externally, Yang managed to chuckle - internally, she groaned. "Yeah, she can be difficult..."
"You know her then?"
"She's friends with my sister," Yang explained. "So I know her pretty well. Don't worry though - she comes off as rude and snobby, but she's actually nice, sometimes. You just have to get past the layers and layers of cynicism, sarcasm, and arrogance, and then make it through a few years of indifference. There might be another step after that, but I'm stuck at indifference."
When Blake laughed at the (super accurate) description of Weiss, Yang grinned in delight.
"In that case, maybe she and I can get along some day," Blake concluded, her amber eyes meeting Yang's with a sparkle.
"Well..." Letting her answer trail off, Yang scrunched up her face at the thought. Based on Weiss' attitude yesterday, that might be a bit of a stretch...
But her lack of response made Blake laugh again - the lighthearted sound making Yang's heart do this silly double beat while she grinned.
"Noted," Blake replied with a tilt of her head. "Anyone else I should watch out for?"
"You mean like bullies or something?"
Blake stared straight into Yang's eyes at the question, allowing several full seconds to pass before nodding.
"Exactly. Any bullies I should steer clear of?"
That was a question with a convoluted answer.
"Not really," Yang said, leaning back in her seat and thinking about some of the people on her watch list. "A few kids are kind of mean, but if anyone bothers you - you let me know right away, 'k?"
"And you'll beat them up for me?" Blake asked, again appearing amused by the idea. Yang also chuckled at the term, which made it sound like she was going to get into a brawl - an old-fashioned fight in the schoolyard.
"Maybe not 'beat up,' but I'll definitely talk to them." Thinking about the possible culprits and what they might do, Yang shook her head and let it go with a grin. "But if I have to, I will."
Blake probably didn't take the answer as seriously as Yang meant it, but she smiled regardless.
"That's very sweet of you. I'll keep it in mind, but I think I'll be ok."
"I'm sure you will be! But, you know, just in case."
The two of them smiled at each other for a moment before the sound of rustling and soft laughter drew Yang's attention towards the classroom door. Penny had just walked in and promptly dropped a mile-high stack of cardboard all over the floor, much to the amusement of the other students who'd arrived without Yang noticing.
Jumping out of her seat, Yang rushed over to help pick up the pieces.
"What's with all the cardboard, Penny?" she asked while making a small stack out of the pieces she found. It looked like Penny had cut cardboard boxes into flat squares and then decided, for whatever reason, to bring it all to school.
"A project for home economics!" Penny answered enthusiastically, not at all embarrassed about the early morning spectacle she'd just provided the class. "We're supposed to make our dream home out of cardboard!"
Chuckling at how thrilled Penny was about that assignment, Yang added the last piece of runaway cardboard to her pile, aligned the edges, and picked the entire thing up with both hands.
"This is enough for a pretty big house." Following Penny to her desk, Yang set the pieces down and held them in place when Penny accidentally bumped them with her backpack. "You got it?" Yang asked, waiting for Penny to sit down before releasing the pile to her control.
"Yup!" Penny replied with a big smile. "Thank you, Yang!"
Smiling at the response, Yang patted Penny's shoulder before turning back to Blake, hoping to continue their conversation from earlier. She found that Blake was giving her one of those knowing smiles again - the one she really wanted to know the reason for. But Mr. Oobleck and Pyrrha walked in at that moment, so further knowledge would have to wait for another time.
Walking back to Blake's desk, Yang reluctantly pushed the extra chair back to its rightful place.
"It was nice talking to you."
"It was nice talking to you too," Blake replied - the two of them sharing one last smile before Yang headed towards her seat at the back of the room.
"Good morning, Pyrrha," she said while collapsing into her chair.
"Good morning, Yang," Pyrrha replied with a grin. "I see someone got here early to talk to the new girl."
"Just being friendly, you know? We've gotta be welcoming!"
"Well thank you, Yang, for accepting the task of welcoming Blake to our fine school."
"Happy to do it!" When Pyrrha laughed and shook her head, Yang grinned - knowing full well that Pyrrha was still teasing her.
"Good morning, students!" Mr. Oobleck said then, drawing their gazes towards the front of the class. "Welcome to your second day. We have several important matters to discuss -"
Mr. Oobleck must have some sort of magical power in his voice because whenever he started talking, Yang was able to tune him out completely. Instead of listening to the 'important announcements,' she snuck glances at Blake instead.
Blake, however, watched Mr. Oobleck attentively, listening to every word he said. If she was top of the class like Weiss said, that made a lot of sense. People only get to the top if they listen to their teachers, which was why Yang would never be near the top of the class.
In the midst of that thought, Blake suddenly shifted in her seat and glanced across the room - directly at Yang, who was still staring. She immediately averted her eyes, only to glance back and catch a smile before Blake turned around.
Feeling embarrassment heat her cheeks, Yang made sure not to look in Blake's direction for at least the next five seconds. Instead, she watched Mr. Oobleck as if he was the most interesting person in the classroom right now. Which he wasn't - not by a longshot - but she could pretend for a couple of seconds.
Blake caught her staring! That was so embarrassing. Thank god Pyrrha hadn't noticed that slip up, otherwise Yang would never hear the end of it. But Pyrrha was too busy listening to Mr. Oobleck to notice Yang's sudden humiliation.
What was with everyone paying attention in class these days? Oh well, Pyrrha would tell Yang if anything important happened - which it wouldn't because this was only homeroom. Although apparently 'only' homeroom could light her cheeks on fire. Was it hot in here or what?
Embarrassed or not, Yang snuck a few more looks Blake's way throughout the class. The key was to be super stealthy about it and not be caught blatantly staring. The way Mr. Oobleck zoomed back and forth in front of the room certainly helped in that quest. If Yang kept her eyes on him, he'd inevitably walk close enough to the right side of the room that she could let her eyes drift and take a sneak peek at what Blake was up to.
And Blake was always paying attention. Or jotting down a few quick notes. Or lightly tapping one finger on top of her notebook. She wasn't doing anything overtly interesting, yet Yang was still very interested.
When the bell finally rang, Yang gathered her few items together and stood up with a stretch - twisting slightly to take one last glance towards the front of the room and noticing that Blake was already headed towards the door. Although Yang was anxious to follow, she paused first to let out a big yawn. Her lack of snoozing this morning was already wearing on her energy - and the day had just started.
"I won't be at lunch today," Pyrrha said as they walked out of the classroom together, joining the crowd of students just released into the wild.
"Boy Wonder beckons?" Yang teased, grinning at the blush the nickname brought forth on Pyrrha's cheeks. "But ok, I'll see you after school then?"
"Of course."
Winking at Pyrrha, Yang joined the fray of students and set off towards her next class - this time keeping her eyes peeled for Blake. She saw Blake yesterday at her locker, so hopefully today…
Spotting Blake standing at the side of the hall up ahead, Yang altered her path so she could pass by a bit closer.
"Have a good class!" she said while walking past, throwing in a small wave and smile.
"You too, Yang."
Oh...she really liked how Blake said her name.
Turning around with a grin, she walked a few steps backward while holding Blake's gaze before reluctantly turning around again. Noticing someone else waving her way, she smiled and returned the gesture, but her mind never strayed from the girl she just left behind.
Even in her next classes, which were probably trying to teach her...something...she thought about Blake instead of anything written on the board. There was something about that smile. What was it? What did Blake know that Yang didn't?
The answer to that question still eluded her when she walked into the cafeteria several hours later. It was only when her mind tuned back into her surroundings that she remembered Pyrrha was helping Jaune today. And Weiss...it looked like Weiss was serious about studying during lunch because she was nowhere to be found. If Weiss wasn't here, it was highly unlikely Ruby would be here, but Yang scanned the lunchroom for her sister regardless. In doing so, her eyes fell upon someone unexpected.
Blake! What good fortune.
Skipping quickly through the crowds of hungry students, Yang caught up to Blake and joined the lunch line right behind her.
"Hey, wanna eat lunch together?" she asked, grabbing an empty tray and handing it to Blake before grabbing one for herself. Unphased by Yang's sudden appearance, Blake smiled and nodded.
"Sure, I'd love to."
This day just took a turn for the best.
"How was the food at Menagerie?" Yang asked while they picked up their lunch - spaghetti and meatballs with some veggies and a piece of garlic toast.
"It was pretty standard. Not spectacular, but edible."
"Then you'll feel right at home!" Yang replied with a small laugh. "Our cafeteria is the king of mediocre - our lunch ladies, however, are the queens of the kitchen!"
She made sure to say that last part extra loud, earning a smile from the lady standing across from them.
"We already give your sister extra cookies," she teased Yang in return before sliding lunch onto her tray. "You don't need to butter us up anymore."
"Aww, but Miss Schafer, you know what everyone says about you guys, right?" When the woman raised one brow in an expectant expression, Yang grinned and said, "There's no one butter."
Bursting into laughter, Miss Schafer waved Yang down the line while taking the tray of the student behind them. Grinning at the success of her joke, she followed Blake to one of the checkout lines.
"Well you have them eating out of the palm of your hand," Blake commented bemusedly after they paid for their food and walked into the general lunchroom.
"We have the best lunch ladies! They're really nice. Plus, they don't make the food, so they don't care if we complain about how bad it is."
While Yang spoke, she wove her way through the long tables to the one where she usually sat. Half of the seats were empty today since her fellow lunchmates were otherwise occupied, and a group of boys sat at the other end, laughing loudly about something. When Yang picked a seat and set her tray down, Blake sat across from her and looked around.
"Do you usually eat alone?"
"Naw...Pyrrha has a track thing, and Ruby followed Weiss to the library."
"Why is Weiss in the library?"
"She's studying."
"Studying at lunch?" Blake asked, raising her brow in surprise. "Wow...she's dedicated."
At first, Yang thought Blake was joking. But she'd said that with a genuine amount of surprise - as if it was completely unexpected for someone to spend their lunch break in the library.
"But...isn't that what you did yesterday?" Yang prodded.
"Studying at lunch?" Blake asked before laughing and shaking her head. "No, the principal gave me some last minute forms to fill out for my transfer. I figured I'd finish them at lunch while checking out the library."
"Ohh…"
That answer made a lot of sense, but now…
Realizing what a monster their misconception had created, Yang leaned back in her seat and shook her head.
"Do you think you could mention that to Weiss somehow? Like slip it into a conversation or something? Otherwise, she's going to kill herself studying this year."
Eyes sparkling with humor, Blake nodded. "Sure, I can try to bring it up."
"Thank you," Yang replied in relief. She loved giving Weiss a hard time about studying too hard, but the girl would work herself to the edge of a breakdown if someone wasn't around to stop her. Plus, Yang liked eating lunch with Ruby. And, unfortunately, it looked like without Weiss there would be no Ruby. She had no idea when the two of them became a package deal...
Looking down at her tray, Blake moved some food around before glancing back up.
"She's that competitive?
"Yes," Yang answered with a scoff. "Why do you think her only friends are athletes?"
"Ah...she likes to be the smartest in the room?"
"Exactly. And we're the only ones dumb enough to be her friends." Yang made the joke at her own expense and waited for Blake to laugh before answering truthfully. "She wants to be the smartest in the school. That's why she's worried about you taking her spot at the top of the class or, god forbid, she'll have to share."
"She wouldn't even want a tie?"
Hearing the surprise in Blake's voice, Yang shook her head.
"There can only be one number one," she said in a playfully serious tone before smiling.
"Well...fortunately for her, that wasn't my goal in coming here."
Furrowing her brow, Yang finished a bite of spaghetti before asking, "What was your goal?"
It seemed like a pretty harmless question, but Blake held Yang's gaze for a long time before finally smiling.
"Vale High is more prestigious than Menagerie. Graduating here will look better when applying to universities."
"That makes sense," Yang agreed with a nod. "I've heard Menagerie is nothing to slouch about though."
Glancing down at her tray, Blake shrugged.
"It was a great school, but I was looking for...something different."
"Like what?"
Again, Blake held Yang's eyes for a moment before answering the question.
"A different environment, maybe. Or a different challenge. Different people..."
When Blake's words trailed off, Yang took several more bites to eat while thinking about the response. Most of the new students she'd met over the past three years had been forced to change schools because their parents moved or something like that. Sophomore year, a couple of newbies were accepted late and jumped on the chance to switch schools, but other than that...why change schools senior year? Especially when Menagerie was close to Vale High in terms of academics?
A different environment...different people...maybe the students weren't very nice? Or Blake hadn't felt welcome?
Well, whatever it was, it sure wasn't going to happen here. Not on Yang's watch!
"Were you first in your class over there?" she asked as a way to change the topic.
"Yes."
"Any crazy competitive girls?"
Chuckling, Blake shook her head. "There are people like that everywhere, I think."
"Yeah, too bad. Hopefully Weiss cools her jets though..." Yang muttered, glancing around the cafeteria in case Weiss had slipped in just to eavesdrop on their conversation.
"It's ok if she doesn't; I don't care if I end up first or second. That's not much difference in the eyes of admissions, so it really doesn't matter which it ends up being."
"It sounds like you get to decide who wins," Yang replied with a laugh, knowing that the comment would've driven Weiss up the wall. Now it was a shame she wasn't eavesdropping...
"Well, I do, in a way," Blake replied with a thoughtful expression. "Weiss and I are tied right now, so I can only lose if I don't get perfect grades. That's within my control. And there's only one scenario I can think of that would affect my grades that much."
"What's that?" Yang asked, leaning forward in interest.
For a second, it looked like Blake might not want to answer, but then she smiled.
"If I fall in love."
Yang's cheeks immediately flushed while her heart jumped into her throat - all while Blake watched with a half smile, half laugh tugging at her lips.
But that was not the answer Yang had expected. Like at all.
"Is there...did you meet someone?" she sputtered, her mind still reeling from the response.
Jealousy seeped through her chest while she tried to think of who Blake could've met on the first day of school. Who would have such a big impact? Who frequented the upper-level classes? Besides Weiss?
Thankfully, Blake shook her head 'no' - saving Yang from running through the entire class roster to find the culprit.
"I'm only hypothesizing," Blake explained. "I don't even know if that would affect my grades."
"Ah, well, I mean, I guess in the movies it does, right?" Yang suggested with a little laugh. "They get all lovey-dovey and then homework is the last thing on their minds."
When Blake chuckled and went back to eating, Yang did the same while trying to convince her blush to fade away. Thinking about Blake being in love only made her cheeks hotter though.
What would Blake be like in love? Would she start slacking on homework? Skipping class?
Why was Yang thinking about this so much?
A soft clatter with accompanying motion suddenly jerked her out of her thoughts. Turning to the side, she found Ruby sinking into the seat beside her.
"Hey! What're you doing here?"
"Weiss kicked me out!" Ruby whined. "Said I was too distracting."
Chuckling at Ruby's pout, Yang reached over and patted her shoulder in consolation. It was only then that Yang noticed the inquisitive look coming from across the table and realized that she was being a bit rude.
"Oh, hey, Blake, this is my little sister, Ruby," she said while pointing to Ruby. "Ruby, this is Blake. She just transferred from Menagerie. We have homeroom together."
"Hey!" Ruby replied with a beaming smile. "Nice to meet you!"
"Nice to meet you too," Blake said, dipping her head in greeting.
Ruby had already turned back to Yang when the name finally registered, and her eyes widened in recognition.
"Wait!" she exclaimed, looking back across the table. "You're Blake? The new girl, right? The super smart one? What're you doing here? Why aren't you studying?"
While Blake's eyes sparkled at the rapid questions, Yang laughed and shook her head.
"She doesn't study during lunch," Yang explained while Blake nodded in agreement. "She's not neurotic like Weiss."
"But...what?" After briefly looking as confused as Yang initially felt, Ruby finally accepted the knowledge with a sigh. "Can you tell her that or something? She kept muttering about how she can't let anyone take her spot - I don't think it's healthy!"
"I'll let her know," Blake agreed once again. "Although if she's coming back to the lunchroom, I doubt she'll want me to sit here anymore."
"She'll deal with it," Yang immediately said. "It'll be good for her. Maybe she'll finally learn some humility."
"It'll be bad for us though!" Ruby piped in. "We're way not smart enough to hold a conversation with both of you."
"I guess we could talk about rocks or something," Yang suggested, bumping shoulders with Ruby while she giggled.
"Igneous? Sedimentary? Metamorphic?" Blake asked with a sly grin, sending Yang a small wink that made her jaw drop in shock.
"Oh cool! You speak another language?" Ruby asked so seriously that Yang burst out laughing.
"I think those are different types of rocks," she told Ruby, whose eyes widened in surprise. "But I'm not even sure, so you're probably right that this won't be good for us."
After Ruby laughed at her mistake, she shrugged and stole the last chunk of Yang's garlic bread. "Eh. We normally look dumb anyway. That's why we have smart friends - to balance it out!"
A loud crash at the other end of the table caught their startled attention, and they were just in time to see a boy leap out of his seat while his water splashed all over him and onto the floor. While he held his hands up in the air and looked miffed about what just happened, his friends roared with laughter and pointed at his blue shirt now splattered with dark wet spots.
Grabbing the napkins off her tray, Yang tossed them over to the boy - who sent her a grateful look while reaching out to take them.
"Tie-dye is so in right now," she added, nodding to his speckled shirt.
"I'll get more napkins!" Ruby offered, hopping up from the table and skipping away. She was back in a flash with an entire stack of napkins, half of which she handed to the boy before using the other half to mop up some of the water herself. With their laughter quickly wearing off, the rest of the boy's friends grabbed their napkins and reached over to help.
By the time the bell announced their next classes would start soon, a giant pile of soggy napkins sat on water boy's tray, but the table and floor were spill free.
Graciously accepting the thanks directed her way, Ruby raced over to grab her empty tray from beside Yang. "See you after school!" she called out with a wave before hurrying out of the room, dropping her tray by one of the cafeteria's exits before disappearing into the hall.
"Always something going on around here," Yang commented while standing up and grabbing her tray.
"Your sister is really kind."
Blake's compliment made Yang beam with pride.
"She's got a heart of gold! I'd like to think she takes after me, but she's way nicer than I am. Funnier, too."
"I should rephrase that. You're both really kind."
Blushing at the compliment, Yang couldn't come up with anything to say in response. 'And you're really beautiful' might be a little weird and inappropriate under the circumstances, but she appreciated that Blake thought of her as a kind person. She tried to be nice as often as she could. Sometimes people tested her patience, but overall she tried to be a good person.
"So...where are you off to next?" she asked instead of responding to that comment.
"Advanced physics. You?"
"Eh...something less than advanced physics," Yang replied while they threw away their trash and left their empty trays on top of the garbage can. "I'm going to economics. Because nothing says 'naptime' better than econ."
Unfortunately, they were headed in separate directions for their next classes, so Yang took a step away from Blake and smiled.
"But I'll see you later?"
Only after receiving a nod did Yang reluctantly turn away, wishing today more than any other day that lunch hadn't ended.
Regretfully walking towards her next class, she hadn't made it more than a few steps before noticing a group of boys laughing at a girl who'd just tripped and dropped her books on the floor. None of them lifted a finger to help while she hurriedly scooped everything up and rushed away with her head down.
It looked like Yang had a little detour to make before heading to class. Just a small one - this should be quick.
Sauntering over to the group, she found that they were young - most likely freshmen. Due to her...experience...with this type of conversation, it normally took about two seconds to figure out how it was going to go - all based on whether they looked at her with disdain or interest.
Considering her outfit was on fire today, they were interested.
"Hey boys," she said, pulling out one of her most flirtatious grins for them. "You weren't just laughing at that poor girl, were you?"
Three of them immediately shook their heads 'no' while the fourth numbly nodded until one of his friends elbowed him in the side. Shaking her head in shame, she made a 'tsk'ing sound and frowned.
"Such a shame…" she lamented, watching them hang on her every word. "It's so hard to find a guy who knows how to treat a girl these days..."
"I know how to treat a girl!" one of them offered while the other three nodded. Satisfied with the quick response, she smiled.
"I'd love for you to prove that to me," she said. "Maybe you can be nicer to the other girls in your classes?"
"Yeah!"
"Totally."
When they nodded their enthusiastic agreements, she winked and started walking away.
"I'll be keeping an eye on you."
She made the comment airily, making sure to keep her threatening tone at bay. These boys were harmless, but if she could convince them to behave a little better for just a few days, she'd be happy.
Feeling eyes upon her while she headed off, she turned and found Blake still watching her - likely having witnessed the entire interaction. Yang instantly blushed, knowing that it probably looked like she was heavily flirting with a group of boys much younger than her. But Blake just smiled - again, that little smile that seemed far more pleased with the situation than she ought to be. She then turned and walked down the other hallway to her next class, and Yang finally did the same.
It was strange to have someone watching her the way Blake did. Sure, people looked at her all the time and always seemed to notice what she was doing, but with Blake it felt...different. Like she wasn't interested in knowing what was cool or what was popular, but she was interested in what Yang was doing and what made her tick.
The observation wasn't unwelcome. If anything, it only made Yang want to know more about Blake in return. If only things like classes wouldn't keep getting in the way...